"Second brother." Seeing his family, Qiu Yu’s eyes instantly became moist. Although it had only been a little over a week since he last saw them, he missed home intensely during this time.
"As long as you’re okay, that’s what matters. Thank you, Young Master Yin, for bringing my brother back." Qiu Ze looked at Yin Yang and sincerely expressed his gratitude.
"No need to thank me, it was nothing," Yin Yang replied nonchalantly.
Qiu Ze carefully noted the favor Yin Yang had done for them.
Meanwhile, Li Xiya saw the Qiu family members and immediately led her people away, not wanting to stick around for onlookers.
Xu Mumu noticed Li Xiya sneaking off and glanced briefly in their direction. This Li Xiya was flexible, yet Mumu kept a mental note, as Li Xiya left with an insidious look in her eyes, showing that she wasn’t one to hold back.
If they weren’t currently in the Imperial City and in front of everyone, Mumu figured Li Xiya would want to eliminate them completely—she was a walking threat.
Back home, the cook had already prepared the meal. Since the Yin Family had stockpiled food before the apocalypse, they never lacked.
But Yin Peng didn’t allocate much, only giving the side branch family members two buns per day each; expecting food to be handed directly to them was a dream, only those who created value received better treatment.
"Wow, this chicken looks so majestic." Song Zhaozhao wanted to pet Little Huo but hesitated.
"Little Huo is very well-behaved. Auntie, you can pet it, she won’t peck at people randomly. She can even understand some simple words, with the intelligence of a three or four-year-old child," Xu Mumu said with a smile.
"Speaking of Auntie, Yang has already said outside that you’re our family’s daughter-in-law. Although we can’t have a wedding right now, we’ll need to hold one when things settle down. You’ll need to change what you call me," Song Zhaozhao said warmly, this daughter-in-law was really capable.
Today, Xu Mumu and the others had gone out to clear zombies, and Yin Peng was attending some meeting, leaving Song Zhaozhao to temporarily manage things at the Yin Family. Before the apocalypse, some of her girlfriends surprisingly came by.
They even dared to badmouth Xu Mumu in front of her, which she did not tolerate.
These people thought it wasn’t enough and were even trying to introduce their daughters to Yin Yang.
She had met those girls before and knew their nature. After a mental comparison, she realized that none of them could match Xu Mumu.
Xu Mumu blushed a bit but obediently addressed her.
"Mom."
"That’s the way, my dear. When you go out, you don’t need to be afraid of anyone. You’re acknowledged by Yang’s dad and me," Song Zhaozhao said, touching Little Huo’s feathers. They were warm, silky, and very pleasant to touch.
"Thank you, Mom and Dad," Xu Mumu said sincerely.
Just encountering a picky mother-in-law would make life much less pleasant than it currently was for her.
But most of the credit was due to Yin Yang, making Xu Mumu smile even more brightly.
"Mumu, do you think I should get a mutant cat? I used to have cats before," as expected, upon hearing Xu Mumu call them Mom and Dad, Song Zhaozhao became even happier.
Seeing Xu Mumu with a chicken made her want to have a mutant beast as well. The mutant beasts seemed so smart! She preferred the fur of cats and dogs to that of chickens, and it would be great if she could have one.
"Well, if there’s a mutant cat cub, it’s easier. But adult ones aren’t as easy to tame. If we find one, we’ll definitely bring back one for Mom," Xu Mumu said with a bright smile.
"Great, great."
"Hey, Mumu, look, Little Huo’s laying an egg!!" Song Zhaozhao watched as Little Huo squatted down, its behind lifted, with an egg almost out.
Xu Mumu widened her eyes, surprised the chicken was laying an egg.
In less than half a minute, the egg was fully laid, a bright red egg.
Holding the egg, Xu Mumu felt complicated emotions, as she could sense a hint of superpower within the egg.
"You mean, this egg is for us to eat?" Xu Mumu looked at Little Huo, and that seemed to be the intention from its thoughts.
Song Zhaozhao was equally astonished, staring intently at Little Huo—this mutant beast was amazing.
"Shouldn’t we try it?" Yin Lin came over, seeing the egg in Xu Mumu’s hand, subtly swallowing, looking slightly eager.
"Then let’s try it." To be honest, Xu Mumu was also curious about the taste of a mutant chicken’s egg. Mutant beast meat was edible, and the Crystal Core of mutant beasts was milder in energy, absorbing it didn’t require the concern of a zombie virus.
Though people weren’t aware of this yet, Xu Mumu looked at the egg in her hand, noting its size compared to pre-apocalyptic ostrich eggs—they could all have a taste once cooked. ’
The cook was asked to simply steam an egg custard, and Yin Chuchu had returned excitedly by now.
"Did you find money? You’re so happy," Mrs. Yin laughed at Yin Chuchu.
"Even if I found money, I wouldn’t want it. Sister-in-law, the Imperial City’s zoo is cordoned off. There are quite a few zombie animals inside, and besides the zombie animals, there are several mutant beasts. The military can’t handle these mutant beasts, and the research institute wants to capture some alive for research, so they haven’t been killed yet," Yin Chuchu’s excitement turned her cheeks red.
"Will they allow us to go in and catch mutant beasts?" Xu Mumu was a bit worried.
"Those above can’t deal with the mutant beasts, so maybe Dad can ask." Yin Chuchu was keen on having a mutant beast, especially a mighty one like a tiger—if only there was one.
Luckily, Xu Mumu and the others didn’t know about Yin Chuchu’s bold thoughts. Predators like tigers, leopards, and wolves, even when mutated, would naturally be more powerful than ordinary mutant beasts.
Considering their current team’s strength was still developing, going after a mutant tiger would be suicidal.
"Alright, Chuchu, the steamed egg is ready. Little Huo just laid the egg, let’s all try and see how it tastes," Xu Mumu said with a smile.
"Little Huo laid an egg?" Yin Chuchu was stunned, but it made sense upon reflection. Little Huo was a hen, so laying eggs was normal.
"Yes, it can’t fully digest the Crystal Cores it eats, so it lays eggs," Xu Mumu explained with a mix of amusement and disbelief—these were the words of the little elf, whom she trusted deeply.
Each person got a portion of the egg, not much overall, since there were many people across the two families of the Yin household, even though it was a large egg.
The fresh steamed egg custard smelled delicious, and Xu Mumu swallowed in anticipation, finding the dish incredibly appealing.