Disaster Apocalypse: Farming, Family, and My Hidden Secret Space-Chapter 70. Too bold

"Not just the children, we must all keep our lips sealed," the old man Hua looked at his wife and daughter-in-law.

Women typically love to gossip, though his own wife and daughter-in-law were relatively restrained, he felt the need to emphasize the point.

As expected, no sooner had he spoken than his wife returned his words with a stern glare.

"Do you think we are gossip-mongers?" The old lady Hua couldn’t help but shoot back.

"Not at all, I was just reminding you, knowing you are very tight-lipped." The old man hurriedly accompanied his words with a smile as his wife showed her temper.

"Hmph," the old lady let it slide.

How could she not know what her husband meant, it was just a habitual retort.

"Dad, don’t worry, as your daughter-in-law, I understand the importance of this matter," Qi quickly assured.

"Hmm, as long as everyone understands," the old man finally felt relieved.

"Grandpa, the salt..." Second Brother Hua was anxious.

"Just as you thought, this salt is made by our family," the old man Hua confirmed.

"Really?" Though already convinced inside, hearing it from Grandpa left Second Brother Hua still shocked, his voice unintentionally loud.

Even First Brother Hua felt turbulent waves in his heart, yet his self-control was better than his younger brother’s, managing not to lose composure.

This time, the old man Hua said nothing but cast a sidelong glance at his grandson laden with disdain, as if saying how could someone so young be so deaf?

"Alright, there’s nothing more, let’s disperse, go about your business," the old man Hua said, picking up his pipe.

"Grandpa, you haven’t said how the salt is made yet? Un..." Second Brother Hua’s curiosity got the better of him, attempting to ask, only to be silenced by a sharp glare from his grandpa, swallowing the rest of his words in fear.

First Brother Hua sighed and dragged his senseless younger brother back to their room.

Since Grandpa doesn’t want to say, pushing him would only invite trouble.

With the two grandchildren gone, the old lady Hua hurried to the kitchen with her daughter-in-law to prepare dinner.

Normally, at this time, food would almost be ready.

"Granny, shall we have fish soup to celebrate tonight?" Knowing food was about to be made, Jin’er eagerly suggested, a big smile almost stretching to her ears.

"Alright," the old lady Hua agreed with a laugh.

The sweet granddaughter loved her family, always finding reasons for delicious meals, the family hadn’t missed a good meal lately.

Yet today, they indeed needed to celebrate. With their own excellent salt produced, finally, they wouldn’t have to worry about the bad effects of consuming too much coarse salt.

Hearing this, the old lady Hua neatly fetched a big fish from the large jar by the kitchen door to clean up.

There were still five or six fish left in the jar, which her granddaughter had brought back from town recently. If it weren’t for them, they would have run out of fish a long time ago.

But undeniably, the family’s health had improved greatly these days, even her occasional leg pain lessened quite a bit. According to her granddaughter, it was due to a lack of calcium and nutrition, although she didn’t know what calcium exactly was.

Within moments, one big fish was cleaned up, split into two, half for braising, the other half for boiling.

After a bit of thinking, she also took marinated meat from the cupboard and sliced a piece, deciding to make more delicious dishes for the celebration.

Jin’er watched with a smile, voluntarily sitting by the stove to help with the fire—it’s the only help she was allowed, as cooking by grandma and mom was not something she was let to partake in.

In the main hall, both the old man Hua and Hua Chengtian felt uneasy, even uninterested in their carpentry.

With his pipe, the old man Hua occasionally puffed out white smoke, furrowing his brow from time to time.

"Dad, about the salt, should we..."

Unable to calm himself down, Hua Chengtian finally voiced the persistent thoughts churning in his mind.

"Let’s wait for now... This matter is too significant to reveal to anyone not trustworthy... But before the heavy snow seals the roads, buy more coarse salt and charcoal, they can be stored without going bad—it’s better to be prepared..."

Who doesn’t want to make money, yet one must stay alive to enjoy it, patience and careful planning were needed.

Moreover, with winter approaching, heavy snow would soon block the roads, rendering any plans temporarily infeasible.

Hua Chengtian nodded, understanding his father’s intention. Indeed, more coarse salt needed storing. During the winter, with less to do, one could refine it all. When buyers were found later, there’d be stock ready.

The daughter wanted to deliver designs, she mentioned going tomorrow.

Finding trustworthy people was difficult though! Father and son couldn’t help but frown again—daring not to take the snowy salt out unless offered to the authorities.

Even if the authorities rewarded them, it would be limited, facing the pure white salt leaving them irresolute again.

Father and son knew well that the snow salt would still benefit the rich if it appeared. Common folks couldn’t afford it, so why not let it be profitable for them? They were just ordinary folks, not saints.

On second thought, with the snow salt coming out, the price of fine salt for the wealthy would certainly drop. Ordinary people might afford it by gritting their teeth, doing some good in a sense.

...

With the snow salt, dinner tasted indeed better, swiftly devoured clean from the table.

Post-meal, the fourth child was dragged back to the room by the two brothers. After washing up, Jin’er also returned to her room.

Instead of resting, she sat on the bed waiting.

"Jin’er," a cup of tea later, Mom’s voice came from outside, and Jin’er smiled.

With the salt issue unresolved in the afternoon, Jin’er anticipated her parents would come over tonight.

"Dad, Mom," pulling them to sit by the bed, Jin’er sat cross-legged, looking at them with her clear, water-like eyes.

Yet Mom, upon entering, fixed her eyes on her, then turned teary-eyed, and smacked her on the shoulder.

Jin’er’s shoulder instinctively flinched.

"I’ve heard from your dad, how could you be so bold? Daring to face a wild boar!" Saying this, Qi smacked again, her body slightly trembling, looking fretfully at her daring daughter.

The mere thought of her daughter’s small body against such a massive creature made Qi’s heart shatter at the slightest mishap.

Yet she knew, without her daughter, her husband might not have had any luck in surviving, rendering Qi’s feelings indescribably complex right now.

Fortunately, there was no need for what-ifs—the child succeeded.

"Mom, I was wrong," Jin’er leaned forward, nestling into her mother’s embrace, readily admitting her mistake.

Her daughter’s coquettishness melted Qi’s resolve to teach her a lesson immediately, unconsciously wrapping her arms around the child.

"But Mom, I dared to face the wild boar because I was confident. I couldn’t stand by seeing Dad in danger and do nothing, plus I have a secret hiding place for self-preservation, Dad knows this," Jin’er looked at her father.