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

The children quickly nodded, smiles returning to their faces.

Qin Lu and Qin Ming inside the house heard the news and hurried out. Li, who was returning the items to the main hall, actually wanted to join, but remembering they hadn't eaten all day, she decided to stop, turned back, and went to the kitchen.

Meanwhile, everyone at the village entrance was stunned, their mouths agape, as they looked at the enormous wooden door leaning against the wall.

Though the Qin family father and sons were mentally prepared, knowing the space they left was sizable, seeing it in reality was still shocking.

It was truly massive, at least one or two zhang high and at least one zhang wide, rivaling the city gates in the county town.

Qin Dagen, being straightforward, didn't think too deeply. However, he marveled at Jin'er's strength, being able to bring in such a large door. More importantly, the fact she could bring it at all made Hua Village a place of remarkable people!

As for whether it could be installed, Qin Dagen had no doubts because Jin'er was there.

Qin Shu looked at the door thoughtfully, particularly when he saw the outer road past the obstacles at the entrance, a complex expression crossing his face.

"Such a big... door!!" Qin Ming exclaimed with his eyes wide open, then became excited, circling the door repeatedly. He thought about how once the door was installed, they wouldn't need trees for cover anymore, making them even safer.

Da Liu Gouzi and the others, though amazed, showed restraint since they were newcomers, only gaping without daring to speak.

"It's really big, Jin'er, let's start then." Qin Dagen couldn't wait any longer.

His thoughts mirrored his younger son's. With this thick and sturdy door installed, even if he left one day, he wouldn't worry about home.

Jin'er naturally nodded. She came here precisely for the door.

Qin Dagen led his sons to the blocked exit. Seeing this, Da Liu Gouzi asked Huahua and Wan'er to look after the younger siblings and join in the effort.

To securely block the village entrance, layers of tree branches were used, and clearing them all would take time.

Particularly the few thick and long trees that Qin Shu and his father and brothers dragged over, they were difficult to handle and equally challenging to move aside.

At this moment, the father and sons finished cleaning the small branches on top and were collectively moving a thick trunk to the side. After much effort, they finally moved it aside, then turned to find themselves sweating profusely.

Because after all their effort to move one trunk, Jin'er had effortlessly arranged the remaining large ones neatly to the side, leaving the children watching in awe.

Even though Da Liu Gouzi and the others had witnessed their benefactor's strength before, they couldn't help but marvel once again, especially now knowing their benefactor wasn't a big brother but a big sister, making it all the more incredible.

With Jin'er, the strongwoman, on the scene, only the light-weight small branches were left, as she easily moved everything heavy aside.

It was truly incomparable. Jin'er alone surpassed them all combined.

What would typically take some time to clear, Jin'er accomplished swiftly, leaving even the remaining branches and dead leaves spotless with the children's help.

Next came the main task of installing the door.

Despite the door's near thousand-jin weight, Jin'er was there. For her, moving such weight was effortless. To show some restraint, she worked with the Qin family father and sons and Da Liu to move it where it needed to be. They succeeded within just one incense stick of time, though the subsequent plastering and finishing took a good hour.

The result was satisfying. Looking at the giant wooden door wrapped in iron sheets, a sense of accomplishment welled up inside; such a massive door was constructed by just a few of them.

"With this door, Hua Village's safety is assured," remarked Qin Dagen as he observed the iron sheets on the door.

Qin Lu, Qin Ming, and the newly acquainted Da Liu Gouzi and the children all nodded involuntarily.

Such a tall door, no one could climb over it, especially since the door top was sealed tightly after the previous work.

Qin Shu didn't speak, but his expression indicated satisfaction.

As for Jin'er, that went without saying. She was naturally satisfied with the door she brought.

The material selection involved much discussion with her father, choosing ironwood for its high burn and rot resistance and considerable hardness. For added security, iron sheets were added, thankfully acquired during a county trip, or they'd have been reluctant to use so much.

It could be said that making this door involved a lot of effort and time.

"But the wall height doesn't match such a door," Qin Dagen remarked with a frown, looking at the wall above the door.

Seems they needed to buckle down even more!

"No worries, there's plenty of time; no need to rush, Uncle Qin," Jin'er thought it was alright since overall, the wall height wasn't low, reaching nearly a zhang high. Unless faced with a master, regular people would find it hard to overcome.

Qin Dagen understood Jin'er's meaning, but still wanted to raise the wall sooner rather than later. For their own sake, they needed to push hard.

After verifying that the door was securely fastened without any issues, they returned to the village as there was another gate waiting to be installed.

By the time everything was completed, night had fully fallen. However, the moonlight was bright, seemingly becoming brighter as the days grew hotter. Though incomparable to daylight, it still allowed for a vague view of objects.

"Is that you coming back, dear?" Li's voice called from their doorstep from a distance.

"It's us," Qin Dagen quickly responded, with Qin Lu and Qin Ming running ahead.

"Mom..."

Dimly, they saw Li's expression relax, "Good to have you back," she said, looking at Jin'er with bright eyes: "Jin'er, are you hungry? Dinner is ready, join us?"

Because Jin'er was visiting, Li made the meal more lavish than usual, preparing white rice porridge and three dishes, two meat and one vegetable, along with three fried wild eggs, braised chicken pieces, and a vegetable stir-fry. The wild chicken eggs were found by the children on the mountain and had been saved until now. In the end, they even made white flour cakes.

Jin'er was indeed hungry, and seeing Aunt Li's sparkling eyes, she nodded without feeling right to refuse, reasoning she could leave something before heading off.

Returning to a ready meal, Da Liu Gouzi and the others couldn't help but show envious looks in their eyes. However, they sensibly returned to the woodshed, planning to quickly make something to eat as their stomachs growled.

They had gathered a substantial amount of wild vegetables on the way, so making a wild vegetable gruel wouldn't take long.

Although their journey had taken over ten days, they hadn't consumed much food.

The food on the cart hadn't been touched at all, and each still had nearly half their carrying capacity left. Generally, they relied on locally found food for meals. If not for the lack of energy from just eating wild vegetables, they wouldn't use their grain at all.

Of course, they were cautious, hiding at the slightest noise to avoid direct confrontation with others.

Otherwise, it was uncertain whether the cartload of grain could be preserved.

Jin'er glanced at the children quietly entering the woodshed without a word and followed Aunt Li into the main hall.