Chapter 277: Let Me Get Some Air, I’m Begging You
Chapter 277: Chapter 277: Let Me Get Some Air, I’m Begging You
Shen Ningning was surprised and couldn’t help but chuckle. "What does Uncle Zhang want with her?"
Mr. Zhang Liu said honestly, "Please don’t laugh, Young Master, but on our journey here, we’ve heard of this blessed girl’s fame and her miraculous abilities. The common folk have great faith in her."
"If I could receive the blessed girl’s blessing, I’m certain planting the sweet potato vines when I return to Nanzhou will be twice as effective."
Shen Ningning smiled with understanding. "Uncle, the person you’re looking for is me."
Mr. Zhang Liu was flabbergasted. He stared at Shen Ningning’s small face, as if he couldn’t believe such a coincidence.
Then, a thought struck him.
’In the entire Capital City, what other five-and-a-half-year-old girl could possess such business acumen?’
’Besides, he had already witnessed the little girl’s cleverness back in the outer courtyard.’
’Brave and cunning—she was truly no ordinary person.’
Recalling how they had almost come to blows, Mr. Zhang Liu clasped his hands in alarm. "That was a close call. We nearly ended up fighting our own."
"Young Master—oh, no, no, my Lady Blessed Girl, please accept my bow and forgive our rudeness."
Shen Ningning waved her little hand magnanimously. "It’s no big deal! It’s perfectly normal that you didn’t recognize me."
"But, Uncle Zhang, you just said you wanted my blessing. To be honest, with or without it, this will work out. I’m sure of it."
"You have to believe there’s always a way out. Things will definitely get better!"
Looking into her sparkling, crystal-clear eyes, Mr. Zhang Liu felt for the first time that his bleak life had a glimmer of light.
Before meeting Shen Ningning, he had been on the verge of giving up on himself several times.
He had even considered taking his own life.
But just as he hit a dead end, about to go from refugee to mountain bandit, fate had him meet the blessed girl, Shen Ningning.
Mr. Zhang Liu was deeply moved and nodded emphatically. "With those words from you, my Lady Blessed Girl, I feel as if I’ve taken an elixir."
"I’ve suddenly found my purpose and feel alive again."
"Rest assured, my Lady Blessed Girl, leave the matter of the sweet potato vines to me. I will not disappoint you."
「At the same time.」
Outside the door, Ye Shangyi and a group of young ladies watched the refugees wolfing down the sweet potatoes they themselves had disdained.
Chen Wanru frowned. "They’re so destitute, treating even sweet potatoes like treasure. Are they really that good?"
Ye Shangyi glanced at her. "Don’t be so cynical. Those sweet potatoes are probably the best thing they’ve eaten in months."
Just then, Shen Ningning emerged with a beaming Mr. Zhang Liu.
"Everyone, listen up! This Young Master here is the lucky star of the Capital City, the one known as the blessed girl!"
As soon as Mr. Zhang Liu finished speaking, the group of refugees eating sweet potatoes all looked up at once.
Their gazes held surprise and doubt, but mostly, they were filled with the same excitement as if they were seeing an immortal.
"The blessed girl! My Lady Blessed Girl..." They scrambled to rush over.
Kneeling before Shen Ningning, they cried out, "Thank you, Blessed Girl, for granting us food! You’ve saved us from freezing to death in this disaster."
Mr. Zhang Liu added happily, "And that’s not all! The blessed girl has also helped solve the problem of your future livelihood."
"Soon, you will all travel south with me to my hometown of Nanzhou."
"There, we will use the sweet potato vines given by the Lady Blessed Girl to plant a field of hope amidst this cold disaster!"
The refugees exchanged glances and began chattering all at once.
"Sweet potato vines? Can they even survive in this cold?"
"The Sixth Master said they’re from the blessed girl. That makes it different!"
"Will we be allowed to enter other cities?"
On their long journey, they had been displaced and lived like beggars.
The city guards treated them like beggars and refused them entry.
Even the roadside inns turned them away.
Hearing they could go to Nanzhou and would have food, their first thoughts were of their past experiences.
Shen Ningning’s soft, sweet voice piped up as she blinked her big eyes. "Don’t worry, everyone. I’ll speak to Uncle Emperor and make sure you can reach Nanzhou safely."
"If any of you don’t wish to go, you can turn back now. You’ll each be given ten taels for travel expenses to return home."
However, these people had long since lost their homes.
Ye Shangyi quickly tugged on Shen Ningning’s sleeve from behind.
She lowered her voice and asked with a frown, "Ten taels per person... The court won’t pay for that for you."
Shen Ningning’s long lashes fluttered. "I’ll pay for it."
Ye Shangyi was taken aback.
’What’s in it for Shen Ningning?’
’Why would she so generously help a group of refugees who have nothing to do with her?’
The crowd fell silent.
But after a moment, someone raised a hand and took the lead. "I am willing to listen to the Lady Blessed Girl and follow the Sixth Master south."
Soon, others chimed in one after another—
"I’m willing too! I don’t have a home to go back to anyway. Having a place to settle, with food and drink, is enough for me."
"Me too! I’ve gone hungry myself. If I can grow sweet potatoes so that no one in the world has to starve, I’ll do it without hesitation!"
The refugees’ cheers were even more excited than before.
They had been lost, each with only a single thought: to survive.
That was why they had pressed on toward the Capital City, believing they would be safe if they could just reach the court.
But they had forgotten that with the current cold disaster, the court could barely manage its own affairs.
Shen Ningning’s idea had given them a clear path forward.
It told them how to live.
Shen Ningning was even willing to donate three carriages of rice and flour to serve as their provisions for the journey.
Mr. Zhang Liu and the refugees insisted on kowtowing to Shen Ningning.
The little girl couldn’t stop them and ended up accepting two bows before shyly hiding behind Jiang Zhi.
After a discussion with Ye Shangyi, she agreed to temporarily house the refugees in her residence.
They would wait until Shen Ningning obtained the Emperor’s approval and a passage document for them to leave the Capital City.
「On the way back, Ye Shangyi and Shen Ningning shared a carriage.」
She looked at the little girl, her brow furrowed in confusion.
"What’s the point of helping these people?"
Shen Ningning blinked her big eyes, a little puzzled. "There’s no point, really. I just like helping people."
"Then why don’t you help our classmates at the National Academy?"
"Because those people don’t truly need help. Their families are wealthy, and they can buy supplies more easily than the refugees."
Ye Shangyi crossed her arms and huffed, "But I saw you send grain and clothes to Magistrate Fu."
Shen Ningning looked at her. "Did you not know that Guangyang County, which Grandpa Fu governs, has the highest number of deaths from the cold?"
"Grandpa Fu emptied his own home for the sake of the county’s people."
"Emotionally, I should help because Grandpa Fu is my benefactor. Logically, I can’t just stand by and watch people die."
’So that’s how it is...’
Ye Shangyi looked a little embarrassed.
She had misunderstood Shen Ningning again.
At this point, Ye Shangyi finally understood that Shen Ningning was not selfish.
Rather, she had her own principles and would only help those who truly needed her.
Ye Shangyi averted her gaze and leaned against the carriage wall. "You’re a good person."
"But if I had half the supplies you do, I’d help people like that too," she added, unwilling to concede completely.
Shen Ningning beamed.
"Really? Then I’ll just have to wait for a chance to witness Miss Ye’s generosity in the future!"
Ye Shangyi turned her head away and huffed twice.
「A moment later」, the silence in the carriage was suddenly broken by a "PFFT" sound.
Shen Ningning immediately covered her nose, her soft, childish voice exclaiming in shock, "Miss Ye, you farted again!"
Ye Shangyi lunged over to cover her mouth, her face flushed red with shame and anger.
"It’s all your fault for making me eat so many sweet potatoes!"
Shen Ningning pretended to be knocked out by the smell, sticking out her little tongue and rolling her eyes back.
Ye Shangyi grabbed the little girl and shook her. "You’re not allowed to tell anyone, or... or we’re not friends anymore!"
"Okay, okay, okay," Shen Ningning said, raising her little hands in surrender.
But the next second, there was another "PFFT."
Ye Shangyi made a preemptive strike, clamping her hand tightly over Shen Ningning’s little mouth. "Don’t say it!"
The little girl struggled, waving her hands. "Let me get some air by the window, please, I’m begging you."
"It doesn’t even stink!"
"If it doesn’t stink, then why is your maid holding her nose?"
The maid who was called out quickly dropped her hand, looking flustered. "Miss, I... I didn’t mean to."
Ye Shangyi was going crazy, while Shen Ningning let out a crisp laugh like silver bells.
The carriage rolled over the white snow, leaving behind the sound of the two of them bickering.
The lifeless world, covered in frost, suddenly seemed to come alive.