Ch 158: The Farmer Ger in the Apocalypse

Tieshan handled the final cleanup, throwing out every last item in the shop, leaving not even a piece of furniture behind. Then, grabbing a few of the troublemakers by their collars, he tossed them out one by one. In the end, only Miao Qiuduo and her husband remained, each held by one of Tieshan’s powerful hands and dragged before Shen Qing.

“Qing Ge’er, what should we do with these two?” Tieshan asked, hesitating. This was Qing Ge’er’s aunt, after all—he didn’t dare make the call himself.

So he calls him Qing Ge’er. Lin Ning took note of this quietly from the side.

Miao Qiuduo was completely terrified. This was the first time she had truly witnessed Shen Qing taking action. How could he be so fierce, so ruthless? How did he have so many people under him? She was shaking uncontrollably, as if caught in a violent storm. Huang Wulang, though frightened himself, still had some backbone and shielded her in his arms. Pressing his palms together in a plea, he begged, “Qing Ge’er, we were wrong! Please, for the sake of family, for the sake of your mother’s sister—”

It was precisely because she was his aunt that Shen Qing was even more furious! The pawnshop workers scheming against him was one thing—he had no expectations from them, and there was no hesitation in punishing strangers. But Miao Qiuduo? A blood relative? That was what truly enraged him. And yet, because of that bond, he had to hold back to some extent.

If Miao Qiuduo hadn’t been so arrogant and impatient, if she had been willing to return to Shiqu Village, show proper filial piety to Old Lady Miao, and mend relationships with her siblings, then after a year or so, even if Shen Qing would never agree to marry Huang Jinbao, what would it have mattered if she had managed to take advantage of him for some money? The villagers had all taken their share of benefits—what difference would it have made if the couple had as well?

But no. They had treated everyone else like fools, thinking only their family was smart. They were in such a rush, acting like bandits, demanding money the moment they arrived!

Shen Qing stared at Miao Qiuduo and Huang Wulang with an unreadable expression for a long while before he finally spoke. “You’re right—we are family. What could I possibly do to my aunt and uncle? However—”

Huang Wulang had just begun to relax when Shen Qing continued, “Speaking of family ties, my aunt hasn’t set foot in Shiqu Village for ten years. In all these years, she has not once shown filial respect to my grandmother—not even a small gift for the holidays. And this time, I hear she came back empty-handed as well? My grandmother didn’t even receive so much as a piece of cake or a single spool of thread from her.”

Huang Wulang’s face turned red with embarrassment. It was true, but hearing it said aloud was utterly humiliating. Forcing a smile, he stammered, “We… we were always in the prefectural city. It was inconvenient to return, and we’ve wronged the old lady. That was our fault. We’ll make it up to her in the future, I swear. Every festival, we’ll send proper gifts.”

“No need to wait. Make up for it today.” Shen Qing reached out and lightly brushed his fingers under Miao Qiuduo’s ear. She was wearing a pair of red jade earrings—delicate and finely crafted, worth at least two to three hundred wen.

“Aunt and Uncle seem to be living well. Surely you wouldn’t withhold festival gifts from an elder, would you?”

Miao Qiuduo trembled even more violently. The moment Shen Qing’s fingers swept past her ear, it felt like time stretched infinitely. She was terrified that if his fingers turned slightly, they would wrap around her throat instead. She gripped her husband’s clothes even tighter in fear.

Huang Wulang, of course, didn’t want to hand over anything. He and Miao Qiuduo were both selfish to the core. If they were willing to give, they wouldn’t have neglected it for the past ten years. To Miao Qiuduo, her maternal family existed solely to be squeezed dry for the benefit of her own household. Being forced to give something back now felt worse than having their lives taken.

But Shen Qing stood calmly before them, with Tieshan looming like a predator behind him, and a circle of young men gripping wooden sticks nearby. If they refused to hand over the money, they might really lose half their lives here!

Gritting his teeth, Huang Wulang reluctantly said, “Fine, fine… I’ll make it up to the old lady later…”

Shen Qing gave a slight nod, and immediately, one of his men stepped forward and began searching Huang Wulang’s body. Ruyi also moved in to frisk Miao Qiuduo, removing her earrings and the silver bracelet from her wrist. Shen Qing, watching the scene unfold leisurely, added, “You’ve been living comfortably in the prefectural city. If we count all the missed holiday gifts—New Year’s, the Lantern Festival, the Dragon Boat Festival, Mid-Autumn, the Laba Festival… altogether, let’s say one tael of silver per year. That’s not unreasonable, is it?”

Unreasonable?! Huang Wulang wailed internally. How much did married daughters usually send home? In the village, some only gave a single pound of pork—just a few dozen wen! Even before they moved to the city, they had only sent two pounds of pork and a small piece of fabric, which never cost more than a hundred wen a year. Now Shen Qing was demanding an entire tael of silver per year?!

But he didn’t dare protest. He could only watch as the young man rummaged through his belongings and took his money pouch.

Ruyi picked up a tray from the ground, placing the silver and jewelry they had taken from the couple on it for Shen Qing to inspect. Huang Wulang’s pouch contained a small piece of broken silver and a string of copper coins, totaling about one and a half taels. Miao Qiuduo’s earrings weren’t worth much, but her silver bracelet weighed about two taels.

Shen Qing weighed the silver in his hand and smiled. “Let’s round it up to five taels, then. There’s still five more to go—would Uncle like to fetch it in cash, or should we write an IOU?”

Huang Wulang would never willingly part with more money. Forcing a smile, he replied, “We… we’ve fallen on hard times. That’s why we returned to the village to seek a livelihood. I’m afraid we can’t scrape together another five taels just yet. I’ll write an IOU! Yes, an IOU!”

Shen Qing nodded and motioned for Gold-Tooth to draft the note. Gold-Tooth, ever tactful, didn’t list Shen Qing as the creditor but instead wrote that Huang Wulang and Miao Qiuduo owed Old Lady Miao ten years’ worth of festival gifts, totaling ten taels of silver. Five had already been repaid, leaving five still outstanding. Even if this note was taken to the authorities, it would seem perfectly reasonable—after all, it was true that they hadn’t sent a single festival gift in ten years.

“That’s in the past now. If Aunt and Uncle ever come to Shiqu Village again, don’t forget to bring proper festival gifts,” Shen Qing dusted off his clothes. “Aunt didn’t leave home empty-handed when she got married—she took a generous dowry from her natal family. Yet after that, she never visited. No matter where you go, that doesn’t make sense. Also, you don’t need to trouble yourselves over my marriage. Whether Huang Jinbao is after my money or truly likes me—it doesn’t matter. Just because a man sincerely likes me doesn’t mean I should be eternally grateful and immediately marry him, bringing my wealth along. My wishes, my preferences are what matter most. If I don’t like him, even if your son were the king of heaven himself and laid his heart bare before me, I still wouldn’t like him.”

Hearing this, Lin Ning, who had experienced similar frustrations, felt his eyes brighten. Yes! Exactly! Why should he have to marry just because some man took a liking to him? His own wishes were what mattered most! It was the first time he had heard such a concept, and it struck him like a revelation.

At this point, how could Huang Wulang and Miao Qiuduo dare to scheme against Shen Qing any longer? Marrying such a living king of hell into their family—did they want to live or not? They frantically nodded in agreement. Gold-Tooth grabbed their hands, and without bothering with ink paste, simply cut their thumbs so they could press bloody fingerprints onto the IOU.

Clutching their bleeding thumbs, the couple whimpered as Tieshan tossed them out. They cast a resentful glance back at the shop but quickly lowered their heads and supported each other as they hurried away before Shen Qing could notice. But they had no intention of paying back the money. Returning to Shiqu Village? Bringing festival gifts? From now on, they wouldn’t even step foot in Anping County again! They refused to believe Shen Qing would chase them all the way to the prefectural city for just five taels of silver.

Gold-Tooth thought the same. He suggested that Shen Qing should have forced them to pay up immediately, as they surely had more silver on them. But Shen Qing only shook his head. He didn’t care about such a small sum of money. The whole point of the IOU was to serve as leverage—to ensure that Miao Qiuduo and her husband never dared to return. Like a loathsome toad squatting on one’s foot—not biting, but disgustingly persistent.

He could beat and expel the people from the pawnshop, but if he really hurt Miao Qiuduo, Old Lady Miao would inevitably feel unsettled. It wasn’t that he couldn’t do it—he just didn’t want her to become a lingering source of tension. Making sure Miao Qiuduo herself chose never to return to Shiqu Village or Anping County was the best outcome.

Weighing the silver in his hand, Shen Qing thought, Five taels should be enough to make them feel the sting.

With the matter settled, Shen Qing surveyed the now-empty shop. The interior decor was still intact. He had originally planned to open a Cuihua Shop himself—now, he had a ready-made location. He instructed Ruyi to clean the place up and prepare it for their own business.

Lin Ning hovered around awkwardly behind him. Once Shen Qing was no longer busy, he finally mustered the courage to ask, “Can I invite you to dinner? Since we… we’re going to be friends, we should spend more time together. I—I want to share some of the best food in the city with you.”

Shen Qing, new to friendship, wasn’t quite sure how to navigate it. So whatever Lin Ning suggested, he agreed to, albeit a bit clumsily. But as they spent more time together, they gradually grew familiar, and their bond deepened. Shen Qing could distinctly tell that his relationship with Lin Ning was different from his connections with Lian Ou and Lian Rong, and also from his dynamic with Song Kaiji. It was somewhat similar to how he interacted with Qu Weiwei, but closer—more open.

So this is what friendship feels like.

After that day, Shen Qing no longer hid his pregnancy mark when walking through town. The revelation of his identity sent ripples through Anping County.

For people like Ruyi and Mudan, the shock quickly faded. Shen Qing was their master—whether he was a man, a ger, or a woman, he was still the one who held their contracts. So after the initial surprise, they simply accepted it.

Lin Ning also took the news well—so well, in fact, that he seemed happy about it. He eagerly dragged Shen Qing all around town, no longer worrying about appearances. Lin Zao, on the other hand, was completely dumbfounded. But since Lin Ning was fine with it, he had no choice but to go along.

Gold-Tooth, meanwhile, was immensely relieved that in those crucial two seconds of hesitation, he had instinctively chosen to stand by Shen Qing’s side! Shen Qing being a ger unsettled him a little—after all, they had recently shared drinks, and he had drunkenly called him “brother” a few times. But in the end, so what? This was a ger with money—a ger who could still secure him ties with the registrar and Clerk Yang. That was all that mattered.

And this ger’s luck was exceptional—his identity had barely been exposed before he had already become close friends with the county magistrate’s son.

It was only then that Gold-Tooth had a delayed realization—No wonder Young Master Shen wasn’t interested when I gifted him two beauties. Turns out… he really wasn’t a man in that sense!

But the biggest shock came from the townspeople. Shen Qing was well-known for his generosity, and many businesses treated him like a treasured patron. When they found out he was a ger, the whole city buzzed with gossip. Many who had secretly admired him and hoped to marry into his wealth were utterly heartbroken.

Yet, no matter how shocking the revelation was, it was only a matter of time before people moved on. After a month or so of heated discussion, the novelty wore off. Eventually, as new rumors and scandals surfaced—who was fighting over inheritance, who was caught in a scandal—Shen Qing being a wealthy ger in town became just another ordinary fact of life.

The owner behind the pawnshop was initially furious upon hearing what had happened. Shen Qing had beaten his men—wasn’t that the same as slapping him in the face? But after inquiring about Shen Qing’s connections at the yamen, he immediately dropped any thoughts of retaliation. If it were just Clerk Yang, he might have let it slide, but the county registrar was not someone he could afford to offend. Moreover, Shen Qing was now frequently seen socializing with the magistrate’s ger, which completely snuffed out any lingering thoughts of revenge. All he could do was scold his subordinates and keep a low profile.

Regardless of where that ger’s wealth had come from—be it treasure or an ancient tomb—at this point, no matter how unwilling he was to let it go, there was no way he could get his hands on it. In the end, it would most likely fall into the county magistrate’s hands anyway. Since it was out of reach, it was pointless to dwell on it.

What he hadn’t expected was that Magistrate Lin wasn’t that kind of person at all.

The day Shen Qing’s identity was revealed, Lin Ning went home and told his father, mother, and uncle everything. The Lin family was utterly shocked. A ger disguising himself as a man and building such a vast business empire was unheard of anywhere. While Magistrate Lin was also curious about the origins of Shen Qing’s initial capital, he did not pry too deeply. Instead, the first thing he asked was: “He’s a ger—why was he staring at your uncle like that? And why did you waive his tab?”

Lin Ning: “……” Oh.

It was true—Shen Qing did look at Lin Xiangcao in a very peculiar way. Even though they were friends now, Shen Qing had never once looked at him like that.

Lin Ning mulled it over and decided that the next time he saw Shen Qing, he would ask him outright. That’s what friends were for, after all—being direct made everything easier. Turning back, he pulled out an embroidered box and handed it to his mother. “Qing Ge’er sent this for you!”

Lin Zhengjun opened the box to find a pair of red agate bracelets and a pendant made of white jade with agate veining, tied with a delicately knotted cord—perfectly suited for a fulang’s adornment.

This was worth quite a bit! Lin Zhengjun immediately passed the box to Magistrate Lin, whose face darkened upon seeing it. “Are you sure he befriended you because he genuinely sees you as a friend, and not because he wants to use you to get close to our family?”

Lin Ning, however, didn’t seem to care. “Does it even matter? He is my friend, so of course I’ll stand by him. He even saved my life! If it weren’t for him, that brat from the Zhou family… Hmph. Back then, he didn’t even know who I was, yet he still saved me. Now that I have the ability, why shouldn’t I help him in return?”

Magistrate Lin was thrown off by his son’s logic. It took him a long while before he coldly snorted, “That still won’t do. We can’t accept this gift—you’ll return it to him.”

Magistrate Lin was a peculiar man. He was not above favoritism—he had bent the rules plenty of times for Lin Xiangcao’s former in-laws, making things easier for them whenever possible. If Shen Qing had been a man and had married either Lin Ning or Lin Xiangcao, officially becoming part of the family, then he would have had no issue looking after him.

But a friend? That was a different matter entirely.

But now that they couldn’t become family, Shen Qing sending such an expensive gift outright made Magistrate Lin uncomfortable.

Perhaps it was because he was a scholar, carrying a certain sense of pride. Marriage ties were one thing, but he was unwilling to accept blatant bribery from outsiders. It was a bit of self-deception, a hypocritical righteousness, but that was just the kind of person he was. And, after all, even this kind of “false righteousness” was far better than being a truly corrupt official.

After being lectured by his father, Lin Ning had no choice but to return the embroidered box to Shen Qing. “My father won’t accept it. He said that if we are to be friends, small trinkets between us are fine, but don’t involve him in it, and don’t try giving him gifts.”

Recently, Shen Qing had indeed given him quite a few things. Since he was preparing to open the Cuihua Shop himself, he had been stocking up on merchandise and often invited Lin Ning to browse, letting him take whatever he liked. Hairbands woven by Ou Ge’er with butterfly patterns, silk handkerchiefs that were good quality but had stiff and rough embroidery from machine stitching, intricately designed velvet flowers—Shen Qing always waved them off as nothing, stuffing them into his hands.

Thinking of this, Lin Ning comforted Shen Qing, “But don’t worry. If anything really happens, I’ll go cry to my father—he definitely won’t sit idly by!” Just like last time, when the pawnshop workers tried to bully Shen Qing. Lin Ning had complained to Magistrate Lin, and though the man didn’t make a fuss about it, he still secretly pressured the pawnshop’s backer, warning them not to harass a ger just because they thought he was an easy target.

Shen Qing was a bit surprised. He had little experience dealing with officials. The only ones he had interacted with were Clerk Yang and the county registrar, and every time he sent Gold-Tooth over with gifts, they accepted them without hesitation and immediately reciprocated with favors—it was a clear-cut transaction. Magistrate Lin’s attitude, however, caught him off guard. Shen Qing could only assume he had encountered one of those “honest officials” like the ones in storytelling plays, and he couldn’t help but feel some respect.

Still, even honest officials had their own needs. Shen Qing thought of Shao Nan, whom he had met in the post-apocalyptic world. He also refused to take a single thing from the common people, but that wasn’t due to some noble enlightenment—it was simply his personal stance.

After some thought, Shen Qing put the box away and smiled. “I’ll be heading out for some trade soon. When I come back, I’ll bring back something good—I guarantee your father will like it!”

Lin Ning couldn’t imagine what that could possibly be. His father only loved his mother. He wasn’t particularly interested in money, didn’t enjoy drinking, and had no fascination with antiques or calligraphy. Before passing the imperial exam, he used to collect books, but he didn’t read them much anymore.

More curiously, he asked, “Why do you insist on giving my father something? I really don’t think it’s necessary. It’s not like you need him to do anything for you, and at this point, who in town would dare to cause you trouble?”

Shen Qing was stunned. Lin Ning’s words struck him, making him realize he might have fallen into a certain mindset.

The feeling of having a powerful backer was too good—so good that he couldn’t help but want to secure it even further, to make it even safer. After all, this time, he had only gone up against a pawnshop. What if next time he encountered someone even more powerful? There was always someone stronger in this world.

It seemed he lacked a sense of security. That’s why he was eager to align himself with greater power.

But was that really wrong? Predicting risks in advance and keeping situations within his control—wasn’t that what he had always done?

Shen Qing shook his head, deciding not to dwell on it too much. He followed Lin Ning’s lead and said, “You’re right. But what I have in mind isn’t just for winning your father’s favor—it would genuinely benefit the common people.”

Lin Ning wasn’t entirely sure what he meant.

What Shen Qing was referring to was a batch of newly developed, stable, and relatively high-yield crop seeds from the research institute. Two batches had already been produced—the first consisted of various vegetables, while the second included potatoes, sweet potatoes, corn, and soybeans. Rice and wheat were still being developed.

Based on rough calculations, the newly developed seeds could more than double the yield per acre compared to what Lantang Village currently produced. With the right fertilizers, the output could increase even further.

If these seeds were distributed across Anping County’s villages, the political benefits would be immense. No official could resist such an opportunity. And since Shen Qing was presenting the seeds openly, it shouldn’t count as bribery, right?

These seeds weren’t difficult to obtain. Under the military’s careful maneuvering, some had already leaked into the public domain, especially vegetable seeds—many wood-element ability users had a few. The government’s control over the research base had already weakened.

Moreover, Chen Jiaxi was currently working on the Third Farm Project. Shen Qing could always ask her for some.

However, when he returned and brought up Chen Jiaxi’s name, Song Kaiji’s expression darkened, looking unusually serious.

“…Do you know how she exposed the Third Farm’s situation?” Song Kaiji pinched the bridge of his nose, looking troubled. He himself didn’t know how to judge whether Chen Jiaxi was right or wrong, but he couldn’t shake his discomfort.

“…She deliberately triggered a mutant plant outbreak. She asked me for money, bribed one of the farm’s workers, and had them release a catalyst into the mutant plants, causing them excruciating pain and extreme aggression. Compared to what happened with Weiwei, this was far worse. Every plant in that area went berserk, injuring or maiming thirty-two wood-element ability users—one of them almost didn’t make it.”

But in the end, they managed to save him. Chen Jiaxi immediately reported the incident to the higher-ups. With some money she had borrowed from Song Kaiji and additional funds forcibly advanced from the research institute’s accounts with military backing, she arranged for all thirty-two injured individuals to undergo limb regeneration surgery. The most severely injured person was kept under emergency care for three days, receiving treatment from seven healing ability users working in tandem. In the end, his life was saved, and he made a full recovery.

Then came the backlash. Led by Qu Weiwei, several other victims—former colleagues she had painstakingly tracked down—staged a protest at the research institute.

Unlike Qu Weiwei, the others were missing arms or legs, and their grievances were genuine. Their demands were simple: why had this latest round of treatment been so thorough, while they had been abandoned and left permanently disabled?

With the military’s quiet assistance, the protestors were swiftly placed under protection, and the incident spiraled into a full-blown scandal. Before long, every former administrator of the Third Farm had been removed from their positions and sent to Red City Prison. Meanwhile, Chen Jiaxi was working tirelessly to secure her husband’s release.

“I don’t know how to describe how I feel about all of this,” Song Kaiji admitted. “Yes, the outcome is good—no one died, and all the injured have fully recovered. But mutated plants are unpredictable. If that person hadn’t made it, or if the plant outbreak had been even more severe and caused deaths on the spot… We were a part of this.” He pressed the back of his hand against his forehead.

God knows how agonizing those three days of emergency treatment had been for him. He had always understood that political struggles were brutal, built upon a foundation of bloodshed. Chen Jiaxi had once told them they were still just naïve children sheltered in an ivory tower, and perhaps she wasn’t wrong.

And yet, the final result was undeniably positive. Every injured person had been healed, and under military pressure, the government had been forced to relinquish significant control over the research institute. Many mid- and high-level officials had been dismissed as a result, and each of the injured individuals received generous compensation in material goods.

At this point, some people even considered themselves lucky to have been attacked that day. The pain had only lasted a couple of days before they were fully healed, and their newly regenerated limbs had even softer, smoother skin than before. Meanwhile, the compensation they received was enough to support their families comfortably for a long time.

The military was also working hard to track down other victims from Qu Weiwei’s group. In addition to compensating them with supplies, they were offered administrative positions at the Third Farm, allowing them to retire in comfort.

“Since Weiwei now has all four limbs intact, her abilities have advanced significantly, and she has been helping the military refine iron cage battle tactics, she’s built solid relationships there,” Song Kaiji continued. “The military is even considering having her work at the Third Farm. Chen Jiaxi suggested that the military appoint a new leader, while her husband and Weiwei would serve as co-deputies at the same level.”

Shen Qing paused for a moment before asking, “And how does Weiwei feel about that?”

“She’s still thinking it over.”

Shen Qing fell silent for a few moments, then reached out, interlocking his fingers with Song Kaiji’s over his hand. “This is a good thing. If she wants to go, she shouldn’t hold back because of me. Besides… even if she takes the job, it’s not like we’ll lose touch. We’re still partners, aren’t we?”

Spending time with Lin Ning gave Shen Qing a deeper understanding and appreciation of what friendship truly meant. He realized that he and Qu Weiwei also shared a bond of friendship—it wasn’t just about shared experiences or mutual benefit; there was something more to it.

Gently, he embraced Song Kaiji and repeated the same words Song Kaiji had once used to comfort him. “We don’t need to feel guilty over things that didn’t happen. Maybe… maybe Chen Jiaxi really did account for everything, calculating that there wouldn’t be any casualties. And in the end, she was right. Whether it was her careful planning or sheer luck… that’s her ability.”

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