Disaster Apocalypse: Farming, Family, and My Hidden Secret Space-Chapter 83. Roasted Sweet Potato

Hua Chengtian looked at the child, who was wrapped up securely, and decided not to urge any further.

Wearing the cotton-padded clothes made from the cotton in his daughter’s blessed land was indeed warm. In previous years, whenever there was heavy snowfall, cleaning the courtyard and rooftop was an arduous time, making one’s whole body feel like it was turning into ice shards.

But not cleaning was not an option, especially for the roof. Too much snow could easily collapse the eaves.

Seeing the child’s happy expression, Hua Chengtian shook his head and let her be.

This child knew her limits as well; she’d naturally return indoors when cold.

Sure enough, after getting excited in the courtyard for a while, Xiaoxiao calmed down and began shoveling the snow in the courtyard alongside her father with a family shovel.

Old Hua had gone to the village. Today’s snowfall was the heaviest since winter began, and soon the ground would be covered with a thick layer.

As the village chief, he had to remind the villagers not to forget to clear the snow off their roofs regularly to prevent unnecessary hazards.

After breakfast, the snowfall intensified, and in no time, the cleared courtyard was covered again.

It was too cold, so everyone stayed in the main room, huddled around a charcoal brazier for warmth. Xiaoxiao busied herself helping grandma with weaving and knotting chores.

To get by, one needed to be thrifty. Wearing thick clothes, in addition to a charcoal pan, was just about right.

As for nighttime, diving straight into bed was the norm, and now all the quilts in the house had been replaced with cotton-filled ones. Each one was very thick, significantly warmer than in previous years, and much more comfortable, eliminating the need for a fireplace or a charcoal brazier in the room while sleeping.

In fact, Xiaoxiao was quite curious about why there wasn’t a kang (heated bed) here since it was so cold. Was it just here that there wasn’t one, or did no one know how to build one? freēnovelkiss.com

Unfortunately, although she knew a little, she wasn’t clear on the details, so Xiaoxiao simply kept her mouth shut.

The whole day, apart from meal times, the family stayed in the main room, with the cheerful Little Four constantly bringing laughter, making time pass quickly.

"Mom, Dad, open the door, we’re back."

As dusk fell and darkened the skies, the voices of the Hua family’s two brothers were heard outside. The old lady Hua and Qi Shi, who were preparing food in the kitchen, couldn’t help but glance outside.

Also in the kitchen, Xiaoxiao was the first to react. She quickly stuffed a piece of wood into the stove and ran out.

When she opened the door and saw the two snow-covered snowmen, especially the twinkling snowflakes crystallizing on their eyebrows and eyelashes, Xiaoxiao couldn’t help but laugh.

These two, who usually prided themselves on being composed young men, looked quite adorable at that moment.

Seeing her almost snowman-like older brothers, Xiaoxiao quickly opened the door wide, feeling both amused and a bit protective as she hurriedly brushed the snow off them, chiding playfully, "Are you both silly, eldest brother and second brother? Why didn’t you use an umbrella in such heavy snow?" While speaking, she glanced at the oil-paper umbrellas on the bookshelves on their backs.

"Exactly," chimed in Little Four, who arrived a step later.

"No, be careful, you might freeze your hands," the eldest brother quickly stopped his sister’s actions. As for the younger brother, well, boys are rough-skinned and not afraid.

"I’m not cold," Xiaoxiao chuckled watching her brother, seeing no point in continuing, to avoid making him worry.

Transparent Little Four went on helping his brothers brush off the snow, hoping they might ease up a bit when helping him with his homework later.

After some washing and the evening meal, the two brothers finally felt revitalized.

They had even used a rented ox cart to get back, yet their hands and feet still felt like they weren’t their own from the cold.

After dinner, the family habitually sat around in the main room for a while, chatting. Since tomorrow was a once-in-ten-days rest day, Hua Yunao and his brother weren’t in a hurry to do homework.

The family gathered around the charcoal brazier, the fire reflected on their faces, under the soft red glow, everyone’s smiles made the ambiance even cozier.

The next day, the snowflakes still danced in the sky, though lesser than the previous day.

In the early morning, the two brothers had already cleared the courtyard of snow and hadn’t forgotten the rooftop either.

After breakfast, the family settled into the main room, cozy and harmonious around the charcoal brazier.

Watching the glowing embers in the brazier, Xiaoxiao felt an urge bubbling up, especially wanting to take out sweet potatoes from the space.

The space was already planted with a patch. Before planting, every sweet potato tail was kept, and their remarkable regeneration ability meant they were whole sweet potatoes again the next day.

Moreover, Xiaoxiao found that whenever food was taken out of the space, even if duplicates had been created, putting them back didn’t hinder storage, so there was no shortage of sweet potatoes for Xiaoxiao, with plenty stored.

Gazing at the sweet potatoes in space, Xiaoxiao couldn’t resist. With a glance at her grandpa, grandma, mom, and dad, she thought they’d have her back no matter what and would come up with an explanation.

She couldn’t sit still any longer. Standing up suddenly, before the family reacted, she dashed back to her room.

"What’s up with this child?" Old lady Hua was bewildered by her granddaughter’s sudden action and looked at Qi Shi.

Qi Shi was just as puzzled, watching the thick grass curtain sewn with layers upon layers of tattered cloth sway.

Before he could speak, the sound of the door opening was heard.

"Mom, I want to eat roasted sweet potatoes," as soon as she entered, Xiaoxiao handed the basket to Qi Shi, looking entirely craving.

"Sweet potatoes?" A question mark flashed in everyone’s eyes, but as the adults of the family who knew the granddaughter’s secret, they remained calm.

Seeing the unfamiliar items in the basket, they knew without asking they must be from the child’s blessed land.

The few exchanged a subtle glance, except for the perceptive Hua Yunao, Hua Yunxiang, and Little Four, who didn’t notice.

They only felt something was odd, but Hua Yunao didn’t dwell on it. His eyes were fixed on the basket, curious about what these sweet potatoes his sister mentioned were.

Could they really be eaten?

But seeing their mom naturally take them, as if she knew these sweet potatoes, Hua Yunao inexplicably felt they could be eaten.

"Mom, just put them on the rack to roast," Xiaoxiao reminded her slightly stunned mom.

"Oh, oh," Qi Shi snapped out of it and casually placed the six or seven sweet potatoes from the basket onto the charcoal grill.

The family’s brazier was just big enough; otherwise, it wouldn’t have held so many.

Little Four, being the most active, perked up at the sight of a new item being brought in by his sister. Especially knowing it was food, he could not resist picking up a sweet potato from the basket to inspect.

The shapes varied, and sizes differed, giving a hefty feel in hand.

Not just Little Four, but Flower Second Brother couldn’t resist picking one up too, scratching the skin with a fingernail, soon revealing a tiny droplet of water.

Wow, quite juicy, Flower Second Brother raised his eyebrows in surprise, handing the sweet potato to Big Brother for a look.

Little Four couldn’t hold back, "Mom, why haven’t we seen sweet potatoes before?"

His sister’s demeanor was so natural that Little Four instinctively assumed their mom must know about sweet potatoes.

Little Brother’s question struck a chord with Big Brother and Second Brother, both looking toward their mom, waiting for an answer.

Qi Shi: "..."

She discreetly glanced at her daughter and then back at the youngest, "You’re still young! There are plenty of things you haven’t seen yet."

"Really..." Little Four nodded, thinking his mom made sense, but it didn’t dampen his curiosity, especially about whether it tasted good.

"Mom, does it... taste good?" As the little foodie of the family, Little Four couldn’t help but swallow. If it weren’t for the fear of a parental scolding in the form of a spanking, he would’ve bitten into it to taste it.