Disaster Apocalypse: Farming, Family, and My Hidden Secret Space

"You know whether your dad misses you, don't try to brush it off, or I'll tell your mom," Hua Chengtian played his trump card, his gaze carrying a threat, telling her not to try and be evasive.

"Dad…" Hua Jin pouted, showing her anger by turning her gaze away, exuding her little daughter's charm; at this moment, no one could mistake her for a little rascal.

"Alright, alright, why are we talking about the child?" Upon seeing his well-behaved granddaughter unhappy, Old Man Hua immediately disagreed, glaring at his son.

"Dad..."

In the middle of disciplining his daughter, his dad came over to stir things up, making Hua Chengtian truly helpless as he looked at his daughter and then at his father, unable to help but sigh.

Upon seeing the child unhappy, his old fatherly heart couldn't stand it.

"Dad, what's all this dad stuff, I know you have a dad. Hurry, take things back to the valley, your mom and your wife must be worried, besides, sort things out for Li Village, Liu Kai, and your master's family, find a place where they can build a house."

Old Man Hua went on a tirade, not giving Hua Chengtian any time to rest, and with a glance, it was clear he was avenging his granddaughter. After speaking, he blatantly winked at Hua Jin, the grandfather-granddaughter pair smiling sneakily, looking exactly the same.

Hua Chengtian: "..."

Big Brother Hua looked at Dad sympathetically, silently organizing his own back basket, with no intention of sharing the burden with Dad.

"Are you… Big Brother Hua?" As Hua Chengtian was getting a headache from being scolded by his dad, a man's voice pulled his attention back, he lifted his eyes and frowned, "You… are?"

He truly didn't recognize him. Although the bruises on this person's face had healed a lot, he was still very thin and with messy hair and tattered clothes, it was hard to tell who it was at first.

What was certain is that he wasn't someone particularly familiar, just like Zhao Lao Si, even with a face full of blood, he could recognize him.

"Big Brother Hua doesn't remember. A few years ago, you bought fish from me. I am… Li Lao San, from Li Village. I was thinking of going hunting in Qinggu Mountain, but never found the time to set out. I didn't expect to meet under these circumstances." Even as he tried to appear at ease, Li Lao San couldn't hide the bitterness in his eyes.

"Li Lao San..." Hua Chengtian's memory was good. With the reminder, his mind automatically started recalling, and it truly did make him remember.

It was after his daughter's recovery when she, feeling deeply for them, spent the first money from selling embroidery patterns to buy fish. Hua Chengtian would never forget this incident in his life.

What they were eating was not just fish, but a piece of the child's filial piety, and even when dreaming, he couldn't help but laugh out loud.

Thanks to his daughter, he remembered the fish seller, Li Lao San, who had indeed left an impression, and the man was nice enough to give them a good discount at the time.

"Li Lao San, the fish seller?"

"Yes, yes, that's me, Big Brother Hua, you remember now." Li Lao San said happily.

No wonder Hua Jin's younger brother looked so familiar before, now it was all clear. It was years ago when he saw this kid, who he secretly ridiculed for being overly spoiled by his dad.

He remembered this young girl vividly. She was fair and clean; there were hardly any kids as beautiful as her in ten or eight villages. At the time, he even thought to himself that if he had such a pretty little girl, he would spoil her too.

"Yes, the taste of your fish was really nice."

"That's because… all my fish are caught in wild deep pits, naturally, the taste is excellent." Li Lao San laughed sheepishly with a hint of pride.

"If there's a chance in the future, I'll catch some for Big Brother Hua again."

"Alright, alright…"

Even though both felt it was unlikely, they still nodded with smiles.

Other villagers from Li Village, including the village chief, looked curiously at Li Lao San laughing and talking with the son of Hua Village's village chief. For a moment, some people's minds started to waver, thinking about how to get close to Li's family.

As the saying goes, it's easier to get things done when you know someone in authority. Now that they were moving to Hua Village with their families, it would be naturally better to have familiar faces, and they could integrate into Hua Village faster.

"Alright, since you all know each other, I'll leave Li Village to you, I'll go inside with the kids first."

Seeing his son and Li Lao San chatting so warmly, Old Man Hua, who initially felt a little guilty, immediately felt relieved, leaving the people directly with him.

Meanwhile, noticing someone starting a conversation, Zhao Ji also walked over to Hua Chengtian, meeting his surprised gaze.

"Master Zhao..."

"Chengtian..."

Both spoke in unison.

Meanwhile, Old Man Hua had already knocked on the door.

"Who is it?"

The noise outside the valley was loud, but the people inside had long heard it, though hearing was one thing; the rules within the valley were clear.

To enter the valley, one must ensure absolute safety. Otherwise, not even the emperor would be allowed in.

Of course, leaving wasn't easy either, especially for villagers who had not fully integrated with Hua Village recently; they were even more restricted from leaving.

As the village chief's voice rang out, the two guards at the door brightened their eyes but still double-checked.

"Is it the village chief?"

"Yes, open the door." Old Man Hua was very pleased with the guards' caution, and his tone was warm.

Even so, the people inside didn't immediately open the door. They leaned against a specially reserved gap in the door, observing closely.

The slit was small, making it hard to see from afar, but the village chief standing right at the entrance made it crystal clear, and soon, the two guards, overjoyed, quickly opened the door.

It really was the village chief who had returned. If they weren't some distance from the valley, they would've shouted loudly to alert others, especially as some of their family members had gone out with them.

The heavy wooden door was pushed open by two people in unison, revealing two faces filled with surprise and joy looking at Old Man Hua and the others. When they saw their brothers behind, their smiles grew even wider.

"Village chief, Brother Chengtian, you're back, that's great," exclaimed Hua Zhuang, who rushed to help everyone move things faster, only pausing upon seeing unfamiliar faces at the back. However, restoring composure, ensured that with the village chief present, there was surely no problem.

"Big Brother," Hua Zhuang winked at Hua Qiang while passing by.

"Do your work well," Hua Qiang, feigning seriousness, rolled his eyes at his second brother. Seeing his mischievous look, couldn't resist breaking into a smile.

Very soon, all items were moved in. Seeing the abundance of things, Liu Da quickly mounted a mule and ran quickly into the valley to call people over with carts.

The people of Li Village, watching the swiftly running mule, all showed envious expressions. They once again felt the village chief's decision was right. While Hua Village's villagers lived on the mountain, their lives appeared to be much better than expected, even having livestock.

In fact, when disaster struck, those with livestock also herded them to the mountains, but due to various reasons, most could not survive, either being stolen or slaughtered owing to lack of food.

In such times, being able to maintain livestock was something only formidable people could do, so as the mule moved, everyone's eyes were filled with anticipation, becoming more eager, particularly when they thought of Li Lao San who was able to converse with Hua Village's village chief's son.