Ch 180: The Farmer Ger in the Apocalypse

It wasn’t until Shen Qing and Song Kaiji hastily dressed Zhang Sujuan in ancient clothing and carried her near the estate that she started to feel a sense of reality.

The buildings before her were the kind she had only seen in television dramas and historical towns—gray bricks, black tiles, arranged in an orderly manner. The archway at the entrance exuded an air of antiquity and solemnity. A young ger, around sixteen or seventeen years old, dressed in traditional short robes, stepped out from a side door, carrying a bucket of wastewater to dump.

When he looked up and saw Shen Qing, his face lit up with joy. “Master is back!”

He called into the courtyard, and immediately, two young men brought out a simple sedan chair, preparing to transfer Zhang Sujuan off of Song Kaiji’s back.

Feeling incredibly awkward, Zhang Sujuan quickly protested, “No, no, it’s just a few steps. I can walk on my own…” Being carried around? In modern times, that was simply unacceptable!

Meanwhile, Shen Qing glanced back at the path they had taken. When he first built the estate, he hadn’t known that others wouldn’t be able to see the cave entrance, so he had deliberately placed some distance between the cave and the estate to prevent servants from wandering in by accident. The cave was about a ten-minute walk from the estate, and they had to climb down from a banyan tree to reach it. Since Zhang Sujuan had a bad leg, Song Kaiji had carried her.

In the future, it would be best to construct a proper path and stairs to make the journey easier. He had bought the entire East Mountain area, and the villagers of Lantang had grown accustomed to staying away from this side.

Since Zhang Sujuan refused to sit in the sedan chair, the young ger quickly handed the bucket of wastewater to the two other men and attentively helped her inside.

Miao Chunlei had already received word and came out to greet them with Quan Jie in her arms. She beamed warmly. “Ah, this must be my in-law! We finally meet!”

Zhang Sujuan’s gaze immediately fell on the baby in her arms.

She looked just like Song Kaiji when he was a child!

There was no doubt about it—this was her son’s biological child. The feeling of unreality surged within her again, but even more than that, she felt overwhelming joy and excitement.

She had long come to terms with the idea that Song Kaiji and Shen Qing wouldn’t have children, and while she had always said that her son’s happiness was what mattered most, deep down, there had been a tinge of regret. But now, seeing Quan Jie, even that last trace of regret vanished completely.

“Oh my goodness, in-law, let me see my precious granddaughter!”

The two mothers immediately became absorbed in fussing over Quan Jie, and any initial awkwardness between them quickly faded. Neither of them were difficult people to get along with, and even if they struggled to find other topics to talk about, Quan Jie alone was enough to keep the conversation going endlessly.

“I only found out today—I’m already a grandmother.” Zhang Sujuan’s eyes welled up with tears.

Since the apocalypse, she had lost more and more of her family, leaving her with only Song Kaiji. Quan Jie’s birth wasn’t just the continuation of her bloodline—it was a newfound hope for the future.

Her granddaughter.

Zhang Sujuan gently stroked Quan Jie’s chubby face, feeling a pang of sorrow. Old Li had never gotten the chance to see his granddaughter before he passed. What she didn’t know was that, in some mysterious way, Li Aiguo’s lingering will had once saved both Shen Qing and this very child.

Miao Chunlei had long prepared a room for Zhang Sujuan in the third courtyard. She moved into the east wing, while Miao Chunlei shifted to the west. Every piece of furniture and decoration had been meticulously arranged.

That first night, afraid that Zhang Sujuan wouldn’t adjust well, Song Kaiji stayed with her, chatting for a long time.

“I finally understand why Qingqing had so many secrets he wouldn’t tell you at first,” Zhang Sujuan sighed. She had been here for almost a day, yet she still felt completely overwhelmed. If she had been in Shen Qing’s position, she would have been just as cautious, if not more.

But now, Shen Qing had shared everything with Song Kaiji, even given him a child, and had brought her here.

Holding Song Kaiji’s hand, she earnestly advised, “I was wrong before. Qingqing treats you wholeheartedly, and you must treat him well in return.”

“Mom, my love for Qingqing has nothing to do with how he treats me,” Song Kaiji said with a tender smile. “I love him, so I treat him well. Even if he didn’t love me as much, I would still love him the same—because that’s my choice.”

Zhang Sujuan was left speechless at the sheer amount of affection she was witnessing.

She knew her advice was unnecessary—it was just something she felt she had to say. It was obvious that her son’s heart belonged entirely to Shen Qing.

“…Well, in that case, I suppose you should spoil Qingqing even more.” And she meant that in a very public way—so that everyone could see it.

“I wasn’t here before, and Qingqing suffered a lot of grievances.”

Song Kaiji then told her about the rumors in the village—how people had gossiped about Shen Qing being pregnant out of wedlock.

Zhang Sujuan immediately understood.

An unmarried woman suddenly becoming pregnant—no, wait, an unmarried man—no, a ger… Zhang Sujuan still wasn’t fully comfortable with the concept of gers, much less the idea of a man giving birth.

Regardless, the situation must have been awful! In ancient times, such gossip would be just as vicious as it had been back in the 1980s—enough to drown someone in public scorn. Zhang Sujuan had grown up in a village herself; she knew exactly how cruel those rumors must have been.

“That’s right. You need to give Qingqing face in front of others—to show that our family values him. Otherwise, when Quan Jie grows up, people will look down on her just the same.”

“Who would dare?” Song Kaiji scoffed. “Qingqing is incredibly capable here.”

Despite his confidence, they still agreed that Zhang Sujuan would make an appearance at Lian Ou’s wedding to publicly support Shen Qing.

Mother and son talked late into the night before Song Kaiji finally returned to their room.

Inside, the candles burned brightly, and Shen Qing was sitting at the table, picking through a few pieces of jewelry. When he saw Song Kaiji, he waved him over.

“Come help me choose a gift for Ou Ge’er’s wedding.”

There weren’t many families in the village he was particularly close to, and Lian Ou was now a genuine friend. But if he gave something too extravagant, it might be inappropriate.

Song Kaiji took it seriously, even rummaging through his own spatial storage for more options. His choices, however, earned him several judgmental looks from Shen Qing.

“…Forget it, forget it. Stop messing with me. Your taste is awful. Just go to bed.”

“My taste is great!” Song Kaiji protested, wrapping his arms around Shen Qing and refusing to let go. “If my taste was bad, would I have chosen you? My vision is exceptional.”

Shen Qing couldn’t help but laugh.

In the end, after sifting through countless options, he picked out a pair of heavy silver bracelets. “Let’s go with these. Second Aunt Lian is still worried that the monk won’t treat Ou Ge’er well. If anything happens, at least Ou Ge’er can sell these for money.”

Second Aunt Lian’s concerns were understandable—the wedding had been arranged hastily, squeezing everything into a short period. The betrothal gifts arrived on the fifth of the twelfth month, with the wedding scheduled for the ninth.

But when the gifts arrived, the entire village turned out to watch.

Because the betrothal gifts were too extravagant!

Two men carried heavy loads, full of tea leaves, sesame, dried seafood, and seasonal fruits. There were six rolls of fine cotton fabric and two large jars of quality wine.

By tradition, the groom’s mother or senior relative was supposed to present the bride with a decorative hairpin. Since Ming He had been abandoned at a monastery as a child, he had no family, so he begged the abbot from Miaoqian Village’s temple to take his place.

The old abbot, his face flushed red, was clearly uncomfortable. He never expected that after all these years as a monk, he would be dragged into something like this. But this was a child he had raised, someone who had done so much for the temple.

In the end, the abbot gave in.

He sat at the place of honor, looking rather reluctant, while Lian Ou knelt at his feet.

The villagers burst into laughter at the sight—then gasped in shock.

The abbot pulled out a hairpin from his sleeve.

A gold hairpin!

It was a small phoenix design, with a pearl delicately nestled in its beak. Though modest, it was far beyond what rural folks were used to seeing.

Judging by the size, it had to weigh at least two taels.

One tael of gold was worth ten taels of silver—meaning the hairpin alone was worth twenty taels.

And in the betrothal gifts, Ming He had also included twenty taels of silver, wrapped in red cloth.

Just this one event had already cost them at least fifty taels of silver.

When Miao Hexiang saw the golden hairpin, her expression finally softened, this time genuinely. Not to mention, the old abbot personally inserted the hairpin into Lian Ou’s temple hair, his voice calm yet firm as he said, “Although Ming He has left my temple and is no longer a man of Buddhism, I raised him, gave him his surname, and today he has asked me to officiate his marriage and recognize me as an elder. If he ever treats you poorly, just come to the temple and tell me.”

Lian Ou’s face turned as red as blood, but he endured his embarrassment and nodded in agreement.

Miao Hexiang, too, let out a deep sigh of relief. Later, she told Lian Ou, “It’s not that I look down on him for being a monk who returned to secular life. But first, he’s much older than you, and I worried that he might deceive you with his life experience. Secondly, he’s an orphan with no family or roots. If he mistreated you, your father and I wouldn’t even have anyone to seek justice from.”

Marriages in the village were usually arranged within the local area, precisely so that families knew each other well. If a marriage turned sour, at least the bride’s family knew where to go to settle the matter. But this monk had no roots—if he just walked away one day, who could they turn to?

Now that the old abbot had made a promise, Miao Hexiang felt reassured. If Ming He ever wronged her son, she would have no hesitation in turning the whole Miaoqian Village upside down.

Lian Ou rested his head on his mother’s lap. “Mother, I know you’re only thinking of me. But Hui Ming—no, Brother Ming—I know he truly cares for me.”

After that day in the woods when they confessed their feelings, Ming He had told him that he had liked Lian Ou for a long time. But knowing that he was older and a monk, he had always felt unworthy and had kept his distance, only secretly escorting Lian Ou and Lian Rong home from afar. It was only after Wang shi’s nephew had bullied Lian Ou, tarnishing his reputation and making it difficult for him to find a good marriage, that Ming He finally considered leaving monastic life.

And of course, the rumor about Qing Ge’er’s husband being a former monk had given him the final push.

Miao Hexiang stroked Lian Ou’s hair. “From the betrothal gifts he sent, your father and I will keep the food items to eat, but as for the silver and jewelry, we won’t take a single coin—you’ll take them with you. I’ll keep two rolls of fine cloth for your two nephews’ clothing and exchange two rolls of satin to add to your dowry.”

She then turned around, opened a storage chest, and took out a small box containing loose silver coins and two silver promissory notes. After counting, she divided the money into three portions and handed Lian Ou one share.

“This was all too rushed, and we didn’t have time to prepare a proper dowry. Take this silver as your dowry. If you find yourself lacking anything after marriage, use this money to buy it. But don’t spend too much—Ming He has no roots in the village, so you both need to be frugal and invest in farmland instead.”

Lian Ou’s eyes welled up with tears. He knew his mother had been against the marriage for his sake. “Mother, don’t worry. I will live a good life. Brother Ming told me that since he has no family, he will treat you and Father as his own parents and take care of you both with me.”

Even though she had claimed the dowry was hastily prepared, Miao Hexiang still decorated the house with plenty of red silk and paper, making the home festive.

Ever since the upheaval in Lantang Village following Shen Qing’s childbirth, when many people were taken away by the authorities, the village had been shrouded in a gloomy atmosphere. But with Lian Ou’s wedding, the village finally regained some vitality.

A marriage was always a joyous occasion.

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The First Year of Quan Jie’s Life

With a child of his own, Shen Qing had grown softer and even a bit superstitious. Wanting to accumulate good fortune for his daughter, he donated a few taels of silver to distribute Laba porridge on Laba Festival, both in town and beneath the archway bearing his name.

In Anping County, porridge was distributed near the Blooming Sausage Shop, available to both beggars and townsfolk. Near the archway, it was meant for the poor in the surrounding villages—so long as they weren’t bringing entire buckets, anyone with a bowl or a small pot was served to the brim.

The households in Lantang Village that had grudges with Shen Qing were, of course, excluded. But poor folks from the neighboring villages were full of praise for him. Some even traveled from farther villages, like Xiaoji Village and Xiahe Village, arriving in groups to receive the porridge.

As soon as one large pot was emptied, another fresh batch was brought out. When there was a delay, people even formed an orderly line to wait.

It was during this time that someone whispered, “Hey, isn’t that Old Woman Wang from Xiaji Village? How does she have the nerve to come and take porridge from the Benevolent Shen?”

“She can’t even feed her family—why would she care about dignity? The question is whether the Benevolent Shen will actually give her any.”

“He will, probably. The Benevolent Shen is kindhearted. Even that Widow Li, his former stepmother, came by earlier, and she still got her share. He’s not a stingy person.”

“Shh! Watch your words. Former stepmother? the Benevolent Shen doesn’t even acknowledge her. She’s just another villager from Lantang now.”

Old Woman Wang kept her head down, hearing every word around her. She was terrified that Shen Qing would recognize her and refuse to give her porridge.

Ever since Wang San left, her household had been struggling. Her four sons, after being punished with beatings, couldn’t work in the fields, and everyone they had wronged before took the chance to get revenge.

Spring planting had been delayed, the harvest was poor, and they were now on the verge of starvation.

Meanwhile, Shen Qing’s life only seemed to get better. He had once planned to start a chicken farm in their village to supply fried chicken to Shiqu Village, but that plan had quietly disappeared. The village chief, fearing that their family’s bad reputation had angered Shen Qing, nearly expelled them from the village entirely.

Old Woman Wang was truly afraid now. She no longer resented Shen Qing—she didn’t dare. Looking at the archway bestowed by the county magistrate, at the well-dressed maids distributing porridge, at the noble husband who was said to be far superior to her own sons… her heart was filled with bitterness.

They were simply not on the same level anymore. Even dreaming of clinging to his coattails was delusional.

After a while, Shen Qing helped two young gers carry out another large pot of porridge. It was made of eight ingredients—white rice, glutinous rice, millet, red dates, red beans, black beans, chestnuts, and peanuts. There were no extravagant ingredients like lotus seeds, longan, or snow fungus, but the porridge was thick, hearty, and cooked to perfection, its sweet aroma drifting several meters away.

People eagerly gathered, offering blessings as they received their share.

Behind Shen Qing stood a strikingly handsome man who fussed over him constantly—wiping his sweat one moment, massaging his shoulders the next. The villagers couldn’t help but stare in amazement.

Someone whispered into Shen Qing’s ear, and he glanced briefly in Old Woman Wang’s direction.

Her heart sank.

Their household was at rock bottom, surviving on nothing but turnips and cabbage. The last bit of grain had been set aside for the New Year.

But when her turn came, Shen Qing said nothing. He didn’t even look in her direction. Instead, he stood with his husband, chatting intimately.

The maid ladling the porridge, her cheeks flushed from the cold, filled Old Woman Wang’s pot with two generous scoops.

Carefully carrying the porridge home, she knew that in this freezing weather, the thick porridge could be portioned and stretched for days by adding water.

Maybe it was the cold wind, but her nose suddenly stung, and tears rolled down her face, falling into the porridge.

Meanwhile, Back at the Estate

“Our Qingqing really is the Benevolent Shen,” Song Kaiji teased as he snuggled against him.

Shen Qing flushed, a little embarrassed by the nickname. These villagers truly had no reservations about saying the most saccharine things. He was just trying to accumulate blessings for his daughter. It wouldn’t feel right to distribute porridge while picking and choosing who deserved it.

Besides, he had once met Wang San before…

By now, Shen Qing’s business had begun expanding toward the provincial capital.

After getting familiar with Shen Qing and Lin Ning, the Jie siblings had approached him with a request—to advance their wages and ask Magistrate Lin for help in redeeming their relatives.

Some of their family members had been sold elsewhere, their whereabouts unknown, but two of their sisters had been taken to the Jiaofang Division in the provincial capital.

If they had not yet officially entered the division, there might still have been a chance to intervene—just as the chief registrar had previously intercepted their group and handed them over to Gold-Tooth.

But once their names were registered in the Jiaofang Division, they became government courtesans, and redemption was nearly impossible. A county magistrate like Lin had no authority to interfere at that level.

Still, he was able to arrange a meeting between the Jie siblings and their sisters inside the division. The reunion was heartbreaking, with the family embracing and weeping together.

Seeing this, Shen Qing and Lin Ning felt a pang of sympathy. They discreetly gifted the brothel madam a few valuable items in exchange for ensuring that the Jie sisters were assigned clean, respectable work.

One thing led to another, and unexpectedly, a new business opportunity arose.

Was this not a case of good deeds bringing good fortune?

Back in the post-apocalyptic world, Shen Qing funded several skilled hair ornament artisans. They crafted ronghua (velvet flowers) and jizhu (beaded hairpins), which were both exquisite and affordable.

To no surprise, the women of the Jiaofang Division adored them.

Thus, Shen Qing established a trade channel, allowing the Jie siblings to supply the brothel with accessories. It gave them a reason to see their sisters regularly, and through the Jiaofang Division, Shen Qing also gained business connections with flower houses (high-end courtesan establishments) in Anping County and several neighboring counties.

Now, the Jie sisters no longer had to serve guests at; they only assisted the madams in purchasing jewelry for the brothel. This was only possible because Shen Qing had spent silver and gifted the madams presents to secure them this easier job.

It was at a brothel in the provincial capital that Shen Qing encountered Wang San.

Wang San was delivering wine, dressed in a clean, brand-new set of coarse cloth clothing without a single patch. A woman from the brothel, seemingly his lover, came out to see him off, whispering a few intimate words before heading back inside.

The moment Wang San spotted Shen Qing, his entire body tensed up. He quickly grabbed Shen Qing and pulled him away from the brothel, taking him to a teahouse across the street. “What are you doing in a place like this?”

Shen Qing smiled at him. “I’m delivering goods, too.”

Wang San stared at him for a moment before his tense posture suddenly relaxed.

Back when he first ran away from home, he had once fantasized about making something of himself, earning money, and returning to marry Shen Qing—he had been somewhat obsessed with that idea.

But seeing Shen Qing again today, Wang San suddenly realized it wasn’t about wanting to marry Shen Qing. He had treated Shen Qing as a sort of mental anchor. If a ger could be so brave and build a life for himself, then he, too, could learn from him and carve out a better future.

And now, his life had improved.

He had arrived in the provincial capital with just a bit of silver, starting as a laborer carrying heavy loads and making deliveries. Because he was hardworking and dependable, he eventually caught the eye of the owner of a wine shop, who hired him as a shop assistant to handle deliveries. Now, he never had to worry about food or drink, had saved some money, and could even afford to visit a brothel to see his lover.

Seeing Shen Qing again at this moment, Wang San understood—marrying Shen Qing no longer mattered to him. He realized that he preferred women, like the one he had met in the brothel.

And besides—Shen Qing had told him long ago that he was never interested in him in the first place. Wang San had been the one clinging to a self-imposed obsession.

But now, he was finally at peace with it.

He sincerely thanked Shen Qing. “I really should thank you. If not for what you said back then—” Wang San chuckled, knowing those words hadn’t been kind. “If you hadn’t woken me up, I’d still be stuck in that muddy pit of a life. I’d never have made it to where I am today.”

Shen Qing shook his head. “That was all you. You have a good life now because you were willing to work for it. I didn’t help you at all.”

For some reason, every time Shen Qing saw people like Lian Ou, Ruyi, Li Jiaofeng, and Wang San breaking free from their past struggles and moving toward a better life, he felt a deep sense of satisfaction.

They exchanged a few more words, but since they had never been close to begin with, there wasn’t much to say.

Before parting, Shen Qing said, “You live in the provincial capital, so it’s easier for you to move around. There are two sisters in that brothel with the surname Jie. If there’s ever anything small you can do to help them, I’d appreciate it.”

Wang San straightened, looking at Shen Qing seriously before giving him a slight bow. “Don’t worry. I’ll remember this.”

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