Disaster Apocalypse: Farming, Family, and My Hidden Secret Space-Chapter 227. Work together

In Hua Village on Qinggu Mountain, although the rain was pouring down, everyone was still busy, and life was relatively pleasant.

Thanks to Hua Jin’s persistent efforts, besides going out every day with her father and brothers to chop some firewood and bring it back to dry, she spent most of her time accompanying several large dogs in the cave.

Perhaps they had adapted, as the dogs were not afraid of the rain anymore, and even their fur had become thicker and denser. Whenever they had nothing to do, they’d run outside.

They wouldn’t be out for too long, maybe just a few hours, but they always returned before dark.

And every time they came back, they brought surprises for the family—sometimes a wild rabbit, other times a few wild chickens. Once, they even dragged back two silly elks. Hua Jin’s family never lacked fresh meat.

Even the families of Aunt Hua and Second Aunt benefited, as Hua Yunao and his brothers would often send them a wild animal or two every few days.

Though life on the mountain might have been a bit stifling, the Hua family’s living standards, including Aunt Hua and Second Aunt, were actually not bad.

Especially now, aside from going out to gather firewood, digging wild vegetables and mushrooms, most of the time was spent in the cave, eating and resting, with the occasional provisions sent from their maternal family. Even though they deliberately reduced their grain consumption, and practiced martial arts with their younger brother every day, they still gained some weight, which later turned into muscle and didn’t make them appear fat.

This was all thanks to the large dogs. The status of the big black dogs at home was already high, but now they were even more popular, definitely ranking above Hua Yunao and his brothers.

And since the dogs got used to running wild on the mountains, there was no longer any worry about their hunger. Every time they came back with full bellies, interacting affectionately with the family, then falling straight to sleep.

Because of this, the villagers scattered in the mountain caves were initially very envious of the village chief’s family. Some had brought their own dogs, but they couldn’t compare to the big black dogs in terms of size, strength, and impressive presence.

Later, all dogs became followers of the big black ones.

After a few tries, the village dogs realized the big black ones didn’t mind their company, so they bravely followed whenever the big black dogs passed by the Big Cave on their way out.

Over time, the big black dogs almost always made it a point to pass by the Big Cave, calling out for a dozen little brothers to join them in foraging.

With the impressive presence of the big black dogs, the silly village dogs learned a lot and grew stronger day by day. They could not only feed themselves but occasionally brought back prey, making their owners very happy, leading them to treat the dogs better.

However, the owners didn’t eat much of it themselves and mostly preserved the meat as smoked meat for future need.

Meanwhile, they also noticed that the village chief’s family practiced martial arts daily, motivating the villagers, especially the young men.

After all, there was plenty of free time every day; besides going to the mountain to chop wood, they couldn’t just eat and sleep at will.

Moreover, everyone had a sense of urgency. With such a large flood lasting so long, even the most thoughtless person would realize the bleak prospects of having no food or shelter after the flood recedes. Surviving would be a grim struggle.

So everyone wanted to become stronger to protect their families and endure the disaster.

Thus, they entrusted a few people with good relations with Hua Chengtian to ask for guidance.

They were aware that last year, Hua Chengtian had specifically invited a master to teach him at home for a few months, spending real money on it.

Now wanting to become stronger, they could only turn to the village chief’s family.

Of course, they wouldn’t come empty-handed, as they had enough food and silver. As long as the village chief’s family agreed to teach, they wouldn’t mind parting with their resources.

After all, without the village chief, they wouldn’t have these resources.

To their surprise, after Hua Meng hesitantly expressed their interest in learning martial arts, the family immediately agreed without a second thought. On that day, Hua Chengtian, along with his sons, daughters, and the brothers-in-law of Hua Fen’s sisters, gathered at the Big Cave.

The cave was spacious enough to make room for practice, while those who didn’t fit would squeeze into the paths between the tents.

As long as they were men, they all loved martial arts and wanted to grow stronger, joining in without being asked. Even half-grown children, regardless of gender, practiced along, with the girls admiring Hua Jin’s precise punches and working harder than the boys.

During peaceful times, life for women wasn’t always ideal, let alone in the face of disaster. Families neither discouraged them as having self-preservation skills was naturally beneficial.

Seeing everyone actively practicing with enthusiasm was pleasing for both the village chief and Hua Chengtian.

The higher the combat power of the villagers, the safer Hua Village would be in the future. With unity and strong cohesion, the village, excluding the children, consisted of hundreds of robust workers, more than enough to protect it.

Having been the village chief for decades, Hua Man understood this well and strongly supported it.

While practicing, they also subtly indoctrinated the villagers, gradually making the people of Hua Village more united and cohesive without them even realizing it.

Even the village troublemakers knew better. Initially punished by Hua Chengtian for causing trouble during practice, they eventually improved and became less bothersome.

The village atmosphere not only didn’t deteriorate due to martial arts training but improved. Even minor disputes among women gradually disappeared.

The village chief’s words were true; being in the same village, it was better to count on close neighbors instead of distant relatives. In the end, it’s everyone helping each other when needed.

Most importantly, the present wasn’t like the past; unity was essential.

Seeing all this, Old Hua was even more satisfied and confident in leading the villagers through one disaster after another.

While faring alone might be safer, surviving together through everyone’s effort was naturally better.

Thus, life in Hua Village became rich once again. Women occasionally joined the practice, but mostly they did chores, tidied the cave, and tended to planted vegetables, taking them out for sunlight and rainwater daily.

Not to mention that the self-planted vegetables, after nearly a month, were thriving, proving their hard work worthwhile. Though not as good as those grown in gardens, they were still decent and would be ready to eat soon.

Perfect for the winter’s scarcity. Although there were wild vegetables in the deeper mountains, the nearby hills had been picked over by them, and the remaining ones were older and hardly edible, being bitter and tough.

With these vegetables, they weren’t afraid of winter anymore.

Meanwhile, Luo Song finally found the river channel north of Hua Village by memory, approaching the mountain range by the river, followed by several vessels that came along.

Luo Song didn’t stop them. Qinggu Mountain was vast enough to accommodate even more people, as long as they didn’t become a threat. Otherwise, Luo Song wouldn’t be polite.

The source of this c𝐨ntent is fre𝒆w(e)bn(o)vel