Disaster Apocalypse: Farming, Family, and My Hidden Secret Space-Chapter 75. Heartache

Leaving Shanggu Town, the father and daughter were driving their ox cart along the main road towards the county town.

Once truly on the road, Hua Jin realized just how slow the ox cart was, even when her father sped up the pace, it still covered only about twenty miles in an hour.

It was indeed too slow. If there weren’t other pedestrians from time to time, she really wanted to pull out the electric scooter from their yard; it would at least halve the time. But, alas, it was just a thought.

Hua Jin was bundled up very tightly, not only wearing a rabbit fur hat but also a rabbit fur scarf around her neck, and under the concern of her mother and grandmother, she had changed from thin winter clothes to thick ones for the winter.

In fact, Hua Jin wanted to say that sitting in the cart wasn’t cold at all, yet facing her family’s heartfelt love, she couldn’t bring herself to say it.

But when Hua Jin got impatient and sat on the shaft with her father, she realized the foresight of her grandmother and mother.

Even fully armed, it felt really cold!

A cold wind whistled through any gap to penetrate the clothing, so Hua Jin quickly tightened her attire, leaving only her eyes to watch the road while her head and neck were wrapped tightly, feeling a bit better.

By this moment, she didn’t think she was exaggerating at all; it was much colder here than she had thought.

"Why come out, it’s so cold outside." Hua Chengtian noticed his daughter’s movements and couldn’t help but feel pity.

"Dad, I’m not cold," Hua Jin had already come out, so of course, she wouldn’t admit to being cold!

"Dad, are you cold? How much longer do we have to go?"

Hua Chengtian shook his head. Although his child was indeed quite good, a faint smile surfaced in his narrow eyes, thinking that children are, after all, children, and it hasn’t been long, yet she’s already getting anxious.

"There’s still a long way to go," he said. "We are still over a hundred miles from New Moon City from Shanggu Town. We won’t make it there until the evening."

"So, the county is called New Moon County. Have you been there before, Dad?"

Hua Jin was curious and anyway talking with her dad would help pass the boring time on the road.

"I went once before with your grandfather."

"Is it nice in the county town? Is it lively?"

Meeting his daughter’s sparkling eyes, Hua Chengtian nodded and said, "Of course, the county town is many times larger than Shanggu Town, and naturally lively with so many people."

"Dad, tell me about the things in the city..."

"..."

Just like that, the father and daughter talked as they traveled, and time passed unknowingly.

Until Hua Jin felt her stomach protesting, she didn’t realize it was already past noon and into the afternoon.

At this moment, Hua Chengtian also stopped the ox cart, as the ox needed a rest, a drink of water, and something to eat after traveling for so long.

They parked the cart by the roadside, tied the ox to a tree, and while Hua Chengtian added water and feed for the ox, Hua Jin went into the carriage and took out steaming hot food from her space.

"Dad..." Hua Jin urged.

"Coming."

After getting on the cart, the father and daughter enjoyed a steaming hot meal, which warmed their bellies instantly.

For the first time, Hua Chengtian experienced at close hand the convenience of his daughter’s space; it was unbelievably handy.

Imagine when you’re chilled to the bone, having a bowl of hot porridge warming you all over; the feeling was simply too comforting.

With the journey ahead being top priority, the father and daughter didn’t dare linger much longer. Once satiated, they rested briefly, unbridled the ox cart, and prepared to set off.

The route following was very smooth, and to arrive early, Hua Chengtian hastened the ox cart, eventually reaching New Moon City before nightfall. They entered just before the gates closed, paying two copper coins as a head tax plus a few more for the gatekeeper’s tea to get in.

Though it cost a few extra coins, they managed to enter the city, which was much safer than spending the night outside.

If it had been just Hua Chengtian himself, he would’ve found a place to stay the night outside the city and entered the next morning. fгee𝑤ebɳoveɭ.cøm

But with his daughter in tow, Hua Chengtian couldn’t be at ease with randomly finding a place. Moreover, when they set off, the elderly couple had repeatedly instructed him to take good care of their granddaughter. If they knew he made them sleep outside, they wouldn’t let him off.

So once in the city, Hua Chengtian found a decent-looking inn to stop at.

He handed the ox cart over to the inn staff and initially planned to get two rooms but decided on one after listening to his daughter.

According to his daughter, she could sleep in her space, and the money saved could buy more delicacies on their way back.

Hua Chengtian thought so too. Mainly, people wouldn’t spend their time commenting on strangers, and even if they did, he wouldn’t hear it. So, they took one room.

This was Hua Jin’s first time staying in an ancient inn, and although it was already dark outside and not very visible, inside, the inn looked quite nice.

Mostly made of wood, it exuded a charming antique feel upon entering. Although it was not ornately decorated, it was not far off.

The lobby was very spacious, meant for guests to rest, drink tea, and dine.

"Dad, I’m treating you to dinner," Hua Jin said grandly, patting her stomach.

She successfully amused Hua Chengtian, but a daughter’s invitation must be accepted! He knew that his daughter had earned quite a lot of silver recently.

Only yesterday, she divided over twenty taels, more than the father himself had.

Happily, he said, "My daughter is so filial. I’ll be waiting to eat then."

"Don’t worry, Dad. I’ll make sure you eat to your satisfaction," Hua Jin laughed, then gestured for the attendant to make recommendations.

Their dialogue surprised the attendant, who blinked curiously. Nonetheless, being an experienced worker, he quickly returned to normal and promptly listed several signature dishes of the inn.

"Miss, you’ve come at the right time; our signature dish, braised beef, is just available today, at a hundred fifty coins per pound. Also, the quail is wild-caught, priced at one hundred thirty coins each. Then there’s chicken tongue soup, stuffed deer stomach, pan-fried beef tendon, phoenix-fin fish, Kung Pao wild rabbit, eight treasure wild duck. And more," he rambled a long list like a perfect materiál for a comic dialogue, making Hua Jin look at him with admiration.

The cheapest dish cost over a hundred coins, with the more expensive ones ranging from several hundred to over a thousand.

Hua Chengtian frowned as one dish alone cost as much as several dishes from the village restaurant, but he didn’t say much, just advised his daughter to order a couple of dishes, enough to eat.

As a waiter, one usually catered service based on their perceptions of guests. If you showed hesitation, they might treat you lightly.

Hua Chengtian couldn’t care less, mostly just wanting his daughter to feel no grievance.

Hua Jin nodded but didn’t completely listen to her father. Instead, she selected a few dishes that sounded delicious, thinking that if they tasted good, she could pack some to take home for her grandparents, mom, and brother to try.

A portion of braised beef was definitely a must-have, as Hua Jin had been craving beef for a long time. In ancient times, cattle were precious and could not be slaughtered freely, and they were registered with the government. Such a rarity couldn’t be missed by Hua Jin.

Not only did she order, but she asked for three pounds, fearing there might be none left tomorrow.

Watching Hua Jin order dish after dish, Hua Chengtian’s heartache made his mouth twitch as he regretted letting his daughter treat them, and even more so as he watched her continue ordering. Yet, he couldn’t dampen her spirit and held his heartache silently.

One braised beef, one phoenix-fin fish, one eight treasure wild duck, one roasted chicken, one vegetarian stir-fry, a serving of warm lamb soup, and two bowls of thick rice. The ensuing grin from the waiter was one that couldn’t be contained.