Upon returning home, Shen Feng couldn't contain his joy. He shared the news of discovering a child prodigy and successfully recruiting him with his family. Initially, Chang Jianyi and Chu Chaoyan were skeptical. What kind of performance could a ten-year-old child exhibit? They suspected Shen Feng was exaggerating.
However, Shen Feng then recounted the conversation he had with Yu Zhijing outside the city, which astonished both Chang Jianyi and Chu Chaoyan. Even Zhang Xixi became interested. Did child prodigies truly exist in this world?
At this point, Du Xinshi explained in a low voice, "I've heard of this child prodigy. He became like this after eating a fruit. It seems to be an incurable disease, requiring constant thinking every day. His nervous system is highly developed, and doctors say he has at most ten years to live!"
"So that's how it is. He ate a fruit. I thought he was a natural prodigy," Zhang Xixi realized with understanding.
Zhang Xixi didn't believe in child prodigies. At most, they were slightly smarter than ordinary people. Just like Fang Zhongyong, who became ordinary once he grew up. But now, after hearing Du Xinshi's explanation of the real situation, she believed the child prodigy's identity, even though it was acquired.
"Alas, it seems that exceptionally intelligent children tend to die young. Only ten years left to live, what a pity!" Chu Chaoyan said with some regret.
Chang Jianyi, however, suddenly asked, "By the way, Afeng, since this child prodigy is so intelligent, why do you let them live outside? Fengshen Palace is quite large; wouldn't it be good to bring them here to live together? That way, Little Jie can have a playmate, wouldn't that be nice?"
"Isn't that inappropriate? Yu Zhijing still needs to take care of his sister, and besides, this child is extremely precocious and has read many books. I don't think he can become friends with Little Jie," Shen Feng objected immediately, and his reasons were quite sound.
During their previous interaction, Shen Feng had already noticed this. Although Yu Zhijing was a child prodigy, he spoke with an air of precocity, a demeanor that wasn't feigned but naturally emerged from his precociousness.
Many people, after reading some books, tend to feel self-important and believe themselves to be very intelligent and knowledgeable, surpassing others. This naturally leads to an air of worldliness. While they might not express it directly, this arrogance often leaks through their demeanor. In Shen Feng's view, Yu Zhijing was exactly like that.
After hearing Shen Feng's words, Chang Jianyi was still not convinced and continued, "It's alright. If Yu Zhijing has a sister, bring her along too. I met her before. She was calm and composed when facing trouble. When she was captured by Luo Qing, she didn't say a word. She's so steady; she's a talent worth nurturing."
Chang Jianyi was unaware of the true situation. The reality was not that Yu Zhiling was calm in the face of danger, but that she was so terrified that she couldn't speak.
Hearing these familiar words, Shen Feng immediately thought of something and said to himself, "Senior Sister, you're not by any chance eyeing another candidate for a sister-in-law, are you?"
It must be said that the person closest to you understands your thoughts the best. Shen Feng had guessed Chang Jianyi's innermost thoughts correctly.
Chang Jianyi's thoughts at this moment were very simple. Since Chang Haojie and Zhang Xixi disliked each other, she couldn't continue to try and matchmake them. However, forcing herself to accept Hua Jingran, a girl with wavering principles, was also impossible. It was better to find another girl.
Chang Jianyi had been enlightened by a remark from Yu Zhiling. Why would her younger brother be interested in a girl from an orphanage? Wasn't it just for the novelty? This was something even a child could see, yet they had noticed nothing. It was truly regrettable.
Therefore, since her brother liked girls who brought novelty, she would find someone new. Chang Jianyi felt Yu Zhiling was quite good. At only eight years old, she could charm a twelve-year-old girl so easily. Could anyone else do that?
Thus, Chang Jianyi had also scouted for a new candidate for her sister-in-law. Even if she had to change people, she would not allow her brother to marry a girl with a wicked heart and unstable principles.
If Hua Jingran could have remained steadfast in the face of temptation back then, Chang Jianyi might have thought more highly of her. But since Hua Jingran could so easily use others for her own benefit, and the target of her exploitation was Chang Haojie, Chang Jianyi could no longer tolerate it.
Shen Feng did not immediately agree to Chang Jianyi's suggestion, but instead vaguely replied, "Let's wait until Little Jie gets back!"
Chang Haojie was still out in the mountains on a mission. Although it was described as exploring caves and preparing to establish a stronghold, which seemed to have no difficulty, there were too many aspects to consider. Therefore, Chang Haojie had to stay overnight in the mountains.
Chang Jianyi thought it made sense. Some matters always needed to be explained clearly to her brother in person. She had to tell him that Hua Jingran was not a suitable partner, neither in character nor in demeanor.
Just then, Shen Feng said to Chang Jianyi and Chu Chaoyan, "Senior Sister, Chaoyan, I see that Fengshen Palace doesn't have anyone in charge. We are usually not at home during normal times. Shouldn't we find a housekeeper? I think Sister Du would be excellent. Why not let Sister Du be the chief steward?"
Chu Chaoyan didn't think much of it and directly said, "I have no objections. Sister Du is also very reliable. Let her manage the affairs of Fengshen Palace."
However, Chang Jianyi was not so easily fooled. At this moment, Chang Jianyi suddenly remembered a set of footprints she had seen at the exit of the underground passage. These footprints most likely belonged to Shen Feng. Chang Jianyi also discovered something else: this set of footprints had led to Du Xinshi's room in the basement.
Chang Jianyi couldn't help but suspect Shen Feng's true intentions and began to play hard to get. "I don't think this is appropriate. It's not that Sister Du is unreliable, nor am I doubting her ability. It's just that Sister Du is ill and cannot overwork herself. What if she gets exhausted? Since there are many matters in Fengshen Palace, we should recruit a housekeeper."
While saying these words, Chang Jianyi kept staring at Shen Feng and Du Xinshi's faces, trying to discern something from their expressions. However, Shen Feng remained expressionless and composed, while Du Xinshi kept her head down, feeding Little Dragon, and her expression couldn't be discerned.
"Actually, it's the madam who is too considerate of me. I'm idle at home all day. If I could have some work, it would give me something to do," Du Xinshi said slowly.
Chang Jianyi couldn't find anything amiss, so she did her a favor and said, "Since Sister Du says she's fine, then please be the chief steward of Fengshen Palace. It's called chief steward, but there aren't many tasks. You'll be responsible for procurement, meals, and tending to the garden, and so on. Anyway, our family isn't that large; we can't even fill one table."
Du Xinshi couldn't help but feel a little happy when she learned that she had indeed become the chief steward of Fengshen Palace. She then looked at Shen Feng with affectionate eyes. Shen Feng quickly lowered his head to eat, pretending to know nothing.
After the Yu siblings settled in the city, Yu Zhiling went to school the next day. The orphanage now had a school and teachers, so Yu Zhiling went to the orphanage. Someone had informed the orphanage beforehand, so no one stopped her.
Yu Zhijing, on the other hand, went to the City Lord's Mansion. Inside the mansion, everyone looked at the thin, ten-year-old boy with surprise. If he were someone's child, they wouldn't be so astonished. But now they had suddenly heard that this boy was not a family member but a formal employee of the City Lord's Mansion, which was astonishing.
In many people's eyes, they had worked hard to get into the City Lord's Mansion and then worked diligently to become formal employees. Now, a ten-year-old boy was becoming their colleague. Was this through connections?
"What is the City Lord thinking? Recruiting a child as a consultant, I really can't understand. What effective advice can a child give?"
"Exactly. The City Lord is good in every way, but his choice of consultants is too hasty. First, he found someone who wrote erotic novels as a consultant, then a charlatan, and now he's brought in a minor. What does this mean?"
"What else could it mean? It means they think our abilities are inferior to a child's."
"Don't talk nonsense. This is the child prodigy from the east of the city. He has read more books than adults. Although he's not particularly famous, many people are spreading rumors that he's a talent who will govern the country in the future. Don't underestimate him!"
"Heh, child prodigy? Reading a few more books makes him a child prodigy? I've been active in the online literature circle for many years. I've read at least two thousand nine hundred books, if not three thousand. He's read a few books and can be called a child prodigy?"
"Alright, alright. He's a consultant to the City Lord. Basic respect is still necessary," the others quickly reminded him.
The employees of the City Lord's Mansion started discussing amongst themselves. They were all dismissive of this child prodigy, believing him to be all hype. If it was just about reading books, they had also read quite a few, yet they hadn't become child prodigies.
In fact, it was normal for people to have such thoughts, believing that reading books didn't have a significant effect on self-improvement. However, it also depended on what kind of books. If they were just online novels, the improvement after reading would naturally be limited, especially those "cool" novels. While they felt great while reading them, the feeling would soon fade, leaving them bored.
But the books Yu Zhijing read were not fast-paced "snack literature" that could be skimmed through. They were serious works, famous books from ancient and modern China and abroad, historical works, geographical works, sociological surveys, and the impact of geopolitics. These might seem very dry and boring, but after profound reading, the improvement was unimaginable.
Although Yu Zhijing was only a ten-year-old child, his way of thinking was already no different from that of an adult. The more he knew, the more mature he became.
Shen Feng also attached great importance to Yu Zhijing. He took him to a nearby office, making him neighbors with Feng Shicheng and Shan Zhengming. He then introduced them: "Gentlemen, this is the consultant I just recruited. You will be colleagues from now on. Please take good care of him!"
This statement immediately drew the attention of Feng Shicheng and Shan Zhengming. As for Shan Zhengming, although he appeared to be a charlatan, he had rich life experience and was very accurate in his judgment of situations, often making the most suitable choices. Feng Shicheng, despite his bad reputation, considered himself learned. He had a slight understanding of both court rules and various organizations. To suddenly discover that he would have a ten-year-old child as a colleague, how could he accept it?
"To be valued by the City Lord, I presume this young friend must have something extraordinary about him?" Feng Shicheng asked with a smile, though the smile carried a hint of mockery.
Shen Feng quickly explained, "You absolutely cannot underestimate him. He is a genuine child prodigy. The moment he met me, he pointed out the hidden crisis in Yuzhou and provided solutions. I still need to gather a group of people to discuss it later."
After speaking, Shen Feng directly stated the suggestion Yu Zhijing had previously made: to build an outer city, expand the scope of management, and increase Yuzhou's tax revenue.
Upon hearing this, Feng Shicheng was somewhat astonished. He was now also questioning whether such a suggestion could truly come from a ten-year-old child. Putting aside everything else, just this insight was something an ordinary person would not possess.
Shan Zhengming, however, stroked his beard and said, "The suggestion is good, but it's still superficial. The contradictions seen are on the surface, and the solutions are also on the surface!"