Ch 168: The Farmer Ger in the Apocalypse

The village custom dictated that as long as the parents were alive, the family could not be split, primarily to ensure the well-being of the elders. When the elderly could no longer work, it was the responsibility of their children and grandchildren to take care of them. Minor conflicts among the younger generations were insignificant—what truly mattered was that the elders lived comfortably. This was the essence of filial piety in this era.

But before the old couple could even voice their stance, the eldest and second branches were already clamoring for separation!

“You all think I’m dead, don’t you? You’re actually trying to split up the family right under my nose?!” Old Man Lian rarely spoke directly to his daughters-in-law. He considered himself a dignified man—household matters were for women to handle. It was improper for a father-in-law to have too many direct conversations with his sons’ wives.

But this time, he couldn’t hold back any longer. Pointing at Wang Shi, he started scolding her. “How did we end up with a troublemaker like you in this family? Have you ever gone hungry? Have you ever lacked anything? The second branch has been earning money and hasn’t been stingy with the eldest branch either. In the spring, they even bought new clothes for Lian Bao, but not for Rong Jie’er! What more do you want? And now, you’ve caused all this mess!”

Wang Shi sobbed into her hands, humiliated by being reprimanded so publicly. She tried to defend herself in a small voice, “I wasn’t the one asking for a split—it’s the second branch that insists on it. She was the one who said she wouldn’t take anything. Why is Father blaming me…”

Old Man Lian was so furious that he felt like his head was about to burst. If she hadn’t sent her nephew to ambush Lian Ou, would his second daughter-in-law be making such a scene? And thinking about it, he got even angrier—Lian Ou was his grandson, part of the Lian family. For Wang Shi, bringing in an outsider—her own nephew—to bully Lian Ou might have just been a way to make trouble for the second branch, but to Old Man Lian, it was blatant disrespect toward him as the head of the household!

He looked around. His second daughter-in-law stood defiantly with her family, her back straight, and both Miao Shi and the village chief’s wife were on her side. His second son stood behind them with his head lowered, lost in thought. Lian Ou wasn’t present, but Lian Shi and his wife, along with Lian Rong, were standing off to the side, their eyes filled with resentment toward Wang Shi.

He sighed deeply, realizing that this family was truly about to fall apart.

He didn’t care whether Wang Shi’s nephew lived or died. That brat had bullied his grandson—he wouldn’t mind teaching him a lesson himself! Miao Hexiang’s threat against Wang Shi meant nothing to him. But even if he exerted his authority as the patriarch and forcibly kept the family together, with both branches seething with resentment, it might end up just like the tragedy in the Shen family.

At the end of the day, the fact that his two sons had reached this point of conflict was a reflection of his and his wife’s incompetence as parents—they simply couldn’t keep the family together.

No matter how unwilling he was, he had to consider his own future. Old Man Lian glanced between Wang Shi and Miao Hexiang. Who would provide a more comfortable life for him in his old age? Did he even need to think about it?

After mulling it over, he turned to his eldest son and asked directly, “Eldest son, do you share your wife’s opinion? Do you want your younger brother to leave empty-handed?”

Lian Laoda was stunned. He hadn’t expected his father to ask him directly. He lowered his head, hesitating for a long time without saying a word.

Seeing this, Old Man Lian didn’t push further and instead turned to his second son. “Second, what do you think?”

Lian Lao’er wiped his face and said, “Father, Ou Ge’er is my own child—your grandson. If it weren’t for the monk from Miaoqian Village passing by, what would’ve happened to Ou Ge’er? Would he even be alive? Small squabbles within the family are one thing, but how could one of our own be so cruel to another? She never considered us family at all!”

This was a clear stance—he was determined to separate. He refused to live under the same roof as Wang Shi any longer.

Old Man Lian nodded, sighing deeply. “Then we’ll split.”

Old Lady Lian panicked. “Old man, we can’t separate the family!” If they did, they’d be the first living elders in Lantang Village to experience a family split. Aside from the shame, their future would become unpredictable.

What was the difference between having multiple children support them versus living with only one son? As long as they maintained control over the family’s wealth under the guise of filial piety, all the children would compete to please them and obey their every command. Their authority as parents would be at its peak.

But living with just one son was a different story. Without the rivalry among siblings, without checks and balances, if the chosen son was young and capable, and his wife had strong backing and earned her own money—who would truly hold the power in the household?

She prided herself on not being a harsh mother-in-law, but she had endured half a lifetime as a daughter-in-law before becoming the matriarch. She couldn’t spend her first half of life obeying her mother-in-law, only to spend the second half being ordered around by her daughter-in-law. Would she never get to be in charge?

Life wouldn’t necessarily be hard, but it would be stifling!

But Old Man Lian simply waved her off.

He glanced at Miao Hexiang, whose face was filled with joy, and at Wang Shi, who secretly sighed in relief. Then he raised his voice, “But this family bears the Lian surname, and as long as I’m still breathing, it’s not up to two daughters-in-law to decide what happens here!”

With that, he turned to Miao Hexiang, his tone sharp. “Today, you brought your brothers to block my family’s door. I’ll chalk it up to a mother protecting her child, and I won’t hold it against you. But after the separation, if you use your strong maternal family or powerful clan ties to throw your weight around in this household, then we’ll settle it now with a divorce!”

Miao Hexiang was caught off guard and instinctively replied, “Father, I never intended that!” She only had a problem with Wang Shi—she had no issues with her in-laws.

Old Man Lian nodded at her response. “Blocking the doorway—what kind of spectacle is that? Everyone, come inside. Family separations don’t happen in an instant.” Then, his gaze fell on Zhao Youdang, who had been silent by Wu Guixiang’s side the entire time. “Village chief, bear witness for our family.”

Once they moved into the main hall, Miao Hexiang finally realized why her father-in-law had said what he did. She had thought that just getting the chance to split the family was a great victory, and she was willing to pay the price for it. Money? They had jobs, they had skills—how hard could it be to earn? Suffering for a moment now would mean living comfortably for a lifetime!

But Old Man Lian’s next words left her pleasantly surprised.

“This whole mess was caused by the eldest daughter-in-law. Ou Ge’er suffered great distress, and his reputation has been damaged. The child has been terribly wronged. As punishment, the eldest branch will receive a smaller share in the separation.”

Lian Laoda let out a quiet grunt in acknowledgment, while Wang Shi was completely dumbfounded. “Wait, weren’t they supposed to leave empty-handed? How—”

Lian Laoda finally couldn’t take it anymore and tugged at her. This foolish woman! How many times had Father made it clear? A daughter-in-law had no say over his decisions! Empty-handed or not, everything in this household—including them, the children and grandchildren—belonged to their father. Didn’t she see how the Shen family could just sell off Shen Xiaojian without a second thought? Their father had the right to distribute his wealth however he pleased. He could even sell off his own children if he wanted to. At worst, people would gossip, and marriage prospects might become more difficult.

If she didn’t shut up now, they’d be paying an even heavier price!

The second branch was also momentarily stunned.

But Wu Guixiang quickly understood and chuckled. “The old man is fair and reasonable.”

Miao Hexiang had initially insisted on leaving empty-handed because she thought the chance of separation was slim and wanted to offer a hefty price to make it happen. But once Old Man Lian himself agreed, why should the second branch still pay the price?

She nudged Miao Hexiang, giving her best friend a hint. “You better not be so impulsive in the future. Once you’re living separately, without anyone in your way, you’d best be respectful and filial to your in-laws.”

Miao Hexiang blinked in confusion. “Huh? Huh??”

Old Man Lian shot a glance at Wu Guixiang but didn’t say anything. He disliked it when women interjected in serious matters, even if she was the village chief’s wife. She should stick to handling the trivial affairs among women and gers. Seeing her act as if she were the real village chief made him uncomfortable. But, to her credit, she was clever—she had already figured out his intent before even the Lian family did.

After calculating the family’s assets in his head, he declared, “The house goes to the eldest branch, but the second branch will continue living here until their new house is completed—no later than the Mid-Autumn Festival. The farmland will be divided into three shares: one for each branch and one for us, the elders. The farming tools and equipment will also be split equally. The chickens will stay with us, the pigs will be raised by the eldest branch—once slaughtered at year’s end, we’ll split the meat evenly.”

“As for the household’s silver…” He turned to Old Lady Lian.

She whispered a number in his ear.

Even Old Man Lian was startled—it was more than he had expected. But after some thought, he realized it was largely thanks to the second branch’s earnings. So he decided, “Since most of this money was earned by the second branch, they will receive half. The remaining half will be divided evenly between us and the eldest branch.”

Wang Shi’s eyes turned red with resentment.

What Old Man Lian allocated was enough for the eldest branch to live comfortably, but Wang Shi had been counting on the second branch leaving empty-handed! How could she be satisfied now? If not for her husband forcefully restraining her, she would have protested. She consoled herself—no matter how much money the second branch earned in the future, they still had to be filial to their parents. If they didn’t offer generous gifts, she could spread rumors about them being stingy. Eventually, those assets would come back to her side…

But then, she heard Old Man Lian’s next words.

“We, the elders, will live with the second branch. When we pass, our land and silver will belong to them. The eldest branch must provide 500 jin of grain each year, in any form. If we fall ill, the eldest son must visit every ten days—not to give us money, just to pour us a bowl of water. That alone will fulfill his filial duty.”

Lian Laoda knelt down, his voice trembling with tears. “Father…”

Old Lady Lian was equally shocked. “Old man, how can we not live with the eldest branch?”

Old Man Lian scoffed. “You want to live with her? How many peaceful days do you think you’d have?”

At this point, Miao Hexiang finally understood what was going on and saw through her father-in-law’s little schemes. But she didn’t mind. Her in-laws weren’t difficult people, and this was just Old Man Lian’s way of maintaining some dignity as the family head. In reality, just by agreeing to the separation, he and Old Lady Lian were already setting themselves up for ridicule among their peers.

Now that her father-in-law had granted the family split, Miao Hexiang was quite satisfied. She immediately promised, “Father, Mother, please don’t worry. However we treated you both before the split, we will continue to treat you the same way after. No one will overstep you two. My husband and I will work twice as hard to ensure you both live in the utmost comfort.”

Since she had received kindness, she had to repay it in kind. No matter what she truly thought, Old Man Lian had backed her up and lost face in the village. She had to find a way to make it up to him and restore his standing. Miao Hexiang vowed, “I will make sure you two become the most well-cared-for elders in all of Lantang Village!”

Old Man Lian felt much better after hearing that. The faint sense of losing authority was largely soothed by her words. He glanced at the children standing behind Miao Hexiang, noticing that Ou Ge’er was absent. Then he said, “And what about that bastard who harassed Ou Ge’er?”

Wang Shi had been drowning in resentment, ready to throw a tantrum, cry, and scream about the unfairness of it all. The land, the silver—practically everything of value had gone to the second branch, while all she got was this old, rundown house they had lived in for twenty years. How could the elders be so biased?! On top of that, they weren’t even living with the eldest son! She was the one who had given the Lian family a true heir, while Lian Shi from the second branch had only birthed a ger, and who knew what Zhao Yu was carrying! Weren’t they afraid of the family line dying out?

But Old Man Lian’s next words sent a wave of fear crashing over her. Wait, wasn’t the family split supposed to settle everything? Why—why were they still going after her nephew?!

Old Man Lian turned to Zhao Youdang and said, “An outsider from another village harassed a ger from our Lantang Village. Village Chief, I trust you to handle this matter properly.”

Hearing this, Zhao Youdang also grew furious. In this era, women and gers relied on men for survival, and men were highly protective and possessive of them. To Old Man Lian, Wang Shi’s nephew harassing Ou Ge’er was akin to someone trying to steal his family’s “property.” Likewise, to Zhao Youdang, as the village chief, it was as if someone had attempted to take what belonged to Lantang Village.

And this wasn’t his first time dealing with such matters!

Zhao Youdang immediately declared, “I’ll go see their village chief tomorrow! If he doesn’t give us a proper explanation, I’ll take my men and personally break that bastard’s leg!”

This was the first time that day he had decisively made a call, and his words carried an imposing air.

But among the onlookers, someone let out a contemptuous snort. “Oh, now you remember you’re the village chief? Spent all this time letting a woman ride on your neck, and you finally said something a man should say.”

Zhao Youdang stiffened in embarrassment, his straightened back slumping slightly.

The speaker bore a strong resemblance to him, about six or seven years younger, and leaning on a crutch. When Zhao Youdang and Wu Guixiang turned to look at him, he gave another loud huff before limping away through the crowd.

Zhao Youdang’s lips moved slightly, as if wanting to say something, but in the end, he remained silent.

Meanwhile, Wang Shi was completely panicked. “Father! You can’t be so heartless! You’ve already favored the second branch in the division, and now you’re going after my nephew? He’s family too!”

“Family?” Old Man Lian sneered. “What’s his surname? Wang! And what’s Ou Ge’er’s surname? Lian! If I don’t stand up for my own grandson, should I stand up for your mother’s side of the family?”

He was so infuriated he even laughed. “Or better yet, let’s not even bother splitting the family—Eldest son, divorce your wife! Our family doesn’t need such ‘relatives’!”

In the end, Wang Shi wasn’t divorced. No matter what, she had given birth to multiple children and was already a grandmother. At her age, if she were cast out, she would have no way to survive. Moreover, did Old Man Lian really not know that she had always tried to undermine the second branch to benefit her own?

Lian Laoda managed to save her, but not without loudly scolding her before dragging her back to their room and locking her inside.

No matter how much she wailed and cried, it was useless. The separation had already been decided by Old Man Lian, and no one could change it.

Zhao Youdang personally drafted the division contract and filed it with the village’s official records, finalizing the matter.

Miao Hexiang immediately kept Wu Guixiang back to discuss available plots of land in the village for building a new home. Wu Guixiang suggested a few locations, but instead of making the decision herself, Miao Hexiang presented the choices to Old Man Lian and Old Lady Lian. The elderly couple, initially feeling a bit melancholic about the split, soon found themselves quite pleased with the attention.

“In the end, we picked the plot closest to the workshop. My father-in-law chose it himself.”

Later that night, as the group gathered at Miao Shi’s house, Miao Hexiang was practically glowing. “Father-in-law knows who he’ll live best with. He’s used to being the head of the household and doesn’t want to let go of that authority. He’s afraid we won’t listen to him. But he’s still our elder, and I understand that. So I just go along with him, and everything goes smoothly. My in-laws aren’t unreasonable people, and these past few days have been quite comfortable.”

Miao Hexiang was, after all, a woman of her era. Though she had been influenced slightly by Shen Qing, she was still bound by the norms of her time. Now that the family had split, she had more money, more land, and no longer had to live under the same roof as Wang Shi—she was beyond satisfied!

As for her in-laws wanting control over household affairs, wasn’t that only natural? Now that it was just their branch, they wouldn’t have to favor anyone else. If the elders wanted to be in charge, so be it. To Miao Hexiang, that was only right.

Wu Guixiang added, “My husband went to Wang Shi’s home village, and their village chief was terrified! He had been hoping Qing Ge’er would open a workshop in their village, but now, with this incident… They had no choice but to punish her nephew. They held him down and gave him eighty strokes with a rod. I heard her brother and sister-in-law were devastated, blaming her for leading their child astray. They’re even demanding compensation from her!”

Miao Hexiang scoffed. “No wonder I heard a commotion earlier in the day.”

On the day of the split, she had her brothers build a wall to separate the two branches and added a small gate on the second branch’s side. Lately, they had been using a different entrance.

“But still, Ou Ge’er was the one who suffered the most,” Miao Shi sighed.

In the countryside, even if a ger was the victim—even if Wang Shi’s nephew hadn’t actually succeeded in harming Ou Ge’er—it was always the ger or the girl whose reputation was tarnished. This was why Wang Shi dared to scheme like this. If it had worked, Ou Ge’er’s marriage prospects would have plummeted. The best-case scenario would have been to swallow his anger and marry Wang Shi’s nephew, who, while not completely undesirable, certainly wasn’t a great match.

But Miao Hexiang wasn’t one to back down, and she had ruined Wang Shi’s plan entirely.

Even so, Miao Hexiang let out a sigh. “Good thing our family is in a better position now. Back then, Ou Ge’er was crying, saying he’d rather never marry than endure this humiliation. If this had happened in the past, what choice would we have had? But now… if he doesn’t want to marry, then he doesn’t have to.” She could never bring herself to force her child into a marriage just to secure an escape route. After all, what kind of decent man would stoop to taking a ger whose reputation had been damaged?

Shen Qing, sitting beside them, casually popped a sour green apricot into his mouth. “Ou Ge’er should come work at my shop in the county. Maybe he’ll find a husband there. Once a ger establishes himself, who cares about some petty village gossip?”

Miao Hexiang looked at Shen Qing with gratitude before immediately cringing at the sight of what he was eating. “Rong Jie’er picked those wild apricots just for you. And you really let her spoil you like this? Just watching you eat them makes my teeth ache!”

Shen Qing blinked, then smiled without saying a word. The apricots had originally been picked by Lian Rong for Zhao Yu, but Zhao Yu hadn’t been particularly fond of them. On the other hand, Shen Qing had been craving their tartness and ended up keeping the whole batch.

Before long, Lian Rong came rushing in like a gust of wind, carrying a small woven basket on her back, now completely filled with green apricots. “Qing Ge, you love them, right? I picked all of these just for you!”

Miao Hexiang glanced at the overflowing basket and was immediately exasperated. “Why’d you pick so many? Just wait a little longer! Once they ripen and turn yellow, they’ll be sweet! Then you can pick them for your Qing Ge!”

“Qing Ge just loves eating sour things! Besides, by the time they ripen, the village boys will have picked them all. They hog the trees and won’t let us near them—it’s so annoying. I wouldn’t be able to snatch any from them by then.”

“It’s fine, I love eating these. Since Lian Rong put in the effort, I’ll take them all.” Shen Qing accepted the small basket. With his spatial ability, he didn’t have to worry about them going bad—he could store them and eat them slowly. Lately, he had been obsessed with sour food.

Miao Hexiang muttered something about how indulgent he was but didn’t dwell on it. However, Miao Shi cast several suspicious glances at Shen Qing.

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The Lian family’s separation stirred up quite a commotion in the village. Every family had their own difficult affairs—brothers turning against each other, sister-in-laws not getting along, elders playing favorites… Who didn’t have these issues? Before, everyone just endured it because that was how things were. But suddenly, one family had broken free from the cycle, and it made others start thinking—maybe they could do the same.

As a result, many households in the village started having their own disputes. Most of the ones causing an uproar were women like Second Aunt Lian, who worked in the workshop and earned their own money. Providing for their parents was one thing, but they no longer wanted to support siblings and in-laws they didn’t get along with.

Ironically, some of the same elders who had mocked Old Man Lian and his wife for their “foolishness” soon found their own families in the same turmoil. Unlike Old Man Lian, though, many were unwilling to see the situation clearly. They felt their authority as parents was being challenged and flew into a rage.

For a time, the village was in chaos—chickens flying, dogs jumping, not a moment of peace.

Amidst all this, dissatisfaction toward Zhao Youdang began to surface.

“He’s supposed to be the village chief, but he never speaks up. His wife tells him what to do, and he does it. His wife and Miao Hexiang are close, so of course she took her side and helped push for the separation. If it weren’t for the Lian family setting this precedent, my family wouldn’t have dared to act up, no matter how restless they were!”

“Exactly! He never had much authority before, and now he’s completely letting his wife run the show! Not even a shred of manly dignity!”

“Ugh, we never should have elected him as village chief. If only…” The speaker glanced toward the man reclining under a tree, eyes closed as he enjoyed the shade. The words hovered at the tip of his tongue before he swallowed them back down. “Are we really letting a woman call all the shots in our village now?”

“It’s not just a woman… Even a ger is making decisions now!”

Back when Shen Qing first opened the workshop, bringing work and income to the villagers, everyone had been thrilled. Now, while many had benefited, there were also those who gained little and were now dealing with new family conflicts. Naturally, these people started grumbling.

However, no one dared to openly criticize Shen Qing anymore. Instead, they muttered their complaints behind Wu Guixiang’s back.

Seeing that the man under the tree still hadn’t opened his eyes, an old man nearby finally lost patience. He jabbed at him with his cane and asked, “You really have nothing to say about all this?”

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