Transmigration: I Have Storage Space in the Apocalypse
Chapter 519 - 514: Troublesome Matters When Returning to Hometown 49 [Mass Release 43]

Chapter 519: Chapter 514: Troublesome Matters When Returning to Hometown 49 [Mass Release 43]

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"Alright, don’t take your anger out on Guoqing. If it really doesn’t work out, you can report it to the brigade commander, you can’t explain away things even if you’re in a hurry."

When Mrs. Zhou saw her younger son’s eyes brimming with tears from the pain, she knew her husband had hit too hard. She glared at him irritably before gently rubbing the bruised area on her eldest son.

"Mom, can you tell Dad to ease up? He’s like a savage!" As soon as Guoqing heard his mother chime in, he whined with a snarky tone, which earned him an angry glare from Dad.

Frightened, he stepped back and received a couple of eye rolls from his mother.

"You little brat, when your Dad scolds you, don’t you get it? You ungrateful little rabbit, it wasn’t easy for your mom to bring you into this world. We give you the skin and hair we cherish, your Dad and I don’t want you taking risks, and you still talk back?"

Seeing his parents both calling him a ’little rabbit,’ Guoqing’s face fell, and he muttered resentfully in a low voice:

"Are these little rabbits born from an old rabbit?"

Hearing this, Mrs. Zhou who was sitting next to him couldn’t help but laugh and twist his arm gently, which made Guoqing overreact with a yelp:

"Mom, Mom, gentler please, don’t swell up your own hand! Otherwise, the little rabbit will feel heartbroken."

"You child!" Mrs. Zhou was amused by her youngest son and laughed.

"Dad, if you have something to say, just say it. The great man Zhuge Liang once said, ’one’s wisdom is limited, collective wisdom is endless’!"

Just then, there were three people in the room. The little sister saw that Dad looked upset, finished eating, washed the dishes, and went back to her room to read.

Their little sister, seeing Dad had the same effect as a mouse seeing a cat—she was terrified of being in the same space as him.

In fact, this couldn’t be blamed on the little sister’s insensitivity. It was because Zhou Weihai once got so angry that he beat Zhou Guohai until his butt was swollen and bruised, colloquially referred to as ’blooming buttocks.’

He couldn’t sit down properly for half a month. Since then, whenever the little sister saw Dad, she would be reminded of his angry face. Girls are naturally timid, who wouldn’t be scared? It was already an achievement that she didn’t wet herself from fear.

Zhou Weihai, as the Civilian Defense Captain, truly had a strong grip and a hot temper, easily angered but would listen to Mrs. Zhou’s advice.

"A child’s place is at home, go back to your room and read your books." Would Zhou Weihai discuss matters with his slow-witted son? He’d rather talk to the village head.

Thinking of this, he realized he should indeed explain the situation to the village head first. Although the incident had only happened two days ago, it was the uncertainty that worried him.

The thought made Zhou Weihai restless, and he said to Mrs. Zhou, "Wife, look after the kids, don’t let them run around, I’m going to visit the village head."

"Okay, I got it." Mrs. Zhou saw the worry on her husband’s face, and because he hadn’t clarified his discoveries to her, she didn’t take it seriously.

Once Guoqing saw Dad had left, he immediately cozied up to his mother and asked her what was going on.

"Mom isn’t sure what’s going on either. Just at the edge of the village by the Seventh Branch of the Xie Family, the Zhou Family, and the Hus, a few families have lost poultry for two days in a row, causing a ruckus here with your father. These village officials have no money and plenty of troubles!"

"Mom, don’t repeat that in front of Dad. He wouldn’t be pleased if he heard it."

"Off you go, as if I don’t know your father’s temperament. We still don’t know what’s going on, so don’t go running off causing trouble, understand?"

"Mhm, I understand." Guoqing acknowledged, though his mind was on other things.

Heading up the mountain was no longer an option, but with trouble in the village, as a determined youth, how could he stand by and do nothing!

Anyway, he was sixteen this year, not a six-year-old baby—something had happened in the village, and as a man, he couldn’t show weakness!

Thinking this, he said he was going to take a bath and purposefully went back to his room, creating the silhouette of a person sleeping on his bed before sneaking out the back door.

Mrs. Zhou had finally gotten through the autumn harvest, her aging body was not as strong as it was in her youth. After finishing the insole she was working on, she was incredibly tired.

After washing up, she went to her daughter’s room and reminded her to lock the side door securely when she went to sleep. She then happened to visit her eldest son’s room, seeing him, tired from a full day’s work, wrapped in a quilt and sleeping soundly, she automatically closed the door.

She had only taken a couple of steps when Mrs. Zhou felt something was wrong!

Why weren’t there any shoes under her child’s bed?

Oh no!

The moment she thought of this, Mrs. Zhou turned around and entered her son’s room again. She forcefully pushed the door open and sure enough, saw the ’son’ on the bed did not react at all. She took two steps to the bed, lifted the quilt, and—no one was there!

"That little brat, he never learns his lesson!" Mrs. Zhou cursed in anger. Seeing that her daughter’s room across the way had turned off the lights, obeying and going to bed, she then quieted down.

"No, I must tell his dad. If something really happens, it could be the death of me!" Thinking this, Mrs. Zhou couldn’t calm down, wandering aimlessly in the living room. She simply put on a coat, opened the door, and went straight to Xie Jingqiang’s house.

As soon as she entered Xie Jingqiang’s house, she found that many of the old men had arrived, all of them respected elders from the village.

"Mother, it’s so late, what brings you here?" Zhou Weihai heard his wife coming into the courtyard and immediately went out to greet her.

It was indeed late, the sky was pitch black. At around eight or nine o’clock in the evening, many families in the countryside were already asleep.

"Dad, I just discovered Guoqing is not in his room!"

"What, don’t panic. You go home and watch the little one. I’ll call Guo Tao and Guo Ze to help search, don’t worry."

Sighing, Mrs. Zhou saw that the expressions of the men in the room weren’t good, and she dared not say more. With only her young daughter at home, she truly couldn’t be at ease. After listening to her husband, she could only go back home and wait.

This stinky boy, once I find him, I’m definitely giving him a good thrashing!

Mrs. Zhou returned to her house, worried and frightened, and first checked on her daughter in her room. Seeing that her daughter was asleep, she felt a little relieved.

At this moment, Zhou Guoqing had already met up with a few buddies in the evening at the spot his mom had told them about.

Knowing that there were wild animals stealing poultry from the beginning of the day, each of them had brought a weapon from home when they left—

Apart from Xie Yuting, who brought a firewood chopper, Zhou Guoqing had casually taken a hoe from his backyard. The other four, likewise, carried farm tools: a shovel, a sickle, a kitchen knife, and a pick.

Fortunately, they weren’t foolish enough to bring sticks as weapons.

"Guoqing, are you sure it’s here?" Xie Jingbin asked.

This place belonged to his younger uncle! He couldn’t help but be surprised.

"Oh, yeah, that’s what my mom said. She pointed to this area; there’s only this narrow path here. Come on, let’s light some torches before we go any further, to avoid a real confrontation."

Although Zhou Guoqing was young, he had always listened to his dad’s "back in my day" stories as he grew up, and he knew that in the dark wilderness it was essential to light torches first.

"Alright!" When the others had left their homes earlier, they had all snuck out, avoiding their parents. Arriving here, in the pitch dark, the two who were more timid had already become scared. Hearing Guoqing’s suggestion, they immediately nodded in agreement.