Chapter 40 The Changes in Little Black's Shedding Watermelon

Feng Rui groggily regained consciousness and felt excruciating pain all over his body. He immediately screamed in agony.

"Rui'er! Rui'er, how are you? Waaah, that heartless bastard beat you up like this?" Granny Chen cried her heart out. Her precious son being beaten was more painful for her than if she herself had been beaten.

Feng Hongjian sat to the side, his face not looking too good. Could it be that Feng Rui had offended someone?

Feng Rui slowly opened his eyes. His face was almost beaten into a pig's head, making him look particularly comical. As soon as he saw Granny Chen, he burst into tears: "Mom! I was almost beaten to death! You have to help me!"

Granny Chen was heartbroken: "Rui'er, don't worry, if anyone dares to hit you, Mom will definitely not let them get away with it!"

Feng Hongjian, who was standing to the side, hesitated to speak.

Feng Rui's eyes were filled with hatred as he gritted his teeth and said, "Mom and Dad, I know who hit me, it was that bastard!"

Feng Hongjian, who had been silent until now, was startled: "What nonsense are you spouting?"

"It's him!" Seeing that Feng Hongjian didn't believe him, Feng Rui said with a ferocious expression, "I heard him speak, I heard it clearly, it's definitely him, there's no mistake!"

Old Mrs. Chen immediately started cursing: "This bastard, how dare he hit my Rui'er! Does he think I'm dead? Rui'er, you wait, I'll definitely get revenge for you!"

Feng Rui nodded, tears streaming down his face.

Feng Hongjian said irritably, "What are you looking for?!"

Granny Chen said incredulously, "Feng Hongjian, you old bastard, Rui'er has been beaten like this, are you still going to side with that bastard?"

Feng Hongjian's face darkened: "I think you've lost your mind. You think Cong'er is still the same as before? No, he's different now. He's a superhuman!"

One sentence brought Granny Chen back to her senses, and she was somewhat indignant: "So what if someone has superpowers? Does that mean they can beat people up at will?"

Feng Hongjian sneered: "He can't just hit anyone, yet he still hit Rui'er. Why do you think he wanted Rui'er to hear his voice? He probably did it on purpose, to make us go and cause him trouble, so he can punish us with a legitimate reason!"

After hearing this, Granny Chen felt a chill run down her spine. She cried and cursed at the same time, and now she could finally understand the despair that Tian Manman had once experienced.

Feng Rui was unwilling to be beaten for nothing, and immediately said anxiously, "Mom and Dad, are you saying I'm just going to be beaten for nothing? I can't swallow this!"

Feng Hongjian wanted to say, "Even if we can't swallow it, we have to: Cong'er is still angry with us. Maybe if he calms down, he'll be fine."

Feng Rui found it hard to believe. In the past, he would beat and scold that bastard at will, and when that bastard went to Feng Hongjian to complain, the other party would not care at all. Over time, Feng Rui became even more unscrupulous, and sometimes he would still bully that bastard at will in front of Feng Hongjian.

At that time, Feng Rui was extremely proud, thinking that Feng Hongjian was completely on his side and that he was loved by his father. Even now, Feng Rui still feels the same way.

It wasn't until this moment, when he heard what Feng Hongjian said, that he realized that the other person hadn't cared for him before, but rather didn't care about that bastard, just like now, the other person didn't care about him either.

Feng Hongjian only cared about who could benefit him.

His mother used to take care of the family, so Feng Hongjian went along with them. But now that the bastard is a superhuman, Feng Hongjian wants to rely on him. So even though he was beaten up and covered in injuries, he still didn't care. He just wanted the bastard to calm down.

In an instant, Feng Rui felt a chill in his heart. He may have been unfilial, but when he realized that his father, who had always doted on him, didn't love him at all, he still couldn't accept it. The psychological gap was too great.

"Feng Hongjian! You're a beast! Rui'er is your son, how could you say such a thing?!" Granny Chen screamed angrily and stepped forward to hit Feng Hongjian.

Feng Hongjian frowned and tried to dodge, but seeing that he couldn't avoid it, he shoved Granny Chen aside, not caring that she fell on her bottom: "Do you think I wanted this? What other way could I do besides appease Cong'er?"

Granny Chen sat on the ground, patted the ground, and cried.

Feng Hongjian ignored her and looked at Feng Rui: "Where's your girlfriend? Aren't you with your girlfriend? You let her get beaten up and you don't care?"

Feng Rui lowered his head, concealing the melancholy in his eyes. That woman had completely ignored him and simply ran away.

But he couldn't say that. His father already looked down on him, and if he said that, the other party would look down on him even more.

Feng Rui said, "I met that bastard after I broke up with her."

Feng Hongjian's brows relaxed slightly: "You should be more careful in the future, and stop calling me a bastard."

Feng Rui didn't say anything, but he hated Tian Manman to the core, and by extension, he hated Feng Hongjian as well.

Feng Hongjian told Feng Rui to rest well, while he pondered something. He didn't even know where Cong'er lived, so he figured he'd have to talk to Wang Li about it.

——

"He only got a beating, that's too good for him." Tian Qiao stretched her wrists, feeling that she hadn't had enough.

Cheng Zhiyu said, "How can I just take a beating?"

Tian Qiao became interested upon hearing this: "Chengzi, you're the most cunning one, what other ideas do you have?"

Cheng Zhiyu: "..."

Tian Qiao chuckled: "It's a compliment, a compliment."

Cheng Zhiyu was speechless: "According to the laws before the apocalypse, their whole family should be in jail for a few years, right?"

Tian Qiao nodded: "That's true, but isn't this the apocalypse? Calling the police won't help."

Zhou Min, standing to the side, seemed to be deep in thought.

Cheng Zhiyu looked at him: "I've heard before that the base also has a small prison, right?"

Zhou Min nodded: "That's true. However, that small prison is usually for people who have committed serious crimes. Whether they are superhumans or ordinary people, once they make a mistake, they will be locked up."

Unless it's a particularly serious mistake, they won't be sentenced to death, but isn't this the apocalypse? The base provides food and lodging every day, but the pressure is immense, and it actually feels like a welfare program, so these people definitely can't just do nothing; they'll be assigned to do some dangerous tasks.

Ordinary people are assigned to mining or something similar, while those with superpowers are tasked with clearing out zombies in the neighborhood every day.

After listening, Cheng Zhiyu looked at the group and asked, "Do you think that if an opportunity were presented to Feng Rui, he would care about whether it was compliant with regulations?"

Tian Qiao scoffed: "I'm not saying this to be mean, but those kinds of people definitely don't care."

Cheng Zhiyu smiled and said, "Then let's give it a try."

Tian Qiao and the others rubbed their shoulders, not knowing why, but they felt that Cheng Zhiyu's smile was strangely creepy.

Tian Manman, standing to the side, was deeply moved, knowing that they were all doing it for her.

As for Xiao Hei, he looked up at Cheng Zhiyu, staring intently. Lately, he's been staring at Cheng Zhiyu a lot, and everyone's gotten used to it.

Besides arranging things for the Feng family, Cheng Zhiyu and his team are also looking for a way to find the blueprints for the machine gun.

Upon hearing this, Zhou Min said, "I can help ask my brother's comrades."

Cheng Zhiyu knew that Zhou Min's brother's comrade-in-arms was probably an official, and since the other party was a soldier before the apocalypse, he did have connections.

But: "Will he agree?"

Zhou Min wasn't sure either: "The most advanced ones definitely won't work, but older models should be fine, right? I even searched online before the apocalypse; you can find blueprints online."

Cheng Zhiyu hadn't searched for it, but after hearing Zhou Min say this, he felt it shouldn't be difficult to negotiate, although there would definitely be something to exchange.

"Then I'll leave it to you." Cheng Zhiyu said earnestly.

Zhou Min became embarrassed instead: "I was just asking, what's the big deal, cough cough... what are we having for dinner tonight?"

Cheng Zhiyu found it amusing; he realized that everyone around him was a foodie.

The next day, Wang Li brought a message with a complicated expression: "Feng Hongjian came to me yesterday and said, 'You guys beat up Feng Rui, you should be sane now, right?'"

Tian Qiao was surprised: "He's not angry at all?"

Wang Li shook her head: "He didn't seem angry at all. I felt like he was saying, 'If you hit my son, don't hit me.'"

Zhou Min complained, "This father-son relationship is so fake."

Tian Manman was stunned for a moment: "Before... when Feng Rui hit me, he was like this too... completely unconcerned."

Tian Qiao patted Tian Manman on the shoulder: "Don't think too much about it. He's a jerk. I reckon that in his heart, he thinks he's number one, and no one can compare to him."

Tian Manman nodded. He no longer cared, and besides, he was already very happy to have so many friends.

Cheng Zhiyu laughed: "So, he sent this message to make amends? Why does he think Manman will forgive him?"

Tian Manman said, "In the past, only Feng Rui... they bullied me, but Feng Hongjian did not."

Cheng Zhiyu and the others frowned. They didn't think Feng Hongjian was a good person. How could someone be a good person if he coldly watched his son being treated like that?

He was utterly indifferent. Even if he didn't commit violence, his cold-bloodedness meant he was just letting Tian Manman be bullied. So he couldn't escape blame for the bullying Tian Manman suffered!

Tian Manman isn't stupid, and she won't have any tenderness towards Feng Hongjian. Even if she did in the past, it has long since disappeared during the days and nights she's been tormented.

Wang Li quickly explained, "I came here not to plead for him or anything, but just to tell you what I know."

Cheng Zhiyu nodded: "Thank you. If he contacts you again, just ignore him."

Wang Li nodded, understanding Cheng Zhiyu and the others' attitude.

Zhou Min went to contact his brother's comrade-in-arms, Tian Qiao took Tian Manman to wander around the base, and Cheng Zhiyu didn't go out, as he was thinking about planting the seeds he had bought.

After all, the land in the system space has expanded a bit, so we can grow some more things now.

Although they have no shortage of food and drink now, Cheng Zhiyu is very aware of potential dangers. He can only feel at ease when there are enough things in his storage space.

Seeing Xiao Hei squatting to the side, Cheng Zhiyu picked him up. Looking at the adorable Xiao Hei, his voice unconsciously tightened: "Sweetie, I'm going to the system space later, and I'll probably be there for a few hours. You'll get bored if you're alone. Do you want to go out with Tian Qiao and the others?"

Xiao Hei scratched its ear with its paw, looked at Cheng Zhiyu's face magnified, and pretended to be calm: "I'm not going, I want to sleep."

Cheng Zhiyu knew that Xiao Hei was prone to drowsiness, so he didn't insist: "Okay, then you can sleep well."

However, he looked at Xiao Hei with some concern.

The little black tail stiffened. Why did it make that expression? Was there something wrong with it?

Cheng Zhiyu became worried: "Xiao Hei, you don't seem to have grown at all? What's going on? You've always looked like a puppy. Is there something wrong with you?"

The little black tail stiffened even more, and it looked at Cheng Zhiyu with a mournful expression: "You praised me for being cute before."

Cheng Zhiyu was amused by Xiao Hei's expression: "Ah...Is that so? Although Xiao Hei is very cute like this, your health is more important."

Little Black was appeased and wagged its tail happily: "Don't worry, it's normal."

Although Cheng Zhiyu didn't understand how Xiao Hei knew whether something was normal or not, seeing how certain Xiao Hei was, he could only relax.

He placed Xiao Hei on the bed, patted it gently, and then went to the system space.

He would take some time to come in and look around every day, but he wouldn't stay for very long.

Cheng Zhiyu checked on Xiao Er and the others one by one. To his delight, Xiao Juan's life force had reached 98%, and he estimated that it would enter maturity by tomorrow at the latest.

He patted Xiao Juan with satisfaction, then went to check on Xiao Qiang. He had previously given Xiao Qiang a plant-type crystal core, which Xiao Qiang had already absorbed. Cheng Zhiyu checked Xiao Qiang's information and found that the other party was almost on the verge of advancing to level two.

Xiao Er and Xiao Tie are now at level three, while Xiao Huang is still pitifully at level one. Cheng Zhiyu is quite helpless; it's not easy to find mental crystal cores.

Then he looked at the ordinary plants. The cucumbers and tomatoes had grown a lot, so he picked them all and put them in the storage space.

As for the potatoes, the leaves have turned yellow and they need to be dug up. Cheng Zhijie planted five at the time, so it won't take long to dig them up.

He took a shovel and began to carefully dig up potatoes. The potatoes he dug up were as big as a palm, and there were an astonishing number of potatoes on one plant, a total of fifteen, and none of them were small.

The potato planted next to the small iron still mutated, turning completely black with a metallic sheen. Cheng Zhiyu guessed it was like a black and white cabbage with a hard metallic shell on the outside.

This shell is quite sturdy. I'll use it to make some weapons for Tian Manman and Zhou Min later. Tian Qiao can conjure ice arrows, so she doesn't need this.

All five potato plants had a high yield, with the largest plant having eighteen potatoes and the smallest having thirteen. Given their large size, Cheng Zhiyu estimated that they wouldn't fit in a single sack.

He dug up potatoes, his face beaming with the joy of a bountiful harvest.

Then came the watermelons. Cheng Zhiyu planned to pick all the ripe watermelons and then dig up the vines to make it easier to plant new plants.

As he was picking watermelons, he noticed something and thought he was seeing things. After looking at it carefully, he was stunned.

He clearly remembered that the watermelons here had been picked before, and he was sure he wasn't mistaken, because there were still watermelon vines that he had cut.

But now, a watermelon the size of a finger has grown on the watermelon vine!

Watermelons don't seem like they can grow back after being picked, right? Soon, Cheng Zhiyu realized that the watermelon planted next to Xiao Huang had also mutated.

He used to think nothing had changed, but now it seems the change is that the watermelons that have been picked can regenerate!

This means that many plants that need to be dug up and replanted after bearing fruit once have become like fruit trees, which can grow back after being picked.

Unlike fruit trees, which grow only once a year, the plant next to Xiao Huang grows back after the fruit is picked.

I just don't know how many times it will grow; it can't grow indefinitely, can it?

Cheng Zhiyu was somewhat pleased, as this was clearly a good thing for someone like him who had relatively little land.

He silently took out his notebook and wrote down what changes would occur to the plants next to Little Yellow.

This notebook is what he usually uses to record things. The plants he grows in the system space have a completely different growth cycle than ordinary plants, whether due to the soil or the influence of special plants.

Cheng Zhiyu didn't know anything about planting it for the first time, so he made a special note of it so he could gain experience later.

Since the watermelon vines would still bear watermelons, Cheng Zhiyu couldn't bear to dig them up.

After thinking about it, he decided to plant the wheat next to Xiao Huang. Fortunately, the area of ​​the system space had expanded, and there was another space available next to Xiao Huang.

Without further ado, Cheng Zhiyu began digging and sowing wheat seeds.

There wasn't much land next to Xiao Huang, so Cheng Zhiyu simply planted it next to Xiao Qiang as well. He was very curious about what changes would occur to the plants planted next to Xiao Qiang.

Actually, it's not very cost-effective to grow wheat on the land. Growing vegetables can produce a lot, but wheat is different. The yield is not as high as that of vegetables, and the wheat that grows is not flour. One pound of wheat cannot be milled into one pound of flour.

However, Cheng Zhiyu found that he was running low on flour. In addition, the vegetables grown in the system space were producing a good yield. Although they were currently eating a limited variety of vegetables, they were not lacking in vegetables.

Moreover, some space was made up around Xiao Er and Xiao Tie.

Cheng Zhiyu planted green beans and lettuce next to Xiao Er, and eggplants and pumpkins next to Xiao Tie.

When the lettuce grows leaves, it can also be eaten as a vegetable.

The place had become larger, and it took more time. By the time Cheng Zhiyu finished, three hours had passed.

He straightened up, thinking to himself that if this had happened before, he would have been too tired to stand up straight.

The hardship of farming is different from other kinds of hardship. For example, you have to bend over for a long time, and after a while, the soreness is unbearable...

After finishing his work, he stood with his hands on his hips, looking at the land he had planted, and a sense of satisfaction welled up inside him. Indeed, the Chinese people have the gene for farming in their blood.

Cheng Zhiyu left the system space and saw Xiao Hei lying on the bed sleeping. He couldn't help but slow his pace, intending to go out and take a shower. He had just been sweating, and his hands were covered in mud.

As a result, Xiao Hei's ears twitched, it woke up, and it tried to jump into Cheng Zhiyu's arms.

Cheng Zhiyu quickly dodged, saying, "No, I'm dirty. Let me go wash up."

Xiao Hei glanced at the dust on Cheng Zhiyu's body and the mud on his hands, and sure enough, stopped not far from him, then used his water-based superpower to wash him off.

Compared to the high-pressure water jets used on others, the water was much gentler on Cheng Zhiyu. It was as if the water had turned into silk, gently wiping away the dirt from Cheng Zhiyu's body.

Cheng Zhiyu picked it up again: "Thanks, Xiao Hei~"

Xiao Hei jumped into his arms contentedly, and Cheng Zhiyu rubbed the dog's head: "But I just sweated and feel a little uncomfortable, so I still need to take a shower."

Xiao Hei's ears twitched, and it glanced at Cheng Zhiyu, seemingly somewhat dissatisfied.

Cheng Zhiyu chuckled: "Oh dear, you're not a germaphobe anymore? You're even snuggling into my arms."

Xiao Hei: What do you mean by snuggling into your arms! I... I just consider this place my nest, I'm used to it, um... that's it!

Cheng Zhiyu, unaware of Xiao Hei's thoughts, put him down and went to take a shower.

After washing, he picked up his dirty clothes to clean them, only to find that there was a lot of dog hair on them. He hadn't noticed it at all because he was wearing black clothes.

But Xiao Hei used to never shed. Cheng Zhiyu even touched it and it really didn't shed a single hair. At the time, he muttered to himself, "Dog demons are indeed different from ordinary dogs."

As a result, Little Black is now shedding its fur.

Cheng Zhiyu's heart tightened, and he was worried that something might be wrong with Xiao Hei's health. He immediately forgot about washing clothes and rushed to find Xiao Hei.

In the bedroom, Xiao Hei was nowhere to be found, and the bed was empty. Cheng Zhiyu hadn't noticed before, but now that he looked closely, good heavens, the bed was covered in dog hair.

His expression turned serious; the little black hair was falling out more severely than he had imagined.

When Xiao Hei came in, he saw this scene. Cheng Zhiyu frowned as he looked at the hair scattered on the bed. He froze. Oh no, he forgot that it was shedding season!

Looking at Cheng Zhiyu's expression, Xiao Hei couldn't help but recall his own experience of being disliked by his father during his molting season. The father complained that he shed too much fur and wouldn't hold him, which led to his mother giving his father a severe beating.

Cheng Zhiyu... wouldn't dislike him too? He didn't feel anything when his father disliked him before, after all, he didn't like being held by the other party anyway. His father never held the little one, he always picked him up instead of holding him.

However, if it were Cheng Zhiyu instead... Xiao Hei used to feel awkward being carried around by a human when he was almost an adult, but now he's gotten used to it.

If Cheng Zhiyu refuses to hug him, then he… Xiao Hei silently gritted his teeth.

"Xiao Hei, where did you go?" Cheng Zhiyu breathed a sigh of relief when he saw Xiao Hei, then frowned and picked him up. "Let me see, what's wrong with you? Why are you shedding so much?"

Xiao Hei's tail, which had been wagging happily, suddenly froze, and its round eyes immediately turned into half-circles as it glared fiercely at Cheng Zhiyu: "You're complaining about my shedding?"

After saying that, he stared intently at Cheng Zhiyu. If the other party dared to nod, he would immediately... immediately run away from home!

Cheng Zhiyu was taken aback, not quite understanding Xiao Hei's thought process: "Why would I dislike you?... It just feels a bit abnormal. Didn't you never shed before? Could there be something wrong with your body?"

After hearing Cheng Zhiyu's words, Xiao Hei was stunned for a moment, then wagged its tail happily. It remembered what its father had said before: "Yar, it's not that I dislike you, it's just that the shedding is too annoying. I believe no one can stand fur flying everywhere. It's like snow, and it sticks to clothes and can't be washed off. If you meet someone who doesn't mind your shedding, then he's either out of his mind or he's fallen in love with you."

At that moment, Xiao Hei was too lazy to listen to so much nonsense, so he went straight for the kill: "Does my mother dislike your shedding?"

The king paused for a moment, then raised his voice eight times: "That's different! Your mother is very clean, how could she complain about me shedding?"

Xiao Hei: Oh, I've broken through.

At this moment, Xiao Hei's mind was filled with his father's words. Zhi Yu seemed quite smart, so his brain shouldn't be broken... No, he shook his head violently, feeling that his brain had broken, that he actually believed his father's nonsense.

Cheng Zhiyu was extremely worried when he saw Xiao Hei not saying a word, sometimes frowning and sometimes shaking his head. Could something really have happened?

I wonder if there's a veterinarian at the base. No, wait, Xiao Hei is a dog demon, can a veterinarian even treat him?

"I'm shedding my fur," came Xiao Hei's voice.

"Huh?" Cheng Zhiyu snapped out of his daze: "Is that normal?"

When Xiao Hei heard that Cheng Zhiyu didn't mind him, he happily darted around in his arms, saying, "Yes, after this period of time, I will grow up a bit."

Upon hearing this, Cheng Zhiyu smiled and said, "I see. I'm relieved."

Just then, Zhou Min's voice came from outside. The other party had returned from his brother's comrade-in-arms' place, and it was unclear how the inquiry had gone.