Ch 116: The Farmer Ger in the Apocalypse

Shen Qing had walked this path countless times, yet for the first time, he felt that these stone steps were endless, and the road was unusually long.

As they climbed, he continued painting a vision of their future for Song Kaiji. “Once your household registration is settled, we can buy more shops in the county, maybe even in the prefectural city, and rent them out. You just buy the properties—you don’t have to engage in business. Instead, you can lease them to me, since it’s fine for me to run the businesses.”

He cheerfully explained the rule that a ger’s household registration followed their husband’s after marriage, feeling quite pleased with his own cleverness. “That way, we can do business without affecting our children’s eligibility for the imperial examination… though I don’t know if we’ll have a son. In my world, only boys can take the exams.”

But in the novel he had been listening to, the female protagonist had established a school for girls later in the story. Shen Qing thought it was an excellent idea and planned to do the same. If they had daughters or gers children in the future, even if they couldn’t sit for the exams, he didn’t want them to be illiterate like he had been for most of his life. He would establish a school in the village, just like in Shiqu Village, where girls and gers could attend classes—not just as passive listeners, but as students taught equally by the scholars.

“I plan to buy more bricks while we’re building the workshop and construct the side rooms as well. Aunt Zhang and my mother will live in the main house, and we’ll live in the side rooms… Even if we don’t stay in the village often, it’s always good to have a home there.”

Who would complain about having too many houses? When he had first left the Shen family, he and Miao Shi had rented a room at Hunter Liu’s house. Back then, every day, Shen Qing had counted his money, calculating how much he needed to save for the next year’s rent. He never wanted to experience that insecurity again. He was going to buy many, many houses—in the county, in the village, on Dongshan, and even in the prefectural city. Wherever he went, he would have a place to stay!

“With our space abilities, we can even become traveling merchants, saving on transportation costs and avoiding mountain bandits…”

Shen Qing rambled on about their plans while Song Kaiji listened with a warm smile, occasionally responding or offering suggestions. Finally, they reached the peak of the artificial mountain, standing before the entrance to the cave.

“This is it.” Shen Qing turned back to Song Kaiji with excitement, only to see that his face held no joy—only confusion and bewilderment.

“Song ge?” Shen Qing took two steps forward into the cave, beckoning him. “Come on in!”

The remaining traces of Song Kaiji’s smile froze completely.

To him, there was no cave. Only a slightly concave rock wall where Shen Qing had just stepped—and then vanished. Even Shen Qing’s voice calling him from inside was completely inaudible.

Song Kaiji hesitated but still stepped forward, reaching out to touch the rock face. He held onto a sliver of hope—perhaps it was just an illusion, a visual trick… But reality was cruel and unyielding, just like the cold, solid stone beneath his fingertips.

He felt around the wall for a long time, but there was no entrance to be found. Slowly, that last bit of hope drained away, leaving only frustration. Just moments ago, Shen Qing had been talking about their future together, his words still echoing in Song Kaiji’s ears. He had been so close—so close that he felt he could reach out and touch it.

“Qing Ge’er? Qing Ge’er? Can you hear me?” Song Kaiji called out twice. A moment later, Shen Qing reappeared before him.

Seeing Song Kaiji standing there, feeling around the stone wall, Shen Qing immediately sensed that something was wrong. But just like Song Kaiji, he didn’t want to face reality.

Shen Qing had struggled with his emotions for so long. He had finally accepted his feelings, overcome his fears, and decided to build a future with Song Kaiji. Every plan he had made, every dream he had woven, included Song Kaiji. Why was fate so cruel, playing such a brutal joke on him at this moment?

“Don’t panic, Qing Ge’er. Don’t panic.” Song Kaiji himself was anxious, but he forced himself to stay calm. “Hold my hand. Let’s try together.”

“O-okay…” Shen Qing clasped Song Kaiji’s hands tightly, silently praying to the heavens.

But perhaps a person could only receive so much divine favor—one could not be too greedy. Song Kaiji remained trapped outside, unable to pass through the rock wall no matter how hard Shen Qing pulled.

“No… How can this be?” Shen Qing collapsed onto the ground, unable to comprehend. Why? Why could only he pass through the cave? What made him different? Why had he been granted this singular, extraordinary fortune?

Song Kaiji would be lying if he said he wasn’t disappointed. If he couldn’t enter Shen Qing’s world, it wouldn’t just be about losing the safety and stability of that place for himself and Zhang Sujuan—it also meant endless complications in their future. How would they explain his supposed “noble patron” status? If he couldn’t show himself in Lantang Village, they couldn’t hold a proper wedding there. Would Shen Qing remain unmarried in the villagers’ eyes for his entire life?

Not to mention, what if they had children in the future…

Before Song Kaiji could dwell on these thoughts, Shen Qing suddenly jumped up, his eyes carrying a desperate determination. “Wait here. Don’t move. I’m going to get my mother. If… if my mother can pass through the cave to this side…” Shen Qing bit his lip. He didn’t want to bring Miao Shi to live in the apocalypse, but at this moment, he desperately wanted her to at least see Song Kaiji. “Wait for me. I’ll be right back!”

Before Song Kaiji could react, Shen Qing had already dashed into the cave and disappeared.

The descent down the mountain was a path Shen Qing had taken countless times, but never had it felt so long. He practically sprinted down, nearly tripping and rolling down the slope multiple times. In just two-thirds of his usual time, he had already reached Lantang Village.

Recently, with the workshop being constructed at the foot of the mountain, Zhai Shi and Lian Shi had been taking turns guarding the site at night to prevent theft of bricks and tiles. They had even set up a straw hut for shelter. With guards in place, Miao Shi hadn’t gone to stay in Shiqu Village. Besides, the construction of the workshop was a major event for the entire village. Every day, numerous women and ge’er came by to chat, even if not to inquire about job openings—just sitting with Miao Shi and talking made them feel more at ease.

Today was no different. Miao Shi was used to visitors by now, and it was pleasant to have company while doing chores. Some women had even noticed that she adored children, so they brought their little ones over. The courtyard was lively, filled with the sounds of children playing, running, and laughing.

It was into this scene that Shen Qing suddenly burst. Miao Shi had just been holding a piece of embroidery, asking someone for advice, when Lian Rong gasped in the courtyard, “Qing Ge’er! What happened to you?!”

“Qing Ge’er is back?” Many villagers were even more excited than Miao Shi and rushed to greet him. Miao Shi had previously said he was working for a nobleman in the county, and now that he had returned, they were eager to hear any good news.

But their excitement turned to worry when they saw Shen Qing—dusty, disheveled, his clothes covered in leaves, and his shoes and pants caked in mud. This didn’t look like someone returning from a noble’s residence… Could it be that he had offended the noble and been thrown out?

They didn’t dare say it out loud but exchanged anxious glances. Miao Shi was startled as well. “Qing Ge’er, what happened?”

Shen Qing ignored everything and everyone, his vision narrowing to only Miao Shi. He grabbed her hand and began pulling her out of the courtyard. “Mother, come with me!”

“What’s going on?” Miao Shi had rarely seen her son like this—the last time was when he had fought Shen Zhigao for their separation, wielding a cleaver with a deadly seriousness. “Wait, let me put this away—ah!”

She was still holding the embroidery hoop, but in the rush, she simply shoved it into Lian Rong’s hands. “Rong jie’er, put this inside for me. Tell your mother to keep an eye on the house!”

And just like that, under the stunned gazes of everyone in the courtyard, mother and son rushed toward Dongshan without a word of explanation. Some of the more concerned villagers murmured among themselves, “Isn’t Dongshan sold to a nobleman? How can Qing Ge’er go up there so freely? He might get in trouble if he’s caught!”

But the sharper ones made a connection. “Hey… do you think the noble who bought East Mountain is the same one behind the workshop? Otherwise, isn’t it too much of a coincidence that two different nobles are suddenly interested in our village?”

After all, Lantang Village wasn’t particularly remarkable. East Mountain even had a history of wild boar attacks—who would build an estate there?

The more they thought about it, the more plausible it seemed. “That must be it! The noble is building an estate on East Mountain and will probably visit the village often to check on the workshop. I heard from the village head’s wife that the noble runs a tight ship—won’t let anyone take even a single scrap from the workshop. Might even do surprise inspections and ban people who steal from ever working there again. If they live on East Mountain, surprise inspections would be a lot easier!”

With Miao Shi and Shen Qing gone, someone whispered, “But really, taking a little from the workplace isn’t unusual—who doesn’t do that? This noble sounds so stingy. The richer they are, the more miserly they become…”

Shen Qing couldn’t care less about what the villagers were saying behind his back. He was too focused on reaching the cave. He pulled Miao Shi along, and as they moved deeper into the mountains, her pace slowed. Without hesitation, Shen Qing crouched down and carried her on his back, sprinting toward the cave as if the faster he ran, the better his chances of changing the outcome.

Miao Shi wanted to ask what was going on, but Shen Qing was panting so hard that he had no breath left to speak. She was worried he might collapse from exhaustion in the cold weather, sweating like this. If he caught a chill, it would be serious.

At last, they reached the large banyan tree at the cave entrance. Shen Qing dragged Miao Shi up the tree and into the cave.

His lungs burned, his breath came in ragged gasps, and he could hear the wheezing deep in his chest. But he ignored it all, pointing at the cave entrance and asking, “Mother, can you see it?”

He wished, he prayed, that perhaps only people from the apocalypse couldn’t enter his world. Or that at least those related to him by blood could see the cave—just as he could.

But it seemed his luck had run out for the day. Miao Shi looked at him in confusion, glancing around at the cave before hesitantly asking, “See what?”

Shen Qing felt as though he had plunged into an icy abyss. All his dreams of marriage, of children, all of it shattered into illusions in that moment.

Still unwilling to give up, he pulled Miao Shi forward. But just like Song Kaiji, she stopped at a certain point, unable to move forward.

Shen Qing knew this place well. Before he discovered the cave’s other exit, the cave had only been this big. What Miao Shi was seeing must be exactly what he had once seen.

That was the cave’s original form.

And yet, beyond a mere ten feet of space, neither Miao Shi nor Song Kaiji could pass. The two worlds were separated by a corridor of stone—by a mere wall.

Somewhere in the distance, he vaguely heard Miao Shi calling him in alarm. “Qing-ge’er? What’s wrong? Talk to me, don’t scare me!”

He snapped back to reality, only to realize he had collapsed to the ground, tears streaming down his face.

At last, Shen Qing had no choice but to face the truth: he was the only one who could see the cave. The only one who could travel between the two worlds. And it seemed that he had already exhausted all his good fortune.

A mere ten feet. Looking out, Shen Qing could still see Song Kaiji sitting on the stone steps, chin resting on his hands. But Song Kaiji couldn’t see him. Couldn’t hear him.

A mere ten feet.

Shen Qing and Miao Shi stood on one side.

Song Kaiji sat alone on the other.

◦°˚(*❛‿❛)/˚°◦