Chapter 439: Chapter 429: Uninvited Guests

When Mrs. Xu saw her husband and daughter return home, her heart finally settled. Holding Pingping with one hand and An’an with the other, she went to open the door for them.

After all, she was a mother who had raised a child of her own. Though she was a little rusty at first, she quickly got the hang of taking care of the kids again.

"Why do you have so much stuff?" Mrs. Xu was startled the moment she opened the door.

She had expected her husband to bring food back, but she never imagined he would bring back this much.

Xu Jinsan and Tang Mo’s bags were stuffed full, and they were also carrying things in their arms.

Rice, flour, oil, eggs, and even steak—they were all the most essential food items.

"The property management center really has a lot of things. A lot of people went, and every single one of them came back with their hands full.

"And because Pingping and An’an are staying with us, they gave us a lot of extra stuff for the two of them. No matter how much we have to conserve in the future, we can’t skimp on the children!"

As Xu Jinsan unloaded the items he was carrying, he reached out to play with Pingping and An’an.

"Listen to yourself. Pingping and An’an are the apples of my eye now. When have we ever skimped on food for the children?"

Mrs. Xu shot Xu Jinsan a look, expressing her displeasure.

’As if he’s the only one who dotes on the children, and I don’t.’

’When have we ever skimped on food for the children...’

Tang Mo remembered how, at the very beginning, she had been eating vegetables boiled with nothing but an earring stud for flavor. For a moment, she didn’t know whether to feel sorrier for herself eating those vegetables, or for Xu Yin, the family’s biological daughter.

Mrs. Xu, on the other hand, had already begun to joyfully take stock of all the goods.

The several freezers they already had at home were full to begin with, as was the refrigerator. The kitchen was piled high with rice, flour, and things like potatoes, pumpkin, glass noodles, cured sausages, and instant noodles...

In truth, the Xu family’s food stores were already more than sufficient. That wasn’t even counting the baby formula Tang Mo had previously taken out for the children, nor the food Xu Jinsan had brought back today.

Even going by the six-month timeline Tang Mo had told them about, these supplies would have been more than enough—not to mention the apocalypse in this world was only going to last for three months.

As long as nothing unexpected happened, Tang Mo’s mission in this world could be considered quite easy to complete.

But that’s just how life is. The very thing you fear is what’s bound to happen.

Just as life had settled back into a peaceful routine and the group chat was once again abuzz with idle chatter, a knock sounded on the Xu family’s door.

At a time like this, with every household stuck in their homes, no one would be idle enough to drop in on another family for a casual visit.

Tang Mo had placed a protective spiritual power barrier on the Xu family’s door long ago. The very moment the knock came, Tang Mo, who had been lying in bed watching a show, sensed it.

She immediately threw on a jacket and left her room.

By the time she reached the front door, Mrs. Xu, who had been playing with Pingping and An’an in the living room, had already opened it.

"Mom, why did you open the door? It’s so chaotic outside! What if they’re bad people?"

Although Tang Mo didn’t know who was outside, according to Xu Yin’s memories, she hadn’t encountered a single good person since the apocalypse began.

"They’re not bad people, Xiao Yin. It’s your aunt and uncle."

’It’s over. Trouble’s here.’

That was Tang Mo’s first thought.

’It would’ve been better if they were bad guys.’

That was Tang Mo’s second thought.

"Oh, it’s my sister and Yuanshan."

Xu Jinsan had been on the balcony tending to his flowers, which were on the verge of death. Hearing that his sister and Yuanshan had arrived, he quickly put down his small trowel and ran out to greet them.

Xu Jinsan was a self-made man who came from the countryside. He had an older sister and a younger brother.

His parents had died young; both of them passed away during Xu Jinsan’s sophomore year of college.

Although he had started working part-time to pay for his own tuition by then, he only managed to complete his studies thanks to the help of his older sister, Xu Shan.

Xu Yuanshan was born to Xu Yin’s grandparents in their later years. They doted on him immensely, and he grew up with a spoiled and arrogant temperament.

The age gap between the two brothers was quite large, and Xu Jinsan refused to spoil his scoundrel of a little brother the way their parents had. As a result, the two of them were not on good terms.

As for Xu Shan, because Xu Yuanshan was still young when their parents died, she took on the role of a mother to him, pouring all her time and energy into raising him.

Later, after Xu Jinsan started working, he would give a large portion of his salary to his sister to cover their younger brother’s living expenses.

However, compared to his sister—who, for Xu Yuanshan’s sake, had missed her prime and remained unmarried her whole life—what Xu Jinsan had done for the family was still not enough.

That was why Xu Jinsan had always harbored a sense of gratitude and guilt toward his sister, Xu Shan.

"Jinsan!"

Seeing the brother she hadn’t met in so long, an emotional Xu Shan went over and hugged him.

Xu Jinsan rarely returned to their hometown. She had always lived with Xu Yuanshan, helping him raise his child like a nanny. It had been a very long time since she had seen Xu Jinsan, the elder of her two younger brothers.

"Sis!"

Xu Jinsan was also thrilled to see his sister after so long, but as they embraced, he could feel that her already thin frame seemed even more stooped. She felt as if she had been reduced to a skeleton.

"Sis, how did you get so thin!"

Xu Jinsan’s eyes reddened.

’My sister has suffered so much during this time.’

"Jingyi, hurry and make some food. Cook extra rice."

Mrs. Xu’s given name was Zhou Jingyi. Hearing Xu Jinsan’s request, she quickly agreed and headed into the kitchen.

After being married to Xu Jinsan for so many years, of course she knew about her husband’s family situation.

Although she sometimes took issue with some of Xu Jinsan’s decisions, Zhou Jingyi held a deep, heartfelt respect for this sister-in-law who had single-handedly propped up the entire family.

"Sister-in-law, let me help you."

No one had noticed the family standing behind Xu Shan: Xu Yuanshan, his wife Tan Jing, and their daughter Xu Ru, who had just turned eighteen.

Although there was a large age gap between the brothers Xu Yuanshan and Xu Jinsan—a full twelve years—Xu Yuanshan had a child early in life, so Xu Yin was only six years older than Xu Ru.

The person who had just spoken was Xu Yuanshan’s wife, Tan Jing. She pulled her husband and daughter through the doorway, not even bothering to change her shoes, and was about to head straight for the kitchen.

She hardly wanted to help; she just wanted to get a look at her brother-in-law’s food stores in the kitchen.

Xu Yuanshan’s family of three had a much healthier complexion than Xu Shan.

It made sense. People might look down on the countryside, but rural households had far more substantial food stores than urban ones.

It was just that Xu Shan, who had spent her life giving everything to others, couldn’t bear to eat or drink anything herself. She’d rather give it all to her brother and her niece, Xu Ru, whom she had basically raised herself. That’s why she was the one who ended up looking like she was on the verge of starvation.

It was only two days ago that Xu Yuanshan’s family had finally run out of food completely.

The family was lazy and gluttonous, had never endured any real hardship, and couldn’t stand being hungry. Thus, they had concocted a plan to go find their older brother in the city.

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