Ch 114: The Farmer Ger in the Apocalypse

Shen Qing stared blankly at the scene before him, his mind spinning before he finally grasped what Tang Wenjie meant. “Oh, you two… so it’s like that… Oh, oh, oh!”

His eyes grew wider and wider. He had seen Qi Zhan teasing Tang Wenjie before, saying things that could easily be misunderstood while leaning lazily against him. But since they were both men and there was no gers here, Shen Qing had only found it amusing at the time and hadn’t thought much of it. Now, however, he suddenly realized—there were indeed many men in this world who were together. Hadn’t he seen plenty of men doing skin trade at the southern wall outside the base?

His gaze shifted between Qi Zhan, who was still yawning, and Tang Wenjie, who was wearing only a loose white undershirt, with one strap slipping down his shoulder in a rather suggestive manner. The atmosphere grew even more heated, making Shen Qing’s face warm. After a moment of silence, he finally spoke, “…Honestly, I wasn’t thinking much about it before. But now that you’ve brought it up, it’s very hard not to think about it…”

Tang Wenjie: “…………”

Song Kaiji, standing beside him, let out a muffled laugh.

Qi Zhan, however, acted completely indifferent, simply shrugging before heading downstairs for lunch. Tang Wenjie looked at Shen Qing, then at Song Kaiji, then finally at his own disheveled appearance. Face burning, he muttered, “You two go ahead first… I’ll, uh, change my clothes.”

Song Kaiji nodded, then covered Shen Qing’s curious eyes and pushed him forward.

Shen Qing pried Song Kaiji’s hands away, his eyes gleaming with gossip. “What’s going on with those two? Is Qi Zhan joining our team?”

Having a healing ability user in their team would be an immense advantage. If they had brought one on their last mission, Li Aiguo might not have died. While they no longer had to take on dangerous missions far from Red City, their team was growing, and who knew if they might need to go out again to rescue someone’s family—like Qu Weiwei’s parents or Tang Wenjie’s father.

No one could predict the future.

If they could recruit Qi Zhan, it would be for the best!

“That’s unlikely—unless Wenjie… pays a heavy price…” Song Kaiji sighed. Hospitals offered excellent benefits and security, so unless they had something major to offer, Qi Zhan had little reason to leave.

Song Kaiji quickened his pace, practically dragging Shen Qing forward. In the past, when they were just dormmates, running around shirtless in their room wasn’t unusual. But now that they were together, Tang Wenjie’s attire—or lack thereof—suddenly seemed terribly improper! How could he wear that kind of sloppy undershirt in front of Shen Qing?! He wanted to shield Shen Qing’s eyes from it entirely. “I have no idea what’s going on between them. I asked Wenjie twice, and he wouldn’t say. Qi Zhan just comes over at night, stays over, and eats meals here. Sometimes he helps treat my mom’s leg. He can’t completely heal it, but it relieves her pain, so I didn’t kick him out.”

Besides, even if they couldn’t recruit Qi Zhan, having a good relationship with a healing ability user wasn’t a bad thing. If Qi Zhan was only asking for food and shelter in exchange for treating Zhang Sujuan’s leg, they were still getting the better deal.

As long as one didn’t think too much about what was happening in Tang Wenjie’s room.

The only one who remained utterly bewildered, frustrated, and resigned was Mother Tang. She still felt uncomfortable whenever she saw Qi Zhan, but after seeing early signs of Shen Qing and Song Kaiji’s relationship, she had at least somewhat come to terms with the idea of same-sex relationships. That didn’t mean she was ready to accept it happening to her own son.

Qi Zhan, however, seemed completely unfazed—eating, drinking, and treating the villa as his own home without the slightest shame.

Shen Qing thought back to what he had seen earlier, pondering aloud, “Do you think they really…? They’ve only known each other for a few days, and yet…?”

Song Kaiji’s face heated up. “How should I know? But they have been sharing a room for several nights now. I don’t know how Qi Zhan even got in there…” The rooms all had locks. If Tang Wenjie hadn’t let Qi Zhan in himself, how could a physically weak healing ability user have broken through a gold ability user’s defenses? But if Tang Wenjie had voluntarily let him in, why did he act so reluctant in front of them?

Tsk tsk tsk.

“But our era is different from yours,” Song Kaiji added after some thought, explaining to Shen Qing, “Here, as long as two people like each other, it’s fine to… “sleep together” even if they aren’t married. And if they later find they’re not compatible, they can just break up. Especially now, in the apocalypse—no one knows if they’ll even survive tomorrow. So even if Wenjie is with Qi Zhan… it’s not unusual.”

Shen Qing found it fascinating, though his eyes soon turned distant, filled with confusion. He wasn’t shocked by this revelation—since arriving in the apocalypse, he had seen countless things that defied his previous understanding.

What puzzled him was why his world and this one were so different.

If his world was like the “ancient times” of the apocalypse, what had happened in between that changed people’s beliefs so drastically? Why did his world place such a harsh emphasis on chastity and reputation?

What had caused this shift?

Shen Qing had recently developed a strong inclination for deep thought—analyzing how the world operated and identifying the rules that could work to his advantage.

For example, when he entrusted three of his storefronts to the broker to rent out while keeping one for his own business, the broker was visibly surprised. “Young Master, you plan to personally engage in business? I… I advise against it. The authorities are cracking down on commercial taxes more strictly than ever. Even if you let a trusted servant manage it, once discovered, you could be penalized and reclassified as a merchant, affecting three generations’ eligibility for the imperial examination. It’s truly not worth the risk.”

The broker’s words came from genuine concern. Many people of humble backgrounds had no choice but to enter the business world to survive, not considering long-term consequences. Later, if they managed to succeed and bore talented descendants, it would be too late to regret their status. This young master, however, seemed wealthy and didn’t appear to be someone with no other options—why wade into such murky waters?

But Shen Qing had already figured it out. “The business won’t be under my name. It will remain under my aunt’s name. Even if it leads to merchant registration, it doesn’t matter.”

Both he and Miao Shi—one a woman, the other a ger—had household registrations that, in this era, weren’t particularly significant. Since a child’s status followed the father’s, the mother’s background—whether merchant, servant, slave, or courtesan—had no impact on the child’s eligibility for the imperial examination, as long as the father was a commoner.

For now, the business could continue under his aunt’s name. Even if it grew large enough to require merchant registration, it wouldn’t be an issue. As long as he later bought a liangmin (commoner) status for Song Kaiji and then “married” him, his own household status would change instantly. That way, the business would thrive, and their future children’s academic prospects would remain unaffected.

There were even people in this era who specialized in such dealings—marrying courtesans, then divorcing them so the women could gain liangmin status. Some did it as a good deed; others did it for money, charging courtesans who desperately wanted to leave their past behind a price for their freedom.

The world’s rules were unfair to women and ger, but they weren’t absolute. With careful observation and strategy, one could always find a loophole.

The broker was a sharp man, well-versed in the art of maneuvering through the system. The moment he heard Shen Qing’s plan to register the business under Miao Shi’s name, he instantly understood the brilliance of it and even felt a surge of excitement. What an ingenious approach!

Many wealthy families wanted to do business but feared jeopardizing their descendants’ future. If they followed Shen Qing’s method…

But then, reality hit. In this world, it was difficult for women to establish independent households. And how many families truly trusted their women enough to register all their wealth under their names? This loophole wasn’t something just anyone could exploit, or else the world would be in chaos. The broker could only sigh in admiration at Shen Qing’s intelligence and good fortune.

As Shen Qing thought about all this, he discussed his plans with Song Kaiji. “I plan to buy you a household registration in a small village. The poorer the village, the less strict the regulations, so it’ll be easier to arrange.” In this era, local officials wanted as many registered residents as possible—more registrations meant more taxable households. Many people fled into the mountains to escape the head tax, so buying an identity wasn’t difficult. “Then, after some time, you’ll purchase a house in the prefectural city and transfer your registration there. After that, you can return to the village as the hidden ‘benefactor’ behind the workshop. That way, the lies I told in the village will finally make sense.”

He reached out to smooth Song Kaiji’s sideburns. “You should start growing your hair now.”

Otherwise, when he arrived in the village, people might mistake him for a monk who had just left the monastery.

“I have a wig,” Song Kaiji said proudly. “As long as my hair is long enough to tie back, I can use a hairpiece to make a proper bun.”

“But isn’t it unfair for me to pretend to be the benefactor?” Song Kaiji frowned. Whether it was the workshop or the storefronts, all of these were Shen Qing’s achievements. Yet, because of societal rules, the credit would go to Song Kaiji. The villagers would revere him more than they did Shen Qing, even though it was all Shen Qing’s doing.

“It’s not so bad.” Shen Qing wasn’t particularly bothered by it. Or rather, he had grown used to these rules, and by now, he had found joy in working around them. “Once we’re married, I’ll be your fulang. We’re a unit—people will have to respect me whether they want to or not.”

Song Kaiji’s lips parted slightly. The strange feeling in his chest only grew stronger.

Actually, when Shen Qing had first told him about his past, Song Kaiji had already sensed something was off. Shen Qing had said his father was desperate for more children and had thrown him and his mother out because of it. But Shen Qing was clearly alive and well—had his father somehow known even back then that Shen Qing wouldn’t marry a woman and have children?

Back then, Song Kaiji had been too focused on feeling sorry for Shen Qing to dwell on it. But now, the more he thought about it, the more it nagged at him.

And there was something else.

Shen Qing had kept talking about “getting married.” Song Kaiji had assumed he meant it figuratively—like how, before the apocalypse, same-sex couples couldn’t legally marry but could still hold a ceremony, receive blessings from loved ones, and commemorate their relationship.

He had always thought Shen Qing meant something like that—maybe he had a strong sense of tradition, or perhaps ancient people were more reserved and insisted on a formal ritual before consummating their relationship. But the way Shen Qing spoke… it sounded as if the entire village would accept their marriage.

Was Shen Qing’s village that open-minded about same-sex relationships?

Puzzled, Song Kaiji tentatively asked, “So… when do you plan to take me to meet your mother? Will she have any objections to me?”

Shen Qing thought for a moment. “In three days.” He wanted to finish listening to the novel before heading back. His family’s workshop was currently under construction, with people coming and going. If someone caught him listening to the audiobook, he wouldn’t be able to explain himself. Right now, he was deeply invested in the story—he was sure it would give him valuable insights into running a business and managing the workshop. “After that, I’ll bring back some grapes and have Aunt Zhang teach me how to make wine. I wonder if Weiwei could accelerate the growth of grapevines.”

Shen Qing was still obsessed with the idea of making wine. He noticed the unease on Song Kaiji’s face and smiled. “Don’t worry. I showed my mother the video of you reciting San Zi Jing (Three Character Classic) for me. She’s actually really looking forward to meeting you. She won’t make things difficult. My mother is wonderful—whoever I like, she respects my choice. She never pressured me into marriage before.”

“Marriage…?” Song Kaiji grew even more confused. His hands flailed slightly as he stammered, “Auntie wouldn’t mind that I’m a man?”

“Why would she mind?” Shen Qing blinked, staring at him in confusion for a long moment before suddenly smacking his forehead. “Ah, did I forget to tell you? I’m a ger.”

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