Ch 42: The Farmer Ger in the Apocalypse

Right now, the priority was to go to the county and buy some grain. Yesterday, Shen Qing had moved all of their household grain to the apocalypse, leaving nothing behind as bait for hunting wild boars.

However, this presented a problem: if Shen Qing went to buy the grain himself, it would be troublesome regardless of the identity he used. Lately, he had been reluctant to appear in the county as a ger, fearing he would be recognized—gers with his height and appearance were rare, making it easy for people to take a second look. Who knew if he might run into someone who had seen him before?

If he went as a wealthy young master and bought an entire cart of grain to bring back to the village, that wouldn’t work either. Plenty of people in the county were already trying to uncover his identity. If one of them secretly followed the cart back to the village, his disguise would be exposed just the same.

After thinking it over, Shen Qing decided to let Miao Shi go instead.

“What? Me? Go buy it in town?” Miao Shi nervously rubbed her hands together. “By myself? Can I really do that?”

Although Lantang Village wasn’t far from the county, she hadn’t been there in years. The last time she went was when Shen Zhang was still alive, and even then, Shen Zhigao had taken her—going as a whole family. Women and gers from the village rarely had the courage to go alone; the very thought of it was nerve-wracking.

“What’s there to be afraid of? Don’t I go into town all the time? And aren’t I a ger?” Shen Qing encouraged her. “It’s just buying some grain, not a big deal. I’ll go borrow the mule cart from the village chief, or you could ask Second Aunt Lian and Aunt Guixiang to go with you?”

“How can I compare to you?” Miao Shi hesitated for a long time, but since she couldn’t think of another solution, she had to steel herself. “Fine… I’ll give it a try. I’ll ask a few people to go with me. Otherwise, I’ll be too nervous!”

While Miao Shi went to find some trusted women and gers, Shen Qing headed to the village chief’s house to borrow a cart. When Madam Guixiang heard they were going to the county to buy grain, she was shocked. “Why do you need to go all the way to the county for grain? Didn’t you take a whole lot when you moved out of the old Shen house? And didn’t you trade a bunch of pork for more?” She vaguely remembered that Miao Shi had been exchanging grain and eggs around the village just a while ago.

“It’s for the traps,” Shen Qing said casually. “We need more grain to lure the wild boars. Those boars only come down the mountain because they can’t find enough to eat. If we don’t put out enough bait, they won’t take the hook.” He laughed. “I thought about trading for more grain in the village, but everyone’s stocks are running low, so I figured I’d just go buy some in the county. Once we catch the boars, we’ll earn it all back—it won’t be a loss!”

That was true. A single wild boar could sell for two to three taels of silver—grain wasn’t nearly that expensive.

Madam Guixiang didn’t know much about trapping wild boars or how much grain was needed, but since Shen Qing put it that way, she believed him. She even sighed in admiration. “You sure are bold. You’re already spending so much on bait, and the wild boars haven’t even shown up yet.”

But after thinking about it, she realized that having the guts to take risks was how people made money. Just like the old saying went—you can’t catch a wolf without sacrificing the child.

Still, out of concern, she asked, “You’re sure you can catch the wild boars, right?” It would be bad if all that grain was wasted and they ended up empty-handed.

Shen Qing knew she meant well. “Don’t worry, aunt. Didn’t I already have you all help with making the hemp rope nets? I’m fully prepared—once those wild boars show up, not a single one will escape!”

Only then did Madam Guixiang feel reassured. “Alright then! Today, you don’t have to pay to rent the cart. I was planning to go to the county myself to buy some things for the New Year. I’ll go with your mother and the others.” She gave Shen Qing a subtle glance and cleared her throat. “I’ll have my youngest drive the cart for us. With a man along, your mother will feel more at ease.” She knew Miao Shi was timid. It was strange—what difference did it really make to have a man there? If they ran into bandits, could he fight them off? Probably not. But somehow, just having one along made people feel safer.

“Shuanzi! Get over here and hitch up the cart!”

Shen Qing didn’t stand on ceremony with Madam Guixiang. Their families had been close lately, and there was no need to be overly polite. After they caught the wild boars, he could send a share of the meat to the village chief’s family—or prepare a generous gift for the New Year.

It took quite a while before any movement came from inside the house. Finally, Zhao Shuan lazily stepped out, shooting a quick glare at Shen Qing—but only when he thought no one was looking. He didn’t dare make it too obvious, afraid that either Shen Qing or his mother would give him a beating.

All because of this annoying ger! If it weren’t for him, he wouldn’t have been dragged into escorting a bunch of women to the county. But before he could protest, Madam Guixiang grabbed him and pulled him toward Shen Qing. “This kid of ours has made some progress these past few days. He’s not as capable as you, of course, but he’s tall and strong. Walking through the streets, he can at least look imposing. And he’s learned to handle things better than before.”

To be fair, the village chief’s family was well-off, living a comfortable life with plenty of food. Their children were all tall and sturdy.

Both Shen Qing and Zhao Shuan found this whole situation confusing—especially Zhao Shuan. His mother never praised him! Usually, she was constantly scolding him, calling him useless and cursing him up and down. Now, suddenly, she was complimenting him in front of Shen Qing?

Shen Qing, on the other hand, just assumed Madam Guixiang was showing off her son. Since it wouldn’t be appropriate to say, This is my defeated opponent, especially in front of Zhao Shuan’s own mother, he could only respond politely. “That’s true, he’s gotten taller and looks stronger than before.”

“Right? I just hope someone can help me guide him properly. A man needs to be trained by his family; only then will he truly become capable.” Madam Guixiang blinked meaningfully. “Just like your Uncle Zhao—don’t be fooled by how competent he seems now. Behind the scenes, I spent years working on him, putting in a great deal of effort!”

If she had been speaking to a girl or another ger, they might have caught on to the meaning behind her words. But Shen Qing completely missed it. Maybe it was because he never saw himself as a “waiting-to-be-married” ger, or maybe he simply never thought of Zhao Shuan as a man in that way. He just assumed Madam Guixiang was making casual conversation and obligingly played along. “You’re absolutely right, aunt.”

Seeing that Shen Qing didn’t get the hint, Madam Guixiang didn’t get discouraged. She had been worried her son would get beaten up under Shen Qing’s hand. But now, it seemed that Shen Qing had changed his opinion of her boy—maybe, just maybe, he wouldn’t hit him so hard in the future? She decided to observe a little longer before making any moves.

Zhao Shuan, however, had caught on. His face turned pale with fear.

Thus, Miao Shi gathered Second Aunt Lian, Madam Yan, and Uncle Li, bringing along Madam Yan’s son as well. With their group complete, they set off for the county in the mule cart, lively and cheerful. Having two tall, strong young men along for the trip made Miao Shi feel much more at ease.

Meanwhile, Shen Qing stayed at home, working on connecting the hemp rope nets.

Back in the day, he had truly learned a lot from the old hunter. For example, he knew how to set traps. Usually, this meant tracking footprints and digging a deep pit along an animal’s regular path. The pit would be lined with sharpened bamboo stakes, then covered with thin branches, leaves, and a layer of dirt. A little food would be placed on top as bait. When the animal stepped on the trap, it would fall in—either getting impaled by the stakes or getting injured so badly it couldn’t escape.

But that method was best for catching a single animal. Shen Qing planned to take down an entire herd of wild boars in one go, so he needed to make some modifications.

Now that he had the right weapons, he was feeling confident.

He had already examined the wild boar tracks and confirmed that they had been lingering near the village, waiting for an opportunity to raid the fields. It wasn’t just Lantang Village—traces of wild boars had been found near Shiqu Village and Xiahe Village as well.

Shen Qing planned to set up the trap at a spot where the boars frequently passed. He would weave the hemp rope nets between several trees, creating a circular enclosure with a single opening.

Inside the enclosure, he would scatter grain as bait, then set up a trigger at the entrance.

Once the boars entered, he could quickly seal the opening, trapping them inside. Then, they would be easy pickings. The only issue was the materials—while the nets woven by the women were strong, they were still just hemp. And wild boars, when enraged, could even fight off bears, let alone break through some rope nets.

These nets might hold for a short while, but not long enough. Shen Qing needed to kill all the wild boars before they broke free.

If only he had iron wire to weave a proper fence! He thought of the barbed wire fences set up around the safe zones near the base in the apocalypse.

If he could get his hands on that kind of fencing, he wouldn’t even need a gun. A crossbow or even a simple spear would be enough to take down the boars one by one.

◦°˚(*❛‿❛)/˚°◦