Chapter 325: You Just Want to Stand By and Watch People Die
Chapter 325: Chapter 325: You Just Want to Stand By and Watch People Die
Shen Ningning looked at the four newly sprouted trees before her, scratching her cheek in confusion.
The trees were bare, with a faint golden sheen.
But nothing grew on the branches.
Shen Ningning double-checked. The Immortal Realm had consumed her three chests of Jade, yet all it had produced were four golden trees.
Her small hand picked at the bark. "Hmm, so it’s a real tree. It’s not made of gold inside."
Shen Ningning tilted her head up to look at the branches on the trees.
After a long while, she finally comforted herself, muttering, "There must be fruit. They just haven’t grown out yet. I’ll wait a couple of days and see."
On this day, the sky was gloomy, and the cold wind howled.
Xie Ming’an, followed by four attendants carrying several gift boxes, walked through the deep snow.
After asking villagers for directions along the way, they finally managed to find Xu Jingxi’s home.
It was a small, dilapidated courtyard with holes in the walls that let the wind through.
Standing outside the fenced yard, Xie Ming’an couldn’t help but frown as he looked at Xu Jingxi’s residence.
He had heard that many teachers at the National Academy called Xu Jingxi a living Star of Scholarly Grace.
Everyone said he had the intellect of a child prodigy.
’But for such a prodigy to be living in these wretched conditions?’
Xie Ming’an found it a great shame.
He had an attendant knock on the door.
A moment later, the door opened from within. Xu Jingxi stood there in a robe that was faded from countless washings, his sleeves rolled up to his elbows.
A scar was still visible where he had been burned by a pan of hot oil.
Although Shen Ningning had sent over plenty of Spiritual Spring Water, telling him to soak his arm in it, Xu Jingxi knew the water had miraculous effects and couldn’t bear to use it on himself. Instead, he had boiled it all for Grandpa Xu to drink.
As for himself, a long, thin scar remained on his arm, refusing to fade.
Upon seeing it was Xie Ming’an, Xu Jingxi’s face turned cold. "What do you want?"
Xie Ming’an said gravely, "Regarding what happened before, I didn’t understand the situation and misunderstood you and Shen Ningning. I’ve come especially to apologize."
"Also," he said, taking out the crescent jade pendant and offering it to him. "You dropped this."
Xu Jingxi lowered his gaze and glanced at the Jade Pendant, his expression impassive.
"So you were the one who picked it up."
But he refused to take it back, saying only, "You can have it. It’s not important."
Xie Ming’an was inwardly shocked, his brow furrowing slightly.
"Where did you get this Jade Pendant? How can it not be important?" ’For the sons of the Xie family, they are born with this Jade. Its presence signifies their life, and when they die, the Jade must be buried with them.’
Xu Jingxi’s expression was calmer and colder than the blizzard raging around them.
"According to my grandfather, this Jade has been with me since I was a baby. It was probably left by my parents."
"But that doesn’t matter, because I don’t care who my parents were, nor do I have any interest in discovering my ancestry."
"I’m not like Shen Ningning. She looks forward to reuniting with her family. I, on the other hand, just want to live my life as it is now."
Xie Ming’an had a complicated expression. "You..."
Before he could finish, Xu Jingxi cut him off. "Since you seem so interested in this jade, then it’s yours."
"However, I have one condition."
Xie Ming’an asked, "What condition?"
Xu Jingxi said coldly, "Don’t bully Shen Ningning again."
With that, he shut the wicker gate.
Watching his thin figure, Xie Ming’an’s brow tightened.
’Xu Jingxi has backbone. That kind of stubbornness... it’s just like someone from the Xie family.’
The attendant behind him asked, "Second Young Master, what should we do with these gifts?"
Xie Ming’an turned, his eyes deep. "Leave them at his door. Whether he takes them or not is up to him."
After speaking, he carefully pocketed the crescent jade pendant and left with his men.
Shen Ningning observed the trees for three consecutive days.
She discovered that the golden trees in her Immortal Realm had grown four small fruits, the color of chestnuts.
The little one didn’t know what they were or what they did, so she decided to wait a little longer.
That day, she had just returned from the National Academy and was passing through Xiangyun Village.
From a distance, she saw a large, noisy crowd at the village entrance.
When Shen Ningning and Chen Ye walked over,
she realized it was Village Chief Mei from Xitai Village, who had arrived with several other villagers!
They wanted to enter the village but were being blocked by the old village chief.
Upon seeing Ningning, Village Chief Mei looked as if he’d seen his savior.
"Ningning, oh, you good child, we finally caught you! You be the judge. We’re not bandits, but your Xiangyun Village’s old chief is blocking us from entering. Honestly, it’s just so unreasonable."
He eagerly came forward to complain, his eyes filled with dissatisfaction.
Shen Ningning, however, remained calm. "I was the one who gave the order. If you were seen coming, you were to be driven away."
Village Chief Mei’s expression stiffened. "This..."
The little one blinked her big eyes and said while holding her hand warmer, "We couldn’t reach an agreement last time, and we parted on bad terms. Why has Village Chief Mei come looking for me again?"
Village Chief Mei rubbed his hands together, shivering in the cold wind.
He said, "After you left, we did some serious thinking. We admit we were being too greedy and asking for far too much."
"So, we discussed it and would like to talk with you again."
Before Shen Ningning could speak, Sister-in-law Liu let out a cry and started to jeer.
"Village Chief Mei, I heard that some people from your village went up the mountain to hunt secretly again, and ended up getting chased back down by a tiger."
Village Chief Mei looked awkward.
Originally, they had thought that hunting on the mountain was none of Shen Ningning’s business.
After all, the mountain wasn’t hers.
’Why should they listen to her just because she told them not to hunt?’
However, every time a few young men from Xitai Village went up the mountain, they would encounter fierce beasts, and it would end in either death or injury.
Shen Ningning had indeed warned him, but he hadn’t listened.
At this thought, Village Chief Mei’s smile toward Shen Ningning became even more fawning.
"Ningning, how about this? We’ve changed our minds."
"From now on, we promise you, we won’t go hunting on the mountain in secret anymore."
"But as compensation, you have to give each household three large bags of rice and flour, four large bundles of firewood, and you also have to give us quilted clothes based on the number of people in each family."
"We were going to ask for cotton quilts before, but we’ll drop that this time. Just these three things: rice and flour, firewood, and quilted clothes. You can’t possibly refuse, right?"
The villagers of Xiangyun Village were the first to cry out in anger—
"You’ve got some nerve, Mei Zhijian! That’s quite the calculation you’re making. How dare you even ask for that."
Shen Ningning furrowed her little brows.
She spoke, her voice still childish, but her logic was clear.
"Village Chief Mei, I think you’ve misunderstood me. I warned you not to hunt on the mountain out of kindness. As you said, the mountain isn’t mine, so there’s no reason for me to compensate you."
"Even if I were to give you something, it would be a favor out of goodwill. If I don’t, I’m not breaking any rules. You can buy the things you want from me with money. Otherwise, there is absolutely no reason for me to give them away for free."
Sister-in-law Liu raised her voice. "Exactly! Everyone in Xiangyun Village listened to Ningning and bought things ourselves!"
"Who do you think you are, showing up and demanding so much right away?"
Being rebuked by so many people, Village Chief Mei completely lost face.
His eyes turned grim as he said, "Commandery Princess, if you’re going to talk like that, then you’re the one being unreasonable."
"We can’t hunt on the mountain, but we still have to live. If you don’t provide for us, how are we supposed to survive?"
Shen Ningning said coolly, "I cannot stop you from going up the mountain, and I certainly have no obligation to care about how you live."
Village Chief Mei’s expression changed, turning somewhat sinister.
"So, you’re saying you’re just going to watch us die and do nothing!"