Chapter 100

Chapter 100: A Harsh Lesson

"Grandfather Fu!" The little one was as delighted as if she had seen a family member.

County Magistrate Fu looked somewhat thin, but his spirit was lively.

Upon seeing Shen Ningning, he smiled and lifted the little one up as if she were his own granddaughter.

"Ningning, has your injury healed well?"

"All better! It was just a scrape, and it’s healed now. Look, Grandfather, if you don't believe me," she said, offering her chubby cheek for inspection.

County Magistrate Fu laughed heartily, amused by her.

When mentioning the trip to Jingshan, his tone carried a hint of guilt.

"I just wanted you all to relax a bit, but I didn't expect such an accident to happen, and even the Crown Prince fell down with you..."

He stopped abruptly, not finishing his sentence.

He couldn't say any more.

When he was released from prison, it was the Emperor's head eunuch who personally welcomed him out.

Before County Magistrate Fu could say anything, the head eunuch already had a smile on his face, imploring him not to be angry or take offense.

Moreover, the Emperor had privately bestowed upon him a heap of rewards.

The head eunuch whispered discreetly, "Magistrate Fu, you are magnanimous. Please don’t tell Miss Shen too much; we don't want to worry her."

County Magistrate Fu was quite baffled.

Why was the Emperor so concerned about Shen Ningning?

Besides, he did bear some responsibility for the incident. Had he not insisted everyone go for an outing, the Crown Prince wouldn’t have fallen into the valley.

But since the Emperor did not pursue the matter and hoped he would forget it too, Magistrate Fu naturally refrained from mentioning it to Shen Ningning.

Fu Yuansong instructed his guards to take some newly purchased paper and brushes from the carriage and deliver them to the private school.

"I was worried the other students might resent you for the mishap at Jingshan, so I prepared these gifts, one for each student in the school."

After he finished speaking, Shen Ningning's eyes sparkled.

Grandfather Fu was really too good to her!

"Thank you, Grandfather." The little one opened her arms and hugged Magistrate Fu's arm, acting coquettishly like she would with her own grandfather.

This brought Magistrate Fu to fits of laughter.

He had official duties to attend to and couldn’t stay long. After watching the guards deliver the paper and brushes, he left with peace of mind.

Shen Ningning was about to return to the classroom but saw Qin Fangmei limping by, struggling with a stack of heavy books.

The little one immediately averted her gaze, feeling that even an extra look at such wickedness was a disrespect to herself.

She quickened her pace.

Unexpectedly, Qin Fangmei glanced at her and called out desperately, "Ningning, help me—ouch!"

Qin Fangmei stumbled and fell hard.

Hearing the noise, Shen Ningning turned back to see Qin Fangmei's books scattered on the ground.

"What are you playing at, pretending to be pitiful again?"

"I'm not pretending..." Qin Fangmei said through tears, "The teachers are all preparing the paper and brushes from the county magistrate, and the page boy just called me to help carry books. These are for our use."

Shen Ningning remained silent, her cute brows furrowed, looking displeased at her.

Qin Fangmei rubbed her ankle.

"Ningning, could you pick them up for me? You'll be using these books too."

"You don't have to help me up, but please don't delay everyone's studies..."

Shen Ningning pouted.

Fine, she would pick up the books, but she definitely would not help Qin Fangmei up.

She walked over and bent down to gather the books.

A sinister malice flickered in the depths of Qin Fangmei's eyes.

Her hand quietly grasped a piece of broken stone nearby.

Shen Ningning was squatting beside her, turned to the side. If Qin Fangmei thrust the stone into her temple, Shen Ningning would undoubtedly die!

The hatred in Qin Fangmei's heart had reached its zenith.

Shen Ningning caused the death of her mother, and the Crown Prince had ordered that Aunt Qin's remains be completely obliterated!

She lamented that she couldn't even find a place to pay respects to her mother.

The more she thought about it, the more Qin Fangmei felt Shen Ningning deserved to die.

Suddenly, she raised her hand, intending to strike while the little one was distracted!

Out of nowhere!

Someone furiously pounced from behind, shouting, "Don't you dare hurt her!"

Shen Ningning was startled and fell onto her bottom.

She saw Wu Zuchang emerge from somewhere, pinning Qin Fangmei beneath him, and furiously punching her left cheek.

Qin Fangmei screamed in pain, kicking and flailing her arms.

Wu Zuchang’s cheeks were scratched and bleeding, but he held her down firmly.

"She's my sister! If you try to hurt her, I'll... I'll kill you!" His hands tightened around Qin Fangmei’s neck.

Shen Ningning came to her senses and hurriedly grabbed Wu Zuchang's sleeve, "Brother Zuchang, please stop."

Wu Zuchang, as if possessed, paid no heed to others. His eyes bloodshot, he was hell-bent on taking Qin Fangmei's life!

Qin Fangmei's eyes were rolling back, her face turning purple from being choked.

It seemed she might be choked to death!

At this moment, students passing nearby rushed over to intervene.

Master Huang, having heard the commotion, hurried over and pulled Wu Zuchang away.

"How dare you attempt murder in a private school!?" He looked at Wu Zuchang, both shocked and angry, "Which classroom's student are you?"

Wu Zuchang, still being restrained, glared fiercely at Qin Fangmei.

Shen Ningning quickly stepped in front of him, addressing Master Huang, "Master, he's my brother from a neighboring village. I brought him here to study…"

"Qin Fangmei was about to hit me, and he saw it, that's why he lost his temper."

Qin Fangmei, barely alive and coughing, protested, "You... you're lying, cough... how could I hit you in this state?"

Wu Zuchang, veins throbbing on his forehead, insisted, "The stone, she had a stone!"

Master Huang glanced at the ground near Qin Fangmei and indeed saw a small stone.

Other masters urgently suggested, "This is not the time for questions, we should take Student Qin to the physician first!"

Master Huang nodded, personally leading two students and another master to take Qin Fangmei away.

Before leaving, he instructed Shen Ningning, "Keep an eye on him, don't leave just yet."

After they left, everyone was afraid of Wu Zuchang, seeing him as a potentially murderous lunatic.

The students kept their distance, and Lu Shaoyuan also came over to pull Shen Ningning away.

"Let's go back first."

"I'm not leaving. I'll stay with Brother Zuchang. You go ahead." The little one shook her head.

When it was just the two of them left, Wu Zuchang looked at Shen Ningning and started to smile foolishly and drool again.

"Girl, don't... don't be afraid, I'll protect you."

After saying this, he, like a little dog, took out a bag of sunflower seeds from his embrace, "It's hot, hot, you eat."

In his understanding, food must be eaten hot; cold food could harm the body.

So, since the seeds were cold, he needed to warm them up for his sister.

Not just that, there was also the iced lychee water Shen Ningning had given him to quench his thirst, but he had buried it under the sand.

When he took Shen Ningning to dig it out, seeing the dirtied lychee water, he furrowed his brows in concern.

"How... how did it spoil..."

Shen Ningning looked at Wu Zuchang's cracked lips, her little face filled with sorrow.

Even though the Wu family had approached her with an ulterior motive, this foolish brother truly treated her like a sister.

The little one hurriedly ran to get her own water skin for him.

"You drink this."

Wu Zuchang opened the water skin and poured it over his head, then shook his hair.

"Hehe..." He smiled foolishly at Shen Ningning.

The little one was helpless.

He was led to a cool spot under the corridor, and given a red fruit to eat.

Wu Zuchang knew how to eat this time and devoured it quickly.

Shen Ningning took out a handkerchief and gently wiped the scratches on his face made by Qin Fangmei.

Wu Zuchang seemed delighted, eating messily with juice all over his mouth, and smiled goofily at her.

"Brother Zuchang, can I ask you a few questions?"

"Hmm!"

"Do I look like your real sister?" Shen Ningning asked him with wide eyes.

Today's bonus chapter, and there will be three updates tomorrow and a burst of updates the day after. Thank you, my dear readers, for your love~~