Disaster Apocalypse: Farming, Family, and My Hidden Secret Space-Chapter 244. The Valley’s Great Transformation

At the exit, after more than half a year of organizing, it had drastically changed. The shrubs and trees at the entrance were left untouched, but Hua Chengtian led people to build a large stone gate, with walls nearly two zhang high. The gate itself was half a foot thick; it was almost impossible to pass through this place from the mountain.

The next step was to enclose the valley along the mountain range where they resided and dig some traps.

Although no large beasts had been discovered yet, once everyone moved over, including the elderly, children, and parents, it was necessary to take precautions.

It’s better to be safe than sorry!

There wasn’t a lack of anything in the mountains, especially wood. Hundreds of strong men spent half their days cutting down trees, while the other half were led by Hua Meng and Meng Cai to enclose the mountain range. Everyone had their duties and was full of enthusiasm.

Occasionally, a few wild animals would stumble in, providing a chance to improve their meals.

After another month’s time, the areas around the mountains were completely enclosed by neatly trimmed trees. It was almost impossible for large animals to enter.

By this time, it was the ninth month of the extreme cold.

"Song’er, are you going out again?" The old master Luo asked knowingly as he looked at his fully armed grandson.

"Yes, Grandfather. I’ll be back soon, you should stay in the cave and not go out," Luo Song reminded worriedly.

"Be careful, don’t go too far, know your limits."

"I know, Grandfather," Luo Song nodded.

With that, Luo Song took a dozen guards and left the cave, heading towards the mountain range where Hua Village was located.

For months, Luo Song had been concerned about his friend’s family.

During this time, he gradually adapted to the extreme cold, and the time he could endure outside was increasing every day. He eagerly wanted to find his friend and Hua Grandpa.

Unfortunately, he was often defeated by reality; no matter how far he thought he could go, he always came back empty-handed.

He considered waiting until the weather warmed up to find his friend’s family and knew that with Hua Grandpa’s wisdom, his family and the whole Hua Village should be doing well.

But in the ice and snow, one always needed to find something to do, otherwise, staying in the cave all day could drive a person crazy.

So, he took it as a way to train himself. Besides, perseverance was one of his strong suits, and who knows, he might just find them one day.

This time, he brought enough food, and with the guards, they crossed mountain ranges one after another, only stopping when they accidentally encountered prey.

A similar scene was happening not far from the mountain range behind Hua Village.

Wrapped entirely in fur, Sun Laoda, along with his two brothers, carried enough food for a few days and began their journey over the mountains again, hoping for luck.

Every now and then, he and his brothers would traverse several mountains to see if they could find Qi Xiu and also hunt for some game.

It was thanks to their hunting skills that their family, hiding deep in the mountains, could get by. No matter what, the family was together, eating barely enough every day, with fires for warmth. The Sun family was truly content.

Still, whenever Sun Ma’am had time on her hands, she couldn’t help but think about Qi Xiu, so after some time, the brothers tried to find her family again, since they had to go hunting occasionally anyway.

As for the other relatives and distant relations of the Hua family, they had long given up. They had no choice; without proper warm clothing, they weren’t able to travel far.

Hua Laohan and his grandson, completely unaware they were still being thought of, were in the cave polishing the components of the crossbows they had just made.

Even with Hua Laohan’s slower technique, he and his grandson had gradually accumulated quite a number of crossbow components over a few months. Hua Tie also produced quite a few parts using molds, meaning a crossbow could be assembled anytime it was needed.

Now, dozens of people in the village had crossbows in their hands, though these were all rewards for great contributions, willingly paid for.

The price, of course, was silver, meant to ensure the holders treasured them sufficiently.

The girls, like Da Ya and others, each got a petite one like Hua Jin’s. Their private savings were drained, but their enthusiasm remained undiminished.

After training with Hua Jin for so long, whether it was Combat Power or accuracy, the girls were no less capable than the boys; they were even fearless when patrolling the mountain.

Sometimes, when Hua Jin got really bored, she’d join the patrols, bundled up so tightly it was hard to tell if she was a girl or a boy.

One day, dressed like a bear, Hua Jin and Da Ya, Little Cat Sis, and their many sisters set out on another patrol.

These activities used to be the men’s responsibility.

But now, most of the men were summoned to the valley for future preparations, so the younger boys and girls volunteered to patrol, forming groups of five, with ten groups in total, taking turns every day.

In fact, having lived on the mountain for so long, they could ascertain that most wild beasts had migrated to the depths of the mountain. Seeing a fierce beast was rare, except for occasional wild boars or foxes.

The real reason was peace of mind.

Hua Jin followed behind Da Ya and Little Cat Sis, appearing to walk meaninglessly but in reality, her spiritual power was fully extended, detecting any sign of movement around her.

As a cold wind swept through, Hua Jin involuntarily tightened her rabbit fur scarf and shivered, as the wind slipped through any gap it could find.

"Jin’er, walk on my right," Da Ya, noticing this scene, pulled Hua Jin to her right side. Though she wasn’t taller than Hua Jin, her frame was stockier and could block quite a bit of wind.

"There’s no need, Sister Da Ya, it’s not cold now."

Mountain winds know no set directions. Hua Jin shook her head, but still appreciated Sister Da Ya’s gesture, her eyes crinkling with a smile.

Hua Jin loved to walk in untouched snowdrifts, secretly collecting them into her space when no one noticed. Inside the space, the warmer temperature quickly melted them into water, which she’d then take out to freeze into ice.

The three girls and two boys soon patrolled their designated area without finding anything unusual.

Where they were, the mountains were rocky and sparsely vegetated, making it really easy to patrol. Apart from the few tall trees, the open view allowed for spotting anything on the snow, although looking too long could strain your eyes.

Just as they were about to climb back to the warmth without seeing anything, Hua Xiaodan pointed at a black shadow disappearing in a flash and shouted.

"What’s that?"

Following his words, everyone looked over.

"It’s a hog badger," Hua Jin said, a little excited. She hadn’t expected to encounter a hog badger, and immediately felt energized.

Almost as soon as she spoke, she took off after it. This was a great find, the hog badger was valuable, with significant medicinal properties. Its fatty acids are said to be beneficial for beauty and skincare, its fur can make clothing, and its meat is tender and delicious, much better than wild boar’s. Finding one by chance, Hua Jin certainly wouldn’t let it slip away.

The source of this c𝐨ntent is freewe(b)nov𝒆l