Ch 154: The Farmer Ger in the Apocalypse

Shen Qing had been staying in the apocalypse world for nearly a month. Estimating that the workshop in Shiqu Village was about to be completed and that his presence was needed to oversee things, he decided it was time to return.

Naturally, Song Kaiji was reluctant to see him go. However, just before his departure, something unexpected happened—they hadn’t gone looking for Chen Jiaxi, but she came to them instead.

“I’m not sure if you two are aware of this, but I need a favor from you.”

On a rainy night, Chen Jiaxi arrived at their doorstep wrapped in a long raincoat, looking like some kind of deranged serial killer.

She hadn’t contacted Shen Qing and Song Kaiji in a long time, as she was always extremely cautious. Clearly, this matter was important enough for her to take the risk of visiting them.

She had always kept her word and never pried into Shen Qing or his associates’ memories. The only information she had came from the memories of the director of the Third Farm. Because of this, she wasn’t certain if Shen Qing and Song Kaiji were already aware of the situation.

Shen Qing and Song Kaiji exchanged a glance. Shen Qing handed Chen Jiaxi a can of cola. “Tell us about it.”

They didn’t immediately agree, nor did they refuse—it all depended on the complexity of the task. As for potential rewards, Shen Qing wasn’t too concerned. After interacting with Chen Jiaxi several times, he had a decent grasp of her character. While their viewpoints often differed, she was someone who knew how to repay kindness and hated being indebted. Even if this particular favor wasn’t directly profitable, she would likely find a way to return the favor in the future.

Chen Jiaxi gently ran her fingers over the surface of the cola can. Only at Shen Qing’s place could such a rare luxury item be offered so casually. Even though she and her husband were doing quite well now, she wouldn’t dream of indulging in a cola just for herself.

But instead of saving the drink to bring home for her child, she popped it open and took a big gulp.

—If this deal went through, her child wouldn’t have to worry about cola in the future. A person needed to have the courage to spend as much as they earned!

“The military has now intervened in the research institute. They’ve recruited quite a few academics from the refugee camps, but the internal factions within the institute are deeply entrenched. Even though many people were demoted or removed, there are still old relationships tangled together, making it almost impossible for the newcomers to gain a foothold.”

She turned the can in her hands, choosing her words carefully. “I was thinking—if the military could obtain more leverage to completely uproot these people and expel them from the base, it would be much easier for them to take control of the research institute.”

Her intentions aligned perfectly with Shen Qing and Song Kaiji’s own interests. It seemed that intelligent people often thought along similar lines. However, Shen Qing still didn’t understand where they fit into all of this. He asked, “Are you hoping to use us to connect with Shao Nan?”

With her current status, it wouldn’t be difficult for her to proactively build ties with the military.

Chen Jiaxi shook her head. “Making connections isn’t the problem—the issue is obtaining the leverage needed to expose them.”

After laying the groundwork, she finally got to the point.

“Do you know that when the mutant willow tree incident happened—the one that caused Qu Weiwei to lose her hand—the Third Farm and the research institute covered it up? They never reported the accident. Because of that, the research institute’s funding wasn’t adjusted to cover the medical expenses, and they didn’t have the resources to regrow the limbs of all the injured wood-type ability users?”

Qu Weiwei, who had been absentmindedly nurturing a strawberry plant and popping berries into her mouth one by one, suddenly stood up.

Of course, they didn’t know!

At that time, whether it was Qu Weiwei, Song Kaiji, or even Shen Qing—who, despite his wealth, had no real connections in Red City Base—they had been at the very bottom of society. There was no way they could have known about the dealings of the upper echelons. Besides, given the nature of the apocalypse, even if the research institute had reported the incident, it wouldn’t have been surprising if they had still chosen to abandon some lower-level ability users.

And, as expected, reality wasn’t far off from that assumption.

An incident of that scale—there was no way the higher-ups didn’t know. But with limited funds and the high cost of treating the wounded, especially since healing-type ability users weren’t exactly cooperative—they wouldn’t work on credit, let alone for free—the institute had simply chosen to stay quiet. The officials had turned a blind eye, pretending they were unaware.

This issue could be swept under the rug if no one brought it up. But if the right people chose to make a fuss, it could turn into a major scandal.

Chen Jiaxi’s eyes gleamed. “The military only has two farms outside the base right now. But if we push this matter and manage to get the Third Farm under military control…”

This was a win-win situation!

Shen Qing and his group had already aligned themselves with the military and were eager to see them gain more power. At the same time, this would clear out the corruption within the research institute and give Qu Weiwei and the other injured wood-type ability users the justice they deserved.

And as for Chen Jiaxi…

“I want a portion of the management rights to the Third Farm. The military can appoint someone as the head of the farm, and my husband will take the deputy position.”

Her husband was currently a minor logistics leader in the city wall construction project. However, since that area was still under government control, the pay was inconsistent. When the wall was actively being built, there was plenty of profit to be made, but during slower periods, he only received a basic salary.

Chen Jiaxi wanted to bring her husband into her system so they could support each other more effectively. “But for this to work, we need Weiwei to step forward and formally report the incident to the military.”

Qu Weiwei: “I’ll do it! I’ll go, I’ll go, I’ll go!”

Qu Weiwei: “Screw the research institute! They didn’t even report it?! If it weren’t for Boss Shen, I’d be six feet under with weeds growing over my grave by now!”

She had never thought too deeply about the bureaucratic red tape before. But now that she was aware of it, recalling the helplessness and fear she had felt during the mutant willow attack, she was furious. “I’m reporting them!”

“Calm down. We need to plan this carefully.”

Shen Qing shot her a look, and Qu Weiwei immediately fell silent, sitting back down obediently, waiting for instructions.

“This is a great opportunity, but under normal circumstances, Weiwei wouldn’t have access to internal knowledge about the research institute’s cover-up. If she reports it, how do we explain where she got the information? Also, the research institute has been hunting for the so-called ‘mystery woman’—they’ve already been suspicious of Weiwei…”

“And what if they are?”

Chen Jiaxi chuckled.

These young ones, fresh out of school before the apocalypse, still didn’t understand the true nature of power.

Power meant that it didn’t matter what the truth was.

The most important thing was that whoever held power decided what was right. Whether the reasoning was solid or not didn’t matter—as long as the outcome served their interests, they could make anyone powerless to resist.

Shen Qing and his group had no reason to fear Qu Weiwei’s identity as the “mysterious woman” being exposed to the research institute at this point. So what if it was? The corrupt insiders at the research institute might be able to play petty tricks within their own circles, but if they dared to challenge actual power, they would be like eggs smashing against a rock.

In fact, Chen Jiaxi sneered maliciously, “Let them know full well that Weiwei is the mysterious woman. Let them realize the truth and yet be powerless, forced to watch as the very lower-class ability users they once treated like disposable trash rise up and personally drag them down into the depths of hell…”

Now that was satisfying, wasn’t it?

Qu Weiwei muttered under her breath, “…Who are you calling trash?”

“As long as you agree, you don’t need to worry about anything else. I’ll handle it. Weiwei just has to show up when the time comes to go through the motions.” These were professional matters—if an evolved brain wasn’t used at times like this, when would it be? “Of course, if Weiwei can find any of the other injured wood-type ability users from back then, that would be even better.”

But half a year had passed. Whether those injured wood-type ability users had even survived was uncertain. And even if they had, could disabled ability users with no means of labor afford to remain inside the base, paying rent? Or had they already been cast out into the refugee camps outside, lost among the countless desperate souls?

Qu Weiwei felt a pang of sadness. Meanwhile, Shen Qing was shaken by Chen Jiaxi’s understanding of power. He gave her a long, deep look and said, “Alright. We’ll work with you.”

---

Lantang Village, Lian Family.

Second Aunt Lian went straight to Old Lady Lian’s room upon returning home. No one knew what was said, but she stayed inside for a long time. When she finally emerged, there were tear stains on her cheeks, and Old Lady Lian remained unusually silent.

But after that day, Lian Ou no longer had to do household chores. Every day, he stayed in his room, soaking his hands morning and night, rubbing them, applying balm, and weaving butterflies. Other than meals, he barely left his room.

He was frugal. Shen Qing had said the jade threads were only a few cents per meter, but Lian Ou didn’t know that. To him, they were the most exquisite silk threads—he had never even seen real silkworm silk in his life.

So, he dismantled his woven butterflies, practicing over and over again. Only when he felt his technique had improved and the calluses on his hands had softened did he finally cut a fresh length of thread and start weaving a new butterfly.

This time, the threads frayed far less. The butterfly looked even and well-formed. Lian Ou felt an overwhelming sense of motivation—he realized the threads weren’t as delicate as he had feared. As long as his hands were free of rough patches and he was careful with his calluses, they wouldn’t damage the threads.

He felt he was close. Soon, he could start earning money for Shen Qing and repay him!

But while Lian Ou was thriving, Wang Shi from the Lian family’s main branch was on the verge of breaking down.

“Mother, why is it that only Second Brother’s family doesn’t have to do any chores? A day or two, fine, you took pity on the younger ones and let them celebrate, but why are we the only ones stuck with all the housework every single day? Mother, you can’t be this biased!”

She was panicking. It wasn’t just about the extra chores—it was the unknown that terrified her.

What had Miao Hexiang said to their mother-in-law to make her change her mind? If Miao Hexiang could pull this off once, could she keep doing it? Would she keep overshadowing Wang Shi?

And what was Ou Ge’er doing holed up in his room all day? He’d been like this ever since returning from Shen Qing’s house. That’s right—Shen Qing! It had to be his idea! He must be planning some benefit for Second Brother’s family!

How did Miao Hexiang always get so lucky?

She gave birth to a son earlier than Wang Shi, yet now, after years of suffering alongside their other married sisters, she had suddenly struck gold. And she was dragging Wang Shi along like deadweight, pulling ahead while leaving her in the dust.

Wang Shi had no capable sisters or promising nephews to rely on. She also knew that the long-standing tensions between her and Miao Shi weren’t something a few kind words could fix.

The only thing she could do was hold Miao Hexiang back. Hold her kids back. Everyone was a mud-legged farmer, scraping by in the dirt—so why should her family be the only ones who made it out?

If she couldn’t get ahead, she wouldn’t let anyone else pass her either!

Their mother-in-law, Old Lady Lian, had always leaned in her favor, forcing Second Brother’s family to contribute to the household funds. But now that Old Lady Lian had changed her stance, Wang Shi panicked.

“Mother, you can’t do this…”

She clutched Lian Bao and prepared to sit on the ground and wail, but Old Lady Lian’s next words shut her right up.

“When the workshop in Shiqu Village is finished, Qing Ge’er is going to build a school in the village. Is the child in your arms going or not?”

Wang Shi’s cries choked in her throat.

After a long silence, she muttered, “But isn’t the school being built for everyone? Just because of some household dispute, Qing Ge’er wouldn’t refuse to let my son study, would he? That would be too unfair…”

“So what if he is unfair? What are you going to do about it? Go argue fairness with the living King of Hell? It’s his school, his rules. He even beat up his own father—what are you to him?”

Wang Shi was left speechless by Old Lady Lian’s harsh words.

Frustrated and humiliated, she finally cried out, “But that doesn’t mean our branch of the family should be trampled on! Why do we have to do all the housework? This is bullying! How can I hold my head up in front of others?”

She covered her face and sobbed, repeating the same complaints over and over. But Old Lady Lian was already out of patience.

She had been reluctant to give in to Second Brother’s wife’s pleas earlier, but now that she had, she felt a slight sense of being controlled, which made her uncomfortable. So, she responded coldly:

“In a household, it’s either the east wind suppressing the west, or the west wind suppressing the east. Second son’s family, with Qing Ge’er backing them, is no longer something we can keep down.

Second son’s wife told me that if their family is forced to do chores, she and Yu Ge’er will quit working at the workshop. They’ll stay home and take over the housework, and we’ll all just sit and watch as other families thrive while we alone struggle in poverty.”

She didn’t explain what Lian Ou was up to—just gave Wang Shi a pitiful yet disappointed look.

“If you had any sense, you’d start sending Ye Ge’er to spend time with Ou Ge’er, ask him to teach your boy a thing or two. Adult conflicts shouldn’t involve the children.

“But if you insist on butting heads with Second son’s family, I can’t guarantee how things will turn out for you in the future.”

With that, she turned and left, leaving Wang Shi slumped on the ground, full of grievances but with no one to listen. No one cared about her complaints.

She could only sob, “There’s no justice anymore… How is this fair? What gives her the right…”

---

Lian Rong peeked out the window, watching for a while before running back, grinning as she whispered to Lian Ou, “Big Auntie is crying—crying her heart out! I’ve seen her fake-cry plenty of times, but never like this.”

She had finally broken down.

Lian Ou, still focused on his jade threads, merely hummed absentmindedly.

For some reason, now that he had meaningful work, the way Wang Shi used to make him anxious with a single glance or a single “tsk” suddenly didn’t matter anymore.

What did it matter what she was up to?

Lian Rong had been to the village’s starch sausage workshop and had seen the workers laboring there. It was tough work that required considerable strength, and even in the chilly early spring, they would be sweating by the end of the day. How could that compare to her second brother sitting inside and working without breaking a sweat?

Lian Ou hesitated for a moment. He wanted to say that not just anyone could do this kind of work—Lian Rong’s hands were as clumsy as chicken claws… But he didn’t want to discourage her enthusiasm, so he simply nodded. “Go ahead and take it. Just make sure to put it back where you found it when you’re done. Don’t mess up my things.”

Qing Ge’er was so capable. Even if she couldn’t weave threads properly after taking care of her hands, surely she could find something else to do?

At that moment, Lian Ou was no longer weaving butterflies. He was crafting a lifelike little goldfish, its large tail fanning out like a blooming lotus. He had been working on this piece for two days, putting more care and detail into it than ever before, hoping to show it to Qing Ge’er when he returned.

After finishing the goldfish, Lian Ou moved on to making a small rabbit and a tiny rat. He even attempted to weave the head of the big orange cat that Madam Guixiang kept, though the lack of the right colors made it look a bit strange.

Just as he was about to unravel it and try another design, he heard Lian Rong come fluttering back home like a little swallow, shouting excitedly, “Brother! Qing Ge’er is back! He’s calling for you!”

Hearing this, Lian Ou quickly wrapped his completed pieces in a handkerchief and tucked them into his chest. He rolled up the leftover materials and stuffed them under his mattress, pressing them down with the bedding before hurrying toward Shen Qing’s house.

Shen Qing was crouching in the yard, playing with the two puppies he had just adopted. Miao Yu stood beside him, chattering away with an envious look in his eyes. “These pups came from the best dog in my grandma’s village! That dog once scared off a wolf! When they grow up, they’ll definitely be just as fierce!”

He had always wanted to raise a dog. Like most boys his age, he admired anything related to strength and power. Unfortunately, his family had struggled in the past, barely affording enough food for themselves, let alone a dog. Now, seeing Shen Qing raising puppies, he couldn’t help but feel envious. “Ge, can I take them out on patrol sometimes?”

“No.” Shen Qing rejected him outright. These pups were still young, the perfect age to build bonds and recognize their owner. If he let Miao Yu take them out every day, wouldn’t they end up recognizing Miao Yu as their master instead? Then his family would be feeding them for nothing!

But when he saw Miao Yu’s crestfallen face, Shen Qing couldn’t help but chuckle. “Once they’re grown, if one of them is willing, you can take it out. But I need at least one to stay here and guard the house.” He had gotten these dogs precisely for that reason!

Miao Yu perked up immediately, excitedly watching the puppies and itching to play with them.

The two-month-old pups had been chosen because they were particularly attached to Miao Shi. Apparently, one of them had rushed toward her the moment it saw her, its tail wagging so fast it became a blur. The other one did the same—no matter who was standing next to Miao Shi, it only had eyes for her. Miao Shi couldn’t bear to part with either of them, so she simply brought both home.

Now, the two puppies curled up warily in their nest, eyeing Shen Qing with caution. He extended a finger for them to sniff. Perhaps detecting a scent similar to Miao Shi’s, one of them hesitated for a moment before cautiously licking his fingertip.

“What tiny little dogs!” Lian Rong exclaimed as she entered the yard, utterly captivated by them. She rushed over, full of admiration but lacking the words to describe them.

However, the puppies didn’t give her the same courtesy they had given Shen Qing. The moment she got close, they started barking fiercely.

Lian Rong looked heartbroken. “Wuu wuu wuu, they’re so mean!” They looked so cute but were so aggressive!

Shen Qing, on the other hand, laughed. “That’s exactly how a good guard dog should be! If they wagged their tails at everyone, what’s the point?”

He liked dogs that wagged their tails for him and him alone.

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