Shen Feng refused to return to the Fengshen Palace. He knew Du Xinshi's physical condition; in the mornings and evenings, she couldn't help but cough. Although Du Xinshi always tried to hide it, Shen Feng, as an ability user, couldn't possibly be unaware of her situation.
Shen Feng had a bad feeling. Perhaps Du Xinshi had very little time left to live, especially after giving birth. Pregnancy was a huge challenge for every mother. The fetus absorbed a large amount of nutrients from the mother's body. Many mothers suffered from osteoporosis after giving birth, which showed the immense burden of childbirth on a mother. Given Du Xinshi's poor health, Shen Feng could do nothing but spend as much time with her as possible. No matter what, during her remaining time, he, as her man, could not simply abandon her.
After Shen Feng stated his decision, Du Xinshi couldn't persuade him otherwise. She could only pour him a cup of water at this moment, lest he choke.
Xiao Long also sat beside Shen Feng, saying, "Daddy, I can count to ten now."
Shen Feng picked up a piece of sweet and sour pork and gave it to Xiao Long, saying, "Open your mouth, this is your reward. Keep up the good work."
Zhang Xixi was leaning on the city wall, looking down and spotting many refugees. She couldn't help but frown, "I didn't expect so many refugees. It seems life outside is truly difficult. If we can't grow grain in the next few years, famine will still occur."
Speaking of this, Shen Feng could only say helplessly, "Yuzhou was fine last year, but once migratory birds arrive in Yuzhou this autumn, Yuzhou will be hard to escape. If such a situation truly arises, we can only rush to harvest the grain."
Zhang Xixi felt very fortunate. Fortunately, her brother had sent her to Yuzhou. If she had been living outside in the doomsday, she would likely have encountered famine. It was just a pity that her brother was already dead, and now she could only live alone in Yuzhou.
In the mouths of many refugees, Yuzhou was like a region ruled by a cruel dictator. However, when there was no more food, the refugees could only flock to Yuzhou. When everyone finally arrived in Yuzhou, they were surprised to discover that Yuzhou was actually a paradise. Life here was very stable, and as long as they worked diligently, they could accumulate wealth and avoid famine. Instantly, most people wanted to stay here.
Zhang Xixi stood on the city wall, searching carefully. She thought, "Sister-in-law might be among these people. But if sister-in-law came to Yuzhou, she would surely call my name, right? She wouldn't still be staying among the refugees."
Just then, Shen Feng's phone rang. Shen Feng immediately answered, "Hello, what is it?"
The call was from the City Lord's Mansion. After connecting, Tu Xuhuai's voice came through, "City Lord, people from Dian Province are here. They are here to discuss purchasing grain. Dian Province cannot sell rice now because their grain is also tight, but they have surplus corn that can be sold."
When Shen Feng heard this news, he felt it was good news and replied, "Even if we can only buy corn, we must buy it. We can eat rice, and we can also eat corn."
Shen Feng's biggest worry now was the grain supply. The winter wheat harvest was still a month away, and during this month, the grain supply had to be sufficient. By cultivating more land in the spring, the future grain problem would be solved.
However, at this moment, Tu Xuhuai hesitated and said, "City Lord, the people from Dian Province have other conditions. They said they can donate ten thousand tons of corn to us, but there is one condition that the City Lord must accept. We cannot answer this condition now, so we can only report it to you."
Shen Feng asked while eating, "What is the condition? Tell me."
Tu Xuhuai hesitated for a moment before deciding to tell the truth. Finally, Tu Xuhuai replied, "City Lord, the people from Dian Province said that they want you to go to Dian Province to help them fight. You can go alone, and bringing more people is also fine."
Upon hearing this, Shen Feng frowned and asked, "What kind of battlefield is it that requires me to go and help them fight at this time? Can't Dian Province solve the battle themselves?"
Tu Xuhuai said, "I heard that in the southern part of Dian Province, a mushroom forest spanning several hundred square kilometers has appeared. The people of Dian Province cannot solve it at this time, so they can only come to you for help. City Lord, you should come quickly. Qian Bufei does not want to elaborate on the specifics."
Shen Feng said, "I'll be there later. You entertain Mr. Qian first. Also, call Yang Chang over and have him keep an eye on the area outside the city."
Shen Feng hung up the phone and continued eating. Du Xinshi couldn't help but ask, "Are you going out again? Where are you going this time?"
Shen Feng replied, "It depends. If it's something unimportant, I won't agree. But if it's unavoidable, I might have to go to Dian Province."
Du Xinshi had heard the news. She opened her mouth as if to say something, but ultimately said nothing. She knew that Shen Feng was a man and needed to handle various matters outside; she shouldn't tie him to her side.
Seeing Du Xinshi's hesitant look, Shen Feng comforted her, "Don't worry, I will handle this properly. Even if I go out, it will be at most two months, and I will definitely be back to accompany you. I promise."
Du Xinshi shook her head and said, "I'm fine here. Yuzhou's affairs are more important. Don't delay important matters because of me. I don't mind. Be safe when you are outside."
Shen Feng quickly nodded and comforted her, then instructed Xiao Long beside him, "If I'm not home, you must listen to Mommy, understand?"
Xiao Long nodded quickly and said, "I will be good, Daddy. Come back soon."
Shen Feng patted Xiao Long's head, then devoured his lunch. After bidding farewell to everyone, he walked towards the City Lord's Mansion.
As for Qian Bufei, he had appeared in Yuzhou for this matter. When Shen Feng arrived at the City Lord's Mansion, Qian Bufei was still eating a boxed lunch. Moreover, it appeared that Qian Bufei was eating self-heating rice he had brought himself. There were already more than ten boxes in the trash can nearby. This was unavoidable; self-heating rice was convenient to eat, but unfortunately, there was too little food, not enough for an ability user.
Seeing this, Shen Feng immediately began to reprimand Tu Xuhuai, "What are you doing? Didn't I tell you to take good care of Mr. Qian? Now you're letting Mr. Qian eat self-heating rice. What kind of logic is this?"
On the surface, Shen Feng was blaming Tu Xuhuai, but in reality, these words were spoken in front of Qian Bufei, and of course, they were specifically for Qian Bufei to hear. The reason Shen Feng said these words was to criticize Qian Bufei. He had already arrived in Yuzhou, yet he was unwilling to eat the food provided by the City Lord's Mansion. Was he afraid of being poisoned in Yuzhou? This was excessive.
Generally speaking, in China, there is a custom of "the guest follows the host's wishes." That is, when guests visit a host's home, it is best to follow the host's intentions. Eating is one such aspect. Since he was a guest, he should honestly eat at the host's home; this is respect and politeness.
However, at this moment, Qian Bufei was eating his own self-heating rice, which was equivalent to disrespecting Yuzhou and a clear lack of trust.
Qian Bufei interrupted at this moment and said, "Mr. Shen, please don't misunderstand. We heard that a large number of refugees have poured into Yuzhou. Firstly, we are worried about depleting Yuzhou's grain reserves, and secondly, the matter is urgent, so it's not worth going to the cafeteria. Let's discuss the matter as quickly as possible. It's best to settle it today, and then we will head straight to Dian Province to deal with the mushroom forest."
Shen Feng slowly sat down and said to a staff member, "Please invite the Deputy City Lords. Invite both of them."
Chang Jianyi and Chu Chaoyan quickly arrived at the conference room and met Qian Bufei. Qian Bufei politely took out two pieces of jade from his backpack and handed them over, saying, "A small token of my appreciation for our first meeting. It's nothing much, please accept it, ladies."
These two pieces of jade were pure in color, without any impurities, and they also had a luster, indicating they were extremely valuable. Before the doomsday, one couldn't buy such jade for millions. Now, the jade had not been processed and was merely raw material, but it was still incredibly precious.
Chang Jianyi and Chu Chaoyan accepted them without saying much. Shen Feng then directly said, "What exactly is the situation with the mushroom forest? Explain it in detail. Can't you solve it yourselves?"
After Shen Feng asked this question, Qian Bufei actually nodded and replied, "We really cannot solve it. Mr. Shen, do you know what the largest organism in the world is?"
Shen Feng frowned and replied, "Is there any need to ask? Of course, it's the blue whale. Moreover, a mutated blue whale can be a kilometer long, which is almost the size of a small island."
Unexpectedly, after Shen Feng said this, Qian Bufei shook his head seriously and said, "It's not the blue whale, but fungi."
Shen Feng crossed his arms and looked at Qian Bufei, saying, "Explain yourself."
Qian Bufei didn't stand on ceremony. After drinking the tea he had brought, he began to explain, "The blue whale is the largest animal on Earth, but it is not the largest organism. Before the doomsday, the largest organism was a giant fungus in North America, with a diameter of twenty kilometers covering the ground. It is estimated to be over thirteen hundred years old. However, now, the largest organism on Earth is in Dian Province, with a diameter of eighty kilometers, and it has formed a mushroom forest at this time."
Shen Feng roughly understood Qian Bufei's meaning and immediately said, "I remember that the people of Dian Province love to eat mushrooms the most. Now that there is a mushroom forest, you should be happy, shouldn't you? Isn't this free food available?"
Shen Feng said these words half-jokingly, because there was such a saying circulating in Dian Province: anything that moves is meat, and anything green is a vegetable. From peacocks flying in the sky to insects in the ground, there was nothing these people dared not eat. Now that the mushroom forest had appeared, wouldn't they be feasting?
However, Qian Bufei said with a wry smile, "Mr. Shen, please stop joking. The mushrooms in the mushroom forest are poisonous and cannot be eaten. If they could be eaten, I wouldn't be looking for you."
Shen Feng thought to himself, "So you also have things you dare not eat? I thought you really ate everything."
Then Shen Feng continued to ask, "Even if there is a mushroom forest, it's fine. Just go around it, and it's fine. Why do you have to confront this mushroom forest? I think an eighty-kilometer diameter is already the limit of the mushroom forest, isn't it?"