Shen Feng had also discovered that a famine had now appeared across the country. If this year were like last year, people might go hungry, but it wouldn't be particularly severe. However, in the autumn of this year, the number of mutated birds had increased exponentially. It wasn't just the domestic mutated birds that had surged; numerous migratory birds from Siberia were also heading south, numbering at least tens of millions, and possibly hundreds of millions of mutated birds converging on China.
Mutated birds also consumed grain. Especially in the 1950s and 1960s, sparrows were among the "four pests" because they ate grains.
Mutated birds were omnivores; they ate meat if available and seeds if they found them. China was in the midst of its autumn harvest, and a large amount of grain was directly consumed by the mutated birds. Subsequently, the famine erupted. The woman Shen Feng encountered on the road was a victim of the famine; had there been no famine, she could have continued to live in the village with her child.
Eventually, Shen Feng brought the woman to a village by the water. This village primarily subsisted on growing water caltrops and lotus roots, which, when dried, could barely be considered food. This village was slightly more prosperous. After Shen Feng explained the situation, the village chief considered it and agreed.
The village chief's reasoning was simple: "The village still has a few single men without wives, including my nephew who is still unmarried. If things continue like this, who knows when he'll find a wife? It's better to take in this widowed mother and child; they can increase the village's population in the future."
Thus, the village chief directly said, "Then let them stay. Next year, you'll have to help our village men plant water caltrops and raise fish. As long as the village has food to eat, you and your child won't starve."
After the village chief finished speaking, the woman was overwhelmed with gratitude. It was wonderful to find a community willing to accept her.
At this moment, the village chief looked towards Shen Feng and asked curiously, "Strange, why do you seem a bit familiar?"
Shen Feng smiled and replied, "There are too many people in the world who look alike. Village chief, you might be mistaken, which is why I seem familiar."
Shen Feng felt this village was quite good for accepting an outsider woman. However, it was also because this village had food that they could take in others. The villages Shen Feng had inquired about earlier didn't even have enough food for themselves, let alone to help others.
With Shen Feng's explanation, the village chief no longer suspected anything. He then led the mother and child to an unoccupied room in the village. Shen Feng's next destination was Yuzhou. Just as he entered Yuzhou's territory, Shen Feng saw many people digging for wild vegetables in the fields. Witnessing this, Shen Feng was immediately surprised and thought, "Is Yuzhou also suffering from famine?"
While puzzled, Shen Feng got out of the car to ask, "Is Yuzhou also experiencing famine now?"
Upon seeing Shen Feng appear, the people knew the City Lord had returned and were greatly astonished. They immediately replied, "Reporting to the City Lord, Yuzhou is not experiencing famine. Besides, if there were a famine, all the wild vegetables on the mountains would be gone. We wouldn't have this opportunity to dig for wild vegetables now."
Hearing this answer, Shen Feng understood. If a famine truly occurred, nothing edible would be left in the wild.
Throughout history, during times of famine, everything edible, whether from mountains or waters, was consumed. Let alone wild vegetables, even tree bark and grass roots would be eaten. Therefore, conversely, as long as wild vegetables could still be found in the wild, it indicated that there was still food, and famine had not yet occurred.
Shen Feng then continued to ask, "If Yuzhou is not experiencing famine, why are you all digging for wild vegetables?"
When Shen Feng asked this question, the person in front of him replied, "City Lord, you may not know, but winter is approaching. We no longer have land cultivation work. In winter, there is little work available. To reduce grain consumption, we can only dig for wild vegetables. At least it saves a little."
Shen Feng suddenly understood. So that was the reason. In winter, there wasn't much work to do, so they chose to dig for wild vegetables out of idleness.
After learning the truth, Shen Feng wanted to understand Yuzhou's situation better and continued to ask, "Can you still live? Are there any difficulties in your lives?"
When asked this question, the villager replied, "Thanks to the City Lord's care, we can still live. As long as people have strength, they can live by their own hands. We can still eat some meat each month, and Yuzhou has never experienced famine. I won't keep you, City Lord, I need to continue digging for wild vegetables."
After speaking, the person asked took their small hoe and basket and set off. Fortunately, this was the south, and wild vegetables could still be found even in winter. If it were in the north, the entire ground would be bare, and not only wild vegetables but even weeds might be hard to find.
Shen Feng then happily got back into the car. Learning that Yuzhou was not threatened by famine made him feel much better, because as long as the people below were fed, Yuzhou would not experience major unrest.
However, while Shen Feng was in the car, Xu Xing suddenly asked, "City Lord, do you think if other places have no food left, people will run to Yuzhou?"
Upon hearing this, the smile on Shen Feng's face vanished. He knew that this was precisely what would happen. When the regions surrounding Yuzhou ran out of food, only Yuzhou would still have grain. At that time, Yuzhou would inevitably be flooded with refugees, and its grain supply would again become critical.
After Xu Xing's reminder, Shen Feng immediately realized the seriousness of the situation. At this moment, he could not afford to be complacent, because more crises were lurking ahead.
"Then let's return to Yuzhou as soon as possible. Lu Xian, notify the City Lord's mansion that no welcoming is needed. This is not a triumphant return, so there's no need to make a big fuss every time we come back," Shen Feng said to Lu Xian.
Lu Xian nodded and then informed the Yuzhou City Lord's mansion not to prepare a welcome. This trip had only taken two months, not a very long time. After Shen Feng returned, winter wheat had already been planted. As the name suggests, winter wheat grows in winter and is harvested in spring. The heavier the snow in winter, the more it signifies a bountiful harvest.
Upon returning to Yuzhou, everyone went back to their homes. Chang Jianyi and Chu Chaoyan had also received the news and specially hosted a welcome reception for Shen Feng at home. At this time, Shen Xingzhi was already babbling and calling out "Daddy" repeatedly upon seeing Shen Feng. Shen Feng was delighted to hear this and happily held the child and spoke to him.
Chang Jianyi then gently said, "Is everything alright now? Then live peacefully in Yuzhou. A family should be reunited. Also, Sister Chaoyan's belly has been quiet."
Hearing this, Shen Feng quickly looked at Chu Chaoyan and saw her looking at him with a resentful gaze, with a hint of blame in her eyes.
Shen Feng said helplessly, "There's nothing much happening recently, but I'm worried that places experiencing famine will have refugees continuously pouring in, which might cause problems."
When Shen Feng said this, Chu Chaoyan replied, "This matter has been discussed in the City Lord's mansion for a month. In short, we have ways to deal with it. You don't need to worry about this; you just need to focus on your important tasks."
Just then, Chang Haojie also appeared with Hua Jingran. Hua Jingran was rather reserved and could only stammer, "Hello, City Lord," when facing Shen Feng.
Shen Feng smiled and said, "Don't call me City Lord anymore. Call me brother-in-law, just like Xiao Jie. Your presence here means you got first place in the orphanage exam?"
Upon hearing this, Hua Jingran immediately lowered his head in shame and said, "Not first place, but third place. I've disappointed you, City Lord."
Chang Jianyi said indifferently, "Let's not talk about this. Anyway, Hua Jingran will live here from now on. We still need you to present awards to the first-place male and female students in the orphanage exam. You promised to bestow ability-enhancing potions, don't forget."
Hearing Chang Jianyi say this, Shen Feng immediately understood. In the current situation, Hua Jingran's performance was undoubtedly poor, but he couldn't withstand Chang Haojie's persistent pleading, so Chang Jianyi eventually accepted Hua Jingran. From this, it could be seen that Chang Jianyi had changed quite a bit, now being able to accept people she disliked.
However, at this moment, Shen Feng thought of something and quickly asked, "By the way, where is Zhang Xixi? I don't see her?"
Shen Feng knew that his return was not entirely good news, especially for Zhang Xixi. He was about to announce some very bad news, but unfortunately, Shen Feng had to inform Zhang Xixi, because some cruel realities had to be faced.
"Xixi, she should still be helping in the kitchen. Little Long has a cold recently, so Sister Du is taking care of him around the clock. Xixi is overseeing the kitchen matters. You'll see her at dinner later," Chu Chaoyan quickly said.
Almost all matters within the Fengshen Palace had been handed over to Du Xinshi for management. After all, such a crucial position must be held by a confidant, and Du Xinshi was an excellent choice.
The most important thing in the Fengshen Palace was not anything else but the food. Ever since the poisoning incident, Chang Jianyi had never entrusted the food to anyone else. Previously, Du Xinshi had been overseeing it and was very strict in the vetting of chefs, ensuring that all chefs entering the Fengshen Palace were reliable. Now that Du Xinshi needed to care for her son, the responsibility of overseeing food matters had to fall to Zhang Xixi.
Shen Feng sighed helplessly and said, "Chaoyan, go and get Xixi to come here. I have something to tell her."
As he spoke, Shen Feng found a cloth bundle from the car. No one knew what was inside. Seeing Shen Feng's serious demeanor, Chu Chaoyan realized the gravity of the situation and went to fetch Zhang Xixi.
Upon seeing Shen Feng appear, Zhang Xixi quickly asked, "Brother Shen Feng, did you deliver my letter to my brother? Did he say anything?"
Shen Feng's expression was solemn. He handed the cloth bundle to Zhang Xixi and said, "No! Your brother was a hero. He sacrificed himself to protect the families as they escaped. Please accept my condolences."
Hearing this, Zhang Xixi's eyes immediately lost their focus, and the light in them vanished. She then snatched the cloth bundle from Shen Feng's hand and opened it. Inside were a few bone fragments and an undelivered letter.
Upon seeing this, Zhang Xixi could no longer suppress her grief and knelt on the ground, crying. Seeing her in such deep sorrow, Shen Feng and Chang Jianyi quickly comforted her.
The vicissitudes of life are unpredictable. No one knows if they will see each other again after parting. Especially after a certain parting, one might think they will meet again, but these casual goodbyes are often the final farewells. It is only afterward that one truly understands this principle.