Disaster Apocalypse: Farming, Family, and My Hidden Secret Space-Chapter 223. Decision

Upon hearing that the family of Hua Village’s other daughter-in-law was also here, Liu Family’s eldest brother couldn’t help but think more deeply for a moment, then nodded.

Eldest sister-in-law Liu didn’t say much more, realizing that saying more was useless. Currently, both her husband and eldest son were injured, meaning even if they wanted to leave, they needed to wait until their injuries healed a bit.

On the other hand, although the Zeng family had no one injured, many around the village did, and two young men in their village were even beaten to death.

Facing death at such close quarters, to say they weren’t afraid would be a lie.

Moreover, their chosen residence was on the outskirts, and even if they wanted to move, there was nowhere to go. The good spots had long been taken.

Now, they lived in constant fear, worrying that someone might break through their defenses. If that happened, who knew if they’d survive.

Like eldest sister-in-law Liu, when danger came, the Zeng family couldn’t help but think of their third brother.

The eldest brother Zeng was infuriated and humiliated when the third brother exposed his plans that day, and cared little whether the third brother’s family went up the mountain.

It was only days later on the mountain that they realized the fourth brother hadn’t come with them. No need to guess where he went — surely he went to his third brother’s wife’s family.

For this, their parents and the rest of them often cursed loudly.

If they had known in advance, they would’ve had more options, likely following to Hua Village. The villagers there lived far better, and with the third brother’s father-in-law as the village chief, it would have surely been better than now.

But alas, the fourth brother was too selfish, not only not telling them but abandoning even their parents. Truly unfilial. Every time they think of it, they curse bitterly.

But cursing doesn’t help. Though they have the thought, they are helpless under the flood.

Several days later, when Liu Family’s eldest brother came, subtly expressing his purpose, the Zeng family was tempted.

If Liu Family’s eldest brother had come three days earlier, the Zeng family might not have even considered it. But the timing of his visit was perfect. The Zeng family had just been frightened, and though two days had passed, their anxiety had not lessened but worsened.

Speaking of this, it links back to the confrontation with robbers a few days prior.

During the conflict, some robbers, despite injuries, broke through defenses and entered their shelter. Those whose homes were robbed were only dozens of meters from the Zeng family. They attacked whoever they saw, grabbed food, and ran.

Thinking about it terrified the Zeng family. The problem was they had nowhere to move, and Liu Family’s eldest brother came at just the right time. Despite concerns, his words held some truth: the rain hadn’t stopped, but the water flow had calmed. Choosing a day with less wind could lead them to the mountains where Hua Village was located.

Even if they couldn’t find the fourth brother’s family, that area was remote and sparsely populated, clearly much safer.

Moreover, fewer people would mean abundant resources in the mountains. Combined with the food they’d bring, they could survive somehow.

The more they thought about it, the more feasible it seemed. Several Zeng brothers were almost all tempted. Despite the danger, it was worth a try.

...

"Brother Liu, it’s said that we’re relatives. But we need to think carefully about this. We’ll get back to you by tomorrow afternoon at the latest."

"Alright," Liu Family’s eldest brother nodded. He had come over, driven by his wife’s repeated urging, without much hope. After all, Hua Village was miles away, and he was truly uncertain.

It’s not that he wasn’t tempted at all — he was scared. For days, he’d been entangled in indecision and hesitancy, so he went along with his wife’s wishes, letting others make the decision for him.

If they agreed, they’d secretly build a raft and gamble this once.

He thought he’d wait a day, but to his surprise, the Zeng family came before an hour passed after he’d returned home.

Upon entry, with no nonsense, they stated their purpose directly.

"Brother Liu, we’ve decided to build a raft and go to Hua Village."

"Are the Zeng brothers sure? Once we leave with the raft, there’s no turning back."

Leaving was always easier than returning.

"We’re sure," they said with great determination, nodding collectively.

Liu Family’s eldest brother took a deep breath. It seemed like fate. Even the heavens wished for them to leave. ƒгeewёbnovel.com

Touching his nearly healed head wound, he thought about having to join the village patrol once healed, about the people who had died in recent days, about those robbers who feared nothing. In the end, Liu Family’s eldest brother gritted his teeth and nodded.

If fate willed it so, then it was time to gamble.

Then he looked at the Zeng brothers, "Brother Liu will not regret it. So, tomorrow morning, Brother Liu will bring ropes and materials for chopping and binding. Let’s go to the bamboo forest west of the mountains to build the raft."

"We brothers will be there on time," the eldest and second Zeng brothers agreed together.

As for regrets, there were none now. They were eager to leave because, among those families robbed earlier, two families with wounded people ended up losing them.

Not counting those injured at home, three died in total. The impact of this was too great for them, as their family lineage was already dwindling. Besides the eldest’s two sons, the second had only one son — the rest were daughters who weren’t as helpful.

The only household with many sons was the fourth’s, with five sons, all tall and strong like their uncle. Except for the youngest, each was robust. Truth be told, the three brothers envied, were jealous, and resented this.

They were even more jealous that the fourth found himself a good wife, not only beautiful but strong, and with a doting family that often sent good things. This made them resent the fourth even more, often bad mouthing him to their parents, eventually causing his family to split up.

But now they regret it. If they’d known that such a disaster would befall them, they wouldn’t have driven the fourth away. Perhaps they would have been safe with the Hua villagers.

Unfortunately, there’s no medicine for regret in this world.

Now, they could only give it a shot. No one knew when the disaster would hit them. Here, where could they hide? Though the mountains weren’t few, they believed that if they dared to leave the protection zone marked by the villages, it wouldn’t be long before the robbers found them and stripped them clean, unless they dared venture deep into the mountains.

Reaching an agreement, the Zeng family returned to prepare. Everything at home needed packing and wrapping, waiting for the raft to be ready so they could leave quietly.

The next day, the men from both families, including a few women, got busy.

Elsewhere, a few miles away in the mountains, the Qi family was living in turmoil too.

Their village’s elevation was relatively high, and by the time they were informed to evacuate, time was tight. They barely managed to pack some grain and bedding before hurriedly fleeing to the nearest mountain with the villagers.

Thankfully, their village was quite close to the mountain. As they reached the foothills, they heard terrified screams and saw the rushing waves approaching from a distance, stunning everyone momentarily.

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