Chapter 236: The Phoenix Man Who Soared Before the Apocalypse (41)

After everyone had eaten and drunk their fill, Father Su turned off the small generator to save electricity.

The room was instantly plunged into darkness. Everyone blinked several times, and only after a while did their eyes adjust enough to vaguely make out the silhouettes of those around them.

Bathed in moonlight, the group began discussing their plans for the future.

Of course, it was mostly Shen Xiuyan doing the talking. The others simply listened.

They had all figured it out by now—Shen Xiuyan was their golden ticket in the apocalypse, and not just any ticket, but a thick and sturdy one.

All they needed to do was hold on tight and not drag him down.

Everything else was secondary.

He gave the orders, and they followed. It was that simple.

Shen Xiuyan planned to rest for another two days at most before heading to his hometown, Dashan Village.

Given the current situation, it seemed like a good place to set up camp.

Surrounded by mountains on three sides, sparsely populated, and with enough land to be self-sufficient even without venturing out—it had all the makings of a safe haven.

Shen Xiuyan wanted to scout it out first. If it turned out to be as ideal as he imagined, they would settle there for good.

If not, he would pick up his parents and sister and continue searching for a new place to settle.

As they listened to his description, everyone’s faces lit up with longing.

If it really was like he said, then maybe their lives could return to some semblance of normalcy. Even if they couldn’t live in luxury anymore, at least they could live in peace.

After Shen Xiuyan finished, seeing that no one objected, he smiled and teased, “But it might be tough on Mom and Dad. Life in the countryside is nothing like what we have now.”

Father Su took it in stride and waved his hand dismissively. “Ah, that’s nothing. I used to volunteer-teach in rural areas when I was young. I may not be fast at farming, but I know the basics. I promise I won’t slow you down.”

Shen Xiuyan chuckled. “How could I ever think you’d slow us down? As long as you don’t mind the rough conditions, that’s all that matters. I can guarantee that once you’re there, I won’t force you to do any work. Just live like you used to at home.”

After a moment’s thought, he added, “Just think of it as early retirement—a countryside vacation.”

“Hahaha, sounds great!” Father Su beamed with joy. Why hadn’t he realized before how eloquent his son-in-law was?

Father Huo couldn’t help but chime in, “Where did you find such a son-in-law? Give me one too~”

In the darkness, Young Master Huo looked horrified. Why hadn’t his dad given up already?

At his dad’s age, there was no way he could have another child. That left only one option—he’d have to transition?!

His own father, truly his own father!

Before Young Master Huo could speak, Father Su shot Father Huo a glare and raised his voice, “My son-in-law! Be jealous all you want, you’re not getting one~”

There was a rasp in his voice, a ripple of emotion, even a hint of a choke.

He had found a good son-in-law.

Once again, he felt grateful that he hadn’t caved to the sneers and mockery of those old family friends and pushed his daughter to find a more “suitable” match.

Just look—if those old friends were still around, who wouldn’t envy him now?

What goes around comes around.

At the very least, his son-in-law had the courage to make promises. That was enough.

It showed that he truly cared for his daughter and saw them as family, not just a means to money like the outsiders claimed.

Now that their wealth was nothing more than a pile of worthless paper, he was doing even better than before.

Phoenix Man? His son-in-law was no Phoenix Man. He and his daughter were like two peas in a pod—perfect for each other!

As for the whole “early retirement, countryside vacation” thing—he couldn’t really go along with that.

In times like these, survival was hard for everyone. Did they really expect to live like old landlords?

That would just be shameless.

Once they arrived, he’d still do what he could to help out around the house.

*

The next day, Shen Xiuyan sought out Brother Lei.

“Ah Lei, come over here. Let’s talk,” Shen Xiuyan nodded and led him to a quiet corner.

Thanks to Shen Xiuyan’s deliberate effort to win them over—and after receiving those crates of supplies—Brother Lei’s fear from the day before had completely vanished.

He grinned and asked, “Young Master Shen, what can I do for you?”

Shen Xiuyan got straight to the point. “I wanted to ask what your plans are moving forward.”

“Plans?” Brother Lei looked confused. “Aren’t we following you? Just tell us what to do.”

Shen Xiuyan hadn’t expected him to be serious about that. He’d assumed it was just polite talk and had been thinking about how to persuade them today. But now it seemed he didn’t have to?

“I’m planning to head back to my village. It’s remote, surrounded by mountains, and sparsely populated. Could be a good place to set up camp.”

“Sounds good.” Brother Lei patted his chest. “As long as you don’t mind having us, we’ll go wherever you go!”

Shen Xiuyan smiled. “Of course I don’t mind. Why would I? We all have supernatural abilities. Sticking together gives us a better chance of survival.”

His words carried a hint of temptation, as if to say: I’m strong—follow me and you’ll be safer.

Sure enough, Brother Lei nodded vigorously. “You’re right. We saw it yesterday. Following you is our best shot at a future. Whatever you say, we’ll do.”

Shen Xiuyan patted his shoulder. “Talk it over with your guys. I won’t force anyone who doesn’t want to come.”

“And the place I mentioned might not work out. We may have to move again. Make sure everyone understands that. The new place might not be better than here.”

Brother Lei hadn’t expected Shen Xiuyan to give them the freedom to choose. He thought they were just strays with no say in anything. That thought moved him a little.

“Alright, I’ll go talk to them. Give me a moment and I’ll get back to you.”

“No rush,” Shen Xiuyan said, standing under the shade of a tree. “I’ll wait here.”

Brother Lei nodded and hurried off. Not long after, he returned, looking troubled.

Shen Xiuyan’s heart sank. Did this mean they didn’t want to go?

Well, it made sense. They were living comfortably at Liuan Mansion. Who would want to pack up and move again?

Before Brother Lei could say anything, Shen Xiuyan sighed. “It’s fine. If they don’t want to go, I won’t force it.”

Losing that many able-bodied men—what a shame.

But to his surprise, Brother Lei shook his head furiously and said in disbelief, “Why would you think that? Of course we want to go with you. Staying at Liuan Mansion isn’t a long-term solution. The guys went out today and saw way more zombies nearby. It’s only a matter of time before a horde shows up.”

Shen Xiuyan raised an eyebrow. “Then why the long face? I thought you didn’t want to come…”

Brother Lei scratched his head sheepishly. “We do want to go, but we need some time. You’ve seen the mansion—there’s no usable transportation. We’ll have to go out and look for vehicles over the next few days…”

He sighed. “Who knows if we’ll even find any. Most of the cars on the road are wrecked, and we don’t have keys for the ones in the parking lots…”

Shen Xiuyan let out a breath of relief. So that was all.

That was easy.

He had everything they needed in his storage space…

But of course, he couldn’t say that out loud.

So Shen Xiuyan patted his chest and promised, “That’s a small matter. Leave it to me. Don’t worry about it. We’ll set out tomorrow. Just get yourselves ready—I’ll take care of the vehicles.”

— Translator’s Notes —

• old landlords: Refers to wealthy landowners from pre-revolutionary China, often portrayed negatively in communist ideology as exploiters of peasants.