Ch 2: The Farmer Ger in the Apocalypse

In the distance, Shen Zhuang, who had been squatting and watching, saw Shen Qing stand up. Thinking that Shen Qing was coming to beat him up, he instinctively took two steps back, ready to run at any moment. But when he realized that Shen Qing was heading toward the main house instead, his courage swelled again. He picked up a small stone and tossed it at Shen Qing’s back.

“Hey, big idiot! Grandpa said we’re not allowed to enter the main house. You going in there to get scolded?”

Shen Qing easily dodged the stone and ignored him. Gripping the hatchet in one hand, he lifted the curtain and stepped into the main house.

Inside, Shen Zhigao was still talking with the Miao brothers. Feeling the grip on his collar loosen, he became even more convinced that his idea was a good one.

In his mind, Miao Shi was already worthless because she had failed to give him a lasting bloodline. However, having an extra pair of hands around the house was always useful. Miao Shi was efficient, meticulous, and kept the house spotless. Even when cooking simple farm meals, her food tasted far better than Old Lady Shen’s. Later, when Shen Zhiwei’s fulang (ger wife) married in, even his cooking couldn’t compare to Miao Shi’s.

His mother was getting old, and Li Jiaofeng, now pregnant, wouldn’t be able to do heavy work. She would need to rest during her postpartum recovery, and since his younger brother had married a fulang, it wouldn’t be convenient for him to provide close care. What, was he supposed to let his elderly mother serve Li Jiaofeng during her confinement?

Keeping Miao Shi around was just adding an extra pair of chopsticks and another ladle of water to the pot. She could handle housework and serve the family. Li Jiaofeng and his precious son would also be able to enjoy a better life.

The more he thought about it, the more reasonable it seemed. Shen Zhigao then turned to Miao Shi and said:

“I see that you really don’t want to leave our family—you even called your brothers here to make a fuss. But you can’t give our Shen family an heir, so you’re unworthy of the position of the main wife.

From now on, Jiaofeng will be the principal wife, and you will be the secondary wife. If you agree to this, our Shen family will allow you to stay. In the future, when you die, you’ll even be permitted to be buried in our ancestral graveyard.”

These words were so shameless that even Village Chief Zhao Youdang was stunned. Did he really just say that? Has he lost his mind? He glanced at the Miao brothers—both of whom were already rolling up their sleeves, clearly ready to start a fight.

Shen Zhigao was feeling rather pleased with himself, thinking he had come up with a solution that was beneficial for everyone. But just as he was basking in his own self-satisfaction, a hatchet suddenly struck down in front of him, slamming viciously into the kang table. The blade sank over an inch deep into the wood, making a loud crack that sent a chill up his spine. His face instantly turned pale.

Looking up, he saw the culprit—it was none other than his own son, Shen Qing, the notoriously fierce ger of the village. Shen Qing’s hand was still gripping the handle of the hatchet, his posture unyielding.

Truthfully, Shen Zhigao had always been somewhat afraid of this son of his. When Shen Qing was a child, it was still manageable. But as he grew older, he became more and more intimidating. By the time Shen Qing was fourteen or fifteen, if Shen Zhigao so much as raised a hand against Miao Shi, Shen Qing would glare at him like a wild beast, eyes full of murderous intent. That kind of look alone was enough to make Shen Zhigao hesitant.

The older Shen Qing got, the taller and stronger he became—he was now bigger than his own father. A single swing of his arm could probably send Shen Zhigao tumbling to the ground. No matter how frustrated Shen Zhigao felt, he no longer dared to act violently at home. But he still needed an outlet for his pent-up frustrations, so he often wandered around the village, looking for other ways to vent.

It was around that time that Widow Li set her sights on him. She found the Shen family a suitable match—modest but stable—and saw an opportunity for herself. Over time, their affair developed.

At first, Shen Zhigao hadn’t considered divorcing Miao Shi. He was still wary of Shen Qing and the two Miao brothers. But then, Widow Li became pregnant with his child. That changed everything.

Not having an heir had always been a source of deep regret for Shen Zhigao. Now, with Widow Li constantly whispering in his ear—“What kind of father is afraid of his own son?”—he gradually let go of his fears.

But as he stared at the hatchet embedded in the kang table and then at his son’s expressionless face, all those old fears came rushing back. Shrinking his neck slightly, he cautiously glanced at Shen Qing before forcing himself to speak, though his tone had noticeably weakened.

“What… you planning to chop up your own father now?”

Shen Qing’s face was dark as a stormy sky, his expression so cold it seemed he could wring water from it. His voice carried a bone-chilling frost, yet he didn’t even spare Shen Zhigao a glance. Instead, he turned to Village Chief Zhao and said,

“Village Chief, I have something to say.”

Shen Qing was tall, his frame solid and imposing. Standing in the doorway with the light behind him, hatchet in hand, he exuded a quiet but undeniable pressure.

Village Chief Zhao, despite his experience, felt an instinctive shudder in his heart. Before he could respond, Old Man Shen (Shen Qing’s grandfather) immediately blew up, his mustache bristling in anger.

“This is an adult matter! Since when do children have a say? You dare interfere in your father’s affairs? Get out!”

Unlike Shen Zhigao, Old Man Shen wasn’t the least bit afraid of Shen Qing. As the head of the household, he had never felt any need to be concerned about him. After all, as a father-in-law, he couldn’t openly lay hands on his daughter-in-law, and since he rarely spent time in the same room with Miao Shi, Shen Qing had never had reason to clash with him.

To him, Shen Qing was just a stubborn and unruly ger—one who needed to be taught proper discipline.

Village Chief Zhao originally shared this mindset. He didn’t like it when women or gers interrupted discussions about serious matters. Especially not young ones. After all, what business did a son have interfering in his parents’ marriage? It was highly improper.

But as his gaze fell on the hatchet in Shen Qing’s grip, and as he recalled the ger’s fierce reputation in the village, a flicker of unease passed through him.

There’s an old saying—”The bold fear the reckless, and the reckless fear those who have nothing to lose.”

Shen Zhigao’s actions had practically backed Miao Shi into a dead-end. And when a man’s mother was cornered like that… if he had even a shred of filial piety, he wouldn’t just sit back and watch.

Better to let him speak than to risk him losing control right here in front of everyone.

Thinking this, Village Chief Zhao shifted his position slightly, scooting back just a little. His expression softened, and he said,

“Qing Ge’er is the only child of Zhigao and his wife. It’s only fair for him to have a say in this matter.”

Old Man Shen was clearly caught off guard by this. His face darkened, full of disapproval, but he ultimately chose not to challenge the village chief’s words. He simply shot Shen Qing a warning glare.

Shen Qing, however, ignored him entirely. He turned to Zhao Youdang and said,

“I agree to my parents’ divorce.”

The entire room fell into stunned silence.

Miao Shi was so shocked that the handkerchief she had been using to wipe her tears slipped from her grasp and fell to the floor. Miao Xing and Miao Wang, her brothers, also stiffened, their expressions frozen.

They had come here fully prepared to fight for their sister’s rights. As her brothers, standing up for her was their duty. But before they left home, their family had repeatedly emphasized that no matter what happened, they could not bring Miao Shi back with them.

It wasn’t just a matter of pride—having a divorced sister return to her maiden home would be humiliating. It would make marriage prospects difficult for their younger siblings. More importantly, their household was already struggling to support its members. They had their own children to raise, and they simply couldn’t afford to house another adult who needed food, clothing, and shelter.

Before leaving, they had promised—”We’ll help her fight, we’ll argue, we’ll even put in some money if needed, but we CANNOT bring her home.”

That was why they had gathered such a large group from Shiqu Village today. They wanted to use strength, morality, and legal reasoning to pressure the Shen family into backing down. Their goal was to ensure Miao Shi could stay in the Shen household with dignity, not to take her away.

In their eyes, keeping her at the Shen household—where she had at least some standing—was still better than sending her off to marry some old bachelor or widower.

But now, Shen Qing had openly declared his approval of the divorce.

And worse, he added,

“If my mother and father separate, she doesn’t have to return to Shiqu Village with my uncles. I will leave with her. I will take care of her myself. From now on, we will have nothing to do with the Shen family.”

Miao Shi was stunned.

Miao Xing and Miao Wang were speechless.

Everyone else in the room was equally taken aback.

In the countryside, divorces and separations were rare, but they did happen on occasion. However, never had a child willingly left his father’s household to follow his mother.

Even if a woman was divorced or widowed and wanted to remarry, her children always stayed with the father’s family. That was just the way things were.

But now, Shen Qing was saying that not only would he leave with Miao Shi, but he would also cut all ties with the Shen family!

Was he actually breaking off from the Shen clan entirely?

The people from Shiqu Village exchanged looks.

Miao Xing and Miao Wang, after a moment of processing, actually found themselves… relieved. If Shen Qing and Miao Shi weren’t coming back to live with them, then… maybe this wasn’t such a bad outcome after all.

Besides, Qing Ge’er was known for being incredibly capable.

While the Miao brothers were deep in thought, Shen Zhigao finally snapped out of his daze. He furiously shouted, “You unfilial brat! What do you mean by ‘will have nothing to do with the Shen family’? Are you trying to sever your relationship with your own father?!”

In this era, only parents had the right to sever ties with their children—never the other way around. If word got out, the neighbors would gossip behind his back, but worse still, if parents took their children to the government office and accused them of being unfilial, the officials could slap them with the crime of rebellion against their elders—punishable by exile.

Shen Qing finally turned his gaze toward Shen Zhigao, his voice cold and firm. “How am I unfilial? You want to divorce my mother and marry Widow Li to have a son. My uncles refused, so you couldn’t divorce her. If they wanted, they could take you to court for adultery—I heard everything. You’d be exiled. But now, I am persuading my mother and my uncles to agree to the divorce, so you can get what you want and won’t be exiled. If that isn’t filial piety, what is?”

The people in the room were momentarily stunned by his argument. Even Shen Zhigao was thrown off, unable to find the words to refute him. Instead, his anger only grew. “Are you threatening me? You dare talk about taking me to court?!”

Shen Qing continued, “I carry both my father’s and my mother’s blood. But my mother carried me for ten months and suffered to give birth to me. If I agree to the divorce, that’s already fulfilling my duty to you as a son. After that, I must fulfill my duty to my mother, which means I will leave with her and take care of her from now on.”

Miao Shi had already been crying her heart out. She had always been indecisive, but at this moment, she finally made a decision for herself. She threw herself onto Shen Qing, sobbing uncontrollably. “I agree to the divorce! As long as I can take Qing Ge’er with me, I’ll leave and give that vixen her place!”

She had been holding on all this time because she was worried about Shen Qing. She was useless, always needing her son to protect her, but if she left, how could she bear to leave him alone in this house? She wouldn’t be able to rest in peace, even in death.

But now, if they could stay together—whether they starved or suffered outside—at least they would have each other.

However, while Miao Shi agreed to leave, the Shen family was not willing to let them go so easily.

Letting Miao Shi go was one thing. But Shen Qing was already eighteen, nearly nineteen. By this age, most gers were already engaged and had brought in a bride price for their family. The only reason Shen Qing wasn’t married yet was that he didn’t fit the typical image of a ger—not delicate and soft-spoken, but tall, strong, and fiercely aggressive.

Still, even if no one had come forward to propose, there was one undeniable fact—he was a valuable worker.

Since Shen Qing turned fifteen, Old Man Shen no longer had to work in the fields. For the past few years, it had been Shen Qing doing the majority of the labor, and their harvests had even improved because of it.

Shen Qing was at his prime working age. The Shen family had plenty of land, and they had no desire to lose such a strong laborer.

Old Lady Shen, in particular, had already planned it out. She had intended for Shen Qing to continue working on the farm until he was twenty-four or twenty-five—by then, Shen Zhuang would be old enough to take over the fieldwork. At that point, they would marry Shen Qing off to some remote village deep in the mountains, where people were so desperate to find a ger to marry that they wouldn’t care about his looks, age, or temperament. That way, they could even negotiate for a higher bride price.

This plan was perfect—why would they let him leave now? If Shen Qing left, who would do all the work in the fields? Shen Zhuang was still too young. And neither her precious grandson nor her husband should have to tire themselves out working.

Shen Zhigao’s face turned red with frustration, and he muttered, “I never said I had to divorce your mother. If she’s willing to be the second wife and let Jiaofeng be the principal wife, our Shen family will still provide for her. You little bastard, you’ve got some nerve—”

Before he could finish, Miao Wang had had enough. With a loud curse, he leaped up and punched Shen Zhigao square in the face.

“You shameless bastard! You think my sister should be your concubine? Look at your disgusting old face—do you even deserve one?!”

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