Wolf-Raised Cub with a Space: Surviving the Disaster Years

Chapter 206: Chapter 206: You Are the Inauspicious One

Shen Ningning was a little surprised.

’Winter is coming, but it’s only just November. Why is it snowing already?’

But when she held out her small hand again to catch the rain and look for snowflakes, she couldn’t find any. It was as if what she had just seen was an illusion.

This sudden downpour at the end of autumn was like the heavens were dumping water, SPLASHING down endlessly.

By evening, the sky had turned oppressively dark, like the dead of night.

Everyone except Shen Ningning was overjoyed by the heavy rain.

Perhaps because they had been tormented by the drought for so long, they saw any rain as a good thing.

But Shen Ningning felt colder and colder. The little girl felt chilled to the bone in the turquoise-green dress she wore today.

Just as she stepped out of Huangzi Class, she saw a familiar figure approaching with an umbrella.

"Godfather~" Overjoyed, the little girl immediately ignored the heavy rain and ran, PITTER-PATTER, toward Xie Suzhi.

Xie Suzhi’s expression changed. "Ningning, don’t get caught in the rain."

But he was too late. By the time the little girl threw herself into his arms, strands of her hair were already damp with rain, clinging wetly to her fair cheeks.

Shen Ningning beamed, her smile sweet. "It’s okay, Godfather! Only my hair got wet. It’ll be fine once it’s dry."

Xie Suzhi touched the little girl’s hand; it was ice-cold.

He immediately turned his head, and an attendant at once handed him a large cloak. He wrapped Shen Ningning up tightly, as if swaddling a baby.

"The weather turned cold so suddenly. You must be freezing. Godfather will carry you," Xie Suzhi said, then tucked a small, gilded hand-warmer into the little girl’s arms.

Soon, warmth enveloped the little one, making her cheeks glow red as if brushed by sunset clouds.

It made her pair of dark, round almond eyes seem even brighter and more lively.

Xie Suzhi carried Shen Ningning away, while two attendants behind them held a wide umbrella over the pair’s heads.

"Godfather, I even saw it snow today! Are you cold?" the little girl asked, reaching out her warm, chubby hands to cup Xie Suzhi’s cheeks.

Xie Suzhi laughed heartily. "I’m not cold. What matters is that your little hands don’t get frozen."

"But, could Ningning have been mistaken? It’s a bit too early for snow now."

Cangyun Country had long summers and short winters.

In previous years, even if it did snow, it wouldn’t start until the twelfth lunar month.

Moreover, with the severe droughts in recent years, the winter snows had been coming even later.

Shen Ningning shook her head and said with certainty, "I really did see it! The snowflakes were in the rain, and they were icy cold when they landed on my fingers."

Xie Suzhi smiled, pressing his lips together. "Then that just means winter has come early. Godfather will have a few more padded dresses made for you."

The two had just returned to the Xie Mansion and entered the main gate when they saw Xie Yuanjiu standing at the corner of a long corridor, completely drenched.

She seemed to be freezing, her lips purplish-white from the cold. Her eyes, gloomy and icy, were fixed on Shen Ningning.

Her wet hair was splayed messily over her shoulders and stuck to her face, making her look sinister and terrifying.

Not only was the little girl stunned, but even Xie Suzhi furrowed his brows slightly, a look of confusion on his face.

’What’s wrong with Xie Yuanjiu?’

Before Xie Suzhi could speak, Xie Yuanjiu turned and left.

Shen Ningning tilted her head, her big eyes full of confusion. She asked in her soft, sweet voice, "Godfather, what’s wrong with Fourth Sister?"

Xie Suzhi’s gaze darkened for a moment, but he quickly turned to the little girl with a gentle smile. "Don’t worry, Ningning. She probably ran into something unpleasant. She’ll likely be fine in a little while."

After Xie Suzhi took Shen Ningning back to her courtyard, he had Muchun and Wanchun prepare hot water and ginger soup for her.

Afterward, he returned to his study, summoned Xie Yuanjiu’s maid, and asked what exactly had happened during the palace visit today.

The maid sighed. "First Master, the Young Miss was wronged in the palace today."

After she explained in detail, Xie Suzhi finally understood what had happened.

It turned out that Xie Yuanjiu had been helping Consort Rong sun the Buddhist Scriptures when, unexpectedly, the weather changed abruptly and it began to pour.

She and the Palace Attendants had rushed to save the scriptures, but by the time they moved everything into the hall, they were all soaked.

The Buddhist Scriptures that Consort Rong had painstakingly copied for an entire year were all ruined by the water. The ink characters bled into blurry smudges.

It was said that Consort Rong was so heartbroken she fainted on the spot.

Her elder aunt immediately reprimanded Xie Yuanjiu, saying she had been standing guard outside but had failed to notice the changing weather.

The heavy rain had soaked not only the Buddhist Scriptures, but also Consort Rong’s sincere heart in praying for Cangyun Country.

This was not a good omen.

And so, Xie Yuanjiu had come home in tears.

After understanding the situation, Xie Suzhi’s dark brows furrowed deeply, his eyes as dark as ink.

After a moment, he said to the maid, "Go and ask the Second Master to come. I have something to say to him."

In the second branch’s residence, Xie Yuanjiu’s door was shut tight, and the sound of heartbroken sobs could be heard continuously from within.

"Jiu Jiu, stop crying! Aiyo, your crying is breaking Mother’s heart." Second Madam Xie kept knocking on the door, wanting to go in, but the bolt was latched from the inside.

"Jiu Jiu, open the door."

Xie Yuanjiu’s furious voice, choked with sobs, came through the door. "Mother, this is all your fault!"

"You just had to arrange for those two maids to gossip, and that elder aunt overheard them! Today, the rain soaked the scriptures Consort Rong copied. When I was leaving the palace, I heard the palace maids whispering that I’m the unlucky one in the Xie family."

After saying this, her future seemed even more bleak and hopeless.

The proud young lady of the Xie family would surely become the laughingstock of the entire Capital City.

How could she ever compete with Shen Ningning now?

Outside, Second Madam Xie was already in a panic.

She stomped her foot anxiously. "How could this happen? Mother wasn’t trying to harm you! I wanted them to think it was that Shen... Aiyo!"

Remembering that walls have ears and fearing someone might overhear and report her to Xie Suzhi, Second Madam Xie didn’t dare to continue.

But for the first time, a feeling of resentment toward Xie Suzhi bloomed in her heart.

’If he hadn’t brought that adopted girl back to the mansion, none of this would have happened.’

She could only keep pounding on the doorframe. "Jiu Jiu, just let Mother in. We can figure something out together."

But Xie Yuanjiu just continued to wail loudly.

The hatred in her heart reached its peak at that moment.

She hated those Palace Attendants for being so disrespectful to her, and she hated that the opportunity she had worked so hard to get was ruined just like that.

’Why did this heavy rain arrive so strangely and conveniently?’

Suddenly, Xie Yuanjiu looked up. She stopped crying, and though tears still hung on her lashes, her gaze was incredibly cold and vicious.

"It was Shen Ningning..." she murmured.

’It must have been her!’

’Since Shen Ningning is a blessed girl who can summon rain at will, today’s downpour must have been her doing.’

Xie Yuanjiu slowly sat up straight. As she stared at the heavy rain outside the window, her expression gradually twisted with malice and ferocity.

’Shen Ningning couldn’t go sun the scriptures herself, so she ruined my chance too.’

’I won’t let this go!’

"Shen Ningning, we’ll see about this," Xie Yuanjiu said, clenching her fists.

The sudden downpour lasted only for a day and a night before it stopped. After that, the weather turned cold, but every day was sunny and clear.

Shen Ningning went to inspect her dessert shop, which was preparing to open after the New Year.

Just as she reached the street corner, she saw two middle-aged men pulling a cart full of rough logs, shouting as they came.

"Wet wood! Freshly cut! Cheap! Two taels a catty! Take it all away!"

Shen Ningning stopped in her tracks and watched with curiosity. When the two men drew closer, she asked, "Uncles, I see the rings on this wood are all very new. These trees were in their prime. Why were they all chopped down?"