Ch 115: The Farmer Ger in the Apocalypse

Song Kaiji stared blankly at Shen Qing. “What do you mean?”

He vaguely remembered that when he first met Shen Qing, the latter had told him to call him Shen Xiao Ge’er. At the time, he had assumed Shen Qing was a fan of The Lost Tomb… But now that he thought about it, Shen Qing was an ancient person who couldn’t even read modern characters—he definitely hadn’t seen those works.

So what did Xiao Ge’er mean?

He recalled Dream of the Red Chamber mentioning names like Bao Ge’er and Feng Jie’er, where Ge’er seemed to just mean “young boy.”

Shen Qing took a moment to organize his words before explaining, “In your world, there are only men and women. But in mine, it’s different. Here, what you call men are equivalent to what we call hanzi in my world. Women are still women, but apart from that, we also have ger—who look the same as men but, like women, must marry men and bear children.”

Song Kaiji: “Huh?”

Song Kaiji: “Huh??????”

He understood every word individually, but when put together, they made no sense at all. Three genders? Someone who looks like a man but has to marry a man and can have children?

Shen Qing can have children???

At some point in the past, before he confessed his feelings, he had agonized over whether Shen Qing would even like men. Now, he was realizing that Shen Qing had been born with a natural inclination toward men all along?

Song Kaiji muttered to himself, “Am I dreaming…?”

Ever since falling in love with Shen Qing, he had resigned himself to a childless future. Though he had been deeply influenced by Li Aiguo, he had never particularly minded the idea. But now, suddenly discovering that he could actually be a father, he wasn’t sure whether he felt more ecstatic or utterly shocked.

But now, many things that he hadn’t understood before suddenly made sense. Since gers were meant to marry out, there must have been a saying similar to “a married ger is like spilled water” in his world. From his father’s perspective, Shen Qing was never a true “heir” capable of carrying on the family line, but rather someone who would eventually leave the household. That was why he and his mother had suffered so much unfair treatment.

“This is really strange,” Song Kaiji muttered, ruffling his hair, still unable to fully grasp the logic of Shen Qing’s world. His own world only had men and women, and in ancient times, it had also gone through a period of male dominance and female subjugation. Most explanations for this phenomenon cited the physical strength advantage of men in an agrarian society, where economic power dictated family status. Thus, it was productivity that determined gender roles and social hierarchy.

But if ger looked the same as men and should theoretically have the same level of productivity, why did society, based on Shen Qing’s description, feminize them instead—making them more desirable when they resembled women? Why was their social status even lower than that of women due to their difficulty in childbirth?

If productivity determined social and family status, then shouldn’t gers be ranked higher than women? Where did the rule of “economic power dictates social standing” go in this case?

Hearing Song Kaiji’s analysis of why ancient societies favored men over women, Shen Qing found himself unable to come up with a clear answer. He fell into deep thought. However, Song Kaiji’s words only strengthened his desire to study and learn. So this kind of knowledge could actually be found in books—accessible to anyone who wished to learn? Shen Qing made a mental note: they had previously visited Yucai High School, but there were still primary and middle schools out there. When he got the chance, he would make a trip and collect books from all education levels. That way, Song Kaiji could teach him everything.

Meanwhile, Song Kaiji thought about it briefly, but since he couldn’t figure it out, he simply let it go. Maybe every world had its own unique rules. Or maybe he just hadn’t studied enough—after all, he was just a student who had read about these things in books, not someone with real-world expertise. Instead, his gaze flickered back to Shen Qing, scanning him up and down before finally landing on his stomach.

The thought that one day, a child would be nurtured within Shen Qing, carrying both their bloodlines, perhaps looking like him, perhaps looking more like Shen Qing, soft and sweetly calling him “Daddy,” reaching out tiny hands to be held… Song Kaiji felt an overwhelming sense of anticipation and joy, looking forward to their future even more.

Unable to contain himself, Song Kaiji snuggled closer to Shen Qing, hugging him tightly. “I can’t wait anymore… I just want to be with you already.”

He was different from Shen Qing. Though Song Kaiji had lost his biological father early, he had never lacked love. The warmth and security of family had always been present in his life. To him, family meant happiness, safety, and unconditional love. Now, he longed to build a family of his own with Shen Qing—a place where they both belonged.

And Shen Qing? He had received very little love growing up. But he had seen how Zhang Sujuan and Li Aiguo had loved Song Kaiji—that kind of familial warmth had always been out of reach for him. But now, because of Song Kaiji, he had begun to yearn for a family like that for himself.

One day, when they had a child… Shen Qing thought to himself, no matter what gender the child was, Song Kaiji would never be like those village men who only valued sons over daughters. He would be a good father, just like Li Aiguo had been—a father who cherished his child… and cherished him. They would have the warmest, happiest home.

A home that was no longer a cage, no longer a dagger pointed at his back.

A home that was his shelter, his support.

Shen Qing lifted his hands and returned Song Kaiji’s embrace.

Lunch that day was surprisingly simple, far from Mother Tang’s usual standard. Shen Qing glanced at the pot of bone broth with soaked bread—there wasn’t a single piece of meat to be found.

Qi Zhan, completely oblivious, ate heartily and smacked his lips in satisfaction after finishing. He stood up, stretched lazily, and even flashed a bright smile at the dark-faced Mother Tang. “Auntie, your cooking is amazing. I can’t believe you managed to make such flavorful soup out of these thoroughly scraped bones. I’m heading to work at the hospital now. See you all later!”

With that, he cheerfully strolled out, leaving Tang Wenjie to face the storm alone. Mother Tang first carried out two proper dishes from the kitchen, then turned around and yanked Tang Wenjie by the ear. “You still have the nerve to eat? Get over here!”

Meanwhile, Song Kaiji sliced a piece of bread in half, stuffed a generous serving of braised pork inside, and handed it to Shen Qing. Then, he took another two pieces, carefully trimming off the fatty parts and placing them in his own bowl, while keeping the lean portions in the bread. He drizzled a little broth over it before turning to pass it to Zhang Sujuan.

Shen Qing took a bite, watching Mother Tang drag Tang Wenjie into another room, then whispered, “Isn’t it a bit obvious? We didn’t have to cook two different meals…”

“It’s fine. He won’t notice.” Song Kaiji shrugged. To them, it seemed like two different meals—giving Qi Zhan the lesser one. But to Qi Zhan, bone broth with bread was already a luxurious meal. In times like these, who could even afford to eat like this? “Besides, he’s not part of our team yet. If he knew we were eating this well, it might not be ideal.”

Song Kaiji had a sneaking suspicion that Qi Zhan’s primary motive for sticking around wasn’t Tang Wenjie but rather the free food.

Shen Qing thought about it and nodded. “Then let’s wait and see when he’s ready to officially join us.”

Zhang Sujuan took a bite of the bread. Even though Song Kaiji had removed the fat, a thin layer of it still remained, giving it just the right amount of richness. The broth soaked in, making it savory and delicious. Taking another bite of the meat-stuffed bread and sipping the creamy white bone broth—it was absolutely satisfying.

She was much more open-minded than Mother Tang. Given the current world, what did it matter if someone liked men? Even if someone liked women, it wasn’t like they’d be popping out grandkids in this apocalyptic wasteland. Adults themselves weren’t guaranteed survival, let alone children. The priority was staying alive and being happy.

However, she did think that Tang Wenjie’s taste in partners was far worse than her own son’s. Zhang Sujuan glanced at Shen Qing, then took another sip of soup. Shen Qing might have had his reservations before—but from the way things were going, those concerns had faded. He was someone who knew how to build a proper life.

Qi Zhan, on the other hand… he didn’t seem as reliable. He might just be fooling around for a few days before disappearing.

With that thought, she started to understand why Mother Tang was so upset.

Days passed like this. Qi Zhan truly started treating the villa like his own home, showing up in the evenings and leaving in the mornings, completely ignoring Mother Tang’s dagger-like stares. Meanwhile, Song Kaiji led the team on another mission, but this time, Shen Qing stayed behind, burying himself in his novel research. Qu Weiwei, upon learning of Shen Qing’s newfound obsession with ancient-to-modern transmigration farming stories, enthusiastically recommended several more books to him—lamenting that there was no internet to access the full archive.

On the third day, Shen Qing finally finished his novel and, having absorbed a wealth of ideas from Qu Weiwei, was ready to take Song Kaiji to Lantang Village.

For his first time meeting his future mother-in-law, Song Kaiji was beyond nervous. The entire journey, he kept fiddling with his clothes and hair. “Do I look okay?”

“You look great, better than anyone in ten miles around. There’s no man more handsome than you,” Shen Qing answered truthfully. Back when they first met, one of the reasons he’d developed a slight crush on Song Kaiji was precisely because of that strikingly handsome face.

Song Kaiji touched his face smugly. “I knew you were drawn to my looks.”

He had prepared plenty of gifts for Miao Shi. Technically, everything he had belonged to Shen Qing, but he still wanted to show effort. A pair of heavy gold bracelets, a variety of modern snacks—instant noodles, carbonated drinks, a snack assortment, and even a small box of lychees and cherries, all rare and valuable items in the apocalypse.

As Shen Qing led him out of the base, he explained, “You can’t show yourself in the village yet. I’ll take you to the cave first. Wait there while I fetch my mother to meet you.”

Villages were wary of outsiders. While they wouldn’t chase them away outright, they would watch them closely. Some of it was out of boredom—entertainment was scarce—but mostly, it was about security. Strangers could be thieves or kidnappers, after all.

Song Kaiji’s hair was still too short and too eye-catching. Shen Qing explained to him that he had already bought the mountain and planned to build an estate near the cave, along with a road leading to the county. “I’ll buy a few sets of clothes suitable for you and keep them in my space. Once your hair grows long enough to be tied up, you can change into them at the cave, walk along the new road to the county, and then travel from there to our village. Once your noble identity is officially established, you’ll be able to live at the estate, and coming and going between the apocalypse and my world will be much more convenient.”

Song Kaiji followed behind him, listening to him describe their future life, nodding with a smile.

They left the base and headed toward the cave, passing by the place where they first met and the storefronts that Shen Qing had scavenged.

Pointing at the storefronts, Shen Qing laughed. “When I first arrived, everything seemed fascinating. I wanted to take anything I could—tables, chairs, cabinets. I even stripped the curtains from these shops and brought them back to make quilt covers. I made coats for my grandmother and cousins out of them.”

Song Kaiji nodded. “We should collect more fabric in the future.”

Before, he hadn’t known Shen Qing was from ancient times and had assumed he was just fond of gold and silver. Now that he understood, there were many more things they could collect. In ancient times, cloth was a form of currency—it was commonly used as tribute and as royal rewards.

More importantly, the apocalypse had already lasted nearly a year. After the initial chaos, the government had begun stabilizing itself, and several large cities had developed secure bases. As a result, the price of gold had started rising again.

Gold wasn’t just a form of currency, decoration, or investment—it was essential in industrial applications, medicine, and high-tech fields like aerospace, electronics, and communications. If the government wanted to reclaim cities and rebuild civilization, they would need gold.

Recently, Red City Base’s farms had increased their grain output, giving the authorities surplus resources. With more stability, they had started buying back gold, which was driving up its value.

“Collecting gold won’t be as easy as before,” Song Kaiji noted. “And silver might follow. If its industrial applications gain more attention, prices will go up. We should start collecting other valuable resources too.”

Shen Qing agreed wholeheartedly. He had been listening to many books lately and had expanded his understanding of the world. He was beginning to grasp the idea that teaching a man to fish is better than giving him fish. Instead of hoarding unexplained gold and silver, he needed ways to generate wealth—methods that would allow money to grow and multiply endlessly.

As they walked, they continued discussing their vision for the future, until they finally arrived at the foot of the artificial mountain.

“It’s up there,” Shen Qing said, standing at the steps leading up. He glanced around warily, ensuring that no one was watching, then extended his hand toward Song Kaiji.

The sun had just passed its peak, and the winter sunlight cast a soft halo around Shen Qing’s back. He looked like an angel sent to guide someone toward a new life, reaching out his hand to lead Song Kaiji into rebirth.

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