The Absolute Favorite in the Apocalyptic Rebirth

The two women in the room were Lou Dian’s mother and Lou Zhan’s wife, Qiu Rong. The little boy Qiu Rong was holding was their son, Lou Ye.

Lou Dian’s mother smiled when she saw them enter. She called Lou Dian over, touched his face, and said, "You've grown taller, but you've also lost weight! Was the journey difficult? Were you injured?" After her warm greetings, she looked at Lou Ling and smiled. "This must be Lou Ling."

Lou Ling and Lou Dian politely addressed her as "Aunt." They then greeted Qiu Rong as "Sister-in-law." It was then the little boy’s turn to greet them.

Qiu Rong smiled at her son. "Ye Ye, this is your uncle, and this is your aunt."

The little boy greeted them in his childish voice, then looked at his mother with some confusion. "Mom, how many aunts do I have?"

Everyone in the Lou family laughed. Lou Yan laughed the loudest. She picked up the little boy and kissed his cute, apple-like cheeks. "Ye Ye, you have two aunts. I'm your younger aunt, and this is your older aunt. The other aunts aren't really your aunts; they're just trying to trick you!"

After the greetings, Lou Dian’s mother and Qiu Rong went to the kitchen to make tea. Lou Zhan sat on the sofa holding his son, looking relaxed. Lou Ling and the others also took their seats. Lou Dian took out some toy guns from his space and gave them to the little boy, along with a bag of White Rabbit creamy candy. The others were amazed. Who would use their space to store children's toys? As they were thinking, they saw him take out many more things from his space: cosmetics and nutritional supplements for Lou Dian’s mother, Qiu Rong, and Lou Yan; and premium cigarettes and alcohol for Lou Dian’s father – all rare commodities after the apocalypse.

Seeing their stunned expressions, Lou Ling couldn't help but feel amused. However, remembering that Lou Dian had specially prepared these cosmetics for her and forced her to use them even in the cold winter, she couldn't help but feel a little annoyed.

No woman doesn't love beauty. Lou Dian’s mother looked at Lou Dian with such loving eyes that they practically dripped honey. Qiu Rong also thanked him sincerely. Lou Yan, however, pouted, looking a bit unhappy. "Brother, I'd be happier if you could give me some weapons. I'm a young girl; I don't need these things."

Lou Dian thought for a moment. "Do you want grenades? How about an armored vehicle?"

Lou Yan's eyes widened. "Brother, you really have those?" Seeing Lou Dian's smile but no further answer, her heart was hooked. She wished she could jump over and shake his shoulders.

Lou Dian’s father was also very satisfied with Lou Dian's gifts. Although he didn't smoke, he enjoyed fine alcohol. After the apocalypse, cigarettes and alcohol had become luxuries, difficult to obtain, so he had to give up his hobby. Now, looking at the alcohol Lou Dian had given him, he found that there were many foreign brands, all aged. He was overjoyed and repeatedly patted Lou Dian's shoulder, calling him a good boy.

The whole family was very happy. Lou Dian's gifts had truly touched their hearts.

As for Lou Zhan, he didn't smoke or drink, but Lou Dian had already given him a gift: a warehouse full of supplies. Although it was still stored in Lou Dian's space, the sheer quantity was almost too much for him to comprehend.

When it was almost time for dinner, Qiu Rong and Lou Yan went to the kitchen to cook. The Lou family originally had housekeepers, but after the apocalypse, the housekeepers turned into zombies and were dealt with by Lou Yan, who was at home at the time. Later, when the apocalypse arrived, the world was in chaos, and the northwest was also in turmoil. Even after things stabilized, they didn't hire any more housekeepers. The only one left in the family was Lou Zheng, the nearly fifty-year-old butler, the only person the Lou family could trust. So now, the cooking was done by the women in turns.

Lou Ling wanted to help, but Lou Dian’s mother stopped her and pulled her aside to talk.

After chatting for a while, Lou Ling learned that Lou Dian’s father had another son, Lou Shang, who was currently out on a mission and would return in a few days. In the family, Lou Zhan had a metal ability, Qiu Rong a fire ability, and Lou Shang a lightning ability. The others were ordinary people. Of course, Lou Zheng also had an ability, but they didn't know what it was. He was Lou Tang's protector, and it was thanks to him, Lou Zhan, and Lou Shang that Lou Tang was able to secure his position as the leader of the Northwest Base.

It was clear that the Lou family was a very close-knit family. They had strict but loving parents, a loving couple, and even the children were adorable. Despite their high status, they had a down-to-earth manner, which quickly put Lou Ling at ease. Although Lou Ling hadn't interacted with them much, Lou Dian had frequently visited them when he was studying in the capital and had developed a good relationship with them.

As they were chatting, Lou Yan ran out and shouted, "Mom, it's your turn to show off your skills! Brother and Sister are back today, so you can't embarrass yourself!"

Lou Dian’s mother glared at her playfully, then smiled and went into the kitchen. Lou Yan seized the opportunity to pester Lou Dian, subtly asking him how much stock he had. Lou Yan was a military enthusiast, and because of her family background, she had also trained in the military. After the apocalypse, even though she didn't have an ability, her skills were not bad, especially when it came to machinery. Give her a pile of scrap metal, and she could assemble a highly destructive weapon. She was a natural mechanical genius.

Lou Dian pretended not to understand. Lou Yan didn't dare to be too explicit, afraid that her father and brother would scold her for being unladylike. Anxious, she scratched her head, then glared at him resentfully before turning to Lou Ling.

This girl was youthful and lively, a cute young lady, but Lou Ling couldn't answer any of her questions. The reason was that when she asked Lou Ling about her hobbies, she rattled off a series of names of military machinery that made Lou Ling's head spin. As an ordinary, law-abiding citizen, she didn't understand any of it. If it was about fighting techniques, she would have some insights.

Just as Lou Ling was feeling dizzy, there was a sound at the door. Yan Ge swiped his card to enter and, upon hearing Lou Yan's barrage of questions about Lou Ling's hobbies, couldn't help but laugh. "Lou Yan, not everyone is like you, without any normal girly hobbies. Don't make things difficult for her."

Seeing him, Lou Yan screamed, "Yan the Dandy!" Then she jumped over and onto him, wrapping her arms around him. Yan Ge also hugged her back, with the girl's legs wrapped around his waist. The three men of the Lou family's faces darkened. This posture was too intimate and improper.

Of course, before they could scold them, Lou Yan and Yan Ge, after their affectionate greeting and hug, started bickering.

"You tomboy without any normal female hobbies!"

"You dandy, you're so full of yourself, be careful of getting an STD!"

"Tomboy!"

"Womanizer!"

"…"

After their quarrel, Yan Ge first slipped into the kitchen, sweetly greeted Lou Dian’s mother and Qiu Rong, and then brought out a plate of apple pie.

Dinner ended in a lively atmosphere. The Lou family's dinner seemed no different from before the apocalypse. There were vegetables and meat. The vegetables were grown in greenhouses, and the meat came from a farm not far from the base. With the Lou family's status, they could naturally afford these things. Of course, after the apocalypse, they couldn't be wasteful.

After dinner, Lou Dian took out some fruits from his space: honeydew melon, watermelon, grapes, mangosteen, and more.

Lou Yan treated him like Doraemon, asking expectantly, "Brother, I want to eat durian, do you have any?"

Lou Dian glanced at Lou Ling. "When her ability improves, let her grow a durian for you."

Hearing this, Lou Yan looked at Lou Ling with starry eyes.

Everyone sat together, catching up on each other's lives after the apocalypse. As the night grew darker, the Northwest Base had a power outage at 8 pm, but some places were exempt. The Lou family had privileges and had electricity 24/7.

Lou Tang said, "You can stay here. I'll have your aunt and Qiu Rong prepare two rooms for you. We should all live together as a family, and there are enough rooms here."

Hearing about two rooms, the two people involved didn't react, but Yan Ge started laughing like crazy, covering his mouth, causing Lou Yan to glare at him several times, calling him crazy.

When Lou Ling realized what it meant, she was very happy. She had her own room again!

Lou Dian glanced at Lou Zhan.

Lou Zhan had to say, "No need, they can share a room."

Lou Dian’s mother immediately frowned and glared at her son. "What are you talking about? Lou Ling is a grown girl; how can she share a room with her brother? Is it appropriate for a girl to live with her brother? I didn't care when you were outside for safety reasons, but now that you're home, we need to be more proper."

Lou Dian’s father also nodded, thinking that his son's brain had short-circuited because the siblings had depended on each other after the apocalypse and were used to living together.

Lou Zhan was very helpless. Just as he was about to say something, Yan Ge, the big mouth, blurted out, "Uncle, Aunt, Lou Dian and Lou Ling are boyfriend and girlfriend now, so it's okay for them to share a room."

Lou Tang and his wife were speechless. They thought they had misheard.

Lou Yan, however, reacted quickly, blinking and saying, "Oh, so that's how it is! Keeping it in the family, I understand!"

Everyone was speechless again.

When Qiu Rong got up to take them to the prepared rooms, the older couple finally reacted. Lou Tang opened his mouth and said, "They…"

Lou Zhan stood up, holding his son who had fallen asleep in his arms from playing. "Dad, they're not biological siblings, it's fine. Besides, you know Lou Dian's personality. He's most like Second Uncle; you can't force him." Moreover, this kind of brooding person could only be handled by going along with his wishes. Anyway, it wasn't harmful or immoral.

His words silenced Lou Tang.

Lou Dian’s mother also remembered that Lou Dian and Lou Ling were children from their parents' previous marriages and were not related by blood. Besides, it was the apocalypse; who cared about these things? So she open-mindedly accepted the situation. After accepting it, she took Yan Ge's hand and said, "Yan Ge, I've watched you grow up. When are you going to get married? There are three ways to be unfilial, and having no descendants is the worst…"

Yan Ge's smile faltered. He looked up and saw the young girl glaring at him dangerously. He couldn't help but sigh. "I'm still too young."

Lou Dian’s mother looked at him strangely. "Too young? You're the same age as Lou Zhan, and he already has Ye Ye. You haven't even started yet. Listen to me, life is unpredictable in this apocalypse. If you find a good girl, bring her back, and us elders will take a look. If she's good, get married! While I can still move, I can help you young people take care of the children. It's also a way to honor your deceased parents…"

Yan Ge's parents were Lou Tang's comrades-in-arms. They died when Yan Ge was only five years old, and he was brought back to the Lou family and raised like their own son by Lou Tang and his wife.

Listening to her nagging and looking at the young girl next to him who was pretending to play with his nephew's toy gun but was actually eavesdropping, Yan Ge really wanted to pinch her fair little ears. Why was she so young? She was still a minor; he couldn't make a move!

Author's Note: Today's goals:

Lou Ling's goal: Get her own room! ^O^

Lou Dian's goal: Share a room with his sister!

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