Ch 151: The Farmer Ger in the Apocalypse

Shen Qing wasn’t about to be fooled by a few words of self-pity, nor did he feel even the slightest bit of sympathy.

Who hadn’t suffered? Shen Zhiwei was only lamenting that he didn’t receive as much attention from his parents as Shen Zhigao did, and that was enough to break him. Then what about him? As a ger in that household, he hadn’t even had enough to eat, his clothes were patched upon patches—wasn’t his life worse than Shen Zhuang’s or Shen Xiaojian’s? By Shen Zhiwei’s logic, should he have killed them both just to get even?

Would Shen Zhiwei accept that?

Right now, however, he truly felt like killing every last one of the Shen family. A house full of rotten-hearted scum had trapped him and his mother for over ten years and had even taken the life of his little brother!

Shen Qing stood up and kicked Shen Zhiwei so hard that he flew across the courtyard. The gathered crowd let out a collective gasp, muffling their reactions. Shen Qing only sneered. “Do you still think of yourself as some tragic figure? You killed Shen Zhang, tried to harm my mother, harmed Li Jiaofeng and Shen Qiang, and you think it was all because of your parents’ favoritism? Do you truly see yourself as some pitiful victim?”

Shen Zhiwei coughed violently, his head hanging low after being kicked to the ground.

“You’re nothing but a despicable coward,” Shen Qing looked down at him with pure contempt. “If you thought your parents were unfair, then you should have confronted them. If you couldn’t bear it, you should have killed them. If you couldn’t kill them but thought Shen Zhigao was in your way and bullying you, then you should have killed him instead. But no—you didn’t dare. You only dared to take it out on innocent women and children, and now you’re playing the victim?”

Shen Zhiwei’s face turned bright red, whether from choking or embarrassment. How could he kill his parents? They were his parents! As for Shen Zhigao, he was his elder brother. But Miao Shi and Li Jiaofeng? They were just outsiders, married into the family…

No matter how much injustice he felt, he had always been the type to submit to his parents and older brother. He never dared to resist them, only taking out his resentment on those he saw as beneath him—women and children.

Shen Qing no longer bothered to look at him. Scum like this, no matter how much reason you laid before them, would never change. As long as they didn’t want to face their own wrongdoing, they would always see themselves as victims, convinced that their misdeeds were the fault of others. Talking to such a person was a waste of breath.

Instead, he turned his gaze toward Zhao Youdang and Wu Guixiang.

Wu Guixiang immediately understood and spoke up. “Now that the facts are clear and Shen Zhiwei has confessed to his crimes, we’ll deal with him according to the village rules.” She pinched Zhao Youdang’s arm hard, and he grumbled reluctantly, “Yes, right.”

Old Man Shen and Old Lady Shen suddenly snapped to attention. “What village rules? This is a family matter—it doesn’t concern the village!”

Old Man Shen scowled. “Shen Zhang was our Shen family’s child, and Shen Zhiwei is also one of ours. No matter how you put it, this is our own household’s affair, and outsiders have no right to interfere! If the village chief dares meddle in this, then are you going to start interfering whenever someone leaves an unwanted daughter or ger in the mountains to die? Are you going to enforce village rules on that too?” He glared at Zhao Youdang, using his elder status to press down. “Your father never meddled this much when he was village chief!”

Today, Old Man Shen and Old Lady Shen were absolutely furious at Shen Zhiwei! They hated him for killing Shen Zhang—though their ties with Miao Shi and Shen Qing had been completely severed, in their hearts, Shen Zhang had been the perfect, golden grandson. Not even Shen Qiang or Shen Zhuang could compare to him. Miao Shi had only needed to teach him a few words, and after reading them once or twice, he had learned them. In Old Man Shen’s eyes, Shen Zhang had been even more gifted than the so-called prodigy Tongsheng Miao from Shiqu Village!

A grandson like that could have changed the family’s fate. Maybe he could have even earned a scholar’s title—perhaps even a provincial degree. And now, all of those dreams had been shattered by Shen Zhiwei’s hands! Meanwhile, look at Miao Shi now, dressed in fine clothes, looking ten years younger, beautiful and refined; and Shen Qing, exuding nobility, gaining the favor of powerful figures, and making untold sums of money.

If not for Shen Zhiwei, Miao Shi and Shen Qing would still be part of the Shen family. The wealth and prestige they had gained would have been the Shen family’s too!

But more than their hatred for Shen Zhang’s death, they despised that Shen Zhiwei had dared to resent them, his own parents, questioning them and being unfilial! His life was given to him by them. They had fed him, married him off, and raised him this far—how dare he hold a grudge against his own father and mother?

Even so, they absolutely did not want Shen Zhiwei dead. In this era, children were not just bound to their parents by emotion; they were also their natural “servants.” As long as Shen Zhiwei was alive, they had another laborer to support them. Without him, who would tend to the family’s fields? Even with Shen Zhigao and Shen Zhuang, there were still too many fields to manage. If Shen Zhiwei was gone, how would they survive?

Old Man Shen was already old. At his age, being forced back into the fields would be real suffering!

Their reluctance to let Shen Zhiwei die had nothing to do with any remaining affection—it was purely about making their own lives easier.

However, before Shen Qing could speak, Shen Zhigao suddenly exploded. “Father! Mother! He killed Xiao Zhang! He even harmed my two unborn children! If it weren’t for Qiangzi’s luck, I’d have no heirs left! And you still want to protect him? You’re not going to enforce the village rules?”

Shen Zhang wasn’t just Miao Shi’s son—he was also Shen Zhigao’s most beloved child! After losing him, Shen Zhigao had spent countless nights drinking himself into a stupor. For years, he had been unable to cope, and for a time, he had no choice but to treat Shen Zhuang well just to secure his own future. But now, the true culprit was right before him.

How could he possibly let this go?

Old Man Shen was furious. “Shut your mouth! What do you know?” He coughed twice, his voice hoarse and raspy. “That’s your younger brother!”

Shen Zhigao’s eyes turned bloodshot, like a maddened bull. “And that was my son! I want his life in return!”

With that, he grabbed a wooden bench and, ignoring the scolding from Old Man Shen and Old Lady Shen, swung it down on Shen Zhiwei. Shen Zhuang and Zhao Aiye wailed in fright. Despite how much Shen Zhiwei’s words had hurt Zhao Aiye, this was still his husband—he couldn’t bear to let him die. Crying, he struggled to his feet, grabbed a pair of scissors, and cut the ropes binding Shen Zhiwei. “Husband, run! Go hide somewhere—I’ll bring Dazhuang to find you later!”

He understood clearly—times had changed. No matter how Old Man Shen and Old Lady Shen twisted their words and tried to argue their way out, with Shen Qing standing here today, there was no way this matter would be settled peacefully! The village chief’s wife had long been won over by Shen Qing—whatever he said, that’s how things would go! Their only chance for survival was to leave the village and seek a new life elsewhere.

The two of them were still young, and Shen Zhuang had grown up. The family had their hands and feet intact, and without the burden of the two old ones and the eldest brother’s family, as long as they were willing to work hard, they wouldn’t starve. Maybe, in time, they could even save enough money to buy Xiaojian back. Shen Qing had risen from selling firewood—surely their family of three could make it too!

So what if Shen Zhiwei didn’t love him? What love was there between most couples in the village? They were just partners getting through life together. As long as the husband treated him well, that was all that mattered—who cared about the reasons behind it?

But Shen Zhiwei didn’t follow his plan and run. Perhaps Shen Qing’s words—calling him a coward and giving him that brutal suggestion—had provoked something in him. Shen Zhiwei reached up and touched his forehead.

There was a fresh wound there, from when Shen Zhigao had smashed a stool over his head. Shen Zhiwei stared at the blood in his palm, then suddenly snatched the scissors from Zhao Aiye’s hands and lunged straight at Shen Zhigao.

It all happened too fast. Zhao Youdang was the first to react, shouting, “Stop them! Pull them apart, now!”

But by then, Shen Zhiwei had already gone mad with rage, stabbing over and over again—white blade in, red blade out. The only people who had come along with the patrol team were Miao Yu and two half-grown boys. None of them had ever seen such a scene before, and in the face of such violence, who would dare step forward? In the end, it was Shen Qing who took a few swift steps, managing to snatch the scissors from Shen Zhiwei’s hands just in time. He struck Shen Zhiwei a few times, hard enough to curl him up like a shrimp, and only then did Miao Yu and the others rush in to tie him up again.

“Drown him,” Shen Qing said, looking down at his hand, which had been nicked and was bleeding slightly. “Take him to the same place Shen Zhang drowned.”

This time, no one dared to object.

Old Lady Shen collapsed onto the ground beside Shen Zhigao, wailing uncontrollably. “How did it come to this? What sin did our Shen family commit to deserve this?”

What sin? Did she really not know? Or had she still not realized that she was the one who brought this upon them? Shen Qing sneered coldly and looked down at the fallen Shen Zhigao.

Shen Zhigao had been stabbed seven or eight times. Most of the wounds were on his arms and legs—places that weren’t immediately life-threatening. He had taken one stab to the shoulder and one to the abdomen, but they didn’t seem to hit any vital organs, so he probably wouldn’t die right away. Still, combined with the earlier slash from Shen Zhiwei, he had lost a considerable amount of blood, turning him into a human blood gourd.

Shen Qing weighed the bloody scissors in his hand and flashed a chilling smile at Shen Zhigao. To those watching, his smile was almost ghostly, eerie beyond words. “Well, now we’re even. I don’t owe you anything anymore.”

Only now did the chaos begin to subside. Old Lady Shen sat on the ground beside Shen Zhigao, sobbing and pleading. Eventually, some of the neighbors, unable to bear it, ran to fetch the village’s old herbalist to stop the bleeding. Zhao Youdang, still overwhelmed, sent Zhao Shi to hitch up the family’s mule cart and fetch a proper doctor from the village.

“Lock him up in the workshop,” Zhao Youdang ordered, pointing at Shen Zhiwei. “Tie him up tight and have four people guard him. No one is allowed to see him. Especially you!” He turned to Zhao Aiye with an exasperated glare. “You fool! If you hadn’t untied him, would any of this have happened?!”

Zhao Aiye, still shaken by what Shen Zhiwei had done, had already given up on caring. He spat, “So what if he stabbed him? He deserved it! You all never planned to let my husband live, so if he managed to kill one, it wouldn’t be a loss—kill two, and it’d be a win! You think this is such a big deal? To you, maybe. But to me, this is finally justice for my daughter being sold!”

Zhao Youdang was at a loss for words, frustrated beyond belief. He waved at two bystanders in the crowd. “Take him to his mother’s house and keep an eye on him. Make sure he doesn’t run off for the next few days!”

Not long after, Zhao Aiye and Shen Zhiwei were dragged away in separate directions. Old Lady Shen no longer had time to care about Shen Zhiwei, her natural-born laborer. Her beloved eldest son was lying on the ground, bleeding from multiple wounds. But something felt off—Zhao Youdang glanced over at Old Man Shen and realized something was wrong. The old man had gone quiet—completely still.

“Now what?!” Zhao Youdang groaned, his frustration mounting. “Somebody check on him—has he been choking on his own phlegm?!”

As chaos resumed around them, Shen Qing and Miao Shi simply stood at the edge, watching. They had once hated the Shen family deeply, yet now, seeing each of them receive their due punishment, Miao Shi did not feel the satisfaction she had expected. Instead, her heart was heavy with sorrow.

“Don’t look anymore, Mother. Let’s go,” Shen Qing said, supporting Miao Shi. “Whether they live or die, it’s none of our business anymore.”

He had achieved his goal, and the truth had come to light. Watching the Shen family struggle on the brink of ruin under his gaze did not bring him any pleasure—only a dull sense of exhaustion and distaste.

Miao Shi took one last long look at each face in the Shen family before finally nodding. After a brief word with Wu Guixiang, she turned and left with Shen Qing.

They hadn’t gone far before Li Jiaofeng came running up behind them, clutching her child. She hesitated for a long moment, as if unsure of what to say. Before, she had dared to bargain with Shen Qing, trying to negotiate, but now she looked as though she had been thoroughly terrified. After a long pause, she stammered, “…You said if I helped you, you’d give me a way out.”

Shen Qing nodded. Bringing down Shen Zhiwei and uncovering the truth about Shen Zhang’s death—Li Jiaofeng had played a part in that. No matter how effective it had been, she had sided with him throughout the ordeal. And Shen Qing was a man of his word.

“What do you want?”

Li Jiaofeng shrank back slightly, hesitating again. Before, she had only known that Shen Qing was a fierce and unyielding ger. But today, she had seen him firsthand—beating his own father, kicking open doors, flipping his uncle onto the ground, seizing knives barehanded… To her, Shen Qing was now a terrifying figure. If she had known from the beginning that he was this formidable, she never would have chosen Shen Zhigao.

If only she had known… Thinking back on everything that had happened in the Shen household, Li Jiaofeng bitterly regretted every decision she had made.

A person should never do evil—this was her retribution.

Shen Qing had no patience for her wavering. He was in no mood for further conversation. Reaching into his pouch, he pulled out the smallest piece of silver he had on him, though even that was worth at least two or three taels. “If you want to leave the Shen family, I can speak to the village chief and have Shen Zhigao divorce you. After that, you can take this silver and either return to your family or go back to where you used to live—whatever you choose.” His tone was firm as he added, “This is payment for your help tonight. We cooperated this time, and now it’s settled. But understand this—this child has nothing to do with me. I will never take responsibility for him. And as for you—we are still nothing more than enemies.”

Li Jiaofeng’s heart sank lower and lower. The last of her unrealistic hopes shattered under Shen Qing’s blunt words. Smiling bitterly, she took the silver and bowed awkwardly. “Thank you.”

Then, without another word, she turned and walked back toward the Shen household—because where else could she go?

---

Two days later, at noon, Shen Zhiwei was publicly drowned according to village law. A large crowd gathered to watch, with people from neighboring villages traveling a great distance just to witness the spectacle.

Shen Qing and Miao Shi did not go to watch. Instead, they took some offerings and paper money to burn at Shen Zhang’s grave.

Many people had crowded into Old Shen’s courtyard that day to watch the drama unfold, and by now, the story had spread far and wide. However, in the process of retelling, all of Shen Zhiwei’s grievances and Old Man Shen and Old Lady Shen’s favoritism had been completely erased. The tale had transformed into one of a man who sought to seize his family’s property by murdering his brother’s children.

After all, what parent in this world isn’t biased in some way? Parents playing favorites is just part of life, but as children, how could they complain? Most people in the village would become parents themselves one day, and their perspective was shaped by that inevitability. Naturally, they didn’t sympathize with Shen Zhiwei’s suffering.

At the same time, Shen Qing, who had beaten his own father, encouraged his uncle to kill his grandfather, and even kicked down his family’s doors, was now someone the villagers kept their distance from.

People always sympathize with the pitiful, often without distinguishing between right and wrong. When Shen Qing was the one suffering—severing ties with Old Shen’s family, refusing to acknowledge his own father—everyone only cursed Old Shen’s household for being heartless and deserving of retribution.

But now that Old Shen’s family was the one suffering, everyone conveniently forgot how they had mistreated Shen Qing before. All they remembered was how he had struck his father, kicked his uncle, and smashed his grandfather’s door.

Old Shen’s family was indeed pitiful now. Although Old Man Shen and Shen Zhigao’s lives were spared, Old Man Shen had nearly suffocated on his own phlegm. When he was finally revived, he showed signs of stroke and partial paralysis—half of his body was immobile, and he could no longer speak clearly. His mouth hung open, drooling constantly, and Old Lady Shen had to take care of him at all times.

Shen Zhigao, meanwhile, was covered in stab wounds and could only lie in bed. As the weather grew warmer, his wounds needed frequent dressing to prevent infection. Li Jiaofeng had secretly kept the silver Shen Qing had given her, setting it aside for Shen Qiang’s future needs. With a sick old man and an injured son to care for, the money from selling Shen Xiaojian was quickly spent. In the end, with no other choice, Old Lady Shen had to sell two acres of land.

Both sides were too busy with their own struggles. No one went to witness Shen Zhiwei’s execution, nor did anyone collect his body. Shen Zhuang, though already a half-grown boy, only cried foolishly and had no idea what to do. It was Zhao Youdang who gathered a few able-bodied men and had them bury Shen Zhiwei hastily in the mountains.

As for Zhao Aiye, after being sent back to his maternal home, his family arranged a marriage for him overnight—far from Lantang Village. His new husband was an old widower from the other side of the mountain. As soon as Shen Zhiwei was dead, Zhao Aiye would be sent off. When Shen Zhuang tried to visit his mother, he was driven away twice by the Zhao family.

Zhao Aiye cried until his eyes were nearly blind, but he never got to see Shen Zhiwei one last time.

“My child, I’m doing this for your own good,” his mother sighed. “You think your father and brothers are being heartless, but listen to me—you and your husband had a good relationship, I know that. But he was doomed. Seeing him again would only hurt you more. How could you bear to watch him…? And do you see how terrifying Shen Qing is? He’s like a living King of Hell! Think about how you treated him before—if he ever decides to settle accounts with you, do you really think you’d make it out alive? This isn’t me being cruel, son. If we don’t marry you off somewhere far away, I fear for your life!”

This was now the general sentiment in Lantang Village regarding Shen Qing. Those who had witnessed the chaos at Old Shen’s house saw how Shen Qing had kicked Shen Zhiwei flying, snatched a pair of scissors with his bare hands, and stood there smiling while covered in blood. It was terrifying.

Before, even though Shen Qing had gained favor with an influential patron and opened a workshop, the villagers still saw him as one of their own and would greet him warmly. Now, however, people avoided him, only maintaining normal interactions if they had already been close to him before.

“I don’t know what they’re so scared of! If you haven’t done anything wrong, why be afraid? They must’ve done plenty of shady things to be this jumpy,” Second Aunt Lian scoffed. She had no patience for the gossiping villagers and was indignant about their hypocrisy.

Shen Qing, however, was unfazed. “This works in my favor. Let’s see who dares slack off at the workshop now.”

Back when he hunted the wild boar, he had already made a statement. Since then, people like Wang Liuzi didn’t dare step out of line around him anymore. This was just another benefit.

“This isn’t the same as hunting a wild boar,” Second Aunt Lian muttered. She was displeased but refrained from repeating the worse rumors she had heard. Many people were now criticizing Shen Qing’s character behind his back, focusing mainly on his lack of filial piety—particularly how he had struck his own father.

Yet none of them mentioned that Shen Zhigao’s life was actually saved by Shen Qing. If not for him snatching the scissors, Shen Zhigao would’ve been stabbed to death by Shen Zhiwei.

“Forget it, let’s not talk about this anymore.” Second Aunt Lian grabbed a handful of sunflower seeds and moved on to a more cheerful topic. “My brother from my maternal family came to visit and told me that Miao Qiuduo has left.”

This was another side effect of rumors. The news of Shen Zhiwei’s execution had spread to several villages, including Shiqu Village. And along with it, other stories traveled as well.

Miao Qiuduo must have realized something—if even someone as distant as her little nephew wasn’t spared, how could she expect to walk away unscathed? As soon as Shen Zhiwei was dead, her entire family packed up and left the very next day. “No one knows if they went back to the provincial capital or somewhere else. My family says it’s hilarious—what, did she think relationships don’t need maintenance? She ignored us for over ten years, never sent a single thread as a New Year’s gift, and now she expects to take and take the moment she returns? What kind of daughter leaves home like that?”

Miao Shi, now thoroughly disappointed in her younger sister, merely sighed. “Let her go. I’ll just consider her a sister who married far away and was never heard from again. As if she never returned, as if she no longer exists.”

As they spoke, Shen Qing suddenly noticed Lian Rong running into the yard, sobbing. She stopped at the doorstep, hesitated, and then sat down in the courtyard, burying her face in her hands as she cried.

Shen Qing found this odd. Lian Rong was usually straightforward—if she was bullied, she would run straight into the house to complain, saying whatever was on her mind, no matter how impolite. If she had been wronged, she would have already stormed inside. Why was she crying alone outside?

Curious, he grabbed two pieces of cake and went over. Miao Shi and Second Aunt Lian were still deep in conversation and didn’t notice.

“What’s wrong? If you’re crying like this, why not go inside?” Shen Qing handed her a handkerchief to wipe her face and passed her the cake. Lian Rong took a bite. The sweet treat, filled with red date paste and honey, melted in her mouth and made her feel a little better.

“What’s the point? Going inside will just make my mother angry for nothing, and she can’t do anything about it anyway.” Lian Rong wiped her face again, looking like a little soot-covered kitten.

Shen Qing was even more intrigued. Second Aunt Lian was the type to get into fistfights over the smallest grievances—who in the village could possibly bully Lian Rong without facing her wrath?

“It’s my aunt!” Lian Rong sniffled, tears welling up again. “Today’s my birthday, so my grandma made me a bowl of steamed eggs. It’s our family tradition—every child gets one on their birthday.”

Steamed eggs were a rare treat—something she used to only get once a year.

“But I only had a few bites and wanted to save the rest for my little nephew. Then my aunt came back with Qiao Ge’er, saw what was left, and took the whole bowl to give to Lian Bao!”

Her voice was filled with bitterness and resentment. “Lian Bao is a boy—he’s different from worthless girls like me. He gets to eat eggs every few days, but he still had to take mine—the one I only get once a year!”

“Happy birthday,” Shen Qing patted Lian Rong’s head. “Our Rong Jie’er has grown up and become so sensible, knowing how to consider your mother’s feelings. You’re truly a good girl. Stay for dinner today—I’ll make you a full egg feast.”

But Lian Rong pursed her lips again and pulled out a roughly woven grass object from her pocket. “It’s not just about that. After I found out my egg was gone, I was so angry that I argued with my aunt for a few words. And then she deliberately stepped on the birthday gift my second brother gave me! Then she even pretended to be all innocent, saying she didn’t see it and that it wasn’t on purpose! Bullying kids like this—she’s just awful!”

That was truly excessive!

Shen Qing took the object from Lian Rong’s hands. No wonder he couldn’t tell what it was—it had been trampled. But upon closer inspection, he could still make out the shape of a woven butterfly. The grass strands were tightly knotted and carefully crafted, though now flattened into a useless piece of straw.

Lian Rong suddenly seemed to think of something, her eyes lighting up as she looked at Shen Qing with anticipation. “Qing Ge’er, aren’t you the living King of Hell? Can you take her away for me?”

Shen Qing: “…?”

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