Chapter 699: The Problem

Feng Mountain couldn’t help but feel more fond of the honest old soldier.

There wasn’t much else he could do besides grow to like him more.

Paine’s unique sense of responsibility and his simple nature were things Feng Mountain greatly admired.

A man like that, once he set his mind to something, would give it his all.

They met by the river, nodded to each other, and started their morning exercise together along the bank.

After a long run,

beads of sweat had formed on both Feng Mountain’s and Paine’s foreheads.

As they passed the Crown Colony Plantation, the two of them popped in for a look around.

Although the Fire Seed was working hard to restore life to the camp’s riverbank, the after-effects of the cold snap were not to be underestimated.

The plantation was a desolate sight. The once-vibrant vegetables and strawberry seedlings were all frozen to death, leaving only a patch of rotting stalks and withered leaves.

All of this made Feng Mountain frown.

The complete devastation of the plantation meant the vegetable sales plan he had previously made would have to be postponed.

However, after some thought, Feng Mountain came up with a clever shortcut.

He could directly buy mature seedlings. Take tomatoes, for example: he could purchase already-cultivated tomato seedlings from an organic farm and transplant them to the Crown Colony Plantation. With the help of the Fire Seed’s nurturing ability, he could let them continue to grow.

This would save a great deal of time.

By his estimates, it would only take about half a month to bring the plantation back to life, filling the air once again with the fragrance of fruits and melons.

Moreover, this method would work for almost all fruits and vegetables.

Now, he just had to wait for Gordon to return to begin the replanting plan.

When his morning exercise was over, Feng Mountain hurried back to the cabin.

He was slightly sweaty from the workout and decided to take a dip in the hot spring pool first to soothe his sore muscles.

The hot spring water enveloped his body, its warmth seeping into every inch of his skin, relaxing him completely, body and soul.

After his bath, Feng Mountain dove into the kitchen.

The kitchen was immediately filled with a series of CLANGS and BANGS.

He deftly handled various cooking utensils as ingredients tumbled and danced in the pan, a fragrant aroma gradually filling the air.

When he emerged, he was carrying a bowl of handmade noodles with beef and a glass of milk.

The noodles were fragrant, topped with a layer of tender, juicy slices of beef.

He walked into the bedroom.

Soft light spilled into the room, creating shifting patterns of light and shadow.

A blanket was draped over Jenny. She was leaning against the headboard, her hair hanging loosely over her shoulders, engrossed in her phone.

“Breakfast is ready!” Feng Mountain cleared his throat, breaking the silence in the room.

Hearing him cough,

Jenny slowly looked up. There seemed to be a hint of hesitation in her eyes. Her lips moved slightly as if she wanted to say something, but the words wouldn’t come.

“Feng, I’m sorry,” Jenny finally mustered the courage to say, her voice soft but tinged with a hint of guilt.

“Why are you apologizing? I made beef noodles. And there’s a glass of milk.”

Feng Mountain couldn’t make heads or tails of Jenny’s baffling apology.

He frowned slightly, his eyes filled with confusion, not understanding why she was suddenly acting this way.

He placed the breakfast on the nightstand and only then noticed the discomfort in Jenny’s expression. Her gaze was evasive, and she wouldn’t meet his eyes.

Feng Mountain subconsciously assumed they had gone too far last night.

And that it had made Jenny uncomfortable or burdened her emotionally.

So he comforted her softly, “Rest for a while after breakfast. I’m going to the camp to find Paine and check the damage from the cold snap. Then I’ll move your luggage from the small cabin to this one.”

“I… Feng, I don’t want to move into the cabin,” Jenny’s expression suddenly turned conflicted. She bit her lip, her gaze toward Feng Mountain clearly filled with resistance.

Hearing this, Feng Mountain froze. The smile on his face instantly stiffened, and a flicker of disappointment crossed his eyes.

He didn’t understand why Jenny had suddenly changed her mind.

The change in her attitude was so drastic.

Just last night, the two of them had been immersed in warmth and sweetness. Now, Feng Mountain felt as if a bucket of cold water had been dumped over his head.

Although he was utterly confused and didn’t understand why Jenny was acting this way,

Feng Mountain still found an excuse and turned to leave the room, trying his best to make his tone sound natural.

“Okay, well, eat your breakfast first. I’m heading to the Bear Tribe.”

With that, he turned, walked out of the room, and gently closed the door.

Leaving Jenny sitting alone on the bed, her eyes filled with complex emotions.

He stepped out of the cabin.

Feng Mountain’s heart felt as if it were being crushed by a heavy stone.

The scene that had just unfolded in the bedroom with Jenny replayed endlessly in his mind.

A strange sense of distance lingered in his heart, impossible to shake off.

‘Logically speaking, we’ve already done everything we should and shouldn’t have.’

‘Our relationship should be even closer now.’

‘But who would have thought that after finally breaking through that last barrier, instead of bringing us closer, it would create this sense of unfamiliarity out of nowhere?’

It was as if an invisible wall now stood between them.

Utterly perplexed, Feng Mountain wandered along the gravel path of the camp with a frown on his face.

The gravel crunched under his feet, but the turmoil in his heart only intensified.

Employees along the way saw their boss and proactively came up to greet him.

But Feng Mountain, lost in his troubles, was in no mood to respond.

Seeing their boss’s lack of reaction, the employees showed confused expressions, exchanging glances and wondering what was wrong with him.

At that moment, however, Feng Mountain had no time to worry about what others thought.

He desperately wanted to find an answer, to understand the reason for the change in Jenny’s attitude.

“Boss!” a voice called out from behind him.

Deep in his own thoughts, Feng Mountain heard someone call him.

He turned to see it was Paine and, as if grasping at a lifeline, his eyes instantly lit up.

He closed the distance in a few quick strides and hurriedly pulled Paine over to the riverbank.

Feng Mountain had an embarrassed look on his face. He hesitated for a moment before speaking. “Paine, I have an important question. I need your help.”