Ch 34: The Farmer Ger in the Apocalypse

With the matter settled, Shen Qing had no desire to stay any longer with a group of men who clearly disliked him. After downing the bowl of hot water that Madam Guixiang had poured for him, he braved the wind and snow to return home.

The village chief also felt a little embarrassed. He had originally called Shen Qing over because of his experience in killing a wild boar, thinking they could discuss the matter together. But instead, Shen Qing had overheard such nonsense and left in anger. The village chief turned to glare at Wang Liuzi with clear dissatisfaction.

But he didn’t know what to say either. As a man himself, the village chief understood Wang Liuzi and the others’ petty thoughts all too well—what man would be happy being overshadowed by a ger or a woman? It was normal for them to feel uncomfortable about it.

That night, as the couple discussed the incident, Madam Guixiang nearly kicked him off the kang bed in frustration. “What kind of nonsense are you talking about? What do you mean Qing Ge’er is stepping on them? Who did Qing Ge’er ever step on? He just has the ability to do things they can’t! If they don’t want to be outshone by him, then they should go up the mountain and kill wild boars too! Who’s stopping them?”

“If they’re useless and have no guts, why should they hold someone else back? They can’t accept anyone else working hard and succeeding unless they stay just as unmotivated as them? Shen Qing was right—bunch of cowards!” Madam Guixiang huffed indignantly.

The village chief, after getting a verbal lashing from his wife, turned red in the face, lowering his head and mumbling for a long time without being able to argue back.

“And besides, if they’re unhappy, they can sulk at home all they want—no one’s stopping them. Emotions aren’t always rational, and people can’t control how they feel. It’d be too much to expect them never to feel resentment or jealousy. But keeping their bitterness to themselves is one thing—going out of their way to cause trouble for others is another!” Madam Guixiang snapped.

“Yet instead of just feeling annoyed quietly, they had to make up ridiculous excuses and try to pin the wild boar problem on Qing Ge’er. What does that mean? Isn’t it just because they saw Qing Ge’er make money off the wild boar, and now they want a share of it? Look how jealous they are! You tell me, is that reasonable? And you actually have the nerve to sympathize with them!”

“Does Qing Ge’er have to suppress his talents just to make them feel better? Does he have to suffer even when he has the ability to live a good life? Why?” Madam Guixiang huffed in frustration, turning over and pulling all the blankets to her side. She could already see it—Qing Ge’er was someone with great potential, and if those village boys were already unhappy now, they’d be even more bitter in the future. “If you keep indulging them like this, it’s only a matter of time before something serious happens!”

The village chief mulled over her words for a while but couldn’t come up with a solution. He could only sigh heavily as he lay down, reaching out to tug at the blankets. “Sigh, at least leave me some covers.”

“Aren’t you men supposed to be so tough? What do you need blankets for?!”

…

Back at Shen Qing’s house, Miao Shi was also fuming. “How can people be so awful?” If they hadn’t gotten lucky and stumbled upon this unexpected wealth, she and Qing Ge’er would still be struggling, pinching every last coin to survive. If not for the powerful weapons from the other world, there was no way they could’ve killed that wild boar. What those people were saying was nothing short of pushing them into a dead end!

Shen Qing, however, was already used to it. “They’ve always been like this. But actually, this isn’t a bad thing.” Part of his decision to handle the wild boars himself was out of frustration, but more importantly, he wanted to establish his authority and cement his position in the village.

Why had Wang Liuzi never stopped harassing him since childhood, despite never winning a fight against him? It was because, in Wang Liuzi’s mind, the difference between them wasn’t that big. Even though he always lost, he still believed his “superior” status as a man made up for it. Overall, he considered himself on par with Shen Qing—if not slightly above him.

But if it were a ger from an official’s family, or even a ger from the emperor’s household, Wang Liuzi would surely drop to his knees and not dare utter a single word! Would he still dare to think gers were inferior to men? Could he even dream of comparing himself?

A beggar doesn’t envy the rich sitting in a palanquin; he envies the beggar beside him who gets more food. At the end of the day, Shen Qing simply hadn’t pulled far enough ahead yet. So he decided to use this wild boar hunt to establish his dominance. That way, he wouldn’t have to deal with these petty troublemakers anymore. He wasn’t afraid of conflict, but constantly having people like Wang Liuzi buzzing around him was exhausting.

Besides, each wild boar could sell for two or three taels of silver. Whether for future business or improving their household, having a legitimate source of income would prevent people from questioning where their money came from.

---

Early in the morning, Song Kaiji set up his stall, squatting by the south wall and waiting for Shen Qing. He rarely took on missions these days—Shen Qing now visited him almost every other day, always bringing a full basket of food. For the first time, Song Kaiji experienced the joy of being “kept.”

All he had to do was use his free time to buy gold and silver from other stalls at low prices. Before meeting Shen Qing, he had hoarded a lot of the base’s coarse grain biscuits, which he now used for payments. This buy-low-sell-high method had already earned him a small profit.

Unless a mission offered a convenient way to collect more gold and silver, he wouldn’t even bother taking it. But this time, instead of stocking up on precious metals, he had traded his latest batch of food for something else. “Tofu, five-spice dried bean curd, tofu skewers, grilled gluten, savory pancakes, starch sausages…” Song Kaiji flipped through the few sheets of paper in his hand, listing out all the foods Shen Qing liked. “This should be enough, right?”

Even though he had resolved not to pry into Shen Qing’s secrets, the more he interacted with him, the more questions filled his mind. The base already had stalls selling all these foods—why would Shen Qing buy the recipes? The market was already saturated, and in these difficult times, only a handful of people could afford to indulge in snacks. A new shop wouldn’t stand a chance against seasoned vendors.

Unless… Shen Qing was planning to open a shop in another base?

Song Kaiji frowned in thought. But wouldn’t other bases also have people who could make these? He still had no idea where Shen Qing lived. When Shen Qing had invited him to “move elsewhere,” Song Kaiji had instinctively assumed he meant another base. But the distances between bases were enormous—how could Shen Qing travel back and forth within just two days?

Could it be… that Shen Qing had a personal, unofficial hideout nearby?

This was getting complicated. He actually had to use his brain. Song Kaiji scratched at his scalp.

Just as he was lost in thought, someone suddenly came running from the direction of the base, shouting as they ran. “Song Kaiji? Is Song Kaiji here? Who is Song Kaiji?”

Song Kaiji was startled. Could it be news of his family? He immediately stood up, waving his hand excitedly. “That’s me! I’m Song Kaiji!”

He quickly packed up his stall and rushed over. “Is it about my family?”

“What family? I’m not from the reunion office; I’m from Third Farm. Do you know Qu Weiwei?” The messenger gave Song Kaiji a sympathetic look. “She was injured during a mission, attacked by a mutated plant that went berserk. She’s unconscious now. The emergency contact she listed was you. You need to decide—are you going to save her or not?”

Although Qu Weiwei had listed an emergency contact when she joined, the apocalypse had long since stripped away human compassion. The messenger had already informed several others before coming to Song Kaiji—some chose to help, some didn’t, and no one could be blamed for their choices.

It felt like a bucket of ice water had been dumped over Song Kaiji’s head. Just moments ago, he had been filled with hope that this was about his family. Now, he felt like he was sinking into an abyss. It took him a long time to find his voice. “Where is she? What’s her condition?”

Huh, this guy actually has a sense of loyalty? The messenger gave Song Kaiji a second glance before responding, “Base hospital. Come with me. If you want to save her, I’ll tell you now—you better have food and crystal cores ready.”

---

By the time Shen Qing arrived at the south wall with his full basket of food, for the first time, Song Kaiji’s stall was nowhere to be seen.

“Did he go on a mission?” Shen Qing scanned the area.

Some of the vendors nearby were familiar with Song Kaiji. Others had long been eyeing Shen Qing, hoping to steal him away as a customer. Seeing Song Kaiji absent, they immediately seized the opportunity to chat him up. “He had something to do and went back to the base. Handsome, are you looking to buy something? I have plenty here too. Why not take a look? I promise my prices are just as good as Little Song’s!”

The overly enthusiastic attention from these strangers made Shen Qing instinctively step back. The apocalypse was nothing like Anping County; this was unfamiliar territory. So far, he only felt comfortable dealing with Song Kaiji. Even when he went into the base to buy food, he stuck close to Song Kaiji.

His grip on the basket straps tightened, and he forced a polite smile. “No thanks, I just need to find Song Kaiji… Do you know where he went? Should I wait here, or would it be faster to go find him?”

Of course, none of the vendors wanted to give up the chance to steal Song Kaiji’s business. They ignored his question, continuing to coax him toward their stalls. Shen Qing stood frozen in place, feeling countless eyes sizing him up. The weight of their stares made his skin crawl, and for the first time, he realized just how much he relied on Song Kaiji in this world.

After hesitating for a moment, he pulled out a steamed bun, broke it in half, and handed a piece to a gaunt woman who at least looked somewhat kind. “Do you know where Song Kaiji went?”

The woman’s eyes lit up in delight. Even though she hadn’t managed to win Shen Qing as a customer, getting free food was still a victory. She immediately stuffed the bun into her mouth, nearly tearing up at its warmth and softness. After scanning Shen Qing’s basket longingly, she finally answered, “Someone came looking for him earlier. I think it was about a friend of his who got hurt—he went to the base hospital. If you wait here, I don’t think he’ll be back anytime soon.”

Shen Qing nodded and quickly made his way toward the base, avoiding people as he went.

◦°˚(*❛‿❛)/˚°◦