Chapter 16

Chapter 16: Protecting Her Brings Joy, Following Her Brings Meat!

Shen Ningning quickly stopped in her tracks, "Old Lady Chen, just say it. If I can help, I will."

Old Lady Chen had helped them by bringing Grandfather Fu to their aid; she was a good person, and Shen Ningning was willing to help her.

"I'm somewhat ashamed to ask, knowing you also have your struggles, but I'm really out of options," Old Lady Chen said, sighing.

She pointed to the six red berries thrown on the ground in the courtyard.

"Could you give these berries to Granny as well?"

Those berries, along with a few chickens, were taken directly from the wolf den by Aunt Qin and the constables.

Unfortunately, the originally sweet and juicy red berries were now stepped on and damaged in several places.

Shen Ningning glanced at them, "Of course, I can give them to Granny, but these berries are dirty and can't be eaten. I'll get you some fresh ones!"

Old Lady Chen quickly stopped her, "No need to trouble yourself, these spoiled ones are fine. They can at least be sold for a bit of money."

Seeing her worried expression, Granny Qin couldn’t help but ask, "What's the trouble with your family, Old Lady Chen?"

Old Lady Chen had been fine until this point, but upon being asked, she covered her face and wept.

"My son has made a mistake on the frontier..." she said, choking back tears as she explained.

Old Lady Chen wiped her tears with her cracked hands, "I can't gather enough money now, and I fear for my son's life out there!"

Granny Qin quickly comforted her, "Don't cry, it can't be that bad. We'll gather the money. Take all those berries."

Shen Ningning, with a determined look on her pale face, said, "Old Lady Chen, don’t worry. I'll pay the money for you!"

Old Lady Chen was startled.

"Ah? Ningning... but it's one hundred and fifty taels, that's no small amount."

Even if Old Lady Chen sold all her land, she wouldn't have that much money.

Yet Shen Ningning was very confident.

"Old Lady Chen, don't worry. I have a way. I'll bring you the money when I return from the city tomorrow."

With that, the little girl and Granny Qin held hands and left.

Old Lady Chen stood there, somewhat uneasy.

"Ningning is only four years old, can she really come up with so much money?"

It was only when they left the village that Shen Ningning saw the Black Wolf King and the wolf pack waiting at the intersection of the village entrance and the mountain path.

The pack of wolves, with shiny black fur and strong limbs, was enough to scare every passing villager to death!

Probably if Shen Ningning hadn’t come out sooner, the Black Wolf King would have led the pack into the village.

Seeing the little girl, Wolf Three immediately rushed over.

It rubbed its furry head against Shen Ningning's sleeve, then fiercely bared its teeth towards the village.

Two villagers who had been peeping out saw this and scampered back into their homes, terrified.

After this incident, Shen Ningning's reputation as the 'Little Wolf Girl' spread throughout Xiangyun Village.

Back at the wolf den, Shen Ningning sat on a rock, deep in thought.

Sensing her preoccupation, the Black Wolf King approached and licked her small hand.

The little girl came back to her senses and said, "Wolfie, we need to move, and immediately, today!"

The Black Wolf King howled inquiringly, asking why.

Shen Ningning spoke softly but clearly, "Brother said it's unsafe to let bad people know my location."

"Auntie brought so many people and found the wolf den. Everyone knows we have food here. Staying in the wolf den is no longer safe!"

"So, we're moving today! We’ll live in the big mansion."

The Black Wolf King's eyes shone with understanding and agreement.

It had been considering this for some time!

The little red spots on Shen Ningning's body kept disappearing and reappearing.

The wolf den was too damp and not suitable for her to live in.

Upon hearing Shen Ningning's words, the Black Wolf King immediately commanded the wolf pack.

It was time to relocate!

The wolf pack became excited.

They were all willing to follow Shen Ningning and leave.

Protecting her was fun, and following her meant food!

Therefore, everyone contributed their effort.

The wolves carried the grass they liked to sleep on, while Shen Ningning and Granny Qin packed up the household items they had bought to take with them.

Afterwards, Shen Ningning cut off the spring behind the wolf den.

She collected the spirit spring water and took it with her.

Although at the time, Aunt Qin and her group probably didn't check around the back of the wolf den.

Still, Shen Ningning didn't want to leave the spirit spring for the bad people to share.

Before leaving, the little girl stood outside the wolf den for the last time, looking over the entire forest.

Shen Ningning felt guilty, "I'm sorry, Wolfie. Because of me, you all have to move with me."

The Black Wolf King's deep wolf eyes gazed into the distance, emitting a few low howls.

It conveyed that there was no need for apologies, as the wolf den was crowded with many wolves and living there was uncomfortable.

It also told the little girl that it’s okay to replace things that aren't useful and to forget unhappy pasts.

Shen Ningning's eyes, moist with emotion, lit up with new, bright hope.

"Yes! Wolfie, you're right! We are going to start a new life!"

Thus, Shen Ningning, along with Granny Qin, the Black Wolf King, and the wolf pack, headed to their new home deep in the mountains.

When Granny Qin saw the old mansion in the mountains, she was astonished, "Ningning, this... this is someone else's house, isn’t it?"

Shen Ningning explained to Granny with a sweet smile, "This was discovered by Wolfie. It's been abandoned for a long time and no one has lived here."

The mansion had already been mostly tidied up by the little girl and the wolf pack.

There was some dust left, which Granny Qin helped clean up thoroughly.

Shen Ningning walked with small steps to the front courtyard.

In the lotus pond in the middle of the courtyard, she introduced the spirit spring water.

This made it convenient for the wolves to come and drink directly when they were thirsty.

The icy blue spring water bubbled up, washing out the mud from the lotus pond.

Shen Ningning helped Granny clean, while the wolf pack was responsible for disposing of the trash outside the mansion.

They all kept busy until dusk.

Everyone was exhausted and panting.

Shen Ningning quickly entered the fairyland.

She dragged a basket and selected various food items: "Beef... chicken... um, I should also take a whole basket of eggs."

The little girl made a round and picked up a bunch of pork belly.

She needed lots and lots of food to reward the wolves!

To ensure the wolf pack was well-fed, she made multiple trips to and from the fairyland.

She brought out basket after basket of fresh meats.

In the bright, large kitchen of her fairyland, different types of meat hung on the racks.

Even after being taken, new pieces would appear in just a few seconds.

Thus, she could amply provide for the wolves' meals!

Suddenly, Shen Ningning remembered the seeds she had planted in the backyard of the fairyland.

She went to the back of the hall and saw that the plants, which were just green sprouts, had grown to the size of small scallions.

The little girl pulled one out and found it was a garlic!

Overjoyed, Shen Ningning quickly ran out of the fairyland.

"Granny! I grew something!"

Granny Qin took a look and smiled, "It's fresh garlic. Ningning, you're amazing. The kitchen has just been cleaned, Granny will cook something delicious for you."

Saying this, she picked up a piece of pork belly from the basket and, leaning on a stick brought by the Black Wolf King, limped towards the kitchen.

Seeing the wolf pack already feasting, Shen Ningning eagerly followed her grandmother to the kitchen.

"Yesterday, I saw a reader comment about the unrealistic prices, mentioning dozens or hundreds of taels frequently.

Let me explain here. The background I set earlier indicates a time and space where the poor are extremely poor, and the rich are extremely rich, plus a four-year-long drought that drastically reduced agricultural output. It all depends on the government releasing grain. The fact that the government could release grain for four years shows it is powerful and capable. But even a wealthy nation cannot withstand a four-year disaster, hence the 'extremely poor and extremely rich' backdrop."

Given the historical setting of this story, I've decided that normal expenses are measured in taels, as the nation was once wealthy. The scarcity of money now, due to natural disasters, has led to prices in terms of several, dozens, or even hundreds of taels. This is similar to modern prices; how often do you see things priced in mere cents anymore? (Note that I said 'rarely,' not 'never.')

The reason why the protagonist's medicinal herbs are expensive is twofold: 1) Her herbs are of high quality, as we know they are grown in her space; 2) In drought years, crops don't grow well, and herbs requiring special conditions are even less likely to thrive. This causes high medicine prices, and those who can't afford it simply wait for death, while these herbs are intended for the wealthy.

Finally, this is my explanation, and since the story's setting is fictional, please don't scrutinize it too closely or compare it with the economic settings of other stories. I've tried to make it as reasonable as possible. Thank you for your support~~