Chapter 43

Chapter 43

The Elder Clan Leader’s wife, Wang Miaomiao, called out, “Food’s ready! Xiaoyu, go call Momo over to eat.”

Huo Xiaoyu placed the dishes on the table and replied to her mother, “Alright, I’ll go now.”

Huo Huakang glanced at the two children beside him and cleared his throat. “It’s cooler in the evening. Let’s help Momo set up a kang (heated bed).”

“Dad, why does Qi Mo need a kang? It’s so hot right now,” Huo Liangya asked.

Qin Lan turned to Huo Liangya and said, “Since we’re experiencing extreme heat now, extreme cold might follow. So, Uncle Huo, maybe we should get a kang too.”

“If there’s no extreme cold, it’ll just take some work. But if it does happen, the kang will be crucial. We oughta head up the mountain to chop bamboo and buy coal before prices rise. Cement prices have shot up already,” Qin Lan added.

Huo Huakang was taken aback upon hearing this.

“Qin Lan is right. We still have some cement left. After helping Momo build the kang and walls, we’ll have enough to make one for ourselves. We can set it up in the room under the stairs—it’s spacious enough for our whole family. If it gets too cold, we can keep firewood in the living room and light the stove there instead of going outside,” Huo Huakang said.

Then he continued, “We’ll take care of Momo’s place first tonight.”

“Without the 50,000 from Momo and the 100,000 Liang Chuan sent us, we wouldn’t have been able to stock up so much food,” Huo Huakang said quietly.

Huo Liangya went quiet at that.

Huo Xiaoyu quickly ran to the wall outside Qi Mo’s house and called out, “Momo, Momo! Food’s ready, come over quickly!”

Qi Mo pushed open the kitchen door. “Coming right away, Xiaoyu. Mind if I bring my brother-in-law?”

Huo Xiaoyu paused. “Who?”

“Liang Chuan,” Qi Mo replied.

Huo Xiaoyu perked up. “Liang Chuan is back? Of course, bring him! There’s enough for him too.”

Qi Mo nodded. “Alright, we’ll be right there.”

“Liang Chuan, let’s go. We’re having dinner at the Clan Leader’s place,” Qi Mo said, picking up the chubby baby, Huo Jingyan.

Snowball the cat darted over—wherever Daddy went, the baby followed.

Qi Mo settled the chubby baby into the infant cart, and Snowball quickly squeezed in.

Huo Liangchuan eyed the fluffy ball squeezing into the cart. “Xiao Mo, you got a cat? Won’t it hurt Baby Yan?”

“Nah, Baby Yan treats the cat like a stuffed toy—gnawing on its ears and tail. Snowball has never scratched him once. The cat’s really gentle,” Qi Mo explained.

Once everything was locked up, the two set off for the Elder Clan Leader’s house with the baby and the cat.

Huo Xiaoyu rushed back and blurted out as she walked in, “Huo Liangchuan is back! Mom, is there enough food for dinner?”

Wang Miaomiao replied, “Plenty. I cooked extra tonight—it’s also to welcome your big brother and his family.”

Qi Mo and Huo Liangchuan arrived at the Elder Clan Leader’s house.

Huo Liangya grinned as Huo Liangchuan walked up. “Liang Chuan, you made it back too? What about your brother? When’s he returning?”

“My brother’s still got some things to wrap up. Might be a while yet,” Huo Liangchuan explained.

Wang Miaomiao placed the last bowl of seaweed and dried shrimp soup on the table and said, "Let's eat first and chat later. There's nothing fancy—just some braised pork and a few stir-fries. Everyone, help yourselves."

Soon, everyone took their seats. Most were from the Huo family, with only the village chief and Qi Mo being outsiders.

Huo Xiaoyu brought out the stored iced herbal tea from home.

"There's only this one box left—one for each of you," Huo Xiaoyu said as she distributed the drinks.

Nowadays, even with money, it’s hard to find these outside.

Huo Liangchuan took out a packet of orange drink mix from his pocket and handed it to Huo Xiaoyu. "Xiaoyu, this is for you. Mix it with water."

"Wow, Tang orange mix! That's a real find. I'll take it gladly!" Huo Xiaoyu said, placing it on the cupboard.

The big round table was almost at capacity.

Huo Liangya’s in-laws and wife, along with Qin Lan, and then the Elder Clan Leader’s family—thirteen people altogether.

Baby Yan naturally sat in his stroller.

The dishes on the table weren’t many: a plate of spicy sour shredded potatoes, a large serving of pork stewed with vermicelli, red-braised pork split into two plates, stir-fried cabbage, steamed saltfish, the seaweed and dried shrimp soup, and a pork knuckle brought by Qi Mo.

"In the past, this meal wouldn’t have been anything special, but now it’s quite a feast," the old village chief sighed.

The Elder Clan Leader added, "This might be the last decent meal for a while. Who knows what we’ll be able to eat in the coming days?"

Qi Mo spoke up, "The rice in the fields can still be salvaged. The grain-filling phase—when kernels develop—is about right. We just have to sustain them a bit longer."

"Also, even though water will be scarce later, it doesn’t mean we can’t grow anything. Aunt Wang, didn’t you say you still have some sweet potato slips at home? I’d like a few. They can be grown in bottles—just seal the gaps, and at least we’ll have leafy greens to supplement our vitamins."

Huo Liangchuan listened carefully. This must be Xiao Mo’s experience from his past life. It was worth trying—minimizing water evaporation could allow small-scale growing.

"It’d be a waste to let household water go unused. For now, they could try small-scale growing," he added.

At the table, Wang Xiaoqi said, "That’s actually a good idea."

"Plastic bottles are easy to come by," Wang Xiaoyu added cheerfully.

The old village chief turned to Qi Mo. "Qi Mo, how did you seal your water cellar?"

Qi Mo replied, "First, I covered the opening with oilcloth, then sealed it with wax, stacked bricks over it, filled the gaps with sand, and covered it with shade netting."

"Is that to prevent the wax from melting in the heat?" Qin Lan asked.

Qi Mo nodded. "Yes."

"When the rainy season comes, we can remove everything and reuse the wax, too," Qi Mo explained.

The village chief made a mental note of Qi Mo’s method, planning to buy some wax tomorrow.

The Elder Clan Leader looked at Liangchuan and asked, "Liangchuan, how’s your brother doing over there?"

"He’s doing okay," Huo Liangchuan said with a smile. He couldn’t share specifics—the village wasn’t equipped for details like that.

But what Xiao Mo suggested was truly feasible.

"It’s perfect for home setups—growing leafy greens."

"When is your brother coming back?" the Elder Clan Leader asked again.

Huo Liangchuan glanced at Qi Mo: "My brother’s swamped. He’ll come over once he wraps things up."

The village chief asked, "How’s Yuncheng? How’s it holding up?"

Huo Liangchuan shook his head. "Not good. Folks are getting hurt, stuff’s getting stolen. Places with patrols during the day are relatively safe, but at night, every corner’s dangerous. You gotta carry a stick or a knife if you go out."

"Cities are a mess. The countryside’s safer—at least everyone knows each other," Huo Kanghua added.

Then they talked about the dangers Huo Liangya and the others faced on their way back—They got robbed, almost killed.

They also mentioned how Huo Jingzhong bullied Qi Mo.

His pig got stolen too.

Finally, they brought up the incident where the pig farm was attacked by wolves. According to the elders, the wolf prints were huge, unlike ordinary wolves.

The Elder Clan Leader told the village chief to let folks know to close up early and stay inside at night.

If wolves could hit the pig farm, they might come down for the village next.

With no lights now, wolves could sneak up easy after dark.

Qi Mo figured they’d mutated long ago.

Weirdly though—why bite the pigs but not eat ’em? And nobody hurt? Since when are mutants this chill?

After that, Qi Mo kept quiet.

He gave the kiddo some egg bits, then grabbed a milk bottle from under the stroller and popped it in the baby’s mouth.

Food wasn’t oversalted, but still had some salt.

Dinner was rowdy and didn’t break up till 7:30 p.m.

On the way back, Huo Liangchuan remarked, "The Elder Clan Leader’s family could still pull off a spread like this. Seems like they’ve got food locked down."

"Should be alright. Aunt Wang dug potatoes for days," Qi Mo replied.

Probably got a few thousand pounds’ worth.

"By the way, Uncle Huakang’s coming tonight to set up the kang. Keep tabs on it," Qi Mo said.

Huo Liangchuan nodded. "Alright. We still got nails at home? Before I came, I heard the Jiangs are heading over to take you two. Our family bought their food plant before, now they want it back."

Qi Mo muttered *shit*. I’m hiding out here, damn it. Why won’t they leave me alone?

They’re probably gonna kidnap me and Chubby Baby to squeeze Huo Liangzhou.

"Yeah, I cleaned the storage room. Got nails for days, even some beer. Empty bottles too—if we smash ’em, we can scatter the glass along the fence," Qi Mo said.

Back home, Qi Mo handed Huo Liangchuan a kerosene lamp.

Told him to find the nails himself.

Pushing the stroller into the kitchen, Qi Mo couldn’t pull anything from his stash.

Time to whip up noodles.

They also found a bag of dried shrimp.

Tomato-and-egg noodles, once cooked, were divided into two portions: one for kitty Snowball with dried shrimp added, and the other, plain tomato-and-egg noodles for Chubby baby.

But the little one wasn't picky and still ate heartily.

The small bowl of noodles was quickly emptied.

Qi Mo placed Baby Yan on the playpen, then took the pot and bowls to wash under the faucet near the water storage.

Huo Liangchuan had already found the nails and wine bottles and taken them to the yard.

Qi Mo reminded Huo Liangchuan, "Wait—Uncle Huakang and the others are coming later. Should we wait until they're done working before setting them up?"

Huo Liangchuan nodded. "Alright. Then I’ll go take a shower first—I reek."

"There’s water warmed by the sun on the third-floor terrace. It's not as cold," Qi Mo offered.

Huo Liangchuan shook his head. "You guys use that water. I'll just scoop some to rinse off in the bathroom."

If Qi Mo weren’t around, he'd just wash in the yard.

Now, however, since it was his brother's wife, even though everyone involved was male, he should still avoid any impropriety.

Otherwise, his older brother might not kill him—but pummel him a few times, definitely.

"Alright then, I'll get you a clean bucket," said Qi Mo.

Soon after, Qi went to the kitchen and passed Huo Liangchuan a clean red plastic bucket.

While Huo Liangchuan took water to wash up in the bathroom, Qi Mo finished washing the dishes and was now cleaning Chubby baby’s face and hands.

Suddenly, kitty Snowball leapt up and disappeared over the wall—in a flash—incredibly fast.

Qi Mo watched the kitty run off. "Snowball, Snowball—it's not safe outside!"

Moments later, Snowball jumped back. Qi Mo looked at the cat crouching before him. "What have you got there?"

It was plump and fuzzy—almost bigger than herself.

Qi Mo moved the wind lamp closer and almost burst out laughing.

At that moment, kitty Snowball was holding a dusty gray creature in its mouth—a little rabbit. If not for those distinctive long ears, he’d have mistaken it for a mouse.

Qi Mo crouched and reached out. "Give it to me. Are there more outside?"

He took the little rabbit and promptly placed it in the open space inside his storage, letting it hop freely about.

For meat, rabbits are ideal.

They breed quickly and grow fast.

But one rabbit alone can't reproduce. He didn't know where to get more.

The best option would be to catch them—most likely chased down from the hills due to drought or wild animals.

Kitty Snowball let out a soft meow, nuzzling its fuzzy head against Daddy's hand, then leapt away again.

Daddy wanted little bunnies—such a simple request. Naturally, she had to oblige.

Huo Liangchuan took a quick shower, finishing in just five or six minutes.

Qi Mo, seeing Huo Liangchuan come out in his boxers, immediately picked up Baby Yan. "Liangchuan, can you watch Baby Yan for me? I need to go out for a bit—the kitty got out."

Huo Liangchuan watched as his sister-in-law dashed away in a flash. He looked down at himself—boxers, slippers, no shirt.

Running out like this wouldn’t look right.

As expected, cats were nothing but trouble.

Once his sister-in-law retrieved the kitty, he’d have to give that cat a good talking-to.

Qi Mo threw open the gate and bolted out.

Huo Huakang soon arrived with his son Qin Lan.

After some quick questions, Huo Liangchuan realized his sister-in-law was preparing for the extreme cold. His older brother was also gathering supplies.

The bad news was, if his sister-in-law was prepping for extreme cold, it meant she didn’t plan to go back with him.

Brother, how are you this incompetent? You can’t even handle one sister-in-law!

Qi Mo slipped out and quickly found the kitty—Snowball’s loud meows led her right to it.

One little rabbit, two little rabbits… Snowball effortlessly found them, caught them, and proudly delivered them to Daddy.

These rabbits varied in size, likely not from the same litter, so they could breed.

When he woke up this morning, his [storage] space had grown a bit.

After the pig farm owner left, Qi Mo planned to dig up some fruit trees for planting.

Half an hour later, Qi Mo returned with Snowball.

At home, Huo Huakang, his son, and Qin Lan were hard at work. Huo Liangchuan was helping too—sand on the outer edges, cement in the middle, everyone mixing with shovels…

Watching their movements, Qi Mo caught on to what they were doing.

His pigpen still wasn’t finished.

Chubby baby sat in the cart, babbling away. While working, Huo Liangchuan kept correcting Baby Yan: "Uncle, call me Uncle. Not everybody’s 'dada,' okay? I’m Uncle…"

Huo Huakang chuckled at Huo Liangchuan’s words. "He’s only nine months old. He’ll get it when he’s bigger."

"Keep drilling it in, and his first word might just be 'Uncle,'" Huo Liangchuan joked.

Huo Huakang replied, "You’re not scared your brother’ll thrash you?"

"That probably won’t happen," Huo Liangchuan said, though he wasn’t entirely sure. Maybe it would.

Huo Liangya cut in, "Wouldn’t put it past him. Remember when your brother first brought Momo home? That guy—who was it?—cracked a joke about your sister-in-law, and your brother kicked him clean into a ditch. Dead of winter, too. Bet it was brutal."

"That happened? Serves him right for messing with my sister-in-law. If I’d been home, I’d have punched his teeth in," Huo Liangchuan huffed angrily.

Huo Huakang added, "That was Old Liang’s boy."

"That kid never learned any better, just lazed around all day," Huo Huakang sighed.

At least the kid hadn’t come back—otherwise, he’d have stirred up trouble all over the village.

"Do you need help?" Qi Mo asked.

Huo Huakang immediately responded, "No, no, just keep an eye on Chubby. The four of us can get this done quick."

Once the cement was mixed, Qin Lan had already brought several firebricks inside the house.

The tables and stools were moved aside, and Qin Lan broke up the marble.

Seeing this, Qi Mo asked, "What's this for?"

Qin Lan explained, "The marble is too smooth. Roughing it up gives better grip."

Cement and firebricks went down one by one.

Three layers, twenty-five centimeters high.

The heated bed platform was two meters wide and two and a half meters long.

"We'll finish the kang first, then put up the outer wall all at once, and finally the interior walls," Huo Huakang said. Earlier, Huo Jingzhong had gone to Qi Mo's house, and if the walls weren't built by nightfall, it'd be unsafe.

They worked well into the night.

After Huo Huakang and the others left, Huo Liangchuan sprinkled nails and broken glass along the perimeter of the fence.

By then, Qi Mo had already taken Chubby and Snowball the cat for a bath and turned in for the night.

The weather was sweltering, and even with the windows open, it was stifling.

Fortunately, at the foot of the mountain, the night breeze brought some coolness.

After putting Chubby to sleep, Qi Mo slipped into his space.

Ignoring six or seven scampering bunnies and the few large frogs and bullfrogs he had caught in the pond earlier that night, Qi Mo hauled in sand, mixed cement, and laid bricks one by one.

Soon, a brick floor measuring two and a half meters wide and four meters long was completed.

Then, Qi Mo dumped a dozen buckets of water to even out the bricks, which now looked smooth and tilted for easy hosing down in the future.

On the lower side of the wall, Qi Mo left eight drain holes the size of bricks.

Next, he stacked bricks to build the perimeter wall.

Having worked for a long time, Qi Mo yawned—it was already ten o'clock.

Leaving the space, he scooped water in the bathroom to wash up. Exhausted, he face-planted onto the bed.

Huo Liangchuan glanced at the area above the water cellar, which still needed to be covered with broken glass and nails.

And then there was Huo Jingzhong's family. His elder brother pitied them, but that idiot didn't know his place—how dare he bully his sister-in-law? He must have a death wish.

Oh, right, and that kitty. Tomorrow, he'd straighten that cat out.

It was dangerous outside at night. If it got carried off by a wolf, fine, but if anything happened to his sister-in-law, that cat would never be forgiven.

Snowball the cat sneezed in her sleep. Who was scolding her? Did they have a death wish?

She crawled and snuggled into her daddy's arms, purring happily...