Chapter 422: Chapter 412: Starting to Exercise

Ever since the Xu Family started rationing their food, Tang Mo could clearly feel a shift in the household atmosphere. A sense of vitality had returned.

However...

Tang Mo stared at the basin of boiled green vegetables on the table, chopsticks raised, unsure for a moment what to pick up.

"Dad, Mom, is this all we’re eating...? What about all the stuff in the freezers?"

’Having a plan is a good thing, but we don’t have to go so far as to eat only boiled greens, right? I want to eat meat!’

"This is what we’re eating. The food in the freezers won’t go bad, but these greens will. They won’t last much longer whether you eat them or not."

Mrs. Xu calmly picked at the basin of greens, showing no signs of discomfort whatsoever.

Tang Mo had initially thought this couple would be the first to struggle in these conditions, but she seemed to have forgotten that Xu Jinsan and his wife were self-made. They came from ordinary families and had gotten to where they were through hard work and frugal living.

Xu Jinsan nodded from the side, even lovingly placing a helping of greens into Tang Mo’s bowl.

"You eat too, Xiao Yin. Get some more vitamins."

Tang Mo was speechless.

"Well, shouldn’t we at least have some staple food? Is there any rice?"

"Rice? That lasts even longer. It’ll only become more precious later on, so we can’t eat it. Didn’t you buy a bunch of cake before? That won’t last long, so eat that instead."

Mrs. Xu was quite the calculator. She had mentally cataloged every single visible item in the house, accounting for it all with perfect clarity.

Seeing Mrs. Xu’s rare, unyielding expression, Tang Mo conceded. ’Oh, well. If even they can handle this, what’s there that I—someone who has endured lifetimes of hunger—can’t bear?’

’Besides, I still have so many supplies in my own room.’

’It was just a shame about all the meat she’d stockpiled in those freezers.’

As Tang Mo chewed the greens, her thoughts drifted to the meat, and her resolve hardened. ’Later, I must keep a close eye on my precious meat. I can’t let Xu Jinsan and his wife do anything foolish.’

’Otherwise, if someone else ate the food she had worked so hard to acquire before she even got a bite, she would really feel like crying.’

After the meal, Mrs. Xu pulled Xu Jinsan over to start inventorying their supplies again. They counted them over and over, arranging everything more neatly, as if each item was a precious treasure.

Tang Mo was secretly relieved. ’Good thing I have my own reserves. Otherwise, I’m afraid if I so much as snuck a piece of candy from the living room, Mrs. Xu would notice immediately. Truly terrifying.’

She went back to her bed to continue watching her drama series. A plotline emerged where an elderly couple lost their only son in a war and spent the rest of their lives being bullied, and Tang Mo’s heart tightened.

She suddenly thought of something. Although time had reversed, the Xu Family’s real daughter, Xu Yin, was already dead and could never come back.

And she herself would have to leave in three months after completing her mission, at which point the couple would be left all alone.

Although the apocalypse would be over by then, who knew if other dangers might arise later? After all, even Xu Yin’s lingering soul fragment couldn’t see any further into the future.

In the last Illusion Realm, Qiao Jin’s father was at least a superpower user, capable of protecting himself and his wife. Plus, Tang Mo had found them a backer and an adopted son, making their lives much more secure.

But in this Illusion Realm, they were trapped at home, unable to meet anyone, and in three months, she would be gone...

She didn’t know when it started, but Tang Mo’s heart was growing softer and softer.

Once, Tang Mo’s heart had room only for herself and those she cared about, but now she was starting to consider the well-being of strangers.

As Tang Mo frowned, connecting the dots of the plot, a thought suddenly flashed through her mind for a split second: ’They’re someone else’s parents, not mine. Why do I care so much?’

But she quickly dismissed the thought. ’It’s not that I’m worried about others. I just don’t want to let down this body’s original owner, Xu Yin.’

’After all, she’s the reason I can complete an Illusion Realm mission. It’s only right that I fulfill her wish as perfectly as possible.’

’Mhm, that’s it.’

Xu Jinsan and his wife definitely had no superpowers; Tang Mo had already confirmed this on the first day of the apocalypse.

However, while she couldn’t force a superpower on someone, she did have ways to make them strong enough to protect themselves.

Back at the Alliance base, Tang Mo had taken classes from many real combat instructors. All she had to do was simplify what they taught and compile it into a routine suitable for ordinary people.

Paired with her spiritual power as a healing aid, she believed Xu Jinsan and his wife would soon be strong enough to protect themselves.

This would also give the couple something to do, help time pass more quickly, and keep them from getting into trouble and making things difficult for her.

It was a plan that killed several birds with one stone.

The only downside was that she’d have to sacrifice some of her precious drama-watching time. Tang Mo looked at her tablet, reluctant to part with it.

’Sigh, what can I do? Who asked me to be so uncontrollably kind these days?’

Tang Mo tearfully bid a temporary farewell to her tablet.

When their "precious daughter" proposed teaching them how to exercise, Xu Jinsan and his wife were surprisingly cooperative.

After all, they had always been in the habit of taking daily walks for exercise. Being cooped up in the apartment every day was actually what felt unnatural.

The Xu Family’s living room was large, and with its minimalist decor, there was more than enough room for the three of them to stretch out and move around.

However...

"Xiao Yin, how do you know so much? These moves look pretty professional," Xu Jinsan asked as he struggled to copy Tang Mo’s movements.

He might not have been an expert, but Xu Jinsan could still tell that Tang Mo’s simple yet precise routine was surprisingly standard, which caught him off guard.

These didn’t seem like moves a typical office worker could casually perform.

"I learned them at the gym."

Tang Mo presented her prepared excuse. Thankfully, the original Xu Yin had been very self-disciplined and had a habit of going to the gym. If she had been a homebody, Tang Mo really wouldn’t have known how to cover for herself.

"Oh, I see."

’It had to be said, Xu Yin’s parents were easy to fool, which really saved Tang Mo a lot of trouble.’

What surprised Tang Mo even more was that both Xu Jinsan and Mrs. Xu were in excellent physical condition. Although they didn’t have superpowers and hadn’t been enhanced, their regular schedules and exercise meant their bodies were much healthier than others their age.

The couple learned many of the movements without much effort. Although they couldn’t maintain them for long, their performance already far exceeded Tang Mo’s expectations.

And with the start of this high-intensity training, Tang Mo, as she had wished, finally saw the meat she had been craving on the dinner table.

’Sacrificing some of my drama time in exchange for meat—this trade was totally worth it!’ Tang Mo thought blissfully as she sat at the table, eating her meal.

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