Chapter 71

Chapter 71

Qi Mo didn’t quite understand the conversation between his husband and the chubby little one.

After all, the meows of cat-speak were something Qi Mo couldn’t fully grasp.

However, it seemed the chubby baby wasn’t scared at all, still leisurely wagging his little tail.

At noon, they ate in the cafeteria.

This meal was a bit painful for Qi Mo—a bowl of thick rice porridge, two hand-sized steamed flatbreads, a small plate of pickles, and a potato the size of two fingers.

Qi Mo glanced at Huo Liangzhou, blinking his big eyes with pleading puppy-dog eyes.

Huo Liangzhou couldn’t resist that look.

Beside them, Huo Liangchuan watched Xiao Mo silently and then quietly passed over his potato.

The flatbreads were bland, the pickles too salty.

The potato was also tasteless, with only the rice porridge having a normal flavor.

Qi Mo didn’t complain, mainly because his bowl of porridge was much thicker than others’, even Huo Liangzhou’s.

Patting the young master’s head, Huo Liangzhou comforted him, “We’ll make do with lunch. There’ll be meat porridge for dinner.”

Qi Mo pulled Huo Liangzhou back to their room. “I don’t like it here. I want to go back to the village.”

Being socially anxious, being stared at by so many people made him downright uncomfortable…

Huo Liangzhou looked at the pitiful young master and agreed, “Alright, we’ll go back tonight. It’s not good to have private meals with so many people watching.”

Qi Mo fed the chubby baby some formula.

At noon, the chubby baby had only eaten a little rice porridge—it wasn’t to his taste.

The rice Huo Liangzhou had was from the processing plant, naturally not as good as the kind Qi Mo specifically bought.

Though the chubby baby couldn’t speak yet and was still young, he could still tell whether the food tasted good or not.

The chubby baby was quite the little food critic.

Qi Mo hadn’t eaten nearly enough. After returning to the room, he took out a box of stuffed rice balls.

Huo Liangzhou swiped two—following the young master meant getting good food.

Qi Mo took a playful bite at the food thief.

At noon, the room was heating up, and the ice needed to be moved to the greenhouse.

Qi Mo carried the chubby baby in his arms down to the basement, feeling that their current method of using ice was terribly wasteful.

“You should install flexible tubing to transfer the cold air upstairs,” he suggested grumbling. “That way, the ice remains clustered and doesn’t melt as easily. Otherwise, the water you’ve stored won’t be enough.”

Chen Lei, who overheard Qi Mo’s words, perked up at once and ran off to ask Huo Liangzhou if this could be done.

Huo Liangchuan said it was possible—this was his specialty, and he could make it happen.

It just hadn’t occurred to him before.

Huo Liangzhou walked downstairs and saw the young master lying in the refrigeration room. Where did this stroller come from?

Chubby baby was lying in the stroller, already asleep, with a small blanket covering his waist.

"One minute hot, one minute cold—you’ll catch a chill. You came up with a great idea for your man," Huo Liangzhou said with a smile.

Huo Liangzhou could clearly sense that the crops were mutating as they warmed—they were becoming more heat-resistant.

However, this process was somewhat slow, so they needed to give the plants time to adapt.

Qi Mo popped a lollipop into his mouth—sweet, creamy, and delicious.

Just as Qi Mo was dozing off, someone came down from above and shouted, "Boss! Qi Huai sent a messenger—he wants to talk cooperation with us."

Huo Liangchuan jolted in surprise and immediately shushed the person. He was watching chubby baby sleep—the big brother and Xiao Mo’s little one was ridiculously cute, impossible not to adore...

Qi Mo jolted awake, eyes wide open. He thought he heard someone mention Qi Huai.

Huo Liangchuan looked at his elder brother and Xiao Mo, whispering, "What should we do? Why would he want to work with us? I mean, teaming up with the government makes way more sense."

Huo Liangzhou turned to the young master and asked, "Momo, what do you think?"

Qi Mo rubbed his eyes. "A weasel paying respects to a chicken—nothing but bad intentions."

"If we go, it'll be like feeding meat to a dog—no getting it back," Qi Mo added.

Huo Liangzhou ruffled the young master’s head and chuckled. "You heard him."

Huo Liangchuan nodded. "Elder brother, got it. I’ll turn them down. But if we do, some of our folks might bolt."

Huo Liangzhou also knew that with food and water elsewhere, people would inevitably be drawn away.

Chen Lei sighed upon hearing this. They all knew the situation, but how could they stop starving people?

"We’re stretched thin as it is. If some leave, so be it. We’ll keep whoever we can," Huo Liangzhou said.

Huo Liangchuan went to reject the envoy sent by Qi Huai.

This decision made the already jittery security team even more anxious.

Everyone started murmuring among themselves.

The sleeping Qi Mo was vaguely disturbed by the noise. Someone had come looking for Huo Liangzhou—an old employee from the Huo family who knew a bit about the feud between Qi Mo and Qi Huai.

"Although Master Qi and the Prophet had some misunderstandings before, today's messenger said the Prophet doesn’t care about such small stuff anymore and has long forgiven his cousin. Boss Huo, why would you refuse? Once the Prophet’s recruitment quota fills up, we won’t get another chance," the old employee anxiously said to Huo Liangzhou.

Huo Liangzhou looked at the veteran in the security department and replied, "Are you sure Qi Huai really forgave him? His father is still left to rot with his eyes wide open."

"Momo stabbed him because he tried to kill Momo. Do you really think hatred that deep can just vanish? I’ve said it—if you don’t want to stay with the Huo family, feel free to go to Qi Huai. I’ll give you some supplies, and we’ll call it even. But if anyone crosses me, no matter where they run, I will never forgive them." Huo Liangzhou’s icy gaze swept across the people in the lobby.

Wu Di stepped forward. "Break it up, folks. Boss Huo’s decisions always make sense. When has Boss Huo ever been wrong?"

"Besides, we won’t stop anyone who wants out. You’re welcome to sign up with Qi Huai’s so-called ‘Divine Paradise’ anytime," Wu Di added.

As soon as news about Qi Huai’s side broke, Wu Di had his guys check it out.

The result was exactly what the kid had said—like feeding meat to a dog. No coming back.

The ones who came back looked fine on the outside, maybe even healthier, but something was off—totally brainwashed into fanatics. It was terrifying, like they’d lost their damn minds.

Eating your fill and drinking your fill is important.

But if one's thoughts aren't even free and are controlled by others, what's the point of being well-fed?

Wu Di would rather stick with Boss Huo, eating porridge and pickles, than have his mind controlled.

The Huo family’s security team was in turmoil.

When Qi Huai got the rejection, he just smirked. Huo Liangzhou could turn him down once, twice, a hundred times, but when there was no water or food left, Qi Huai wanted to see how Huo Liangzhou could refuse him again.

He wanted Huo Liangzhou groveling at his feet.

He wanted Huo Liangzhou to watch Qi Mo calm the fanatics—now that’d be a sight to see.

And that little brat—he’d once thought about grooming him right, but now, taking over the young master’s duties would be just fine.

The thought made Qi Huai burst out laughing.

"Send word to Huo Liangzhou’s camp—tell them how much grain and fruit we harvest in a day. Bring some tomatoes, eat them in front of them, and give them some," Qi Huai ordered.

The men on their knees scrambled to obey.

Qi Huai called a meeting to rope in more allies.

Seeing his security team in disarray, Huo Liangzhou went to find the young master.

Qi Mo hauled Chubby baby back to their room, but many people from the ice-making room came running, even urging him to apologize to Qi Huai.

Apologize my ass. He’d done nothing wrong—it was all payback.

As he pushed the door open, Huo Liangzhou ruffled the troubled young master’s hair. "Stop worrying. I’ve got this, baby. Have a little faith in your man, alright?"

Qi Mo hooked his arms around Huo Liangzhou’s neck. "Of course I have faith in you. But there are too many people—it’s so noisy. They hate my guts."

Huo Liangzhou chuckled at the young master’s complaint. "You’re not cash, sweetheart—not everyone’s gotta like you. As long as I like you, isn’t that enough?"

He kissed Qi Mo deep, leaving his lips swollen, then murmured: "Later, I’ll take you and the baby back to the village. If we stay, Qi Huai might pull something."

Qi Mo perked up at the mention of going home.

"Home’s way better. I’ll set up an ice-making room too," Qi Mo said.

Skipping dinner, Huo Liangzhou summoned Kitty Snowball and sent the young master and the baby back to Huo Village.

As soon as they got home, Qi Mo took out a few ice packs, poured water into them, and fanned them a few times. The room chilled fast…

The young master buzzed around, grinning like a kid.

"What do you want for dinner? I’ll cook for you," Huo Liangzhou said.

Qi Mo replied, "I want rice. Are you going back tonight?"

Huo Liangzhou nodded. "From now on, I’ll go there during the day like going to work and come back to you at night."

Qi Mo nodded. "That’s the only way. If my brother gets tricked, we’re screwed."

Who cared if Qi Huai brainwashed the others? But if his brother-in-law fell under his influence, it would be a huge problem.

Huo Liangzhou started the rice, then grabbed beef tenderloin from Qi Mo, plus an onion and two tomatoes.

The dinner was simple.

A tomato egg soup, a stir-fried beef dish, and a smacked cucumber salad.

Qi Mo's mouth watered—the beef was tender and smooth, the cucumber crisp and refreshing, while the tomato soup carried a hint of natural tanginess.

The chubby little one loved the tomato soup, though of course, he also wanted to eat the beef. Unfortunately, his daddy only gave him one piece, and even that was briefly blanched in hot water.

After the meal, Huo Liangzhou told the little master to stay put and to send Snowball to find him if anything came up.

Then, Huo Liangzhou headed to Jiangcheng, where the security team was in disarray. His presence was needed to stabilize things over the next few days.

Faced with Huo Liangzhou's ungratefulness, the messenger envoy was indignant. After all, countless people were begging for cooperation, yet their Divine Envoy had refused them all.

The Divine Envoy was even willing to give Huo Liangzhou a chance, yet this fool still didn't appreciate it.

"Huo Liangzhou is only relying on his growing facility. If that facility is gone, with so many people to feed, how will he manage? He’ll have no choice but to come crawling to the Divine Envoy," the envoy declared.

Several of the earliest envoys gathered together. "Burn it down."

"No, what if people die in the fire? The Divine Envoy still values Huo Liangzhou highly. We can damage his property, but not the man himself," one envoy countered.

"We can secretly recruit some followers there, then steal Huo Liangzhou's food supplies. Without food, he’ll have no choice but to come crawling to the Divine Envoy," another envoy suggested.

Instantly, their faces brightened with the idea.

"That’s a great idea! Who among us is familiar with someone over there? Let’s send over some local fruits, veggies, and water," one envoy proposed.

Soon, they found someone acquainted with an employee from Huo Liangzhou’s security department.

As the sun set, coloring the sky, this person carried a backpack filled with local fruits, vegetables, and water toward the security department building of Huo Liangzhou.