Disaster Apocalypse: Farming, Family, and My Hidden Secret Space-Chapter 74. Prepare

Hua Jin suddenly felt a jolt as if in a dream, and sat up from bed.

Opening her eyes, she realized it was still dark, but hearing the voices of her parents and grandparents in the courtyard finally calmed her heart.

After all, father didn’t personally agree last night!

As she lifted the blanket, waves of cold air invaded, causing Hua Jin to shiver. Too bad her current small body can’t wear the clothes from her magical space, otherwise, a thermal innerwear would be much warmer.

Quickly pulling on her clothes, only after she put on the winter clothes lined with a thin layer of cotton did Hua Jin feel much more comfortable.

It was just the start of winter, yet remembering those images, Hua Jin held little hope for the winter days, which were such a big challenge for someone always afraid of the cold.

Fortunately, there’s life-saving cotton.

In the past few days, grandmother and mother had redone all the family’s winter clothes, replacing them with warm cotton ones.

After entering the magical space and washing up quickly, Hua Jin simply tied her hair into a bun and went out.

"Grandma, why are you all up so early?" Hua Jin said, plopping down in front of the stove with an endearingly sweet smile on her face.

"It’s still early, why are you up so early too? The bed’s so warm!" Grandma Hua scolded gently, looking at her granddaughter, then stepped forward to touch her hand, finally relieved by its warmth.

Jin’s decision to go to the city with father hadn’t been mentioned to Grandma by her mother, Qi Shi, who quickly said, "Mother, she is eager to go to the city with father."

Qi Shi, glancing at her daughter, spoke helplessly, hoping Grandma would keep the child at home.

"Jin’er too?" Grandma Hua was truly surprised, and quickly frowned, looking at her granddaughter, "It’s so cold outside, and traveling by carriage is uncomfortable. It’s much cozier at home. Be good and listen to Grandma, don’t go!"

"Grandma, I’m dressed warmly, I’m not cold, and with the rabbit-fur hat mother made, I’m not afraid of the cold." Hua Jin played her trump card, dropping the wood into the stove and walking over to Grandma.

Blinking her sparkling eyes, she softly grasped Grandma’s hand and looked up at her, so cute and obedient that it melted hearts.

Sure enough, Grandma Hua’s expression softened considerably, speaking gently, "Jin’er, listen to grandma, let’s not go. You haven’t traveled far, you don’t understand, the road is extremely boring, not to mention cold, and you can’t even have hot water. Let’s not suffer unnecessarily, okay?"

In her heart, she thought of confronting her son later. The child is young, does he have to follow through with this nonsense too?

How could the child endure the long road into town?

Hearing this, Hua Jin insisted, looking at Grandma, "Grandma, that’s exactly why I want to go with him. You said it yourself, the journey is long and boring. It’s pitiful for father to go and return alone! I can go with him, at least talk with him on the way. Plus, Grandma, did you forget..."

Saying this, Hua Jin glanced outside the kitchen. Not seeing her brothers around, she continued, "I have the magical space! Things placed inside can maintain their temperature..."

Fearing Grandma wouldn’t understand, Hua Jin quickly explained, "Meaning whatever I put in there stays the same, no matter how long it stays inside; time there is frozen."

"Frozen time?" Grandma Hua and the daughter-in-law exclaimed in unison.

"Shh... Grandma, lower your voice." Frightened, Hua Jin quickly looked outside, feeling a slight twinge of guilt.

It seemed like she might have, possibly, forgotten to mention this little detail.

Following Hua Jin’s actions, both the daughter-in-law and mother-in-law fell silent, glancing outside the door.

Grandma Hua, holding her granddaughter’s hand, lowered her voice, "Jin’er, did I hear right? Not only can your mysterious place store things, but it can also keep food warm?"

Although Grandma Hua’s tone was full of surprise, it remained calm.

After all, she had already experienced the shock last night when the old man told her about this among other things. If her granddaughter could possess a fairy land, another feature of temperature retention seemed trivial.

Hua Jin nodded, "Grandma, you heard right."

"So Grandma doesn’t have to worry about me suffering with father on the road, and if I get tired, I can rest on the carriage."

"And if Grandma and Mother make lots of delicious food for me to bring, then it’ll be even less of a hardship, right?"

"Why don’t you know how to enjoy life?" Grandma Hua sighed, truly helpless, at her granddaughter.

"Grandma, I’m just worried father will be bored on the road. Besides, I need to help him load goods." Hua Jin laughed; although she didn’t explicitly say it, she knew Grandma had already agreed.

"You..." Grandma Hua sighed, tapping her granddaughter’s forehead. The child was too clever for her own good, but she couldn’t deny that the last point finally convinced her.

What could be done?

Giving her granddaughter a narrow-eyed look, she hurried to the flour bin to scoop out some fine grains to prepare more food, not wanting the child to suffer along the way with her father.

Beside her, Qi Shi showed a knowing look, not too surprised by the outcome. Although she hoped Grandma would keep her daughter, who could blame her daughter for having them all wrapped around her finger?

Knowing that things could be kept in the magical space, mother and daughter duo feared the child might starve, and so they made lots of delicious food.

There were boiled eggs, salted duck eggs, several kinds of small pickled vegetables, a large pot of rice porridge along with the pot placed in the magical space, and steamed buns, dumplings, and a large stir-fry with meat. Had time not been tight and Hua Jin not stopped her, Grandma Hua even planned to catch a fish for her granddaughter to cook and keep for the road.

Hua Jin, both crying and laughing, looked at the preparations on the table. To the clueless, it would seem as if they were leaving for a long time when, in reality, it was only two or three days.

Yet all of this overflowed with the love of family, deeply moving Hua Jin.

Then, under Grandma’s urging, she put everything into the magical space.

Hua Chengtian, or Old Man Hua, with the two older sons, were cleaning up the ox cart in the back courtyard.

If it had been just him, he would have simply driven an empty cart. But with Hua Jin joining, Hua Chengtian decided to set up the carriage.

Not only could it block the wind and cold, it could also shield them from view, something Old Man Hua had evidently considered. As soon as his son suggested it, he quickly pulled the two grandsons to the backyard to help.

The carriage was already stored in the backyard and just needed affixing to the cart. It didn’t take long to set everything up.

Upon learning his granddaughter was going, Old Man Hua was both worried and comforted since the child’s parents and his wife agreed. Plus, knowing the route to town posed no danger and the child had her own means of protection.

Of course, more preparations naturally followed: two extra quilts were added, along with a charcoal brazier for warmth.

Then, under the concerned and caring gazes of their family, they left home.

Along the way, Hua Yunao and his brother couldn’t help but enviously look at their sister—it was a trip to town, such a desire to go! Yet, facing their father’s gaze, they dared not say anything.

Were they to entertain such notions during study time, honestly, would Father’s leather whip not immediately streak through the air?

Luckily, their sister was considerate, assuring them with kind words, promising to look around the city for them and bring back gifts, while they could only watch, full of longing, as their father and sister’s figures slowly departed toward the academy.