1. Day-by-day note style - each article begins with "A certain month and a certain day of a certain year during the Qianlong reign", including weather, locust situation, number of deaths, and psychological changes
2. The identity dilemma of the village leader - pressure from the government vs. Friendship with fellow villagers, power and powerlessness in the cracks
3. The trio of locust plagues - larvae (locusts) → adults → the sun is all over the sky, and the sense of oppression is advancing day by day.
4. Death list - each note records the names, manner of death, and last words of 1-3 persons who died.
