Ch 141: The Farmer Ger in the Apocalypse

Shen Qing still remembered it vividly.

It was last autumn, with weather much like today—not too hot, not too cold, just right. Widow Li was already pregnant, and Shen Zhigao had been causing an uproar at home for days, shouting about divorcing his wife and taking a new one.

At first, The old Shen couple had firmly opposed it. But they couldn’t withstand Shen Zhigao’s relentless insistence and growing aggression, and eventually, they began to waver.

At that time, Shen Qing didn’t understand much, but he was terrified. He was afraid that Shen Zhigao would succeed and that his weak, helpless mother would be thrown out onto the streets, unable to support herself.

So he secretly went up the mountain, chopping and selling firewood as desperately as he could, thinking that if Miao Shi really got driven out, at least he could give her some money in secret so she wouldn’t starve.

As for himself… he didn’t even have the energy to worry. If a stepmother entered the household, his already miserable days would only grow worse.

But he still had to take care of the Shen family’s land. The autumn harvest was approaching, and the crops changed by the day. Farmers had to be vigilant, watching the sky closely in case a sudden rainstorm ruined everything. Shen Qing had barely any free time, yet after exhausting himself, he had only managed to save a meager one or two hundred copper coins.

That day, he had only gathered half a load of firewood. Fortunately, the broker’s wife pitied him and also liked how neatly he bundled his wood, so she bought it anyway. Clutching his small sum of money, Shen Qing headed home—only to run into the county magistrate’s younger brother ger’s carriage entering the city at the gate.

A dozen large carts, packed full, clogged the city gate completely. While waiting, Shen Qing overheard a scholar nearby talking about the county magistrate’s younger brother and how he had just divorced and returned home.

That was the first time Shen Qing learned that after a he li, a ger could still take their child with them.

Even if it was a son.

As long as their older brother was the county magistrate, as long as they had enough power, many of society’s so-called unbreakable traditions could indeed be overturned.

It was a revelation.

Shen Qing took inspiration from it. Imitating the strategy, he borrowed the influence of Miao Xing and Miao Wang, successfully taking Miao Shi away from that quagmire and beginning a new life.

And now, as Shen Qing looked at the county magistrate’s younger brother ger, he was sitting not far away.

Shen Qing had never met this person before—back then, the magistrate’s younger brother hadn’t even stepped out of the carriage. And yet, this stranger had unknowingly, unintentionally sparked Shen Qing’s understanding, given him courage, and changed the course of his life.

His gaze grew heavy as he stared at the county magistrate’s younger brother.

He was looking at the man, but at the same time, Shen Qing felt like he was peering through him—looking at his past self from last autumn, a helpless young ger desperately clinging to a life-saving straw, grasping for a glimpse of light leading him forward.

Before he realized it, Shen Qing’s eyes burned, his vision growing hot and misty, tears nearly spilling over.

Inside the shop, his servants, Shopkeeper Xiao Miao, and Tie Shan: ?

Lin Ning: ??

The county magistrate’s younger brother: ?????

The county magistrate’s younger brother felt completely lost. What is going on? Have I met this person before? Do I have some kind of past with him? Why is he about to cry?

Has my charm grown this powerful after being divorced for a year?

Looking around, he saw that even the shop attendants were sneaking glances at them. Feeling even more flustered, he hurriedly waved his hands in refusal.

“No, no, we’ve already eaten. We’ll pay as usual—there’s no need.”

He clutched Lin Zao tightly with one hand and called out to Lin Ning with the other.

“Ning Ge’er, let’s go home, alright?”

Lin Ning, lost in thought, was dragged along, turning back every few steps, unwilling to leave.

Shen Qing sniffed, blinking rapidly to hold back the heat in his eyes.

He didn’t even know why he felt this way.

Thinking back to last autumn, it felt like a lifetime ago. He was no longer that powerless, struggling ger with no way out. And yet, seeing the county magistrate’s younger brother—the catalyst that had “saved” him and Miao Shi from their own abyss—sent an inexplicable tremor through his heart.

Turning his head slightly, Shen Qing didn’t notice that the shop workers were all secretly watching him. Instead, he instructed Shopkeeper Xiao Miao,

“That fulang… that ger, if he ever comes back, don’t charge him.”

The county magistrate’s younger brother had already divorced. Though he still dressed as a fulang out of habit, Shen Qing didn’t want to call him that.

“Oh, oh!” Shopkeeper Xiao Miao snapped back to attention and quickly agreed. No need to ask—he already knew exactly who it was! But he was truly puzzled. Why was Qing Ge’er acting so strangely?

Not just him—the whole shop was curious! As soon as Shen Qing left, the remaining staff huddled together and started gossiping about their boss.

“The boss sent Young Master Jie and Miss Jie to the south of the city to teach. I thought he just wasn’t interested in them. I mean, aren’t they both really good-looking? So, it turns out he likes this kind of person?”

“That ger looked older than our boss, and he was dressed like a fulang. Isn’t he already married?”

Ruyi had been pondering the same thing. Even though she had now switched allegiances, she had grown up in the Jie family and still felt a strong connection to them. Naturally, she had hoped Jie Miyun and Jie Shijun would end up with Shen Qing.

After all, Shen Qing was outstanding in both looks and ability, and after spending time around him, she found that his temperament was quite good—he was an upright person.

When it came to marriage, the biggest fear was ending up with a useless man. If a man was unreliable, even a proper wife would suffer. But if he was responsible, even being a concubine wouldn’t be so bad.

But Shen Qing had never shown much interest in the Jie siblings. Even when Jie Miyun had personally tried to climb into his bed, he had failed. So it was just a matter of taste?

However, Ruyi had more inside knowledge than the others. “Stop guessing. That person is the county magistrate’s younger brother. He got divorced and moved back in with his elder brother. Our young master and young lady are the children of a criminal official—descendants of a convicted minister. That person, on the other hand, is the magistrate’s family… If anything, shouldn’t it be the magistrate’s son that Young Master Shen would be interested in? Or could this really be love at first sight?”

Shen Qing’s gaze just now—it was practically burning holes into the magistrate’s younger brother!

The group erupted into excited chatter, throwing out various theories. Even Jade, the little maid who was still just a child, eagerly joined in.

Meanwhile, Tieshan and Shopkeeper Xiao Miao, who knew Shen Qing’s true background, were quietly sweating.

“…The boss definitely doesn’t like that ger,” Tieshan muttered.

Ruyi immediately looked over. “How do you know? Did the boss tell you what kind of person he likes?” If she could find out, maybe she could pass the information to the Jie siblings.

Of course, it was because Shen Qing was a ger himself! But he had already warned them not to reveal this in the city—he moved around as a man for convenience, especially when dealing with officials. If they exposed him, they could pack up and go back to the village.

So now, they couldn’t say a word. After struggling internally for a while, Tieshan swallowed his response and just said, “Anyway, the boss wouldn’t like that ger.”

“Actually, if our boss and that ger ended up together, it wouldn’t be a bad thing,” someone else chimed in, completely ignoring Tie Shan and Xiao Miao as they dove deeper into their gossip. “The county magistrate is the highest-ranking official in our town. If the boss married into his family, wouldn’t our business grow even bigger?”

While the shop staff continued to speculate, over at the Lin household, Lin Ning and his uncle had rushed home in a fluster, immediately catching the attention of the county magistrate and his fulang.

“What’s wrong? Weren’t you just out for some snacks? Why are you back so early, and why do you look like you were chased by dogs?”

The county magistrate frowned. The last time Lin Ning and Lin Zao had returned looking this panicked was when that brat from the Zhou family had harassed them. His expression darkened. “Did someone else try to bully you?”

“No, no,” Lin Zao quickly waved his hands. But truth be told, he wasn’t entirely sure what had happened himself. He had been too focused on eating!

There were still two skewers of fried potatoes left on his plate, but before he could finish them, he’d been dragged away. He was feeling a little regretful.

Lin Ning, meanwhile, was still dazed and didn’t say a word.

“Then what happened?” The county magistrate was getting anxious. He turned to his younger brother. “Xiangcao, you explain.”

Lin Xiangcao looked at Lin Ning, then at the magistrate, hesitating before finally stammering out what had just happened. Then he hurriedly added, “I really don’t know that person… I don’t think I’ve seen him before? I have no impression of him at all!”

He knew Lin Ning liked that Shen Qing—he had been talking about him nonstop at home. So what was this situation now?!

“I’m just raising my child and living my life. I’m doing fine. I don’t want to get married again,” Lin Xiangcao reassured, taking Lin Ning’s hand. “Don’t worry, Ning Ge’er. Even if he is interested, I won’t agree to anything.”

Lin Ning finally snapped back to reality.

For the second time in such a short span, his heart shattered.

But after putting himself back together, Lin Ning realized… maybe this wasn’t such a bad thing?

Hadn’t he already accepted that Shen Qing, whether married or not, would never choose him?

And if Shen Qing was going to marry someone, wouldn’t it be better if it was his own uncle rather than someone else?

Lin Ning had complicated feelings toward Shen Qing. He definitely liked him, but it wasn’t the kind of obsessive love where he had to marry him. They had barely spoken, let alone truly understood each other—how could it go that far?

To be precise, it was the admiration of a beauty-lover toward a handsome man, with a hint of possessiveness.

If Lin Ning had been born in the modern era, he would have heard the term “face fan.” Maybe even “dream man.”

But possession? Well, if the Lin family gained him, it was basically the same thing as he gained him. Why let an outsider take him? If Shen Qing married his uncle, at least he could see him more often…

Lin Ning steadied himself against the wall and declared, “I’m fine. Uncle, do whatever you want—don’t mind me!”

How could they not mind?

Lin Xiangcao had no idea about the dramatic emotional turmoil Lin Ning had just gone through. After that day, he never visited Shen Qing’s shop again.

On the other hand, Lin Zao, still craving the food, had pestered Lin Ning into going back several times, but it just so happened that they never ran into Shen Qing again.

Shen Qing had been busy.

After the spring planting, most of the men in the village had free time again, so he had begun setting up a new workshop in Shiqu Village.

Shiqu Village’s chief had been waiting for this day for ages! He had been sending women with distant blood ties to Miao Shi over to Lantang Village under the guise of visiting relatives, trying to build rapport. After all that waiting, the deal was finally coming together, and he could finally relax.

Unlike Zhao Youdang, the chief of Shiqu Village was much more clear-headed.

Maybe it was because Shen Qing wasn’t from their village, so they didn’t feel as close to him and were more respectful. Or maybe because Shen Qing, being an outsider, had no say in village affairs, so the chief had no hidden reservations toward him like Zhao Youdang did.

Now, he was all smiles as he led Shen Qing to a plot of land. “Look at this—so flat that you won’t even need to clear out stones before building. Plus, it’s close to your mother’s family. This is the best location for the workshop!”

After showing Shen Qing around, he continued with a grin, “So, who are you planning to put in charge of this workshop? Your cousin Miao Ren is a solid choice. The boy’s grown up now and is about to marry. If you let him be the steward, he can establish himself while setting up a household. It’ll look good to his in-laws, too. My own son can lend him a hand—it’ll all be in good hands.”

His words were smooth as honey. Even though Shen Qing knew the chief had his own motives, he couldn’t help but find the flattery pleasant to hear.

On the way from the county town to Lantang Village, one had to pass through Shiqu Village. The people of Shiqu Village saw carriages from the town heading to Lantang Village to stock up on goods every day, and they couldn’t be more envious. That brat Zhao Youdang, who was a generation lower, had now become smug when he met Village Chief Miao!

Fortunately, Qing Ge’er was someone who valued family ties, and the second workshop was being built in Shiqu Village. Village Chief Miao watched as Shen Qing greeted people along the way, even stopping to chat longer with the strong men who had helped Miao Shi with her divorce last autumn, thanking them sincerely. Seeing this, the village chief was even more satisfied and secretly calculated—if he could coax Chunlei and Qing Ge’er into staying in the village for a long time, wouldn’t that be wonderful?

When he got back, he would grant Miao Xing and Miao Wang’s family some extra land for housing. It just so happened that Miao Ren’s wedding house was being built, so since construction had already started, why not add two more rooms? With a more spacious house, Chunlei could come back more often to take care of her mother—wasn’t that only right?

The two of them continued chatting as they walked and soon arrived at the village’s schoolhouse. Shen Qing wanted to take a good look at it, so he could have a reference when setting up his own school in the future.

Inside, there were about a dozen boys, all around seven or eight years old. A few young gers and girls stood quietly at the side, listening attentively.

At the front, teaching the lesson, was none other than Tongsheng Miao, whom Shen Qing hadn’t seen in a long time.

He had lost a lot of weight. Already a frail scholar, the loose robe draped over him made him look even thinner. Shen Qing and the village head stood outside the window listening for a while. A few boys who had trouble focusing kept glancing outside. Tongsheng Miao put down his book, followed their gaze, and upon seeing the village chief and Shen Qing, he revealed a faint, gentle smile.

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