Disaster Apocalypse: Farming, Family, and My Hidden Secret Space-Chapter 285. Resilience

Human resilience is unpredictable in its extent. Even though deeply saddened, it doesn’t diminish the confidence to rebuild after sorrow. Before long, the few who survived and returned to Qin Village began to sift through the mud at their homes.

Indeed, they unearthed many items. Although most were damaged, some could still be used when pieced together, and those that couldn’t were at least good for firewood.

"Father, Mother, look," Qin Ming said as he held up a chipped bowl for Li Shi and Qin Dagen to see, a hint of joy finally appearing in his eyes.

"That’s great, wonderful, keep going; there might be more underneath..." Li Shi’s eyes lit up as she encouraged her son.

They had realized the flood was coming too late, leaving in haste with only essential grains and not much else. Even tableware was taken only in limited quantities. If they weren’t washed away, there should still be some buried under the silt.

As more usable items emerged, Li Shi’s heart lightened a bit.

"Wife, come and look," came Qin Dagen’s call.

"What is it?" Li Shi hadn’t gone over yet when Qin Lu and Qin Ming, the brothers, rushed over excitedly, "Mother, it looks like our oilcloth, rolled up neatly." Qin Ming shouted with delight to Li Shi.

Li Shi hurried over, and upon seeing a large roll of oilcloth, her lips finally curled into a smile.

"Thank goodness, our oilcloth wasn’t washed away."

No farmer family could do without oilcloths. This was the largest piece they had. They often only had time to take two smaller rolls; the big one was too heavy and was left in the firewood shed.

"Let’s dig together," said Li Shi, who could no longer contain herself and grabbed a hoe to join in.

With two adults working, the pace quickened, and soon, a bundle of oilcloth was unearthed. Though covered with a thick layer of mud, it appeared intact.

Qin Shu, who was excavating their home’s main beam, couldn’t help but come over. However, his hopes weren’t high; after all, a year and a half of being soaked in water meant that despite looking intact, it might have already rotted inside.

He didn’t voice his doubts, seeing the family’s happiness.

Soon, the silt covering it was brushed away, revealing the oilcloth beneath.

Qin Shu realized that the outer layer was actually wrapped in oilcloth, something he hadn’t known. During busy farming seasons, he helped pack the oilcloth, but his father always handled it because, except during farm work, his parents mostly kept him away from chores as he was busy studying, leaving no time for such tasks.

If that was the case, perhaps the inner oilcloths might still be usable, hope rose in Qin Shu.

Qin Dagen impatiently opened up the oilcloth bundle, only to see the outer layer disassemble with slight force.

"Oh..." Qin Lu and Qin Shu voiced their disappointment.

"It’s alright, Father wrapped it tightly; there might be good pieces inside," Qin Dagen wasn’t disappointed as he had anticipated this. But since he packed it himself, he was quite confident that at least some of the inner contents were still good.

As they peeled off layer after layer, the inner oilcloths appeared sturdier, causing everyone’s eyes, including Qin Shu’s, to brighten, and their mood to lift.

When fully unwrapped, the remaining usable oilcloth stretched over three zhang long, a pleasant surprise, making it an even greater joy than finding just a bowl for Qin Ming.

Following this, everyone’s movements quickened as more items were extracted from the muddy remains of the house. Among them were two pine wood chests from Li Shi’s dowry, though entirely covered in mud, they were indeed intact, leaving Li Shi overjoyed to tears.

The chests were well-sealed, and when opened, a few unspoilt clothes were found inside, as well as two old quilts. Though they looked a bit soiled, once dried, they could at least serve as mats, which was better than nothing.

Over the next few days, they excavated through their home’s silt, unearthing many items.

Li Shi’s dowry chests, three plates, four bowls, several pickling jars, small clay pots, though all had varying degrees of damage, were still functional. Some rusted farm tools were found, but more importantly, much of the firewood and damaged furniture in the woodshed hadn’t been completely washed away.

The biggest surprise was uncovering the household cellar.

This achievement owed much to Qin Dagen’s foresight. Despite the time constraints, he hadn’t forgotten to bind the cellar mouth tightly with oilcloth, press down a large stone slab on top, and cover it with a thick layer of mud to prevent flooding. Remarkably, it worked. Though damp within, no water seeped through.

This was the happiest event since descending the mountain. Given the haste, it was impossible to take all domestic grains, nor could they be transported without large animals.

So, the family had divided some of what remained into two large vats in the cellar, sealing the chamber mouth tightly with oilcloth, pressing down with a large stone, and smearing wet mud over it.

Seeing these slightly damp but unspoilt grains and seeds, the Qin family once again felt hopeful for the future, their faces finally showing signs of relief.

With food, there was no fear of starvation. With seeds, there wasn’t a worry of crops failing to grow. Coupled with the wild vegetables they had dried in the mountains these days and the dried fish preserved with the last bit of salt, life finally held some promise.

With food at hand, the family put in even more effort, and cleaning the house also sped up. Though the roof was gone, the walls remained largely intact. With some repairs and organization, erecting a simple roof frame with available timber was not challenging.

The family of five spent several more days using gathered wood, intact mud bricks, and collected hay to roof the main three rooms.

This scene wasn’t rare in Qin Village. Returned villagers were all diligently searching for belongings, digging every possible spot, striving to build shelters.

In the following days, a few more families trickled back, but eventually, no more returned.

Though Qin Village wasn’t large, it was home to dozens of families. Less than twenty returned, some even alone.

Even as one, survival demanded effort.

At this point, concerns over whose properties belonged to whom faded. Any unclaimed, intact houses were taken over by returnees, and after renovations, offered shelter from elements.

Although life was hard, survival was essential.

To survive required food, so it was urgent to plant crops.

Regardless of status or wealth, planting was everyone’s top priority, whether they lived on wild vegetables or had means.

Planting needed seeds, and unlike Qin Dagen, not everyone had the foresight and preparation, but seeds were needed somehow, so attention turned to the authorities.

Whether it would help wasn’t known, but it was worth a try. Perhaps generous wealthy individuals might sell some grain.

Thus, as soon as stability returned, nearly everyone spontaneously headed towards the towns, and those closer to the city went there.

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