Who's Your Mother

"Xiaoguo, Xiaoguo, one helping of braised pork for table two."

"Okay!" A crisp and pleasant voice sounded from the room within. The thin woman in the room seemed to have three heads and six arms1. She juggled various tasks in the kitchen-cutting the vegetables, lighting the fire, seasoning the dishes and serving customers-with quick and swift movements.

After sending off the last group of diners for the day, Qin Xiaoguo could finally sit down and have a good rest. Although she possessed self-healing superpowers and could replenish her energy at any time, she was still completely worn out after a hectic day at work.

With hands rubbing at her waist, Xiaoguo stood up and looked at the dishes that were piled up around her like a small hill. "I will wash them tomorrow." She thought to herself as she turned around to switch off the lights. In her state of exhaustion, Xiaoguo had failed to notice a flickering of lights within the darkness.

Xiaoguo returned to her room and washed up before going to bed. Moments before dozing off, she tilted her head and glanced out of the window. The fog was dense and Xiaoguo sighed in desolation. "It has been three years… ."

Three years ago, Qin Xiaoguo was a fourth year senior who was about to graduate. During her graduation trip with a group of classmates from the agricultural science and technology faculty, there was a zombie virus outbreak. For this reason, she got separated from her group of friends.

Xiaoguo was alone when she was accidentally discovered by the soldiers in the national camp. A few days after she was brought back to the camp, a few people around her suddenly developed superpowers. Xiaoguo secretly hoped that she would eventually join their ranks and be able to defend herself. But contrary to her wishes, that did not happen. Out of the dozen or so who were rescued and brought to camp, she was the only one who had no superpowers.

Xiaoguo was secretly anxious. This was after all the end of the world. Before she was rescued, she had seen the dark side of humans outside of the camp. When there was no food, those with no superpowers would be preyed on. Some of those who were attractive would be controlled and bullied by those with powers. It was a state of anarchy. No one could predict what would happen in the next moment.

Fortunately, with her agricultural knowledge and the culinary skills she had picked up from her father, she was able to set up a small restaurant. As there was a shortage of food, Xiaoguo cultivated all kinds of vegetables using her professional expertise. In an era where compressed biscuits were the common staple food, Xiaoguo's restaurant was able to thrive with its offering of fresh green vegetables and flavorful food.

Xiaoguo had been looking for her parents for the past three years. Even though there had been no news of their whereabouts, she didn't stop searching. Xiaoguo didn't dare to imagine what could have happened to them. In the second year after the apocalypse broke out, Xiaoguo developed her superpower. It was her initial plan to go on a search for her parents with the soldiers from camp, using her new-found ability. But to her dismay, what she had was only a beginner, self-healing power which was pretty much useless. If she were to come face-to-face with any zombies, it would be as good as meeting death.

Xiaoguo was bent on leveling up her powers subsequently, but as fate would have it, she was still stuck at the beginner level after two years.

Time flew by swiftly. It had been almost three years since Xiaoguo arrived at this camp. Being the biggest camp in the world, it had the widest range of weapons and the largest group of superpower beings. In such a safe environment, Xiaoguo was able to live without worries during her three years there.

A while ago, one of the residents from the camp brought back some unfortunate news. They had found their parents-but had later beat them to death-as their parents had turned into zombies. Thereafter, they found a quiet place and buried the bodies.

Although she was upset by what she heard, Xiaoguo took the news in her stride. There wasn't much that could be done under such circumstances.

Xiaoguo continued living her life in a daze. There seemed to be no end, being in such a situation. All she could do was devote her energy to cooking and growing vegetables. Every day, she would spend her time cultivating new varieties of vegetables and researching the flavors of the produce. Beyond that, she also helped rear the chickens, ducks, and pigs which she found when she went out of camp. She went about this routine day after day and year after year.

One day, Xiaoguo had just fallen asleep when she was roused out of her slumber by a series of violent shakes. In her daze, she heard a tender voice in her ear crying, "Mother, mother, mother… ."

Filled with exhaustion, Xiaoguo could not open her eyes. She wanted to see where this voice was coming from. Xiaoguo wondered to herself. "This doesn't seem right. I am really tired but why can't I open my eyes." Xiaoguo felt like her body was floating and that her eyelids had been glued shut.

In her state of discomfort, something was still tugging on her arm. She could still hear persistent crying in her ears. On the brink of losing her consciousness, Xiaoguo heard a voice calling, "Mother." Using the last of her strength, she asked, "Who's your mother?"