Chapter 206: Are All the Newcomers So Arrogant Now? (Requesting Monthly Votes)

Fortunately, when establishing this medicinal herb cultivation base, they had an ultrafiltration system, which neither the livestock factory nor the agricultural department possessed. As a result, the agricultural departments that recently started using rainwater for planting were in dire straits.

A few days ago, everyone was excitedly preparing to grow fresh vegetables for the entire city. The citizens were all looking forward to the future.

All the people of China thought that water scarcity was no longer an issue and that they could finally cultivate crops. However, since yesterday, Jing Ma had been complaining that the planted vegetables were infested with numerous insect eggs and was trying to find ways to eliminate them. Yet, insect infestations were still quite common.

She probably would have to cry and complain after work today, saying she had tried many methods but couldn’t get rid of the insect eggs.

Originally, everyone thought that ordinary pesticides would effectively eliminate the problem, but they were completely useless. The resilience of the red threadworms surpassed that of many other organisms. After all, these pests had evolved from bacteria.

The medicinal herb base was purely a case of a lucky cat meeting a dead rat because, with its built-in ultrafiltration system, the water used for irrigation was always filtered, and no issues had arisen—until recently when other places started using regular water. This led to the emergence of numerous red threadworm eggs, which slowly spread as word got around. However, the government didn’t give it enough attention... It wasn’t until these pests couldn’t be eradicated by any means that the issue gained serious attention.

“What are you yelling about? Isn’t it normal to have pests? Let’s go take a look,” Zhou Bapi said, being a seasoned veteran. He wanted to showcase his prowess to the newcomer, Jing Shu.

Jing Shu followed Zhou Bapi to the third floor, where the Tianma (Gastrodia elata) was being cultivated.

It was still a small experimental field, with only about five layers of racks. The Tianma in the field were entirely covered with white insect eggs—tiny and densely packed, as if the plants were wearing a layer of white clothing.

At this rate, by today or tomorrow, live red threadworms would hatch. Great.

Seeing this situation, Zhou Bapi felt both distressed and shocked. “How long have these pests been here? They definitely didn’t appear just today! Who’s responsible for this batch of Tianma?”

“It was, it was President Tie’s assistant, Xiao xiao,” a burly man said, lowering his head.

“It was fine before I went on a business trip. When I returned, it turned into this. You all are responsible,” Xiao xiao crossed her arms, rolled her eyes, and pointed at the people in front of her.

“That was on the day of the heavy rain. You said the Tianma were going to die from the drought and couldn’t wait for the filtered water to reach the third floor. Instead, you went out to irrigate with rainwater,” another plump woman retorted.

“What does rainwater have to do with it?”

“My uncle’s crops were irrigated with rainwater, and that’s why these insect eggs appeared.”

Seeing that a fight was about to break out, Zhou Bapi intervened, “First, explain the situation, and we’ll handle the accountability later.”

The plump woman continued, “Since the day before yesterday, this batch of Tianma has been covered in these dense things. We initially tried to solve it ourselves, but...”

Zhou Bapi frowned and bent down to carefully inspect the insect eggs.

Another young man said, “This is really messed up. We’ve tried pesticides and all sorts of methods, but nothing works. These eggs are like they’re growing inside the stems and leaves. They’re hard to remove even by pulling them out. We even used blades to scrape some off, but there are still more inside the stems and leaves.”

“It’s like blackheads. You have to squeeze hard to get them out, and even if you do, you don’t know if they’ll grow back. Anyway, my uncle hasn’t solved this problem either,” the plump girl said angrily.

Zhou Bapi remembered that near Su Mali’s house, there was a salt pond. His eyes lit up, “Go get a bowl of high-concentration saltwater.”

Jing Shu shook her head. High-concentration saltwater only works on hatched red threadworms by increasing the water content in their bodies, causing them to curl up. But for the eggs... it had no effect at all. It might even serve as nutrients for them.

“Zhou President is still the best,” Xiao xiao exclaimed excitedly. Finally, there was hope. Otherwise, if the Tianma died, she’d be in big trouble. At the same time, she rolled her eyes at Jing Shu, thinking, who is this person? Always shaking her head like she knows everything. It’s so annoying.

Jing Shu glared at Xiao xiao. This woman was so inexplicable!

The high-concentration saltwater was quickly brought over. Zhou Bapi first tested it on a single Tianma plant, but after a few minutes, the insect eggs remained unchanged, still sticking to the stems and leaves. Zhou Bapi tapped his fingers in frustration, but there was no reaction.

“Add more salt.”

Zhou Bapi repeatedly experimented, but it was useless. He frowned, took some rainwater, and the red threadworms immediately curled up into a lump. “Looks like saltwater doesn’t work on these insect eggs.”

Zhou Bapi was very disappointed.

The plump girl said, “It’s useless. These are red threadworm eggs from the heavy rain. My uncle’s crops have already hatched, and this is Xiao xiao’s responsibility.”

“If I’m held accountable, you all can’t escape either. You’ve been taking care of this for the past few days!”

“Try some folk remedies,” Zhou Bapi suggested, being experienced and knowledgeable. He began experimenting one by one.

Jing Shu shook her head, watching them try solutions as if solving a simple math problem like 2×2=4. They had tried methods 1, 2, 3, 5, and 6 but neglected method 4, which was frustrating.

She still hoped that Zhou Bapi, with his rich experience, might find a solution. Should she remind him? Conventional methods don’t work to eliminate insect eggs.

Seeing Jing Shu pretending to be clueless, Xiao xiao couldn’t stand it and asked, “Who’s this beside you, President Zhou? So impressive, is she some rich kid from a powerful family?”

“Oh, she’s our new horticulturist Jing Shu. She just joined the association today and has a great talent for cultivation,” Zhou Bapi couldn’t help but praise Jing Shu.

The surrounding people couldn’t help but gasp. This person was amazing, advancing three levels at once. Upon joining, she became a formal staff member. Considering the entire Medicinal Association had over a hundred people, with only seven official positions, now there were eight.

Hearing that she was a newcomer, Xiao xiao rolled her eyes again, “Are all the newcomers so arrogant now? You shake your head disrespectfully when superiors speak. When we first joined, we were humble and submissive. As newcomers, you shouldn’t be this arrogant. President Zhou is kind and easy-going, but you can’t bully others like this.”

Seeing that Zhou Bapi wasn’t responding, Xiao xiao tried to please him, hoping to reduce her own accountability and at least involve the others.

Jing Shu rolled her eyes big time. What? She just shook her head, and that wasn’t enough? It was already wrong from the start.

“Since this newcomer is so dismissive, do you have any good methods? Don’t keep them hidden. If you don’t have a good way, just stay aside and humbly learn,” Jing Shu said.

The plump girl snorted, “Xiao xiao, you’re enough. Every time a newcomer arrives, you make them do this and that, always thinking others aren’t doing well enough, trying to assert your seniority. It’s annoying.”

“I was the one who officially joined, not you, Wang Danai,” Jing Shu retorted.

Wang Danai’s chubby face turned bright red with anger.

“Who said I don’t have good methods? It just doesn’t count as a performance for nominating a vice president.”

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––– Side Note –––

I’ve been typing on my phone while traveling, so apologies for the slow speed and any typos!

Additionally: Updated on the 22nd, continuous updates from March 1st.