Chapter 324: Little Money-grubber
Chapter 324: Chapter 324: Little Money-grubber
For the past two days, Shen Ningning had been hard at work tilling the soil in her Immortal Realm.
Another crop of her Spirit Grass had sprouted.
Without a second thought, the little girl picked it, wrapped it up, and entrusted it to Chen Shaobei to be delivered to the palace.
After all, Mo Lingwei’s old ailment could flare up at any moment.
Last time, it had taken a total of thirty stalks of Spirit Grass for him to get better.
Next time, she worried he might need even more.
But Shen Ningning was also troubled.
What if her brother, Xie Mingxu’s, men returned just then, asking her for Spirit Grass to support the war effort on the border?
What would she do if she couldn’t provide any?
She couldn’t just tell the soldiers who had rushed back with an urgent dispatch to wait for the Spirit Grass to grow.
Shen Ningning squatted before the soil of the Immortal Realm.
She reached out a small hand and poked the soft earth.
Her little face was fair and soft, and her big, round eyes blinked.
"It’s been a while since I last fed the Immortal Realm some jade."
Shen Ningning stood up and dusted off her small hands.
She walked over to a shelf, took out all the silver she had recently saved, and counted it.
After setting aside the wages for her shop’s staff,
and a sum of silver for her grandmother’s retirement,
she had 1,200 taels in silver notes left.
The little girl packed it all up, planning to go into the city to see if there was any good jade she could buy.
However, when Shen Ningning went to the jade shop where she had made purchases before,
she found a wooden sign hanging by the door that read, "Prime Shop for Sale."
"Uncle Shopkeeper," the little girl said as she walked in, looking at the empty shop where the Shopkeeper was wiping down the cabinets. "Did you sell everything?"
The Shopkeeper recognized her and immediately smiled, clasping his hands in greeting. "Princess Funing, your presence brings light to my humble establishment."
"It’s embarrassing to admit, but back when you called on everyone to buy winter clothing, I listened to the State Preceptor instead."
"Then the cold disaster struck. My family of nine nearly froze to death. I had no choice but to sell off all my jade for silver to buy clothes and charcoal. The jade is almost all gone, so naturally, I can’t keep the shop open."
Shen Ningning felt it was a pity.
Of all the shops in the Capital City, this one had the most beautiful jade.
Noticing the disappointment on her little face, the Shopkeeper said, "I still have a box of defective pieces left. If Your Highness doesn’t mind, you can take a look. If you find something you like, I’ll give it to you. Consider it a token of our connection."
Shen Ningning offered a sweet, obedient smile, her dimples showing faintly. "Okay, I’ll take a look then."
"Of course, if I like something, I’ll pay for it. I can’t just take Uncle Shopkeeper’s things for free."
The little girl followed him to the backyard and watched as the Shopkeeper dragged out a large chest.
He opened it to reveal a dusty interior.
Just as the Shopkeeper had said, it was all flawed jade.
Shen Ningning rummaged through it for a long time but couldn’t find anything she liked.
’My Immortal Realm probably wouldn’t like to eat this jade.’
The little girl could only take her leave with regret.
She then visited several other jade shops.
Unexpectedly, several were just like the first one; the shopkeepers had sold their jade for silver just to survive the cold disaster.
A few other shops were selling a mix of real and fake items.
Even with Shen Ningning’s untrained eye, she could tell they were fakes, making them impossible to buy.
The little girl could only leave in disappointment.
She walked down the street on her little legs, feeling a bit lost.
’Where can I get some good jade?’
Just then, a cool voice sounded beside her.
"I was just passing by and saw you coming out of a jade shop. What, are you looking to buy jade?"
Shen Ningning turned to look.
Xie Ming’an was dressed in lilac robes, his hair tied up with a white jade crown. His sword-like brows were dark, and his narrow eyes were sharp. He stood beside her as if he were truly just passing by.
The little girl pouted. "I’m not telling you. It’s none of your business."
Xie Ming’an didn’t mind her attitude.
He added, "I actually know a few jade merchants. Why don’t you tell me what kind of jade you’re looking for? I can ask around for you."
Shen Ningning shook her head, her little head wobbling back and forth like a pellet drum.
She refused firmly, "No, thank you. I can’t afford your kindness."
With that, she scurried away on her little legs.
She darted like a wisp of smoke to the market entrance, hopped onto her carriage, and urged Chen Ye with her little hands, "Let’s go, let’s go! Home, home!"
Xie Ming’an’s sword-like brows furrowed.
’This little girl... she runs away like she’s seen the plague god himself! So fast!’
...
In recognition of Shen Ningning having saved Mo Lingwei,
the Emperor wanted to reward her.
So, Mo Lingwei brought Shen Ningning into the palace to let her decide what she wanted.
「In Zichen Palace.」
Shen Ningning swung her little legs as she sat on Mo Lingwei’s crown prince chair.
A palace maid on her left served her fruit, while another on her right massaged her small shoulders.
Mo Lingwei had pulled up a small stool and was sitting beside her.
The handsome young Crown Prince was showing rare patience, going over some gift lists with Shen Ningning.
"These are all potential rewards drafted by the Ministry of Rites. Take a look and see if there’s anything you like. If not, I’ll have them revise it."
Shen Ningning blinked her big eyes and peered at the list.
Her cheeks were as pink and white as peach blossoms, her dark eyes sparkling.
After looking for a while, she asked, "Why are all these names so long?"
"Brother, which one is jade? Can you point it out for me?" ’Otherwise, it’s too much work to read.’
Mo Lingwei raised an eyebrow. "You want jade? What kind?"
Shen Ningning scratched the tip of her nose with a small hand, smearing a tiny crumb of pastry on it.
"I want... um, pretty ones, beautiful ones." ’The Immortal Realm only eats beautiful jade. The prettier it is, the more it likes it.’
Mo Lingwei reached out and wiped the pastry crumb from her nose.
Closing the gift register, he chuckled. "That’s simple enough."
Shen Ningning watched as he called over a eunuch and gave a few instructions.
Before long, several of the Crown Prince’s personal guards carried in three large chests.
When the chests were opened, they glittered brilliantly under the candlelight of the hall.
"Whoa..." Shen Ningning’s eyes went wide.
Mo Lingwei laughed. "Go take a look. Is this what you wanted?"
The little girl eagerly rushed over to the chests.
They were filled with jade of the highest quality, all carved into various ornaments.
There were Jade Pendants and decorative pieces. Shen Ningning even saw four Guanyin statues carved from Emperor Green jade.
There was also a hollow, openwork sphere carved with auspicious clouds from white jade, as large as her head.
Shen Ningning loved every single piece she saw.
Her little hands gripped the edge of the chest, her eyes wide as she stared, not even blinking.
Behind her, Mo Lingwei’s cool, dark brows arched as he smiled indulgently. "You little money-grubber."
After some thought, she hugged the hollow sphere made of Mutton Fat Jade and lifted it out.
"Brother, I want this one." ’Picking the biggest one can’t be wrong.’
’This will be a full meal for my little Immortal Realm!’
Mo Lingwei narrowed his eyes. "What’s there to pick? My meaning is, if you like them, all three chests are yours."
Shen Ningning’s little mouth fell open in disbelief.
"All for me?" ’This many? All of them?’
Mo Lingwei lowered his gaze, a smile in his eyes. "Yes, all for you. This is nothing. If you have time to come to the palace and accompany me every day, it wouldn’t even be a problem to carve a golden register for you from jade in the future."
As he said this, Mo Lingwei himself froze for a moment.
’How could I have blurted something like that out?’
In the palace, golden registers were only carved during the investiture of an Empress or a Crown Princess Consort, to inscribe their names beside those of the Mo Family’s ancestors on the ancestral tablets.
The Palace Attendants nearby silently lowered their heads, feeling as if they had just heard something they shouldn’t have.
But Shen Ningning didn’t understand any of that. All she knew was that Mo Lingwei was really good to her!
"Thank you, Brother!" Her chubby little body shot into Mo Lingwei’s arms.
But before Mo Lingwei could even raise his arms to hug her back, the little girl had already darted out of his embrace.
She waved a small hand at the eunuchs, her face beaming with childlike joy.
"Quick, quick! Help me carry them home." ’I’ll feed them to the Immortal Realm right away.’
Mo Lingwei watched her leave in such a hurry, so impatient that she barely said goodbye.
He frowned, then let out a helpless, resigned laugh.
"For three chests of jade, she can just cast me aside. In this world, only Shen Ningning would dare to do such a thing."
After returning to Wolf Mountain, Shen Ningning eagerly placed all the jade into her Immortal Realm.
She was panting from exhaustion, her little face flushed and her forehead beaded with glistening sweat.
However, Shen Ningning was extremely satisfied.
She placed her small hands on her hips, gazing at the shimmering jade.
"I wonder what kind of surprise the Immortal Realm will have for me tomorrow morning?"
The next day, Shen Ningning had just woken up and was still in bed when she impatiently entered the Immortal Realm to check on things.
The Black Wolf King had been about to give her hair a little lick.
But just as it stuck out its tongue, the little girl on the bed vanished.
Its wolf eyes stared blankly for a moment before it realized what had happened.
’Their precious Jiaojiao, little Ningning, has gone to farm in the Immortal Realm again!’
At that moment, inside the Immortal Realm, Shen Ningning stood before the newly grown things, looking them over.
A look of confusion slowly crept onto her small face—
"Huh? What is this...?"