Ch 18: The Farmer Ger in the Apocalypse

“Give me two jin of spare ribs, I’ll trade wheat for them! Just harvested this autumn, fresh and fragrant!”

“You say this wild boar runs around the mountains all day, its meat isn’t as fatty as a domesticated pig. Look at that thin layer of fat, barely a finger wide!”

“Oh, come on! Can you buy a farm-raised fat pig at this price? And even trade grain for it? Meat is meat!”

“Exactly! Besides, wild boars are always active—their meat is firm, chewy, and extra flavorful!”

…

News that Shen Qing’s family was selling wild boar meat cheaply and accepting grain in exchange spread through the village like wildfire. Soon, nearly the entire village had gathered at the small courtyard at the foot of the mountain. The sky had long gone dark, yet people were still arriving with lanterns and torches to buy meat!

Second Aunt Lian borrowed a scale from the village chief’s house and moved the only table from Shen Qing’s home to the courtyard entrance. The meat was laid out, and with one hand exchanging payment and the other slicing meat, the trade began.

Before long, a long queue had formed at the entrance. Those with tighter budgets exchanged a jin or half a jin for some meat, just enough to let their families have a taste of something rich. Meanwhile, the more well-off households bought three to five jin at a time—after all, people needed to cure some salted meat and preserved pork for the winter. Buying it now while it was cheap was a good deal. The cold weather would keep the meat fresh, and by slicing thin pieces to fry with vegetables each day, they could stretch it all the way until spring.

Shen Qing sat nearby, keeping an eye on the situation. Anyone who had helped him and his mother in the past, or those who had gone up the mountain to search for him earlier that day, all received an extra two liang of meat. Some even got a bit of offal or marrow bones thrown in. The aunts and uncles were overjoyed and continuously praised him for being a grateful and kindhearted child.

Those who had never bothered with Shen Qing and his mother before were now secretly regretting it. Who would have thought this Qing Ge’er was so capable? It seemed they should make an effort to befriend Miao Shi—after all, Qing Ge’er went up the mountain every day to chop wood. Who knew when he might bring back another wild boar?

The boar wasn’t even fully grown, and Shen Qing had already taken off two legs earlier. In no time, there was only half of it left. Those still waiting in line were getting anxious, afraid it would sell out before their turn. Second Aunt Lian brought her husband and her younger brother, Lian Ou, to help. They were all skilled workers—weighing grain, cutting meat, and handling money in one smooth process.

Even little Lian Rong had come along. She found a pig bladder, filled it with water, and played happily at the courtyard entrance with her friends. With the courtyard brightly lit and bustling with people, the adults didn’t mind the children running around.

Because Shen Qing’s arm was injured—even though he himself didn’t think much of it—Miao Shi and Second Aunt Lian refused to let him do any heavy lifting. With nothing to do and feeling embarrassed by all the praise from the aunts and uncles, Shen Qing scratched his nose, grabbed a front leg of pork, and slipped toward the door.

“Mother, you all keep busy. I’m heading to the village chief’s house for a bit.”

“Go on, but come back soon. Dinner’s already cooking, it’ll be ready soon,” Miao Shi replied. Her son had worked all day and was injured—he needed a good meal. She had already sliced some fatty pork into thin pieces, marinated them with autumn oil, and steamed them with pickled snow vegetables.

Shen Qing had given all the flatbreads he brought to the mountain to Song Kaizhi. That meant he hadn’t eaten anything all day. Smelling the faint aroma wafting from the kitchen, he suddenly felt the emptiness in his stomach. He nodded and quickened his pace.

At the village chief’s house, dinner had just ended. The chief’s wife was in the storage room, instructing her youngest son to pack up some grain.

“Move faster! I just saw a ton of people going to exchange for meat—if we’re late, there’ll be none left! Ugh, I should’ve told Second Aunt Lian to save me some good cuts when she came to borrow the scale!”

Village Chief Zhao was outside feeding their livestock. Their family owned a strong blue mule—not as good for plowing as an ox, but excellent for pulling carts. They often rented it out to nearby villages, bringing in extra income. “I told you to go earlier, but you insisted on waiting until after dinner. Now you’re worried about being late.”

Looking up, he spotted Shen Qing approaching and was a bit surprised. “Qing Ge’er, what brings you here at this hour?”

The village chief’s wife, preoccupied with getting her share of meat, quickly stepped out of the storage room. “Qing Ge’er, you’re here?”

Shen Qing entered the courtyard and greeted them, “Uncle Zhao, Aunt Guixiang. I hunted a wild boar on the mountain today. Back when my mother divorced, we really appreciated Uncle Zhao standing up for justice. Now that my mother and I are living on our own, we don’t have much to repay that kindness, so I brought this pig leg as a token of thanks.”

He deliberately avoided calling the chief “village chief” in private, adding a sense of closeness.

Zhao Youdang rubbed his nose awkwardly. If he was honest, he didn’t feel like he had really upheld justice back then. Sure, he got Miao Shi a fair settlement, but he had also shielded Shen Zhigao to some extent…

Guixiang, however, had no such reservations. She had been worried about missing out on the meat, and now Shen Qing had delivered a high-quality pig leg right to her doorstep. Overjoyed, she was just about to take it when she hesitated.

“Oh, Qing Ge’er, this is too generous! Your family is struggling, how could we take a whole pig leg for free? Just tell me how much grain you want for it—I’ll pay whatever it’s worth! It’s already kind of you to save such good meat for us.” She turned to call inside, “Hurry and get the grain ready!”

Shen Qing quickly stopped her. “No need, Auntie. This pig leg is truly a gift for you and Uncle Zhao—no need to give me any grain. But I do have a favor to ask. I’ve stockpiled a lot of firewood and want to sell it in the county before the new year. I was hoping to borrow your mule cart to transport it. My arm got injured on the mountain today, so carrying it myself would be too much.”

This wasn’t a big deal, and the village chief’s family agreed without hesitation. Normally, they rented out their mule cart for ten copper coins a day, barely enough to buy a jin of pork. Shen Qing was offering an entire pig leg in exchange!

“Of course! Take it anytime! Tonight, we’ll feed the mule extra so it’s in good shape. Just come by early tomorrow morning to pick it up. Anytime you need it in the future, just ask!”

Shen Qing refused their offer of grain, making an excuse that he needed to get home for dinner, and quickly ran off. Guixiang grinned from ear to ear, holding the pig leg.

“You’ve helped so many people in the village, but Qing Ge’er is the only one who actually remembers to repay you! What a good kid.”

The village chief added more feed to the mule’s trough. “Just a pig leg and you’re completely won over?”

“Won over?” Guixiang’s eyebrows shot up. She rattled off, “Tell me—how many years have you been village chief? Has anyone else ever given you a gift like this? Take Shen Zhigao, for example. He made a complete disgrace of himself. By village rules, he should’ve been flogged, and that woman, Li Jiaofeng, should’ve been kicked out! But you bent the rules for them. Did they ever show gratitude? No! They’re probably resenting you instead!”

The more she spoke, the angrier she got. She waved the pig leg at him. “Our family doesn’t lack meat—we lack respect! If my father were still village chief, would Old Man Shen’s family dare to act like this?”

The village chief turned red, unable to argue, because everything she said was true.

Meanwhile, their youngest son, who had been scolded yet again for being slower than Qing Ge’er, secretly cursed—”Why did Shen Qing have to come here?! He’s the worst! The nemesis of all the village boys!”

Unaware of his growing reputation, Shen Qing was hurrying home. But just after he left, trouble erupted at his courtyard!

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