The snow fell heavily, and it was quite cold within Yuzhou City. Unlike the north, the south had no heating. However, the south had heavier moisture, so when it got cold, even clothes couldn't ward off the chill.
In this era, heating was impossible. Shen Feng sat in his office, silently reviewing documents. Most of these documents had already been reviewed by Chang Jianyi and then sent by Chu Chaoyan, so Shen Feng only needed to sign them.
Shen Feng and Chang Jianyi's relationship had been cold for some time. The staff in the City Lord's Mansion dared not inquire about what had happened after witnessing this. After all, this was the City Lord's family matter. The only person who could mediate between them was Chu Chaoyan. If Shen Feng and Chang Jianyi needed to communicate, they would have Chu Chaoyan relay messages.
Various speculations arose within the City Lord's Mansion. Some believed that City Lord Shen Feng had grown tired of the old and taken a liking to the new, hence his displeasure. Others said that Chang Jianyi must have done something to betray the City Lord, which is why he was displeased with her. In short, there were all sorts of rumors, but no one thought it was a simple argument.
Shen Feng sat behind his desk, with electric heaters on both sides raising the room's temperature. He casually glanced out the window and saw the cooking smoke rising in Yuzhou City. Many households were using stove hearths. After all, Yuzhou had no gas. Jiangyang produced natural gas, but it was clearly insufficient to support all the residents of Yuzhou.
"Burning firewood means there's wood. Winter should be fine," Shen Feng said, looking at the rising cooking smoke outside with deep emotion. In the apocalypse, he didn't seek great achievements; he only needed to ensure that the people under his command had enough to eat and wear.
As Shen Feng was idly passing the time, Chu Chaoyan walked in, coughing twice.
The people in the office were very sensible. Upon hearing the cough, they all left the office, leaving Shen Feng and Chu Chaoyan alone in the room.
At this moment, Chu Chaoyan spoke, "Ah Feng, today is Shen Xingzhi's first birthday. The family is holding a zhuazhou ceremony. It wouldn't be appropriate if you didn't come back."
Upon hearing this, Shen Feng hesitated. Around this time last year, he had to go out to sea and missed his son's birth. Now, his son was about to turn one, and it would be inexcusable if he didn't go back. It would be too irresponsible.
"Then I'll go back today," Shen Feng said immediately.
"Good, good, good. Then we'll go home and prepare. You must come back today. You haven't been back for over a week," Chu Chaoyan said, showing a joyful expression after receiving Shen Feng's affirmative answer.
Chu Chaoyan then found Chang Jianyi and excitedly said, "Sister, Shen Feng has agreed to come home. Let's hurry back and prepare. We must keep Shen Feng here."
Chang Jianyi also showed a serious expression upon hearing this answer, then said, "I understand. I won't let Shen Feng be taken away."
Afterward, Chang Jianyi and Chu Chaoyan quickly returned home. Fortunately, there weren't many things to do in winter. Everyone stayed indoors, and no one went out in such heavy snow. After all, the roads were slippery in the snow, and it was hard to find work. After working hard for a year, they had some provisions at home. They could stay home and rest, waiting for the Spring Festival to arrive.
Upon returning to Fengshen Palace, Chang Jianyi went to find her younger brother, Chang Haojie. He was still in class, while Shen Xingzhi was being looked after by the siblings Wang Xiqiang and Wang Xiran. Both siblings were now ability users, but strangely, neither of them knew what their abilities were.
"Your teacher is coming back today. Take you and Little Tiger to rest. The zhuazhou ceremony will be held in the evening," Chang Jianyi told the Wang Xiqiang siblings.
Wang Xiqiang quickly asked, "Has the teacher been very busy recently? I haven't seen him in Fengshen Palace. Also, Chief Steward Du is missing from Fengshen Palace now. I see many people slacking off. Where did Chief Steward Du go?"
Chang Jianyi couldn't answer such questions for a moment. Fengshen Palace had become much more chaotic after the absence of Shen Feng and Du Xinshi. After all, over a thousand people lived in Fengshen Palace. Without management, it was naturally in disarray. Moreover, Du Xinshi and Shen Feng were living in the city, and even Zhang Xixi and Xiao Long had been picked up. At this time, the management of Fengshen Palace was naturally much more chaotic.
Just then, Chang Haojie and Hua Jingran also finished their classes. Chang Jianyi took the opportunity to say to the tutor, "Teacher, thank you for your hard work. That's all for today's class. We'll continue tomorrow."
The teacher nodded and left. Chang Jianyi then earnestly said to her younger brother, "Your brother-in-law is coming back for dinner today. Remember, you must try to keep him, understand?"
Chang Haojie nodded. He knew some of the inside story about his sister and brother-in-law, so he knew they had probably quarreled. Upon hearing that his brother-in-law was returning, he immediately paid attention.
Wang Xiqiang suddenly asked, "Teacher, we can't use our abilities at all. Can we ask the teacher about this?"
Chang Jianyi nodded and said, "Of course. Your teacher is the God of Wind, a sixth-tier ability user, the most elite person in the world. Not many people in the world can be his opponent. If you want to ask questions about abilities, your teacher can definitely answer them clearly."
The ability potions that Wang Xiqiang and Wang Xiran took were made from extraterrestrial elements extracted from the brains of the previous corpse kings, not from the brains of ability users. Therefore, even if they became ability users, no one knew what kind of abilities the potion would bring until they actually used their abilities.
Next, Chang Jianyi and Chu Chaoyan began to direct the subordinates to set up the venue to welcome the City Lord back. Normally, such matters would be delegated to Du Xinshi, who would naturally handle them. But now, Du Xinshi was living outside, so Chang Jianyi had to do it herself, laying carpets, instructing the kitchen, and setting up the venue for the zhuazhou ceremony, all of which she had to figure out on her own.
At this moment, Chang Jianyi also began to miss the days when Du Xinshi was at home. Back then, she didn't have to worry about anything at home, but now she had to do everything herself. The difference was too great.
Hua Jingran watched everyone set up the venue with envy. She had never heard of or seen a zhuazhou ceremony before. When it was her birthday, it seemed like nothing happened. So, seeing a one-year-old child having a zhuazhou ceremony, Hua Jingran couldn't help but feel a little envious, thinking, "It's good to be the child of a wealthy family. They even have a zhuazhou ceremony. I wonder what Little Tiger will grab in the end."
The so-called zhuazhou is actually letting the baby sit in the middle of a table on their first birthday, and then letting the baby grab items placed around them. Generally, parents would place many small ornaments around the table. These ornaments represent future professions. This ceremony was a privilege of wealthy families in ancient times because only wealthy families had choices. If the poor had children, they knew their children would also be poor, so holding a zhuazhou ceremony was meaningless and even ironic.
Hua Jingran's original family background was not very good, so she had never experienced zhuazhou. Seeing it for the first time now, she found it very novel.
In the main hall of Fengshen Palace, a large table was set up, covered with red cloth, on which various miniature ornaments were placed. There were gold ingots, books, pens, abacuses, swords, and seals. Among these items, the seal was the most beautiful.
Although it was a small ornament, Chang Jianyi had put a lot of thought into it. The seal represented power, and her son should naturally wield power when he grew up. After all, the old saying goes, "Power is not in hand, and nothing can be done."
And what would a child like? It goes without saying that children naturally like shiny things. Now, a jewel-encrusted seal was placed in the most conspicuous position, which would naturally be grabbed first.
In the afternoon, Shen Feng returned to Fengshen Palace. As soon as he entered the main hall, Shen Feng saw Little Tiger being held by Wang Xiqiang. Little Tiger stretched out his hand and vaguely called out, "Papa..."
Shen Feng helplessly walked over and held Little Tiger, saying, "Little Tiger, do you miss me?"
After being held by his father, Shen Xingzhi kept waving his arms and was about to grab Shen Feng's hair.
Shen Feng, with his hair being pulled by his son, couldn't help but say, "Are you avenging your mother? You're pulling my hair."
Shen Xingzhi giggled. He was very happy to see his father appear. Although he hadn't seen him for only a week, he missed him dearly.
At this moment, Wang Xiqiang and Wang Xiran began to ask, "Teacher, we should all be ability users now, but we can't use our abilities. What's going on? Can't we become ability users even after drinking the ability potion?"
"How is that possible? The ability potion can't be expired. As long as it contains extraterrestrial elements, it can make people become ability users," Shen Feng said, holding his son.
"Then why can't we use our abilities?" Wang Xiqiang quickly asked.
Shen Feng pondered for a moment, then said, "In the apocalypse, I actually became an ability user, but I couldn't use my abilities at first. It is said that the first time an ability user uses their ability, there are special conditions. As for me, I learned to use my abilities in battle. As for you, perhaps the opportunity hasn't arrived yet. Keep learning, and when the time is right, you will naturally be able to use your abilities."
Shen Feng was relatively clear about abilities. The reason humans could use abilities was that their brains contained extraterrestrial elements, which came from meteorites from outer space. As for what kind of abilities they would have, it was completely uncontrollable. No one knew what type of abilities they would eventually be able to use.
"Oh, I see. Then when will I be able to use my abilities?" Wang Xiqiang was still unwilling to give up and continued to ask.
Shen Feng shrugged and said, "Just wait. When the opportunity arises, you will naturally be able to use your abilities."
At this moment, Chang Jianyi and Chu Chaoyan also appeared. Chang Jianyi was wearing a one-piece sweater, but her back was exposed. This attire was quite seductive, as her curvy figure was fully displayed to Shen Feng. The sweater had good elasticity, so it fit her almost perfectly.
Chu Chaoyan was also wearing a long skirt with slits on the sides. When she walked, her thighs were occasionally revealed. If her thighs were directly visible, it wouldn't be as alluring. It was precisely at this moment, with her fair legs peeking through, that it was a truly captivating sight.
Upon seeing this, Shen Feng's eyes lit up. It was rare for his two wives to dress so alluringly today.
"Ah Feng, since you're back, let's prepare for our child's birthday. Let's start with the zhuazhou," Chang Jianyi said with a smile.