"Nominate a Vice President? You mean the one they mentioned above, selecting another Vice President from within the official roster?"
"Seems like people from other cities are competing too. With so many vying for one spot, it's going to be tough."
Zhou Bapi was breathing heavily. "I don't have any other options now. As long as you can cure it, you'll definitely be counted in. And from now on, this batch of gastrodia will be under your charge. Even if you didn't plant it yourself, it'll count as your harvest."
"W-what? Why? I've worked so hard for more than half a year planting these." Xiao Xiao protested anxiously.
Zhou Bapi shrugged. "Then you can just watch this batch of gastrodia die. Or you can ask your President Tie to fix it. Either way, it's already confirmed. These things are red nematode eggs. It's directly linked to when you collected rainwater during that downpour to irrigate the soil. You'll be held fully responsible."
Xiao Xiao stared at Zhou Bapi in disbelief. After a long pause, she snapped stubbornly. "Fine, treat it, treat it. No one else can figure it out, only you. Let's see how you get yourself out of this one. I'd like to see you save so many gastrodia plants all at once."
Her heart was twisted with conflict. She hoped this woman would fail, so she wouldn't have to give up her gastrodia. But at the same time, she hoped for success, so she wouldn't be held accountable.
Jing Shu's lips curved faintly. "Only those without skill cling to old sayings to lecture the younger generation. Watch carefully, I'll show you."
In truth, the method was simple. It was born not from lofty research institutes, but from countless experiments by ordinary Chinese people.
At this very moment, the red nematode egg crisis was erupting. Just a few days ago, the whole country had begun planting gastrodia in bulk. Yet now they were horrified to discover that despite meticulous care—eight hours of artificial light, constant temperature control, abundant water—white eggs still spread everywhere, terrifying to behold. Worst of all, pesticides didn't work.
The whole nation plunged into frantic searches for a solution. Ideas bloomed like wildflowers, ranging from filtering irrigation water to other makeshift remedies.
Jing Shu, however, had no intention of making this method public. The person who had discovered it would soon be rewarded. She could use it in advance, but she wouldn't steal the credit. Besides, the method wasn't universal. It was a stopgap measure, not something suitable for mass promotion.
There's an old Chinese saying: "Where there is poison, there must also be antidote." Red nematode eggs had their natural nemesis. The best way to deal with them was to fight poison with poison.
When the discoverer was interviewed about how he came up with the method, he explained: "I thought, if the rain only contained half red nematodes, why did irrigating the soil suddenly hatch so many eggs? Experts tried countless approaches, none of which worked. But I suspected the red nematodes must be eating their own eggs."
Through careful observation and countless experiments, he confirmed it. Adult red nematodes wouldn't touch the eggs. But the oversized, elderly nematodes washed down by heavy rains—those that had lost their ability to reproduce—survived by devouring eggs.
What's more, once those old nematodes were soaked in salt water, they became ravenous for eggs.
So he spent half a day sifting through tens of thousands of bugs, picking out thousands of aged nematodes. After soaking them in salt water, he released them back into the fields, and they devoured every last egg.
But there was a catch: you absolutely couldn't mix in young adults. If you did, all your efforts would be wasted.
This method worked in emergencies, but not for daily use. Every irrigation would bring a fresh wave of eggs, which meant picking out elderly nematodes every day, soaking them, then releasing them again. The vegetables would never survive such torment.
That was why the government sought to solve the problem at its root—by cleaning irrigation water of eggs altogether.
"Bring me two large buckets. One filled with filtered salt water, another for scooping."
Before long, a bucket of purified salt water was ready. Jing Shu grabbed the net, put on a raincoat, and headed out. "Wait here for me."
For others, this process was time-consuming. But Jing Shu had the Cube Space on her side. She could toss all the red nematodes from the rainwater inside, then use her consciousness to identify them. Any over ten centimeters long and isolated, without mating, were aged nematodes.
What took others seven or eight hours, Jing Shu finished in just ten minutes, pulling out half a bucket of old nematodes.
Curiosity got the better of everyone inside. They came out, crowding under the eaves to watch Jing Shu scoop and shake her net as if she were carefully selecting something.
To the untrained eye, it just looked like she was fishing out red nematodes.
"Tch, it's just scooping bugs. Why does she need so long?" Xiao Xiao muttered sourly.
"All right, let's go." Jing Shu carried the bucket, the nematodes inside barely stirring. She smiled faintly, deliberately leaving the others puzzled.
On the third floor, she dumped the old nematodes into the salt water. They curled tightly together at once.
Everyone stared wide-eyed. "What's she doing? We already know salt water works on nematodes."
"Didn't President Zhou already try soaking them?"
Next, Jing Shu scooped out the curled nematodes and scattered them over the gastrodia, just a dozen at each spot. In no time, all five racks were covered.
Then came the miracle.
The nematodes that seemed dead suddenly stirred. As if catching the scent of a feast, they devoured the eggs at a visible speed. One by one, the eggs disappeared. At this rate, less than half an hour would see the gastrodia cleansed completely.
These old nematodes wouldn't live long. Once they finished the eggs, their lives would end. Raising them again wasn't possible.
Gasps of astonishment filled the air.
No one had expected it to be so simple.
Zhou Bapi was ecstatic. "You're incredible! Old man that I am, I knew I wasn't wrong about you. How did you ever think of this method?"
Jing Shu sprinkled more salt water to accelerate the process. "A friend worked this out through countless experiments. What you see isn't the full method. There are more steps involved, so don't try it on your own. In two days, he'll publish the complete procedure."
"Of course, of course. Whoever invents it has the right to speak. Just saving the gastrodia alone is a huge contribution."