Chapter 61: Chapter 61: The Stolen Ring
A smile as bright as a sunflower bloomed on Shen Ningning’s lovely face.
She walked forward. "Everyone’s busy, huh? Can someone lend a hand and help me get the loquat saplings down?"
"Village Chief, have everyone come to you to get the saplings—a maximum of three per family!"
The old village chief said, "Excellent, excellent! Ningning, this is all thanks to you!"
He immediately called a few able-bodied young men over to help.
Shen Ningning looked at Chief Wang. "Huh? Why are you all crowded around Granny Chen?"
Aunt Deng raised her voice. "She’s hiding a stranger in her house! For all we know, he’s one of the bandits roaming the area!"
With that, her eyes widened and she pointed at Chen Ye, who was beside Shen Ningning.
"Chief Wang, that’s him! There’s no mistake. I saw him hiding in Granny Chen’s house!"
"Hiding? You must be mistaken. This is Brother Chen, Granny Chen’s son," Shen Ningning said.
Chief Wang trusted Shen Ningning, so he walked up to Chen Ye and asked with a frown, "If you’re a villager, why did you hide when you saw people?"
Chen Ye’s voice was somewhat hoarse, yet it held a steady tone. "When did I ever hide?"
"If you weren’t hiding, then why weren’t you here last night when the constables came to search the village?" Aunt Deng pressed, refusing to back down.
Shen Ningning quickly explained, "That’s because I asked Brother Chen to come to my house and help me out!"
"There were so many saplings! With my little arms and legs, how could I possibly have carried them down all by myself?"
After she spoke, the crowd looked inside the carriage, where the curtain was pulled open.
Dozens of loquat saplings were arranged neatly inside.
Shen Ningning and Grandma Qin truly couldn’t have managed it on their own.
Chief Wang’s expression darkened, and he shot Aunt Deng a displeased look.
’She had been so absolute, and it turned out to be a simple misunderstanding!’
Still not giving up, Aunt Deng piped up again, "But he doesn’t look like a good person! Just look at all the knife scars on his hands."
Chen Ye’s gaze turned icy. "I fought enemies on the border. What’s so strange about having a few scars? I have them on my back, too. You want to see?"
Aunt Deng’s face instantly went pale.
She scoffed, "Shameless! Who’d be interested in seeing that!"
The old village chief looked mortified. "That’s enough! If you hadn’t been making such a fuss, insisting that bandits had entered the village, we wouldn’t have caused such a commotion and nearly damaged the goodwill between neighbors."
He apologized to Chief Wang. "My apologies, Chief. We made you come all this way for nothing."
Chief Wang said sternly, "It’s not a big deal. As long as it wasn’t bandits, we’re good. Since that’s settled, we’ll be on our way."
He cupped his hands in farewell, and as he passed Shen Ningning, he made a point to stop and say goodbye to the little one.
The old village chief offered a few token words of comfort to Granny Chen.
"Mother, let me help you back to the house," Chen Ye said, stepping forward to take Granny Chen’s hand.
Granny Chen was thoroughly shaken, terrified that her son’s plague would be discovered.
According to the law, he would be locked away until he died!
After the two of them left, Aunt Deng walked up and said to Shen Ningning in a fawning tone, "Ningning, you see, my family is the largest. Isn’t getting only three loquat trees a little too few?"
"Why don’t you give my family one more? My father is the village chief, after all. We can’t be treated the same as everyone else. And besides, he looks out for you, right?"
Shen Ningning shook her head without hesitation. Her voice was sweet and soft, but her rejection was crisp and clear.
"I can’t, Aunt Deng. There’s a limited number of these saplings. If I give you an extra one, another family will have to go without, right?"
Aunt Deng’s expression immediately soured.
Hearing this, the old village chief finally spoke up. "Ningning is right. Our family doesn’t need special treatment. Three saplings is enough."
With that said, he turned to help distribute the saplings.
Shen Ningning suddenly remembered something.
’Oh!’
’The gem box! I forgot to give it to Chief Wang!’
’Oh well, I’ll just have to do it next time.’
After a moment’s thought, she called over Uncle Liu, who was waiting in line.
She asked him to help her move the gem box into the village house.
Otherwise, carrying it back and forth would be too much of a hassle.
From a short distance away, Aunt Deng stared intently.
The conversation between Uncle Liu and Shen Ningning reached her ears—
"Ningning, what is this thing? It’s so heavy!"
"It’s some gems and jewelry. Let’s leave it here for now, until the chief..."
Aunt Deng was too excited to listen to the rest of the sentence.
’All those treasures, and Shen Ningning just leaves them in a box, never to see the light of day?’
’What a waste!’
Shen Ningning locked the village house and made a special trip with her wolf pack to see the mad scholar.
The little girl asked him, "Mad scholar, every family is getting loquat trees. Do you want any? You should go soon, or there won’t be any left!"
The mad scholar was clutching a book, reading it with tireless diligence.
Only when he heard Shen Ningning’s voice did he take a moment to reply, "No, thank you."
The little girl had expected him to say that.
But she had wanted to ask anyway.
So, when he said no, Shen Ningning just left a bag of red fruits on the table and prepared to leave.
"Wait," the mad scholar called out to her. "Let me give you a piece of advice: don’t get too close to those princes and nobles. Don’t trust them too much."
Confusion spread across Shen Ningning’s small face. "Hm? Why?"
But the mad scholar didn’t answer, once again immersing himself in his book.
But when he had just said those words, his eyes had been exceptionally sharp and clear.
Shen Ningning left the courtyard, pouting in confusion as she walked back.
Just then, Chen Ye’s voice came from ahead. "Miss, my mother would like to have a word with you."
Shen Ningning followed him into the Chen Family’s courtyard.
Granny Chen didn’t let her get too close, fearful that the walls had ears. Through her tears, she whispered, "Ningning, this was all thanks to you. You’ve helped me so many times, I really don’t know how to thank you."
"Yie’er, kowtow to Ningning. From now on, she is your mistress. Her life is more important than your own, do you understand!"
Chen Ye immediately lifted his robes and knelt, about to kowtow.
This gave the little girl a fright.
She quickly waved her hands and hid behind the Black Wolf King.
"No, you can’t do that! Granny Chen, there’s no need for this."
’How could she ask him to be a slave?’
’Besides, Brother Chen is more than twenty years older than she is!’
Chen Ye kowtowed, his voice low and raspy. "I, Chen Ye, have no great skills, only my brute strength. If you would have me, Miss, I will be your Death Warrior from this day forward and protect you with my life!"
Shen Ningning reached out with her small hands and pulled him right up.
"Brother Chen, I helped you because years ago, when my aunt was bullying me, Granny Chen was the only one who would speak up for me."
"My grandma always taught me to be grateful. I’m just doing as the saying goes: repaying a drop of kindness with a gushing spring."
"Please don’t ever talk about being a slave again. Your life is your own, and you must cherish it."
The little girl looked up, her eyes glistening. "For Granny Chen’s sake, you have to live well, okay?"
Granny Chen was so moved she couldn’t stop wiping her tears.
Shen Ningning gave her the waterskin she had brought.
"Granny Chen, I think you might have a mild case of the illness too. Drink lots of water, and don’t be afraid. You’ll definitely get better!"
Chen Ye accepted it on his mother’s behalf, and the mother and son thanked Shen Ningning profusely.
With the healthy loquat saplings, every household in Xiangyun Village found a renewed motivation to farm.
Even the blazing sun couldn’t dampen their spirits.
...
One day, on an ox-cart heading to another village, sat a woman decked out in gold and silver.
A fellow passenger took a closer look. "Well now! Isn’t that Mrs. Deng from Xiangyun Village! You’re dressed so opulently, I almost didn’t recognize you!"
Aunt Deng smugly touched the ruby hairpin in her hair. "Why wouldn’t you recognize me? I’ve always had these things. I just suddenly felt like taking them out to wear for a couple of days, let them see a bit of sunlight."
After she spoke, the other two men on the cart, strangers to her, both stared at her.
This made Aunt Deng lift her head even higher. She shook it slightly, making her dazzling gemstone earrings sparkle.
The villager who recognized her was sick with envy.
Aunt Deng couldn’t have been prouder.
She reached up and touched the pearl necklace on her neck, making sure everyone got a clear look.
However, when that same villager took a closer look, their face suddenly fell.
"Sister-in-law Deng, why is there blood on your ring?!"
