Disaster Apocalypse: Farming, Family, and My Hidden Secret Space
Chapter 289. Hope

Chapter 289: 289. Hope

With someone leading, everyone lined up honestly, and the line stretched very far.

Some were already registered and leaving, while others, having received the news, hurried over. The entire process lasted a whole day.

Sun Shangcheng, who was appointed at the last minute, also stayed at the entrance of the mansion for an entire day. Together with the clerk responsible for sorting the records, by the end, they could barely lift their pens.

Sun Shangcheng’s father, who was also the village chief of Shihe Village, had been waiting on the side. When hungry, he drank some of the water he brought with him, and as for hunger, he could only wait to return home.

The family also sent a message back to the village with those returning.

To be honest, Sun Shangcheng being looked upon favorably by the county official made many villagers of Shihe Village envious, but everyone was quite anxious, so after a few compliments, they hurried home.

After a whole day of work, before leaving, Sun Shangcheng was stopped by the head of the office and handed a small cloth bag.

"This is your wage from the official."

"Wage..." To be honest, it was a real surprise, something Sun Shangcheng hadn’t even considered. He hurriedly received it with both hands and repeatedly expressed his gratitude.

He thought working for a day was just for exchanging seeds for grains.

"Thank Hu sir, if possible, please send my thanks to the official." Sun Shangcheng suppressed the urge to open the cloth bag and bowed.

"You’re welcome, I’ll surely pass the message. Also, the official said to come again tomorrow."

"Yes, of course, I’ll be there early tomorrow," Sun Shangcheng quickly agreed.

"There’s no need for that. Arriving before dawn is enough," Hu Hu nodded slightly and turned back to the mansion, his eyes betraying a hint of urgency and excitement.

How can one not be happy about receiving the monthly silver soon!

It’s just that the monthly silver has been replaced with food, not much, five pounds of coarse grains per person. Even more exciting, the official mentioned they can buy more with silver, although it’s limited to ten pounds.

Even with this, they were already satisfied. Ten pounds of grain surely isn’t enough to keep a family full, but when mixed with wild vegetables, it’s enough to get by. And once vegetables start growing, life will get a bit easier.

"Brother Cheng?" the elder Sun saw his son’s relief as he waited for him.

"Father, look," Sun Shangcheng opened the small cloth bag in his hands and handed it directly to his father, who immediately realized it was food upon receiving it.

"Coarse flour," Elder Sun exclaimed in surprise before quickly shutting his mouth, his cloudy eyes scanning the surroundings.

Unexpected good fortune—it seemed there was more than a pound. Mixed with wild vegetables, it would last their family a few days.

Carefully, Elder Sun tucked the cloth bag within his bosom, and the thought of possibly having the same tomorrow filled him with uncontrollable joy.

Adding it to the little remaining food at home, they should be able to hold out for two more months. If his son could work a few more days, they could stretch it even further.

Without food, surviving on nothing but wild vegetable soup would leave them with no energy at all.

It’s thanks to their village being populous and united that many survived, and having moved to the mountain just as the water began to accumulate made sure that each household had enough supplies, allowing them to persist so long under dire circumstances.

Even so, every day was like walking on thin ice; any mistake could lead to an assault by those driven mad by hunger. With more strong laborers in their village, unlike some small villages that had everything snatched away, they survived.

Enduring a year and a half was tough beyond words, but they managed to fend off wave after wave of starving lunatics, retreating from one mountain to another, then another. The journey was arduous, but in the end, they survived.

Whenever Elder Sun recalls those days on the mountain, he’s haunted by nightmares.

"Father, we should head back," Sun Shangcheng looked at the sky, breaking his father’s thoughts.

"Yes, we should go," and with that, the father and son headed home.

"Brother Cheng, I’ll accompany you early tomorrow morning. Make sure to perform well; this opportunity is rare."

"Yes, Father, I’ll remember."

In the dim evening light, father and son spoke softly as they walked further away.

On the other side, Qin Dagen returned early to Qin Village to inform the others.

Though labor needed to be exerted, getting food and seeds was good news, and the village, previously quiet and tense, finally heard some laughter.

For dinner, Mrs. Li happily cooked a pot of wild vegetable and coarse rice porridge secretly inside the house. Though it contained more vegetables than rice, it was thick and the family enjoyed a hearty meal after a long time.

Meanwhile, Qin Dagen continued washing the well with his son. Their family was one of the few in the courtyard with a well. When leaving, they had placed a heavy stone slab over it, but being submerged in water for a long time could allow dirty water to seep in. So since they returned to the village, after finishing their chores, they diligently cleaned the well, replacing the water for the third time until it was clear.

"Done," the father and son completed the last cleaning of the well water just as night fell.

Qin Dagen sighed heavily with relief; it was hard work, and the daily strenuous labor almost wore him out.

No one was happier than Mrs. Li, who was making food.

The water issue was finally resolved, and she no longer had to repeatedly boil it, heating it over and over, because otherwise, they wouldn’t dare use it.

Not just their family, but Qin Dagen also reminded the surviving villagers of Qin Village to avoid drinking raw water, use boiled water for cooking, and repeat the well cleaning and filtering over several days.

As his son said, it’s one village; if one prospers, all do, but if one suffers, it impacts everyone. If an epidemic were to spread, no one would escape, so preparing in advance is essential.

Actually, in any family with the elderly, their rich life experience would’ve made reminders unnecessary.

Unfortunately, the disaster left only a handful of elderly survivors.

Now, with hope ahead, they had a peaceful sleep through the night.

The next day, those who received the news rose early, ate a simple meal, and hurried eagerly to Shanggu Town.

Unlike the apathy when descending the mountain, now hope was visible on everyone’s faces.

Hua Chengtian was also on the road, setting off at dawn with his son and nephews.

As they departed, they left a large mark at where they had stayed, and every so often, they left another mark to ensure they wouldn’t stray or lose their way back.

They didn’t know how many mountains they crossed, and though they didn’t find any salt, they accumulated plenty of wild mushrooms and wood ear mushrooms along the way.

Without realizing, they crossed another mountain. Despite not finding much, the vegetation was quite rich.

"Father, it’s time for a break," Hua Yunao said, wiping the sweat from his forehead, reminding his father.

Approaching noon, they had been walking for nearly three hours, and although they were robust, they felt exhausted, mainly due to the blazing sun causing them to sweat profusely and thirst intensely.

Hua Chengtian stopped, but his gaze left Hua Yunao and his cousins speechless.