Ch 140: The Farmer Ger in the Apocalypse

Lin Ning lost his appetite again.

The pain of an unrequited love that hadn’t even started—he didn’t even have the right to complain about it. All he could do was hide under his blanket and sob softly.

Magistrate Lin’s heart ached terribly for his son. He personally brought delicious food to his bedside, trying his best to comfort him.

“It’s not necessarily a marriage. Maybe they’re just his younger siblings! Look at your uncle and cousin—they live with us too, don’t they? There are all sorts of possibilities!”

Recently, Magistrate Lin had been investigating this Young Master Shen.

And what a shock it was—no one in Anping County knew his full name!

Even the surname “Shen” was something he had only heard a few times when Gold-Tooth addressed him.

When he sent someone to pry information from Gold-Tooth, even Gold-Tooth himself didn’t know Young Master Shen’s full name. All he could say was that he had an aunt, possibly living in either Shiqu Village or Lantang Village. The properties Shen Qing had bought in the county—the houses, the shops, even that small mountain, including the two-entry courtyard behind the yamen—were all under his aunt’s name.

With no full name, getting more detailed information was difficult. At most, Magistrate Lin could only find out some surface-level details, such as the properties Shen Qing had bought, the businesses he owned, where he usually bought pastries and cooked foods, and the kinds of expensive accessories he had worn.

Magistrate Lin glanced at Lin Ning, who was lying stiff as a salted fish on the bed, and thought—perhaps he should look into this aunt instead? Maybe that would reveal something new.

“Forget it,” Lin Ning said lifelessly. “What’s the point of investigating? Even if those were just his younger siblings, even if he’s not married, it doesn’t mean he’d want to marry me. And even if he did, it doesn’t mean he’d like me…”

Wasn’t his own uncle the best example? Rather than one day having to face the fact that the beautiful man he admired actually despised him, it was better to just admire from afar.

“That won’t happen! Ning Ge’er is so wonderful—how could he not like you?”

Hearing his son’s words, Magistrate Lin’s heart nearly shattered. After thinking for a moment, he realized—rather than sitting at home guessing wildly and spiraling into despair, wouldn’t it be better to just ask Shen Qing directly?

If Shen Qing truly had a wife or concubine, then Lin Ning could give up. If he wasn’t married, then they could decide their next steps. Living in uncertainty was the worst torment of all.

“Didn’t he save you and Zao Ge’er before? How about I use that as an excuse to visit him and thank him personally?”

“Absolutely not.” Lin Ning suddenly sat up. “He covered his face back then—clearly, he didn’t want to be recognized. Even though the Zhou family’s young master got beaten and locked up, who knows if he secretly sent people to look for Shen Qing?”

After all, Shen Qing had kicked him quite a few times.

A commoner shouldn’t go against an official. No matter how rich Shen Qing was, he couldn’t afford to offend the county captain. That man had saved his life—how could he repay kindness with betrayal just because he found him attractive?

“This is so annoying.”

Good men were either already taken or wouldn’t look at him. The ones left were those he didn’t like, and they didn’t like him either.

Frustrated, Lin Ning muttered, “Does this marriage really have to happen? I don’t want to get married anymore. Just let me stay single and be an old ger.”

With that, he flopped backward onto the bed, spreading his arms out in resignation.

“In the future, I’ll just laze around at home with Uncle. I’ll skip the marriage and arguing part and get straight to the he li stage. I’ll just go out every day to eat good food and admire handsome men from afar. That’s enough for me.”

Magistrate Lin: “……”

He began to question himself—Have I spoiled this child too much?

Is this something a young ger should be saying?

And right in front of his own father, no less!

But… this was his only ger. What else could he do but spoil him?

“Luckily, Young Master Shen moved near the yamen,” Lin Ning continued to mumble. “Now I can admire him whenever I want.”

Magistrate Lin pushed the plate of food closer to him. “You could also go admire him at his shop. That newly opened Blooming Sausage stall in town—it’s his business. Want to try it? Your mother, uncle, and Zao Ge’er have all eaten it and said it’s delicious.”

“Really?” Lin Ning’s interest was piqued.

The Blooming Sausage had already gone cold, so it wasn’t as good as when freshly fried, but the rich and complex flavors still made Lin Ning’s eyes light up.

“Ah, as expected of Young Master Shen,” he sighed. “Even his food is this good. My taste in men is truly impeccable.”

Magistrate Lin: “………………”

He was completely baffled.

Had his son moved on, or had he not?

—

Over the next few days, Lin Ning frequently dragged Lin Zao to the Blooming Sausage stall.

Though he never once ran into Shen Qing, the freshly fried sausages tasted far better than the cold ones. This high-fat, high-salt, high-calorie food instantly won Lin Ning over. If at first he had gone just to catch a glimpse of Shen Qing, by now, he was an actual fan of the food itself.

Seeing Shen Qing would be nice, but even if he didn’t, at least the sausages still made him happy!

—

Meanwhile, Shen Qing, after making sure the sausage shop was running smoothly, stopped managing it personally.

Shopkeeper Xiao Miao was reliable and handled accounts well. Ruyi was also highly capable.

At first, their shop had been extremely popular for more than ten days. But as expected, daily sales eventually declined. This wasn’t surprising—especially after Shen Qing had even pointed the owner of the Erhun Shop in the right direction and had Gold-Tooth help spread the word. Many shopkeepers in town now knew that Lantang Village had a workshop where they could buy un-fried Blooming Sausages for wholesale.

Buying in bulk meant each sausage cost only three coins—far cheaper than the fried version.

Some people braised them with pork hocks, others stir-fried them, and some even copied Shen Qing’s method and opened their own fried Blooming Sausage stalls in the west of the city.

Blooming Sausage became a widespread trend in Anping County, adapted into all kinds of dishes. Naturally, this also meant some of Shen Qing’s direct business was diverted elsewhere.

However, his shop had been the first to open, and the sauces he used were unbeatable. Many loyal customers had already grown accustomed to his flavors. Though sales had dropped for a while, they soon stabilized.

At the end of the day, both wholesale and retail profits ended up in Shen Qing’s pocket. In fact, bulk sales were even more lucrative than running the shop itself.

Shen Qing wasn’t concerned, but Shopkeeper Xiao Miao and Ruyi found it harder to accept the drop in sales.

Shen Qing ended up comforting them instead. “This is fine. Before, Mudan and Jade were so busy they barely had time to eat lunch. They’re still young and growing—how could they keep working like that? You can never make all the money in the world.”

Now, everyone in the household had something to do.

The shopkeepers handled the business, while the Jie siblings taught literacy. Shen Qing even occasionally taught them some martial arts.

After all, he had bought so many young boys precisely to guard the house—enhancing their combat skills was a must.

Now, when Shen Qing walked through the streets, he imitated the wealthy young masters and had two or three attendants following him. It was quite an impressive sight.

But it wasn’t just the boys—he also made the young girls and gers learn some self-defense.

From his own experience, he knew how much of an advantage it was to have even basic combat skills. In this world, power often came down to who had the stronger fists.

—

Ruyi, however, was still not quite satisfied.

She was a smart woman. Ever since Shen Qing had told her she could openly share her ideas instead of scheming, she had begun suggesting improvements directly.

Without needing Shen Qing to point it out, she had already realized they could start selling fried vegetables.

Five skewers for a single coin—it looked like a huge portion. While the price was low, the cost was even lower. One potato could be sliced into five skewers, making the profit nearly free money.

People already bought steamed buns and cornbread to eat alongside fried foods. She suggested that they also make thin pancakes, allowing customers to wrap the sausages and fried vegetables inside.

Later, some clever vendors even started selling baked sesame buns near their stall.

Ruyi wasn’t too happy about that, but since they didn’t have the manpower to make buns themselves, she simply kept a pleasant attitude and even offered to slice the buns open and spread sauce for customers.

With someone as capable as Ruyi managing the shop, Shen Qing felt completely at ease and returned to the village for a few days.

Zhao Youdang had been feeling frustrated ever since Shen Qing rejected his approach regarding the school. But lately, with village chiefs from neighboring villages coming to flatter him, his mood had improved, and he started walking around with his head held high again.

At night, Shen Qing would slip into the other world to be with Song Kaiji. Now that they weren’t glued to each other every single day, their brief separations made their reunions feel even sweeter, almost like newlyweds. Life couldn’t be more enjoyable.

Meanwhile, Lin Ning had been frequenting the Blooming Sausage shop, indulging in the food before heading next door for sweet soup. In just a few days, he had noticeably gained some weight. It wasn’t until the seventh day that he finally caught sight of Shen Qing returning to the county.

Even though he had already accepted that nothing could ever happen between him and Young Master Shen, his heart still pounded at the sight of his strikingly handsome face. Excited, he turned to those beside him, looking for someone to share in his emotions, only to see Lin Zao burying his face in a skewer of fried cauliflower.

“You know, we used to eat cauliflower all the time back home—practically lived on it. I was so sick of it. But now? Just a bit of frying, and it suddenly tastes amazing! And these potatoes too…”

Lin Ning: “…You didn’t even notice that Young Master Shen just walked in?”

Lin Zao paused mid-bite, blinking. “So what? I can’t eat just because he’s here? Do I have to give up my seat for him? …I haven’t finished yet. Can I take this to go?”

Though he was related to Magistrate Lin and Lin Ning by blood, it wasn’t a particularly close relation, and he hadn’t inherited their family’s admiration for beauty. He simply couldn’t understand Lin Ning’s excitement—his eyes were fixed only on the food.

However, across the table sat another ger, a little older, who followed Lin Ning’s gaze and stole a few extra glances at Shen Qing.

Indeed, he was good-looking. Ning Ge’er’s taste had clearly been passed down through their family.

Today, Lin Ning had put a lot of effort into convincing his little uncle to step out of the house. Ever since his he li, his uncle had been gloomy and withdrawn, spending all his time indoors taking care of his child—nothing like the lively person he used to be in the village.

Fortunately, he had recently developed a liking for Blooming Sausages, eager to try the freshly fried ones, along with the new fried vegetable skewers. That was the only reason he had agreed to come along.

Lin Ning watched as Shen Qing sat inside the shop, occasionally speaking with Ruyi and Mudan—probably giving them instructions on how to run things. That focused look only made Shen Qing seem more charming in Lin Ning’s eyes, making it impossible to resist getting closer.

He didn’t need an excuse. Just getting near a handsome man was a win, and exchanging a few words? Even better.

With that thought, Lin Ning approached Shen Qing and softly said, “I never got the chance to thank you for saving me last time.”

Hearing someone speak beside him, Shen Qing turned his head in confusion. He saw a young ger he didn’t immediately recognize.

That night had been dark, and Shen Qing hadn’t clearly seen Lin Ning’s face. It took him a moment to recall. “Oh, it was you.”

The county magistrate’s son—his intervention that night had been a coincidence, but now that the boy had come up to him, Shen Qing was open to forming a connection. After all, it never hurt to know more people in the government.

He winked at Lin Ning and hushed him playfully, lowering his voice. “No need to bring that up, little young master. I don’t want the Zhou family coming after me.”

Lin Ning was utterly stunned—that wink! That voice!

He nodded rapidly like a little chick pecking at grains.

But that night, Shen Qing had saved two gers, yet Lin Ning’s table today had three people. One of them was clearly older, dressed in the style of a married ger, and bore a striking resemblance to Lin Ning.

Shen Qing took a second look.

Noticing his curiosity, Lin Ning quickly introduced him. “That’s my little uncle. Your fried skewers are so delicious—even my uncle, who rarely steps outside, came along just for them.”

Lin Ning had only wanted to chat more with the handsome man, but instead, Shen Qing’s expression froze at his words. He turned again, staring at Lin Ning’s little uncle for a long while.

The magistrate’s younger ger brother.

That unfamiliar yet deeply significant title—this person whom Shen Qing had never met yet had impacted his life so much—suddenly resurfaced in his memory.

Lin Ning was about to ask what was wrong when he saw Shen Qing’s expression shift—he looked genuinely moved.

After a long pause, Shen Qing finally spoke.

“You… would you like to eat anything else? Order whatever you want—it’s on me today. Eat as much as you like.”

Lin Ning: “?”

Lin Ning’s little uncle: “?”

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