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

The serious expression on their son's face told them there was no room for luck. The couple sat back on the wooden stools, feeling powerless.

Actually, from the moment their son started speaking, they believed him in their hearts, as their son was never one to speak without reason, let alone make up stories about such important matters.

"But... how could it be?" Qin Dagen was still in shock.

The villagers knew about the dangers of the plague; everyone avoided it for fear of infection. No family even left the village, and there was no gossip or idle talk. How could someone have gotten infected? Qin Dagen still couldn't comprehend.

"Father, it's the Zhang family."

"Which Zhang family?" There were two Zhang families left in Qin Village. Li couldn't help but ask.

"Zhang Gou Dan's family."

"It's actually them? How is that possible? The road at the village entrance has been blocked; no one could have gone out!"

"Mother, no one went out, but that doesn't mean no one came in," Qin Shu's eyes were slightly cold.

"You're saying..."

"Ah..." Before Qin Dagen could finish speaking, he was interrupted by his youngest son's shout.

"...I remember now!"

"Hurry up and say what you remember."

Already anxious, Qin Dagen lost all patience when his youngest son startled him like that.

"It was a few days ago. I went out at night to relieve myself and heard some noises, so I went to take a look. Indeed, at a distance, I saw a few shadows heading towards Zhang Gou Dan's house at night."

"Why didn't you say something about such an important thing... You really got me angry!" Li immediately reached out and twisted her youngest son's ear, giving him a few slaps on the back.

Actually, Li knew she was just taking her anger out on him. This matter wasn't entirely the youngest son's fault, but he willingly served as the scapegoat, and she didn't feel the slightest bit of remorse.

"...It hurts, it hurts, Mother, be gentle... I'm your own son..."

"I thought you didn't feel pain..." She said this, but Li let go of her hand and sat back on the wooden stool with a worried face.

Although their home was a bit far from the Zhang family, the plague was so contagious that she had no idea what to do.

"Your son is not a wooden puppet..." Qin Ming muttered softly.

"What did you say?"

"Nothing... nothing, I just said Mother, you've worked hard, is your hand hurting..." Qin Ming quickly expressed his loyalty, his survival instincts kicking in.

"You..." Li shook her head, but because of her youngest son's antics, she felt slightly better than before.

"Hehe... But honestly, that night I didn't think much of it. I just heard noises and saw silhouettes passing by the front of our house, vaguely recognizing that the one at the back looked like Li Goudan's father. I remember wondering why a whole family would be out wandering so late at night? Then... then after a night's sleep, I forgot all about it." Qin Ming's guilty tone was evident towards the end.

"It's not your fault." Qin Shu gave his younger brother a reassuring look, understanding that one might think they were dreaming when they saw something while half-asleep.

"So they came in under cover of night." Qin Dagen was furious.

Clearly, when the plague first started spreading, Qin Village had reached a consensus that, regardless of the situation, no outsiders could be brought in. Who knew, even at a time like this, the Zhang family would be so bold? They're harming others and themselves!

"It seems that way." Qin Shu nodded.

"But what should we do now? Should we notify the villagers? And it's been several days already, has anyone else been infected?" Li's head felt like it was about to explode.

That Zhang family is truly out of their minds.

"We definitely need to inform the villagers, and someone has already been infected. At the very least, the Zhang family has all been infected. I've noticed Zhang Gou Dan's father coughing, and someone from their family is certainly missing. I saw him secretly burying someone behind their house."

"You didn't see wrong?" Qin Dagen suddenly stood up, his face full of fear.

If someone was already gone, it must be serious.

"No mistake, you know I have the habit of getting up early to exercise."

"Brother Shu, you didn't get close, did you?" Li worriedly looked at her son.

"No, I only saw it from a distance. As soon as I returned, I changed all my clothes and boiled water to wash and sanitize them."

"That's good, that's good," Li felt relief upon hearing this. "That damn Zhang family, they want to ruin the whole village. We must inform the villagers quickly..."

"Calm down..." Qin Dagen hurriedly pulled Li back.

"How can we not be anxious given the situation..."

"Mother... Father's right. There's no rush for a moment."

"We must tell the villagers, but the matter cannot be publicized. Right now, because of their guilty conscience, the Zhang family only dares to hide within their own home. If everyone goes to hold them accountable, I'm afraid the Zhang family will act out desperately. After all, they are already infected. If they decide to take everyone down with them maliciously releasing the source of infection, we won't be able to prevent it..."

Qin Shu's words made the family gasp.

The authorities have said this plague is extremely contagious, advising everyone not to go out, to stay home, and to ensure proper disinfection and sanitation. Boil water for domestic use; wash and scald clothes with boiled water. It's advised to burn moxa twice a day. Fortunately, moxa is abundant and easy to gather.

But if the Zhang family acts maliciously, even if they burn moxa daily, it might still prove insufficient.

Son is right. This matter cannot be publicized. It's enough for everyone to be aware and cautious to prevent the Zhang family from acting out of desperation, thinking, "If I can't have it good, neither can anyone else."

"Father, Mother, quietly inform a few friendly families in the village. Ensure you cover your nose and mouth and maintain distance while talking, especially explaining the stakes involved. Just be more cautious with them usually."

Qin Dagen and Li nodded. Even without their son's advice, they wouldn't dare get close to others.

"Brother Lü, Brother Ming, you both should stay inside and not speak carelessly, understand?" Qin Dagen worriedly looked at the other two sons.

The two brothers nodded quickly, knowing this was no time to act recklessly.

Then the couple couldn't sit still, carefully covered their noses and mouths, and left their home.

That day, everyone in Qin Village was on edge, staying far away from the Zhang family. Residents with children ensured they didn't approach.

One silver lining was that not many families survived in Qin Village, and the distances between houses were fairly large. As long as precautions were taken and contact was avoided, there shouldn't be a major problem.

According to Qin Shu's prediction, the Zhang family, plagued with a guilty conscience, dared not step out, fearing the villagers might expel them or burn them at the stake as harbingers of doom.

These situations had occurred before, where an entire village would burn infected individuals for the safety of everyone.

The Zhang family was deeply fearful. Even after taking government-provided medicine and secretly gathering herbs from the mountains, their family members fell one by one.

Zhang Dali regretted deeply. He should not have listened to his wife's suggestion to greedily accept her brother's family in exchange for some grain. By the third day at his home, someone in the family fell ill, and the pattern continued daily. Even isolating themselves from the start did not spare them.