Disaster Apocalypse: Farming, Family, and My Hidden Secret Space-Chapter 284. The Light of Hope

In the following days, at the behest of the children’s father, Mrs. Qi had to cook a lot more food each day so that he could store it in the space.

Three days later, Hua Chengtian, accompanied by Hua Yunao and three nephews, left the valley with three large dogs: Hei Da, Er Hui, and San Huang, while their parents and daughters waved goodbye.

To go out with their uncle, Hua Dagumei and Second Aunt’s sons still competed for spots, with Zeng Li, Zeng Jin, and Liu Rong finally chosen.

They were the brothers with relatively higher combat power and aptitude for martial arts, and they were also more honest.

Hua Dagumei’s eldest son, Zeng Yi, and fourth son, Zeng Xiao, along with Second Aunt’s Liu Guang and Liu Ming were relatively more clever, which was why Hua Chengtian chose to take the other three children.

He had secrets, so being honest was preferable.

Leaving to find salt wasn’t kept from the villagers; knowing that he was doing it for everyone, a few people close to him immediately expressed their desire to join, but were declined by Hua Chengtian with the excuse that they needed to protect the village and take care of the fields.

In fact, it was true; the vast valley was different from the cave where they had previously stayed, although it wasn’t deep within the mountains, it was close. While security measures had been thoroughly implemented before, and there were daily patrols in the valley, it wasn’t the busiest time, food still had to be tended to, and patrols needed to be conducted. Realistically, their manpower was indeed limited.

Besides, they were searching for salt; finding it was still uncertain, so it was unnecessary to have too many people.

Hua Chengtian was very confident in their safety; even if danger arose, the three large dogs could anticipate it, and they were not weak people—they carried weapons. In the worst-case scenario, they could climb trees or run.

While Hua Chengtian searched the mountains, he felt the earth stabilize, and the people hiding in the mountains for survival slowly emerged.

Having experienced despair, now there was a light of hope in their eyes as they moved step by step towards what was once their homes.

A year and a half had worn down their spirits, leaving very little behind; across the land, most people were skin and bones, dressed in rags.

Families and village communities offered some solace; at the very least, they held more hope for the future, eager to return to their homeland quickly.

Although they knew there was nothing awaiting them, they still held onto the belief that as long as they were alive, as long as they had hands and seeds, as long as they didn’t starve, they could rebuild their homes.

But these were just ordinary folks; the disaster didn’t have as severe an impact on noble families and wealthy merchants, especially those well-prepared.

On the mountain, though the environment was harsh, they were at least able to eat; with guards and weapons, even if the survivors were desperate, under absolute power, they could only offer themselves as sacrifice.

After the disaster, these people were the first to descend the mountain; having money and influence doesn’t mean stupidity; on the contrary, these people were even smarter.

Knowing what benefited them, now everywhere was full of desperate people, if they brazenly walked on the same land as these unruly individuals, they would face unpredictable situations.

Therefore, when finding the ground could bear the weight of people, they descended the mountain with all their resources at the first opportunity, later avoiding the crazed people from afar.

Of course, there were the arrogant ones, becoming the targets of envy; watching these people with rosy complexions and arrogant demeanor, particularly the sacks of food in their retinue, the jealousy and hatred towards the rich rose sharply among those at the brink of collapse, rushing forward driven by instinct, even if faced with possible death.

The consequence of arrogance was ruination and death; some barely kept their lives, while others were dragged away with nothing left but bones.

Those impoverished with only their lives left faced no envy, their main desire was to return home.

Qin Shu’s family struggled towards their home.

Seeing people descend from the mountain, the Qin family followed the flow down, thinking there was safety in numbers.

Although their village was only an hour’s walk away, it took them nearly three hours to reach it.

They were not the first nor the last to arrive; upon reaching the village, they discovered that indeed people were still alive in Qin Village. Seeing familiar faces should have prompted warm greetings, but a year and a half of hardship had made everyone wary, choosing to look on from afar while searching for each’s home.

The village had completely lost its former appearance; mud was everywhere, ruins and debris, occasional skeletons varied in type, human, livestock, poultry, mostly torn apart, rotted beyond recognition or just skeletal remains.

Even the youngest, Qin Ming, merely glanced, feeling no fear at all; such sights had become commonplace in the mountains.

Only Qin Shu furrowed his brow at the bodies and bones exposed on the ground.

"Dad, it’s better to bury those as soon as possible."

"You’re right; once our house is sorted, we’ll gather the remains."

Qin Dagen, being older, immediately understood the implications when his son spoke; although the corpses had largely decomposed over the past year, caution was still necessary.

Seeing the once lively village now only in ruins, those returning felt despair sink in.

Their home was somewhat in the back, not the last house, and considered one of the notable ones in Qin Village, a half-brick tile house; ideally, it would have been full brick if it wasn’t for having to provide for a scholar.

Despite having structures around them, the roof had collapsed under floods; thankfully, the foundation remained intact, the walls still standing, buried deep in mud.

Though they had anticipated this, seeing their home in such a state led Mrs. Li and their two youngest to tear up, with Qin Dagen holding his wife feeling deeply distressed.

The village was filled with an oppressive atmosphere, with faint cries heard intermittently.

This sudden disaster left them with nothing.

Qin Shu stood stunned for a moment, then silently put down the package on his back, taking out their indispensable hoe and spade from a nearby basket to begin clearing debris from the mud.

The flood had left behind a thick layer of mud, raising the ground significantly; with so few people in the village, clearing it all wasn’t possible, and Qin Shu didn’t intend to clean everything, only sorting out debris that might be useful before reorganizing.

The couple stood watching their eldest work, then Qin Dagen patted his wife, quietly picking up a spade, followed by Mrs. Li, then Qin Lu, and Qin Ming, a family working silently to recover their broken home.

Seeing the family transform their anguish into strength, Qin Shu’s mouth curled slightly as he continued to dig.

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