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

"Us too, us too..." Hua Meng's family hurriedly joined in.

If they didn't know, that was one thing, but since they knew, they definitely had to seize the opportunity; otherwise, just a few piglets wouldn't be enough to distribute.

After months of hard work raising them, eating the meat was secondary. More importantly, there wouldn't be any worry about having no oil later on. Although the family could occasionally hunt some prey, no animal provided as much grease as a domestic pig.

"The family matters are decided by Grandma." Facing those eager faces, Hua Jin decisively passed the baton to Grandma, as she couldn't handle so many enthusiastic gazes. It was as if she were the monk Tang Seng from the Silk Cave.

"Elder sister..."

"Sister Liu..."

"Aunt..."

"Madame..."

Everyone almost spoke in unison, eagerly looking at Grandma Hua.

"Alright, alright, everyone gets one; no more can be given..." Grandma Hua pointed at the piglets firmly held in their arms.

Refusing any longer would make her feel like she was the meat on the chopping block.

"Generous, my Sister Liu is generous. I'll take one and give you Silver Coin later..." Grandma Sun was so happy she couldn't close her mouth, thinking in a year or so there would be a big fat pig in the house, she grinned widely, showing a missing front tooth.

"Thank you, Madame..." Hua Meng's family smiled with squinted eyes, looking at the piglet more affectionately than at their child.

"Then, Aunt, I won't be polite..."

"I'll send Silver Coin later too..." Madam Lin said joyfully.

"Alright then, according to the previous piglet price, but it's not restricted to Silver Coin, items of equal value are fine..." Grandma Hua said.

The family wasn't short of Silver Coin. She alone still had nearly a thousand taels of Silver, and bartering was more cost-effective these days.

Giving them away was impossible. Although these piglets didn't cost much Silver Coin, their mother was bought by her granddaughter with Silver Coin.

"That won't do?" Madam Lin spoke.

Grandma Hua: "..."

Thinking Madam Lin thought it was expensive, Grandma Hua's eyes widened, ready to speak, but she heard Madam Lin continue.

"What times are it now, how can we follow the old price? These piglets are so precious, so I won't just pay at the price of five piglets."

Being able to spare them a piglet already made her very happy; she couldn't let the old sister suffer a loss.

"Yes, yes, yes, Madam Lin is absolutely right..." Hua Meng's family quickly reacted.

Aunt sparing them one piglet was truly great kindness; it couldn't go unnoticed.

This account couldn't be calculated like before; these were more scarce than grain. The price for five piglets was not expensive at all.

"That's the truth," said Madam Mao, nodding along.

"Alright, alright, we'll do as you say." Grandma Hua smiled gratifiedly, seeing they didn't take it for granted, and the small ache in her heart vanished.

Fortunately, there were still three left, enough to raise.

"Alright, alright, we'll take them home," they said eagerly, carrying the piglets home. They weren't afraid Grandma Hua would change her mind; rather, they feared other villagers would find out and compete with them, so they hurried home.

Seeing this, Grandma Hua shook her head and smiled. When her gaze fell onto the remaining three piglets in the bamboo basket, she couldn't help but feel pleased looking at those chubby little creatures.

...

"Eldest daughter-in-law, eldest daughter-in-law, hurry and prepare a basket, then mix the pig feed." As soon as she entered the house, Madam Lin cheerfully called her eldest daughter-in-law.

"Mother, what piglet are you talking about... How did you get it..." Hearing about piglets, Madam Lin's daughters-in-law ran out, disbelief in their eyes as they looked at the piglet in her arms, then their eyes lit up and they were thrilled.

Mother was indeed amazing; a trip out brought back a piglet.

"Jin girl found it on the mountain and brought it back; perhaps during the flood some domestic pigs escaped to the mountain and survived..."

Madam Lin also thought this possibility was likely; otherwise, how could these piglets be explained?

No matter how they thought, they couldn't imagine there was a space-like divine artifact involved.

"Jin girl is so lucky; she looks blessed from childhood, truly a child with great fortune," the eldest daughter-in-law exclaimed.

"Jin girl has come of age, reaching the time for marriage talks, Mother... What do you think..." the second daughter-in-law thought of her eldest son, her heart moving as she looked at her mother-in-law.

"Say what? Don't you know your child's value? How could they match Jin girl? Just calm down..." Madam Lin glared at her second daughter-in-law.

She wanted to bring Jin girl into her family too, but thinking of her grandsons, their looks were mediocre—neither ugly nor handsome. The second son's cleverness was there, but he wasn't literate, and he didn't compare to Jin girl's qualities. They didn't match at all; it was better not to deceive oneself and ruin the good relationship between old sisters.

The second daughter-in-law quickly shut her mouth. She obviously knew her son's status but had to have some wishful thoughts, hoping for a chance.

Her mother-in-law's words thoroughly extinguished her enthusiasm; any hopes dashed, courage definitely gone.

"Ah, such a good child, who knows which family will benefit in the future?" The third daughter-in-law couldn't help but sigh; her son was younger and had no such thoughts.

"Certainly won't benefit our family," Madam Lin glanced at her daughters-in-law, putting the piglet in the basket.

The daughters-in-law were immediately drawn to the piglet, busy with fetching water, cooking pig feed, bustling with joy.

The same was true for other families; seeing the piglets filled them with immense joy.

When the wild boar was slaughtered for meat, others who bought the meat realized the village chief's family had piglets had only one left when they arrived, and if it weren't for Xiao Si holding it tightly, even that might not have remained.

They regretted it terribly; had they known, they wouldn't have joined the commotion, might have gotten a piglet from Grandma Hua.

Alas, apart from envy, all they could do was stare.

Jin girl had painstakingly brought these piglets from the mountain; she couldn't sell them all to others.

The excitement only died down when the sun set in the west.

Wild boar meat was the last consolation; it seemed the village turned its sorrow into appetite as the aroma of meat filled the air.

In Hua Jin's house, it was livelier; her two aunts were there too. With them in the kitchen, Aunt Qi pulled her daughter into a room, offering a fiery lecture.

Who let her go off without a word? Aunt Qi wanted her daughter to learn from it.

Hua Jin listened until she was nearly asleep but dared not fall asleep. Not only did she not dare, but she had to stay focused to please her mother. Fetching water, massaging, making frequent promises finally shut her mother's nagging mouth.

Exhausted, Hua Jin wiped the sweat from her forehead, secretly feeling that coaxing mother was tougher than climbing mountains, no wonder her father dared not upset his wife.

Regardless of the talk, everyone loves their daughter, seeing her weary face. Aunt Qi couldn't help but prepare some good food for her child.