Green Flies

"Hello, auntie." Fu Mei Li greeted Wen Lihua.

"This is the new wife of the Jin brothers." Aunt Li introduced Mei Li.

"Oh, so it is. Well, come in!" Wen Lihua eagerly welcomed them. "What brought you here?"

Mei Li told her purpose, that she wanted to buy all kinds of vegetable seedlings and cuttings available.

Wen Lihua refused payment at first, but Mei Li convinced her to receive the money. After all, Mei Li wanted to revitalize the whole vegetable garden in the back courtyard and she needed a lot of seeds.

While thankful for Wen Lihua's kindness, Mei Li also didn't want to take advantage of others.

Wen Lihua led Mei Li and Aunt Li to their backyard where all the vegetables were planted.

Mei Li was amazed when she saw the vegetable field in front of her. There was probably two to three mu of land and it was filled with lush and delicious-looking vegetables.

It turned out that when people said the Wens were very good at growing vegetables, they weren't lying at all.

There were all sorts of vegetables in the yard. There were different kinds of cabbages, bok choy, and spinach growing along with soybeans, scallions, ginger, and peppers. There were also root crops such as yams and taro.

Mei Li was also pleasantly surprised to see potatoes, sweet potatoes, and a few stalks of corn growing in the yard. Although it wasn't clear when these foreign crops arrived in this era, Mei Li was happy that they are readily available now.

Wen Lihua called out to the two people who were busy watering the vegetables in the yard.

The middle-aged man was Lihua's second husband, Wen Laohuang. The younger man was her eldest son, the 18-year-old Wen Dahong.

"Second husband, Dahong. This is Mei Li, the Jin brothers' new wife." Wen Lihua made the introductions.

Wen Laohuang smiled broadly at the guests while Dahong secretly looked at Mei Li and didn't say much.

Aunt Li reiterated their purpose for coming to the Wen's residence. Wen Laohuang was happy to oblige. He was already used to people buying their vegetables or seeds.

As such, he ordered Dahong to help him pick some cuttings while he went to take care of the seeds and seedlings available for sale.

Everything was going well when they suddenly heard a panicked shout from Dahong.

"Father, there are green flies!" There was distress in his voice.

Everyone then showed an expression of shock and anxiety. But Mei Li was confused. What's wrong with green flies and why was everyone panicking?

"Aunt Li, what's wrong?" Mei Li asked the worried-looking elder woman beside her.

"Mei-er this is bad. If there are green flies, then I'm afraid this whole vegetable garden can't be kept anymore." Aunt Li answered.

That serious? Mei Li was confused and curious, so she walked to where Dahong was. Everyone else did so as well.

When she finally saw what these green flies were, Mei Li was surprised.

There were actually aphids.

Also called plant lice, they are indeed harmful to crops. If not eliminated, these insects can suck the vigor out of plants and lead to distorted growth or molding.

If the infestation was truly serious, then all the vegetables here could die in a matter of days.

But it's not like one cannot easily get rid of these things either. Mei Li certainly did not understand why everyone looked like death was coming when they saw the aphids.

So, she asked again. "Aunt Li, what's wrong with these green flies? Why is everyone so worried?"

"Aiyo, you don't know this since you came from the city, but these things are very bad for the vegetables." The flustered Aunt Li replied.

Wen Laohuang also had a grave look. "When there are green flies, it is very hard to stop them from killing all the vegetables. They also breed fast and can affect all the plants and crops in the whole village."

Wen Lihua was truly panicking now. "If the green flies spread and the whole village knows that they came from our backyard, we will be the sinners of the village!"

Mei Li was dumbfounded. "Umm, is it really that serious? It is actually easy to get rid of these green flies..."

The other three people in the yard looked at Mei Li expectantly. If there was really an easy way to get rid of these harmful insects, then that would truly be wonderful.

It would also save the Wen family from being drowned by the spit of the gossiping villagers.

But when the Wen husband and wife thought that Mei Li was from the capital and didn't know what she was talking about, their expressions fell once more.

But Aunt Li still had hope. She knew that this young girl had many ideas in her head.

"Mei-er, come tell Aunt Li. How do we get rid of the green flies?"

Aunt Li was also worried about the Wen family. They had been neighbors for years and she had a good relationship with Wen Lihua. She did not want any trouble to befall the Wen household.

"Well, I've read it in a book. These are also called plant lice or aphids. And there are actually several ways to eliminate them." Mei Li's crisp and melodious voice could be heard in the yard.

Everyone waited for her next words.

"One of the easiest is to just sprinkle flour onto the affected vegetables and their surroundings."

In fact, if there were only a few vegetables with aphids, one can just pour cold water all over. But with a vegetable garden this large, it might not be easy to control the infestation with just cold water.

So, the next best thing was sprinkling flour.

But the Wens and Aunt Li just gave her a complicated look, which confused her. Didn't they believe her words?

"Ahem, Mei-er, even if flour can indeed kill the green flies, flour is so expensive. How are we supposed to afford to scatter flour in this large area?" Aunt Li said with a sad look.

Mei Li secretly scolded herself. That's right, how could she forget. Flour was indeed expensive during this time.

Even coarse flour could not be used willy-nilly as it is the staple food for regular villagers. Certainly not something that can be wasted as pesticide.

Mei Li was embarrassed about her lack of consideration. But there were still other ways!