Ch 113: The Farmer Ger in the Apocalypse

Shen Qing’s eyes widened in shock.

He had seen kissing in television dramas before and occasionally witnessed passionate couples at the base unable to contain themselves. But when it actually happened to him, a man from ancient times, he found it difficult to process.

Even though he had initiated it, kissing on the forehead or cheek was his limit. Kissing on the lips—this was too much, far beyond anything he was prepared for.

Moreover, Song Kaiji’s kiss was nothing like the light, fleeting ones in television dramas! At first, he was clumsy and inexperienced, simply rubbing against the corners of Shen Qing’s lips. But gradually, he grew bolder, nibbling softly on Shen Qing’s lower lip, his nimble tongue pressing forward to pry open Shen Qing’s teeth…

Shen Qing’s fingers flexed helplessly in midair, as if wanting to grab onto Song Kaiji’s shoulders or clothes. But with his wrist firmly held, he could grasp nothing, struggling in vain like a fish out of water making its last desperate flails. The teasing strokes of Song Kaiji’s tongue against the roof of his mouth sent an indescribable sensation tingling down his spine, leaving him shivering in secret.

Only after a long while did Song Kaiji finally release him. He looked at Shen Qing’s flushed face and misty, water-brimmed eyes, still unsatisfied, itching to go in for another. “Close your eyes, breathe, relax…”

His breath was uneven, and his gaze carried an unmistakable dominance—it was just like the cold, ruthless look Shen Qing had seen on him at the base’s gates, yet now mixed with something that made Shen Qing’s heart race.

Shen Qing couldn’t quite describe the feeling—it was dangerous, yet undeniably alluring.

Before Song Kaiji could lean in again, Shen Qing pushed him away and scrambled back two feet. “No, we can’t do this again… This kind of thing—this kind of thing has to wait until after marriage!”

“That kind of thing has to wait for marriage, but this doesn’t.” Song Kaiji squeezed forward again, stealing another peck at the corner of Shen Qing’s lips. Having tasted sweetness, he was not so easily dismissed. He buried his head against Shen Qing’s neck, nuzzling against him like a spoiled child. “Then when will you marry me?”

“W-when you’ve met my mother.” Shen Qing flailed to push him away, but he couldn’t bear to use too much force, so in the end, Song Kaiji remained latched onto him. “By the way… have you told Aunt Zhang about my world?”

Song Kaiji shook his head vigorously, just short of swearing an oath. “You told me not to, so I wouldn’t say a single word.”

“…Good.” Shen Qing still felt uneasy under his heated gaze, as if Song Kaiji might pounce on him any second and take another bite. That fiery look was enough to scald him. But he was quite pleased with Song Kaiji’s obedience. After hesitating for a moment, he finally said, “In time… you can slowly tell Aunt Zhang. I’m already planning to build a new house. By then, we’ll all live together as a family.”

This was the first time Shen Qing had ever truly opened his heart to Song Kaiji—telling him about his world, his past hardships, how he left the Shen family, how he encountered a wild boar in the mountains, and ultimately, how he found that cave. Song Kaiji listened with a mix of distress and sorrow.

“Maybe the heavens took pity on me,” Shen Qing mused. “Thought I’d suffered enough, so they granted me this fate. I walked through that cave, and then I met you.”

Thinking back to the day they first met, Song Kaiji couldn’t help but sigh again. It really did pay to do good deeds. If he hadn’t lent a hand, wouldn’t he have missed out on such a treasure? “So I was the first person you met in the apocalypse? That must be destiny!”

Unexpectedly, Shen Qing froze at those words. After a moment of serious recollection, he slowly said, “…No.”

“Huh?” Song Kaiji was deeply disappointed. But when he first saw Shen Qing, there had only been Shen Qing and a zombie—how could it not be him?

“You weren’t the first person I met in this world.” After talking for so long while leaning against Song Kaiji, Shen Qing suddenly sat up straight. “Before you, I ran into two… no, three people. One turned into a zombie—the one you killed. One was eaten by zombies. And the last one ran away… He saw that I wasn’t attacked by zombies.”

Song Kaiji was stunned.

Shen Qing ran his fingers irritably through his hair. So much had happened since then, and it had been so long that he had almost forgotten. But now he realized—there had been a hidden threat all along. He carefully recounted the events to Song Kaiji. “That guy wasn’t a good person at all. At first, he wanted me to kill zombies so he and his friend could escape. But I was too scared to do it, so I ran with them instead. Then he tripped me on purpose, spraining my ankle. The zombies ignored me and kept chasing after them. He shoved the woman down, and she wasn’t as lucky as me—she got bitten.”

“I think his surname was Feng. I still remember his face.” Shen Qing bit his lip. A man like that, knowing his secret, could become a huge problem in the future.

“It’s been so long, and nothing has happened. Maybe he’s already dead.” In the apocalypse, people died every day. That guy didn’t seem particularly strong, and if all he could do was shove others into danger, then dying would have been inevitable. Song Kaiji tried to reassure him, but Shen Qing wasn’t so easily convinced.

The base was huge. What if they had just never crossed paths before? He needed to be more cautious, avoiding exposure and observing his surroundings carefully. Ideally, he would find the man first. With the enemy out in the open and himself hidden, he would have full control over what happened next.

“From now on, you should stay at home more often. I’ll handle the resource exchanges.” Song Kaiji suggested. “I don’t have any secrets to hide, and I can teleport if I need to escape. It’s easier for me to move around. And if you do come over, just stay inside as much as possible—maybe wear a mask when you go out?”

Shen Qing thought it over. There weren’t many better options. Besides, he had businesses to tend to in Anping County—the workshop in Lantang Village had just started operating. Even if he didn’t visit the apocalypse often, he wouldn’t be idle. Though his appearance had changed significantly since arriving in this world, his long hair remained a distinguishing feature, tied up in a small round bun. But Shen Qing was naturally cautious—better to be overly careful than to be caught off guard.

With that settled, the conversation shifted to business. “I bought a house in the county with several storefronts facing the street. Three are rented out, and one we kept for our own shop—to sell fried starch sausages and grilled gluten. I also opened a starch sausage workshop in the village. If the sausages don’t sell well in the county, we can always bring them here. I noticed Yu Le looking nervous and hesitant earlier—she probably feels like a burden. But I’m not running a charity.”

Shen Qing did feel sorry for the girl and didn’t mind providing her with food, but he couldn’t let her take it for granted. “She can help run a street stall selling the sausages or do something else she’s good at.”

Song Kaiji’s eyes sparkled with excitement, full of admiration. He hadn’t expected Shen Qing, a man raised in ancient times, to adapt so quickly to modern society after only a few months. Running a shop, opening a workshop—these things were common in transmigration novels, but only because the protagonists were modern people with the knowledge, vision, and mindset of their own era.

But Shen Qing? He had built everything from the ground up.

Generally speaking, people can’t earn beyond what their knowledge allows. Material conditions shape consciousness, and fundamental science determines the limits of imagination. What seems common sense to modern people might be completely unfathomable for someone from ancient times. And yet, Shen Qing had done it—without any direct help from a modern person.

His Qingqing was truly brilliant! It was unimaginable how exceptional he could become if he had access to systematic learning.

Song Kaiji patted his head and pulled out a few phones from his space. These were salvaged from Yucai High School, and several of them contained stored novels. He found a transmigration novel and played the audiobook for Shen Qing—since Shen Qing couldn’t recognize all the words yet, but he could still understand by listening.

The moment the story started, Shen Qing was immediately drawn in. It was about a modern girl who transmigrated into an ancient rural village. With the help of a system, she became a wealthy landowner, even receiving royal favor. The opening described how she improved her life after waking up in a poverty-stricken mud house.

As he listened, Shen Qing couldn’t help but comment, “Pig offal might be cheap, but oil, sugar, and salt aren’t! How did she manage to make braised intestines?”

“Huh, I didn’t think of that. Turns out you can do it this way…”

“This thug is just as disgusting as Wang Liuzi!”

“How do you make this grape wine? I want the recipe too! There are wild grapes growing all over the back mountain—when they’re in season, they grow in clusters, but the birds always eat them up. Such a waste!” Shen Qing’s regretful expression was as if he had lost hundreds of taels of silver.

Song Kaiji found his shifting expressions more entertaining than the story itself. “My mom knows how to make grape wine too. But like you said, wild grapes are cheap, but you need a lot of sugar. The book doesn’t mention that part.”

Shen Qing frowned, counting on his fingers for a while before slapping his thigh. “Even then, it’s worth it!”

He had seen grape wine in the grand restaurants of the county town, bottled in beautiful glazed jars, selling for dozens of taels per bottle. Sugar was expensive, but compared to the price of the wine, it was nothing.

Engrossed, Shen Qing completely forgot about Song Kaiji and was glued to the phone, listening intently. Regardless of whether the novel was good, the protagonist’s business ventures were diverse and eye-opening. With the help of the magical system, there was plenty to learn, and Shen Qing absorbed every detail with rapt attention.

Meanwhile, Song Kaiji took the opportunity to steal quite a few kisses without Shen Qing noticing. It wasn’t until Mother Tang knocked on the door, calling them to lunch, that Shen Qing reluctantly set the phone down.

As he and Song Kaiji stepped out of the room, they passed by a door two rooms down—Tang Wenjie’s room. Shen Qing hadn’t seen Tang Wenjie since returning and assumed that, given how relentlessly Song Kaiji had been taking the team on missions, Tang Wenjie must be exhausted and resting. After all, in their iron-cage zombie hunting strategy, Tang Wenjie had the hardest job.

But just as he walked past, the door suddenly opened, and out stumbled Qi Zhan, rubbing his drowsy eyes.

Shen Qing: ?

He and Qi Zhan stared at each other in stunned silence for a long moment before Shen Qing, still dazed, turned to look at Song Kaiji.

Qi Zhan, a rare healing ability user, had actually been recruited into their team? Song Kaiji was amazing!

However, before he could say anything, Tang Wenjie rushed out of the room, his face red enough to drip blood. “Boss, it’s not what you think!”

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