Ch 80: The Farmer Ger in the Apocalypse

This whole ordeal had made Shen Qing realize something—no matter how many internal conflicts a village had, when it came to external threats, they stood united.

Take those young men in the village who disliked him, for example. When his house was targeted by thieves, they might have badmouthed him, but that didn’t stop them from coming over to help.

Because if one household in the village got robbed, it meant their own homes were at risk too. The next victim could be them. They weren’t helping Shen Qing—they were helping to capture the thieves and eliminate a potential threat, protecting Lantang Village and, ultimately, themselves.

So couldn’t Shen Qing use this same logic to make those same men, who disliked him, work for their common interest by forming a patrol team—for free—ensuring that the Wang family would never set foot in front of him again?

He wasn’t entirely sure yet, so he decided to test the waters with a casual suggestion.

As soon as he spoke, the room fell silent, and all eyes turned to him. Even Miao Shi was surprised—this was the first she had heard of it!

But thinking back, it made sense. Qing Ge’er had just returned last night, walked right into the whole ordeal with the thieves, spent the entire night dealing with the chaos, and then left early in the morning for Xiaoji Village. Even if he had wanted to discuss it with her, he wouldn’t have had the time!

After some thought, Miao Shi helped him along by asking, “What kind of workshop?”

“This is a good thing! If they’re building a workshop, wouldn’t they have to buy land from our village? Helping with construction would bring in money too. And once it’s built, wouldn’t they hire people from our village?” someone started calculating on their fingers. The Miao family’s small tofu shop was already making decent profits—how much more would a workshop run by an outsider bring in? This was like a dream come true!

But some were greedier.

“Qing Ge’er, what business were you doing in town? What kind of nobleman did you meet? How did you get to know them?” Someone’s eyes darted shrewdly, itching with curiosity. “I’m telling you, city folk are slick. Our villagers are honest—we can’t outsmart them. Especially you, a ger—you better be careful not to get tricked! I think next time you go to town, you should take your uncle or one of our men with you. Having a man by your side makes all the difference!”

Shen Qing nearly burst out laughing.

Growing up, he had seen plenty of small-time scheming in the village. But now that he had broadened his horizons, what once seemed like clever maneuvering just felt ridiculous.

He waved a hand dismissively. “I only overheard a little about it. Nothing’s certain yet. They might have already found a suitable village. After the new year, I’ll head to town and ask around. If there’s a chance, I’ll bring it up with Village Chief Zheng.”

The roomful of people looked at each other, feeling both eager and frustrated. Their interest had been piqued, but now he was telling them it wasn’t certain? How infuriating! They wished he would go to town right now to investigate!

Miao Shi, however, understood what he was really saying. “You’re going to town again after the new year?”

Shen Qing nodded. “When the time comes, you should stay at Uncle’s house for a few days. After what happened with the Wang family, I don’t feel safe leaving you home alone. When we visit for the second day of the new year, just stay there. I’ll prepare a generous gift for Uncle’s family.”

Miao Shi had no desire to stay home alone anymore. Last night had nearly scared her soul out of her body. “That sounds good.”

Someone clapped their thigh and joked, “If Qing Ge’er can bring this business to our village, your mother won’t even need to go back to her maiden home! The whole village’s able-bodied men would take turns patrolling around your house!”

Shen Qing smiled. This was exactly the effect he wanted.

The room erupted into chatter as people tried to extract more details from him. But Shen Qing simply claimed exhaustion and refused to say more, retreating to his room to rest.

Once he left, the others had nothing else to discuss and quickly scattered—some eager to spread the news further.

As soon as they stepped out of Miao Shi’s courtyard, someone grumbled sourly, “That Qing Ge’er sure has grown into something. He’s acting high and mighty now. A whole room of elders were trying to ask about the workshop, and he just left them hanging to go take a nap!”

Another person, noticing that Second Aunt Lian was walking ahead of them, hurriedly hushed them. “Don’t talk nonsense! Qing Ge’er was up all night catching thieves—of course, he’s tired. If Second Aunt Lian hears this and tells her family, and Qing Ge’er ends up giving this opportunity to his uncle’s village in Shiqu instead, it’ll be your fault if our village loses out!”

“That’s not possible, right? Qing Ge’er is from Lantang Village.” The complainer sounded less confident now and quickly shut up.

By midday, the news that Shen Qing had met a nobleman who might build a workshop in their village had spread throughout all of Lantang Village.

Wave after wave of people came to ask about it, but Miao Shi turned them all away, saying that Qing Ge’er was too exhausted to be disturbed.

Inside, Shen Qing was casually flipping through books, comparing two copies of The Three Character Classic—one handwritten by Scholar Miao and the other from the post-apocalyptic library.

Miao Shi finally lost her patience. “Qing Ge’er, what exactly are you planning? Are we really building this workshop? People won’t stop coming to ask, and I’m sick of talking to them!”

“We are,” Shen Qing said, “but not easily.”

Business shouldn’t be rushed into. While building a workshop would benefit the village, his real goal was to improve Lantang Village’s security—for Miao Shi’s sake. If necessary, he would even model Lantang Village after Red City’s base, dividing it into inner and outer zones, ensuring that Miao Shi lived in the safest part.

“Don’t worry about people’s complaints,” he continued. “I want to build up my prestige. They need to know that working with me is a guaranteed way to make money, but it won’t come easy.”

He needed the villagers to beg him for this opportunity, to treasure it, so that he could maintain control and influence over Lantang Village in the long run.

Previously, he had given the recipes collected by Song Kaiji to Mother Tang for research. He had already mastered tofu-making and passed it on to the Miao brothers, but there were other items—starch sausages, savory pancakes, grilled gluten, five-spice dried tofu, and tofu skewers.

Five-spice dried tofu and tofu skewers were still soybean-based, so they could be added to the Miao brothers’ business later. But as for the rest, Shen Qing planned to set up a workshop in the village specifically for making gluten and starch sausages.

The villagers could produce as much as they wanted—the more, the better. Some could be sold in town, but the bulk would be sent to the post-apocalyptic world, where demand was endless.

Originally, he had planned to partner with Second Aunt Lian and Madam Guixiang on this, but he hadn’t found the right opportunity. Now, he didn’t even need to make up an excuse—he could just say he was managing it for a nobleman. Just like in the other world, where they had “managers” overseeing businesses, he could use the nobleman as a convenient scapegoat. Then, he could let Madam Guixiang and Second Aunt Lian run the workshop.

“Mother, don’t stress over this. Eat well, sleep well, and after the second day of the new year, move to Uncle’s house. Let the villagers stew in their impatience and come begging us instead.”

Shen Qing tapped his chin thoughtfully. “Maybe we should even leak a rumor that you’re thinking of favoring your maiden family…”

Miao Shi clicked her tongue. “How do you come up with all these sneaky ideas? If you hadn’t told me, I’d have never thought of something like that.”

Manipulating people and playing mind games—sometimes, they had their uses. Shen Qing had picked up these tricks from the historical dramas stored on Mother Tang’s phone.

And he had to admit, those shows were addictive. In the short time he had stayed in the post-apocalyptic world, he had nearly pulled an all-nighter binge-watching them!

And that was just from watching dramas—if he could read books…

Shen Qing refocused on the two versions of The Three Character Classic in his hands, carefully comparing them.

Shen Qing meticulously compared the two copies, scrutinizing each character one by one. Many of them were exactly the same, while others, at a glance, looked quite similar in structure, but upon closer inspection, had subtle differences in detail. Moreover, the reading direction was different—his world’s text was arranged vertically from right to left, while the book from the library was laid out horizontally from left to right.

Even so, Shen Qing was delighted. This confirmed that the written languages in both worlds were fundamentally the same, with only minor variations in script. What’s more, Qu Weiwei and Song Kaiji had mentioned that some regions still used the script from his world, and they seemed to be able to understand it as well.

That meant he had a real chance to master both scripts!

Thinking of this, Shen Qing decided he should prepare an extra New Year’s gift and visit Scholar Miao on the second day of the new year to learn more characters from him.

“How long will you be staying over there this time?” Miao Shi asked as she started gathering up some clothes and belongings for her trip.

Shen Qing’s hand paused mid-flip through the book. He wasn’t entirely sure—it depended on the situation with Song Kaiji’s parents. However, he figured it wouldn’t exceed a month, so he replied, “At the shortest, six or seven days, at most a month. To outsiders, just say I’ve gone to town to work for the nobleman. If things don’t go as planned, the workshop may not happen, so no one will pry too much.”

Miao Shi was taken aback. “That long?”

Shen Qing had always left and returned on the same day. Even when he had stayed for two days last time, she had already found it unusual. Now, hearing he might be gone for up to a month, she was even more surprised. “Did something happen over there?”

Shen Qing hesitated briefly before choosing to leave out the part about zombies. Instead, he gave her a simplified version. “He refuses to accept the situation as it is and wants to search personally. I figured I’d go with him.”

Miao Shi sighed in worry. “That poor child… why are there so many wicked people in this world?”

Shen Qing was silent for a moment before sighing as well. There were good people and bad people in this world, just as there was night and day. When you encountered bad people—like that Wang family—there was no avoiding them. The only thing you could do was stay vigilant and protect yourself.

He had considered letting Miao Shi stay in the large house in Anping County while he was gone. But first, that house was still empty, lacking furnishings and daily necessities, and it was an unfamiliar place where she might not feel comfortable. Second, they weren’t familiar with the servants there yet—who knew if any of them would turn out to be unreliable? It was safer for her to stay at her maiden home. The house there might not be as good as the one in town, but at least she was surrounded by people she knew and trusted.

Still, thinking about the house in the city, Shen Qing made a mental note to check on his inquiry about buying East Mountain the next time he went into town. Had the broker made any progress?

Just as he was considering this, a voice called out from outside the house. Someone else had come to ask about the workshop rumors again. Miao Shi rolled her eyes and muttered, “Can’t they just let me have a moment of peace?”

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