Ch 150: The Farmer Ger in the Apocalypse

The other villagers had already heard Li Jiaofeng’s earlier scream. By the time Miao Yu arrived at the village chief’s house, Zhao Youdang and Wu Guixiang had already dressed, lit a torch, and were just about to go see what was happening in the village.

Miao Yu got straight to the point. “My brother asks the village chief to come to Old Shen’s house. We’re going to confront them for Shen Zhang. If this turns out to be true, we won’t let Shen Zhiwei off!”

The village chief and his wife were completely stunned after Miao Yu briefly explained them of what happened. “What? How did this suddenly involve Shen Zhang? He’s been dead for years! Could Li Jiaofeng just be making things up? She wasn’t even married into Lantang Village when it happened—how would she know what really happened?” Zhao Youdang slapped his thigh. “What the hell is Li Jiaofeng thinking? She runs into trouble and doesn’t come find me, the village chief, but dares to go spouting nonsense to Qing ger instead!”

Wu Guixiang, however, quickly calmed down and asked Miao Yu, “What does Qing Ge’er think? And what about your aunt?”

Miao Yu glanced at the flustered Zhao Youdang and lowered his voice to reveal a little inside information. “I think my aunt really believes what Li Jiaofeng is saying. She’s been suspicious for a long time that the time she slipped and fell wasn’t an accident—she just didn’t know who was behind it. My brother thinks the same.”

Wu Guixiang nodded and yanked at her husband. “Let’s go. Whether Li Jiaofeng is lying or not, we’ll find out when we confront them at Old Shen’s house.” She shot a sharp glance at Zhao Youdang. “I’m warning you now—if she is lying, then fine. But if this turns out to be true, you better not protect that bunch from Old Shen’s family. What’s right is right, and what’s wrong is wrong. Whatever needs to be done, will be done!”

Zhao Youdang’s head was spinning with the thought of an official dispute. Rather than siding with anyone, what he truly wanted was for this whole situation not to exist in the first place. He wished the village could always remain peaceful and stable—why did some people just refuse to settle down? He let out several heavy sighs. “Who am I going to protect? Who would I even dare to protect? If I tried to cover for Old Shen’s family, Qing Ge’er would probably eat me alive!”

“You better know it well,” Wu Guixiang snorted twice. “A life for a life, debts must be repaid—that’s how it should be, and no matter how many years pass, it won’t change! I’m not asking you to side with Qing Ge’er because of the workshop or because our whole family takes his wages. Just be fair—that’s enough!”

Zhao Youdang glanced at his wife. “Easier said than done. If this turns out to be true, justice would mean beating Shen Zhiwei to death! We all grew up in the same village—how do you expect me to open my mouth and decide a man’s fate? I can’t bear it!”

For Zhao Youdang, he could accept the county magistrate sentencing Shen Zhiwei to be beheaded, but he couldn’t be the one to make that decision himself. That was a line he couldn’t cross.

By this point, no matter how much Zhao Youdang tried to claim that Li Jiaofeng was lying, he had already believed about seventy percent of it. He was also puzzled—Shen Zhiwei had always been a simple and honest man, so how could he have done such a thing? But Qing Ge’er was never the type to believe rumors without evidence. Just like when he left Old Shen’s house—he never acted unless he was certain. When he did, it was always a direct hit, catching people off guard!

“You can’t bear to take his life, but did he hesitate when he killed his own nephew or caused his sister-in-law to miscarry?” Wu Guixiang was getting irritated. She used to think that having a soft-hearted husband had its perks—within their home, he was caring and thoughtful. But every time the village faced a major event, Zhao Youdang would shrink from responsibility, and it infuriated her. “If you can’t bear to handle it, then shut up and let me do the talking. Whatever I say goes, and you just nod along!”

A low rumble of spring thunder echoed in the distance.

The quiet little mountain village was growing lively again. Scattered torches slowly converged toward Old Shen’s house.

Neighbors living nearby craned their necks, peering into the courtyard. It had been noisy inside for quite a while, but after noticing the onlookers, the Shen family seemed to have moved their argument into the main hall. Now, nothing could be seen from outside the courtyard, but the crowd didn’t disperse. Instead, they huddled in small groups, whispering and exchanging information.

“What’s going on? I just heard that Shen Zhigao came back, and the brothers started fighting?”

“Serves him right! If I were Second Shen, I wouldn’t be able to swallow this either! Why is his kid a precious treasure while my daughter is treated like dirt?”

“What do you mean fighting with Shen Zhigao? Wasn’t it with Li Jiaofeng? I swear I saw her running out, clutching her child like she was escaping for her life. Then I heard Old Shen and his wife cursing Second Shen, and Zhao Aiye crying…”

“Whatever Li Jiaofeng’s faults, she’s still his sister-in-law. A younger brother raising his hand against his sister-in-law—what kind of behavior is that?”

“Are you sure it wasn’t Second Shen and his brother pulling knives on each other?”

“They pulled knives?!”

…

Speculations flew in every direction, the crowd growing more and more restless. Then, the distant torchlight drew nearer as Zhao Youdang and Wu Guixiang arrived, followed closely by Shen Qing and his group.

Shen Qing hadn’t brought many people—aside from Miao Yu, he had only called two younger patrol team members who got along well with Miao Yu and had no past grudges with Shen Qing. A pearwood cudgel was tucked at his waist, but at a glance, it looked like just a wooden stick.

Seeing that everyone was present, Wu Guixiang stepped forward and knocked on the door. She knocked for quite a while before the quiet rustling inside the Shen house ceased completely. After a long, long pause, Old Man Shen finally came to open the door, his expression stiff.

Old Man Shen rarely showed himself in public or handled household affairs. Even major decisions—like selling Shen Xiaojun—were made by Old Lady Shen, making it seem as though she held all the authority. But Shen Qing and Miao Shi, who had spent over a decade in that household, knew better. Old Man Shen was the real master of the house; his word was absolute. Even Old Lady Shen had no choice but to obey him.

For him to personally come to the door—it was a rare sight.

“There’s nothing to see here. What family doesn’t have a few squabbles? Brothers arguing—does that really warrant this crowd of spectators?” Old Shen only cracked the door open slightly, his gaze sharp as he swept over the people standing outside. When his eyes landed on Li Jiaofeng, who was clutching her child behind Shen Qing, his expression noticeably stiffened.

“A mother running around in the cold with a child in her arms—what kind of mother are you?” Old Man Shen scolded, though he clearly didn’t want to speak much to his daughter-in-law. Instead, he put on the dignified posture of a village elder—an upright, respectable father-in-law who wouldn’t even be alone with his daughter-in-law in the same room.

He turned his head toward the house and called, “Zhigao, take your wife back inside.”

It was a long while before Shen Zhigao finally stepped forward, standing at the doorway and beckoning Li Jiaofeng with one hand while keeping the other hidden behind his back. “Jiaofeng, come home. I went to the county to get medicine. The child needs to take it.”

Li Jiaofeng trembled and shook her head, shrinking further behind Shen Qing.

Seeing her hide behind Shen Qing, Shen Zhigao was filled with both confusion and growing anger. He stepped forward to grab her when Shen Qing spoke.

“We’re not here for your household squabbles,” he said. “I’m here to speak with Shen Zhiwei. Call him out.”

Old Man Shen suddenly exploded with rage, cursing, “Who the hell do you think you are, barking orders at my door?! Who are you to summon Shen Zhiwei? You ungrateful little bastard—get lost! You’re no longer part of this family. Whatever happens in my house is none of your business. It’s not your place to interfere!”

He shot a vicious glare at Shen Qing before turning to Shen Zhigao. “Zhigao, get your wife back inside!”

Shen Zhigao responded immediately, moving past Shen Qing to seize Li Jiaofeng. She cast a desperate glance at Shen Qing before suddenly wailing, “Husband, your brother tried to smother our child! You have to stand up for us! If you do, I’ll go home with you. But if not, I won’t dare step foot in that house again!”

A collective gasp rippled through the gathered crowd.

“What? Second Shen tried to smother Shen Qiang? That’s why she ran with the baby?”

“Good lord, that’s brutal—how can he lay hands on his own nephew?”

“Well, if it weren’t for that nephew, Second Shen’s daughter wouldn’t have been sold. Who wouldn’t be furious?”

“Angry or not, you can’t kill your own nephew. That’s their family’s bloodline! A daughter is just a daughter—she’d be married off sooner or later…”

“How can you say that? Selling a daughter for a son is one thing, but selling a brother’s daughter to save your own son? That’s not right!”

…

The murmurs and heated discussions grew louder. Old Man Shen was furious, nearly choking on his own rage. “Shut up! All of you, shut up! Zhigao, drag her back inside—shut her mouth!”

Shen Zhigao hesitated for a moment before reaching for Li Jiaofeng. Shen Qing then noticed the arm Shen Zhigao had been hiding behind his back—it was slashed open, his sleeve soaked in blood. Li Jiaofeng dodged and screamed, and Shen Qing finally moved. He grabbed Shen Zhigao’s injured arm, twisted, and with a sharp motion, sent him sprawling to the ground.

A hush fell over the onlookers.

Shen Qing casually shoved Shen Zhigao aside and strode toward the entrance. Old Man Shen stared in disbelief, his voice trembling. “This is rebellion… rebellion! You dare hit your own father? You disrespectful little bastard—stay back, stay back! If you take another step, I—I…!”

He never finished his sentence. Shen Qing had already kicked open the door.

Old Man Shen was knocked back, barely catching himself against the wall. In that moment, he finally realized—if Shen Qing no longer cared for filial piety or social norms, then he had no way to stop him.

In desperation, he turned to Zhao Youdang and wailed, “Rebellion! Rebellion! A grandson striking his grandfather, a ger attacking his own father—are you just going to stand there and do nothing, village chief? You saw it with your own eyes!”

Zhao Youdang opened his mouth to speak, but Wu Guixiang yanked him forward before he could utter a word. Without hesitation, they stepped into Old Man Shen’s courtyard, following Shen Qing inside.

Old Lady Shen tried to shut the hall door to block them out, but Shen Qing kicked it open with one swift motion. She didn’t dare to physically confront him, so she could only stand to the side, cursing nonstop. “Our family’s affairs should be handled behind closed doors! What does it have to do with you? And you still have the nerve to step foot in our house? A barren hen thrown out by my son, teaming up with that wretched woman who stole your man, and now you dare come knocking on my door? Do you even have any shame?”

She was cursing at Miao Shi.

But Miao Shi paid her no mind. Her eyes scanned the room quickly until she spotted Shen Zhiwei, tied up like a pig awaiting slaughter. His right arm was covered in blood—more so than Shen Zhigao’s. His whole being seemed lifeless, staring blankly as if he had nothing to do with the chaos unfolding around him. Shen Qing examined him closely—he had been slashed twice in the same spot. Zhao Aiye was tearing his own clothes, crying as he desperately tried to stop the bleeding.

Shen Zhuang, despite being a grown boy, was just standing there dumbly, crying.

“Tch,” Shen Qing scoffed. He immediately understood what had happened and sneered, “How ruthless.”

“You cursed bringer of misfortune!” Old Lady Shen spat. “Ever since we took you into this family, we’ve never had a single peaceful day! Whatever happens inside our own home should stay inside! But you—running outside and spreading our family’s dirty laundry, dragging that mad dog into our house—”

Her insults had now shifted to Li Jiaofeng.

Ignoring the venomous glares from Zhao Aiye, Shen Qing strode forward, grabbed Shen Zhiwei, and flung him to the ground. As Zhao Aiye shrieked in fear, Shen Zhiwei’s dull eyes finally regained some focus.

Shen Qing squatted down, grabbed him by the collar, and said coldly, “I know everything. Now tell me—how did you kill Shen Zhang?”

Old Lady Shen’s curses choked in her throat, as if someone had strangled her mid-sentence. Aside from the people Shen Qing had brought, the rest of the Shen family, along with the curious neighbors who had sneaked in to watch, all widened their eyes in shock.

W-what? Shen Zhang was killed by Shen Zhiwei?

Old Man Shen and Old Lady Shen had genuinely believed that Shen Qing was meddling in things that had nothing to do with him! From their perspective, today’s chaos started because Shen Xiaojian had been sold, and Shen Zhiwei, overwhelmed with resentment, sneaked into Li Jiaofeng’s room, trying to smother Shen Qiang to death.

They were, of course, furious. But Shen Zhiwei was still their own son—what else could they do besides scolding and hitting him? Shen Qiang wasn’t dead. Were they supposed to kill Shen Zhiwei as punishment?

To them, this was just another family matter to be swept under the rug. In the future, Shen Zhiwei could make up for it by working like a horse for the family.

Then Shen Zhigao had come home, found out about the incident, and, unwilling to let it slide, had fought with Shen Zhiwei. Shen Zhiwei, who usually endured everything in silence, suddenly snapped and pulled out a knife, slashing Shen Zhigao’s arm.

That wound had struck Old Lady Shen straight in her heart. She cursed Shen Zhiwei relentlessly, and with Old Man Shen’s help, they tied him up. Zhao Aiye and Shen Zhuang had tried to intervene—one had been dragged down and beaten by Old Lady Shen, while the other had been kicked and berated by Old Man Shen until he didn’t dare move, too afraid to even help his own father.

Shen Zhigao, still fuming, had taken the opportunity to slash Shen Zhiwei’s arm twice.

When Shen Qing arrived, it had only just happened.

With the household already in turmoil, knives drawn and blood spilled, plus Li Jiaofeng running off, Old Man Shen and Old Lady Shen were already feeling guilty when the village chief came knocking. But even if they felt uneasy, what did it have to do with Shen Qing? Why was he barging in, siding with Li Jiaofeng, and even hitting his own father?

Yet now, hearing Shen Qing’s words, everyone was stunned and suddenly understood.

They had no idea how Shen Qing found out, but if Shen Zhang’s death truly had something to do with Shen Zhiwei, then of course, Shen Qing and Miao Shi would come demanding justice!

Shen Qing had been gambling on this. Too many years had passed—he had no concrete evidence at all. Li Jiaofeng, the only witness, could only prove that Shen Zhiwei harbored ill intent toward Shen Zhigao’s child. Maybe it was about inheritance, maybe it was something else. But she couldn’t confirm that he had killed Shen Zhang.

So Shen Qing could only take advantage of Shen Zhiwei’s disoriented state and bluff, hoping to get some kind of reaction—any slip-up, any subconscious response.

At this moment, Shen Qing couldn’t help but miss Chen Jiaxi’s abilities. If she were here, they wouldn’t need to worry about Shen Zhiwei lying. The truth would be laid bare instantly.

Unfortunately…

But Shen Qing’s luck wasn’t bad. Shen Zhiwei’s pupils shifted slightly. He stared at Shen Qing for a moment, then suddenly burst into laughter.

He had always been quiet, his head down, barely making a sound. Even Zhao Aiye had only ever seen him give a small, dull chuckle. But now, he was laughing wildly, a sound so eerie it was almost terrifying.

“You know… you know…” he muttered, his eyes filled with malice as he glared at Shen Qing, then swept his gaze over Miao Shi, Li Jiaofeng, Shen Zhigao… Finally, his eyes landed on the swaddled infant in Li Jiaofeng’s arms. “So what if I killed him? I wish you’d all just die! Every last one of you!”

Before Shen Qing could respond, Miao Shi lunged forward and slapped Shen Zhiwei hard across the face. “Why?! He was just a child! He respected you, always calling you Uncle. What did he ever do to you? Why did you kill him? I’ve treated you well ever since I married into this family—I never bullied you as a sister-in-law! Why did you do this to me and my child?!”

For a brief moment, guilt flickered in Shen Zhiwei’s eyes. But it quickly turned into hatred. “He didn’t do anything. But as long as he was alive—as long as you kept having children—your kids were taking everything away from me and mine! Just like their father—sucking my blood, gnawing my bones!”

“We were both born from the same parents, both sons! Why was everything always given to him? Why did I always get the leftovers, and sometimes not even that? Just because he was the eldest, he got to marry a woman, while I—? Our family wasn’t poor. Our elder sister’s marriage brought in plenty of silver. We could’ve been like the Lian family, where both brothers married women. But they dragged it out for years before arranging a match for me, and it was a ger! Why could he marry a woman while I had to marry someone who couldn’t even bear children? Why was I supposed to just accept being childless?!”

Old Man Shen and Old Lady Shen were in shock. They had never imagined that the reason Shen Zhiwei had killed Shen Zhang could be traced back to their own favoritism. Old Lady Shen was stunned for a long time before she began cursing, “Your parents arranged a marriage for you, and you should be grateful! Yet now you’re complaining?! There are plenty of men who can’t even get a ger, let alone a wife! Why? Because your brother is the eldest son! In this village, it’s common for the eldest to marry a woman while the younger brothers marry gers. They still have sons to continue the line—why can they accept it, but you can’t?! And didn’t you have a son anyway? Your ger gave birth to one! What are you complaining about?! Your parents got you married, and now that’s a mistake too?!”

She was furious, her eyes filled with venom as she glared at Shen Zhiwei. She truly believed he was an ungrateful wretch. How could she have raised such an unappreciative son?

Beside her, Zhao Aiye stared at Shen Zhiwei in shock. The fear of knowing Shen Zhiwei had killed Shen Zhang was nothing compared to the terror of hearing him despise marrying a ger—of hearing him despise him.

Later, when Zhao Aiye gave birth to a son for him, Shen Zhiwei was overjoyed. But he gradually realized—so what if he had a son? A son was still a son, yet in every aspect, he and his child were inferior to Shen Zhigao and Shen Zhang.

Shen Zhang could eat eggs every few days. But if he even broke off half of an egg white for Shen Zhuang, Shen Zhuang would be scolded by Old Lady Shen for being greedy. Shen Zhang didn’t have to lift a finger at home, and when Miao Shi taught him a few words, Old Man Shen praised him to the skies, even saying they should save silver to send him to school. But when it came to Shen Zhuang, not only was studying never mentioned, but they were also told not to raise him too delicately—after all, a farmer’s child would have to work the fields sooner or later.

And then, Miao Shi was pregnant again… One child draining Shen Zhuang’s share wasn’t enough—how many more would she have? Did they intend to suck him dry, down to his bones?

So he secretly poured oil on the stone path that Miao Shi frequently walked. It was his first time doing something like this, and he was nervous. But perhaps even the heavens pitied him—he succeeded easily. Miao Shi lost the child and could no longer bear any more. If Shen Zhang were gone as well, then his son, Shen Zhuang, would be the only male heir of the Shen family. The eggs, the opportunity to study, their parents’ love—all of it would belong to his child.

So, he told Shen Zhang he wanted to take him out to play. Shen Zhang trusted his uncle completely. And so, he lured the child to the riverbank and held him down in the water until he drowned.

But he hadn’t expected that even after Shen Zhang’s death and Miao Shi’s inability to conceive, Old Man Shen and Old Lady Shen still wouldn’t send Shen Zhuang to study. Instead, they spent their silver on finding Shen Zhigao another wife, hoping for another child, continuing to shower love on Shen Zhigao’s offspring while selling off his daughter.

Those who are unloved will always remain unloved.

Just like today. He could have denied everything in front of Shen Qing. So what if Shen Qing suspected the truth? When Shen Zhang died, Shen Qing was not even ten years old—what evidence could he possibly have?

But before Shen Qing arrived, Old Man Shen and Old Lady Shen had helped Shen Zhigao tie him up, leaving him to be kicked, beaten, and slashed twice by Shen Zhigao.

And in that moment, he suddenly no longer felt like resisting or struggling.

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