The Apocalypse Took Everything, This Time I Hoard It All First
Chapter 12: Celebrating the Festival

Chapter 12: Chapter 12: Celebrating the Festival

October 8th was the Mid-Autumn Festival, the fifteenth day of the eighth lunar month.

With a dual celebration in the air, every household was filled with a festive atmosphere of reunion.

Gentle sunlight spilled over the old house’s green bricks and dark tiles.

Before ten in the morning, Luna Dawson and Miles Dawson were rushed out of bed by their mother, who told them to hurry up and pluck the chickens and ducks.

Luna Dawson’s uncle and cousin arrived from the city with her little nephew to celebrate the holiday. Evan Olson and his grandfather would also be coming over for the meal.

Rosalind Dawson and Luna Dawson set up the offering table in the main hall. On it, they neatly arranged fruits, rice wine, and the three traditional animal sacrifices.

The moment her uncle and cousin stepped through the door, Miles Dawson rushed over, scooped up his little nephew, and started playfully squishing and squeezing him.

"Ah... ah... Uncle... Just you wait... till I’m bigger... I’ll beat you..."

The indignant, childish voice was squeezed out with great difficulty from the little boy, Hector Rhodes.

Rollo excitedly pounced toward Miles Dawson, as if wanting to join in their special game.

Little Tiger zipped around the house, doing parkour in its excitement. When it got tired, it would curl up in Grandpa’s lap, purring and showing off its belly, airing out its "double-breasted coat."

Grandpa Olson sat on the sofa stroking the cat, watching their playful antics with an envious smile.

"It’s great to be young, so full of energy. My dear Evan, when are you going to give me a grandchild to hold?"

Evan Olson was mortified. "Grandpa! I just got back and you’re already starting with this!"

Mrs. Dawson chimed in, "You brat! You’re not getting any younger. Twenty-eight and you’ve never even been in a relationship. Your grandpa has every right to rush you. A handsome man like our Evan shouldn’t have this problem."

Hearing this, Wayne Dawson said gloatingly, "That’s right. Look how lucky I am. My grandson can already buy wine for me."

"I was in the army, where even the mosquitoes were male. You can’t blame me," Evan Olson pleaded. "Can we just have a nice meal? All this nagging is stressing me out."

Luna Dawson didn’t dare join in or make a peep. ’After they’re done with the oldest, they’ll start on me...’

"Hahahahaha! Marriage isn’t a pyramid scheme. Why is everyone trying to recruit new members? People get married just to get divorced anyway," Miles Dawson blurted out thoughtlessly.

Instantly, he drew all the fire from the elders, who launched a continuous verbal assault on Miles Dawson.

Rhonda Dawson pressed a hand to her forehead. Looking at Miles Dawson, who was holding Hector, she said, "Miles, you’re just like Hector. You’re in your twenties but you still act like a child."

Miles Dawson just chuckled. "Sis, you just think too much. You can be happy for a day or unhappy for a day, so why not be happy? Steer clear of psychos and live to be a hundred."

"Yeah, Sis. Does he still drone on and on with a bunch of nonsense when he sends the child support money every month? Just think of him as a rotten cabbage that came to life. Don’t even bother with him! You’re already divorced and he’s still trying to mess with your head," Luna Dawson said, rolling her eyes in frustration.

Rhonda Dawson pulled them over to sit down and sighed. "Alright, alright. Let’s not talk about such unpleasant people. Let’s eat."

The aroma of the reunion dinner wafted out from the kitchen. The family sat down to eat, their conversation filled with cheerful chatter and laughter.

During the meal, while peeling a hairy crab, Luna Dawson quietly asked Evan Olson, who was sitting beside her, "Brother Evan, what are your plans now that you’re out of the army? Are you thinking of leaving home?"

’The apocalypse is in two months. I want to ask him why he’s going abroad. In my past life, none of us ever saw each other again after the world ended...’

Evan Olson spoke slowly, "I haven’t decided yet. A few of my old army buddies invited me to go abroad with them, but I haven’t made up my mind."

Luna Dawson grumbled under her breath, "Do you have to go? Can’t you wait another two months?"

Evan Olson frowned at her words. Luna Dawson wouldn’t normally make such a request or complaint without a reason.

"What’s wrong?"

"N-Nothing... It’s just... I won the lottery, and now that I’m rich, I’m getting a little scared of dying. You’re a special forces soldier, so I was thinking of hiring you at a high salary to protect me for two months. You could also teach me and Miles Dawson some fighting techniques for self-defense~" Luna Dawson couldn’t help but admire her own cleverness.

Evan Olson looked suspiciously at Luna and Miles Dawson. "No wonder you bought that kid such an expensive car. He drives it out several times a day, so proud of himself his tail’s practically in the air."

Miles Dawson’s reputation was being unfairly slandered. ’I really did have important business for all those trips...’

"So, what do you say, Brother Evan? Will you do it?" In Luna Dawson’s heart, Evan Olson had always been a righteous and strong figure, someone she had relied on like a real older brother since they were kids.

Evan Olson thought for a moment before replying, "Okay, I can do that. But I’ll be busy for another week. If you’re really in a hurry, go to the Gale-Force Training Gym. A lot of my army buddies go there. Just tell them I sent you. You can start by working on your fitness and building a foundation."

"Okay! I knew you were the best, Brother Evan! Oh, right, my mom made some snow pear, goji berry, and bird’s nest soup. Miles Dawson, go get it. It’s so dry in the fall, everyone should have some~" Hearing Evan Olson agree, Luna Dawson happily ordered her brother around.

’Luna Dawson remembered clearly from her past life that Grandpa Olson had suffered a stroke this very night. I’ll try using the spirit spring water to make this tonic soup for everyone. Let’s see if it works.’

As everyone took a sip, they instantly felt refreshed and clear-headed, their fatigue completely vanishing.

Everyone praised Mrs. Dawson’s excellent cooking skills.

Luna Dawson took the opportunity to say she had made too much to finish, so she filled a one-liter thermos for each family to take home for a late-night snack, otherwise it would go to waste.

...

The moon climbed high among the branches. The reunion dinner, which Luna Dawson had waited two years for, ended in this pleasant atmosphere.

After everyone had left, Luna Dawson set up two beanbag chairs in the living room for herself and her brother. Lying back, she savored the chaotic energy of her home.

The cat-and-dog war had begun again. Little Tiger stood atop the refrigerator, hissing warnings—"RAWR! RAWR!"—at Rollo below. Rollo, in turn, barked up at the fridge. You could tell they were both hurling some nasty insults.

Luna Dawson locked the front door from the inside and drew the heavy blackout curtains. She had Miles Dawson appease the two little ones with some canned food.

Rosalind Dawson asked worriedly, "When are we going to tell them about the apocalypse?"

Luna Dawson gave her mother a reassuring look. "Don’t worry, Mom. I’m just afraid they won’t be able to accept it if I tell them now. With so many people, loose lips could get the secret out. I’m scared I’ll be locked up and dissected for research..."

Wayne Dawson was the owner of a small food stall. The children’s memories were either at the food stall or the fruit shop. Among their three families, they couldn’t piece together a single complete set of parents...

Rhonda Dawson’s mother died in childbirth, so her uncle had to raise her alone.

But running a restaurant was busy work. With the rich nightlife in the south, he usually wouldn’t clear the tables until three or four in the morning. Sometimes, customers would drink until dawn, and her uncle would be so exhausted he’d go home, leaving the customers to close up for him.

As a child, Rhonda Dawson always had a boy’s haircut because no one was around to braid her hair in the mornings...

The neighborhood kids saw her short hair and teased her, saying Wendy didn’t look like a girl. That was when Rhonda Dawson gradually became introverted and quiet.

After starting college, she fell in love. Having longed for a complete family her whole life, she married the paranoid Dylan Rhodes right after graduation.

She quickly became pregnant and had a child after getting married. She lived with her mother-in-law’s family for a few years, where one incident after another unfolded. She only finalized the divorce at the beginning of this year.

Miles Dawson: "Hector is the one who will inherit my Ant Credit Pay debt in the future. He’s my treasure. Mom, don’t worry. As long as I’m here, no one can bully Hector or my cousin."

Luna Dawson said unhurriedly, "When the time comes, we can trick Uncle’s family into coming to Kensington. We’ll just say we’re going on a trip. It’s not like we’ll ever run out of supplies, even in a hundred lifetimes."

"You’re the best, Sis!" Miles Dawson praised.

Mrs. Dawson was still worried. "Don’t put your phones on silent tonight. If anything happens on Grandpa’s end, we have to get over there immediately."

"Okay!"

The night passed without incident, but everyone had been on edge and didn’t sleep well. The three of them woke up early.