Disaster Apocalypse: Farming, Family, and My Hidden Secret Space
Chapter 187. Listen to you

Chapter 187: 187. Listen to you

He who originally had doubts in his heart further confirmed his thoughts, his parents had secrets, and his sister knew too.

But he was never talkative, and since his parents hadn’t let them know, it meant it wasn’t time yet, so even if it was curious, he didn’t ask more, and even helped his parents cover it up.

Just... what exactly were his parents doing that was so mysterious?

Honestly... it’s fake not to be curious.

A month later, Old Mr. Hua and the others finally stopped disappearing from time to time.

After being busy for so long, the matters in the space had come to a temporary end, and aside from feeding the poultry and livestock, there wasn’t much they needed to intervene in. With the water channels, their daughter could use the power of space to directly irrigate, so they didn’t have to disappear irregularly anymore, going in once a day was enough.

However, even though it was already the beginning of autumn and it was almost September, the temperature showed no sign of dropping. Due to the intense heat, the academy that was supposed to open last month had its holidays extended all the way to now.

The weather remained scorching, not that there was no rain, but only two small showers fell over four months, just enough to dampen the surface before stopping. Fortunately, the surrounding rivers, although the water levels dropped, didn’t reach a drought level, which didn’t affect the irrigation of the crops.

Even so, the rare high temperature in years still caused concern among some of the older generations.

In previous years, by the time it was nearly September, there wasn’t talk of heat left; mornings and evenings already required an extra piece of autumn clothing as the temperature difference was significant.

But now, the weather was fiercely hot, and the experienced elders felt something wasn’t quite normal. Some attentive ones, moreover, were worried and instructed their children to water the crops diligently and to hold onto their food supplies rather than sell them. They planned to keep them after the autumn harvest, aside from the obligatory tax grains, if things remained so unusual.

Of course, this was just a small fraction; most people merely lamented how hot the weather was this year, without overthinking it.

As the village head and the one with the most land, Old Mr. Hua naturally had to set an example.

He couldn’t say much, but he could lead everyone to work together.

After his granddaughter finished her space matters, Old Mr. Hua urged the villagers to be industrious while working and subtly steered the conversation towards this year’s abnormal temperatures, resonating with many of his contemporaries in the village and discreetly alerting them.

Thus, the time reached early September, right before the autumn harvest season. The temperature, although slightly lowered, was still fiercely hot, and just a short period of working in the fields made one sweat profusely.

The Hua family’s three brothers, who had been enjoying a lengthy holiday at home, finally returned to the academy. However, due to the high temperatures, the school time extended a bit longer to avoid heatstroke; the school dismissal time was changed to sunset.

Day by day passed, seeing the autumn harvest approaching while the temperature was excessively high, the older generation, already somewhat concerned, became restless.

"Hua Man, Hua Man" a few elders even older than Hua Man had conspired to visit the Hua family early in the morning.

Hearing the commotion, Old Mr. Hua hurriedly opened the door and welcomed the clan uncles into the house.

"What brings you here, uncles? Child’s mother, hurry and serve tea," Old Mr. Hua’s eyes flickered with surprise, smiling while shouting towards the kitchen.

"The uncles are here, come in and sit," answered Old Mrs. Hua as she quickly came out to greet them.

"No, no, it’s cooler in the courtyard. We’re here to talk with Manzi, Aunt Cheng Tian doesn’t have to mind us old folks, go about your own business," said one of the gray-haired elders with a laugh.

"Okay, Uncle Yong, then you chat," Aunt Hua nodded and quickly went into the kitchen to boil water and make tea.

Old Mr. Hua didn’t really lead them to the main house. After all, it was indeed very hot indoors, so he guided them under the shed on the western side of the courtyard, where a few decades-old trees provided substantial shade and coolness.

Soon Old Mrs. Hua came over with three bowls of brewed tea, "Uncle Yong, Uncle Li, Uncle Huai, have some tea."

"Thank you, Aunt Cheng Tian," nodded a few of the old fellows towards Mrs. Hua, then looked at Old Mr. Hua, ready to delve into the main topic.

"Manzi, this weather is too abnormal. It has been a long time since the beginning of autumn, yet it’s still so hot. We, a few old folks, just feel uneasy and thought to come over and ask you."

Although Hua Man was younger, he had traveled around when he was young and also knew some words, so he was considered knowledgeable. They just felt like asking him, otherwise, the anxiety was too unbearable.

"Uncles, don’t rush, have some tea first." Old Mr. Hua handed them the tea, while contemplating what to say.

The weather this year was indeed unusual, and Old Mr. Hua increasingly believed in his granddaughter’s dream, feeling that perhaps this year was a warning from the heavens.

The clan uncles, not really in the mood to drink tea, quickly finished the tea in their hands, waiting for Hua Man to speak up.

"As observed by the uncles, I also feel that this year’s weather is indeed too abnormal. In past years, high temperatures existed but not for such a prolonged period nor at such intensity. Even the drought twenty-some years ago didn’t have these extreme temperatures..."

After speaking, Hua Man saw several clan uncles nodding in agreement, each with furrowed brows, their faces full of worry.

"Honestly, uncles, I too am worried."

"Yes, Manzi, so are we, otherwise we wouldn’t have hurried here to ask you."

"God, it’s only been a few good years, and now it seems there might not be a life for us again. Thinking back to the drought over twenty years ago makes us anxious; only because here we have the Yun River backing Qinggu Mountain and then later found a deep lake in the mountains did we barely scrape by. Who knows how many died outside, and how many years it took to recover and rejuvenate? And how long has this good time lasted?"

"Indeed, those days are truly not to be revisited. Our village members, elderly and young, suffered a lot for water; the lake in the mountains had plenty, but wild beasts were abundant, while there was still some water in the Yun River, fetching water was arduous, taking several hours round trips, and competing to get it. Upon returning, you had to guard against others from the village stealing the water back; it was really too difficult. We survived only because our village has always been united, otherwise, who knows how many could have survived."

Soon enough, the clan uncles were engulfed in memories from decades before, faces filled with bitterness—they definitely didn’t want to face such days again. These old folks didn’t care much if they lived or not, since they wouldn’t live many more years at best. They mainly worried about the children at home.

"What you say is right, uncles, I returned to the village because of that disaster too, but if a natural disaster really descends, it’s beyond our control. So, my idea is that regardless of whether this weather is normal or not, we should be cautious this year. After each household harvests their grain, try not to sell it, or exchange more coarse grains to store at home, and wait until after the New Year to make any decision."

Upon hearing this, several clan elders nodded; they also had this thought but still felt uneasy. Now with Hua Man’s words, they felt somewhat reassured.

"We’ll listen to you; each household only has that bit of land, selling wouldn’t fetch much money. Otherwise, us farmers seldom need money, as long as there’s food, we won’t starve."