Chapter 61

Chapter 61

The chubby baby wailed "ah ah ah," demanding to be held by Daddy.

Huo Liangzhou handed the chubby baby over to Qi Mo.

Daddy was too tall, and the chubby baby wanted to grab food but couldn’t reach with his short arms.

Once in Daddy’s arms, things were different. Seeing Daddy’s attention on Papa, the chubby baby stealthily stretched out his tiny hand, snatched the fragrant treat, and stuffed it into his mouth.

Qi Mo stared in shock as the chubby baby shoved a roasted honeybee into his mouth.

"You’re this little and already stealing food?" Qi Mo quickly reached out to dig the roasted honeybee from the baby’s mouth.

Huo Liangzhou watched the cluelessly adorable expression on the baby’s face—utterly unaware of what had just happened—and chuckled. "He only wanted you to hold him so he could steal food."

Qi Mo shoved a piece of watermelon into the chubby baby’s mouth instead.

With sweet fruit to munch on, the chubby baby quickly forgot about Daddy stealing his food, squealing, "Ah ah ah, baby wants more..."

The sun slowly sank westward.

Qi Mo spoke up, "We don’t have mineral resources or coal here. My younger brother-in-law cut some trees. If the rainy season lasts too long, we’ll need to cut more in preparation."

During the rainy season, trees were a non-renewable resource.

"And, honey, have you talked to the village chief and the others about cutting down the trees near the village? In case of fire, to keep it from spreading to our homes," Qi Mo asked.

After all, water was precious now—if it was used to put out fires, there’d be none left to drink.

Huo Liangzhou responded with a nod. "I’ll go tell the village chief and have the villagers chop trees to stock up on firewood."

Watching Huo Liangzhou walk away, Qi Mo let out a relieved sigh—the pressure eased slightly once the tall man was gone.

There was something different about this man. Were these extra memories making him so irresistible?

He was downright mesmerizing.

This never happened in their past life.

Huo Liangzhou found the village chief and the elder clan leader and explained the situation. Immediately, they realized the urgency.

With no more gas available, once trees became a non-renewable resource, there might not even be firewood left for cooking. They had to act now while trees were still abundant.

It might seem like the mountains had endless trees, but Taohua Town had over a hundred thousand people.

Yuncheng had a population in the millions. Without natural gas, people still needed to eat, and once the trees were gone, they’d be gone for good.

They couldn’t control outsiders, but they had to look after the villagers of Huojia Village.

So, at their urging, the villagers grabbed axes, saws, and machetes and set out to chop trees, starting from the outskirts of the village.

The setting sun painted the sky in fiery hues…

Qi Mo strapped the chubby baby into the stroller while Snowball hopped into the back on her own. Qiu Qiu leaped in too, and Qi Mo rubbed his belly—the little one had snuggled inside again.

Huo Liangzhou also went to chop trees. Since everyone was going, it wouldn’t look good to stay behind.

There was some firewood at home, chopped by his younger brother, but it wouldn’t last eight months. They needed more—even if only to keep up appearances.

He stripped off his shirt and tied it around his waist, his muscles rippling with each swing of the axe, sweat trickling down his chiseled frame...

Qi Mo stole a few glances, then wanted to gouge his own eyes out.

In his current state, he couldn't withstand even the slightest temptation.

The weather was unbearably hot, yet lustful urges stirred inside him, surging fiercely...

"Husband, I'll take the baby back first to cook," Qi Mo beat a hasty retreat.

Huo Liangzhou watched the little lord run off, a smile in his eyes. With every swing of the axe, his strength seemed to grow.

Though he had fragments of memories, his strength was insufficient, and the memories were scattered, requiring him to slowly piece them together again.

Qi Mo returned home, placed the baby in the living room to play, left Snowball to watch over him, and headed into the kitchen.

Now that the sun had set, temps barely dipped to 104-108°F. Later, when they hit 122°F, cooking would be torture—might as well cook extra now.

He took out the potatoes, peeled them, shredded them, and soaked them in water...

He chopped the tomatoes and whisked the eggs.

He peeled the winter melon, sliced it, pulled out some pre-cooked pork, and stewed it together.

He heated oil in the pan and scrambled the eggs.

He set the eggs aside, stir-fried the tomatoes until soft, then added the eggs back to soak up the juices.

He blanched the potatoes, added chili oil, stir-fried, then vinegar—sour and spicy, Qi Mo's favorite...

One by one, the dishes were packed into steel containers and stored in his spatial inventory.

Qi Mo started steaming rice...

Before he knew it, night fell. The chubby baby crawled over and tugged at his father's pant leg.

Picking up the baby, he carried him to the bathroom, poured water to wash his hands and face. Then, holding the chubby child in his arms, Qi Mo stepped outside, wondering what was keeping Huo Liangzhou.

Under the starry sky, Qi Mo reached where Huo Liangzhou was chopping wood: "Husband, it's getting dark. Time to come home and eat. You can chop more tomorrow."

Huo Liangzhou replied, "Momo, bring me some food and water. There's plenty of moonlight tonight—I can see clearly, and it's not as hot. I'll keep at it a while longer."

"Alright, I'll go back and get it," Qi Mo said.

He carried the chubby baby back home.

Watching Qi Mo leave, Huo Jianian, standing nearby, spoke up: "Brother, Huo Liangzhou really likes that Qi Mo. Give it up already. Grandpa's on his last legs—figure out how to get us more food. We're running dangerously low."

Huo Jiayun glanced at his younger brother. This time returning from Haicheng, he'd been through hell.

All along the way, people were killing for scraps—no water, no food. Cities were chaos, everyone fleeing to the countryside...

Only to return and find Grandpa and Grandma hadn't stocked enough supplies.

Goddamn morons.

What use was that money now? Not even good as toilet paper.

"Brother Liangzhou, I brought you some water—spiked with mint," Huo Jiayun made his way toward him from the edge of the woods.

Huo Liangzhou glanced at the person emerging from the darkness and refused, "No need. My Momo will bring food soon. Stay away from me—it might make my wife jealous and upset him."

Huo Xiaoyu came back from bringing food to Eldest Brother Huo and her father, by which time Qin Lan was already out on patrol.

Nowadays, the village had to guard against outside raiders, Mutant Beasts, and even possible fires.

Seeing Huo Jianian approaching Huo Liangzhou in the dark, Huo Xiaoyu frowned and said, "If you're so desperate for a man, go find one yourself. Stop panting after someone else's husband."

"Who's this brazen hussy, always eyeing other people's men?" Chen Xia chimed in, hefting a tree over her shoulder.

Qi Mo packed up rice, red-braised pork, scrambled eggs with tomatoes, and stewed winter melon into lunch boxes.

He settled the baby into the stroller and placed the lunch boxes underneath before pushing it over. Hearing the commotion nearby, Qi Mo immediately lit the hurricane lantern.

The light instantly dispelled the darkness, and when Qi Mo saw Huo Jiayun, he saw red.

"Huo Jiayun, why is it always you? Why do you keep panting after other people's husbands? Get lost, or I'll beat you up. My husband wouldn't look twice if you were buck naked, let alone in your current state," Qi Mo scolded.

Back then, Huo Jiayun had been passably attractive. Now, his face was sunburned with red patches, sallow and emaciated, his hair dry and tangled—frankly, he looked rather ugly.

Huo Jiayun, fresh from barely surviving his ordeal, couldn't resist coming to see Huo Liangzhou. Not only was he rejected, but he was also ganged up on. Furious, he snapped, "Qi Mo, what are you so proud of? You just sneaked into his bed. If you hadn't gotten pregnant, Eldest Brother Huo wouldn't have given you a second glance."

Hearing this, Huo Liangzhou coughed lightly and corrected, "Let me clarify—it wasn't Momo who sneaked into bed. I was the one who purposely sought him out."

"So it wasn't luck. I intentionally pursued Momo, and I'm quite proud of it—I swept him off his feet, and we got our baby on the first try," Huo Liangzhou chuckled.

This time, in this life, Huo Liangzhou finally laid his cards on the table in front of the young master.

Before, he'd thought it was something unspoken.

After all, admitting he'd engineered things like this was a bit embarrassing.

But now, after recovering fragments of his memories and experiencing the heart-wrenching despair of losing the young master, Huo Liangzhou realized—if you love someone, say it boldly. Otherwise, how would they know?

The young master might seem easygoing and good-tempered, but deep down, he was still indifferent. You could be right in front of him every day and he'd still look straight through you.

Huo Xiaoyu squealed with delight, "Wow, I'm witnessing true love!"

"Starting today, I believe in love again! Momo, hold onto your man—don't let any homewreckers steal him away," she said cheerfully.

If phones still worked, she'd be sharing this hot tea with her friends in a heartbeat.

Alas, she could only rush home to spill the beans to her family.

Chen Xia shook her head at the scene. Young people these days were so passionate—throwing PDA around everywhere.

Huo Jiayun, enraged, pointed accusingly, "You—you're all too much! Huo Liangzhou, get over yourself. There are plenty of men in the world—I was just saying hello!"

Huo Liangzhou shot back, "Good. I hope you remember those words."

Humiliated, Huo Jiayun took off in a huff.

Huo Xiaoyu gave Momo a wave before leaving.

Seeing the matter settled, Chen Xia hefted her timber and headed home.

Huo Liangzhou carried a hurricane lamp and brought the young master to a clearing.

A few massive boulders stood in the area.

Qi Mo took out the food and placed it on the rocks: "You must be hungry. There are only three dishes—help yourself."

The family of four—Qiu Qiu was being lazy again and had snuggled back into her daddy's belly to hide.

Kitty Snowball was a total foodie and had its own dish lid, while Chubby baby's meals came from portions shared by his daddy and father.

The braised pork was soft and tender, melting on the tongue.

So good—Chubby baby loved it.

In the stroller, the chubby baby couldn't have bugs, but surely he could eat meat, right? He gaped hungrily, waiting for his daddy to feed him.

Qi Mo took a bite of meat but found it a little too greasy.

He gave a piece to Kitty Snowball and a tiny bit of meat to Chubby baby, then picked up another piece and held it out to Huo Liangzhou: "You need your strength—eat more meat."

Huo Liangzhou smiled, watching as the young master slyly passed off the dishes he didn’t like.

He opened his mouth and ate it. Even if it were poison, as long as the young master fed it to him, how could he refuse?

After finishing the egg in his mouth, Chubby baby started whining again—he wanted meat! Why did everything that went into his mouth taste wrong? It wasn’t the flavor he wanted.

"Baby wants meat," Huo Liangzhou said.

Qi Mo refused: "One piece is enough. Too much meat will give him tummy trouble."

Huo Liangzhou glanced at Chubby baby and shrugged. Daddy stuck up for him, but there was no way around it—his father thought it would cause digestion problems. So he’d have to endure it. When he grew a little older and his father decided he could eat more, then he could have all he wanted...

After dinner, Huo Liangzhou hoisted a tree and saw the young master home.

"Take a bath and rest early. I’ll fell ten more trees and then come back," Huo Liangzhou said to the young master.

Qi Mo nodded. "Don’t overwork yourself."

"Okay," Huo Liangzhou agreed.

After bathing Chubby baby and then himself, Qi Mo collapsed onto the bamboo mat, his entire body aching with exhaustion—so tired, so tired, so tired...

The man had been here for less than twenty-four hours, and already a third of that time had been spent on baby-making.

No, if this continued, he’d be worked to death.

He needed to find a way to burn off some of that endless energy.

Ax blows rang out through the forest.

Huo Liangzhou locked onto the coordinates of Jiangcheng’s office. He still worried about his younger brother’s situation.

Chen Feng was still out there, and Huo Liangzhou wasn’t entirely sure whose psychic power that had been back then. He had acted too fast—that was the downside.

Besides, Huo Family Village wasn’t safe. He needed to find a way to get the young master to come home.

The mutant bees in Haicheng had to be dealt with, or else they might swarm out of control—who knew how many people would die? Those bees would eventually start turning on humans.

The night was quiet. Behind the pig farm, in the stream, a swarm of ants the size of thumbs was moving outward.

The leftovers from the mutant wolves had spurred their evolution into something even stronger...