Ch 21: The Farmer Ger in the Apocalypse

Shen Qing quickened his pace and ran home. Sure enough, he saw Miao Shi brandishing a cleaver, wildly chasing after Old Lady Shen with a look of pure fury. It was truly a terrifying sight.

The villagers who were supposedly holding her back didn’t dare get too close—after all, a knife didn’t have eyes. No one wanted to get hurt just to protect Old Lady Shen; it simply wasn’t worth it!

Only Second Aunt Lian was physically restraining Miao Shi, wrapping her arms around her waist. If it weren’t for her, Old Lady Shen would have already been caught.

“Chunlei! Chunlei! If you kill her, you’ll have to pay for it with your life. It’s not worth it! It’s really not worth it!”

This was the first time Shen Qing had ever seen his mother like this, and it broke his heart. His mother had always been timid and weak—if she had reached this point, she must have been pushed to the edge.

He rushed forward, swiftly grabbing the knife from her hands before she could hurt herself.

“Mother, calm down! I’m back now! If there’s a problem, we’ll let the village chief handle it. Uncle Zhang has already gone to call him—don’t be reckless!”

Seeing Shen Qing, Miao Shi finally lost all her strength. It wasn’t clear whether she even registered what he was saying, but she suddenly collapsed onto the ground, wailing.

“I already gave that vixen my place in the household, so why won’t the Shen family leave me alone? Why do they have to haunt me, chasing me all the way here just to bully me? Do they have to push me to death before they’re satisfied?”

Her cries were so pitiful that it almost seemed like she was the one being chased down with a knife just now.

Shen Qing knelt beside her, supporting her as she sobbed. His heart ached terribly. He turned and glared at Old Lady Shen with burning hatred.

Most people tend to side with whoever seems more pitiful, and past impressions often shape their opinions.

Everyone in the village knew that Miao Shi had always been meek and submissive. So even though it was her holding the knife earlier, public sympathy was leaning in her favor.

Not to mention, many of them had just bought cheap wild boar meat from Shen Qing’s family—there’s an old saying: you don’t bite the hand that feeds you.

“That’s exactly it—she was minding her own business at home, and it was Old Lady Shen who barged in. They’ve already separated, and their families have completely fallen out. What’s the point of coming here?”

“Tch, isn’t it obvious? She just couldn’t stand seeing them living well and wanted a share of the meat.”

An older, more experienced woman scoffed, “I see what’s going on. She’s used to being in charge, used to having power in her household, and she still thinks she can push Miao Shi around like she’s her daughter-in-law.”

In these times, men were above women, and women were above children. Women and gers were expected to be submissive to the men in the household, and outside the home, they didn’t have much status. The little authority they did have was often over their children, grandchildren, and daughters-in-law.

Some mothers might hesitate to be too harsh on their own children, but daughters-in-law—who were considered “outsiders”—became the primary targets for venting frustration and asserting control.

That’s why there’s a saying: a suffering daughter-in-law will one day become a mother-in-law.

Once a woman became a mother-in-law, she gained power. She finally had someone beneath her to control, just as she had once been controlled. Only then was she considered to have “made it.”

The situation with the Shen family wasn’t exactly a secret. Li Jiaofeng was not a submissive woman—she was not someone who could be easily controlled.

Clearly, Old Lady Shen had lost the battle at home. Li Jiaofeng was calling the shots now.

Frustrated and unable to vent at home, Old Lady Shen had come looking for Miao Shi, hoping to relive the pleasure of controlling a daughter-in-law.

But today, Miao Shi had stood up to her, and Old Lady Shen had slammed straight into an iron wall.

Old Lady Shen was also sitting on the ground, panting heavily.

She was, after all, getting older. On top of that, she had been exhausted from doing household chores in recent days. Just now, she had barely escaped Miao Shi’s blade. The fright had nearly made her soul leave her body.

Hearing the murmuring discussions around her, someone even spelled out the exact thoughts she hadn’t yet admitted to herself.

For the first time, even she—who had never cared about saving face—felt her face flush with embarrassment.

“Pah! Pah! What do you all know? I’m his grandmother! No matter what, he should be honoring me! Why shouldn’t he?!”

Someone finally lost their patience.

“Who’s your grandson? If you really think you’re his grandmother, why didn’t you go looking for him? You’ve been lurking around for a while now, waiting until he left before coming straight for Miao Shi. What’s your relationship with her? What right do you have to demand things from her?”

Shen Qing’s face darkened. He was about to speak when a voice from the crowd called out:

“Enough! Move aside—the village chief is here!”

The moment Old Lady Shen heard this, she immediately acted like she had found her savior.

She threw herself to the ground, rolling around and wailing dramatically.

“I can’t live like this anymore! An old woman like me, getting chased down with a knife by my own grandson’s mother! I’m so frightened, my whole body is aching—oh, heavens above, look at what I’ve suffered!”

Village Chief Zhao heard her screeching before he even got close. His temples throbbed painfully.

He was just about to say something when Madam Guixiang, his wife, yanked him back and gave him a sharp glare.

I told you not to get involved.

Village Chief Zhao swallowed back his words.

Madam Guixiang stepped forward and immediately took control of the situation.

“Old Lady Shen, what kind of trouble are you stirring up this time? Don’t you have better things to do?”

Old Lady Shen’s eyes widened.

What the hell? How was she the one stirring up trouble?

She had just been chased down with a knife—how was she the problem here?!

She opened her mouth to argue, but Madam Guixiang cut her off before she could get a word in.

“When Miao Chunlei divorced your son, Shen Qing officially cut ties with your family. The legal documents made it very clear—Shen Qing only has an obligation to care for her, and the Shen family is no longer his concern.

So tell me, why are you still hanging around them? If you’re not deliberately causing trouble, then what are you doing?”

Madam Guixiang didn’t even bring up the fact that Miao Shi had tried to attack her.

“You’ve got two sons, both capable of taking care of you, yet you’re here harassing someone from the younger generation? What kind of sense does that make?”

She was truly the village chief’s wife—she had dealt with so many household disputes over the years that she knew exactly how to shut people down.

Old Lady Shen had no reasonable defense, so she stubbornly resorted to, “I wasn’t asking him to support me! It’s just a piece of meat! He’s got a whole wild boar—what’s the big deal in giving me some? I am his grandmother!”

Madam Guixiang let out a sharp laugh. “And why exactly should he? No matter how much he has, it has nothing to do with you! Let me make this clear—if you Shen folks keep ignoring the severance document and keep harassing Qing Ge’er and his mother, then don’t blame me if things turn ugly. If his mother had actually taken that knife and chopped you down, well… it would’ve just been what you deserved! You’re already divorced, so have some dignity! If you can’t wish each other well, at least act like strangers and don’t cross paths. If you’re so desperate to stir up trouble, go pick on your new daughter-in-law instead!”

She then turned toward Shen Qing and Miao Shi, her voice softening slightly. At this moment, Miao Shi had returned to her usual meek demeanor, her face streaked with tears—it was hard to believe she had just been chasing someone down with a knife. But remembering the pig leg she had just received from Shen Qing, Madam Guixiang patiently continued to console her. “Next time they come looking for you, just come straight to my house! Don’t listen to a word she says, don’t take it to heart!”

Old Lady Shen’s chest heaved with fury as she glared at Madam Guixiang, then turned her eyes toward Village Chief. “You, Da’er, I watched you grow up! You and Zhigao grew up together! How can you let your wife speak so unfairly? She doesn’t respect her elders at all! How can you marry someone like that and not keep her in check?”

At this, Zhao Youdang’s headache worsened. If there was one thing in life he regretted, it was playing with Shen Zhigao as a child! Out of all the kids in the village, why did he have to choose him? He wished he could slap himself for his childhood choices.

“Always talking about respecting elders—but shouldn’t an elder be worthy of respect?” Madam Guixiang sneered. “And don’t drag my husband into this—he’s already been far too lenient with your family! If we really followed village rules, let me remind you what’s written in black and white: Shen Zhigao committed adultery with Li Jiaofeng and even fathered a child with her. According to our laws, the woman should have been drowned, and the man should have been flogged forty times and driven out of the village. If you want my husband to be fair, why don’t we start by enforcing that?”

◦°˚(*❛‿❛)/˚°◦