Reborn One Week Before the Apocalypse

Chapter 366: Chapter 356: Luck Off the Charts

After being momentarily stunned by Tang Mo’s new-money vibe, Aunt Hua quickly grabbed her empty backpack and started stuffing everything inside.

"Are you silly, child? Didn’t your parents teach you not to flash your wealth in front of strangers? How can you be so thoughtless? What would you have done if I were a bad person?"

The worry in Aunt Hua’s voice was impossible to hide. For a moment, Tang Mo even had the illusion that Aunt Hua wasn’t a stranger she had just met, but a neighborhood aunt who had watched her grow up, or perhaps even a distant relative.

Tang Mo let Aunt Hua pack her bag while she took out a bag of candy. She stuffed a handful into her own pocket, then put a few more pieces into Da Bao’s.

Seeing the candy the older sister had stuffed into his pocket, Da Bao instinctively reached to take it out and give it back.

His mother had told him not to accept things from others.

’But... this is candy.’

He hadn’t eaten candy in a very long time, and Er Bao had never tasted anything sweet since birth, the apocalypse having arrived before she could.

’Can I keep just one piece to give to Er Bao later?’

Da Bao patted his pocket, looking at his mother with a timid, hopeful expression, waiting for her nod of approval.

"Da Bao, you can’t. Those belong to the older sister."

Naturally, Aunt Hua wouldn’t let her son accept Qiao Jin’s gifts. This was candy, after all!

A few pieces of candy could be traded for a chance at survival. They were simply too valuable.

"Aunt Hua, please just let Da Bao keep them. I don’t know anything, and I’ll need your help on the journey ahead. If you don’t accept, I... I’ll be too embarrassed to travel with you all. I might as well just go out and try to survive on my own."

Tang Mo looked as if she was about to cry. She knew perfectly well what kind of act worked best on women like Aunt Hua, who were tough on the outside but soft on the inside.

Seeing the young girl looking so anxious she was on the verge of tears, Aunt Hua’s heart ached. She didn’t say anything else, silently permitting Da Bao to accept the candy.

’I’ll have to find a way to pay the girl back in the future,’ Aunt Hua thought to herself.

Da Bao, meanwhile, happily patted his pocket. He carefully took out a piece of candy, unwrapped it, and held it to Er Bao’s lips, letting her have a lick.

Er Bao was too little to eat candy; it would be dangerous if she accidentally swallowed it. So, she could only lick it to satisfy her craving.

It was the first time Er Bao had ever tasted sweetness. She waved her arms and legs in delight, her eyes crinkling into happy slits.

Seeing his little sister so happy made Da Bao happy too. He cautiously took a lick for himself before carefully wrapping the candy back up.

He secretly counted the candies in his pocket. The older sister, Qiao Jin, had given him five in total.

This was the kind of thing that could save a life in a crisis, so he made a resolution: aside from letting his sister have a lick, he would never eat any of it himself.

Although Da Bao was only six or seven years old, he had grown up early and understood many things because his father was away from home for long periods. He wasn’t as naive and childish as other children his age.

Watching Da Bao’s cautious movements, Tang Mo knew he would never bring himself to eat the candy.

She took another piece of candy from the bag, unwrapped it, and without a word, popped it into Da Bao’s mouth.

"Don’t you spit it out," Tang Mo commanded.

Da Bao felt a burst of sweetness explode in his mouth. The sugary sensation rushed straight to his brain, overwhelming his taste buds with pleasure.

He couldn’t help but squint, the corners of his mouth lifting into a smile.

Only now did he truly look like a six- or seven-year-old boy. Tang Mo nodded, satisfied.

"Sister."

With the candy still in his mouth, Da Bao looked at Tang Mo, his eyes shimmering.

"Sister."

Da Bao called out again.

Tang Mo couldn’t quite figure it out. ’What’s with this kid?’

Tang Mo looked at Aunt Hua in confusion, only to see that Aunt Hua’s eyes were also misting over. For a brief moment, her perpetually strong face revealed the vulnerability hidden deep beneath, like the submerged part of a silent iceberg.

But the moment passed in a flash, and Aunt Hua reverted to her usual appearance of a strong, independent woman.

’What was that all about?’

Tang Mo made a mental note of it. It clearly wasn’t anything that would harm her, and now wasn’t the right time to press for answers, so she decided to tuck the question away for later.

Just as Aunt Hua had said, the most important thing right now was to find a group.

With her abilities, Tang Mo didn’t really need a group. If she used her spiritual power to fly, the journey would only take about ten minutes.

However, she didn’t know the precise location of the food processing plant. Furthermore, she couldn’t even be certain that Qiao Jin’s parents were there.

Going there would just be a shot in the dark. If she stayed with the locals, joined a group, and met more people while visiting more places along the way, her chances of finding Qiao Jin’s parents would be much higher.

Even if Qiao Jin’s parents were also heading to the food processing plant, the distance was great. And with Qiao Jin’s mother’s poor health, they were probably still on the road somewhere.

If Tang Mo flew there, she might miss them entirely. Traveling on foot like an ordinary person would actually give her a better chance of bumping into them.

Tang Mo had to consider every angle. If she missed them again, who knew how much more time she would waste.

She didn’t have much time to waste in this world, and she had no idea how far Qiao Jin’s mother’s illness had progressed.

"Aunt Hua, where are we going to find a group?"

Aunt Hua had just finished packing Tang Mo’s backpack. She then helped Tang Mo put it on.

"I’ve got a plan."

Aunt Hua winked.

Aunt Hua’s confident expression put Tang Mo completely at ease. Tang Mo had always acted alone. Even when she traveled with others, she was always the one in charge, worrying about everything.

This was the first time Tang Mo was following someone else’s lead, and it gave her a feeling of being led and protected.

’And I have to say, this feeling is actually pretty nice.’

The idea Aunt Hua came up with was brutally simple: she used the materials available in the hardware store to make a huge banner.

"Seeking Team. Have Food."

The four words perfectly conveyed their purpose.

Aunt Hua hung the banner on the outer door, closed it, then led the younger ones to a comfortable, warm spot on the floor to rest.

"Will this work?"

Tang Mo had just come from the street, and she hadn’t seen a single person out there. How could a banner possibly work?

"Don’t worry. Just wait for someone to come knocking. For now, get some rest."

Since they had to travel and couldn’t get enough to eat, resting and conserving energy had become their top priority.

Aunt Hua had a good read on how these groups operated.

After all, to these teams, an additional person wasn’t a burden. On the contrary, they were a source of more food.

Therefore, any team would be more than willing to accept new members.