Chapter 63: Chapter 63: What’s the Use of Crying! The Bandits Are Coming, Flee
Shen Ningning was quiet for a long while, listening intently.
Then, she shook her little head regretfully.
"I don’t understand. They might be speaking a dialect."
She could only understand wolves with a refined accent, like the Black Wolf King.
Mo Lingwei was startled at first, then he let out a soft laugh.
"They were captured during a previous hunt." That was also the time he had been ambushed, seriously injured, and found by Shen Ningning.
Mo Lingwei’s dark eyes were placid as he said, "I remember they were a pack. Their Wolf King seemed to be a white wolf, but it escaped too quickly and wasn’t caught."
A white wolf?!
Shen Ningning said in surprise, "I have a Little White Wolf too! Didn’t you see him when you came to my house last time, Brother? I rescued him, too!"
Mo Lingwei raised an eyebrow. "Is that so? I didn’t see it. Perhaps it’s the same one."
Usually, a Wolf King would be very strong.
But the Little White Wolf Shen Ningning had taken in was as thin as a stray dog—all skin and bones.
Only now had he finally started to put on a little weight.
After that, Mo Lingwei took Shen Ningning on a tour of the gardens, the Book Collection Pavilion, and other places.
The weather was terribly hot, and it wasn’t long before the two of them returned to Zichen Palace.
Inside his palace, Shen Ningning ate fruit and enjoyed the cool breeze.
She stayed until dusk.
Mo Lingwei said, "Stay for dinner. Shall I have the Imperial Chef make something for you to try?"
But Shen Ningning shook her head. "Thank you, Brother, but I can’t. I have to go home now, or my grandma will worry! Let’s play together again next time!"
Since she insisted on leaving, Mo Lingwei pressed his thin lips together and didn’t try to keep her.
He personally saw her out of the palace and arranged for a carriage to take Shen Ningning back to Wolf Mountain.
Unbeknownst to them, the Sixth Prince’s spies had already secretly reported on their interactions that day.
Night was just beginning to fall when Shen Ningning returned to Wolf Mountain.
She got out of the carriage and thanked the guards.
She was about to head up the mountain to go home when she heard the noisy sounds of an argument coming from Xiangyun Village.
’What’s going on now?!’
The little girl shook her head and sighed. "They’re so troublesome. Why do grown-ups argue every day!"
She didn’t want to meddle in other people’s business.
However, amidst the clamor, Aunt Deng’s voice was louder than thunder.
She was crying and shouting, cursing furiously, "Chen Ye, you lecher! How dare you grab my clothes and ruin my reputation!"
Shen Ningning’s little eyebrows shot up in fright, and her big eyes went wide.
’Did I hear that right?’
’Aunt Deng said Brother Chen took advantage of her?’
Shen Ningning felt that it was completely against Chen Ye’s character to do such a thing.
She quickly scurried into the village.
On the village path, she saw a crowd of people gathered around, trying to mediate.
But Chen Ye had a death grip on Aunt Deng’s collar and refused to let go.
Aunt Deng’s husband heard the news and came running with a hoe.
However, before he could even make a move, Chen Ye had already effortlessly pinned him to the ground as well.
He had the husband and wife both in his grasp.
The old village chief arrived and bellowed angrily, "Chen Ye! What are you doing? Are you trying to turn this place upside down? Brawling in the village—have you no respect for the rules!"
Chen Ye looked up and said coldly, "She stole something from Miss Ningning!"
The villagers parted to make a path, and the old village chief walked over with Shen Ningning.
The old village chief took one look, and his expression changed.
Beside Aunt Deng, a cloth bundle had spilled, scattering numerous pearls and jewels.
Her husband was also stunned. "Wife, did you really steal something?!"
Aunt Deng spat in his face.
"Even you don’t believe me? I didn’t steal it! I just borrowed it from Ningning! She agreed!"
Shen Ningning was surprised and said in her soft, sweet voice, "I didn’t agree!"
Chen Ye tightened his grip on Aunt Deng, his tone sharp. "If she really agreed, why were you sneaking around and climbing over the wall?"
Seeing that she couldn’t hide it anymore, Aunt Deng threw a tantrum, sitting on the ground and wailing.
"Ningning doesn’t even touch that box of treasures! She just keeps it locked up at home. If she’s not going to wear them, why can’t she lend them to us to wear for a bit! What did I do wrong? I just wanted to take a look! It’s her fault for being so stingy!"
Sister-in-law Liu put her hands on her hips. "How can you turn around and blame her? We’ve told you time and again to stop your stealing habit. No matter what, those things belong to Ningning!"
"She didn’t agree, so you climbed the wall to take it. That’s stealing, plain and simple. Chen Ye was right to grab you!"
The old village chief, trying to smooth things over for his daughter-in-law, said, "Alright, alright. Qiao’er was indeed in the wrong here. But you’ve all had your say, what more do you want from her? Chen Ye, aren’t you going to let go?"
Shen Ningning’s small, round face was serious, her dark eyes filled with gravity.
She stepped forward and said, "Wait a minute! I need to make something clear. Those things... they’re not mine!"
"The little animals brought them to me from the northwest. Because I don’t know where they came from, I was collecting them to hand over to Chief Wang."
"There are bloodstains on the jewelry! Brother Chen, bring out the box and show everyone!"
Chen Ye immediately let go of Aunt Deng and went to Shen Ningning’s cottage to carry the box over.
Shen Ningning hadn’t locked it, so the lid opened easily.
Under the light of several torches,
the little girl rummaged through the jewelry on top and casually pulled out a hairpin—it was stained with blood!
The villagers’ faces turned deathly pale with fright. Even Aunt Deng looked terrified.
"What’s going on?"
"The northwest? I think there are two villages in that direction."
"But a while ago, they were pillaged and burned by bandits! The villages were razed to the ground!"
As the discussion reached this point, everyone finally realized the gravity of the situation.
Their lips trembled with fear.
"It must be the bandits! They must have killed some passing nobles and robbed them of their belongings!"
"And then the animals picked up the treasures the bandits stole..."
"And Sister-in-law Deng wore some of it out today!"
"We’re done for! They’ll definitely track it back to Xiangyun Village!" someone panicked.
Chen Ye frowned. "Lately, strange faces have been lingering outside the village. Whenever I noticed them, they would quickly leave. It seems thieves have been casing the area."
Those bandits were the kind who would kill without batting an eye.
Times were tough now, and the government’s pursuit was weak. After killing someone, they would just hide in the mountains where no one could find them.
How could they have gotten tangled up with such a group of desperados!
The old village chief cursed at Aunt Deng, "You’ve really caused a huge disaster this time! Stealing things and then parading them around town—were you trying to bring utter ruin upon our village?!"
Aunt Deng kicked her legs and wailed, "I didn’t mean to! I didn’t want this to happen either! What do we do, Father!"
"Cry, cry, cry! What good will crying do!" The old village chief’s heart was heavy with despair.
He thought for a moment, then said to the panicking villagers around him, "Everyone, pack your things now and go take shelter with your relatives!"
They couldn’t just stay here and wait to die!
But the villagers were hesitant.
"How long will we have to be gone? Are we never coming back?" This was their home, their roots.
"Just until this blows over," the old village chief said.
However, Uncle Liu, who had been silent all this time, said, "I’m not leaving."
Sister-in-law Liu hesitated for a moment. "Then I’ll stay too."
Chen Ye followed in a deep voice, "I’m staying as well."
His mother hadn’t fully recovered from her illness, so they couldn’t go stay with relatives.
Hearing them say this, some of the villagers declared decisively, "Then we’re not leaving either! If those bandits dare to come, we’ll fight them to the death!"
They were all dirt-poor with nothing left but their lives. Who was afraid of whom?
Just then, Shen Ningning, having thought it through, finally spoke up. "Actually, none of us have to leave."
