Ch 89: The Farmer Ger in the Apocalypse

Song Kaiji wasn’t actually stupid.

People often described university students as naive, and in a way, it was true. Having spent most of their lives in an ivory tower, untouched by the harsher realities of society and human nature, they lacked the kind of wariness and deep suspicion that others might have. This made them seem more idealistic, sometimes reckless.

But that didn’t mean he was slow or dull. Song Kaiji had never considered this possibility before—after all, who would ever suspect that someone beside them came from an entirely different world?

If anyone was to blame, it was Shen Qing for exposing too much this time. Song Kaiji had read his fair share of online novels before the apocalypse—stories about time travel, reincarnation, interdimensional traders… And when he started connecting the dots—Shen Qing’s initial appearance in ancient-style clothes, the handmade woven baskets and shoulder poles he always carried food in, his obsession with gold and silver, the seeds Mother Tang had pointed out as being from an old-fashioned farm—it was all too suspicious.

Once he actually started thinking about it, the inconsistencies were glaring. Song Kaiji had already pieced together a rough idea: Shen Qing was from another world, most likely an ancient one. Given the tattered clothes he had worn when they first met, he had probably come from a rural village. That was the place Shen Qing had once mentioned—the one he had invited Song Kaiji to, the one that was better than the apocalypse but still had its own hardships.

He spoke softly, “Did I guess right?”

Shen Qing pressed his lips together, his expression darkening. He hadn’t expected this. He had only meant to tell Song Kaiji a little more about himself—he had never intended to let him know about his world.

But Song Kaiji was too sharp. Without even asking, he had managed to figure out everything on his own.

Educated people really were different.

Shen Qing even felt a pang of regret. If he had known that revealing his immunity to zombies would lead Song Kaiji to this conclusion, he would rather—he would rather—he still couldn’t bring himself to watch Song Kaiji die.

It was all because he was too soft-hearted. Frustrated, Shen Qing stared at Song Kaiji warily. “What do you plan to do?”

Song Kaiji quickly waved his hands. “Nothing! I don’t plan to do anything!”

He understood why Shen Qing was defensive. If this was truly a matter of different dimensions, then Shen Qing’s world was likely a less advanced one. Song Kaiji recalled how Shen Qing had asked for children’s educational books before, and his theory only seemed more likely.

If a more developed world discovered a lower one, and if he exposed Shen Qing’s secret, reporting it to the authorities—what kind of impact would that have on Shen Qing’s home?

It would be no different from an alien invasion.

Song Kaiji spoke sincerely. “I won’t tell anyone. I know that for you, for your world, this is incredibly dangerous. You only revealed yourself because you wanted to protect me. I like you—I would never put you in harm’s way.”

Shen Qing’s thoughts weren’t far from what Song Kaiji had guessed.

Even without abilities, firearms and explosives alone could annihilate flesh and blood. In the apocalypse, weapons like that were practically everywhere. If the cave entrance to his world was ever discovered, it would spell disaster for Lantang Village, for Anping County, for his entire kingdom—perhaps even for his entire world.

Song Kaiji’s heartfelt confession took on an entirely different meaning in Shen Qing’s ears. His lips curled into a stiff smile. “You like me?”

Shen Qing didn’t want to doubt Song Kaiji, but given the situation, he had to consider the worst-case scenario. Whether Song Kaiji was trying to get closer to him to find out how to access the other world, whether he wanted to use this as leverage to make Shen Qing submit to him, or whether he truly had feelings for him—it didn’t matter right now.

The most important thing was to calm him down and go along with it.

Shen Qing lowered his head slightly, making himself appear more subdued. In a soft voice, he said, “I think you’re very good too. Do you remember? I once wanted to bring you to my world…”

Song Kaiji’s eyes widened in shock.

He had been prepared for rejection. If Shen Qing had simply been a wealthy survivor in the apocalypse, things might have been different. But Shen Qing came from another world—one that was probably peaceful. He had taken so much money and resources from the apocalypse back home. With all that, what kind of partner couldn’t he find?

But Shen Qing actually had feelings for him too?

Song Kaiji certainly remembered Shen Qing’s invitation. It was back when they had only just met. Did that mean Shen Qing had already liked him back then?

Song Kaiji was overjoyed.

“But our world is different from yours.” Shen Qing saw the sudden brightness in Song Kaiji’s eyes, and though he wasn’t completely unmoved, he still took half a step back. “In my world, it’s like what you see in your period dramas. Marriage follows the will of the parents and the arrangements of a matchmaker. You understand that, right? I have to go back and talk to my mother first, arrange a meeting between you two. If she thinks you’re good, only then can we…” Even if most of what he was saying was just to stall, Shen Qing still felt his face heating up.

The soft flush of red on his face, like the glow of the evening sun, made Song Kaiji’s heart race even more. He never imagined such a thing could happen. Of course, he had watched plenty of period dramas before. Even in modern times, some people cared about meeting the parents while others didn’t. But for Shen Qing to take this so seriously—it meant that he wasn’t just playing around. He wanted something long-term, something real.

Song Kaiji was both excited and nervous. “I’ll make sure to leave a good impression so Aunt will approve of me!” But then, another thought struck him—since when did ancient times allow men to marry men? Would traditional parents really accept their son being with another man? Or was Shen Qing referring to some kind of sworn brotherhood?

Shen Qing nodded vaguely but still felt uneasy. He warned Song Kaiji again and again, “Since you have feelings for me, you have to keep this a secret. Not even Weiwei or Xiao Tang can know.”

Song Kaiji immediately agreed. “I won’t say a word!” If possible, he would have loved to take all his friends to a safer place. But he understood Shen Qing’s concerns.

After all, Qu Weiwei and Tang Wenjie were people Song Kaiji had known since before the apocalypse. To Shen Qing, they were still relatively unfamiliar. It was natural for Shen Qing to hesitate about trusting them completely. But Song Kaiji knew they were good people. If they spent more time together, maybe Shen Qing would come to trust them too. After all, hadn’t Shen Qing already decided he was trustworthy? Song Kaiji was optimistic.

As Shen Qing turned to head back to the room, Song Kaiji couldn’t help but grab his hand. “If Aunt approves of me… and if we find my parents, would you take me to your world?”

If he could bring his parents along, if he could be with Shen Qing in a peaceful, zombie-free world, then that would be his perfect life. There would be nothing more to regret.

So it really was about that.

Shen Qing paused, suppressing the faint stir of emotions in his heart. He turned and smiled at Song Kaiji. “I invited you once before, didn’t I? Why wouldn’t I be willing?”

That night, everyone slept on the second floor of the gas station. There was no need to split into separate rooms—especially after encountering an evolved zombie. Staying together made it easier to keep watch over one another. They divided the space, with the women sleeping on the left and the men on the right near the door.

Ever since his half-successful confession, Song Kaiji had been practically floating when he walked, sticking close to Shen Qing at every moment. Qu Weiwei and Tang Wenjie immediately picked up on what was going on. But seeing Shen Qing looking a little awkward, they assumed he was just shy. And since Shen Qing was their employer, they didn’t dare to tease too much.

Song Kaiji diligently set up Shen Qing’s sleeping mat and then placed his own right beside it. Like a puppy seeking praise, he beamed at Shen Qing. “You can sleep against the wall, and I’ll be on this side to block for you.”

Shen Qing looked at the small gap between them, barely half a meter wide, and his smile froze. But seeing how eager Song Kaiji was, he couldn’t bring himself to refuse. He just pressed himself as close to the wall as possible.

In his mind, even if he wasn’t sleeping on the women’s side, there was no way he should be sleeping in the middle of a group of men. But in this world, there were no ger. If he tried to sleep with the women instead, people would accuse him of being a pervert.

He still hadn’t told Song Kaiji that he was a ger.

Staring at the wall, Shen Qing wondered—how would Song Kaiji react to the existence of gers? If he knew, would he still like him the same way?

Song Kaiji’s confession had been sincere, but Shen Qing didn’t let it sink too deeply into his heart. Or rather, he deliberately stopped himself from dwelling on it. In this world, he had seen plenty of dramas where love was passionate and overwhelming, something grand and dramatic. It was completely foreign to him.

What was love to Shen Qing?

They say parents are a child’s first teachers. That was true. The closest example of love Shen Qing had ever seen was between Shen Zhigao and Miao Shi.

Now, just thinking of Shen Zhigao made Shen Qing grit his teeth in hatred. He had never regretted severing ties with him. If anything, he regretted not doing it sooner.

But Shen Zhigao hadn’t always been like that.

When he was little, Shen Zhigao used to carry him, kiss him. Whenever he returned from the county, he would bring back small trinkets for him. If there was some special food reserved only for men, he would sneak a portion into his sleeve to share with Miao Shi and Shen Qing.

Shen Qing had seen Shen Zhigao dote on Miao Shi, combing her hair, pinning it up for her. He had seen him take care of her when she was sick, show her tenderness and love. And he had also seen how, one day, he could turn his back on her as easily as flipping a page in a book.

Now, was Shen Zhigao treating Widow Li the same way? Did he comb her hair too? Did he still hide good food in his sleeves to give to her?

Feelings were the hardest thing to control in this world. Marriage could change, family ties could change. Some couples in the village loved each other deeply, some fathers were kind and devoted to their children—but that was never the case in Shen Qing’s home.

Sometimes, Shen Qing thought that if Shen Zhigao had been evil from the start, he wouldn’t have turned out this way.

He turned over, facing Song Kaiji.

After a long day of fighting, everyone was exhausted. With no phones to keep them occupied, most fell asleep almost instantly. Someone had even started snoring softly.

Song Kaiji was already fast asleep. He didn’t snore, but his breathing was deep and steady. A thin sliver of moonlight streamed in through the window, falling over his high-bridged nose and long eyelashes.

He really did have a handsome face. No man in Shen Qing’s village looked as good as him.

Shen Qing reached out, almost as if he wanted to touch Song Kaiji’s face. But in the end, he only traced his features in the air, letting the moonlight outline the contours before pulling his hand back.

He had said he liked him. This time, Shen Qing didn’t immediately dismiss it the way he had with Wang San. He had to admit—he was drawn to Song Kaiji too. A man who was both good-looking and genuinely kind to him, someone who had stood in front of him in life-or-death moments—how could he not be moved?

But how much did Song Kaiji really like him?

Was it the kind of love where he would brush his hair, where he would save the best food and secretly pass it to him?

The moonlight in the dark room felt too bright. Shen Qing covered his eyes with the back of his hand.

He had lied to Song Kaiji. He never intended to bring his parents to Lantang Village.

No one existed in complete isolation. Just as Shen Qing couldn’t abandon Miao Shi, he understood why Song Kaiji wouldn’t abandon his parents. But did his parents have others they couldn’t leave behind?

Like Song Kaiji’s uncle, Li Liang.

And Li Liang would have people he couldn’t abandon too.

Could Song Kaiji truly keep his parents from revealing the existence of the cave? Could Li Liang? Who else would they tell?

If it ever came down to a conflict between them, would Song Kaiji choose him?

Shen Qing didn’t know if Song Kaiji was too idealistic or if he himself was just too pessimistic.

Either way, he couldn’t gamble the safety of his world on a love that could change overnight.

◦°˚(*❛‿❛)/˚°◦

Thandar: This must be the smartest MC I’ve ever translated. He is very cautious as he should. He doesn’t let his emotions get better of him.