Ch 48: The Farmer Ger in the Apocalypse

This was the first time Shen Qing realized that having too much meat could be a problem! The wealthy young master of the county town hadn’t appeared in a while, and the newly emerging ability-user team leader in the apocalyptic world was nowhere to be seen—who would have thought that he had been trapped in a kitchen, endlessly chopping meat?

After a full day’s work, Shen Qing felt like his arms were so sore he could barely lift them. This was even more exhausting than chopping firewood or hunting wild boars! But after dragging Miao Xing and Miao Wang into a day of hard labor, he watched their fleeing backs and then glanced at the two large basins of minced meat they had left behind. Suddenly, he had an epiphany.

“Mother, why don’t we buy some servants?”

Miao Shi was startled. “What?” She felt a little guilty—had she been too carried away with their newfound wealth and overworked her child? “If you don’t want to chop the meat, then don’t! I’ll just cure more bacon, and we can stir-fry some dried radish instead.”

Buy servants? In their village, people only sold their children to become servants; who had ever bought one? That was something only landlords and rich households did! Even if they had some money now, they couldn’t let it go to their heads.

“It’s not just about chopping meat,” Shen Qing paused, then added, “Not just for that.”

He had been thinking a lot lately. Right now, he was stuck in the kitchen mincing meat all day, but that was only because Miao Shi was excited about having so much meat and wanted to use it up. This excitement would pass, but his concerns wouldn’t.

For example, he often asked Miao Shi to steam buns and mantou. If his team in the apocalyptic world grew larger, would she have to do all the cooking herself? Was he letting his mother enjoy life, or was he making her work like a laborer?

Moreover, seeing how his uncles had handled selling the wild boars had given him a new perspective—it was just like managing a team in the apocalyptic world. Manpower was key! More people meant he could delegate tasks and even discover unexpected talents among them.

Beyond that, there was another major advantage to buying servants: loyalty. He had to worry about Qu Weiwei and any future recruits betraying him or running away. But indentured servants who signed life contracts wouldn’t—or rather, couldn’t.

During his time in the county town looking for a house and shop, he had come into contact with some brokers and learned a few things.

Take the current situation, for example. Miao Shi had invited several friendly women and fulangs over to help cure bacon and make sausages. However, because their home contained many valuables from the apocalyptic world, she could only let them work in the courtyard, main hall, and kitchen, not allowing them to wander inside. In some ways, this was quite impolite—who didn’t invite guests to sit on the warm kang bed in winter?

But if they had servants under a life contract, it wouldn’t matter. Even if the servants saw something, there would be no need to explain, and they wouldn’t dare speak of it to outsiders.

This was precisely why many wealthy families preferred not to sell off their disobedient servants—once released, those servants could no longer be controlled. Who knew how many household secrets they carried? If an enemy household bought them, wouldn’t that be handing over leverage on a silver platter?

Instead, it was better to send them off to a distant estate, never allowing them to leave. No matter how many secrets they knew, they would have to take them to the grave.

Hearing this, Miao Shi agreed that it made sense, but having lived in the village all her life, the idea of being served by others made her uncomfortable rather than pleased. She hesitated, murmuring, “No one in this village has ever done that. People are already gossiping about us since we made money selling wild boars—if we go and buy servants, who knows what they’ll say?”

Lately, she had been getting strange looks from the villagers whenever she went out!

Shen Qing understood her concerns and thought for a moment. “Then we’ll wait until we buy a house in the county town. The servants can be stationed there, taking care of the house and doing chores.” That way, Miao Shi wouldn’t have to sew clothes or make quilts herself anymore.

“That works,” Miao Shi immediately agreed. Call it self-deception if you will—so long as the servants weren’t in front of her, she could pretend they didn’t exist. Qing Ge’er could do whatever he wanted!

The mother and son chatted for a while longer. The next morning, Shen Qing was supposed to meet Song Kaiji in the apocalyptic world. It had been five days—he wondered how well they had completed the tasks he had assigned them.

“When my team over there is strong enough, and no one dares to mess with me anymore, I’ll bring you over for a few days,” Shen Qing said. “They have this special ability—if they do this—” he mimicked the motion of activating a healing ability, “—a white light appears at their fingertips, and wounds heal instantly. I even asked a doctor, and it works not just on injuries but on illnesses too! When we go over, we can stay for a while and cure your illness.”

Miao Shi’s eyes lit up with excitement. She had suffered from her illness for years and could hardly believe what she was hearing. “That would be amazing! It sounds just like magic!” Then she suddenly thought of her mother. “If it really works, we should help your grandmother too! Her legs swell up like giant radishes whenever it gets cold, and she can’t even stand up!”

Shen Qing rested his chin on his hand, thinking. That might be a bit tricky. Would he have to bring his grandmother to the apocalyptic world as well?

As they envisioned a bright future, a voice suddenly called out from outside the door, stretching out the words in a long, familiar drawl:

“Chunlei, are you home?”

Wei Chunfang was well-known across several villages as a reputable matchmaker. Not only was she skilled at arranging marriages, but she was also an excellent midwife, which made her extremely well-connected. After all, who in the village didn’t need her at some point—whether for a wedding or childbirth?

Every year, the money she earned from matchmaking fees and red envelopes for delivering babies was more than what most farmers made in an entire year. Because of this, she was highly respected in her household, with her son and daughter-in-law treating her like royalty.

Early that morning, Matchmaker Wei had just finished breakfast and was sitting on the kang bed, sewing a cloth tiger for her little grandson, when her eldest daughter-in-law came in to report, “Mother, a family from Xiaoji Village wants to ask for your help in matchmaking!”

Matchmaker Wei was momentarily stunned. Xiaoji Village wasn’t close to Lantang Village—it was farther from the county town, with two villages, including Xihe Village, in between. The name alone suggested its circumstances—Shiqu Village, Lantang Village, and Xihe Village were all near water sources, with fertile land and abundant harvests. Xiaoji Village, however, was different. Located away from water sources and nestled in a valley, its soil was thinner than elsewhere, and its crop yields were poor. Life there was tough, and to make ends meet, many villagers raised and sold chicks, which is how the village got its name.

Hearing that someone from Xiaoji Village had come looking for her, Matchmaker Wei was reluctant to see them. Matchmakers like her, while not strictly territorial, generally focused on their own village. She primarily worked within Lantang Village, arranging matches for locals or helping villagers marry into or out of neighboring areas.

For a family from Xiaoji Village to bypass their own village matchmaker and come seeking her, they were most likely looking to marry into Lantang Village.

It wasn’t that she looked down on them—this was simply how things worked. Who didn’t want to secure a well-off in-law for their child, ensuring they had an easier life? If someone from Xihe Village had come, she might have considered it, but for a family from Xiaoji Village, no matter how much effort she put in, the match would likely be rejected outright. She could already imagine being scolded for even suggesting it.

Matchmaker Wei shook her head without even asking whether they were looking for a bride or groom. She simply told her daughter-in-law, “Tell them to go back. I remember there’s a Matchmaker Li in Xiaoji Village who’s quite skilled at matchmaking—why travel so far when they have someone local? They should ask her instead.”

Having served her mother-in-law for years, the eldest daughter-in-law understood her thoughts well. She wasn’t ignorant, either. In fact, she had already tried turning the visitors away at the door, but the sum they offered was too tempting to refuse, so she came to report it anyway. Lowering her voice, she said, “Mother, they said that if the match is successful, they’re willing to pay you one tael of silver as a matchmaking fee!”

Matchmaker Wei immediately put down her needle and thread. “How much?”

Under normal circumstances, she would at most earn six hundred copper coins for a match—and that was from generous families hoping to bring good luck. A full tael of silver? That was more than double her usual rate!

Her daughter-in-law nodded vigorously. Matchmaker Wei thought for a moment. If they were offering such a high price, this must be a particularly difficult match. Still, the offer was too tempting to ignore. She was also curious—what kind of family from Xiaoji Village was willing to pay such a steep price?

Realizing this might be a tough negotiation, she finally relented. “Fine. Let them in.”

The visitors turned out to be a mother and son—a woman in her fifties and a young man in his early twenties. Their appearances were passable, but the woman had a downturned mouth that gave her a rather unpleasant look, while the young man’s face was gloomy, showing none of the excitement one would expect from someone seeking a marriage match.

Moreover, their clothing and demeanor didn’t suggest they could afford a tael of silver for matchmaking. Matchmaker Wei started to feel uneasy. She had met all kinds of people, and something about this pair felt off, making her worry they might try to go back on their promise later.

Still, now that they were inside, she had to entertain them. Putting on her well-practiced, cheerful matchmaker’s smile, she signaled her daughter-in-law to serve tea—though it was just roasted barley steeped in hot water, it had a rich aroma and was considered a special treat in the village.

Smiling, she opened the conversation, “So, dear sister, which young lady are you hoping to propose to? I know many families in the village—tell me, and I’ll see how I can help.”

The mother and son had been waiting outside for a long time and were well aware that Matchmaker Wei looked down on them. Their expressions were already a bit sour, but since they needed her help, they had no choice but to suppress their displeasure and force a smile.

The older woman spoke first. “Our family name is Wang, and this is my third son. We’re not here to arrange a marriage, exactly… but rather…” She hesitated, feeling embarrassed, then gritted her teeth and pushed her son forward. “We have too many sons at home, and we simply can’t afford to marry them all off. I heard that Lantang Village has a household looking to take in a son-in-law. Though it pains me greatly, we have no other choice but to send him over.”

Although she was speaking about her family’s hardships, her tone became increasingly self-important. “My son here, while not the most outstanding in our village, is still one of the better young men among his peers. He’s clever, hardworking, and capable. Sister, if you could just help us make this arrangement, I’m sure it would be a done deal!”

The young man she had pushed forward clearly did not like this situation. He remained silent, his lips pressed tightly together.

“A live-in son-in-law?” Matchmaker Wei was stunned. She had been in the village every day and hadn’t heard of any family looking to take in a son-in-law. “Which family are you talking about?”

She discreetly studied Wang San, the young man in question. He was of average height for a man, and while not particularly handsome, he wasn’t bad-looking either. Considering that taking a son-in-law was ranked below marrying off a daughter, his appearance wasn’t too bad. If they were indeed talking about a family in Lantang Village, there was a slight possibility she could make it happen.

Wang Laoniang clenched her sleeves. Before coming, she had done thorough research. “It’s the family of the one who killed the wild boars—the young ger with the surname Shen, who lives with his elderly mother, whose surname is Miao.”

Matchmaker Wei nearly spat out her tea!

Now she understood why they were offering a whole tael of silver—so this was their plan!

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