"You gave me all the best parts of the chicken!" Ren Yuanyang said with a smile, looking at Xin Wan.
"You’re the one who provides all our food. It’s only right that you get to enjoy this!" Xin Wan replied seriously, nodding.
"I can’t grow this many crops all by myself, and everyone needs to help feed the chicks too!" Ren Yuanyang shook his head. He picked up the two large drumsticks and passed them over to Lu Jiamei and the others. "You guys split these amongst yourselves!"
’The meat on the drumsticks is too thick. The wings are much tastier anyway!’
Lu Jiamei started to refuse, but Ren Yuanyang’s expression immediately hardened. "That’s an order!"
Lu Jiamei had no choice but to nod.
Jin Ziyu, who was busy demolishing her third plate of food, overheard their conversation and came right over. "Hey, can I get some too?"
Seeing that another half of her third plate of food had vanished, Ren Yuanyang’s mouth twitched. "If you keep eating like that, you’ll ruin your stomach, won’t you?"
"Nope!" Jin Ziyu replied with absolute certainty. "I’m only about half-full now!"
"You’re incredible," Ren Yuanyang said, completely speechless. He picked up a drumette and passed it to her.
Jin Ziyu immediately held out her plate to take it. "Thanks, Boss! You’re the best!"
The others watched Jin Ziyu with envy, but none of them dared to approach Ren Yuanyang and ask for chicken like she did.
Ren Yuanyang was lenient with Jin Ziyu because she was an Evolver. They, on the other hand, were just ordinary people and didn’t have the right to ask for more.
Of course, there was chicken in their portions too. It wasn’t much, but everyone got a piece or two.
After everyone had been eating for a while, Ren Yuanyang noticed their pace slowing. He spoke up, "Once again, welcome to Peach Blossom Base. As long as I’m around, our base will not be short on food. Right now, meat is the only thing we’re not swimming in, but we have plenty of rice, fruits, and vegetables. As long as you remain loyal to the base and diligently complete the tasks you’re given, I can guarantee you’ll have a full belly at every meal!"
"Every single meal can be like this?" Jin Ziyu looked up from her plate, her eyes sparkling.
"Aside from the chicken, there’s no problem eating like this for every meal," Ren Yuanyang said with a slight nod.
"That’s fantastic!" Jin Ziyu exclaimed happily.
Si Youqin and the other women stared at Ren Yuanyang in shock. They had spent time at Dawn Base and knew that even a place like that couldn’t ensure all its people were well-fed.
They’d even heard that the higher-ups at Dawn Base couldn’t just gorge themselves like this!
"Please rest assured, Boss. We will never betray the base!" Si Youqin immediately declared. "We will be sure to complete any task the base assigns us!"
The others chimed in with their agreement.
Ren Yuanyang nodded slightly. "Except for the largest room on the yacht, you can divide the rest among yourselves. As for the sheets, duvet covers, and all that—change them out. Make sure to wash the used ones thoroughly."
"Yes, sir!" Si Youqin replied respectfully, standing up.
Ren Yuanyang waved his hand, signaling her to sit down. He continued, "You’ll need to set up a duty roster. We need people on watch at night, and in the future, you’ll also need to patrol the surrounding area to make sure no outsiders get in."
"Understood," Si Youqin nodded.
After finishing the last bite of rice on her plate, Jin Ziyu looked up and said, "But no one would come to the Seventh-level Wind Sea Region, would they?"
"And yet, here you are," Ren Yuanyang retorted.
Jin Ziyu paused for a moment, then nodded and got up to get another serving of food.
After she had piled her plate high again, Jin Ziyu suddenly realized something.
"Boss, why do we have so much food? Is it really all grown here?" Jin Ziyu asked, returning to the table with a mountain of food on her plate and looking at Ren Yuanyang with a puzzled expression.
Ren Yuanyang shot her a glance. "You actually managed to think of that?"
"Of course! I’m pretty smart, you know!" Jin Ziyu said with a smug look. "Don’t change the subject. Is all this really grown right here at our base?"
Si Youqin and the others had actually wondered about this from the very beginning, but they hadn’t dared to ask. After all, it was a base secret.
Now that Jin Ziyu had asked, everyone else perked up their ears to listen.
"That’s right. We grew it all ourselves," Ren Yuanyang replied with a nod.
With an ’I-knew-it’ expression, Jin Ziyu went back to tackling the food on her plate.
Seeing that Jin Ziyu hadn’t gotten to the heart of the matter, Si Youqin couldn’t help but ask, "But how is it possible to grow so many fruits and vegetables in such a short amount of time?"
Ren Yuanyang raised an eyebrow, looking at Si Youqin with a hint of surprise.
Si Youqin immediately shot to her feet and lowered her head. "I spoke out of turn. Please punish me, Boss!"
Ren Yuanyang waved his hand. "There’s nothing wrong with asking. Didn’t I just tell you? As long as I’m here, this base won’t be short on food."
Hearing him emphasize that point again, Si Youqin understood instantly. ’So the Boss is an Evolver, too!’
But then Jin Ziyu suddenly asked, "Are you really that good at farming?"
The people around her were left speechless.
Lu Jiamei had to step in and explain, "Our leader is an Evolver too, and his ability is rather unique. He can make plants evolve!"
Her theory confirmed, Si Youqin was still utterly shocked.
Jin Ziyu was completely dumbfounded. A mouthful of rice started to fall slowly from her open mouth. Just as it was about to drop, she snapped to her senses, slurped it back in, chewed quickly, and swallowed.
"That’s amazing! Can you make me evolve again?" Jin Ziyu asked eagerly.
"Ahem, Ziyu," Si Youqin reminded her in a low voice, "The Boss just said *plants*!"
Jin Ziyu paused, then nodded. "Oh, plants. Never mind then!"
Although Jin Ziyu was a careless listener, she had accidentally stumbled upon the truth about Ren Yuanyang’s ability to enhance animals.
Someday in the future, Ren Yuanyang might actually be able to enhance humans and turn them into Evolvers.
However, the more intelligent the target of the enhancement, the more Mental Energy it consumed. With his current level of Mental Energy, Ren Yuanyang could only enhance baby rabbits; he was still a long way from being able to enhance humans.
Jin Ziyu went back to devouring her food.
Ren Yuanyang watched Jin Ziyu with amusement, thinking to himself, ’Is this what they mean by "fortune favors the foolish"?’
The food on Jin Ziyu’s plate was soon gone. She rubbed her stomach, seemingly hesitating over whether she should get yet another plate.
"Maybe you should stop for today," Ren Yuanyang couldn’t help but advise. "After being starved for so long, eating too much at once isn’t good for your stomach."
Jin Ziyu nodded. "True. I’ll just eat until I’m about eighty percent full, then."
Lu Jiamei and the others were left completely speechless.
The amount of food Jin Ziyu ate in this single meal was enough to feed all six members of Ren Yuanyang’s group!
Of course, that was also because Ren Yuanyang and his people were able to eat their fill every day and had never been short on food.
When food isn’t scarce, you tend to eat a bit less at each meal. It’s not like you won’t get to eat again, so there’s no need to stuff yourself.
"Since you all just arrived today, take the day to rest well. The work will start tomorrow," Ren Yuanyang said, standing up to leave.
"Yes, Boss!" Si Youqin and the others replied in unison, all rising to their feet.
Ren Yuanyang left with Qin Haonan, Hua Lingfang, and Hua Wen, while Xin Wan and Lu Jiamei remained on the yacht to handle arrangements.
"The utensils you used today are now yours personally. Clean them yourselves after every meal," Xin Wan announced. "I’ve left some food in the kitchen. From now on, you’ll be cooking for yourselves. If you run out of anything, just let me know."
"What about all these leftovers from today?" Jin Ziyu suddenly asked.

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