Ch 51: The Farmer Ger in the Apocalypse

Wang San hadn’t initially planned on this idea.

Everything he had said before was true—the hardships at home, his mother’s favoritism, and being forced to marry into another family. What proper man would willingly become a live-in husband?

A man who married into another family had his own share of suffering. Not only did he have to live like a woman or a ger, lower in status and working like an ox or a horse, but he also had to endure the scorn and ridicule of others. Women and gers wouldn’t mock a woman or ger for marrying out because, in their eyes, that was the natural order of things. But men? They would sneer at, ostracize, and even bully those who married into another family, refusing to see them as equals. Some would even find it unlucky to associate with them.

Even some women and gers looked at live-in husbands with strange eyes. This was what made Wang San feel especially miserable—he was a man, a proper man, and he shouldn’t have to live like this! His mother knew very well how difficult life as a live-in husband was, yet she still chose to sacrifice him.

But he didn’t dare to resist his mother. A lifetime of experience had conditioned him to endure in silence and obey. If Madam Wang forced him to come, then he had no choice but to come.

When he had told Miao Shi that he didn’t think Shen Qing was bad, that had been a lie. In truth, when he first laid eyes on Shen Qing, his already suppressed and frustrated emotions plunged even further into despair and bitterness.

Living with a ger like this—how was it any different from living with another man?

But when this ger started speaking—arguing fiercely and scolding Madam Wang without hesitation—Wang San felt an unexpected sense of satisfaction, as if Shen Qing was venting all the anger he had been holding in for years. And in that moment, Shen Qing’s image in his eyes changed entirely.

Though this ger wasn’t particularly good-looking, Wang San found him more and more pleasing to the eye. There was something about his spirit that he couldn’t help but admire.

In many ways, Shen Qing had influenced Wang San—if even a ger dared to resist, to speak up like that, why couldn’t he?

For the first time, Wang San voiced his true feelings to his mother and fought back: Why did he have to be the one to marry into another family? Why not one of his brothers, so they could use the money to find him a wife instead? Why was this unfair fate his to bear?!

Of course, all he got in return was another beating from his mother.

But as he took the blows, Wang San suddenly realized that perhaps marrying into another family wasn’t so unbearable after all. In the countryside, as long as the elders were alive, families didn’t split up. If he stayed in his family—whether he eventually married a wife or remained single—he would always be the one doing the most work, receiving the least respect, and taking the brunt of the family’s hardships. He was always the one sacrificed.

But if he married into another family, he could immediately escape this suffocating household and his overbearing mother.

Wang San began making calculations in his head.

Shen Qing, in fact, seemed like a good choice. While he wasn’t good-looking, what did that matter in the countryside? Especially in a poor place like Xiaoji Village, far less wealthy than Lantang Village. Just getting a wife was hard enough—what use was a pretty face? Besides, beauty was subjective. And oddly enough, Wang San found himself admiring Shen Qing’s reputation for being fierce. He liked that kind of strong-willed personality. Plus, Shen Qing was sturdy and looked capable of hard work.

Miao Shi also seemed kind and reasonable—certainly a far cry from his own mother. More importantly, there was no man in their household. He wouldn’t have to worry about being oppressed by another husband or father-in-law. Women and gers often had mother-in-law troubles, but for a man who married into another family, the worst conflicts were usually with a father-in-law.

If he married in, he might even get to be the head of the household. That would be perfect!

Looking at the expanded courtyard, the sausages and cured meats hanging outside, Wang San’s heart burned with desire.

He even decided he wouldn’t ask for a bride price! At this point, Wang San already harbored resentment toward his biased mother and those brothers of his who didn’t have to marry into another family yet expected to enjoy the money from his dowry. Why should he make things easy for them? If he married into this family, Shen Qing’s assets would naturally be his. He might as well keep the money within his new home!

So, Wang San put on a show—he’d heard that women and gers were easily swayed by sympathy. He hunched his shoulders and lowered his head, trying to appear pitiful, hoping to win Shen Qing and Miao Shi’s sympathy and acceptance.

But Shen Qing saw right through him.

Wang San was deeply disappointed. “Why? Didn’t you say I was decent?”

“Hmm…” How should he put it? Shen Qing thought. He had only been making polite conversation at the time. “Even if you’re decent, even if you were excellent, I still wouldn’t have to be with you.”

Wang San didn’t understand. If even an excellent match wasn’t acceptable, then what was he looking for?

But Shen Qing suddenly felt as though something had clicked into place in his mind. Just a short while ago—on the night he first returned from the apocalypse—he had sat in his room under the moonlight, counting the treasures he had brought back. He had thought that as long as he had money, no man would dare dislike his appearance. He had considered finding someone with good character, someone responsible and kind, willing to help him take care of his mother. Back then, if he had met Wang San, he might have actually considered it.

Because at that time, he had believed that marriage was just about two people living together, supporting each other, helping one another, and raising children. As long as the other person had good morals and decent conditions, anyone who fit the criteria would do.

But now, Shen Qing vaguely felt that wasn’t right. It shouldn’t be like that. He suddenly didn’t want to settle, didn’t want to just randomly pick someone to spend his life with—this was a lifelong commitment, after all.

But there was no need to explain such complicated feelings to Wang San. Instead, he simply laid out the reality for him: “I already told your mother, even if you’re not bad, who would want to marry into a family connected to her? You still have four brothers. If we, a widow and her son, got involved with your family, we’d be at a disadvantage in every way. Even if you don’t ask for a bride price, we don’t want to be tangled up with people like that.”

Wang San opened and closed his mouth several times but couldn’t come up with any defense or rebuttal. He knew his mother too well. If he really married into Shen Qing’s family, even if he claimed not to want a dowry, his mother would still come knocking at their door, causing trouble.

There’s a saying—”Even a just official struggles to settle family disputes.” Once family ties were established, even the village chief would have a hard time stepping in. His mother and brothers would surely take advantage of the situation. If they moved in, they’d eat up all the meat in this courtyard in no time!

Wang San slumped in defeat, finally realizing that it wasn’t just Shen Qing—any family that had a choice would never want to be involved with his.

“So does that mean I’ll have to remain a bachelor forever? Even marrying into another family isn’t an option?” he muttered bitterly.

Shen Qing shrugged. “That’s not something I caused, is it?”

In the end, Wang San left with his head hanging, persuaded by Matchmaker Wei’s words. But just before stepping out, he turned back to Shen Qing and asked, “If one day I break free from my mother and cut ties with my family completely… would you consider keeping me?”

Shen Qing didn’t know how to answer, so he remained silent.

Miao Shi watched Wang San’s increasingly hunched back and actually felt a bit of pity. She sighed deeply. “That poor soul, stuck with a mother like that.” She had lost two children—one in the womb—so she couldn’t stand seeing other children being mistreated. It was a lingering sorrow of hers. If her children had lived, she would have spoiled them endlessly! Looking at Wang San, she couldn’t help but feel a bit of empathy. “Is there anything we can do to help him?”

She thought of how Shen Qing had mentioned hiring servants before. They couldn’t buy anyone right away, but could they hire Wang San as a short-term worker?

Shen Qing immediately shut that idea down. “Mother, you mustn’t think like that. There are too many pitiful people in this world.”

Never mind anything else, just look at that man with a broken leg back in the hospital room with Qu Weiwei. Wasn’t he even more pitiful? He was barely clinging to life!

But Shen Qing wasn’t about to start randomly handing out charity. That would only drag him into endless trouble. “You saw how he talked back to his mother earlier, right? Looked impressive, didn’t he? But when she started hitting him, did he dare dodge? He wants to marry into a family not because he’s truly willing, but because he sees it as his only escape from her. He’s hoping to use another household’s strength to resist her.”

That was probably why he had suddenly started seeing Shen Qing in a different light—because Shen Qing was clearly stronger than his mother. Perhaps even Wang San himself hadn’t realized it yet, but he had been following his instincts.

“But why should we take on their mother-son conflict as our problem? Why should I, or any other family, be dragged into it? Unless he truly cuts ties with his family, no one will take him in. Even if he came here just to do short-term work, I wouldn’t dare hire him—I’d be afraid his mother would take advantage and leech off us!”

Besides, “I’m an unmarried ger, and he’s an unmarried man. We’re both at the right age for marriage—do you really think we could let him work here? Even if we didn’t want to take him in, how would we ever get rid of him?”

Plainly speaking, Wang San wasn’t a terrible choice. But Shen Qing didn’t like his kind of person. Not just in terms of marriage—he didn’t even want to associate with him as a fellow villager.

Wang San had too many little schemes, and he wasn’t honest. Maybe he was pitiful in his own home, but that wasn’t Shen Qing’s problem. Why should he take responsibility for it? Keeping someone like that close… who knew when he’d turn around and try to take advantage?

Hearing this, Miao Shi snapped back to her senses. What had she been thinking? If Wang San worked for them, what would that do to Shen Qing’s reputation?

But thinking about it, Miao Shi grew curious. “Qing Ge’er, what do you really think about marriage?”

Normally, marriage was decided by parental orders and matchmaker arrangements. Whether Shen Qing was to marry out or take in a husband, Miao Shi could technically make the decision herself. In fact, as a young ger, Shen Qing should have blushed and hidden away the moment this topic came up.

But their family’s situation was different from others, so Miao Shi felt it was best to ask directly. “We’ve only sold a few wild boars, and already we have people knocking on our door about marriage. Who knows what it’ll be like when our life gets even better? Just tell me what you really think, so I can be upfront with that Matchmaker Wei—if someone doesn’t meet the criteria, she won’t even need to bring it up.”

Shen Qing was silent for a long moment before he finally spoke, his voice slow and contemplative. “Mother, do people have to get married?”

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