Chapter 60: Chapter 60: That’s My Son! Not a Bandit
This really startled Shen Ningning.
She thought for a moment, then lifted her watery eyes. "Is it the pustule plague?"
Chen Ye nodded grimly. "It’s very likely. While on campaign, I buried two dead men, and then I started breaking out in blisters."
The little one fell silent.
Her long lashes drooped, veiling her round, dark eyes as if she were deep in thought.
Chen Ye remained clinging to the tree.
Besides hiding from the wolf pack, there was another reason: he was sick now and couldn’t get close to Shen Ningning.
His mother had told him that if this little girl hadn’t given them money, he would never have had the chance to bribe his way through the checkpoints and return to the capital.
However, Shen Ningning looked up again. "Brother Chen, come on down. You can stay at my place, and I’ll go back to the village with you tomorrow morning."
Chen Ye was shocked. "I can’t! Let’s not even mention that I might have the plague; I’m also wanted by the constables as a suspicious person. I can’t hide at your house, and I certainly can’t go back."
The little one’s voice was soft, but her clear eyes showed a calm resolve.
"It’s okay. Grandma and I don’t get sick easily!"
She had been drinking Spiritual Spring Water since she was little, so common illnesses hardly affected her.
She still remembered when she was three, Aunt Qin had caught some unknown illness from Landlord Du and broken out in a red rash all over her body.
Uncle Qin and Qin Fangmei caught it too.
But she and Grandma Qin were completely fine.
Back then, Shen Ningning knew that drinking Spiritual Spring Water strengthened the body—and not just a little!
But Chen Ye still had his reservations.
He didn’t want to get Shen Ningning into trouble.
The little one naturally saw what he was thinking.
"Brother Chen, you have to trust me! Only by coming to my house can I help you treat this illness first!"
"Besides, why are you hiding? You haven’t done anything wrong, you’re just sick. If you cooperate with me, I guarantee you’ll recover, and you won’t endanger the villagers either."
Shen Ningning guessed that Granny Chen had probably caught it too.
When she had opened the door that day, she had spoken from a distance and wouldn’t let the little one in.
Shen Ningning added in her soft voice, "Besides, if they can’t find you, won’t those constables give Granny Chen a hard time?"
As soon as he heard this, Chen Ye resignedly jumped down from the tree.
He wore a black mask covering his nose and mouth. Clasping his hands, he said, "Then... I’ll have to trouble you, Miss."
The little one waved her hand. "Just call me Ningning, okay!"
She led Chen Ye home.
The wolf pack stared at him, their eyes cold and menacing.
"Heave-ho~" Shen Ningning pushed out a large, empty vat.
She directed the wolf pack to bring over buckets one by one, letting Chen Ye fill the vat himself.
During this time, the little one secretly slipped into her grandmother’s room and took the silver needles.
After sterilizing them over a flame, she told Chen Ye to take off his clothes.
"All the blisters have to be popped!"
Chen Ye didn’t dare let Shen Ningning touch him, afraid of infecting her.
So, he took the needle himself and went behind a section of the wall.
A short while later, he returned wearing his undergarments.
She saw that the blisters on his arm had all deflated.
Shen Ningning nodded slightly. "Get in the vat!"
Chen Ye froze, looking at the vat of water.
He hesitated for only a moment before stepping into the vat and squatting down without asking why.
SPLASH! Water spilled over the edge.
Shen Ningning nodded in satisfaction. "Brother Chen, you have to soak here all night. Don’t get out of the water, no matter what."
Chen Ye’s voice was steady. "Okay."
Then, the little one beckoned with her small hand. "Langlang, let’s go to sleep!"
’We have to go back to the village tomorrow morning!’
The Black Wolf King immediately followed her, and the other wolves jostled for position, all trying to snag a good spot by Shen Ningning’s bed.
Lang Si was the slowest, and he nearly got Wolf Three stuck in the doorway.
Neither of the two wolves made it inside. The floor of the room was already covered by the Black Wolf King and the rest of the pack.
Wolf Three and Lang Si were so angry they almost started fighting at the door.
Shen Ningning poked her little head out from the bed. "Shhh! No fighting!"
Wolf Three and Lang Si could only glare at each other.
The Little White Wolf had already entered the room, but seeing Lang Si outside, it slowly walked over and lay down next to him.
Poor Wolf Three watched the two of them nestle together, his wolf eyes filled with both disdain and envy.
’I really want to howl at the moon to express my loneliness, but I’m afraid of getting beaten up by Wolf Father.’ So he gave up the idea.
Soon, in the moonlit courtyard, the rest of the wolf pack also fell fast asleep.
Soaking in the vat, Chen Ye silently watched all of this unfold.
A deep mountain, a large house, clear water, wolves, and a little girl.
’It feels like I’m in a dream,’ he thought, ’so wonderful it can’t be real.’
「The next day.」
When Shen Ningning woke up, Grandma Qin was talking to Chen Ye.
Following the little one’s instructions, Chen Ye had stayed in the vat all night without getting out.
The sun was just rising, and the water temperature was already becoming warm.
When Grandma Qin first came out of her room, she saw a head in the large vat in the courtyard and nearly jumped out of her skin!
Fortunately, Lang Si circled her, licked her hand, and indicated that this Chen Ye was not a bad person.
Grandma Qin walked closer and immediately recognized him as Granny Chen’s son.
"Chen Family’s child, when did you get back?" Grandma Qin also knew about the time Shen Ningning had lent money to Granny Chen.
’Didn’t all the money get sent over?’
Chen Ye said helplessly, "I’ve been back for a while. I was at the border and accidentally contracted what might be a plague."
"According to military regulations, anyone who gets the plague can only be beaten to death."
"But the Deputy General looked out for me and was willing to spare my life. He found a crime to accuse me of and kicked me out of the barracks before I got seriously ill."
"The 200 taels were my travel expenses to get home. But because I was sick, I didn’t dare show my face."
Thanks to that money, he was able to travel incognito and not die of thirst or starvation on the road.
Grandma Qin showed a pained expression. "You poor child."
She walked over, wanting to help Chen Ye by adding another bucket of water.
But Chen Ye said urgently, "Grandma Qin, you mustn’t! If I have the plague, it’s best you don’t come near."
"The young miss has helped me, and I already have no way to repay her. I absolutely cannot drag you down as well."
Shen Ningning came over on her little feet, fastening the knotted buttons on her summer shirt.
Her voice was soft and sweet. "You won’t! After soaking all night, your symptoms should be much better."
After she spoke, Chen Ye lifted his arm to look.
Sure enough, the blisters he had popped last night, which had been bloody and leaking yellow fluid, had now faded to nothing more than the color of his skin.
Usually, the blisters were unbearably itchy, but right now, he felt nothing at all.
Shen Ningning nodded in satisfaction, her watery eyes dark and bright. "You’re almost all better! Let’s have some breakfast, then we’ll go down the mountain and back to the village!"
Chen Ye quickly agreed and got out of the vat.
In the army barracks, he was famous for his great strength.
He effortlessly hoisted the vat, carried it out of the house, and walked two li before pouring the water out in a spot exposed to the sun.
When he got back, Shen Ningning had already taken the wolves and burned the old clothes he wore last night.
"Brother Chen, Grandma and I don’t have any clothes for you to change into," the little one said, embarrassed.
Chen Ye quickly said, "It’s alright, the set I’m wearing is fine."
Grandma Qin brought them meat buns and freshly made soy milk for breakfast.
After they finished eating, the hot sun had already dried Chen Ye’s damp undergarments.
Shen Ningning called him over to help. "Brother Chen, can you help me put this gem box and the loquat saplings from the backyard onto the carriage?"
The box contained the gems the little monkeys had given her.
If she saw Chief Wang later, she had to hand them over.
Chen Ye’s strength was extraordinary.
He hoisted the heavy gem box with one hand while carrying three loquat saplings with the other.
Shen Ningning wanted to help him, but Chen Ye said, "Miss, please just sit. I can handle this by myself."
He ran back and forth five or six times, finally loading all the loquat saplings into the carriage.
Shen Ningning said goodbye to Grandma Qin, then led the wolf pack down the mountain toward the village.
They had just reached the entrance of Xiangyun Village when they saw a group of constables and villagers surrounding Granny Chen.
Aunt Deng stood with her hands on her hips, questioning her. "Are you going to talk or not? We’ve been asking you all night, so why are you being so tight-lipped! Hurry up and confess, is the person you’re hiding at home a bandit?"
Granny Chen’s graying hair was a mess. She looked at the constables and retorted in terror, "That’s my son! He’s not a bandit!"
"Bullshit!" Aunt Deng shoved her forcefully. "If he’s your son, why is he hiding, afraid of being seen?"
Seeing his mother being bullied, Chen Ye clenched his fists.
Just as he was about to step forward, Shen Ningning stretched out her small hand to stop him.
"Be patient," the little one said in her sweet, childish voice, as calm as a little adult.
Deng Fugui had sharp eyes. He caught a glimpse of them out of the corner of his eye and immediately shouted, "Little Wolf Sister is here! Huh? And she’s brought someone with her."
