When he was in the City Lord’s mansion, Shen Feng listened to the discussions of his subordinates every day. He suddenly realized that being a City Lord was not easy. All sorts of problems could arise, and if not handled properly, they could lead to great disaster. He had no other recourse but to think carefully.
Fortunately, at this time, Chang Jianyi proposed a suggestion: “Go and invite Professor Chu from Jiangyang. As for Jiangyang, let Li Xiang and Cao Fuli manage it for now. If Chu Chaoyan doesn’t come to discuss, you won’t be able to make a decision.”
Shen Feng thought this was a good idea and quickly sent someone to bring Professor Chu from Jiangyang.
Since he couldn’t handle the problems himself, he needed to enlist the help of experienced people. Professor Chu was a very good choice. He had enough experience and knew the next steps. More importantly, he was Chu Chaoyan’s grandfather, and their relationship made him absolutely reliable.
Half a day later, Professor Chu arrived in Yuzhou by boat. After hearing about the difficulties Shen Feng was facing, he stated directly, “Your subordinates have already provided you with solutions. You now need to distinguish priorities, that’s all.”
Shen Feng quickly asked, “How do we distinguish priorities?”
Professor Chu coughed twice before earnestly saying to Shen Feng, “The most direct threat to human life is the highest priority, especially food! Therefore, farming is a must. Besides farming, the next priority is clearing out zombies. With proper justification, you are now the City Lord of Yuzhou and have a valid reason to send your soldiers into battle. As for repairing the city walls, that is the least important. There are no safety hazards around Yuzhou that can threaten the city, so repairing the walls is not that important. You can do it slowly.”
Upon hearing this analysis, Shen Feng was enlightened and quickly said, “Professor Chu is truly my strategist. I will need to listen to your analysis more often for things I cannot decide.”
Professor Chu nodded, but then thought of something and quickly shook his head, “Sometimes, decisions can only be made by yourself. I can help you for a while, but not for a lifetime. You need to learn to make decisions yourself.”
Shen Feng did not take this to heart and perfunctorily replied, “I understand, Professor Chu. I will definitely think about it carefully. Thank you for your trouble this time!”
Chu Yangtian shook his head helplessly. He knew Shen Feng had not taken his advice to heart, and his worries grew. His own health was not good, and the country was in chaos. He did not know what the future held for Shen Feng.
Shen Feng and Chang Jianyi returned home, instructed the chef to prepare dinner, and then sat in the living room, embracing each other and chatting.
Chang Haojie had found a puppy outside the city. It was a puppy that had not yet mutated. It was not easy for it to survive this long in the apocalypse. Chang Haojie’s sympathy overflowed, and he brought the puppy home and fed it well. The puppy was also very obedient and stuck to Chang Haojie.
While chatting, Shen Feng secretly watched Chang Jianyi’s profile. He felt he could no longer keep his relationship with Chu Chaoyan a secret from his senior. It would be exposed sooner or later. Rather than facing an unmanageable situation later, it was better to reveal it now. He would accept whatever consequences came his way.
However, Shen Feng couldn’t bring himself to say it. Looking at Chang Jianyi’s smiling face, he didn’t know how to speak.
The chef soon prepared a sumptuous dinner and invited Shen Feng and Chang Jianyi to eat. Chang Haojie heard the chef calling and quickly came to the dining table.
The dishes on the table were abundant, with chicken, duck, fish, and meat filling the table. The food problem was non-existent for Shen Feng. After all, with Chang Jianyi’s ability, crops could be planted quickly. The only drawback was that it easily depleted the soil’s fertility. A piece of land could not be planted continuously, otherwise, if the fertility could not keep up, it would lead to no harvest.
Fortunately, after taking over Yuzhou City, there was plenty of land around, and many plots could be sown, which would not be used up anytime soon.
Chang Haojie looked at the food on the table, eager to start. He was also hungry, but there were rules of dining etiquette. If the head of the family did not start eating, it would be too rude for him to do so. Therefore, Chang Haojie waited for his brother-in-law to start, so he could follow.
Shen Feng picked up his chopsticks. At this moment, he gritted his teeth. What needed to be said had to be said now. While his senior was in a good mood, perhaps she would agree.
Thus, Shen Feng tentatively asked, “Senior, I’ve heard that many ability users and evolved individuals have multiple wives and concubines. What do you think about this?”
Chang Jianyi smiled at Shen Feng and replied, “I watch while sitting. After all, it’s too disrespectful to watch while lying down, don’t you think?”
Shen Feng gave an awkward laugh. He hadn’t expected his question to be so cleverly avoided by his senior. He decided to be clearer.
“Senior, I mean, if, if I fell in love with another girl, and it was an inseparable kind of love, what would you do?” Shen Feng asked cautiously.
Shen Feng did not state it directly, but he used two “if”s. As intelligent as Chang Jianyi, how could she not guess the truth? And what was this talk of “if”? Generally, people who ask such questions are already beyond hope!
“You have a new love?” Chang Jianyi put down her chopsticks and looked at Shen Feng coldly.
Shen Feng was instantly extremely embarrassed and quickly explained, “I mean, if, Senior, I’m talking about if!”
Chang Jianyi stopped talking, stopped eating, and stood up to leave. Her chest heaved violently, clearly angered. She had never expected Shen Feng to say such a thing. She couldn’t accept it and thought about it. She had to make Shen Feng realize his mistake. Where was the washboard?
Chang Jianyi stood up and walked towards the storage room. She vaguely remembered there was a washboard in the storage room and went to find it to let Shen Feng know her power.
Shen Feng saw Chang Jianyi leave the dining table without a word and felt a headache coming on. He knew he had messed up. He had explicitly said “if,” but his senior had guessed it immediately. This sudden change in the situation was unexpected for Shen Feng. The situation had been excellent just moments ago, but now it had turned into the wrath of winter.
“Xiao Jie, you eat by yourself. Don’t mind us. I’ll go and coax your sister,” Shen Feng said to Chang Haojie before leaving the table.
Chang Haojie sighed. He had no appetite for food either. Suddenly, the puppy barked, “Woof woof.”
Chang Haojie picked up a plate of meat from the table and poured it into the dog bowl. He stroked the puppy’s head and said, “Xiao Hei, be good, eat quickly. When you grow up, I’ll take you out to play.”
Chang Jianyi was very angry. She thought about how hard she had worked to handle various matters in Yuzhou, showing a tough exterior to the outside world and caring for her family’s health internally. She had dedicated herself to ensuring Shen Feng had a safe and warm home. And yet, Shen Feng had found someone he liked, and someone who was no less than her!
Thus, Chang Jianyi’s mentality completely collapsed. Upon entering the storage room, she began to look for a washboard. But she unexpectedly saw a stack of cardboard boxes in the storage room and a plan came to mind. Yes, physical punishment could not compare to mental punishment! She had to make Shen Feng feel it deeply so that he would not dare to be two-faced!
Chang Jianyi immediately placed the cardboard boxes in the corner, spread clothes on top of them, and seemed to be tidying something up.
Shen Feng thought his senior had suddenly left to find a stick to beat him. He followed her to let her vent her anger, as he couldn’t let her keep her resentment bottled up. But when he saw what his senior was doing, he became confused and asked, “What are you doing?”
Chang Jianyi didn’t turn her head, continuing to fiddle with the cardboard boxes. She said in a low voice, “I’m making a bed. Perhaps I’m too foolish, only knowing loyalty and not fickleness. So, I want to find back the feeling I had before. Perhaps, in the past, lying on a cardboard bed, I would feel uneasy, but I would never worry about the person beside me betraying me.”
Shen Feng’s face immediately turned red with shame. He clearly understood what his senior meant. Back in Jiangyang, when they were trapped in the storage room, Shen Feng had fallen into a coma, and Chang Jianyi had taken care of him day and night, feeding him water and food, and tending to him without respite. They had slept on cardboard then.
Shen Feng felt ashamed. After all, Chang Jianyi had never betrayed him and had cared for him meticulously. While he was fighting outside, Chang Jianyi always managed the affairs of the base in an orderly manner, never letting him worry. As for Shen Feng himself, not only did he not repay Chang Jianyi’s sincerity, but he even wanted her to acknowledge another woman. This action could no longer be explained as being two-faced; it was more like discarding something as worthless as worn-out shoes.
Chang Jianyi glanced at Shen Feng and saw that his face had turned red, even his ears were red. A smile appeared at the corner of her mouth, but she immediately continued to mock him, “Perhaps I shouldn’t have given my heart so easily, to the point of foolishly falling in love with a bad man who works diligently, only for him to kick me away. It seems that ancient women were as wronged as I am, professing eternal love when they liked someone, and not even bothering to look at them when they disliked them, even kicking them away.”
Shen Feng lowered his head in shame, not knowing what to say. He felt like he had become the scumbag described by Chang Jianyi, and he couldn’t refute it.
However, Shen Feng also couldn’t bring himself to sever his relationship with Chu Chaoyan because he couldn’t forget the more than ten days they had depended on each other underground. Chu Chaoyan’s gentle affection was also something he couldn’t forget.
Thus, Shen Feng just stood there foolishly, at the entrance of the storage room, enduring the scolding with a flushed face.
Chang Jianyi was happy to continue her sarcastic remarks, constantly lamenting her grievances, but her target was Shen Feng at the door. She knew that attacking the city was secondary; attacking the heart was primary!
Shen Feng felt very wronged. At this moment, he didn’t know what to say. He had only tentatively asked a question, and it had provoked his senior’s great anger. Now, he didn’t know how to resolve the situation. Should he swear to the heavens to prove his innocence? But in reality, he wasn’t innocent either.
Just as Shen Feng was awkwardly enduring the scolding, Chang Haojie’s crying suddenly came from the living room, “Wuwu, Xiao Hei, what’s wrong? Xiao Hei…”
Shen Feng and Chang Jianyi found it strange and went to the living room. They found Chang Haojie holding the puppy Xiao Hei he had brought home, heartbroken. Xiao Hei was foaming at the mouth and convulsing, clearly on the verge of death.
“What’s wrong with the puppy? Did you feed it chocolate or something?” Shen Feng asked first.
Chang Haojie pointed to the dishes on the table and cried, “I fed Xiao Hei the stir-fried pork with onions, and he died not long after.”
Shen Feng and Chang Jianyi looked at the untouched dishes on the table and were stunned. Could the food be poisoned?
Shen Feng looked at Chang Jianyi, his face full of shock, and thought, “Senior, how cruel of you to try to poison me! Why? Are our past feelings worth nothing? I don’t even have a brother named Wu Song to avenge me if I ate the food.”
Shen Feng was shocked. The ancient saying, “There is nothing more poisonous than a woman’s heart,” was it coming true?
Chang Jianyi also looked at Shen Feng and thought, “Shen Feng, Shen Feng, do you think I’m in the way, not as good as the vixen you’ve just fallen for? You want to poison me for another woman. It’s said that a man must be ruthless, but you’re too cruel!”
Chang Jianyi felt very distressed. The ancient saying, “A man must be ruthless,” was it true?
Shen Feng and Chang Jianyi looked at each other, saying nothing, but they both had a bad premonition.
Shen Feng and Chang Jianyi’s faces were filled with surprise and suspicion. They clearly hadn’t expected anyone to poison the food, and their biggest concern now was the person who had poisoned it.
Chang Haojie was crying even more sadly, “My Xiao Hei, you died so tragically! I will definitely catch the murderer and avenge you.”
Shen Feng reacted first and asked, “Where is the chef? Where is the chef?”
The person who had the most direct contact with the food was the chef. Shen Feng just wanted to know the chef’s whereabouts, which was crucial for uncovering the truth.
Chang Haojie pointed towards the kitchen. Shen Feng rushed into the kitchen but found the kitchen window wide open, and the person had disappeared. The poisoner had escaped.
Chang Jianyi also followed and, seeing this, frowned and said, “This chef was hired a month ago. He had a daughter, and I gave him this job out of pity. Could it be… he was bought off?”
Shen Feng and Chang Jianyi had both realized by now that the poisoner was definitely not the other party. It was definitely the chef who was instructed, otherwise, if the entire table of food was poisoned, even Shen Feng and Chang Jianyi could have been poisoned to death.
“Shen Feng, it seems we are being targeted,” Chang Jianyi said, looking at Shen Feng with a hint of anticipation in her eyes. She hoped Shen Feng would make a decision now.