Chapter 16: The Twins Surrender

Mu Jiu had to admit that after hearing Gu Yang’s explanation, her heart was stirred.

She despised homewreckers, but the truth of the situation was questionable—Chen Xiao clearly held all the power. The way the scandal had been exposed that day shifted everyone’s attention just right, even Mu Jiu had found it fishy.

And yet, after the butler exposed that woman, she didn’t dare make a sound. Everyone thought it was because she was guilty—but it turned out there was more to the story.

Still, the ones who benefited from the incident were Chen Xiao and the butler department.

It was hard to say what to make of it.

Both sides had their own story, and outsiders couldn’t judge what was true. But what did this have to do with Mu Jiu?

From Gu Yang’s words, she gathered that their mother had sacrificed her body to keep Chen Xiao—the butler—placated, in order to protect her children.

As the mother of two, she had clearly done her part. She had kept her kids safe.

The pair of twins in front of her were stunning—attractive to anyone regardless of gender. Even Mu Jiu couldn’t help but be impressed by how striking they looked.

With faces like that, without some self-defense skills, they’d be sitting ducks in the apocalypse—just walking targets waiting to be taken advantage of.

So now, under the guise of trading for eggs, they had come to pledge allegiance to her.

They wanted to work for Mu Jiu in exchange for protection. It was likely their mother’s idea.

But Mu Jiu didn’t like being used.

“I’ll give you the eggs this time,” she said bluntly, “but don’t come again. I don’t need firewood.”

Gu Yang hesitated, “Big sis, I…”

“Wait here. I’ll get the eggs from the backyard.”

Mu Jiu went to the back and returned holding four eggs, which she handed to Gu Yang through the door.

His eyes lit up the moment he saw them—like lanterns in the night. He thanked her repeatedly.

Mu Jiu waved him off and added casually, “Don’t bother picking up those sticks. They burn poorly and are heavy.

If you really run out of food, go up the mountain and look around.

Live off the land. There are still plenty of resources in the mountains that can help you survive.”

Without waiting for a reply, she shut the door and sent them off.

She didn’t want trouble, but offering a sincere tip was harmless enough.

She figured that was the end of it. No more interactions.

But the next day, the twins returned.

This time, they weren’t asking for eggs or firewood. Instead, each carried a black backpack.

They stood at the gate and rang the bell. Before Mu Jiu even opened the door, Gu Yang unzipped his bag and showed her its contents.

“Big sis, we did what you said and went up the mountain. These are wild chestnuts!

We picked a lot—this bag is for you. Thank you for telling us about the mountain!”

Before Mu Jiu could refuse, Gu Yang placed the backpack in front of her door, and the siblings ran off together.

Despite how fast they moved, Mu Jiu noticed that both of them had injuries on their hands.

After all, wild chestnuts weren’t easy to harvest.

Once they were gone, she opened the door and brought the bag inside.

It was full—packed with peeled, plump chestnuts, as heavy as a pile of stones.

This was one of the very few times since her rebirth that someone had willingly offered her supplies.

Mu Jiu didn’t stand on ceremony. Since it was given, she’d eat it.

She hadn’t stocked any chestnuts in her pre-apocalypse stash anyway—this would be a nice treat.

She spent some time searching her downloaded recipe archive for how to prepare chestnuts best.

Eventually, she decided on making candied roasted chestnuts.

It took her two whole days of trial and error, but finally, by the second night, she enjoyed a batch of soft, sweet chestnuts.

On the third day, the twins came again.

This time, they brought wild frozen bayberries from the mountain—bright red like marbles, frozen solid.

They were about to drop the berries and run again when Mu Jiu opened the door and called them back.

“Hey! Come back!”

She waved them over and handed each of them a small kraft paper bag.

“These are the chestnuts you picked. I made candied ones—have a taste.”

The warm bags made their eyes instantly redden. “Thank you, big sis!”

After they left, Mu Jiu brought the large bag of wild bayberries into her courtyard and started researching how to use them…

In the month that followed, the twins came almost daily, always bringing her food.

They never brought up trades again.

The food they brought was plentiful and diverse, all gathered from the mountain:

Wild walnuts, kiwi, yams, bitter melon, jujubes, wild pears, persimmons, and even unknown mushrooms from around the hot spring.

Mu Jiu understood the message.

But unlike when they tried to guilt her using their mother’s situation, this time she truly respected their self-sufficient, hardworking approach.

So when they brought her something, she would sometimes give back the processed dishes to try:

Bayberry dumplings, walnut cookies, yam cakes, and more.

The Gu siblings were polite and respectful.

They always squatted by her door, ate the warm treats from small bowls, and returned them afterward.

They never asked for more, never once requested to enter her home.

This made Mu Jiu’s impression of them steadily rise.

In fact, during the month the Gu siblings frequently visited, others from the resort began knocking on her door as well.

They figured if the Gu kids could visit, then Villa 050 must not be so fearsome.

But those people’s requests were outrageous.

Some asked for food with nothing to give, promising they’d pay double when the cold ended.

Some, too afraid, offered their entire remaining food stock and asked to move in with her for protection.

Some even begged her to raise their children, offering them like heirs to be cared for.

Mu Jiu didn’t even spare them a glance—coldly and firmly rejected them all.

Compared to that, the Gu twins were a breath of fresh air.

Life went on.

Most of the flowers Mu Jiu planted in her front yard had already bloomed. With the heater and fireplace circulating warmth, her house was filled with refreshing floral fragrance.

In the backyard, under her careful care, her chickens and ducks had already hatched their third batch of chicks and ducklings.

The poultry population had multiplied, and just the eggs collected daily in the yard totaled dozens—a very respectable count.

Not to mention the millions of chickens, ducks, cows, sheep, and pigs being raised by Butler Beibei in the space farm.

All in all, it was a feast-filled life for a foodie.

Though Mu Jiu didn’t leave her home, she knew everything that was happening outside.

Partly because of the Gu siblings, who updated her on the outside world when they visited.

And also because the space portal let her monitor everything within a 1-kilometer radius in real-time.

If she wanted, she could see every tiny detail.

As time passed, it had now been four months since the apocalypse began.

Even the villas with stockpiles were running out of food. More and more people could no longer provide their grain quotas.

Outside the resort, there was no sign of activity—just snow piling higher and higher until it dwarfed the entrance gates, forming 10-meter snowdrifts.

With that, the butler department grew increasingly arrogant, acting without fear or restraint.

Everyone now knew—the world had completely fallen into chaos.