Ch 76: The Farmer Ger in the Apocalypse

Li Liang and Li Li were unaware of Chen Jiaxi’s ability—or rather, even if they knew, as ordinary people without awakened abilities, they had no way to resist a mental ability user’s intrusion. As a result, Chen Jiaxi easily accessed their memories.

Li Li’s memories were manageable, but Li Liang’s were a mess—if he wasn’t arguing with someone, he was fighting them! Chen Jiaxi found it frustrating, but she forced herself to focus and sifted through his chaotic mind. It took quite a while before she finally located the memories Shen Qing had asked for—the ones about their uncle and aunt.

Meanwhile, Li Liang and Li Li were also observing Shen Qing and the others.

Li Li cast a wary glance at Chen Jiaxi. She had seen the whole scene earlier—how Chen Jiaxi had come looking for them and how she had clung to Song Kaiji, desperately trying to get into the base. She hadn’t expected this young boss to actually bring her inside. This realization gave Li Li a sense of crisis—after all, a team could only afford to keep so many non-essential people around.

She had fought hard to get into the base and had no intention of being sent back out to face the zombies again. It would be best if this “Boss Shen” arranged a light and safe job for her, especially considering Song Kaiji’s influence.

But now, Chen Jiaxi—another woman who seemingly had no ability—felt like competition.

With a flattering smile, Li Li stepped closer to Shen Qing. “Boss, I’m truly grateful to you for taking us in, all for my cousin’s sake! You can assign me any task—washing clothes, cooking, cleaning—I can do it all!”

She was essentially saying, Other than washing clothes, cooking, and cleaning, don’t assign me any other work.

How could Shen Qing not see through her little scheme? He chuckled lightly. “No rush. You’ve just entered the base—you need time to rest and recover.” He then turned to Mother Tang. “Aunt, please make them something to eat.”

Mother Tang agreed and headed to the kitchen. Li Li was overjoyed. She had only eaten half a cornbread yesterday and hadn’t had anything today—her stomach had been growling for hours. She quickly stood up. “I’ll help Auntie in the kitchen!”

“No need, no need.” Shen Qing waved his hand and motioned for her to sit back down. It was more convenient for Chen Jiaxi to do her mental probing while she stayed put. “Just sit and rest.”

Perhaps sensing that Shen Qing was easygoing and looked somewhat youthful, Li Liang, who had initially been a little reserved, began to relax. “Boss, can I give you a suggestion?” Without waiting for a response, he continued on his own. “Look, it’s the apocalypse now, so why are we still sticking to old rules? We don’t need to be so formal about things. The three of us are crammed into this tiny study—how is that fair? Meanwhile, you have that huge bedroom all to yourself—don’t you feel embarrassed? I say we split into pairs and share the rooms.”

Song Kaiji wanted to sew his mouth shut! Li Liang had been like this since childhood—overly self-important, to put it nicely; completely lacking self-awareness, to put it bluntly. Did he really think everyone would treat him like royalty? Did he think the world revolved around him? The apocalypse had been raging for almost a year, and he still hadn’t learned his lesson. How had he even survived this long?

Shen Qing was speechless. He actually agreed that it didn’t make much sense for him to have the largest room since he wasn’t here often. But why did Li Liang think he had the right to say anything about it? In his hometown, they had a term for people like him—a fool who talks too much. Shen Qing found even wasting a single word on him irritating.

He glanced at Chen Jiaxi and saw that she had already withdrawn her mental probe, discreetly signaling to him with her eyes. Casually brushing off Li Liang’s comment, Shen Qing said, “Go ahead and eat—I have some things to take care of.” He then pulled Chen Jiaxi into a room.

Seeing that Shen Qing didn’t even glance at him or acknowledge his suggestion, Li Liang felt a surge of anger. He turned to Song Kaiji. “What’s with him? No basic manners at all. And this guy’s supposed to be a boss? He doesn’t even know how to respect talent—how is he supposed to accomplish anything?”

Li Li quickly yanked his sleeve. “Shut up already! Can’t even keep your mouth shut when you have food in front of you?” Respect talent? You think you’re either talent or worthy of respect?

Song Kaiji didn’t want to acknowledge him at all. His gaze followed Shen Qing and Chen Jiaxi into the room, and he felt unsettled—Shen Qing had been acting strange ever since meeting her. What was he up to? Something about this didn’t sit right.

Inside the room, Shen Qing immediately asked, “How are his parents? Are they still alive?”

Chen Jiaxi pressed her fingers against her temple and shook her head. She still didn’t fully understand her ability and had never trained it systematically—everything she did was purely instinctual. Absorbing the memory fragments from both Li Liang and Li Li had been overwhelming and left her with a headache. She slowly recounted what she saw:

“…It was a coincidence. They were trying to barter for supplies—Li Li seemed to like one of the men on the other car but was too shy to go alone, so she dragged Li Liang along. The water ability user’s boyfriend didn’t see them and assumed they were still in the original vehicle. That’s how they managed to escape.”

However, after the water ability user’s boyfriend punctured the tires of the Li family’s vehicle, trapping it in the zombie horde, Li Liang and Li Li no longer had any supplies to trade. At the next rest stop, they were kicked out of the convoy.

“They drifted through a few private strongholds afterward—luck was actually on their side. Just a few days ago, they were picked up by an official rescue team and brought to Hongcheng Base.” Chen Jiaxi sighed. “As for Mr. Song’s parents… I’m afraid…”

Shen Qing’s expression darkened. He had already prepared himself for the worst when he suspected that Li Liang and Li Li were lying. But he had still held onto a sliver of hope—that perhaps they had only stolen supplies, and the two elders had survived.

But now…

How was he supposed to tell Song Kaiji? Shen Qing let out a heavy sigh.

Seeing his expression, Chen Jiaxi quickly tried to reassure him. “It’s not certain! I’m just speculating—I didn’t see any direct memories of their deaths in Li Liang or Li Li’s minds.” She hesitated before adding, “Besides, zombies track their prey by scent. If the car was well-sealed, they might have survived.”

It wasn’t an impossible scenario. After all, when Shen Qing’s group had hidden in a car at Yucai Middle School, the zombies hadn’t attacked aggressively.

Shen Qing took a deep breath, trying to regain his composure. He handed Chen Jiaxi a handful of crystal cores. “Thank you.”

Chen Jiaxi held the crystal cores in her palm, thinking about her son still in the hospital. “I should be the one thanking you.” In a twisted way, she even felt grateful to Li Liang and Li Li—if not for them, she wouldn’t have had the chance to help Shen Qing and save her child.

After thinking it over, Shen Qing decided this couldn’t wait. Song Kaiji would have to find out sooner or later—it was better to rip off the bandage now.

He stepped out of the room and saw Li Liang and Li Li devouring their food. Mother Tang hadn’t made anything fancy for them—just some leftover broth from yesterday’s chicken stew, with a couple of potatoes thrown in, and a few reheated steamed buns. Even so, for two people who had been starving for months, it was a feast.

Shen Qing first found Qu Weiwei and quietly explained the situation. She was shocked. No wonder Song Kaiji had suddenly brought back these two irritating relatives—it wasn’t out of sentiment, but because there was something more going on. But she quickly composed herself and, following Shen Qing’s instructions, released her vines.

Li Liang and Li Li were still eating when they suddenly felt thick, sturdy vines coil around them. By the time they realized something was wrong, it was too late—the vines had already tightened, binding them securely.

Li Li turned pale with fear, while Li Liang, after his initial shock, started shouting furiously. “What the hell are you doing?! Is this a robbery?! Is there no law anymore?!” He turned to Song Kaiji and, remembering their childhood grudges, snarled, “It’s you, isn’t it?! You planned this! You’re trying to get rid of me! This is illegal! I’ll call the cops!”

Song Kaiji was also caught off guard. Why had Shen Qing suddenly made a move? But if Shen Qing was doing this, he must have had a reason…

“Robbery?” Shen Qing sneered. “What do you have that’s worth stealing? Your entire life savings aren’t worth more than that plate of food on the table. If anything, the term robbery applies better to you two.”

Based on Chen Jiaxi’s report, Shen Qing found Li Liang utterly repulsive. He turned to Qu Weiwei. “Shut him up. His voice annoys me.”

Qu Weiwei instantly grew a large leaf and stuffed it into Li Liang’s mouth.

Amid Li Liang’s muffled protests, Shen Qing walked up to Li Li and grabbed her chin, forcing her to look at him. “Where are Song Kaiji’s parents?” His tone was cold. “I know you weren’t the one responsible—you were just dragged into this by Li Liang. But if you tell the truth now, I’ll spare your life.”

Song Kaiji, even if slow on the uptake, finally understood. His voice trembled. “You mean… they… my parents…”

His body swayed slightly.

He had always been deeply attached to his parents. Even though his stepfather wasn’t his biological father, nearly twenty years of father-son affection couldn’t be faked. Through all his struggles, his motivation had always been the hope of reuniting with them.

But now, reality had struck him with a cruel, devastating blow.

Actually, after waiting for more than half a year, Song Kaiji wasn’t entirely unprepared for this outcome. But it was like… like how some pets, sensing their end is near, quietly leave home. That way, in their owner’s mind, they are simply “lost,” not “dead.” As long as their owner never witnesses their death, there’s always the possibility that they are still alive somewhere in the world.

It was a kind of self-deception, but also the last sliver of hope in a life filled with despair.

Shen Qing had Chen Jiaxi recount everything she saw to Song Kaiji. Seeing that he could hardly bear it and was about to collapse, Shen Qing quickly caught him. “It’s not certain!” He repeated Chen Jiaxi’s earlier reasoning. “As long as the car was properly sealed, the zombies wouldn’t have smelled them, right? If they just stayed hidden inside and waited long enough for the zombies to leave, there’s still a chance they survived!”

Li Li also clung to this possibility like a drowning person grasping at straws—or perhaps she, too, wanted to believe her parents were still alive. “That’s right, cousin! We never actually saw Dad, Mom, and Uncle and Aunt die, so they must still be okay! It was our fault, we were too afraid to go back and look for them…”

Song Kaiji clenched his teeth so hard that his gums nearly bled. “Who the hell is your cousin?! What do I have to do with you people?!”

In an instant, he pulled a dagger from his spatial storage, overcome with the urge to drive it straight through Li Liang!

Li Liang, with his mouth still gagged by the vine’s leaves, couldn’t utter a word. He could only stare in terror as Song Kaiji slowly approached with the dagger, unable to move due to the vines restraining him.

After all, Li Liang was her own flesh and blood. Li Li wailed, “Cousin, for Uncle’s sake, spare my brother! He didn’t mean for this to happen! He never intended to harm Uncle and Aunt—it was that water ability user and her boyfriend! My brother never saw it coming…”

Qu Weiwei also spoke up, though she wasn’t trying to stop Song Kaiji from killing him. “Maybe do it outside the base? The base authorities are pretty strict—if they find out, we could all get kicked out.” Outside the base, however, was a different story. In a world overrun by zombies, a person dying was just another ordinary event.

She made a solid point. Rationality returned to Song Kaiji, and after a long moment, he withdrew the dagger. Lowering his head, he fell into deep thought. Slowly, he looked up at Shen Qing, then at Qu Weiwei and Tang Wenjie. “I… I have a request.”

Seeing him like this made Shen Qing’s heart ache. Perhaps it was the grief of losing his family—who wouldn’t feel sympathy for such a loss? Or maybe it was because Shen Qing had never seen Song Kaiji looking so broken before. He quickly said, “Tell me. Say whatever you need. If I can help, I will.”

The others chimed in as well. “Why are you being so formal with me, Old Third? We’re like real brothers. If not for you, I wouldn’t even have had the chance to join the boss’s team. Your parents are like my parents!”

Qu Weiwei nodded emphatically. Although Shen Qing had contributed the most in saving her arm, it was also Song Kaiji who had helped her secure a loan. She owed him a lifelong debt. “Just tell us what you need.”

“I want to go to Zizhou.” Song Kaiji closed his eyes for a moment before continuing, “If I don’t go and see for myself, I won’t be able to let it go.”

---

Lantang Village

Shen Qing had been gone for two or three days. Since he had informed Miao Shi in advance, she simply told the villagers that he had gone to the city to do some small business, hoping to make some money before the New Year.

What kind of business? How would she know?

Some people believed her, while others were skeptical—they suspected that Miao Shi actually knew but didn’t want to reveal the family’s source of income, so she was just playing dumb.

Their family had become the biggest topic of discussion in the village. No one knew what kind of luck they had, but first, they hunted a wild boar, and now they had a thriving tofu shop. These days, everyone in Lantang Village went to Shiqu Village to buy tofu, and knowing that Miao Shi’s family had a stake in it and earned dividends, they were both envious and jealous.

“Who would’ve thought that Shen Qing, just a little ger, could pull off all these stunts? He’s really something.” Some admired him, while others spoke with bitterness. But no one could deny that the gap between them and Shen Qing was growing. He truly was capable.

Miao Shi ignored the village gossip. Living alone, she found the silence of her courtyard at night unnerving, so she invited Second Aunt Lian to stay with her. That day, Second Aunt Lian even brought along Lian Rong and her grandson, Lian Qiao.

Miao Shi adored children and didn’t mind the company. She found the chubby little Lian Qiao absolutely adorable.

“This courtyard is too quiet,” Second Aunt Lian commented, lying on the heated brick bed. “It’s at the foot of the mountain with no neighbors nearby. You should get a dog—it’d be good for guarding the house. Or geese would work too.” Geese were just as fierce as dogs and could even be turned into a delicious stew.

She waited until Lian Rong had fallen asleep before lowering her voice to chat with Miao Shi. “Honestly… back then, it wasn’t that we couldn’t afford to marry off my son to a woman. But that fool of mine only had eyes for Yu Ge’er—he would’ve rather died than marry anyone else.”

If it had been up to her, she would have preferred her son to marry a woman. Like Li Yanzi, she had only one son, and if he married a ger who couldn’t bear children, wouldn’t that be the end of their family line?

But fate had a way of ignoring people’s wishes. First, Lian Shi himself had set his heart on Zhao Yu. He was the most honest, hardworking, and filial child—yet, just this once, he had stubbornly insisted on marrying the one he loved.

Second Aunt Lian had no choice. She loved her son too much, and besides, Yu Ge’er was good-looking and well-mannered. Plus, his family was related to Village Chief Zhao and was well-off—his only disadvantage was being a ger.

Still, her son was determined, so she agreed to the marriage, hoping Yu Ge’er would at least bear a son.

But fate struck again—he had a ger instead.

Everyone knew ge’ers had difficulty bearing children, usually only one per lifetime. But Second Aunt Lian didn’t give up! She firmly believed that effort makes miracles. “That Zhao Aiye had two kids, didn’t he? If he can do it, why can’t Yu Ge’er? That’s why I brought Lian Qiao here—to give them more opportunities.” Back then, Zhao Aiye had bullied Miao Shi so openly in the Shen family, all because he had given birth to Shen Zhuang, a son.

Hearing Zhao Aiye’s name made Miao Shi remember the unresolved doubts in her heart. But without evidence, she kept quiet and simply laughed. “You’re really meddling as a mother, even interfering in their bedroom matters?”

Second Aunt Lian chuckled. “Of course! This is my top priority.” She wasn’t someone who outright favored sons over daughters—she had always treated Lian Ou and Lian Rong well and never forced them to work. But the fact remained—she already had a son!

In the village, families without sons lacked status and were often bullied. Second Aunt Lian didn’t want that for her family.

“But… if Lian Qiao grows up to be as capable as Qing Ge’er, then it won’t matter if we don’t have a son.” She murmured thoughtfully. Shen Qing’s recent achievements had shaken her worldview. For the first time, she realized that maybe a family didn’t need a man to thrive. After all, look at Miao Shi—wasn’t she doing better than most? If someone dared to look down on her, she could just beat them up!

As the two whispered under the blankets, Miao Shi suddenly sat up. “Did you hear that?”

Second Aunt Lian fell silent, listening carefully. There was indeed a noise outside!

It seemed to be coming from beyond the courtyard wall—something, or someone, was trying to climb over it.

Miao Shi broke into a cold sweat. Her voice trembled. “Hexiang, am I hearing things…?”

Second Aunt Lian’s heart was pounding. There were children in the house! But she steadied herself and whispered, “Let’s get weapons.”

They grabbed a kitchen knife and an axe, huddling together and listening tensely.

Then, after a moment of silence, there was a loud thud in the courtyard.

Then—

“Mother? Mother, where are you?”

“It’s Qing Ge’er!”

Miao Shi let out a long breath, her heart nearly leaping out of her chest. She scrambled to light a lamp. “Why are you back at this hour?! You scared us half to death!”

Second Aunt Lian also asked, “What was that noise just now?”

In their tension, they failed to notice that Shen Qing’s voice carried a hint of urgency as well.

As the lamp was lit, Miao Shi and Second Aunt Lian held it up and opened the door—only to nearly throw the oil lamp out in fright!

Standing in the courtyard was not only Shen Qing, but lying unconscious on the ground beside him were four burly men!

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