Reborn One Week Before the Apocalypse

Chapter 364: Chapter 354: Strange Aunt Hua

"Hello, big sister."

Aunt Hua’s son, Da Bao, wasn’t old, but he seemed quite sensible, politely calling her Sister Qiao Jin.

The little girl in Da Bao’s arms, Er Bao, wasn’t scared of the stranger at all. In fact, she stretched out her tiny arms, wanting Tang Mo to hold her.

"Sister, hold me."

’They really are two little angels.’

"Get outta here. You’re so chubby, how could she possibly lift you?"

Er Bao was still little, and Aunt Hua had been on the verge of weaning her. But when the apocalypse hit, she decided to just keep nursing her, so the little girl grew up fair-skinned and plump.

Although Aunt Hua herself wasn’t eating anything good, she had a truly robust constitution. It was remarkable that her milk supply was still so plentiful when she ate so little.

This was especially true given that Aunt Hua had her second child at forty—quite late in life. For her milk to still be so abundant, she must have been in incredible health.

Aunt Hua had even considered nursing Da Bao again, since he was always hungry, just to give him some extra nutrition.

But Da Bao was a boy, and at six years old, he was old enough to be self-conscious about it. He flatly refused, and Aunt Hua couldn’t force him. So, she had no choice but to scramble for food for herself and her children however she could.

"Mama, I’m hungry."

Da Bao watched the strange young woman come in. He watched his mother give her food. He watched as the woman didn’t eat the instant noodles he treasured so dearly, but instead put them away. At that, Da Bao’s stomach grumbled even louder.

Not seeing it had been one thing, but smelling the aroma of the noodles made his hunger unbearable.

"Hungry? You’re not hungry. You’re a boy, you can’t fight with girls. You have to let the young lady have it, okay?"

It wasn’t that Aunt Hua didn’t love her son; her means were simply limited. With two children to care for, food was hard to come by.

She had so little food, and she had to make it last until she found her husband. She had to survive and bring her two children to him, alive.

"I understand."

The well-behaved little boy lowered his head and said no more. He sat down next to his mother and went back to comforting his sister.

Tang Mo studied Aunt Hua. The woman before her had the sturdy build of someone used to physical labor, yet her features were striking and well-defined. Even for a woman of forty, she was quite handsome.

She had a forthright and generous personality—a sharp tongue hiding a soft heart. A kind and simple woman.

In this apocalypse, where one could starve to death at any moment, she had actually shared her and her children’s food with a stranger. Tang Mo truly didn’t know what to make of it.

Part of her found it incomprehensible, yet another part was deeply moved.

’She hadn’t felt what it was like to be cared for in a long, long time.’

Tang Mo’s purpose in coming out was to find people, so now that she’d met a living person she could talk to, she wasn’t about to let the opportunity pass. She sat down cross-legged on the mat and began to chat with Aunt Hua.

Aunt Hua was very talkative. Without Tang Mo even having to ask, she spilled the beans on everything—about herself, about the apocalypse, and she didn’t skimp on her personal opinions either.

The corners of Tang Mo’s mouth crept upwards as she listened. ’Aunt Hua is a really interesting person.’ Although she was complaining, it wasn’t in an annoying way.

Because there was no despair in Aunt Hua’s complaints; they were always tinged with hope.

From Aunt Hua, Tang Mo learned that people here called the mutant beasts that had suddenly appeared "Meat Dragons."

Furthermore, they had already figured out the Meat Dragons’ main characteristic: they only attacked people when hungry. Once they were full, they wouldn’t.

So people used massive amounts of food to feed these Meat Dragons, hoping to keep them from attacking.

"If you ask me, we shouldn’t be feeding those brutes at all. We barely have enough to eat ourselves, and we’re giving food to them? It’s a damn crime! We should just kill them all, wipe every last one of them out, and then we’d be fine."

Aunt Hua’s words were coarse, but to Tang Mo, they made perfect sense. She nodded in agreement.

Seeing that someone agreed with her, Aunt Hua became even more impassioned, talking so excitedly that spittle flew.

Tang Mo slowly learned more about Aunt Hua and her children.

It turned out Aunt Hua was a local. Her husband was a military officer—and from the sound of it, a fairly high-ranking one.

Aunt Hua normally lived with her children in the military family quarters, but the apocalypse had struck right when her husband was away on a mission. Just like that, they were separated.

Aunt Hua had survived the first few days alone with her two children, living off their leftover food at home. When she couldn’t hold out any longer, she had no choice but to bring the children out to find a path to survival—and something to eat.

Fortunately, Aunt Hua was strong, quick, and clever, and her two children were well-behaved. Their journey so far had been fraught with danger, but they had come through unscathed.

Her thinking was very clear. Since she’d already brought the children out, she would search for food to survive while also looking for her husband, hoping they could all be reunited one day soon.

"My husband is something else. He can take on several men at once. He’ll be fine. As long as I take good care of our children, I know we’ll be reunited one day."

Speaking of her husband, Aunt Hua’s face beamed with pride.

Tang Mo found herself curious as well. Just what kind of man was this invincible husband Aunt Hua described?

"Girl, where are you headed next?" Having finished her own story, Aunt Hua started asking about Tang Mo.

"Aunt Hua, do you know where the city’s largest food processing plant is?" Tang Mo got down to business. Since Aunt Hua was a local who had lived here for so long, she was bound to know something about it.

"A food plant? I think I’ve heard people mention one. They said there’s a huge food plant out west, and that the Meat Dragons over there are too well-fed to attack anyone. A lot of people are heading in that direction. It’s called... oh, I can’t for the life of me remember the name."

In the west...

’If it’s that famous, it’s probably the Qiao Family’s factory.’

"Yeah, I plan on heading over there to try my luck. I might be able to find my parents there."

Now that Tang Mo had a direction, there was no reason to hesitate.

"A food plant... A plant that large, the military is bound to go there."

Aunt Hua sank into thought. A food plant that large, with that much grain... Logically, the military would have to go there.

Besides, she had no leads on her husband’s whereabouts anyway. Going to the food plant seemed like a good bet. She might just get lucky.

"Alright. It’s not safe for a young girl like you to be on your own. How about we travel together? Looking after two is the same as looking after three, anyway."

Aunt Hua’s mind worked quickly. Once she made a decision, she acted on it.

What Tang Mo hadn’t expected was for Aunt Hua to actually place her under her protection. The thought made Tang Mo want to laugh and cry at the same time.

Still, with a local to guide her, Tang Mo certainly wasn’t going to refuse. Besides, she didn’t mind traveling with someone like Aunt Hua.

’After all, the Meat Dragons pose no threat to me. And since I’ve accepted the woman’s instant noodles, offering some protection in return would be a fair way to repay the kindness.’