Disaster Apocalypse: Farming, Family, and My Hidden Secret Space-Chapter 532: Another Year

Fifteen minutes later, the door opened, and Hua Jin had regained her composure, meeting Luo Song's pampering gaze.

"It's this late already, do you think Grandpa Luo would be upset?"

"No, Grandpa couldn't be happier."

Though he slept until late in the morning, his grandpa was more than delighted to see him, even telling him not to wake his wife.

Despite these reassurances, Hua Jin still felt a bit embarrassed. Which new bride sleeps until high noon, with the sun directly overhead?

"Let's go, serve tea to Grandpa Luo," Hua Jin pulled Luo Song along, only to be brought back into the room by him. "No rush, have something to eat first," he said mischievously, looking at Hua Jin. "Besides, Jin'er, you still call him Grandpa Luo. Have you forgotten you've married me? Shouldn't you change it to Grandpa now?"

Hua Jin knew, of course, but she was so used to it that the words just naturally turned into Grandpa Luo.

Blinking her beautiful eyes, she looked at Luo Song helplessly. Luo Song immediately surrendered, speaking softly, "No hurry, take your time."

Hua Jin's eyebrows curved into a smile, "…wouldn't it be bad if Grandpa gets anxious waiting..." 𝚏𝗿𝗲𝐞𝐰𝚎𝕓𝐧𝚘𝘃𝗲𝐥.𝐜𝚘𝕞

"It's fine. If Grandpa knew you hadn't eaten, he'd be more worried."

"Alright then." Recalling the kindly old man, Hua Jin didn't insist further, partly because she was truly hungry.

Madam Li, who had been standing by, caught her master's glance and quickly brought in the prepared food.

The food had been ready for a while, kept warm on the stove just so Jin'er could eat hot meals once she woke up.

After the meal, Hua Jin and Luo Song properly kowtowed and served tea to Grandpa Luo, earning a big red envelope and a pearl-embedded hairpiece. Each pearl was perfectly round, gleaming with a captivating luster, luxurious and enchanting—obviously top-quality wild pearls, which even in her previous time were quite costly.

Wild pearls are rare finds, especially ones of such quality and size. Each seemed to be at least ten millimeters in diameter.

"Grandpa...this is too precious," Hua Jin truly loved it, and precisely because of that, she felt even more bashful.

"These are just material things. As long as you like them."

"Yes, I do. Thank you, Grandpa." Upon hearing this, Hua Jin set aside her pretense. Among gold, silver, jewels, and stones, she did prefer pearls the most, mainly due to their understated yet entrancing luxury, somewhat similar to her personality. After all, she was usually a very low-key person, not one to enjoy being in the limelight.

Of course, this didn't mean she disliked gold and jewelry; being a mortal, she did think the more, the merrier regarding wealth. After all, she aspired to live leisurely here, which isn't a privilege for the poor.

"Good, good, good," Grandpa laughed heartily, liking Hua Jin more with each look. "If this boy doesn't behave in the future, just let Grandpa know, and I'll deal with him."

"Mmm," Hua Jin nodded, looking at Grandpa with bright eyes. She shot a proud glance at Luo Song, whose smile became even broader as he looked at her with doting affection.

Seeing his wife's gloating face, Luo Song could already foresee what kind of days lay ahead for him, but...he relished them.

On this side, seeing his grandson foolishly smiling while holding things for his wife, Grandpa Luo shook his head but was happy to see this.

Compared to the joyful atmosphere at the Luo family, Hua Family, missing one member, felt much lower in spirits.

Madam Hua and Mrs. Qi, out of habit, went to their granddaughter's door upon waking. It was only when they reached it did they remember she had married the day before. This sense of loss was truly difficult to get used to so soon. Luckily, they had three little ones at home. Busy as they were, they could temporarily forget it.

But it was much harder for Old Hua and Hua Chengtian. When Hua Jin was there, they could hear her calling Grandpa and Daddy every day. Now, even though the house was tidied up, as the afternoon rolled in, they hadn't heard their child's gentle voice, making them all the more wistful.

The two of them did nothing but stare endlessly at the wall towards next door, Hua Chengtian even holding a hammer, eager to try, but was stopped by his father.

His father said that no matter what, they had to wait for the three-day homecoming, which was the least respect.

But once they thought of waiting three whole days, their spirits sank.

Not only them, even Hua Yunao and Hua Yunxiang felt something was missing without their sister's laughter.

Luckily, their youngest, resourceful as she was, sneaked over with a few others, even missing dinner at home.

The whole family missed her, watching the wall seemed more obstructive by the day.

These three days weren't easy for Hua Jin either. She constantly thought of returning to her natal family next door, but fortunately, her youngest brother visited often, providing some solace.

The three days, though hard to endure, passed quickly, and finally, the day arrived.

Seeing their daughter with a rosy complexion, looking just as she did before, they were reassured that she was well taken care of.

In truth, they had been reassured long before, as their youngest brother had told them how nearly spoiled she was at the Luo house, causing Hua Chengtian to reprimand his son for his inability to communicate.

That night, Hua Jin came straight home, as the walls that separated their courtyards were personally dismantled by Hua Jin and Luo Song, something both Old Hua and Hua Chengtian were overjoyed about.

With the wall between both families' yards removed, Hua Jin lived in unprecedented comfort, no longer restricted but not quite the same as before her marriage. Nonetheless, she could spend long hours at her natal home during the day, with Luo Song and Grandpa Luo also frequently visiting. Except at night or when handling affairs, they were nearly always found at Hua Jin's home.

The annual festival was celebrated together by both families but was held in the Luo family. After all, in the year following marriage, celebrating at her natal home wouldn't be right.

This year's festival was the liveliest in years, with a new year ushered in amid the hustle and bustle and the sound of firecrackers.

Almost simultaneously, firecrackers sounded throughout Hua Village, infusing the quiet Shanggu Town with a festive New Year's spirit.

As for the origin of the firecrackers, everyone credited it to Hua Yunao, the scholar of the family. After all, scholars are well-read, and it's not impossible for them to make firecrackers. Hua family's general store even profited generously due to them.

The sound of firecrackers brought both laughter and crisis.

In the Qinggu Mountain range, a group lost its way. They suddenly stopped, looking towards the direction from which the sound came.

"Was that the sound of firecrackers?" A shadow standing on the mountain peak squinted.

"It should be..." The responder wasn't completely certain, but their eyes lit up slightly.

"General...if we follow the direction of the sound, we can surely find a way out." The speaker's voice had an unmistakable urgency, excitement visibly rising.

Not to mention how hard it was to find a way into Lingyun Continent, merely traversing one mountain after another took over a month. What they thought would take at most half a month's journey extended due to the mountain's endless stretch. Their supplies were nearly gone, though luckily, the mountains weren't devoid of food.

Each day merged into the next with endless mountain climbing. If it weren't for keeping the general direction, they would've long given up.

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