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

The older children took the big brother's words to heart.

Seeing that they were listening, Hua Jin carefully sprayed the items in the cart with disinfectant alcohol, not missing any corners, before putting the alcohol away.

Then, surveying the group of younger ones on the cart, Hua Jin spoke, "Let's go!"

Da Liu pulled the cart, Gou Zi helped on the side, and the other children pushed it from behind, and the cart started moving.

Throughout the journey, Hua Jin hadn't planned for any assistance; the road needed to be walked by themselves. While others could help temporarily, they couldn't offer a lifetime of support. It could even induce a complacent mindset, which was unacceptable in the now almost apocalyptic circumstance. At most, Hua Jin would give a heads-up when encountering obstacles ahead.

And so, the children followed her out of the tent area, moving towards the city gate. After exiting, Hua Jin looked back several times, planning to return once she had settled these children.

The county was in complete disarray; it was unknown if there were any officials left. One would find out only upon going.

What was merely a ten-minute drive took over an hour for Hua Jin to walk with the children, without pausing even once.

It made Hua Jin see the resilience of these children. Walking such a long distance while pulling a cart wasn't easy, especially since they were still recovering from illness, but they did not pause or voice any complaints throughout.

Even when Da Liu and Gou Zi began trembling in the legs, they never stopped, closely following her pace.

"We're here," Hua Jin's voice finally broke the silence, sounding heavenly to the children, especially to those who had persevered for so long on the road.

"It's not far now; you can settle there in the future." Hua Jin pointed in a direction through the darkness.

This place was discovered by Hua Jin by chance, not far from a brickwork workshop.

It wasn't clear whether this village had long been abandoned or was deserted post-catastrophe; regardless, there were no signs of human presence.

For this group of homeless children, perhaps an uninhabited place was the safest.

Finally nearing their destination, a look of joy appeared on the children's faces, as they were almost at their limits if they didn't stop soon.

"Alright, just a bit longer, and we'll be there." Hua Jin offered the children his first smile since the journey began, then moved again.

Da Liu, with trembling and sore arms, gritted his teeth and pulled harder, with Gou Zi putting in effort, too.

Hold on just a little more, and they could finally rest.

It truly wasn't long before, in less than the time taken to drink half a cup of tea, they stopped again.

Even in the pitch darkness surrounding them, the faint outlines of ruins could be seen, revealing endless desolation amidst the rubble of this indeed abandoned village.

Besides the sound of their footsteps and the rustling of tree leaves in the wind, it was truly quiet here.

Having become accustomed to endless groans, curses, and cries, Gou Zi and the others found it hard to adapt to such a serene environment at first; the smaller children huddled close, clearly a bit frightened.

Hua Jin, meanwhile, employed spiritual power to locate a place within the village where the children could temporarily stay.

These ruins were indeed just that: ruins. In this vast village, not a single intact house remained. Most structures only had half their structure left, and that was the best of them; some only vaguely indicated that there had once been a home, now fully collapsed.

There wasn't much choice; the place with the most intact structure was the best bet.

"Follow me." Hua Jin turned in a direction, and the children gritted their teeth and followed, putting their trust in this unknown place in their big brother.

This time it was even quicker, and they arrived in no time.

Then big brother took out a stick, or rather a torch, from his backpack. Watching him light it and illuminate the area brought a sudden sense of stability to Da Liu, Gou Zi, and the others.

As for why the torch was only brought out now, they trusted that their benefactor had his reasons.

Though it couldn't be called a house, several walls were still standing, looking sturdy enough, and tidying it would make it much better than their previous tattered tent.

"This is the place; the house may be gone, but part of the courtyard wall remains. Once you're in better health, you can repair it, and it'll be a decent home. I saw that this courtyard is large, with enough space for you to grow things, and not far behind there's a small stream flowing from the mountains, and the water quality looks fine for now. However, it's best to boil it repeatedly before consuming."

"How about it? If you think it's okay, then stay here?" Hua Jin looked at them.

"No problem," as the oldest, Da Liu hastily answered under the gaze of his younger siblings.

There was no foul odor, nor any frightening corpses, and the refreshing scent here was rare; though there was still unease about the unfamiliar environment, there was more anticipation.

Moreover, the benefactor painstakingly brought them here, so they couldn't be ungrateful.

"Thank you, benefactor," Da Liu said earnestly.

"No need, come on, there's still time; let me help you tidy up." Hua Jin looked at the house with just walls left, contemplating where to begin.

The children could slowly rebuild the courtyard walls themselves, but the house... Hua Jin glanced at them; apart from Da Liu and Gou Zi, who were slightly older, the rest could only help minimally and not with any heavy tasks. Proper tidying was practically impossible; it seemed she truly couldn't stand aside.

Yet, before reconstructing, the wall's sturdiness needed to be confirmed, to avoid well-intentioned mishaps.

It was easy to test; after gently shaking them a bit, Hua Jin was reassured, as the adobe walls held firm and the packed earth didn't crumble at a touch.

Apparently, when the house was built, the owner put a lot of thought and effort into it; the packed earth was dense, and despite long exposure, it hadn't become loose.

With this, Hua Jin could roll up her sleeves; not minding the children, she walked into the night. Upon returning, she was dragging a long log in one hand, making multiple trips before the children realized what she was doing, and Da Liu, Gou Zi, and Caugen swiftly joined in.

Hua Jin didn't stop them; these collected beams were indeed sturdy and thus useful now, and since she had brought out quite a few, there was nothing to fear from them helping.

Watching the benefactor easily handling the logs, Da Liu, Caugen, and Gou Zi felt confident in their intention to help, yet... couldn't budge them. The three tried again in disbelief, but the result was the same, barely moving them and even failing to lift one end; the weight surpassed their imagination, beyond their current strength.

Embarrassed at their failed attempt to help, the three looked at one another before resolutely returning to what would be their future home.

They'd best just honestly tidy up their place for now.