Mother Xu patted Xu Song’s semi-long hair. “That team specifically recruits women, regardless of age. But they take on relatively safer missions. You don’t know, the captain of that team and I were both in the waiting hall back then. Her son and daughter died right in front of her… Her son turned into a zombie at night, and she personally chopped off his head. We all thought she would go crazy, but she somehow managed to pull through.
Her husband developed special abilities, so after the apocalypse, he formed a small team. But after some time, seeing his wife going insane, he left her.” After the apocalypse, the original social structure was completely disrupted. Marriages, divorces, and the like became nonexistent in the face of a sudden and massive loss of population.
Xu Song was at a loss for words, tongue-tied and unsure of what to say.
Mother Xu sighed. “What about your father?”
Xu Song’s face stiffened.
Tears welled up in her previously reddened eyes, and Mother Xu smiled. “How did he die? Was it an explosion? Or… did he turn into one of those things? Or… was it an earthquake… or…”
“Mom! I brought Dad’s ashes.” Xu Song hastily interrupted his mother’s somewhat bewildered murmurs.
Mother Xu hugged her son tightly again, patting his back forcefully. “Xu Wei, you darned brat! You abandoned your wife and son and left…”
After a while, Mother Xu gradually lowered her voice and wiped away her tears. “I had a hunch. I guessed it when you called me from your father’s phone. You don’t know, in the safe zone, we hear about deaths every day. Some people die right in front of us, others outside. We hear and see it all day long, and over time, everyone gets used to it. Even walking past a pile of dead bodies doesn’t scare us. Mom just cries for a while, and then it’s okay.”
She reached out and touched her son’s face. “You’ve lost weight, but you look handsome.” Then she remembered how she looked when she first hugged her son at the door. “It seems like you’ve grown taller?”
“Really?!” Xu Song’s eyes lit up.
“False.”
Mother and son locked eyes, and seeing Xu Song’s expression contort slightly, Mother Xu chuckled. “You’re taller, taller. Before, I could reach your nose, and now I can only reach your chin!”
Xu Song had to admit that his mother’s thoughts jumped too quickly. If it weren’t for her being like this before, he would have wondered if she had been traumatized or if her mental state was…
We’re sorry for MTLers or people who like using reading mode, but our translations keep getting stolen by aggregators so we’re going to bring back the copy protection. If you need to MTL please retype the gibberish parts.
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The next day, during daylight, the airport staff organized strong men and women to gather all the hidden bodies and burn them. Later, there was hail, and plants and animals started devouring people. Since this area of the airport was all open space, anything coming in could be seen at a glance. The visibility was good, but it was too open, and there was no way to defend it. It wasn’t until after the earthquake that the troops from the city came and evacuated us, establishing a new base.
We women started by helping each other with cooking, tidying up, and distributing supplies. Later, when the base was more established, we were assigned tasks based on our previous experience and skills. Your mother was assigned to the textile department of the clothing factory. I used to work at a cotton spinning factory in our city, but was laid off and then started a small clothing store with your father, which was somewhat related to my profession.”
With a sigh of relief, Xu Song realized that his own situation didn’t need to be addressed right now. He glanced at the manager sitting there with a smiling face and then at Yue Zheng. Only then did he remember that he hadn’t introduced him yet!
Following Xu Song’s gaze, Mother Xu looked at Yue Zheng and guessed that he was also someone who came with her son. “Right, I haven’t asked yet, who is this?”
Xu Song was about to introduce him but suddenly realized that something seemed off! How should he introduce Yue Zheng to his mother?!!
Could he say that this is his boyfriend?! But today he suddenly came over and made his mother cry, knowing that his father was gone, and then made his mother cry again. If she found out that her only son turned… It would probably be more than just a simple crying session!
Seeing Xu Song’s face turning into “=皿=” expression, Yue Zheng stood up and extended his hand. “Hello, Auntie, I’m Yue Zheng. I came here from City Y together with Xiao Song.”
“Thank you for taking care of my son all the way. This child hasn’t done anything before, he doesn’t even know how to wash clothes without a washing machine. I’m sure he has caused you a lot of trouble on the way.” Let alone clothes, this child used to eat in the school canteen every day. When he came home and didn’t have time to cook, and he was too lazy to go downstairs to buy food, every time he and his father would eat instant noodles at home!
“Not at all, Xiao Song has a strong ability to learn.”
Isn’t this the default response?!
Xu Song was brought back to reality by their conversation and helplessly embraced his mother’s shoulder.
“Auntie, are you planning to stay with Xiao Song now?” Yue Zheng glanced at Xu Song, his eyes filled with a hint of amusement. Based on what Mother Xu said, she should be working in the factory and probably living in the dormitory nearby. Although he didn’t ask about the living conditions, judging from her exhausted appearance and her behavior towards Xu Song, it probably wasn’t good.
The twin babies in the RV were still young, so they could easily make room for her to stay. Of course, the precondition was that she was willing.
Mother Xu hesitated. Naturally, she hoped to live with her son, but life in the base was not easy. Even the ability users often had to go out to search for supplies to survive. She was afraid that living with her son would burden him even more.
“Well, there are regulations. Comrades like you who have found their relatives can take three days off. After three days, if you still want to come back to work, you can take leave. Of course, due to the nature of our work, it would be more convenient if you live in the staff dormitory when you come back to work. If you want to resign and move out, we have no objections.”
The factory in the base was essentially a place that provided shelter for ordinary people who were unable to go outside. The wages were low and only covered meals and basic clothing, leaving very little money each month.
Anyone with a bit of ability wouldn’t stay here.
If some family members had some ability and could go out to search for supplies, their dependents generally wouldn’t stay here. Only those who had no other choice would enter the factory, as they could at least have a full meal here.
The manager had seen many cases of husbands abandoning their wives and children abandoning their elderly parents. The elderly and wives had no choice but to come to the factory to make a living. Of course, the factory wasn’t a perfect solution either. People without skills, low work efficiency, or those who were dishonest wouldn’t be allowed to stay here. Those beggars and idle wanderers seen on the streets were the type who were unwilling or kicked out even after entering the factory.
Xu Song and this man named Yue Zheng were clearly not ordinary people. They had come from City Y to here, which meant they were capable individuals. Naturally, the manager was willing to accommodate them and keep a good relationship with them, as they might come in handy in the future.
“Well then, let’s go to my dormitory for now.” Mother Xu also knew it wasn’t the time for discussion. If her son could make it to B city, it meant he was either with a powerful group or had developed abilities himself.
Following Mother Xu out of the reception room, they walked towards the nearby staff dormitory. Mother Xu explained along the way, “The wages here may not be high, but they cover three meals a day, four sets of work uniforms for each season, and free staff accommodation.” She hesitated a bit and asked in a low voice, “Do you have a place to stay now?”
Xu Song nodded and glanced at Yue Zheng. “We have an RV and rented a plot of land in Area G. We are currently living in the RV.”
Mother Xu breathed a sigh of relief. “That’s good, as long as you have a place to stay…”
The staff dormitory was small, with each room being a narrow strip. After verifying Mother Xu’s work card, the elderly lady at the door allowed the three of them to enter and handed Xu Song and Yue Zheng temporary passes. “Don’t stay too long, this is the female staff dormitory!”
“Understood.” Mother Xu held her son’s hand and went upstairs to her dormitory. She took out her keys at the door. “It’s just like your school dormitory.”
Opening the door, Xu Song looked at the cramped space with eight bunk beds. He forced a smile. “Mom, our university dormitories had four beds, with a balcony. Underneath the bed, there was a computer desk and a cabinet… and there was a separate bathroom.”
“Enough, stop complaining.” Mother Xu glared at him and laughed. “Can’t you see the current situation? Go and see District D, where there are crowded dormitories and people sleeping on the floor. It’s the slum area of the shelter, full of beggars. I think I’m doing fine, at least I can take care of myself!”
“Yes, Mom, you’re amazing.” Xu Song quickly approached and tried to appease her. “Mom, which bed do you sleep on?”
Pointing to the upper bunk on the left as they entered the room, Mother Xu said, “The upper bunk, it’s clean.”
There was a thin military green mattress with a matching “tofu block” on top of it. Apart from a pillow and a blanket, there was nothing else, not even a bedsheet.
Unconsciously, tears welled up in Xu Song’s eyes as he embraced his mother’s shoulder.
Mother Xu sighed, “I’m considered lucky. I used to work in a cotton spinning factory, so I quickly adapted to the work here. But there was a woman who came with us from the airport, she seemed to be a rich lady who hadn’t worked since getting married. She couldn’t handle any work in the factory after half a month of probation and was eventually kicked out.”
That woman used to wear beautiful and delicate platinum jewelry. Now, who knows what happened to her, she disappeared after leaving the factory, and no one knows if she’s alive or dead.
“Mom, come with me.” Xu Song initially wanted to see the living conditions of his mother’s place first. He knew that with his mother here, he would probably live in B City in the future. Although there was space in the RV, they would definitely have to go out to search for supplies in the future, and he didn’t want to take his mother along for the dangerous journey. If the living conditions here were acceptable, he would let his mother continue to stay here.
However, he heard on the way to the dormitory that the work in the factory was very hard, with long hours and almost no income. And the dormitory looked like this…
“Yes, Auntie, come with us.” Yue Zheng also smiled and persuaded her, “There is space in the RV, you can definitely stay there. Neither XiaoSong nor I are good at cooking, and you can help take care of the child.”
“Child?” Mother Xu hadn’t even had a chance to object when she was surprised by something extraordinary. This young man didn’t look that old, does he already have a child?
Xu Song quickly nodded, “Yes, Mom, we two grown men can’t take care of children. We don’t even have time to think about it with all the things we need to do every day.”
“Children… there are two of them?” Mother Xu became even more puzzled, looking at the prime suspect, Yue Zheng. Is he really so fertile?
Thank you for the chapters!!!
Yue Zheng, suspect daddy in momma’s eyes, pfft! Oh, boy. There will be communication soon one hopes… Thanks for the update 🤣❤️🤣❤️🌳🦔🦗
Thanks for the update