Ch 156: The Farmer Ger in the Apocalypse

That evening, when Second Aunt Lian returned home from work, Lian Rong vividly recounted the events of the day to her. Seeing Wang Shi’s eyes swollen like walnuts, yet still glaring at their side like a jealous rooster, Second Aunt Lian felt even more annoyed.

She wanted to go to Old Lady Lian to argue her case, but Old Lady Lian was clearly impatient, her expression dark and unwilling to listen. Left with no choice, Second Aunt Lian returned to her room and began whispering to her husband, working her persuasion in bed.

“You take a look at your eldest sister-in-law and the kind of things she does—she just can’t stand to see our family doing well,” Second Aunt Lian said, carefully watching her husband’s expression as she spoke gently. “We’re all one family, all share the Lian surname. If it’s about helping out your elder brother, it’s not like we can’t.”

Afraid her husband might immediately suggest helping the eldest branch, Second Aunt Lian quickly added, “But that’s not the issue here! If someone wants help, they should at least ask properly, right? If she lowered her head, said a few soft words to me, and compensated me for the headscarf she tossed into the pigsty before, I could at least try to let bygones be bygones and look after her children when I can. But what did she do instead? Do we owe her something? Not only does she expect us to help, but she holds a grudge when we don’t! She even sneaked into Ou Ge’er’s room to steal things. And this is just because Ou Ge’er craftwork is something Qing Ge’er came up with himself—imagine if he were working for some wealthy patron! You know how Qing Ge’er has strict rules at the workshop—he’s said it again and again, not even a sliver of meat or a single sweet potato is to be stolen, or they’ll be kicked out and never hired again. Those wealthy folks despise workers who aren’t clean-handed. Doesn’t she realize she could ruin Ou Ge’er’s livelihood too?”

Lian Lao’er lay on the kang, staring at the ceiling in silence. He was an honest man, and his son, Lian Shi, had inherited that same temperament. Lian Rong, on the other hand, took after Second Aunt Lian—lively, talkative, and sharp-witted. But even this honest man had been feeling increasingly uneasy lately.

Their family’s situation wasn’t like the Shen family’s. Old Man Shen and Old Lady Shen had been blatantly biased from the start, but in the Lian family, things hadn’t always been like this. Both he and his elder brother had been treated equally when it came to marriage—his parents arranged for his elder brother to marry a woman, and they did the same for him. That was how it should be. And compared to other families in the village, especially the Shen family, Lian Lao’er had always felt grateful, believing his parents had treated him fairly.

Back then, while the family did lean slightly toward favoring the eldest son, they hadn’t particularly shortchanged him either. Sure, Lian Bao got to eat and wear better than Lian Rong or Lian Qiao, but that was because he was a boy. When Lian Shi was young, he was treated the same way—his parents weren’t biased toward the eldest branch, they were just equally focused on favoring their sons. Wang Shi had the luck of birthing two boys, while their second branch didn’t—what was there to argue about?

At the root of it, maybe it was because neither branch had anyone particularly outstanding before, so their capabilities and living standards had always been about the same, leaving little room for favoritism. But now that the family was doing better, now that his branch was making money, why had their parents changed?

Lian Lao’er didn’t want to admit his parents had become biased, so he pushed all the blame onto Wang Shi. Second Aunt Lian kept whispering about all the grievances their children had suffered, and Lian Lao’er turned over, speaking gruffly, “So what do you expect me to do? No matter how bad she is, she’s been with my elder brother for so many years, and they have all those children together. We’re already grandparents now—what, do you want our mother to force my brother to divorce her and marry someone else? Just endure it. Go buy some locks in town, and when we’re not home, lock up the doors and windows to keep her out.”

Hearing her husband complain about Wang Shi just like she did, Second Aunt Lian felt a little encouraged and gathered her courage to say, “I’m not saying your brother should divorce her—maybe their marriage is perfectly fine, and we’d just look like villains trying to break them up. What I’m thinking is… can’t we split the family?”

“What?!” Lian Lao’er nearly jumped off the kang, his tone immediately turning harsh.

“We can take care of Father and Mother! We won’t ask for any money or property—we’ll leave it all to the eldest branch, and we won’t expect them to provide for our parents either!” Second Aunt Lian quickly laid out the plan she had been mulling over for a long time. She knew that if she didn’t offer a major concession, there was no way to break free from the eldest branch’s leeching. But she was willing to give up short-term benefits if it meant she wouldn’t have to be drained by them for a lifetime!

Hearing her out, Lian Lao’er’s expression relaxed slightly, but he still frowned. “We can’t split up the family like this. In the village, families only separate after the elders pass away. If we say we want to split now, wouldn’t that mean we’re hoping for Father and Mother to… No, this won’t work. If word gets out, the whole village will scorn us.”

Second Aunt Lian felt disappointed but had already expected his refusal. She knew splitting the family was no small matter and that convincing her husband wouldn’t be easy in just one conversation. Being rejected this time didn’t discourage her. At least Lian Lao’er’s reaction wasn’t overly strong—it seemed like he was tempted but still restrained by filial piety and village customs. Thinking quickly, she said, “Fine, we’ll put the matter of splitting the family aside for now, but we can’t keep going on like this either. We, as children, have our responsibilities, I won’t argue about that. But I gave birth to my own children, and I will look out for them first. Ou Ge’er is getting close to marriage age. Any money he earns from Qing Ge’er, no matter how much, should be kept for himself to use as his dowry.”

This meant that any money Lian Ou earned would no longer be handed over to the communal family fund. The second branch was starting to stash away their own savings!

Lian Lao’er struggled internally but eventually nodded. “Alright… Ou Ge’er is just a ger, how much can he even make? No need to tell Mother about this.”

Seeing him agree, Second Aunt Lian grinned happily. First, they would set aside Ou Ge’er’s earnings. Then, they would slowly separate Lian Shi, Yu Ge’er, and all the other children. Once they could keep their own money and stop handing it over to the communal fund, they’d essentially be living like they were already split from the family, even if they still shared a courtyard. “Then I’ll head into town in a few days to buy some good locks.”

If they were going to start saving money, then those locks would be more important than ever!

The next day, Second Aunt Lian went straight to Old Lady Lian to ask for money to buy locks. Given the incident the previous day, where Wang Shi had stolen from Lian Ou’s room, Old Lady Lian, though reluctant, still handed over the money. Soon after, heavy locks were installed on the doors of the western wing, and even the windows had small locks. Seeing this, Wang Shi was so furious she nearly ground her teeth to dust. Wasn’t this a blatant slap to her face?

She went to Old Lady Lian to complain, only to be met with a scolding. At this point, even Old Lady Lian was fed up with her—so many household conflicts had stemmed from Wang Shi’s jealousy, and if this kept up, the second branch might completely turn their backs on the family!

Inwardly, Old Lady Lian resented her past judgment—why had she chosen such a troublemaker for her eldest son? But then she remembered—her real pick had been Shen Lingzhi. Thinking of this, she could only let out a long, weary sigh.

Meanwhile, in the Shen family, Shen Zhigao had been recovering for over a month. The wounds on his body had mostly healed, though one of his legs had been injured badly, leaving him with a slight limp. Now, he had to rely on a wooden cane just to walk.

That month had been absolute misery for the Shen family. Shen Zhiwei was dead, Zhao Aiye had been sent off in marriage to a faraway village, and Old Man Shen was bedridden. Li Jiaofeng was too preoccupied with her own child to care much for him, only tending to him occasionally. Old Lady Shen had to take care of her paralyzed husband while also dealing with Shen Zhuang’s constant tantrums. No one tended to the fields anymore—they had long been overgrown with weeds. As for where their next season’s grain would come from, that was anyone’s guess.

As soon as Shen Zhigao could get out of bed, Old Lady Shen began urging him to go to the county town. “Go bring your eldest sister back to help for a couple of days. My old bones can’t take this anymore.”

There was no one left in the house to work like an ox or a horse, and she had finally become the true beast of burden. Though Li Jiaofeng was still around, first, she didn’t listen to her; second, what kind of daughter-in-law would be expected to personally tend to her father-in-law? These filthy and exhausting chores still fell on Old Lady Shen! “Tell your eldest sister to bring some money too—our grain is about to run out.”

Shen Zhigao muttered, “Last time when Qiangzi was sick, we went to borrow money from Eldest Sister, and she said she didn’t have any…” If Shen Lingzhi had given them money back then, they wouldn’t have had to sell Shen Xiaojian, and none of the following disasters would have happened. Thinking back, Shen Zhiwei still held some resentment toward Shen Lingzhi.

“How is that the same? Qiangzi is just her nephew, but this is her own father!” Old Lady Shen snapped. Hearing this, Shen Zhigao felt she had a point, so he asked Li Jiaofeng to borrow a cart from the village chief and headed to the county—his leg certainly wouldn’t let him walk all the way there!

However, when he arrived at the county and found Shen Lingzhi’s house, he knocked on the door for a long time, but no one answered. At first, Shen Zhigao thought she was avoiding him, but as time dragged on and he couldn’t hear a single sound from inside, he started feeling uneasy.

After hesitating for a moment, he knocked on the neighbor’s door.

“You mean Old Wang’s house at the end there?” Wang was Shen Lingzhi’s husband’s surname. Shen Zhigao quickly nodded. “Excuse me, have they gone out? When will they be back?”

The neighbor gave him a once-over before replying, “They’re not coming back.”

Shen Zhigao was stunned. “What do you mean they’re not coming back? Where did they go?”

“Who are you to them?” The neighbor sized him up and questioned him thoroughly. Upon learning that he was Shen Lingzhi’s younger brother—come to seek refuge, or rather, to freeload—it was obvious to anyone what his intentions were. A hint of disdain flickered in the neighbor’s eyes, but they still patiently explained, “Old Wang passed away at the beginning of the month. His wife sold this house, took her three children, and moved away. We don’t know where they went.”

Shen Zhigao stood dazed for a long time before he finally recalled that the last time he had come to borrow money from Shen Lingzhi, she had told him about her struggles—her husband had fallen ill, and all their money had been spent on medicine, leaving her unable to lend anything.

But why would he have cared about Shen Lingzhi’s troubles? He had only been focused on squeezing every last drop from his sister, on reaching into her pockets and taking the last coin for himself!

And now, just like that, Shen Lingzhi was gone! His family’s grain supply was nearly empty, he couldn’t borrow money, and he couldn’t bring Shen Lingzhi back to help with the work. What was his family supposed to do now?

From a distance, at the entrance of the alleyway, Shen Qing watched as Shen Zhigao squatted in front of the small courtyard, wailing in despair, pounding on the door with frustration. The neighbors had already been frightened by his display and had hurriedly retreated into their homes, shutting their doors tightly.

Shen Qing hadn’t expected to run into Shen Zhigao here. After that night, he hadn’t seen anyone from the Shen family again. At this moment, he tilted his head and quietly said to Gold-Tooth, “Forget it, let’s not bother looking at this house.”

Gold-Tooth was puzzled. “Where did this lunatic blocking the door come from?”

Shen Qing didn’t mention that he recognized Shen Zhigao. In fact, he had just learned that this house had belonged to Shen Lingzhi. Gold-Tooth had only told him that he recently acquired a small courtyard at a great bargain, especially with good fortune attached—the son of the previous owner had passed the entrance exam for a child scholar (tongsheng) at a young age. Though the old man had passed away, his wife planned to sell the house and move to a residence near the prefectural academy so the boy could focus on his studies and, with luck, one day become a successful scholar.

Many people had their eyes on this house. Even though it was just a small courtyard, who wouldn’t want to absorb a bit of its scholarly aura? A child scholar was already impressive in Anping County—perhaps living in this house would bring similar fortune to its new owner.

Hearing that this unseen cousin had done well for himself, Shen Qing felt genuinely pleased. He loathed and despised the Shen family, but that did not include Shen Lingzhi, whom he had never met. She, like him, was a victim of the Shen family.

However, this house was no longer an option for purchase. If Shen Zhigao refused to let go and kept coming back to make a scene, and then discovered that Shen Qing had bought it, it would only bring unnecessary trouble.

Still, thinking of Shen Lingzhi, Shen Qing was reminded of something else. He turned to Gold-Tooth and asked, “Brother Jin, do you know the other brokers in town?”

Gold-Tooth’s instincts immediately flared up. Was Shen Qing dissatisfied with his services and looking to expand his network? However, since the question was asked, he humbly replied, “I wouldn’t say I know them well. Some I don’t get along with, but I’m familiar with most of them.”

Rivals in business, even enemies, still knew of each other.

Shen Qing thought for a moment and described a person from his memory: “A middle-aged woman, around forty years old? She has a black mole, about the size of a soybean, near the right side of her lip. She’s always followed by a few young men.”

Gold-Tooth immediately knew who he was talking about. “That sounds like Madam Cheng from the south side of town. Why, do you know her?”

Shen Qing shook his head. “She recently went to Lantang Village and bought a little girl named Shen Xiaojian.”

Shen—the same surname. It seemed this must have some connection to Shen Qing. Gold-Tooth studied his expression carefully and tactfully offered, “Would you like me to help track down that girl?”

“No need.” Shen Qing refused without hesitation. After a brief pause, he took out a small piece of silver from his pocket and handed it to Gold-Tooth. “If you have any dealings with Madam Cheng, pass along a message—just ask her not to sell that girl into any unsavory places. The rest, I don’t particularly care about.”

Gold-Tooth, however, pushed the silver back. “Rest assured, Young Master Shen. Madam Cheng runs a respectable business. The girls she buys are usually sold to wealthy households as maids, married off to poor families as wives, or taken in as concubines by middle-class families. She never deals in brothels or lowly establishments.”

Only then did Shen Qing feel at ease. Shen Xiaojian had been unpleasant, but she was, after all, just a child—not even ten years old yet. However wicked she had been, it was still limited, and she had been influenced by her parents. This was as much as he could do; if Madam Cheng stayed away from brothels and red-light districts, then the rest would depend on Shen Xiaojian’s own fate.

Since the house was off the table, Shen Qing and Gold-Tooth returned to the fried sausage shop. Gold-Tooth was quite fond of these fried snacks and went off to order something on his own.

The weather was growing hotter, and business was slowing down compared to before. Meanwhile, the neighboring shop selling sweetened drinks was seeing an increase in customers. Ruyi, watching enviously, sighed, “By the time summer arrives, even fewer people will want fried food. Everyone will be craving cold drinks—now that’s where the real money is. Back at the magistrate’s manor, we used to make chilled drinks. The syrup is easy to prepare, but ice is rare. You have to cut it in winter and store it in an ice cellar so you can use it the next year.”

Shen Qing was struck with inspiration. “Do we have an ice cellar at our estate? If not, we should have one built.”

He had a ready-made ice-making machine called Ge Bingbing, and it didn’t even require electricity. He could have Ge Bingbing make ice, store it in his space, and bring it over as needed.

Since the shop next door specialized in sweet drinks, it wouldn’t be wise to compete directly. But partnering with them could be an excellent idea. The details, of course, could be left to Ruyi to handle.

As the two were chatting, someone called out to him from the side. “Young Master Shen.”

Shen Qing turned around and saw that it was the county magistrate’s ger son again. He glanced around Lin Ning but only saw Zao Ge’er; the county magistrate’s younger brother wasn’t present. Smiling, he asked, “Why didn’t that ger come today?”

After all, he had said that as long as Lin Xiangcao came, the meal would be on the house.

Lin Ning: “…” Sure enough, he was interested in his little uncle. His feelings were complicated, but he managed a smile. “My little uncle hasn’t been in the mood to go out lately. He’s staying at home.”

Shen Qing nodded. “See if there’s anything he likes to eat, take some back for him. My treat.”

Lin Ning: “…Alright.” He hesitated for a moment before adding, “I’ll pick them out first and come back to get them later. I’m heading next door to buy a hairband.”

With the change of seasons, it was time for new clothes, and new clothes needed matching accessories. The Cuihua shop next to the fried sausage store was conveniently located, and since Lin Ning often came to eat here, he also browsed the shop frequently. Over time, he had found that it carried some decent items, and occasionally, he even discovered interesting little trinkets.

Speaking of the Cuihua shop, Shen Qing also wanted to take a look. When disguised as a man, it was sometimes inconvenient for him to enter such stores, so he usually just loitered outside. But if he went with Lin Ning, it would be much easier. He said, “I happen to need to buy a few things too. Let’s go together.”

Lin Ning was startled for a moment, recalling the two sedan chairs from before. Hesitating, he asked, “Are you buying for your family’s womenfolk?”

“Hmm? Oh, yes,” Shen Qing responded casually without much thought. “For my younger siblings at home.”

He was actually planning to buy some decorative knots or accessories with knots to take back for Ou Ge’er. Perhaps they would inspire him to create new designs.

Hearing this, Lin Ning was delighted. So, they really were his younger siblings? That meant even if Shen Qing didn’t like him, there was still a good chance he would end up with his little uncle, and they could be family!

Feeling cheerful, Lin Ning accompanied Shen Qing to the shop. The selection inside was indeed extensive. Wanting to prolong their conversation, Lin Ning deliberately introduced various styles and asked about Shen Qing’s younger siblings’ preferences. Shen Qing, who didn’t know much about these things, was happy to chat with Lin Ning, as it would help him learn more for his own future Cuihua shop.

Each of them picked out a few items they liked. Shen Qing bought several braided hairbands, a few sachets with decorative knotwork at both ends, as well as tasseled cords and fan cases woven with silk thread and adorned with beads.

Lin Ning selected a small wooden comb and a round brass mirror, while Zao Ge’er chose a headscarf.

Shen Qing paid for everything directly. For one, he wanted to build a good rapport with the county magistrate’s ger son—who knew when that connection might come in handy? Not everyone got the chance to save the magistrate’s ger son and establish such a link. He intended to maintain it. Secondly, it was a gesture of appreciation to Lin Ning for introducing him to this Cuihua shop.

Glancing at the brass mirror in Lin Ning’s hand, he casually pulled out a small mercury mirror and handed it over. “This is for you.”

This was something he had picked up from a wholesale market. These small round mirrors were typically given away as free gifts by jewelry or cosmetics shops. They had a thin layer of tin on the outside, printed with various cartoon images, making them look cheap and crude. Shen Qing had Tang Wenjie remove the tin casing, leaving only the mercury mirror itself. His plan was to have craftsmen make a batch of wooden vanity cases once Cuihua Shop was up and running, embedding these small mirrors into them.

At this moment, he casually pulled one out and handed it to Lin Ning. This was much clearer than the brass mirror Lin Ning had chosen.

Lin Ning: “!!!”

He widened his eyes at the mercury mirror, astonished. He had never seen such a mirror before! Though the exterior was a bit rough…

Shen Qing rubbed his nose. “You can find a craftsman later to see if they can fit it into this handle. I bought it like this and haven’t had time to process it yet.”

But Lin Ning was not only shocked by the mirror itself. “You—you—you… You’re giving this to me?”

This little mirror didn’t look cheap at all! Covering the bill was one thing—it just showed Shen Qing’s wealth and generosity—but giving such an expensive gift directly to him? What did that mean?!

Who exactly do you like?! Lin Ning’s inner self was furiously biting a handkerchief in frustration. He was so conflicted, debating whether he should just ask outright. Village gers were straightforward and bold, unlike the more reserved city gers—there was nothing wrong with just asking!

But before he could open his mouth, a group of seven or eight people suddenly rushed out from Cuihua Shop. Leading them was none other than Miao Qiuduo, who pointed at Shen Qing and shouted, “He’s not really Young Master Shen! He’s a fake—just a village ger! He’s my sister’s biological ger son!”

Lin Ning was highly sensitive to the phrase “village ger.” He couldn’t help it—ever since his father entered officialdom, he and his mother and little uncle had to socialize with other officials’ families, and sometimes people mocked them behind their backs. He might tolerate it when he thought it himself, but others had no right to call him that!

He glared furiously in their direction, only to realize they weren’t talking about him.

Then who else could they mean? Suspicion filled his heart as he stiffly turned his head to look at the young master standing beside him.

Half of Shen Qing’s face was cast in shadow, making his expression unreadable. Another person stepped forward from beside Miao Qiuduo—it was one of the shop assistants from Cuihua Shop. He had come along with the shopkeeper to deliver a congratulatory gift when Shen Qing’s sausage shop first opened, but at the time, Shen Qing had only let Shopkeeper Xiao Miao receive them and hadn’t interacted with them directly.

“I thought you looked familiar,” the assistant sneered. “I was wondering why that tall ger never showed up in the county again. Who would have thought he disguised himself as a man and was pretending to be some ‘Young Master Shen’… Shen Ge’er, you’ve got guts!”

And who was this person? He was none other than the pawnshop assistant from the very first time Shen Qing had come to the county, trying to pawn off some silver jewelry. Later, on orders from the shop’s master, he had even tailed Shen Qing for a while.

Previously, the broker had told Shen Qing that the owner behind Cuihua Shop had some background and thus didn’t take him seriously as a landlord. It turned out that this shop was part of the same business network as that pawnshop.

The silver jewelry Shen Qing had pawned had indeed been sold at a good price in the prefectural city, but the shop had always wanted to track down that mysterious ger and find out where he had gotten the goods. Yet, they had never seen him again. Over time, the matter faded from memory—even for Shen Qing. When the assistant had come bearing gifts for the shop’s opening, he hadn’t recognized him.

It was Miao Qiuduo’s outburst that finally linked “Young Master Shen” to that ragged little ger from back then.

Shen Qing coldly surveyed the group that had emerged. Miao Qiuduo and her husband, the pawnshop assistant, the pawnshop master who had intimidated him before, the Cuihua Shopkeeper, and two unfamiliar men. Among them, only the pawnshop assistant was around his age—the rest were all in their forties or fifties. In modern times, that wasn’t a big deal, but here, they were practically elders.

The commotion was drawing attention. Nearby shops had people peeking out to watch. Gold-Tooth, who had been enjoying his fried sausages, looked utterly stunned. Ruyi and Mudan were equally dumbfounded, while Shopkeeper Xiao Miao and Tieshan immediately stepped forward to stand behind Shen Qing.

But Shen Qing looked completely unfazed. He cast a sideways glance at Shopkeeper Xiao Miao. “If you’re all out here, who’s watching the shop? Go back.” His eyes swept over Xiao Miao’s scholarly, delicate frame—was this weak scholar planning to protect him?

Shopkeeper Xiao Miao: …Do you have a conscience?

Shen Qing then exchanged a look with Ruyi, who immediately sprinted back to their residence. Meanwhile, Shen Qing rubbed his fingertips together, releasing a faint trickle of spiritual spring water that no one else could see. Using it, he slowly wiped away the concealer on his forehead, revealing the bright-colored ger mark that had been hidden.

Lin Ning and Zao Ge’er were both completely stunned.

Shen Qing smiled slightly at the group before him. “That’s right, I’m a ger. So what? Is that illegal? What the hell does it have to do with you?”

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