Reborn One Week Before the Apocalypse

Chapter 244: Chapter 234: Da Yu’s Parents

If Da Yu hadn’t said so, Tang Mo would have never guessed that the grimy little girl crawling around on the bed was already three years old.

A bloated stomach and spindly limbs—the most typical signs of malnutrition.

"Brother."

Seeing Da Yu had returned, the little girl started crawling toward him, but a rope tied to her arm held her back. Her movements restricted, tears of frustration welled up in her eyes.

Da Yu put down the rice, untied the rope from his sister’s arm, and scooped Xiao Yu into his arms.

"Sorry about that. I’m usually not home, and Xiao Yu is too young. I don’t have any other choice."

Da Yu explained, looking a little embarrassed.

Tang Mo nodded. She completely understood.

’For a fifteen-year-old kid to manage all this is already incredible.’

"Your room is next door. Please make yourself at home. Xiao Yu and I won’t bother you."

Da Yu was very polite; you could tell he was a well-raised child.

The room Tang Mo was staying in had been Da Yu’s parents’. Although no one had lived in it for over a year, the room was spotless, looking as if it was cleaned regularly.

Tang Mo took her own bedding and pillow out of her Space, then moved a large wooden bathtub into a corner of the room.

’She figured she’d be staying in this fishing village for a while, so she might as well make her stay as comfortable as possible.’

Tang Mo’s first choice of destination was this fishing village in Donglin City, not just because it was where the pattern was located, but for another important reason: she wanted to confirm a theory.

Until now, people had only faced mutant beasts on land. But as everyone knew, the ocean held the greatest diversity of life.

’So, were there terrifying creatures in the ocean as well?’

’If there were, what was their scale and power? These were the questions on Tang Mo’s mind.’

After all, the evolution of the mutant beasts on land was growing more and more frightening. Tang Mo’s concerns were not unfounded.

However, based on the information she had so far, the people here hadn’t yet encountered any terrifying creatures.

Da Yu had told her that the fish and shrimp in the sea had mutated, but other than being larger, they weren’t much different from before. So, the locals just treated them like regular seafood.

But there was one more thing that made Tang Mo curious.

While it was true that the small fishing village had a small population and was in a remote location, it was still a settlement. ’How could it have completely avoided harassment from mutant beasts?’

This little fishing village was completely different from other bases. It had no defensive fortifications, not even a fence.

People just went on living freely, as they had before.

’Is there something here that the land-based mutant beasts are wary of?’

Tang Mo was in no rush to figure it all out. As long as she stayed here for a while, the answers would reveal themselves.

By the time Tang Mo had taken a bath, washed away the grime of her journey, and had a comfortable sleep, the sun had halfway set.

The evening in the fishing village was as beautiful as a painting.

The meeting of sea and sand, the line where ocean met sky—everything was enveloped in an orange glow.

The scattered little houses, the relaxed and carefree smiles on people’s faces.

Tang Mo stood in the doorway, taking deep breaths of the salty air.

Xiao Yu was sitting on the sand by the door, while Da Yu held a bowl of rice porridge, carefully feeding her one spoonful at a time.

"Sister Momo, you’re awake? I left dinner for you in the pot. You can just grab a bowl and serve yourself."

There had been no sound from Tang Mo’s room, so Da Yu, not wanting to disturb her, had kept her portion of the porridge warm in the pot.

Tang Mo watched as Da Yu fed Xiao Yu the rice porridge while he himself chewed on a piece of dry, tough fish jerky.

She went to the pot and lifted the lid. The porridge Da Yu had left for her was the same kind Xiao Yu was eating.

’It seemed Da Yu couldn’t bear to eat the porridge himself.’

It made sense. The sight of Xiao Yu opening her mouth wide for each bite, her little eyes squinting in satisfaction, was enough to move Tang Mo.

Things were informal here. The sand, still warm from the daytime sun, was a good enough seat, so Tang Mo went and sat right next to Da Yu.

"Do you mind telling me about your parents?"

Tang Mo had no intention of prying into someone’s private life, but Sister Lai had mentioned that Da Yu’s parents had died at sea last year, which would have been during the early days of the apocalypse.

The cause of their death could be very important for Tang Mo’s understanding of this stretch of sea.

"There’s nothing I can’t talk about. My dad was the best fisherman in our village, and the fastest worker, too. He helped build a lot of the houses here. My mom was the gentlest, kindest, and most hardworking woman I’ve ever known."

The very food they were eating had come from Tang Mo. She was their benefactor, so there was nothing inconvenient about telling her.

Tang Mo nodded. It was clear that Da Yu and Xiao Yu’s parents must have been exceptional people to have raised such a good child.

"But last year, my dad and mom went out to sea together. They still hadn’t come back by the time the sun set."

It was a rule here that fishing boats had to return before sunset, whether they had a catch or not.

Otherwise, once darkness fell, the small boats would lose their way on the sea, as there was no lighthouse.

"Later, Aunt Lai led a lot of people to search for them. They looked for a long time but found nothing. In the end, they said my dad and mom must have run into some danger or a storm and were lost to the sea we depend on to live."

Da Yu stared at the sea before him, covered in the afterglow of the sunset. He both loved this ocean that had raised them and hated it with all his heart.

"The boat was never found, not even a piece of wreckage.

My dad is the most capable person I’ve ever known. I don’t believe he’s dead. He must have just drifted somewhere. They’ll definitely come home one day."

Da Yu’s expression wasn’t one of self-deception; he truly believed his mother and father were still alive somewhere in the world.

’Until his mom and dad came back, he had to take good care of his sister, help her grow up safe and sound, and wait together for their parents to return.’

This was the belief that had sustained the fifteen-year-old boy for so long.

Two experienced fishermen, and not even a trace of their boat was ever found. A theory began to form in Tang Mo’s mind.

But seeing the determined look in the boy’s eyes, she said nothing.

Xiao Yu was too little. Even though she could babble a few words, she didn’t understand what her brother was talking about at all. She just opened her mouth wide, signaling that she wanted more to eat.

"A child can’t grow properly on just rice porridge. I have some milk powder. Go boil some water."