Disaster Apocalypse: Farming, Family, and My Hidden Secret Space

"Is everyone okay? Anyone injured?" Hua Chengtian's weak voice called out, followed by similarly weak responses echoing through the valley.

"We're okay..."

"Not dead yet..."

Accompanied by the sobbing of women and children.

But being able to cry means it's not too serious.

The lightning and thunder in the sky continued, but the tremors had completely stopped. However, fearing aftershocks, everyone continued to stay out in the open, too frightened to return.

"Men, those who can still stand, get up. See if there's anything useful, and quickly set up some shelters. We can't keep getting soaked like this."

Even if it's not cold now, the shock, fright, and rain can easily cause sickness.

Following Hua Chengtian's shout, numerous shadowy figures slowly approached him in the darkness, some swinging their arms, some limping, some sucking in air from the pain.

They then brought out all the waterproof items they had; at this moment, it didn't matter whose they were, everyone used them together.

The strength in numbers became apparent, and in no time, temporary shelters made from umbrellas and tarps were assembled. The elderly, women, and children took priority in them, leaving the remaining space for the men, as their bodies could withstand more.

"Why did the earth have to shift again? What's Heaven trying to do?"

"...Doesn't it want us to live?"

"Waaah... We barely rebuilt our home..."

"Mom, I'm scared..."

"Boo hoo..."

"..."

Once they caught their breath, many couldn't hold back their fear and resentment, instinctively pouring it out. More and more people joined in, and for a long time, their cries continued.

Nobody stopped them; after such shock, crying was actually a good thing. Even many men who considered themselves strong had tears in their eyes, wondering what to do next.

After all, with such strong tremors, who knew what had become of their homes?

In fear and trepidation, everyone stayed out in the rain all night, experiencing two more aftershocks. Fortunately, the tremors weren't strong and were bearable, at least their feet could grip the ground.

When the first crack of dawn appeared, nearly everyone stood up, the torrential rain dwindling to a light drizzle. Unable to endure any longer, all they wanted was to rush home.

Some rushed to rescue, some wanted to see what had become of their homes.

When they saw their homes reduced to a heap of rubble, everyone couldn't help but cry.

"Mom and Dad..."

"Son..."

"Dog..."

"Children's mother..."

Some didn't even have time to cry, rushing to the collapsed buildings, digging frantically without any regard.

This scene played out in every corner of the land, people desperate to rescue family buried under the ruins, knowing full well the slim chances of survival, but clinging to the slightest hope, which was their driving force.

The same was true for Hua Village; the moment the sky brightened, almost everyone came out from under the rain shelters, ignoring the drizzle, their first thought being to go home.

Hua Laohan looked at his granddaughter; seeing her nod, he didn't stop everyone.

Hua Jin had already thoroughly assessed the situation in Hua Village. Although their homes were not unscathed, the majority of the collapses were self-built houses or sheds built later.

The village's unified houses, side houses, and kitchen houses had roof damage but the overall structure remained intact, allowing for minor repairs to make them habitable again.

This was thanks to the embedded wooden frames added when building the houses, keeping them well protected.

Everyone quickly ran to their homes, not expecting much. When they found their houses intact, many couldn't hold back their tears once more, wiping them away.

"The house is still here..." they muttered to themselves, as tears ceased but their mouths widened in surprise.

Every household had varying degrees of damage, but the entire village's homes were still standing, relieving everyone in Hua Village, who immediately rushed into their homes.

Hua Chengtian, along with his sons, hurried home, and seeing that apart from some fallen tiles, their house had not suffered major damage, their worried hearts finally found peace.

However, the livestock and poultry sheds in the backyard were completely collapsed, and the newly planted fruit trees were leaning crookedly, some crushing the vegetable garden, causing Hua Laopozi great distress.

Hua Jin took advantage of the tidying up to release the livestock and poultry stored in the space, locking them in the courtyard so they wouldn't run away. Besides, there were quite a few of them.

These animals had suffered too, nearly falling during the tremors due to the crowd.

It's amazing how quickly animals recover. After just one night, they were as lively as before. With them guarding the house, there was no worry of theft, and even if lost, they wouldn't go far.

"Mom and Dad..." came the worried voices of Hua Dagao and Ergu from outside the door.

"Xiao Si, quickly, go open the door," Hua Laopozi urged, placing the child in her arms onto the daughter-in-law as she instructed her youngest grandson near the door.

Even though her son told her the daughters' homes were fine last night, she couldn't help but worry.

The earthquakes hit so abruptly last night; there was no time to think. With so many people in the darkness and pouring rain, finding anyone was difficult, so they gave up. But now, hearing their daughters' voices, she couldn't hold back.

"Mom..." Hua Fen and Hua Fang rushed straight to Hua Laopozi sitting in the courtyard as soon as they entered, followed by their respective husbands, leaving the children behind at home presumably to help clean up.

"Mom... are you and Dad okay?"

The worried sisters examined their mother, finding her hair messy and clothes wrinkled but otherwise fine, finally feeling relieved.

Then they turned to their father, noticing him nimbly tidying up in the courtyard. Except for a bump on his forehead, the scene brought tears to their eyes.

"We're fine, we're fine—both your dad and I are okay," Hua Laopozi reassured them, seeing their reddened eyes.

"How about your homes? Did you check?" Hua Laopozi changed the topic.

"Yes, we did. Not too much damage; a bit of cleaning will make it livable," Hua Dagao replied, already starting to help with the tidying. Zeng Yong and Liu Xiang called out "Mom" upon entering and then began helping with the work.

"What's 'not too much damage'? Hurry up, get back and tidy up your homes," Hua Laopozi insisted.

"It's fine; there are enough people at home. Zeng Yi and the others are tidying up, and Dabao, Erbao, and Sanbao are too young. They can't stay outside in the rain," Hua Dagao and Ergu affectionately eyed the three little ones, who were being held by their mothers under a makeshift shelter in the courtyard.

"Big sister, second sister, stop fussing and have some ginger tea to ward off the chill," Qi Shi chimed in.

Having heard the two sisters earlier, she had been busy in the kitchen boiling ginger tea and water, unable to come out and greet them until now.