Ch 135: The Farmer Ger in the Apocalypse

The neighboring Cuihua Store hadn’t initially paid much attention to Shen Qing’s small food shop. Even though they knew the shop belonged to the landlord himself, Cuihua Store had some backing and considered itself the stronger business, so they had no intention of forging a connection.

It wasn’t until the grand opening, when the county registrar personally sent a congratulatory couplet, that the shopkeeper of Cuihua Store started to feel uneasy. He realized he had underestimated the wrong person. When business picked up and the place became packed in no time, with the aroma of Blooming Sausages filling the entire street, he could no longer afford to look down on the little shop.

Only after the sausage shop closed for the day and the customers dispersed did the shopkeeper discuss the situation with the store owner. After reaching an agreement, he brought some staff members and a congratulatory gift to pay their respects.

However, Shen Qing had no intention of meeting him. The man was just a shopkeeper—why should the owner himself bother to receive him? Shen Qing turned to Xiao Miao. “You go greet him. If he brings a gift, just accept it. It likely won’t be anything too valuable, and I’ll find a chance to return the favor later. Even if it is valuable, we’ll still return it all the same.”

He let out a yawn. After a full day of work, he was exhausted but forced himself to stay alert. “I have an appointment with Gold-Tooth to check out a shop in the southern part of the city. If you’re staying here for the night, that’s fine, but if you’re heading back, be sure to take a carriage—don’t walk back.”

Tieshan and Xiao Miao both nodded. Two days prior, Shen Qing had already shown them the rooms where they could stay in the front courtyard. At first, both of them had assumed the estate belonged to some noble and felt too uneasy to stay. However, after a moment of consideration, Shen Qing decided to be upfront and admitted that the house was his.

Xiao Miao and Tieshan were stunned, their eyes widening in disbelief. “Th-this house is yours? And… and the storefronts on the street…?”

“They’re mine too,” Shen Qing said after a brief pause. “The business belongs to the benefactor, but the properties are mine. I’ve worked for the benefactor for quite some time, made plenty of trade trips, so buying this estate wasn’t a big deal. If you both work hard, you’ll be able to buy a big house of your own someday.”

These days, Shen Qing had been conflicted. As business in both the village and the county expanded, his secrets were gradually being exposed. Logically, he knew he should keep them hidden for his own safety, but a part of him was growing tired of constantly lying and concealing the truth.

Little by little, he was revealing another side of himself to Xiao Miao and Tieshan. But as soon as he did, he started to feel uneasy again, so he added, “I’m telling you this, but don’t spread it around the village. Otherwise, it’ll just cause trouble.”

Tieshan nodded seriously. “I won’t even tell my own mother!” He knew the villagers all too well. If they found out Shen Qing owned such a large estate, people would start knocking on his door, looking for handouts and loans.

Xiao Miao, however, wasn’t thinking about that. He was carefully calculating what Shen Qing had just said and felt even more convinced. Because he could read and keep accounts, Shen Qing had given him a slightly higher wage—one full string of cash per month. If he saved up for two or three years, he might not be able to afford a grand estate, but buying a small courtyard of his own wasn’t out of the question.

“One more thing,” Shen Qing rubbed his forehead, growing increasingly annoyed by all the hassle. “From now on, stop calling me Qing Ge’er. Call me ‘Boss.’ If you call me by name in public, it’ll be harder for me to do business.”

“If we call you ‘Boss,’ then what do we call the benefactor?” Tieshan scratched his head in confusion.

“Call him ‘Master.’” Shen Qing quickly patched up the situation. “…Not that the benefactor will be coming here. He’s busy.”

So tired.

After that, Tieshan and Xiao Miao started staying in the front courtyard more often. Since Tieshan had a family and a young child, he usually went home at night. Xiao Miao, on the other hand, was young and unmarried, so he carefreely moved in with all his belongings, looking as if he planned to stay long-term.

While Xiao Miao went to handle the visitors from Cuihua Store, Shen Qing tidied up briefly and prepared to leave. Just before heading out, he suddenly remembered something and turned to Mudan. “Replace the oil every day. Don’t reuse today’s frying oil under any circumstances. Set up a basin in the back and pour the used oil into it. Once it settles, skim off the clear part and distribute it to the poor every so often. This oil isn’t suitable for food anymore, but it can still be used for oil lamps, as long as they don’t mind the smell.”

The poor wouldn’t mind at all. For them, being able to light a lamp at night was already a luxury.

Even regular cooking oil produced smoke and left a smell when used for lamps, not to mention the oil from frying starch sausages. Who knew—maybe it would even carry a meaty aroma! Lamp oil wasn’t cheap, and people saved every bit they could. Giving it to the poor was at least a good deed.

Although Mudan didn’t fully understand why the oil couldn’t be reused, he followed Shen Qing’s instructions without question, even offering some flattery. “Boss, you’re really kindhearted.”

Shen Qing watched him pour the oil into a small basin before finally leaving. He exited through the back door, then slipped through a side gate to avoid the shopkeeper and workers from Cuihua Store waiting out front.

What he didn’t know was that while he had been speaking with Mudan, one of the workers accompanying the Cuihua shopkeeper had been quietly stealing glances at him.

As they left the sausage shop, the shopkeeper’s face darkened. “That boss is too arrogant! He was clearly inside the shop, yet he sent a mere shopkeeper to handle us. He didn’t even have the decency to greet us himself and just slipped out the back door!”

Sure, he was just a shopkeeper himself, but could Xiao Miao compare to him? Cuihua Store had a larger storefront, deeper roots in the city, and stronger backing. How could some small sausage shop be on the same level?

Yet, after ranting for a while, he noticed that the worker behind him wasn’t responding. The man seemed lost in thought.

“Are you even listening?” the shopkeeper snapped.

The worker finally snapped out of it. “That shop’s owner… looks really familiar. Do you remember where we’ve seen him before?”

The shopkeeper thought for a moment. “He used to be around the marketplace, spent money quite freely. We never interacted, but I remember seeing him a few times.”

The worker still felt something was off. He was sure he had seen Shen Qing somewhere other than the marketplace, but he couldn’t quite recall where. Frustrated, he smacked his head twice. “Where have I seen him before…?”

Meanwhile, in the southern part of the city, Gold-Tooth had found a new property for Shen Qing. Unlike the northern district, this area was wealthier, with many government officials and merchants. Some streets were exclusively for businesses, with no residential homes.

Gold-Tooth had brought Shen Qing to see two properties—one was a two-courtyard house near the county office’s back gate, and the other was a restaurant.

The restaurant was a three-story wooden building facing the street, with a spacious courtyard behind it. On the other side of the courtyard stood a two-story smaller building, which could be used to house the staff. Gold-Tooth enthusiastically recommended it. “This restaurant is a great find. The previous owner just had bad luck—his sons were all useless and constantly fought, wasting much of the family’s wealth. Fortunately, they still have other businesses, so selling this restaurant to get some quick cash won’t ruin them.”

Shen Qing examined the restaurant and found it quite appealing. Mother Tang had many recipes; even pulling out just one or two could be considered secret formulas in this world. Right now, Mudan and Jade were working smoothly under him, and since he owned their indenture contracts, there was no risk of recipe leaks. If he had enough manpower in the future, opening a restaurant wouldn’t be a bad idea. Unlike the starch sausages and grilled gluten, which followed a commoner-friendly path, this restaurant could be more high-end, with signature dishes to draw in wealthy customers.

“How much is this restaurant?” Shen Qing casually ran his hand over the smaller building’s wooden frame—it was made of solid, high-quality timber.

“They’re in a hurry to sell, so they’ve lowered the price quite a bit. Right now, they’re only asking 1,200 taels, and that includes all the furniture and fixtures inside.” Although the restaurant was much smaller than the estate in the northern part of the city, the central location made the price several times higher.

Shen Qing nodded. “Alright, come get the silver from me tomorrow.”

Gold-Tooth had known Shen Qing was rich, but to buy a 1,200-tael property without even bargaining—just like that—left him so stunned he sucked in a sharp breath through his teeth. After a long pause, he finally asked, “Are we still going to check out that second courtyard?”

“Of course! Why wouldn’t we?” That property was close to the county office, which meant security, and it was also conveniently near the restaurant. Shen Qing was quite interested, but he still needed to see the condition of the courtyard and whether the seller would be difficult to deal with.

Gold-Tooth was at a loss for words.

Shen Qing carefully inspected the restaurant, going through every nook and cranny. The neighboring businesses included a liquor store on one side—which Gold-Tooth mentioned had previously partnered with the restaurant and sold decent-quality wine—and a general store on the other, separated by a narrow alley. The general store sold daily necessities like oil, salt, sauces, cheap tea, and dried goods from nearby villages.

While standing on the second floor and looking down, Shen Qing suddenly noticed something in the alley beside the general store.

Two young gers were cornered by a well-dressed man blocking their path. The man had four or five attendants with him. Though they hadn’t resorted to physical force yet, they had surrounded the two gers, preventing them from leaving. The man leaned in close to one of them, speaking incessantly.

That alley, located behind the general store, was somewhat secluded, with little foot traffic. Even those who happened to pass by would lower their heads and hurry along, not daring to look too long.

Shen Qing knew he shouldn’t meddle in this.

The well-dressed man, with his entourage, was clearly someone of wealth or influence in Anping County. While Shen Qing had managed to gain some status in the county, he was fully aware that his so-called standing and identity were all fabricated. At the core, he was just a villager. If he offended someone powerful, what would he use to fight back?

But when he saw the helpless expressions of the two young gers, with unshed tears in their eyes, he suddenly thought of Yu Le.

And then, he thought of many others—faces blurred in memory, young women and gers alike.

Shen Qing descended the stairs.

Gold-Tooth watched in surprise as Shen Qing tore a tablecloth into strips, wrapping one around his head and face while casually draping the rest over his shoulders, tying a few rough knots. He grabbed a few more tablecloths and turned toward the alley. “Wait here for me.”

Then, he sprinted over and struck from behind. Catching them off guard, he flipped over several of the attendants before delivering a swift kick to the man harassing the young gers. Without missing a beat, he threw a tablecloth over their heads. As they struggled, flailing and cursing, he grabbed the two stunned gers and bolted.

This was the bustling commercial district, with a maze of streets and alleys. There was no need to outrun them completely—he just had to get the two to a busy main road. Shen Qing intentionally steered them toward the county office.

To his surprise, despite their delicate appearance, the two young gers managed to keep up as he dragged them through the streets. They didn’t complain, nor did they ask to stop.

They finally stopped at a fabric store near the county office. Shen Qing pointed toward the shop. “Go inside. There are always patrol officers passing by here—it’ll be safer. I won’t go with you.” He needed to find a place to change clothes. He had acted impulsively today, and while he didn’t regret it, he wanted to minimize trouble as much as possible.

One of the young gers nodded frantically. But the one who had been harassed earlier stared at Shen Qing’s face, his gaze trailing over the bits of cloth slipping from his makeshift disguise. He murmured softly, “…It’s you.”

Shen Qing: “??”

He had wrapped himself up like this and still got recognized? Was all this effort for nothing?

And… did they know each other?

But before Shen Qing could ask, the young ger just smiled at him, then pulled his companion toward the fabric store without another word.

Shen Qing was utterly baffled.

But the two had already left, and there was no use dwelling on it. He checked his surroundings, saw that no one was paying attention, then quickly removed the tablecloths, wiped his face clean, and hurried home to change clothes before heading back to find Gold-Tooth.

By the time he returned, the sky had gone completely dark. Gold-Tooth was pacing anxiously inside the restaurant. When Shen Qing arrived, he saw a group of officers gathered at the alley entrance, holding torches and lanterns, creating quite a commotion.

Feeling guilty, Shen Qing took a detour, climbed through a window, and startled Gold-Tooth in the process.

“Master Shen, you’re finally back! You’ve got some nerve!” Gold-Tooth’s heart was still pounding. If not for the fact that he wanted to align himself with Shen Qing’s wealth and connections with the county registrar and Clerk Yang, he would have walked away from this mess. “Why didn’t you at least discuss it with me before getting involved? Do you even know who you just attacked?”

“It was a tense situation. I didn’t have time to think,” Shen Qing said, rubbing his nose. “No, I don’t know who it was.”

“That was the county constable’s youngest son!” Gold-Tooth exclaimed. “The guy’s a scoundrel, no doubt, but his father is the constable! And our only backing is the registrar!”

Shen Qing hadn’t expected that. For the first time, he felt a slight twinge of regret. “So… those officers outside the alley—are they here because he called them to hunt me down?”

He panicked for a moment but quickly regained his composure. He started gathering all the matching tablecloths in the room while reassuring himself, “It’s fine. I covered my face, and my body was wrapped up. They shouldn’t recognize me if I’m careful. I’ll dispose of these tablecloths, and worst case, I’ll just lay low for a while.”

It had been some time since he last saw Song Kaiji anyway. If the county office investigated, they’d probably only track down “Young Master Shen”—they wouldn’t connect it to the village ger Shen Qing.

But Gold-Tooth’s expression turned strange.

“…That’s not what happened,” he said, giving Shen Qing a peculiar look. “The one being harassed was the county magistrate’s ger son. After escaping, he went straight home and reported it. The officers outside? They’re here to arrest the constable’s son.”

Shen Qing: “Huh?”

Shen Qing: “Huh???”

Wait—so the constable’s son actually had the audacity to harass the county magistrate’s son?

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