Ch 19: The Farmer Ger in the Apocalypse

Old Lady Shen had been stirred up by Li Jiaofeng’s words earlier. Though she didn’t show it on the surface, the more she thought about it, the more she felt it made sense. She might have scolded Li Jiaofeng for being greedy, but who didn’t love eating meat? Especially if it was free!

Miao Shi had taken so much grain from their family before—so what was wrong with asking for some meat in return? No matter how much Shen Qing objected, he was still her grandson, and it was only right for him to show filial piety to his elders!

However, she also knew deep down that Shen Qing, that ungrateful little ingrate, had no affection for their family anymore. His heart was only with that useless mother of his. If she went to Shen Qing directly, acting like a grandmother demanding respect, he would never fall for it!

She still remembered the day Miao Shi divorced Shen Zhigao—Shen Qing had held that hatchet with a murderous look and had spat out those harsh words. Just thinking about it now made Old Lady Shen a little nervous.

But Miao Shi had always been weak-willed and easy to manipulate. As long as she waited until Shen Qing wasn’t around, she could just scare her a little—wouldn’t Miao Shi obediently hand over the meat? It wasn’t like Shen Qing could come chasing after them to take it back later!

Having made up her mind, Old Lady Shen stood from a distance, watching and waiting. But Shen Qing sat in the courtyard without leaving, and Second Aunt Lian’s daughter-in-law had even brought her children over to help sell meat. More and more people gathered, forming a long queue. Those who had already bought meat left happily, carrying chunks in their hands or bowls, their faces full of joy.

This lively and cheerful atmosphere was like needles stabbing into Old Lady Shen’s eyes. It was as if they were taking her meat, and it pained her to the core. She spat bitterly under her breath, “A bunch of greedy fools, look at them acting like beggars just because they got a deal on some cheap meat!”

She was growing anxious—what if all the meat got sold out? Fortunately, her patience paid off. Finally, she saw Shen Qing carrying a pork leg and leaving the courtyard.

Overjoyed, she waited for him to walk far enough away before hurriedly pushing through the crowd. She shoved her way to the front, completely ignoring those in line, and called out to Miao Shi, “Qing Ge’er’s mother! Give me two jin—no, five jin of meat!”

The moment Miao Shi saw Old Lady Shen’s face, her heart sank. She had suffered under Old Lady Shen’s rule for nearly twenty years—she was practically a living nightmare to her. Fear had become a habit, ingrained deep into her bones, no matter how much time had passed. Even though Old Lady Shen was no longer her mother-in-law, the fear still lingered.

She glanced at Old Lady Shen’s empty hands—she hadn’t brought any grain, clearly not here to buy meat. Miao Shi knew her too well. Expecting her to pay with cash? Impossible. She was here to take it for free.

Miao Shi opened her mouth to speak, hesitating as she tried to find the words to refuse. But her hands remained still—she would not cut the meat.

The orderly queue was thrown into chaos as Old Lady Shen shoved her way to the front. Several women chatting nearby were nearly knocked over, and their dissatisfaction quickly turned into open complaints. Some were even older than Old Lady Shen and scolded her directly.

“Do you have extra eyes or extra legs? We’re all standing in line, what makes you special? How thick is your skin?”

“You think you’re different from the rest of us? This is my grandson’s house! Why should I wait in line for my own family’s meat?” Old Lady Shen snapped back. “Bunch of jealous old hags.”

Then she turned to Miao Shi with a sharp glare. “Qing Ge’er’s mother, Qing Ge’er is young and ignorant, but you’re old enough to know better! You get something good and don’t even think to offer it to your elders first? Just helping yourself?”

The smell of cooking meat wafted from the kitchen, making Old Lady Shen’s eyes burn with jealousy.

Ever since Miao Shi had left, the cooking had fallen to Zhao Shi, and the food had been awful. Just the other day, he had ruined an entire vat of fermented soy sauce, growing mold two fingers thick!

These losses only deepened Old Lady Shen’s resentment toward Miao Shi. It wasn’t rational, but sometimes, people’s emotions weren’t rational. She wouldn’t blame her precious son, wouldn’t admit she had made a mistake—so all that frustration and anger had to be directed somewhere.

And today? She might want the meat, yes, but more than that, she couldn’t bear the thought of Miao Shi and Shen Qing eating well and living comfortably. That would be worse than death!

Second Aunt Lian had heard enough. She knew all too well that Miao Shi was soft-hearted and timid—someone who would never dare stand up to an aggressive bully like Old Lady Shen. If she had to deal with her alone, she would only end up suffering. Without hesitation, she pulled Miao Shi behind her.

“Old Lady Shen, Chunlei isn’t your daughter-in-law anymore—you have no right to order her around. Qing Ge’er is an adult. He makes his own decisions. You say he should be giving you meat? Fine, let’s not even talk about the severance document signed in front of the village chief. If you want meat, go ask Qing Ge’er yourself. Why are you bothering Chunlei? Go stand over there and wait—he’ll be back soon. Let’s see if he wants to give you any.”

Her blunt words sent the crowd into laughter. Everyone in the village knew exactly what Old Lady Shen was trying to pull. Would she really dare ask Shen Qing directly? Of course not—she only had the nerve to bully Miao Shi.

Some of the villagers who weren’t up-to-date immediately whispered, “What? Didn’t Qing Ge’er just move out with his mother? When did they sign a severance document?”

“I’m not sure either, but if Second Aunt Lian says it’s signed, then it must be. She’s close to Qing Ge’er’s mother.”

“Oh! I heard about this! My sister-in-law’s husband went with Miao Shi’s brothers to Old Man Shen’s house that day. Before they left, they stopped by our house for a drink and talked about it. The document was signed—Qing Ge’er has nothing to do with Old Man Shen’s family anymore! That old hag has some nerve coming here to ask for meat!”

The murmurs grew louder.

Old Lady Shen was furious and embarrassed. Not only had Second Aunt Lian made her lose face, but she had also brought up the severance document again. And now, she still hadn’t gotten her meat! If Shen Qing came back, all hope would be lost!

She had already come this far—she could not leave empty-handed.

“This has nothing to do with you! Since when is my family’s business your concern? Look at you, a daughter-in-law trained by that old crone, daring to talk back to your elders—no manners at all!” Old Lady Shen shot back angrily. But she didn’t dare continue the argument. Instead, she spotted a large chunk of meat that had been cut earlier, about seven or eight jin.

Without hesitation, she reached out to grab it. “Say whatever you want, but I am Shen Qing’s grandmother. I’m just taking a piece of meat—what can he do about it? If he dares make a fuss over a single piece of meat, he’ll be struck by lightning for being an unfilial grandson!”

Hearing Old Lady Shen drag her own mother-in-law into the insult, and then cursing Shen Qing so viciously, Second Aunt Lian’s temper flared. She rolled up her sleeves, ready to fight.

But before she could speak, Miao Shi, who had been silent this whole time, suddenly stepped forward.

The string of fear she had kept stretched tight for years finally snapped.

She grabbed the cleaver meant for chopping ribs and pointed it straight at Old Lady Shen.

“You dare touch it? Put it down right now!”

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Thandar: Next chapter is password locked. Pw is gerger.