Chapter 62: Chapter 62: Can You Understand What They Are Saying?
Aunt Deng looked down.
Sure enough!
The crevices of the ruby-inlaid gold ring were filled with dark, dried blood.
Her expression changed. ’It was pitch-black when I stole it last night, so of course I couldn’t see it!’
"I accidentally cut my hand while chopping vegetables this morning!" she said, casually making up an excuse as she fiddled with the ring.
One of the men, who had an aquiline nose, had a sinister look in his eyes.
He looked at Aunt Deng and said with a smile that didn’t reach his eyes, "Then how come we don’t see any cuts on your hand? You didn’t steal it, did you?"
Aunt Deng lost her temper and immediately started cursing, "Are you blind?! Go ask around the nearby villages! Am I, Wang Qiao’er, someone who’s short on money?"
"I wouldn’t be caught dead stealing! Besides, I have a whole chest of jewelry like this at home!"
After speaking, she scanned the man up and down and said with disdain, "Look at your poor, shabby self. So unworldly."
The two men didn’t say anything, only exchanged a look.
When they reached her parents’ village, Aunt Deng got off the cart and went to show off her jewelry.
An acquaintance of Aunt Deng’s on the ox-cart looked on with envy.
She said to the relative traveling with her, "She’s just lucky. Her husband is the son of the Xiangyun Village chief, and he’s willing to spend money on her."
"And their Xiangyun Village has everything now. The last time I went, I saw they even had loquat saplings. Everyone was planting them!"
The expressions in the two men’s eyes changed.
For three days straight, the weather was too hot, so Shen Ningning didn’t come down from the mountain.
On this day, she was thinking of carrying a few more buckets of Spiritual Spring Water down to thoroughly water her plot of land in the village.
Just as she and the wolf pack reached the halfway point of the mountain, she saw Chen Ye patrolling back and forth in the woods with a sword on his back.
"Brother Chen?" The little girl’s watery eyes rippled with surprise. "What are you doing here?"
When Chen Ye saw her, he quickly cupped his hands in a salute. "Good day, miss. I’ve noticed some unfamiliar faces lingering around the village recently. I was worried we might be targeted by bandits, so I came here to patrol."
Upon hearing this, Shen Ningning turned to the Black Wolf King. "Langlang, you should tell the other wolfies to keep an eye out for strangers, okay?"
The Black Wolf King gave a low howl of agreement.
When she reached the foot of Wolf Mountain, she saw a familiar horse-drawn carriage kicking up dust as it sped toward her.
"Huh? That’s big brother’s carriage!" The little girl’s watery eyes widened.
The carriage stopped in front of her.
A long, slender hand wearing Buddha Beads parted the curtain, and Mo Lingwei’s handsome face appeared before the little girl.
"What a coincidence," he chuckled. "I was just on my way up the mountain to find you."
"Big brother, is something the matter?"
"Get in. I’m taking you to the palace for a visit." Mo Lingwei’s expression held a touch of youthful abandon.
Shen Ningning blinked her big eyes.
"The palace... Okay!" She turned, hugged the Black Wolf King’s head, and gave it some instructions.
She told them to go home first and keep Grandma Qin company.
Then, Shen Ningning gripped the edge of the carriage with her small hands, trying to climb up by herself.
However, her little arms had no strength and were even trembling!
Her soft little body wobbled twice before she fell back to where she started.
She puffed out her pink cheeks, a stubborn glint in her bright, dark eyes.
’I have to climb up today, no matter what!’
She grabbed the carriage edge with both hands, lifted a small leg, and hooked her foot, intending to roll herself up sideways.
But alas, she failed again.
The carriage was simply too high for her!
Even the driver couldn’t bear to watch any longer and wanted to reach out and pull her up several times, but Shen Ningning insisted on gritting her teeth and doing it herself!
’This cub will never admit defeat!’
However, seeing her struggle, Mo Lingwei decisively reached out and grabbed her by the collar.
With a single lift, Shen Ningning’s little arms and legs dangled, and like a milky-white dumpling, she was pulled into the carriage.
Shen Ningning’s face was flushed from the effort, which made her watery eyes look even darker and brighter.
She wiped the beads of sweat from her forehead. "Whew, when I’m a little bigger, this carriage won’t be a problem for me!"
Hearing this, Mo Lingwei couldn’t help but chuckle.
"Well, until you’re bigger, I’ll be in charge of pulling you up."
The carriage rolled away.
The Black Wolf King led the pack back up the mountain.
Lang Si trotted behind him, howling its opinion.
’Isn’t our Ningning a little too chubby? Why isn’t she growing taller, just getting chubbier?’
The Black Wolf King turned its head and shot it a chilling glare.
Wolf Three let out an angry howl that echoed through the forest.
’Even if Xiao Ningning gets fatter, could she ever be fatter than you?!’
Lang Si immediately tucked its tail between its legs and scurried over to the Little White Wolf.
「In the Imperial Palace.」
The moment Shen Ningning entered Mo Lingwei’s Zichen Palace, a wave of cool air washed over her.
A cool breeze whisked away the summer heat from outside the hall.
The little girl’s cheeks had been flushed red from the heat.
But a moment after coming inside, she no longer felt hot.
"Wow, it’s so cool!" she exclaimed, looking around the hall. There were actually six huge Seven-Round Fans!
The one she had bought was like a small child meeting a great giant compared to these!
As the Seven-Round Fans turned, they continuously emitted a cool, misty breeze.
Mo Lingwei knew she would like it.
"You spend all your time on the mountain, which must still be hot. If you like it here, you could consider moving into the palace. The side hall next door can be cleared out for you."
As he spoke, palace maids in sheer silks entered, carrying plates of cut fruit and bowls of iced desserts.
Shen Ningning’s eyes darted around, unable to take it all in.
’Should I look at the pretty palace maids, or the beautifully colored fruit?’
She replied in her soft, sweet voice, "I can’t. If I move into the palace, what about Grandma and the wolfies?"
Mo Lingwei raised an eyebrow.
’That’s a good question.’
Grandma Qin wouldn’t be an issue, but the wolf pack was huge and numerous.
In a flash, an idea came to him. "The palace has a Liger Garden for keeping fierce beasts. We could send the wolf pack there."
But Shen Ningning shook her head. "The wolfies have already sacrificed so much for me. They like living in the forest, and I want to stay with them!"
"But... a Liger Garden? Big brother, are there really a lot of fierce beasts there?"
Mo Lingwei hummed in affirmation, watching her eat the iced dessert, her cheeks puffed out.
He explained, "Some were sent as tribute, and others were captured alive during past hunts. My father the Emperor doesn’t kill them, so we’ve just been keeping them."
Mo Lingwei noticed a starry glint light up in Shen Ningning’s eyes and asked, "Do you want to go see?"
"Yes!" The little girl instantly put down her bowl of iced dessert.
A short while later, Mo Lingwei brought her to the Liger Garden.
Palace Attendants fanned them and held up parasols to shield them from the sun.
Although it was called a garden, the sun was scorching, so the Emperor had long since ordered the beasts to be moved, cages and all, into a large hall.
The hall also had Seven-Round Fans, so while the smell was a bit unpleasant, the beasts didn’t lack for food or water and were living quite well.
Shen Ningning immediately spotted the wolves in a cage.
Four or five skinny wolves were caged together. She ran closer to look at them.
The wolves gathered at the bars, sniffing the air for her scent.
Perhaps because Shen Ningning carried the scent of their own kind, the wolves began to let out low whimpers.
Shen Ningning narrowed her eyes slightly, listening intently.
Mo Lingwei was intrigued. He walked to her side. "Can you understand what they’re saying, too?"
