Ch 169: The Farmer Ger in the Apocalypse

The man who had been prodded let out a snort through his nose, as if he had no interest in talking to them. He picked up his cane and hobbled away, seeking a quieter, emptier spot to bask in the sun.

The old man who had poked him looked a little embarrassed. Someone nearby tried to console him, “His temper has gotten stranger in recent years.”

“Well, can you blame him? Anyone in his shoes would feel bitter.” Another person, watching the limping figure from a distance, lowered his voice and said, “If he hadn’t broken his leg, who knows who would be village chief now? Would it really have been that pushover Zhao Youdang, letting his wife sit on his neck and call the shots?”

A chorus of agreement followed, and soon, the group began reminiscing about how capable and decisive that man had been in his youth—how much better he was compared to Zhao Youdang. The more they talked, the more it seemed like the truth. Yet, had he actually become village chief instead of Zhao Youdang, they might have been complaining that he was too harsh, too narrow-minded, too indifferent to the village’s needs. Then, they’d be saying that Zhao Youdang was the more considerate and well-rounded leader.

But right now, as they wrapped up their idle chatter and returned to their chaotic households, their frustrations toward Zhao Youdang and Wu Guixiang only deepened. They couldn’t help but imagine an alternate reality where someone else had become village chief instead.

That evening, after the visiting neighbors had left, Miao Shi pulled Shen Qing aside.

She scanned him up and down a few times, hesitated as if unsure how to broach the subject, then finally blurted out, “Qing Ge’er, you and that Xiao Song… have you… have you consummated your relationship?”

Shen Qing immediately understood what Miao Shi meant.

He had been putting off telling Miao Shi about this, not because he was worried about her reaction, but simply because he didn’t know how to bring it up.

It wasn’t that he thought she would disapprove—rather, he felt embarrassed. He and Song Kaizhi weren’t married. In the village, once a couple was married, it was only natural that they would have children. No one really dwelled on how that happened—it was a topic that was quietly skipped over. But because he and Song Kaizhi hadn’t officially wed, it was suddenly something he had to explicitly acknowledge, to discuss in front of his mother…

Strangely enough, when Qu Weiwei and the others teased him about disappearing for too long with Song Kaizhi, Shen Qing never minded. But if it were Miao Shi, Zhang Sujuan, or even Mother Tang making such remarks, he would feel incredibly awkward.

But now that Miao Shi had brought it up, Shen Qing had no choice but to push through his embarrassment.

He hesitated for a moment before mumbling, “Yes, we have….” Then, he touched his belly and added, “It’s already been five months.”

Miao Shi was so startled that she smacked his arm lightly twice. “What? Five months?!”

Her strikes were gentle, but her tone carried disbelief. “You little rascal, this is huge news! And you waited five months to tell me?”

Yet, her reaction reassured Shen Qing. She wasn’t upset at all—on the contrary, she was genuinely happy.

Miao Shi had spoken to Song Kaiji a few times through video calls. She knew that he was a rare find, not just in Lantang Village but in all of Anping County. Given how deeply Shen Qing and Song Kaiji loved each other—especially after Shen Qing had fallen ill for his sake—she had never once considered persuading her son to find someone else just because Song Kaiji couldn’t come to marry him in person.

Since Song Kaiji couldn’t be here, they obviously couldn’t have a wedding. But what, were they supposed to stay celibate for life? Even though Shen Qing had never mentioned it, Miao Shi had long been mentally prepared for this.

Now that it was confirmed, she immediately began fussing over him, listing all the things he needed to be careful about during pregnancy. Then, she went to her room and retrieved a well-kept booklet from the bottom of her trunk.

She turned back to look at Shen Qing’s belly, hesitated for a moment, then sighed and handed him the booklet.

Still slightly flustered, she scolded him with mock annoyance, “Why didn’t you tell me earlier? What’s there to be embarrassed about? The night before a wedding, a mother is supposed to sit her child down and explain all of this anyway.”

In some harmonious families, it wasn’t just the mother who would have this talk—sometimes aunts and sisters-in-law would join in. They would discuss not just bedroom matters but also how to maintain a good relationship with one’s husband after marriage. Otherwise, some newlyweds would be so clueless that they wouldn’t even know what to do.

Miao Shi was naturally fond of children. She adored Lian Rong, so how could she not dote on her own grandchild even more? Now, she couldn’t take her eyes off Shen Qing’s barely noticeable bump.

“This is five months already? How is it still so small?” she muttered, puzzled. “When I was five months along, I looked like I had a pot strapped to my waist.”

Then, after some thought, she said, “But small is good. For a ger, a smaller belly makes labor easier. Hopefully, it’s a boy—that way, our family will be truly established.”

She said it instinctively, but the moment the words left her mouth, Shen Qing’s smile faded slightly, his expression turning somewhat confused. “Why does it have to be a boy?”

Miao Shi was momentarily taken aback. Her lips moved, but she quickly corrected herself, “That was a slip of the tongue. Our family is already secure, whether it’s a boy or not. A ger like you would be just as wonderful.”

After all, she was a woman entirely shaped by the world she grew up in.

Her entire life had reinforced the belief that a family needed a male heir. In some cases, even a young boy wasn’t enough—it had to be an adult man.

Without an adult male in the household, women, gers, and even young boys were seen as easy prey—like unclaimed meat, just waiting for someone to take a bite.

There were cases in nearby villages where, after the man of the house passed away, greedy relatives swooped in, selling off the widow and children as if they were property.

The world had taught her this truth over and over again.

Even though Qing Ge’er was an exception, Miao Shi’s subconscious still longed for “greater security.” Besides—she sighed—“It’s not that I look down on gers and girls. It’s just that life is much harder for them. I only hope that our family’s children can have an easier time. If you had been born a boy, you wouldn’t have had to suffer so much in the past. Maybe you’d even have achieved greater things by now.”

When Qing Ge’er’s identity as a ger was exposed by Miao Qiuduo in the county, and later when Tieshan came back and told her what had happened, Miao Shi had been terrified just hearing about it. If Qing Ge’er had been a boy…

She didn’t understand anything about gender equality. “I’m just a selfish mother,” she admitted.

But Shen Qing shook his head. “If I had been a boy, you and I wouldn’t have been kicked out of the Shen family. I wouldn’t have had to risk my life chopping wood in the mountains, and I never would have ended up in that cave. If I had been a boy, even if Shen Zhiwei didn’t kill me, I’d be the eldest grandson of the Shen family, and all their land would be mine. I’d still be in the old Shen family fields, grinning like a fool over a few acres of land.”

Miao Shi was left speechless.

Shen Qing glanced at her, and his thoughts became even clearer. Perhaps only those without real power placed their hopes in the structure of society. He didn’t resent his mother for this—he understood that she was shaped by her time. But back when they lived with the Shen family, it had been him protecting Miao Shi more often than the other way around.

Miao Shi couldn’t provide her child with any real security, so all she could do was cling to the natural advantages that came with certain genders. Maybe she still thought this way because she was still living under Shen Qing’s protection, still without the ability to defy these limitations.

But would a ger or daughter born into an emperor’s family, or a prime minister’s or a duke’s household, really be worse off than a farm boy?

Shen Qing rested his hand on his slightly rounded belly. “No matter the gender of my child, I will make sure they live a life of ease, comfort, and happiness.”

At first, Miao Shi only listened in stunned silence. But this time, the words didn’t just pass through her ears like any other conversation. They were like rolling thunder, growing louder and louder, shaking her thoughts until her mind ached.

The next morning, as Shen Qing was about to head to Anping County for a checkup, he opened his door to find Miao Shi sitting outside. She looked like she hadn’t slept all night.

“Qing Ge’er,” she said, gripping his hand, “you were right. I was wrong.”

She couldn’t quite put into words exactly what she had been wrong about, or why Qing Ge’er was right. But deep inside, she knew, truly knew, that she had been mistaken for a long time. “No matter if a child born into our family is a ger, a girl, or a boy, they are all precious. They don’t need to bear the weight of holding up this family—our family should stand strong on its own.”

Shen Qing looked at her reddened eyes and the dark circles beneath them.

There had been times in the past when, after learning the truth about Shen Zhang’s death, he had been haunted by countless “what ifs” about Miao Shi. Those thoughts had tormented him. But at this moment, even though they were separate matters, some of that darkness faded away, carried off by the sincerity of her apology.

From that day forward, Miao Shi’s world no longer revolved around idle chats with the village women about fragrant powders and pretty fabrics from the marketplace. She no longer spent her days solely in the kitchen, content with her cooking skills, nor did she simply visit her family as a pampered guest.

Without any prompting from Shen Qing, she stepped out of her comfort zone, going to the workshop to learn from Wu Guixiang and Miao Hexiang—learning how to manage people, how to handle affairs.

Wu Guixiang was surprised at first but quickly showed her support. “I was going to bring this up before. This workshop was entrusted to your family by a nobleman. If Qing Ge’er is too busy, even if I’m the one overseeing things, you should still be involved. But since Qing Ge’er is capable enough to let his own mother live a life of leisure, who am I to insist she work? That would make me seem like I can’t stand seeing you live comfortably.”

Now that Miao Shi had taken the initiative, Wu Guixiang was fully on board. “Honestly, we have too few women and gers in this village who have real influence. If you have the position for it, why not step up? The more, the better!”

Miao Shi felt a bit embarrassed. It wasn’t until she joined the workshop that she realized how capable women like Wu Guixiang, Miao Hexiang, and even the regular workers were. They could juggle a dozen tasks at once—she could hardly keep up. “I was ignorant before and wasted so much time. Please teach me and guide me from now on.”

“Of course. Stick with me for now,” Miao Hexiang chimed in. “Guixiang’s too advanced—you won’t be able to keep up with her just yet. Once you’ve got the basics down, she can take you to conquer the world!”

“Conquer the world, huh?” Wu Guixiang laughed, then let out a sarcastic huff. “I must have been too soft. Lately, more and more people in the village resent me—some probably want to strangle me. Conquer the world? I can’t even conquer my own village!”

Thanks to Qing Ge’er’s influence, her power in the village was growing. At home, her word carried more weight than ever. In the past, she and Zhao Youdang would discuss major decisions together. But after several instances where her judgment proved better than his, she had started making executive decisions on her own. More and more village matters were handled with Zhao Youdang as a mere figurehead.

And this, of course, left many of the men in the village fuming.

“A woman deciding men’s affairs? It’s disgraceful!”

The resentment was strongest among those who had been on the losing end of her rulings. The Lian family’s separation was just another spark added to the fire—the village was on the verge of an explosion.

“Recently, a bunch of people have been running to my brother-in-law, trying to push him to make a move,” Wu Guixiang said grimly. Zhao Youdang’s younger brother, Zhao Youwei, was now the target of these whispers. “They keep saying that back when our father-in-law was alive, he intended to pass the village chief position to him instead.”

“That’s nonsense,” Miao Hexiang scoffed. While she had suffered under the long-standing tradition of favoring the eldest son, in this system, Zhao Youdang was the rightful heir. If the position had really gone to Zhao Youwei, the village would have been in even greater uproar.

Wu Guixiang let out another huff. “Who knows what my father-in-law was thinking back then? But later, Zhao Youwei went up the mountain to forage for mushrooms and ended up rolling down a hill and breaking his leg. Even if my father-in-law had considered it, he abandoned the idea after that.”

No village wanted a cripple as their chief. Even beyond that, someone who was physically weak or seen as sickly wouldn’t be chosen to lead—it wasn’t good for stability.

What she didn’t say was that on the very day Zhao Youwei fell, her own brothers had also visited Lantang Village and gone up the mountain. Ever since, Zhao Youwei had harbored the suspicion that she had orchestrated his injury to secure her husband’s position as village chief.

After their father-in-law’s death, the two families had cut ties completely.

There was no evidence—just sheer distrust. That was why Zhao Youwei had thrown those passive-aggressive jabs at Zhao Youdang when the latter suggested breaking Wang Shi’s nephew’s leg.

He still held a grudge.

Wu Guixiang waved a hand dismissively. “Forget it, I don’t want to talk about it. Let them scheme all they want. Even if Zhao Youwei weren’t crippled, with the workshop here and Qing Ge’er backing me, do they really think they can change village chiefs?”

Miao Shi chuckled. “Don’t worry, Qing Ge’er will always back you up!”

Meanwhile, Shen Qing had a routine check-up with the doctor.

“Everything looks good—both you and the baby are doing fine,” the old physician said, clearly impressed. “In fact, your condition keeps improving. The first time you came, your body was still quite weak.”

Shen Qing let out a sigh of relief. With all the supplements and spirit spring water he had been consuming, it had to be working. But he still had one concern.

“Doctor, why isn’t my belly growing much?”

“Everyone’s different. Some people grow later—just wait another two months, and your belly will grow rapidly,” the old doctor said. “Besides, with your build, staying small is a good thing. A smaller baby means less suffering for you.”

Shen Qing smiled. Of course, he was afraid of the pain, but he was also worried that the baby wouldn’t get enough nourishment and would be weak. But since the doctor said everything was fine, he felt relieved. He then carefully inquired about the most reputable midwives in town before finally leaving.

As soon as he stepped out of the medicine hall, he heard someone calling his name from afar. Turning around, he saw a carriage stopping behind him. In a town like this, few people could afford to ride in a carriage. As expected, Lin Ning stepped out, grabbing his hand excitedly. “I haven’t seen you in ages!”

Qing Ge’er had been away on business for two months, and Lin Ning had missed him terribly. He turned back and called toward the carriage, “mother, you go home first. I’m going out with Qing Ge’er for a bit.”

From inside the carriage, the county magistrate gave a few low instructions before the carriage swiftly departed.

Lin Ning, full of energy, tugged Shen Qing forward. Shen Qing was startled and quickly pulled back. “Slow down, slow down!”

“What’s wrong?” Lin Ning was puzzled. The day they first met, Shen Qing had pulled him and Lin Zao’er along, dashing through several streets. Now he was the one telling him to slow down?

But then Lin Ning realized—Shen Qing had just come out of the medicine hall. His expression changed, instantly worried. “Are you sick?”

Shen Qing hesitated. Lin Ning was probably his only real friend in this world, and he felt he shouldn’t hide this from him—not that he even could. In a few months, Lin Ning would find out anyway. In fact, soon, the entire Lantang Village and Shiqu Village would know. It’s not like he could hide the baby after it was born.

But Lin Ning was still an unmarried ger, and Shen Qing felt oddly guilty, as if revealing the truth would be corrupting a child. After some thought, he chose to evade the question. “It’s nothing serious. I just overworked myself before, and my body needs some nourishment.”

Right now, his strategy was simple: delay. One moment at a time.

However, Lin Ning was completely heartbroken by his words.

They found a teahouse, ordered a few pastries and dried fruits, and sat behind a screen to chat.

“The archway is finished,” Lin Ning said eagerly. “I asked Gold-Tooth, and he said your house will be completed next month. The road will take a little longer to finish. Once it’s done, take me to visit, okay? Oh, and my father mentioned wanting to invite you over to our home sometime.”

Shen Qing was taken aback but quickly smiled. “When I have some free time, I will definitely pay a visit.”

However, he thought this was merely a polite gesture. He knew the county magistrate had never really liked him. The man had rewarded him with the archway and promoted his friends, but that was simply because he was a fair official. Shen Qing’s achievements deserved recognition.

But Lin Ning grew anxious. “It’s not just politeness—it’s real! Really, really!”

A little embarrassed, he added, “My father used to have some opinions about you, and I’m sure you noticed. But he’s changed his mind now.”

With Miao Yu and Tieshan working under the magistrate, they had inevitably talked about Shen Qing. From their accounts, the magistrate learned about a version of Shen Qing completely different from the one he had assumed.

Even Lin Ning, as his close friend, had never truly grasped how difficult Shen Qing’s past had been. When Shen Qing occasionally mentioned bits of his past, he had already transformed into the elegant and accomplished Shen Gongzi. It was hard to imagine the struggles he had endured.

But Tieshan and Miao Yu, in their plain and simple words, painted a vivid picture of how much hardship a ger had gone through just to survive.

“My father never looked down on you or gers,” Lin Ning explained. “My mother, my little uncle, and I—we’re all gers, and my father adores us.”

“It’s just that he used to think you were too slick from doing business, always giving gifts, and he worried you were trying to trick me. But after hearing what they said, he realized you hadn’t been doing business for long at all. The reason you acted that way was simply because no one had ever taught you otherwise.”

Shen Qing was like a resilient wildflower, growing in barren soil without guidance, figuring out how to survive entirely on his own. How could someone who barely had the means to keep living be blamed for being too shrewd?

But upon hearing this, the county magistrate had felt a twinge of sympathy for Shen Qing.

Perhaps it was because his own child was also a ger who had suddenly entered a foreign world. Shen Qing’s rapid growth was something the magistrate admired. He secretly hoped Lin Ning would become just as independent. With that personal connection, seeing the struggles Shen Qing had endured left the magistrate feeling deeply uneasy.

“My father said Gold-Tooth isn’t wrong in what he does,” Lin Ning continued. Since befriending Shen Qing, Lin Ning had interacted with Gold-Tooth more often. To them, Gold-Tooth was like an older figure with much more worldly experience, and he treated them with genuine sincerity. Since he knew neither Shen Qing nor Lin Ning would ever compete with him in business, he was willing to share insights whenever they asked.

“But he’s just a middleman in a small county. His way of doing things is based on street smarts—useful for small trades, sure, but if you learn too much from him, you’ll never break out of that world. You won’t be able to climb higher.”

Lin Ning looked at Shen Qing earnestly. “My father said you’re my good friend, and you’ve helped me. Who knows, maybe one day you’ll do something for all of Anping County. There are things your family never had the chance to teach you—if you come to him, he’ll be happy to teach you.”

Shen Qing didn’t know why, but maybe it was the pregnancy hormones—Song Kaiji had called it something like “pregnancy hormones”—but hearing those words made his throat tighten, and his eyes stung.

Even his voice was slightly hoarse as he replied, “…Alright. Thank you, Uncle Lin.”

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