Disaster Apocalypse: Farming, Family, and My Hidden Secret Space
Chapter 153. Startled

Chapter 153: 153. Startled

I saw many familiar faces, wearing straw raincoats and carrying their belongings, heading repeatedly towards Qinggu Mountain behind the village.

Although Qinggu Mountain is dangerous, its elevation is indeed high enough, even the forest behind the village is much higher in terrain.

At this moment, the forest has no water accumulation, but it’s clear that Hua Village below has fallen into a watery expanse.

This is still in Hua Village, where the terrain is naturally high, one can only imagine the situation in the villages below.

Then the scene changed again to when they were on the mountain, living in a cave with the family. The cave was not large, just enough for their family.

Then the scene shifted once more, revealing makeshift grass huts built by many villagers, or finding a cave like their family did. In such heavy rain, everyone had to rely on their own abilities to find refuge. With enough effort, one could always find a place to stay.

Again the scene changed, Hua Jinchong saw a vast field of white snow, truly feeling a bone-chilling cold as if the next moment he would become an ice sculpture. The scene changed again, the snow receded, and Hua Jinchong saw the ground cracking, wild grass and trees withered, the whole world desolate and barren. Then, amidst a sudden earthquake, Hua Jinchong awoke with a frightful scream, sitting up straight, gasping for breath, startling his brother Hua Cheng enough to immediately embrace and comfort her.

"Don’t be afraid, don’t be afraid, it’s a dream, just a dream; brother is here."

"What’s wrong?" Hua Chengtian was so startled by his daughter’s scream that he almost fell off the cart. Without thinking, he turned into the cart. The elder brother Hua Da also worriedly pulled the horse to a stop, "Second brother, what’s wrong with little sister?"

The father and son spoke in a rush, anxiously handing the reins to a friend as they entered together.

When the father and son saw their daughter with a head full of sweat, breathing heavily, their hearts ached terribly.

Forced to take the reins, Qin Shu couldn’t help but look back worriedly, fearing that Yun Ao’s little sister was greatly frightened.

"What’s the matter?" Furrowing his brow, Hua Chengtian looked at his son. If not for knowing his son also doted on his sister deeply, Hua Chengtian would have lashed out.

Hua Yunxiang: "Dad, little sister had a nightmare."

Hua Jinchong was still immersed in the earthquake and the scene of his parents tumbling down the mountain with her. It was so vivid that Hua Jinchong believed it was real, and she couldn’t calm down for a long time.

Hearing his son say it was just a nightmare, Hua Chengtian’s tense heart eased a bit, quickly patting his daughter’s back gently and soothingly.

"It’s okay now, it’s okay, it was just a dream, not real, don’t be afraid... Daddy is here." Hua Chengtian murmured softly in his daughter’s ear.

Hua Yunao, who entered a step later, quickly poured some tea from the cart and handed it to his father, "Dad, let little sister drink some water to calm her nerves."

Hua Chengtian quickly put the water to his daughter’s lips. Fortunately, although she was frightened, she still knew to drink water. After a bowl of water, Hua Jinchong came back to herself, though she still looked visibly shaken.

"Dad, I’m okay now." Taking a deep breath to quell the fear in her heart, Hua Jinchong forced a smile.

That smile pained Hua Chengtian to no end.

When did his daughter ever have such a forced smile!

"It’s good that you’re awake. It’s nothing, just a dream, not real." Hua Chengtian comforted her with a heartache, his voice incredibly soft and gentle, as if the child before him was made of clay, easily harmed if not careful.

"Mhm." Leaning dependently on her father, then drinking another bowl of water handed by her brother, Hua Jinchong truly recovered this time and realized it was just a dream she had before.

Even if the dream was still vivid in her memory.

"Dad, really, I’m okay now. Don’t worry, it was just a nightmare." With a return to calm, Hua Jinchong gave a sweet, soft smile that put the three people in the cart at ease.

"Alright, alright, little sister isn’t afraid anymore. Sis, what nightmare did you have that almost scared your second brother to death?" The second brother exaggerated and patted his chest, playfully looking at his sister.

The gesture was barely done before a cold glance from their dad made him pull his head back, and Hua Da directly pulled his brother out of the cart.

Truly, bringing up the unmentionable, after little sister just calmed down, this fool actually proactively mentioned what scared little sister.

Really... asking for it.

"Thanks, big brother..." With his father’s glare, Hua Yunxiang realized what he had done. Without his big brother, he might have received his dad’s wrath. He grinned sheepishly.

"Next time, use your brain. If you scare your little sister again, not only dad, I won’t let you off either." Hua Yunao disdained his blockhead of a younger brother.

Usually appears smart, but doesn’t like to use his brain.

"I got it," Hua Yunxiang said guiltily.

Watching his sons get dragged out, Hua Chengtian gave a cold snort. If not for the eldest son’s quick action, the foolish boy would have been in for a beating.

"Don’t listen to your second brother speaking nonsense. Since it’s a dream, forget it whether it’s good or bad once you wake up, don’t think about it, alright?" Hua Chengtian worried that his daughter might recall any bad memories, quickly said.

His words were filled with care and concern, with such a loving family, even any remaining fear in Hua Jinchong dissipated.

"Dad... really, I’m fine now. I just woke up confused for a moment, the dream was a bit too real that it blurred reality and dream for an instant. You don’t need to worry." Hua Jinchong gave her father a bright smile, familiar tiny starlit glimmers spreading from her clear eyes.

"That’s good." Still, with cautious demeanor, he wasn’t assured, carefully sizing up the child.

"How about stepping out with dad for a bit?" Worried she might fall asleep and dream again in the cart, Hua Chengtian suggested.

"Mhm, mhm." Waking up in a sweat from a nightmare, getting some fresh air would be nice, Hua Jinchong quickly nodded.

As soon as they stepped out, Hua Chengtian gave an eye-roll to his brainless second son, though considering Qin Shu was there, he gave the boy some dignity, suggesting they rest in the cart while taking the reins from Qin Shu as the cart began to move again.

With the cool breeze blowing, Hua Jinchong’s spirits lifted, and the nightmare seemed to drift away.

Even though she woke with a lingering fear, even terror, the dream itself was somewhat random and made her think a little more, but it was, after all, just a dream. Once awake, it naturally went away with the wind; Hua Jinchong didn’t really dwell on it. Soon her silver bell-like laughter rang out from the front of the cart, lifting the spirits of all around.

With chatting and laughing all the way with her dad, time passed surprisingly fast. In no time, several hours went by, with only a brief stop for half an hour to fill their bellies before continuing the journey.

Finally, they reached Shanggu Town by sunset, afterward insisting on dropping Qin Shu off at his home in Qin Village despite his polite declines. Then, eager to return home, they declined Qin Shu’s invitation and hurried in the direction of home, arriving just as night fell and catching the last light of the evening before reaching Hua Village.

At this moment, the village was filled with the rising smoke of cooking fires, full of a lively atmosphere, and this familiar scene immediately relaxed Hua Chengtian and the children, who had been carting all day, prompting them to speed up the ox cart.