Chapter 327: The Sun Is Out?
Chapter 327: Chapter 327: The Sun Is Out?
Shen Ningning stepped forward, pointing at the group of troublemakers outside.
"Wuer, Aunt Yun, I want you both to take a good, long look. Memorize these people’s faces. From now on, when we open the stalls to give out congee and soup, they are not to have a single drop of our water or a single grain of our rice!"
Her voice was soft and sweet, yet utterly formidable.
As soon as she said this, the faces of several people in the crowd of troublemakers turned pale.
Without any need for Shen Ningning to press them, they hurriedly covered their faces and scurried away in shame.
The leader of the group, however, had clearly been paid to come and make a scene.
He glanced back and saw several people leaving. He stomped his foot in anger and cursed, "A bunch of spineless cowards."
Then he raised his head and glared at Shen Ningning.
"This is the Capital City, the Emperor’s domain! Even the Emperor himself must abide by the law. Do you, a mere Commandery Princess, think you can use your grain to oppress the common people?"
"Fine, don’t give us any! We’d rather starve to death than accept another one of your contemptuous handouts."
Shen Ningning simply gave a calm nod.
She continued, speaking to Wuer and Aunt Yun, "Go report this to the authorities. Have the government officers come and draw up a list for me. I will inform all the other restaurants that are also giving out congee, telling them not to give any food to these people with so much ’backbone’."
After she said this, another group of troublemakers was scared off, scurrying away in shame.
In the end, only seven or eight people remained.
A few of them even looked familiar to Shen Ningning.
She scoffed and said coldly, "I opened these stalls to give out congee because I pity the poor and suffering people."
"You, however, are not the kind of people who deserve my pity. So go on, scream all you want. Scream your throats raw. If I so much as furrow my brow, you win."
With that, the little girl turned around with an air of absolute authority and sat back down in her lounge chair.
"Aunt Yun, all of you can go back inside. Get back to your work. Pay them no mind."
The leader grew anxious. "So you won’t give us an explanation, is that it? Fine! Everyone, we’ll kneel right here. We won’t leave until the Commandery Princess decides to give us a proper explanation."
As he spoke, he actually lifted his robes and knelt.
The few commoners behind him hesitated for a moment before kneeling as well.
Aunt Yun frowned, walked over to Shen Ningning’s side, and bent down to whisper, "Ma’am, they’re just being shameless rascals!"
’Aren’t they just trying to make passersby think Shen Ningning is bullying people with her power?’
Having a few people kneeling in front of the shop in this frozen wasteland... anyone who didn’t know the situation would think Shen Ningning had done something utterly monstrous!
The little girl remained perfectly calm, blinking her big eyes, her cheeks flushed rosy from the heat of the brazier.
She said, "Just let them be. If their knees are made of iron and they’re not afraid of the cold, then let them kneel."
After speaking, Shen Ningning picked up a roasted orange from the nearby stove.
It had been sitting there for a while. The orange peel had been roasted to a faint red, and it was thin-skinned and juicy.
Her small hands gently peeled the skin, and a crisp, clean fragrance instantly filled the air.
Shen Ningning took a bamboo skewer and threaded the orange segments onto it, one by one. She sprinkled a layer of white sugar on top, then placed it over the fire to roast again.
The white sugar was seen slowly melting, turning into a caramelized, golden-brown sweet glaze.
Only then did Shen Ningning pick it up. Wuer was already beside her, blinking his big eyes and waiting expectantly.
The little girl offered the first skewer to Wuer. "Here, you eat."
Wuer was tempted, but he still waved his hands repeatedly. "Sister Ningning, you first."
Shen Ningning knew he was well-mannered, so she took a bite of the first sugar-coated orange segment and handed the rest to Wuer.
A crispy layer of sugar glaze encased the refreshingly sweet and delicious orange juice.
Taking a bite was indescribably delicious!
Shen Ningning thought it was even better than tanghulu.
Wuer also squinted his eyes in bliss. "So sweet!"
The two little ones huddled around the fire, eating, talking, and laughing.
As for the troublemakers kneeling outside, it would be a lie to say they weren’t envious.
They were kneeling in the frozen wasteland, their knees growing stiff, shivering uncontrollably.
Inside the shop, however, the brazier burned brightly, and all the employees’ faces were flushed and rosy.
It was like spring on one side and winter on the other!
Soon, a few more of the commoners couldn’t take it anymore. They stood up, dusted the snow off themselves, and left with their faces covered.
The leader’s face was ashen.
He gritted his teeth and shot a glance at Shen Ningning inside the shop.
The little girl had finished eating and was now actually propping up her feet and resting with her eyes closed!
She was so relaxed, completely untroubled by their commotion.
’This won’t do. The master behind this ordered me to humiliate Princess Funing!’
After a moment’s thought, the man said coldly, "It seems Princess Funing isn’t a real blessed girl after all."
"Otherwise, how could she summon a great rain to end the drought before, yet now it has been snowing nonstop for months? Besides donating a few supplies, what else has Princess Funing done?"
"Princess Funing, are you worthy of the high hopes the people have placed in you?"
Shen Ningning ignored him, pretending she hadn’t heard his provocative words.
Wuer, however, couldn’t stand to listen any longer.
He would fight to the death with anyone who dared to speak ill of Shen Ningning.
"Don’t you spout such nonsense!" Wuer ran fuming to the doorway, clenching his small fists. "My Sister Ningning is a blessed girl! You all just want to enjoy the benefits she brings, but you never consider whether she gets tired."
The man saw that he had finally provoked someone.
He was instantly pleased with himself, but his words remained relentless. "Have I said a single thing that was wrong?"
"Princess Funing summoning the great rain before was probably just a coincidence. Little boy, don’t be so angry. When she saved you, it was probably no different than saving a stray cat or dog—just a casual act. You’re not actually planning to die for her, are you?"
Wuer raised his fist, his little face flushed red and purple with rage, and immediately charged forward. "I’ll rip your mouth off!"
Shen Ningning’s eyes shot open. "Wuer, don’t!"
But it was too late. Wuer was only four years old; how could he possibly be a match for a grown man?
Before he could even get close to the man, he was shoved back with a single palm.
Wuer’s small body fell to the ground, his forehead instantly striking a large, jutting rock on the side.
Blood streamed down his face.
The expression on Shen Ningning’s little face changed in an instant. She threw aside her thin blanket and rushed over.
"Wuer, are you all right?!" she cried, helping him up. She checked his injury, pressing a handkerchief to his bleeding forehead.
Wuer was still gritting his teeth in anger, hissing in pain, but his gaze was fixed on the man with pure hatred.
Seeing Wuer injured, the shop’s employees would not stand for it.
They all lived and worked together like one big family.
Several able-bodied young men rushed out of the shop. "You bastards! You’d even lay a hand on a child!"
Seeing that a fight was about to break out, the troublemaker immediately dropped to the ground.
He began to roll around shamelessly.
"Murder! Look, everyone! Princess Funing is letting her men beat me! Ouch, they’re killing me!"
More and more onlookers gathered around.
Just then, Chen Ye returned with a group of government officers.
But Shen Ningning was already furious.
She stared at the group of troublemakers—
"I don’t care who paid you to cause this scene, but you’ve gone too far! I’m not a real immortal. Do you think I can just tell the sky to clear up and the heavens will obey me?"
The moment the little girl’s words fell.
Everyone followed the direction she was pointing and looked up at the sky.
And witnessed an astonishing sight!