Chapter 287: How Can a Male Wolf Be Pregnant?
Chapter 287: Chapter 287: How Can a Male Wolf Be Pregnant?
Xie Ming’an’s eyes were dark. "Father, I can’t fault you for accepting her."
"But don’t even think about forcing me to acknowledge her identity!"
"I have only one sister—my mother’s child—not this wild brat from who-knows-where."
Xie Suzhi was furious. "Insolence!"
He struck Xie Ming’an across the back with the cane.
Xie Suzhi’s eyes were bloodshot. "She is your sister."
"Will you admit you’re wrong? Will you?!" He struck Xie Ming’an mercilessly with the cane.
Once, twice...
Xie Ming’an clenched his jaw, refusing to utter a single cry of pain.
By the time Xie Suzhi finally stopped, his hand was numb. He stared at Xie Ming’an, his gaze chilling.
As a father, he knew full well that every child has a different temperament.
With Xie Ming’an’s stubbornness, not telling him the truth would only make him hate Shen Ningning more and more.
"The truth is, Ningning is..." Xie Suzhi had just begun to speak.
Just then, Second Madam Xie came rushing in from outside, pushing Second Master Xie in his wheelchair.
"Brother, stop! Please, stop!" Second Master Xie hastily intervened.
The words Xie Suzhi had been about to say died in his throat.
"What are you two doing here?" Xie Suzhi shot a cold, displeased glance at Second Madam Xie.
Second Madam Xie flinched.
Second Master Xie looked at Xie Ming’an, his heart aching for the boy. "Brother, even if Ming’an was in the wrong, you’ve already struck him several times. That should be enough."
Xie Suzhi glared. "Enough? Do you have any idea what he did? Ningning kindly sent him a bow, and he nearly used it to slice her ear open!"
Second Madam Xie gasped, covering her mouth.
’Really? No wonder Princess Funing packed her things and rushed back to Wolf Mountain today. So she was hiding from the Second Young Master...’
Second Master Xie shot her a glare, and Second Madam Xie knew to hold her tongue.
Afterward, Second Master Xie’s gaze upon Xie Ming’an grew complex and profound.
"Ming’an, is it true? Ningning is only five years old. How could you hurt her like that?"
Xie Ming’an clenched his jaw and wiped a fleck of blood from the corner of his mouth with the back of his hand.
He spoke coldly. "I didn’t mean to hurt her. There was no arrow in the bow. It was just a warning."
"I never expected she would get hurt. But even if she did, I will not admit I was wrong."
Xie Suzhi was incensed. "You! You defiant son! Truly a defiant son!"
He threw down the disciplinary rod. "You will kneel before your mother’s memorial tablet and repent."
With that, Xie Suzhi flicked his sleeves and stormed away.
Second Master Xie had an attendant push his wheelchair to follow.
Seeing that they had all gone, Second Madam Xie’s eyes darted about before she quietly slipped into the ancestral hall.
"Second Young Master," she said, her tone respectful out of fear for him. "When I heard you were about to be punished, I rushed to get Second Master."
Xie Ming’an didn’t look at her. He knelt on the prayer cushion, his back as straight as a bamboo stalk, his gaze fixed on his mother Shen Siyi’s memorial tablet.
"Get out." He found her chattering annoying and didn’t even spare her a glance.
Having been snubbed, Second Madam Xie knew better than to say more. She pursed her lips and left.
When the doors closed, only a sliver of silver light remained in the room.
It was the reflection of the snow outside, set against the grim sky, complementing the flickering candlelight within the hall.
"Mother," Xie Ming’an said in a low voice, looking at Shen Siyi’s tablet. "I believe my sister is still alive."
"If she comes home one day and finds someone has taken her place, how sad would she be?"
"Rest assured, as long as I am here, I will not let anyone replace my sister."
"No matter how long it takes, I will wait my entire life for her to return."
A cold, snowy wind blew in through the window, lifting a corner of his cyan robe.
Shen Ningning went straight back to her house on Wolf Mountain.
The Black Wolf King led the pack, living there with her.
Grandma Qin was staying in Xiangyun Village, helping prepare for Dong Aniu’s upcoming wedding.
"AWOO~" Seeing Shen Ningning fiddling with her sweet potato vines again, the Black Wolf King couldn’t resist trotting over and nuzzling her arm with his head.
Lately, aside from attending her lessons, the little girl spent all her time hiding at home on Wolf Mountain.
She even meekly refused when Xie Suzhi came to take her on an outing.
Her visits to Mo Lingwei also became few and far between.
Compared to how busy she used to be, the Black Wolf King was genuinely afraid she would fall ill from bottling up her feelings.
He lifted a paw and nudged Shen Ningning a couple of times.
He was telling her to go out and play, and he would keep her company.
Shen Ningning, squatting intently before a dozen pots of sweet potato vines, said, "No, no, I have to go to the shop soon."
With that, the little girl bustled off to change her clothes.
The wolves all looked at each other, their eyes filled with confusion.
’Something’s not right.’
Shen Ningning wasn’t acting like her usual self.
It was as if she were unhappy but trying to hide it.
They all looked toward the Black Wolf King.
The Black Wolf King had been the one accompanying the little girl during her stay at the Xie Mansion.
Surely he had to know what had happened, right?
However, the Black Wolf King narrowed his eyes, seemingly just as puzzled.
He had been by Shen Ningning’s side all day long at the Xie Mansion, except for the occasional times he was napping on the daybed.
But he hadn’t seen anything happen that would have upset the little girl.
’So, what in the world happened?’
Inside the room, Shen Ningning closed the door tightly.
She gently took off her earmuffs and looked in the mirror at the spot where she had been injured.
For several days, she had been washing it with Spiritual Spring Water. The wound had already healed, leaving only a faint scar.
’I’m sure it won’t be long before even the scar disappears.’
Shen Ningning had been staying indoors partly because she was afraid people would notice the injury on her ear, which would be difficult to explain.
The little girl put her earmuffs back on.
In the mirror, the little figure had a fair, round face and a pair of dark, clear eyes that shone like twinkling stars.
The finishing touch was the pair of rabbit-fur earmuffs on her ears.
They made her look like a little kitten with its ears perked up—bright and adorable.
Once Shen Ningning was ready, she prepared to head out.
This time, the wolf pack followed close on her heels.
When the little girl turned around, she found them all looking at her with grave expressions, as if they were about to follow her into battle.
"Pfft," Shen Ningning burst out laughing. "I’m just going to the shop. I’m not planning on taking you all today."
The wolves exchanged a look.
’She doesn’t plan to take us.’
Wolf Three stepped forward and let out a howl.
He was saying that he had good news for Shen Ningning.
The little girl’s face immediately lit up. "What good news?"
Seeing her finally smile, the wolves were delighted.
The wolves in the back nudged Wolf Five forward with their heads.
They said that Wolf Five was pregnant and was going to have cubs.
All the wolves looked up to watch Shen Ningning’s reaction.
Wolf Five, looking especially guilty, tucked its tail between its legs, its eyes darting from the Black Wolf King to Shen Ningning and back.
The joyful expression on the little girl’s face slowly faded, replaced by a calm composure.
She crossed her little arms. "Wolf Five is pregnant?"
Lang Si nodded decisively.
Shen Ningning pinched Lang Si’s ear. "Wolf Five is a boy wolf. You tell me how he can be pregnant!"
"You shouldn’t lie to a kid, you know! Or you’ll be big bad wolves."
The wolves hadn’t expected their lie to be exposed so quickly.
Wolf Three gave Wolf Five a disgusted kick, blaming him for not being a she-wolf. If he had been, their lie wouldn’t have been exposed so fast.
The Black Wolf King scratched behind his ears with a paw, looking thoroughly vexed.
’He knew this idea was no good from the start. Now they were a disgrace to wolf-kind.’
After lecturing them about not telling lies, Shen Ningning grinned, sat down on a chair, and tightly hugged the huge wolf heads gathered around her.
"I know you’re all worried about me. Don’t worry, I’m not unhappy."
"Even if people on the outside don’t like me, I still have my big wolf family. You all love me, right?"
The pack instantly howled in unison, a resounding chorus of affirmation.
Their calls echoed through the mountains, powerful and deafening.
And in that moment, Shen Ningning finally found peace with herself.
’It didn’t matter. Even if her second brother didn’t like her, she still had her own family.’