Disaster Apocalypse: Farming, Family, and My Hidden Secret Space
Chapter 154. Xiao Si’s hardship

Chapter 154: 154. Xiao Si’s hardship

Finally home, the four of them wore satisfied smiles on their faces as the ox cart stopped outside their large gate.

There’s always something different about being home. Hua Jin’er had come out early, sitting on the cart shaft, just waiting for the cart to stop.

As soon as they jumped to the ground, they heard the distinctive sound of several large black dogs running in the yard, their excited barking, and the sound of them eagerly trying to scratch open the door.

There was no need for them to call out; the few half-grown dogs had already indicated through their actions who was outside.

The rest of the Hua family, who were just in the courtyard preparing dinner, got excited upon seeing the dogs’ behavior.

Unlike other dogs, theirs only got this excited for one reason: someone from the family had come home.

And the only ones missing were... Apart from Little Fourth, who was just focused on eating, the old Hua man, his wife, and daughter-in-law almost simultaneously put down their chopsticks and ran towards the door,

their excitement no less than that of the little ones.

When they reached the big door and heard the sounds of their dear granddaughter interacting with the dogs, their faces flushed with excitement. The old Hua man’s hand trembled as he undid the latch.

Finally, there was no need to spend every day worrying anymore.

"Jin’er, my dear, you’re finally back." Inside the door, the old woman couldn’t help but shout. Seeing her husband’s trembling hands, she impatiently shoved him aside. "Move, let me do it."

Eager to see her beloved granddaughter and grandson, she couldn’t tolerate any mishaps at this crucial moment. She cast a disapproving look at her husband.

When she opened the door and saw her graceful granddaughter standing outside, she immediately opened her arms and hugged her, her mouth spreading into the widest smile. At this moment, she even forgot about her grandson.

The old Hua man did the same; as soon as he saw his granddaughter, he saw nothing else. Sons and grandsons became irrelevant when compared to his cute and soft granddaughter.

Only Mrs. Qi felt a bit better. Unable to squeeze in front of her daughter, she settled for her son. Although she worried more about her daughter, she also loved her son, especially when she saw his noticeably thinner cheeks.

"You’ve lost weight," Mrs. Qi said with reddened eyes, casting a blaming glance at the father of her children, who was pulling the cart into the yard.

He seemed plump with no change, while the meat the two children had gained was all gone.

Hua Chengtian: "..."

What did he do wrong? Looking bewildered, Hua Chengtian pulled the cattle cart back into the yard and looked at the mother of his children in confusion.

Shouldn’t she be warmly welcoming him into the house?

The brothers didn’t feel much about losing weight but got nervous seeing their mother’s red eyes and quickly tried to comfort her.

"Mom, we didn’t lose weight, probably just look tired from traveling all day. Don’t forget we were well-prepared, with dad and sister around, how could we suffer? Actually, dad’s worked hard, doing most of the driving. Mom, you should quickly prepare some hot water for him to soak his hands; they’re swollen from the reins."

The two brothers most feared seeing their mother with red eyes. They rushed to find something for her to do and distract her so she wouldn’t overthink. Otherwise, if her emotions built up, it would take more than half a day to calm her down.

Sure enough, upon hearing that dad’s hands were swollen, mom immediately felt heartbroken. She grabbed his hands to look and then hurried off to boil water.

Feeling the care from the mother of his children, Hua Chengtian gave his sons an approving look, raising his eyebrows.

As for their grandparents, who were entirely focused on their sister, Hua Yunao and his brother had long been used to it. In any place where their sister was, they naturally came second.

They didn’t find it strange. Their sister was younger than them and the only girl in the family; she should be loved more.

Besides, their sister was indeed special.

Fortunately, they had their lively and joyful younger brother, Little Fourth, jumping around next to them, which made the brothers feel much more settled.

Only when they were done doting on their granddaughter did the olds remember their grandsons. After thoroughly checking them out and finding them in good spirits, they nodded in satisfaction.

They didn’t ask about exam results or anything like that. Even if they were to ask, it would be after they had washed up, eaten well, and rested a bit.

"Old woman, quickly add two more dishes." Knowing that the meal wouldn’t be enough, as he wasn’t expecting his son, granddaughter, and grandsons to come back today, old Hua quickly said.

"Okay, okay," the old woman agreed, running off to the kitchen.

Caught up in the excitement, she had forgotten that the kids would surely be hungry after their journey home.

As soon as she entered the kitchen, she saw her daughter-in-law already preparing.

Initially, Mrs. Qi hadn’t thought about it until she entered the kitchen to boil water and remembered that she hadn’t prepared dinner for her husband and the children, so she quickly started to prepare.

While the mother and daughter-in-law were busy in the kitchen, Hua Jin’er, her brothers, and the eagerly anticipating Little Fourth were busy unloading things from the cart.

When Little Fourth saw the fruits in the cart and the various delicious things exuding the unique aroma of meat, he jumped for joy, grabbing a fragrant bag of marinated beef and rushing into the kitchen to ask grandma to add it to the dish.

With dad, brothers, and sister back, Little Fourth couldn’t be happier.

He had had a hard time these days!

With dad and siblings not at home, their meals had gone down day by day, from having meat every day to seeing it once every three days. Now, he hadn’t had any meat in four or five days, and he was almost starving for it.

He had been hoping every day for dad and sister to come back quickly, or for sister to come back alone. As long as sister was home, the meals wouldn’t be bad.

Old Hua took a look at all the things on the ground and gave his dear granddaughter a look, having given up on reprimanding her.

His dear granddaughter’s ability to spend money matched her ability to earn it. He had long come to terms with that.

When the family sat in the courtyard around a table to enjoy dinner, night had fallen, but that didn’t dampen their joyous mood.

Under the moonlight, this meal lasted longer than usual, especially when they heard that both grandsons had passed their exams. The old lady and Mrs. Qi held Hua Jin’er beside them, praising their grandsons non-stop.

Old Hua was so happy that he went back inside to fetch a jar of wine to share with his son, even pouring a small glass for each of his grandsons, who had never tasted alcohol before.

Such joyful times deserved celebration.

This excitement lasted for quite a while.

However happy they were, old Hua still reminded his grandsons that although they were lucky to have passed this time, they needed to remain humble and continue working hard. Seeing his grandsons nod earnestly, the slightly drunk old Hua happily hummed an out-of-tune tune as he washed up and went to bed.

That night, every member of the Hua family slept soundly, especially Hua Yunao, Hua Jin’er, and their sibling, who had returned to a familiar environment.

The next day, after sending off Little Fourth and while the grandkids were still getting some extra sleep, the old woman couldn’t help herself and went to the village... ahem, to take in the cool air.

Chatting and laughing, she inadvertently let slip the news that the grandsons had returned.

"Yun Ao and them are back, that’s wonderful." Granny Lin joined in the joy.

No wonder Mrs. Liu looked particularly joyful today, it turns out her grandsons are back.

"Didn’t the two brothers go out for their exams? Seeing how happy you are, could the kids have passed?" one of the old women under the locust tree immediately responded, curious to ask.

When she mentioned it, everyone else agreed; otherwise, it wouldn’t be usual to see the village chief’s wife gossiping with them at this time.

Not only did she come over, but she was also so happy, obviously the exams must have gone well.