Chapter 69

Chapter 69

Fang Guowei’s expression was serious. Cheng Zhiyu frowned and asked, “What’s going on?”

Grandpa Zhao looked distressed, sighing, “Someone secretly dug up the seeds of the Mutant Large Wheat.”

Mutant Large Wheat is a variety that has mutated to grow larger, with each grain almost the size of a palm.

They checked—about ten seeds had been dug up.

It was done covertly. Who would suspect someone of digging up seeds directly from the field? If the seeds didn’t sprout, people would naturally assume they simply hadn’t germinated.

However, the culprit likely didn’t anticipate Grandpa Zhao’s meticulous nature. He often strolled through the fields and keenly noticed that the soil in some spots looked different, as if it had been disturbed.

Later, he also found footprints in the field that didn’t belong to their farming team, who always walked carefully to avoid stepping on seeds and hindering germination.

Grandpa Zhao immediately dug up the areas where the soil looked unusual and, sure enough, found no seeds.

Given how large Mutant Large Wheat seeds are, their absence couldn’t be overlooked.

So, he promptly informed Fang Guowei.

Fang Guowei rushed over with others to investigate and discovered that more than just one seed had been taken.

There were signs of disturbed soil in other places as well, and they were certain it was the work of a person, not an animal like a groundhog.

Firstly, there were human footprints. Secondly, the culprit seemed to want to create the impression that the seeds hadn’t sprouted, so they dug them up intermittently.

If Grandpa Zhao hadn’t been so observant, they might have truly believed the seeds had failed to germinate.

The Mutant Ratoon Wheat, however, was untouched. Clearly, the culprit was well-informed about the different types of wheat.

Knowing that even if the Mutant Ratoon Wheat were dug up, it wouldn't yield much flour, the culprit was obviously planning to take the seeds to eat!

This infuriated Fang Guowei. They had toiled tirelessly, not even daring to touch the seeds themselves, hoping each one would grow into more grain, ensuring food security for everyone in the base.

They had been vigilant against pests and other threats, but it never occurred to them that they would have to guard against people within their own base!

Grandpa Zhao sighed, also feeling upset. But having experienced much in life, he quickly composed himself: “Guowei, there’s no need to get angry over this. The people in the base are also from our village. Everyone is human—it’s normal to have both good and bad.”

Fang Guowei understood, but he was still seething.

This thief was so shortsighted—stealing seeds of all things. He looked at Cheng Zhiyu, his face burning with embarrassment, especially since these mutant seeds had been provided by Cheng Zhiyu.

And he hadn't managed to keep them safe.

Cheng Zhiyu immediately understood Fang Guowei’s thoughts and said, “Uncle Fang, I’m not just trying to make you feel better, but this really isn’t your fault. Don’t shoulder all the blame. The seeds are planted in the field—how could you watch them every second? Blame only the person who dug them up.”

They shouldn’t have done it—they shouldn’t have dug up the seeds for their own gain.

If the base had no food and people were starving, it might be understandable, but they had just distributed rice not long ago. Things shouldn’t have come to this.

“Sigh,” Fang Guowei sighed. “From now on, I’ll keep watch over the fields myself. Let’s see who dares try stealing again!”

Cheng Zhiyu frowned. “We can’t just let this go. Otherwise, there will be no consequences for wrongdoing. Today it’s stealing seeds; tomorrow it will be stealing nearly ripe crops.”

Grandpa Zhao sighed. “If we don’t let it go, what else can we do? With so many people in the base, how can we possibly find out who did it?”

It was true. As long as the culprit only stole once, there was little they could do.

Cheng Zhiyu suggested, “Let’s take shifts guarding the field. If the culprit dares to come again, they’ll be caught red-handed. If they don’t, we’ll just have to intensify security when our crops mature.”

Fang Guowei nodded. That was indeed the only viable option.

“The seeds will sprout in the next couple of days. If the culprit still wants to steal, they’ll definitely try now.” Before Cheng Zhiyu could finish, Fang Guowei immediately stated that he would have people watching around the clock.

Grandpa Zhao added, “Let’s not spread word about this.”

If the person were caught, making it public would be fine. But for now, if word got out, it would only tip off the thief. If they ultimately couldn’t identify the culprit, some who were tempted but hesitant might conclude that there were no repercussions for such actions.

Everyone agreed, so the matter was quietly suppressed.

On the way back, Cheng Mo looked at Cheng Zhiyu and asked, “Zhiyu, are you in a bad mood?”

Cheng Zhiyu shook his head. “Not really. I was just thinking, some people are truly…”

He refused to let such individuals affect his mood. Indeed, normal people simply couldn’t comprehend the thought processes of such individuals.

“If we catch them, we’ll give them a beating,” Cheng Mo said, trying to cheer Cheng Zhiyu up.

Cheng Zhiyu indeed smiled. “You’d resort to vigilante justice?”

“Why not?” Cheng Mo saw nothing wrong with it. “Who told them to make Zhiyu unhappy?”

Cheng Zhiyu felt a warmth in his heart. “Alright, let’s not talk about this. Let’s hurry back and plant the trees. These trees have already borne fruit before, so we might get to eat peaches and cherries soon.”

“Are peaches and cherries both types of peaches?” Cheng Mo, coming from a culinary wasteland, asked.

Ah… This was the first time someone had asked this question. Cheng Zhiyu said, “I’m not sure either. They’re both called by these names, but they’re quite different. Well, you’ll find out when the time comes.”

Cheng Mo replied, “Oh.”

As they walked back, they saw a middle-aged man and woman arguing up ahead. One of them was familiar—Xiang Qizheng.

The other was Xiang Qizheng’s wife.

As soon as Xiang Qizheng saw Cheng Zhiyu, he glared at him but, afraid of him, quickly moved away.

Last time, he was thrown by Little Roll and nearly broke his back.

Xiang Qizheng immediately turned and left, afraid of being dealt with again. His wife stayed behind, awkwardly smiling at Cheng Zhiyu.

“Xiao Cheng, don’t take it to heart. Your uncle is just like that—petty and holds grudges,” Xiang Qizheng’s wife said apologetically.

Not far away, Xiang Qizheng, who heard every word clearly, angrily shouted, “Hurry up and follow me! Day in and day out, you’re the one with the most nonsense to say!”

Xiang Qizheng’s wife looked upset at being scolded and awkwardly smiled. “Uh… I’ll be going then. Don’t take it to heart, alright?”

You don’t hit a smiling person. Xiang Qizheng and his wife were two different people, and Cheng Zhiyu wouldn’t take his anger out on her. “Alright, auntie, you can go back.”

Xiang Qizheng’s wife smiled and turned to leave, sighing inwardly. Ah, this old Xiang, he’s really foolish.

Day in and day out… Cheng Zhiyu is, after all, a Superhuman, and I heard he’s now the most powerful Superhuman in the base. Even Yang Kai lost to him.

Someone this powerful, and old Xiang still dares to act arrogantly? It’s a good thing Cheng Zhiyu has a relatively good temper. If it were Yang Kai, he’d have taught him a lesson.

Thinking of something else, Xiang Qizheng’s wife furrowed her brows with worry and sighed.

“What are you sighing for? How unlucky!” Xiang Qizheng, already embarrassed from running away at the sight of Cheng Zhiyu, was even more irritated that his wife didn’t help him curse Cheng Zhiyu and instead lingered to say nice things.

He considered himself Cheng Zhiyu's elder, so how could an elder speak nicely to a junior? That's just improper!

He also felt that Cheng Zhiyu was ungrateful and was making him lose face.

"Oh my god, just stop talking!" Xiang Qizheng's wife slapped her thigh in frustration. "You really need to change this temper of yours. In the past, it was a law-abiding society—if you spoke rudely, others would at most scold you a bit. But now it's different, the world has long changed!"

Xiang Qizheng actually knew the world had changed, but he couldn't control himself. It seemed the more he realized this, the more he wanted to prove he's special.

"And that business from before—it makes me nervous when I think about it. Don’t do it anymore," Xiang Qizheng's wife whispered.

Xiang Qizheng waved his hand dismissively. "That's just women for you! What are you afraid of? They won’t find out!"

Xiang Qizheng's wife opened her mouth but then closed it, wanting to say something but ultimately holding back. She knew he wouldn’t listen anyway, so she could only worry silently to herself.

Man, why does life have to be so hard?

Cheng Zhiyu and Cheng Mo had no idea about the conversation between Xiang Qizheng and his wife. They returned home and, since it was mealtime, figured they'd eat first instead of planting the trees right away.

With so many people in the household, they now ate at a large round table.

Originally, Cheng's mother and Tian's mother would go out to work, but after their return, they mostly stayed home to cook.

Zhou Min and the others would give them a portion of their monthly earnings, as agreed upon earlier. Otherwise, they would feel awkward always eating there.

The cooking inevitably produced amazing smells. Outside, neighbors nearby were practically drooling with envy. "Ah, the Cheng and Tian families are really living well. How come they get to eat meat every day?"

"Look at how capable their kids are, and their kids' friends are all powerful Superhumans. Of course they can eat meat every day!"

"True. It seems like their life is almost the same as before the apocalypse," one said, unable to resist swallowing again.

"Exactly. I heard Old Cheng's wife and Old Tian's wife specialize in cooking at home now. They don’t even need to go out for side jobs anymore."

"Can't even be jealous about that. Their whole family is full of Superhumans. I’d be satisfied if I could just eat meat occasionally." They didn’t dare even hope for meat at every meal.

Speaking of which: "Last night, I smelled something amazing, like steamed buns, but it was faint. It made me so hungry!"

Their staple food here was flour-based, like noodles and steamed buns.

"Who still has flour these days? I think you’re so hungry you're imagining things!"

"Ah, you might be right. I’ve been dreaming of big steamed buns."

After the meal, Cheng Zhiyu got to work. He had just tossed the trees into his system space but couldn’t leave them there any longer. If left too long, they’d lose vitality and be hard to plant.

He planted the cherry tree next to Xiao Er and the peach tree next to Little Iron. After planting both trees, the system space was completely full, with no room left.

Looking at every inch used, Cheng Zhiyu felt great and was humming a tune as he left the system space.

Cheng Mo drifted over. "Zhiyu..."

Cheng Zhiyu: "?" You startled me!

"A month is so long," Cheng Mo whined.

Cheng Zhiyu knew he would bring this up, but he wasn’t going to give in now. It had only been two days, right? He’d have to wait a few more days at least.

He cleared his throat. "We agreed on a month. Who told you to act like that before?"

Cheng Mo: "I don’t know how to court someone."

In the past, his life was all about training; he had no interest in romance. Now he regretted it—if he had known more about how to pursue someone, maybe things wouldn’t have turned out that way?

Now he was being punished by Zhiyu with a month of no physical contact, which felt like the sky falling to him.

However, Cheng Zhiyu remained stone-faced, unmoved.

Cheng Mo had no choice but to strip and try to tempt him.

Cheng Zhiyu swallowed hard and forced himself to look away. "Let's just sleep."

Cheng Mo pressed his lips together. "Zhiyu, if you like it, why deny yourself? How about this—I’ll keep my promise. You can touch me, but I won’t touch you."

Cheng Zhiyu, tempted by his beauty, was completely fogged out and didn’t immediately realize the problem with that statement.

"Really don’t want to touch?" Cheng Mo's handsome face seemed to glow even brighter.

Cheng Zhiyu, unable to resist, swallowed again and reached out to feel and stroke him. He figured he had every right—it was different now. He was touching his boyfriend.

As he touched, Cheng Mo started getting turned on.

His voice grew hoarse as he stared at Cheng Zhiyu as if he could burn holes through him. "Zhiyu, help me."

Cheng Zhiyu felt his resolve softening and wanted to help, but somehow a mean impulse crossed his mind. He pulled a chair to the opposite side of the bed, sat down, and raised an eyebrow. "Do it yourself. Aren’t you good at it?"

Cheng Mo pressed his lips together. Though he knew how, when it came to himself, he seemed completely clueless. After a while, his eyes got teary, and he seemed both frustrated and angry. "Cheng Zhiyu, help me now!"

Almost without thinking, Cheng Zhiyu lifted his foot and stepped on him. Cheng Mo, who had been trying by himself, was suddenly stimulated and let out a choked groan, releasing.

Cheng Mo pressed his lips together, avoiding Cheng Zhiyu's gaze, and cleaned himself up roughly.

Cheng Zhiyu felt inexplicably guilty, sensing that Cheng Mo was truly upset. He edged closer. "Are you angry?"

Cheng Mo remained silent.

"Really angry?" Cheng Zhiyu didn’t know how to comfort him and felt guilty. "Was it uncomfortable because I used my foot?"

"No, it felt amazing." Cheng Mo was honest about that, afraid Cheng Zhiyu might not do it again. What bothered him was something else: "How could you go so long without touching me? How can you stand it?"

Cheng Zhiyu: "Uh..."

"There’s something I never told you," Cheng Mo suddenly said.

Cheng Zhiyu was puzzled. "What is it?"

"Among our Winged Tribe, once we have a partner, we can’t... without our partner’s help." After Cheng Mo explained, Cheng Zhiyu understood. No wonder Cheng Mo had struggled for so long earlier, only to seem more uncomfortable instead of relieved.

"Wait, how do you define a partner?" Cheng Zhiyu asked, confused. To him, a partner meant someone you were married to, with a certificate.

"Winged Tribe members love only one person in their lifetime. The person they fall in love with is their partner," Cheng Mo said.

Cheng Zhiyu was strangely touched, feeling a heavy weight in his heart. "That... seems pretty rough for you." If betrayed by their partner, the consequences would be unimaginable.

"That’s why Winged Tribe members usually only look for partners within their own tribe, though there are exceptions." Cheng Mo had an elder who had fallen in love with someone from another race.

At first, they lived happily, but later the other person betrayed the elder. The elder, unable to find another partner, was stuck grieving day after day, in both physical and emotional agony.

Many of the Winged Tribe use this elder's story to educate their own children: when choosing a partner, one must choose a Winged Tribe member.

After hearing this, Cheng Zhiyu felt not only sympathy for that elder but also felt bad for Cheng Mo. He muttered, "What kind of terrible rule is this? Is there no way to change it?"

If a Winged Tribe member is betrayed by their partner, do they have to remain celibate for the rest of their lives?

"There's no way," Cheng Mo said. "If there were, my parents wouldn’t have had to watch that elder suffer day after day."

"Because of this, for the Winged Tribe, not being loved by their partner is the most terrifying thing." Cheng Mo even started crying. "I was so upset earlier, and you didn’t help me."

Cheng Zhiyu’s heart ached terribly. He quickly held Cheng Mo to comfort him. "It’s not that I don’t like you, really. I just... was just teasing you."

"Then even if you tease me in the future, don’t tease me like that," Cheng Mo said.

"Okay, okay, I’ll do as you say. Ah, I feel like slapping myself right now." Cheng Zhiyu was filled with regret.

Cheng Mo smirked secretly. He had deliberately said all this for Cheng Zhiyu to hear. He knew him well—how could Cheng Zhiyu not feel sorry for him after hearing it?

He trusted Zhiyu wouldn’t betray him. He said all this just to make Zhiyu soften toward him.

"What about the one month you mentioned earlier..." Cheng Mo seized the opportunity to ask.

"It doesn’t count anymore." Cheng Zhiyu’s heart was incredibly soft now.

Cheng Mo tried hard to suppress a smile. "Then, since you acted like that earlier, shouldn’t you compensate me?"

Cheng Zhiyu coughed lightly. "How should I compensate you?"

Cheng Mo thought for a moment. "I want to ask for something a little extreme."

Cheng Zhiyu’s face flushed, and his heart raced. Hmm... just how extreme?

Actually, they had known each other for so long and were already in a relationship. Taking the final step now seemed... acceptable.

It’s just that Cheng Mo’s size made him a little nervous. They should at least prepare a bit. If they rushed into it... hmm.

Cheng Mo had no idea what the other was thinking and was still pondering what excessive request to make.

He couldn’t quite think of one, so he simply asked Cheng Zhiyu, "How do you think you should compensate me?"

Cheng Zhiyu coughed lightly, feeling they shouldn’t rashly take the final step yet, and seized the chance to say, "I’ll help you with my legs."

Cheng Mo looked confused. "What do you mean?"

Cheng Zhiyu blinked. "?" Huh?

The other person didn’t even know about using legs? Was he that innocent?

"Don’t the beastfolk have sex education?" Actually, there wasn’t much here either, but still, being over twenty, it was hard to believe he didn’t know anything at all.

Cheng Zhiyu guessed there probably wasn’t any, so he changed his question. "You’ve had friends growing up, right? Haven’t they ever talked about these things?"

Cheng Zhiyu didn’t really like hearing such topics himself, but some people couldn’t help making dirty jokes. Even if he didn’t engage with them, he’d still overhear things.

Cheng Mo looked disgusted. "Why would I listen to them talk about that? It’s disgusting."

Well, Cheng Zhiyu understood. It wasn’t that the beastfolk knew nothing; it was that no one dared to make indecent jokes around Cheng Mo. Judging by his expression, anyone who tried would probably get beaten up.

Cheng Zhiyu thought for a moment and asked another question. "Then do you know what else partners can do besides what we’ve already done?"

Cheng Mo suddenly felt like he was being tested. He didn’t know much, mainly because his life had always been about training since childhood. He didn’t have many friends, and many things were never discussed around him.

So, he genuinely didn’t know much.

Cheng Zhiyu thought, just as I suspected.

He had been worried about size earlier, but now it seemed completely unnecessary. As long as he didn’t bring it up, Cheng Mo would remain clueless.

For a moment, he didn’t know whether to feel relieved or anxious. Relieved because they didn’t have to do it now, anxious because it didn’t mean he wouldn’t want to in the future. In that case, he’d have to teach Cheng Mo.

Well, whatever. Future problems could be left for future him to worry about.

Right now, the issue was what he had suggested—using his legs.

Cheng Mo was very persistent and kept asking what he meant and how to do it.

After Cheng Zhiyu finally explained, Cheng Mo: "!!!"

Cheng Zhiyu: If I’d known he was this clueless, I wouldn’t have brought it up. This is so embarrassing.

Well, too late now. A promise is a promise.

Especially since Cheng Mo was usually a cool, reserved guy, but in moments like these, when he felt good, he’d tear up. Cheng Zhiyu’s heart raced, and he couldn’t help but kiss the corner of Cheng Mo’s eye.

It was damp.

Afterward, Cheng Zhiyu’s legs were slightly red and swollen. Cheng Mo worriedly applied ointment for him.

Cheng Zhiyu blushed. "You don’t have to; it’ll heal quickly."

But Cheng Mo was firm. "It is."

After applying the medicine, Cheng Mo was in a good mood. He held Cheng Zhiyu like a big puppy. "Zhiyu, I had no idea we could do that! Are there other ways?"

It had to be said, Cheng Mo was quite perceptive in some aspects. But even without going all the way, Cheng Zhiyu was exhausted. If they really did it, he’d be utterly wrecked.

No way. He absolutely wouldn’t bring it up.

Cheng Zhiyu: "No, I don’t know. Let’s sleep."

Cheng Mo looked at him, sharply sensed that Cheng Zhiyu was lying. But why? He couldn’t figure it out.

This wasn’t something he wanted to ask others about. He’d have to find another chance to ask Cheng Zhiyu later.

Today, Cheng Mo was already perfectly content. He smiled and said, "Okay, good night then."

Cheng Zhiyu breathed a huge sigh of relief. Good, he needed some time to recover. If he ever felt like it in the future, he’d talk to Cheng Mo then.

He coughed inwardly. This didn’t seem very fair of him, but oh well. For now, this was fine.

Future problems could be left for future him to worry about.

The next day, Cheng Zhiyu was concerned about the situation in the farming department. After eating breakfast early, he decided to go check on things.

He wondered if the thief had been caught.

If the thief wasn’t greedy and quit while ahead, they might never catch him. Cheng Zhiyu almost hoped the thief would get greedy.

When he arrived, Fang Guowei came out of the room, his expression grim.

Cheng Zhiyu asked, "Well?"

Fang Guowei sighed, "We got him. He's inside."

Cheng Zhiyu nodded and asked, "Who is it?"

Fang Guowei didn't say, he just said, "Go in and see for yourself. I tell ya, this person is really..."

Following Fang Guowei inside, he saw the tied-up person and was surprised to find it was that guy—Xiang Qizheng, whom he had seen just the day before.

Cheng Zhiyu frowned. Why was it him again? He was so sick of him now.

Xiang Qizheng struggled, "Look, let me go! Untie me now! What right do you have to tie me up? Hurry up and release me!"

Fang Guowei said with a dark expression, "You know exactly why we tied you up! Harming the base's interests—if others find out about this, you'll be swamped with hate!"

Xiang Qizheng felt a pang of guilt but quickly realized he must not admit to anything. He immediately retorted, "I have no idea what you're talking about. I just had my eye on the crops in the base and wanted to take a look. Other people hang around there too—why aren't you arresting them? You're just targeting me! I think you're just out to get me!"

Fang Guowei sneered, completely unconvinced by his nonsense, "At 2 AM? Who do you think you're fooling? Others check on the crops openly during the day. Don’t think we don’t know what you were up to in the middle of the night!"

Xiang Qizheng stubbornly denied it, "I wasn’t doing anything! Now let me go!"