Rebirth 70: I am a Koi

I slowly squatted down, staring at the black insect without blinking. It was only the size of a grain of rice, black all over, with a hard shell on its back, and six slender legs supporting its body, and it was vigorously gnawing at the roots of the crops.

Could it be...could it be this?

A thought suddenly flashed through my mind: Could it be that this insect is the culprit causing the widespread wilting of crops?

I immediately took out the notebook and pen I carried with me from my pocket, recorded the morphological characteristics of the insect in detail, and drew a sketch. After doing all this, I carefully caught the insect and put it in an empty glass bottle.

"Jinli, what are you doing?"

I heard Hanchuan's familiar voice behind me. I turned around and saw him standing on the edge of the field with a hint of confusion on his face.

I walked quickly to him and held the glass bottle in front of him. "Look, I found a strange insect. I suspect it is related to the crop disease."

Hanchuan took the glass bottle and carefully observed the insect inside, frowning slightly, "But, I have never seen this kind of insect before, could it really be the culprit?"

"I'm not sure either, but this is just my guess. I need to verify it further." I said with a firm tone, "Maybe this is a turning point. We can't give up any hope."

Hanchuan was silent for a moment. He knew how I felt at the moment and how much effort I had put into the planting base. He gently put the glass bottle back into my hand and said firmly, "I believe in you. No matter what decision you make, I will support you. Let's put the loan aside for now and focus on solving the problem at hand."

I nodded gratefully. Hanchuan's support was like a warm current, warming my tired heart.

Late at night, I lit a kerosene lamp and carefully observed the black insect under a microscope. Every detail of its body was clearly visible, and I found that its mouthparts were extremely sharp, no wonder it could easily pierce the roots of crops.

"I feel like I've seen this kind of insect somewhere before..." Uncle Li looked through the sketch I drew before, frowning and falling into deep thought.

After a long time, he suddenly raised his head, and a gleam of light flashed in his cloudy eyes. "I remember! I saw a record of this insect in an ancient book!"

I was delighted and asked quickly, "What ancient book? Tell me quickly!"

Uncle Li turned around and took out a yellowed thread-bound book from the bookshelf. He pointed to the blurry picture on one of the pages and said excitedly, "That's it! Look, isn't it very similar to your painting?"

I took a closer look and found that although the insect in the picture had simple lines, its morphological characteristics were indeed very similar to that of the black insect. The pages also recorded some information about the habits of this insect and how to deal with it, but because of its age, many of the words were blurred and difficult to recognize.

"What does the book say? Is there any way to deal with it?" Hanchuan asked anxiously.

Uncle Li shook his head, his face becoming serious. "The book says that this insect is called 'Earth Demon', and it specializes in eating the roots of plants. Once it breaks out, it is difficult to eradicate it, and..." He paused, and said in a heavy tone, "The only potion recorded in the book that can restrain the Earth Demon is made from a highly poisonous plant called 'Soul-breaking Grass'. However, this potion is extremely toxic. If used improperly, it will not only kill the Earth Demon, but also cause irreversible damage to the land, leaving no grass to grow!"

My heart sank immediately. I had thought that finding Disha was a ray of hope, but I didn't expect it to be a more difficult problem.

The news quickly spread throughout the planting base, and everyone was talking about it. The anxiety and panic that had already spread throughout the base due to crop diseases became even more intense.

"That's what I said. It's already this late. Why are you still studying insects? I think you're just desperate and trying anything you can think of!"

"That's right, now we should find a way to raise money and pay off the loan!"

"I think Director Mu is at his wit's end, so he's desperate to find a cure!"

But some people hold out a glimmer of hope for my findings:

"I think what Director Mu said makes sense. If it really is an Earthly Evil, then finding the cause is better than knowing nothing at all."

"Yes, as long as there is a glimmer of hope, we can't give up!"

……

Faced with doubts and opposition, I felt uncomfortable, but I also knew that now was not the time to explain.

"Hanchuan, do you think we really should take the risk and give it a try?" It was late at night and I was lying in bed, but I couldn't fall asleep. I turned to look at Hanchuan beside me and asked softly.

He reached out his hand, hugged me in his arms, and said firmly: "I believe in you, do whatever you want to do, even if you fail, I will accompany you to bear the consequences together."

I took a deep breath and made up my mind, "Okay, I'll start the experiment tomorrow. I don't believe that we can't defeat this little evil spirit!" The next morning, I came to the field early, holding the medicine I prepared last night in my hand, and walked towards the field with a determined look...

The next morning, I arrived at the field early, holding the medicine prepared last night in my hand, and walked towards the isolated experimental field with a firm look.

This experimental field is only five acres, but it is our most valuable asset now. If this experiment fails, all the crops in these five acres will be lost, which will bring greater economic pressure to the base and may even make us completely lose the opportunity to turn things around.

"Jinli, do we really want to do this?" Hanchuan helped me fix the isolation belt, with a hint of worry in his tone.

"There is no other way," I took a deep breath, "If it is really the Earthly Evil, only this method can completely cure it. Besides, I believe in Mr. Li's judgment."

Uncle Li was carefully checking the tools for spraying the pesticide. When he heard what I said, he raised his head, with a determined light flashing in his cloudy eyes: "Girl, you can do it boldly. You saved my life. Even if you fail, I will never regret it!"

I nodded vigorously and began to spray the medicine carefully on the roots of the crops according to the records in the ancient books. The medicine was light yellow and exuded a strange herbal smell. Every time I sprayed it, I felt like a stone was pressing on my heart, heavy.

Hanchuan and Uncle Li helped me observe the reactions of the crops and record every subtle change.

Time passed minute by minute, and in the anxious wait, the sun gradually set, and the afterglow of the sunset dyed the entire field golden.

"How is it? Any changes?" I asked anxiously.

"Wait a little longer," said Grandpa Li, staring at the crops in the field, with a hint of anticipation in his tone, "According to the records in ancient books, the effect of the medicine should only be seen at sunset."

The three of us stood on the edge of the field. No one spoke. We just stared at the crops in the field. The atmosphere was so tense that we could hear a pin drop.

Suddenly, I saw the leaves of one of the crops tremble slightly...

That faint tremor was like a stone thrown into a calm lake, instantly stirring up huge waves in my heart.

I rubbed my eyes, fearing that I was too nervous and had hallucinations.

"Did you see it?" I held Hanchuan's arm tightly, my voice trembling slightly with excitement, "Did that plant move?"

Hanchuan didn't say anything, but his deep gaze was fixed on the crop, his brows slightly furrowed, as if he was trying to confirm something.

Uncle Li's reaction was greater than any of ours. He stood up straight abruptly, his cloudy eyes burst into an astonishing light, and he said in a trembling voice, "It moved, it really moved! It's exactly the same as what's recorded in the ancient books!"

My heart also rose to my throat and I stared at the experimental field without blinking.

As time went by, more and more crops began to show similar changes. Their originally drooping leaves gradually stretched out as if injected with new vitality, and their colors became greener.

Seeing this scene, my heart finally settled down a little.

"It seems that the records in the ancient books are true," I breathed a sigh of relief, turned to look at Uncle Li, and said gratefully, "Uncle Li, this time thanks to you!"

Grandpa Li waved his hands, with a gratified smile on his face: "Girl, you are our great benefactor! If it weren't for you, I would have died long ago, how could I have the chance to witness such a miracle with my own eyes?"

Although I see hope, I know that this is just the beginning and whether it will be successful or not is still unknown.

In the next few days, the three of us stayed in this experimental field almost all the time, carefully observing the changes of each crop and recording every detail.

As time went by, the crops in the experimental field were in better and better condition. The originally yellow leaves had all regained vitality and were growing well, even stronger than the crops in other fields.

"We succeeded! We succeeded!" Uncle Li was so excited that tears streamed down his cheeks. He held my hand tightly and said in a trembling voice, "Girl, you are really our lucky star!"

I suppressed my excitement and said with a smile: "Uncle Li, it's too early to say it's successful now. We need to continue to observe for a while before we can make a final decision."

I know the real test is yet to come.

"Tick, tick..."

The old-fashioned clock on the wall pointed to twelve o'clock midnight.

I put down the notebook in my hand, rubbed my aching shoulders, stood up and walked to the window, looking at the dark night outside the window, and suddenly a sense of inexplicable uneasiness surged in my heart...

"Dong dong dong..."

Suddenly, a hurried knock on the door broke the silence of the night.

My heart tightened and an ominous premonition came over me.

"Who?" Hanchuan's voice came from behind, with a hint of vigilance.

"It's me, Old Man Li!" Uncle Li's anxious voice came from outside the door, "Something happened! Come with me to the fields and take a look!"