Shen Ningning stopped in her tracks. "Granny Chen, please tell me. If I can help, I will."
Granny Chen had brought Grandpa Fu to get her out of trouble. 'She's a good person,' Shen Ningning thought. 'I'm willing to help her!'
"I'm a little ashamed to ask," Granny Chen said with a sigh. "I know you're struggling to get by as well, but I'm truly out of options."
She pointed at the six red fruits lying on the ground in the yard.
"Could you give these fruits to me, too?"
These red fruits, along with a few chickens, were what Aunt Qin and the constables had taken directly from the Wolf Cave.
Unfortunately, the once sweet and juicy red fruits had been stepped on and were now bruised in several places.
Shen Ningning glanced over. "Of course you can have them, Granny Chen. But they're dirty and can't be eaten. I'll get you some new ones!"
Granny Chen quickly stopped her. "Don't trouble yourself. These bruised ones are fine. At least I can sell them for a little money."
Seeing her sorrowful expression, Grandma Qin couldn't help but ask, "Granny Chen, are you in some kind of trouble?"
It would have been better not to ask. The moment she did, Granny Chen covered her face and began to cry.
"My son... he did something wrong at the border..." she sobbed, recounting the story.
Granny Chen wiped her tears with her chapped hands. "I can't scrape the money together in time, and I'm so afraid my son will lose his life over there!"
Grandma Qin quickly comforted her. "Don't cry. I'm sure it's not that serious. We just need to get the money together. Take all those fruits."
Shen Ningning looked up with her small, fair face, her mind made up. "Granny Chen, don't worry! Ningning will get the money for you!"
Granny Chen froze.
"Huh? Ningning... That's... one hundred and fifty taels. That's no small amount."
One hundred and fifty taels... Even if Granny Chen sold all her land, she wouldn't have that much silver.
But Shen Ningning was full of confidence.
"Don't worry, Granny Chen. I have a plan. When I get back from the city tomorrow, I'll give you the silver."
With that, the little girl took Grandma Qin's hand, and they left together.
Granny Chen stood rooted to the spot, feeling apprehensive.
'Ningning is only four. Can she really get that much silver?'
Only when they had walked out of the village did Shen Ningning see the Black Wolf King and his pack waiting at the intersection where the village entrance met the mountain path.
A pack of wolves with sleek, black fur and powerful limbs—it was a sight that would scare any passing villager to death.
If Shen Ningning hadn't come out when she did, the Black Wolf King would have likely led the pack right into the village.
Upon seeing the little girl, Wolf Three immediately bounded over.
It rubbed its furry head against Shen Ningning's sleeve before turning and baring its teeth ferociously toward the village.
Two villagers who had been peeking out saw this and scrambled back into their homes in a panic.
After this incident, Shen Ningning's title as the "Little Wolf Girl" was cemented throughout Xiangyun Village.
Back at the Wolf Cave, Shen Ningning sat on a rock, lost in thought.
Sensing that something was on her mind, the Black Wolf King walked over and licked her small hand.
The little girl snapped out of it and said, "Langlang, we have to move. And it has to be right away. We have to move today!"
The Black Wolf King let out a low whine, as if asking why.
Shen Ningning's voice was soft, but her reasoning was clear. "Big Brother said it's very unsafe for bad people to know where I am."
"That auntie brought so many people and found the Wolf Cave. Now people know we have food, so staying here isn't safe anymore!"
"So, let's move today! We'll go straight to the big mansion."
The Black Wolf King's eyes immediately sharpened, his pupils glinting with approval.
He had been thinking the same thing!
The little red spots on Shen Ningning's skin would fade only to reappear again.
The Wolf Cave was far too damp for her to live in.
And so, upon hearing Shen Ningning's words, the Black Wolf King immediately issued an order to the pack.
Time to move out!
The pack grew excited.
They were all willing to follow Shen Ningning.
Protecting her was fun, and following her meant there was meat to eat!
So, everyone pitched in.
The wolves carried the bundles of straw they liked to sleep on, while Shen Ningning and Grandma Qin packed up the household items they had previously bought.
Afterward, Shen Ningning cut off the source of the spring behind the Wolf Cave.
She retracted the Spiritual Spring Water.
Although Aunt Qin and her group probably hadn't gone around to check behind the Wolf Cave, Shen Ningning was unwilling to leave the Spiritual Spring behind for bad people to find.
Before they left, the little girl stood outside the Wolf Cave one last time, looking out at the entire forest.
Shen Ningning felt a pang of guilt. "I'm sorry, Langlang. It's because of me that you all have to move."
The Black Wolf King's eyes were deep as he gazed into the distance and let out a few low whines.
He was telling her not to be sorry. The pack was large, and the Wolf Cave had become crowded and uncomfortable.
He also told the little girl that if something is no longer useful, you can replace it, and if a memory is unhappy, you can forget it.
A bright, new hope ignited in Shen Ningning's shimmering eyes.
"Mhm! You're right, Langlang! We're going to start a new life!"
And so, Shen Ningning, Grandma Qin, the Black Wolf King, and the wolf pack set off for their new home deep in the mountains.
When Grandma Qin saw the old mansion in the mountains, she was stunned. "Ningning, this... this is someone else's house, isn't it?"
Shen Ningning smiled sweetly and explained to her grandma, "Langlang found it. No one has lived here for a long time, so it's abandoned."
The little girl and the wolf pack had already tidied up most of the mansion.
Grandma Qin helped wipe away the remaining dust until it was clean.
Shen Ningning pattered over to the front courtyard.
She channeled the Spiritual Spring into the Lotus Pond in the middle of the courtyard.
This way, the wolves could come drink whenever they were thirsty.
The ice-blue spring water gushed out with a WHOOSH, flushing the sludge out of the Lotus Pond.
Shen Ningning helped her grandma clean up, while the wolf pack was in charge of carrying the debris out of the mansion.
They kept busy like this until dusk.
Everyone was exhausted and out of breath.
Shen Ningning slipped into the Immortal Realm.
Dragging a basket, she began picking out food. 'Beef... chicken... Ooh, and a whole basket of eggs.'
The little girl did a loop and grabbed a large cut of pork belly.
'I need lots and lots of food to treat the wolves!'
To ensure the pack ate their fill, she went back and forth to the Immortal Realm several times.
She brought out basket after basket of fresh meat.
In the large, bright kitchen of her Immortal Realm, various cuts of meat hung from racks.
Even when she took some, new cuts would appear in their place just a few seconds later.
'So, I can definitely provide enough food for the wolves!'
Suddenly, Shen Ningning remembered the seeds she had planted in the Immortal Realm's backyard.
She went to look behind the main hall and saw that the little green seedlings had already grown to the size of scallions.
The little girl reached down, gave a tug, and pulled out a whole bulb of garlic!
Overjoyed, Shen Ningning quickly ran out of the Immortal Realm.
"Grandma! I grew something!"
Grandma Qin took it for a look and smiled. "It's fresh garlic. Ningning, you're amazing! The kitchen is all cleaned up now, so Grandma will make you something delicious."
With that, she picked up a piece of pork belly from a basket. Then, using a wooden stick the Black Wolf King had fetched for her as a cane, she limped toward the kitchen.
Seeing that the wolves had already begun to feast, Shen Ningning eagerly followed her grandma to the kitchen.