The van was silent for only a mont as it crept forward in line. It seed like more than one vehicle was being let through at a ti, giving them brief monts of movent before stopping again.
It was definitely moving quicker than the other line.
Xu Feng wasn’t sure if he should steer the conversation to learn more about the base and how life had changed in this world, but Feng Yujie took the decision out of his hands, while urging him to take a seat, so she could drive comfortably.
"I’m Feng Yujie," she introduced casually. "The naughty one is Feng Mingyue, and my little grandpa over there is Feng Mingjun."
The bit of tension Xu Feng had felt dissipated almost imdiately. It wasn’t hard to tell who was who, even without her pointing them out.
"I’m Xu Feng... Xuan," he said, rolling his eyes at his own slip-up. He hadn’t even t many people yet, and already he was ssing up his new na. Lying wasn’t his strong suit—he found it difficult to keep track of untruths.
Still, this was a duck-up.
"Nice to et you, Xu Feng," Yujie replied, a smile tugging at her lips as she glanced at him through the rearview mirror.
It would’ve been strange to put his guard up here, not because she was a woman or because of her soft, dimpled smile. There was sothing about Feng Yujie that was just... calming. Her round face matched that of her two boys, their cheeks full and pinchable like they hadn’t been living through an apocalypse for two years.
Even if they’d managed to camouflage their van, they couldn’t hide the subtle signs of living well in these harsh tis. Feng Yujie had clearly done more than just survive; she was thriving, raising two young boys despite the crumbling world around them.
But what truly caused Xu Feng’s defenses to lower wasn’t just their appearance—it was the way he felt around them. This little trio didn’t seem like a threat at all.
Threatening, strangely, yes—but not towards him.
Feeling more at ease, Xu Feng made his way from the back of the van to the passenger seat. He wanted to explore more of the vehicle but now wasn’t the ti.
The energetic twin, Mingyue, was already settling into what looked like a makeshift booster seat between the two front seats, while Mingjun, the more cautious one, continued appraising Xu Feng with an intensity that his mother and brother lacked.
While Mingyue was carefree and humming without a care in the world, Mingjun seed more reserved, yet even with his serious expression, he climbed up into Xu Feng’s lap without hesitation. It left Xu Feng montarily stunned.
He had barely moved the second booster seat to make room for Mingjun, and yet the boy had already nestled comfortably in his arms as if it were the most natural thing in the world.
The warmth of the boy’s small fra against him was unexpected, but not unwelco.
Feng Yujie’s amusent was clear in her voice. "Jun-ie doesn’t warm up to people this quickly. He’s only four, but..."
"Four?!" Xu Feng interrupted, looking at the two boys in disbelief before turning back to Yujie. He had assud they were at least six, maybe older. They were tall for their age, but then again, Xu Feng didn’t have much experience with children.
He wasn’t entirely sure if his experience with the malnourished children in the other world was affecting his judgnt. But then again, even Xu Hu Zhe was big and tall despite being malnourished.
Yujie laughed, and the sound made Xu Feng’s earlier confusion fade away.
"They’re tall, I think it’s because of their dragon heritage. They’ll be five soon. But you’re tall too..." She trailed off, leaving space for Xu Feng to respond, maybe even admit to his own heritage, though he chose not to.
In what felt like no ti at all, both boys had made themselves comfortable in Xu Feng’s arms. The bucket seat he was in felt a lot smaller than it had at first, and much warr too. Mingyue had squeezed in next to him, grinning up at him like he’d known Xu Feng his entire life.
Xu Feng was caught between awe and amusent. This little family of three was overwhelming him with affection one by one.
"We’ve t other dragon-blooded people, but the boys never reacted like this," Yujie mused aloud, glancing back at them.
"Do you just let your sons cuddle with strangers?" Xu Feng asked though he wasn’t truly complaining. The warmth of the boys was lulling him into a sense of comfort, making him feel nostalgic for his ho in Donghua.
But still, even with all the bombs this woman was sending him, Xu Feng couldn’t find the words to agree or disagree with her.
"They’ve never done this before," Yujie replied, looking at the boys but making no move to scold them. "It might seem like I’m looking for a father for my kids, but I assure you, that’s not my goal."
"Pfft," Xu Feng let out a snort, unable to hold back his laughter. Was that really the most concerning part of this situation?
This family seed to have no concept of stranger danger, and the Yujie’s filter seed to be broken. At the very least, if it wasn’t broken, it had been temporarily disabled.
Yujie gave him a sidelong glance before focusing back on the road. "Not all dragonkin make Jun and Yue comfortable, but they seem drawn to you. I feel comfortable around you too."
Xu Feng raised an eyebrow. "Have you t a lot of other dragonkin?"
"A few," she answered. "They feel familiar, but the boys usually avoid them."
Were there more true dragons in their world? Xu Feng felt like this wasn’t plausible, there wasn’t enough energy to nurture a true dragon in this world. At least that’s what his senses were telling him, at least not one as strong as the two boys in his arms.
Well, with all the chaotic energy the zombies brought, those who were Dragonborn would have a better chance of reclaiming their heritage, but the boys were a different case.
They felt out of place. Closer to beings ant for a higher realm.
"Need to protect mom," Mingyue chid in, sounding a little ashad. He easily broke Xu Feng’s train of thought.
"We’re not strong enough yet," Mingjun added, his head bowed as he snuggled even closer to Xu Feng.
The sight of these two little boys, so full of determination yet so vulnerable, made Xu Feng’s heart swell. If it had been anyone else, he might have pushed them away, but these two made him feel sothing he hadn’t felt in what felt like years—a sense of belonging.
"But you don’t need to protect your mom from ?" Xu Feng teased.
"You’re a mom too!" Mingyue declared as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.
"Just because he’s a mom doesn’t an we’d let just any mom near our mom, right?" Mingjun corrected his brother with a serious nod.
"Yeah, you’re right," Mingyue agreed without hesitation.
Moms were important, but even the boys knew that not all moms could be trusted. They had lived through two years of hardship and had seen more of the world’s cruelty than children their age ever should. Their view of the world wasn’t colored by innocence, but for so reason, Xu Feng was an exception to their guardedness.
"He’s not a mom, I’m sorry—" Yujie began to correct them, but her words faltered when she saw Xu Feng. Silent tears were streaming down his face.
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