Ch 183: The Farmer Ger in the Apocalypse

The two of them indeed got an upper room at the inn next door for a brief rest. As Shen Qing helped Song Kaiji inside, he found the whole situation amusing. Anping County was small, and they even had a house here—it would take just a quarter-hour’s walk to get there. Yet, here they were, spending money to make a detour.

Song Kaiji, however, was thrilled. Back in the apocalypse, whenever they stayed in a four-star hotel suite, it felt like a fresh experience—now, he wanted the same in ancient times! Fueled by the alcohol, he shamelessly made trouble on Shen Qing, though he held back from going all the way, knowing they still had to visit Magistrate Lin later in the afternoon.

Shen Qing grabbed a fistful of Song Kaiji’s hair at the back of his head and pried him off his chest. Even in the frigid twelfth month, he was drenched in sweat, damp strands sticking to his forehead, his neck and chest flushed red. Shen Qing’s breath was uneven as he complained, “You’re not sleepy at all. You’re not even drunk!”

Song Kaiji let out a cheeky laugh, then stuck out his tongue to lick a few times. Shen Qing couldn’t take it anymore and kicked him off. Only then did Song Kaiji, satisfied, roll onto the bed with his fragrant Qingqing, finally stopping his antics. He obediently wrapped his arms around Shen Qing, burying his face into the warmth of his embrace. “Alright, alright, I’ll sleep now.”

And then he actually quieted down.

But Shen Qing, held in his arms, found himself spacing out for a while before his breathing finally evened out. He adjusted his slightly disheveled clothing and hesitantly asked in a low voice, “Are you thinking about… having another one?”

It wasn’t an unreasonable suspicion! When he was pregnant before, he had stayed in the village to rest, separated from Song Kaiji for months. Now that they were finally reunited, Song Kaiji had been particularly relentless these past few days, as if he had been suppressing himself for too long. Shen Qing himself… also wanted it, so he had let things happen.

But recently, it had become a bit too frequent…

He hadn’t told Song Kaiji that most gers could only have one child. Shen Qing had no strong opinions about only having one—wasn’t it common in the village to have many children? Although gers had difficulty giving birth, Song Kaiji had mentioned something about estrogen and eating tofu for nourishment… Zhao Yu had successfully given birth to a second child, so it wasn’t impossible. Shen Qing wondered, if Song Kaiji really wanted another child, should he start taking care of his health in preparation?

But at the same time, he felt nervous.

His last childbirth had been too dangerous. Though most of that danger had come from external factors, the pain was something real. But Song Kaiji loved children so much—he could hardly bear to let go of Quan Jie’er for even a moment. Would he hope for more?

At this moment, Song Kaiji was actually starting to feel drowsy. He nestled into Shen Qing’s embrace, half-asleep and murmuring, “Why have so many? Only children are great. Sons or daughters, it’s all the same…”

He himself was an only child, having received all of Zhang Sujuan and Li Aiguo’s love, so naturally, he wanted the same for his own child. In his drowsiness, he suddenly wondered if he had been too pushy recently and scared Shen Qing.

Frequent childbirth wasn’t good for the mother’s health. Forcing his eyes open, he reassured Shen Qing, “Don’t worry, next time we go back to the apocalypse, I’ll figure out a way to get some protection. You won’t get pregnant…”

With that, he finally couldn’t keep his eyes open anymore and dozed off in Shen Qing’s arms.

Shen Qing held his fluffy head for a long while before finally pressing a soft kiss to the top of his hair.

So he had been overthinking it. Not everyone wanted a whole bunch of children.

He, too, felt that having just Quan Jie’er was enough.

The two of them napped in the inn for more than an hour. By then, Song Kaiji had sobered up—not that he was ever truly drunk. He had just gotten excited when he heard “get a room” and found an excuse to take advantage of Shen Qing. After freshening up, they headed off to visit Magistrate Lin.

It was the first time Magistrate Lin’s family had met Shen Qing’s husband, and they were all incredibly curious about Song Kaiji. Especially Lin Ning—last time, he had rushed to Lantang Village to catch a glimpse of the excitement, only to miss seeing Song Kaiji. Now, he stole several glances at him.

No wonder Qing Ge’er was completely smitten and even bore him a child. This man was truly handsome! Just as handsome as Qing Ge’er when he dressed like a man—what a perfect match!

Lin Ning cupped his face in admiration. And it wasn’t like he was some foreigner with golden hair and blue eyes—he looked just like them, only with slightly shorter hair. But with a hat on, he blended into the crowd just fine.

Qing Ge’er had such great taste!

While Lin Ning was focused on appearances, Magistrate Lin was more concerned with Song Kaiji’s character and abilities. He pulled him aside for tea and conversation. Song Kaiji started sweating—Shen Qing had severed ties with Shen Zhigao, so he had never experienced a father-in-law’s scrutiny. But now, standing before Magistrate Lin, he got the full treatment.

Meanwhile, Magistrate Lin’s fulang smiled and got up. “Stay for dinner tonight. I’ll personally cook a couple of good dishes.”

He took Lin Zao with him to the kitchen, while Shen Qing and Lin Ning sat together for a private chat. Lin Ning took out a small box filled with delicate trinkets and pushed it toward Shen Qing. “Ou Ge’er got married recently, but we had family matters and couldn’t attend. Help me pass this along to him—wishing him a happy marriage.”

Thanks to Shen Qing, Lin Ning and Lian Ou had some connection. The contents of the box were elegant but not overly expensive, all trinkets that gers liked. Shen Qing glanced inside and accepted it on Lian Ou’s behalf, casually asking, “What happened at home? Is everything alright?”

Lin Ning’s face showed a hint of worry. “People came from my old home. There was a flood—the crops were ruined right at harvest time, and the houses collapsed. Life is tough, and after traveling for so long, they finally arrived in Anping County, hoping my father could help.”

The rest of the villagers were staying in the ruined temple with people from other villages. More than ten people from their village had died, some from their Lin clan, others from different surnames. They had all been neighbors, familiar faces, and suddenly they were gone. Knowing this, Lin Ning hadn’t been in the mood to attend a wedding.

“They also want to send a few promising young men to learn under my father,” he added. But Lin Ning knew very well—it wasn’t just about learning a trade. The village hoped that his father would choose one of them as a live-in son-in-law, keeping the Lin family’s ties to the village strong.

Lin Ning glanced at Shen Qing, full of envy. “You’re impressive—quietly found yourself such a handsome husband, and now you have nothing to worry about.”

Shen Qing didn’t know how to comfort him, but the news of Lin Ning’s home disaster sparked some thoughts in his mind.

After dinner, Shen Qing sought out Magistrate Lin and expressed his willingness to donate a sum of money.

Magistrate Lin was stunned. His hometown was far from Anping County and under a different jurisdiction. Even if Shen Qing wanted to donate, it wouldn’t make sense for him to go through him. In a way, it was no different from bribery.

But at this moment, Magistrate Lin truly couldn’t refuse. He wasn’t a corrupt official and had only been in office for a few years—his savings were limited. Otherwise, he wouldn’t still be living in the back of the government office, unable to afford his own residence.

A few days ago, people from his old hometown had come seeking help. Even after scraping together everything he could, Magistrate Lin had only managed to put together fifty taels. That was already a considerable amount—enough to build two or three brick houses or purchase several acres of land. But compared to the devastation caused by the natural disaster, it was merely a drop in the ocean.

Now, money was needed for purchasing winter provisions, for repairing the village’s houses in the coming year, and for treating those who had fallen ill due to waterborne diseases. Magistrate Lin wasn’t the type of person who would rise through the ranks and then turn his back on his hometown. At this moment, Shen Qing’s offer to donate money was truly a case of delivering coal in the middle of a snowstorm.

Not long ago, he had been sternly lecturing Shen Qing about not attempting to bribe officials, yet now he found himself reluctant to refuse this gesture. It was a bit humiliating. But Shen Qing remained calm. “This isn’t the same as before, and this money isn’t for you personally—it’s for the people of your homeland. It’s not even going into your pocket.”

But those people were his relatives and friends. Magistrate Lin sighed. The money wouldn’t belong to him, but accepting it meant he owed a favor. Glancing at Shen Qing, he finally said, “If you have a request, just say it.”

From the moment Shen Qing arrived, Magistrate Lin had sensed that he had something on his mind.

Shen Qing hesitated slightly but still spoke up. “Last time, when I presented you with the crossbows, I actually had a favor to ask. I didn’t bring it up then, but I will now.” He glanced at Song Kaiji before continuing. “My husband… is from elsewhere. His family used to be merchants, but after his father passed, his family assets were divided among his relatives. He didn’t take anything from them—he just brought his mother and came to find me.”

He carefully observed Magistrate Lin’s expression before gritting his teeth and saying, “Merchants are ultimately of lower status. When you move on to a higher position, if the new magistrate is easygoing, it won’t be an issue. But if he’s difficult, our future won’t be secure. I was thinking… regardless of where my husband originally came from, I hope you can register him with a new household record in Anping County. In the future, if he can obtain a student status or scholar’s title—not necessarily to become an official, but just to have some scholarly rank—he would be treated with a bit more respect and at least have a means of self-preservation.”

After speaking, he looked directly at Magistrate Lin, who showed no great change in expression. He simply sat down and silently drank his tea. Shen Qing held his breath and sat in quiet companionship.

After a long while, Magistrate Lin finally spoke. “Truthfully, even if you hadn’t asked, I had already been considering how to provide you with some protection.”

But his thoughts had been different from Shen Qing’s.

Since Shen Qing had foreseen the difficulties that might come after Magistrate Lin’s promotion, naturally, Magistrate Lin had thought of them as well. In fact, if he did get promoted, six times out of ten, it would be thanks to Shen Qing—high-yield grain, superior weapons…

But once he left Anping County, it would be hard to say how the next magistrate would treat a ger merchant like Shen Qing. Lin Ning was close with Shen Qing, and Magistrate Lin himself had considered strengthening ties between their families. He had no sons, and Lin Ning might rely on Shen Qing’s support in the future.

He had even considered proposing to take Miao Chunlei as a concubine—not that he had any personal interest in Miao Chunlei. He only loved his own fulang. But in this era, taking concubines was sometimes a loophole, a means of crossing class boundaries.

In the military, it was common for dying soldiers to entrust their wives and children to their commanders. If the commander then took the widow as a concubine, the children would legally become the general’s own, securing their future and preventing greedy relatives from seizing their inheritance. For the general, having more children also meant stronger family ties and political advantages. Whether the concubine was actually treated as a wife or simply given a title, who would know what truly went on behind closed doors?

If Magistrate Lin had taken Miao Chunlei as a concubine, Shen Qing would have been officially added to the Lin family genealogy, making him and Lin Ning sworn brothers under the family name. Even if a new magistrate took office, they wouldn’t dare to mistreat him.

However, Magistrate Lin instinctively felt that Shen Qing would likely refuse such a proposal, which was why he had never mentioned it. Later, he had also considered adopting Shen Qing as a foster son—though that wouldn’t carry as much weight as formally joining the family line, it was still better than nothing. Yet Shen Qing, full of integrity, wanted his husband to earn his own scholarly rank.

Registering a new household record and fabricating a new identity—this was both difficult and easy. The process itself was simple, as he had just the right unclaimed lineage slot to make it work. The difficulty lay in the fact that Magistrate Lin would be personally vouching for Song Kaiji. If Song Kaiji later chose not just to obtain scholarly rank but to continue climbing into government office, a false identity could be exposed, and it would implicate him as well.

After deliberating for a while, Magistrate Lin ultimately decided to trust Shen Qing. “My hometown suffered from this disaster, and one of my cousins lost his entire family to illness. He had a son, seventeen years old, who hadn’t yet been betrothed. We won’t need to forge anything—I’ll use some connections to have your husband inherit his identity.”

Several young men from the village were already being sent over to apprentice under him, so blending in an extra name wouldn’t be difficult. “My family has been farmers for generations. This identity won’t hinder him from taking the imperial exams.”

Then Magistrate Lin added solemnly, “However, I hope you will agree to become my adopted son. I won’t claim to treat you the same as Ning Ge’er, but whatever a father would provide for his child, I will provide for you. You may act in my name publicly. And as for your husband—once he assumes this new identity, I won’t question his past. From now on, he will be my clan’s nephew, and I will naturally take care of you both.”

The underlying message was clear: don’t cause trouble. They had agreed that he wouldn’t pursue official rank, so he had better not stir up trouble for him. This was a mutually beneficial arrangement.

Shen Qing was stunned. He had expected Magistrate Lin to hesitate before ultimately agreeing, but he hadn’t expected that Magistrate Lin had already planned for his well-being. Being taken as an adopted son meant being able to use Magistrate Lin’s name—this was essentially handing him a prestigious background on a silver platter. Though adopted children weren’t as highly regarded as biological ones, it was still a hundred times better than being a ger from a farming family. The temptation was real.

But after careful consideration, Shen Qing still found it difficult to accept and gently declined.

Magistrate Lin was surprised, but before he could react, Shen Qing quickly explained, “It’s not that I don’t want to be bound to your family.” It was just that he had worked so hard to break free from the Shen family and from Shen Zhigao—he didn’t want another father figure looming over him.

Even if, at present, it seemed more advantageous than restrictive. Shen Qing was all too aware of the weight of filial piety in this society. Fathers had absolute authority, and a single word could dictate a child’s fate. If something ever went wrong, an adopted son would have far fewer options than an unrelated ally.

“I can swear brotherhood with Ning Ge’er, and from now on, I will treat him as my own brother. Or, my mother and your spouse can become sworn sisters,” Shen Qing suggested. But he was adamant about not taking on another father. He had already prepared himself for Magistrate Lin’s refusal.

Fortunately, after a moment of thought, Magistrate Lin did not insist. “I had a feeling you might refuse,” he admitted. He couldn’t even explain why, but based on what he knew of Shen Qing, it made sense. If Shen Qing wouldn’t even agree to be an adopted son, he would have definitely rejected the concubine proposal.

Shen Qing was pleasantly surprised and felt a warm gratitude—Magistrate Lin hadn’t taken offense and was still willing to go through with everything. Binding their families together was already a huge favor. He immediately called Song Kaiji over to offer his thanks.

Song Kaiji was perceptive and immediately addressed Magistrate Lin as “Uncle.” Magistrate Lin waved him off. “Go back first. This will take some effort to arrange. Come pick up your household records after the fifteenth of the first month. That day, I’ll hold a banquet and invite witnesses for your and Ning Ge’er’s sworn brotherhood.”

Before leaving, Shen Qing left behind a thousand taels of silver and a small box. Magistrate Lin’s spouse glanced at him, and though Magistrate Lin frowned, he ultimately allowed him to accept it.

After Shen Qing left, Magistrate Lin and his fulang finally opened the box. Inside, they found a Liu Li glass apple tree—about a foot tall, with numerous tiny glass apples in various colors. Though small, they were exquisitely lifelike.

The magistrate’s fulang widened his eyes. “This… this is made of Liu Li glass? How much is this worth!”

Each apple looked as real as if freshly plucked—calling it a masterpiece of craftsmanship wouldn’t be an exaggeration.

“Our family has no place for such a valuable item. If it gets chipped or cracked, I’d be heartbroken!” the magistrate’s fulang exclaimed.

Magistrate Lin circled around the apple tree, examining it carefully, before shaking his head with a laugh. “This isn’t for us—it’s meant for me to use as a gift to curry favor.” He chuckled. “That Shen Qing!”

Shen Qing believed that binding himself to Magistrate Lin was to his own advantage, but didn’t Magistrate Lin feel the same? Not only would Lin Ning gain extra security through this connection, but Shen Qing also frequently brought out rare treasures—using them to impress his superiors would make his path to promotion much smoother.

They weren’t even officially family yet, and Shen Qing was already helping him rise.

Meanwhile, after leaving the yamen, Shen Qing turned to Song Kaiji and asked, “What did the magistrate ask you earlier?” Before dinner, Magistrate Lin had taken on a father-in-law-like stance, sitting down with Song Kaiji for tea and a serious conversation. Only now did Shen Qing realize that Magistrate Lin must have already been considering taking him in as an adoptive son back then.

Song Kaiji ruffled his hair. “Nothing much.” At first, he had been nervous, afraid of slipping up and revealing something suspicious. But Magistrate Lin hadn’t pried into his past. He had only asked whether Song Kaiji planned to settle permanently in Anping County and what his future aspirations were.

Hearing this, Shen Qing finally relaxed.

The two of them then detoured to check on the northern residence in town, handed out holiday bonuses, and gave their staff time off. Shopkeeper Xiao Miao, Ruyi, and the others had worked hard all year and received hefty red envelopes to enjoy a peaceful and well-deserved New Year’s break.

From the Lesser New Year to the sixth day of the first month, the shop would remain closed. Shen Qing even permitted the young maids and servants to go out together and have some fun—what was the point of earning silver if they had no chance to spend it?

Lian Ye also received a bonus, but he was so overwhelmed that he didn’t know where to put his hands and feet. “I—I only worked for two days! How can I accept this?” Since arriving, he had been recovering from his injuries, resting for days. Ruyi and the others had been incredibly kind, telling him to heal first before doing any work. He hadn’t even contributed yet—how could he take money?

“Take it,” Ruyi said. “Everyone gets one. If you feel bad about it, use it to buy gifts for the people who took care of you while you were healing.”

Only then did Lian Ye, with tears in his eyes, accept it—deeply moved.

---

With everything settled, Shen Qing and Song Kaiji returned to the apocalypse. Their scheduled meeting with the Red City military was approaching.

This time, perhaps because the New Year was near, their small base had taken on a more festive atmosphere. In the past—especially for those who had struggled to survive in refugee camps—who would have imagined they could one day live so stably, let alone celebrate the New Year?

The craftsmen Shen Qing had nurtured were naturally skilled, making delicate velvet flowers and even a few red lanterns. The base wasn’t large, so decorations could be seen every few steps, filling the air with a strong New Year’s spirit. Those who passed by felt uplifted, as if even in the apocalypse, life still held hope.

Chen Jiaxi was flipping through the account books, reporting to Shen Qing. “In the past while, we’ve added over two thousand people to the base. Our total population is now 9,167. Among the newcomers, 422 are ability users, 261 are capable young adults trained in archery and firearms, and the rest are non-combat family members.”

Qu Weiwei grumbled from the side. “I suspect that bastard Shao Nan leaked our base’s location to the refugee camp. We used to handpick people from the refugee camp—only those we approved could come. But lately, we’ve had several waves of people showing up on their own.”

Their base wasn’t against accepting the elderly, weak, sick, or disabled—but there were limits! They had strict screening processes: criminals from before the apocalypse were rejected, and those who had shoved others into zombies or stolen food after the apocalypse were also turned away.

Chen Jiaxi’s selection process wasn’t just about finding capable people—it was about filtering out those with poor morals who could destabilize the base.

Red City Base had similar concerns about security, which was why they charged an entry fee and reinforced patrols to maintain order.

But now, Red City was offloading people they didn’t want onto them! Infuriating!

Fortunately, while these self-arriving groups weren’t as carefully chosen, at least none of them had serious character issues. They had traveled nearly ten kilometers from Red City Base, risking their lives—some even died on the way. In the end, Shen Qing’s base accepted them.

Shen Qing rubbed his forehead. There was no helping it. As their base continued growing, more people were bound to come seeking refuge. And from a practical standpoint, they needed people. The stronger their numbers, the better their ability to compete with other factions.

“Let’s start constructing an outer city,” Shen Qing decided after some thought.

Red City Base had both an inner and outer city, though their system was based on class division. Most officials, military officers, and powerful ability users lived in the inner city, while ordinary people and low-level ability users were left in the outer city.

Shen Qing’s version, however, was intended as a secure refugee zone.

“All those who come voluntarily will stay in the outer city first. Jiaxi will screen them—if they pass the character check, they can enter the inner city. If not, they stay in the outer city. We’ll provide basic food rations, but they must work in return.”

Their base had plenty of jobs for ordinary people—building walls, constructing houses, harvesting crops… Wood-type ability users could speed up crop growth, but they couldn’t harvest it instantly. Manual labor was still necessary.

As for those who entered the inner city, they could form teams with ability users to hunt zombies. Ability users would kill the zombies, and regular people would dig out the energy cores. With a character screening in place, they wouldn’t have to worry about betrayals or backstabbing within the teams.

Chen Jiaxi hesitated. “But if we do this, eventually, conflict will erupt between the inner and outer city.”

“Yeah,” Shen Qing sighed. “But for now, this is the only way. Once Red City Base stabilizes, we’ll have a proper talk with them.”

Honestly, weren’t they supposed to be the official base? Pushing all these people onto us—have they no shame?

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