Chapter 340: Langlang, Jump In
Chapter 340: Chapter 340: Langlang, Jump In
Qi Xiuwei quickly sat up, threw on a robe, and went to open the window.
When she saw it was the eagle, Mengyi, the gloom in her eyes vanished completely.
A smile bloomed on her pale, delicate cheeks.
"Mengyi, you’ve come to see me again. Lord Pei sent you, didn’t he?"
She reached out and gently stroked Mengyi’s feathers.
As if it had done this a hundred times, Mengyi flapped its wings and flew into her room.
Qi Xiuwei took out a plate of pork she had prepared for it from a cabinet.
Mengyi ate with great gusto.
Watching it eat, Qi Xiuwei felt much better.
Just then, she noticed a whistle hanging around Mengyi’s neck.
"Hm?" She took it off and examined it for a moment, confirming it was the bird whistle used to summon Mengyi.
"Did Lord Pei have you bring this for me?" Qi Xiuwei asked.
Mengyi buried its head in its food, not responding.
But Qi Xiuwei grew cheerful nonetheless.
She carefully held the bird whistle close to her heart.
The heart that had been so deeply wounded by her grandmother was warmed in this moment by Pei Yin’s kindness.
Once it finished eating, Mengyi flapped its wings and flew away.
It didn’t return to Pei Yin’s side, but instead flew straight for Wolf Mountain.
It landed on Shen Ningning’s windowsill.
The little one hadn’t been idle since returning from the Xie Mansion; she was busy balancing her accounts.
"Hmm, the shop made a net profit of one thousand taels last month. Five hundred taels go to Lu Shaoyuan, and five hundred taels for me. I’ll use this 500 taels to buy some jade. If I add it to the ones my godfather gave me, I should be able to gather a decent amount..."
Suddenly, the Black Wolf King beside her let out a low growl.
’That fat bird is back for a handout!’
The last time Mengyi visited, it had nearly become a feathered ghost under the wolf’s claws.
So this time it was smarter, perching only on the roof beams, constantly flapping its wings and making COO COO COO sounds.
Shen Ningning looked up and immediately laughed. "Little bird, are you here for food again?"
Mengyi cooed, trying to express that it hadn’t come just for food.
It missed Shen Ningning and had to come see her, no matter how cold and frozen the world was.
The Black Wolf King’s roar grew fiercer, and it was so angry it started speaking human words—
"Fat bird, stop flirting with Ningning!"
Mengyi flapped its wings, hopping on the beam as if to say—
’Come and get me.’
The Black Wolf King bared its fangs ferociously, and the rest of the wolf pack narrowed their eyes, staring at Mengyi on the beam.
In their eyes, the eagle already looked like a plucked chicken ready for the pot.
Shen Ningning’s laughter was crisp and clear. She patted the Black Wolf King with her small hand.
"Alright, alright. It’s always hungry and has nothing to eat. It’s fine for it to come here for some rations."
With that, the little one generously took out a whole, skinned chicken.
She placed it on the windowsill.
Mengyi immediately swooped down, snatched it, and left.
It didn’t dare stay to enjoy its meal, afraid of being pounced on by the Black Wolf King and his pack.
Watching Mengyi fly away until it disappeared into the night,
Shen Ningning shook her head with a smile and lowered it to continue with her accounts.
The Black Wolf King stood up, grabbed the window frame with its mouth, and shut it tight.
Only after finishing its meal outside did Mengyi fly back to the Imperial Palace.
It was late at night by now. Pei Yin’s slender figure stood on the steps.
Hearing the sound of Mengyi’s wings, he raised his arm, and the eagle landed smoothly on his shoulder.
Pei Yin glanced at its neck. "Well done."
’The whistle must have been accepted by Shen Ningning.’
He pulled a handful of peanuts from his waist and offered them to Mengyi’s beak as a reward.
Having already feasted at two different houses, Mengyi not only couldn’t eat anymore but also turned its beak up at the peanuts.
Qi Xiuwei and Shen Ningning had both given it meat.
Its own master gave it peanuts.
’I’m not the same eagle who used to endure hardships with Pei Yin anymore.’
So, Mengyi flapped its wings and flew back to its aerie without a second glance.
Pei Yin watched it go, frowning. "No appetite?"
’Has it been overworked from too much training recently?’
...
After Shen Ningning placed all the jade she had into the Immortal Realm,
just as she expected, four new fruits grew on each of the four Golden Pearl Trees.
Now, each tree could yield eight golden pearls.
Although they only bore fruit once every two days, Shen Ningning felt that every little bit added up. If she saved enough, she could definitely throw a big one at the heavens!
After all, the daylight produced by a single golden pearl was too brief.
The last time, she had crushed three of them in front of the Emperor, and the effect had lasted for less than the time it takes for half an incense stick to burn.
So, Shen Ningning busied herself with harvesting in the Immortal Realm while stockpiling golden pearls.
One day, when there were no classes at the National Academy, the little one went to Xiangyun Village to play.
After having lunch with Grandma Qin, she went out to visit the mad scholar.
The villagers took good care of him. Not long after the cold disaster began, they helped the mad scholar properly repair his house.
The spacious village house was divided into two parts.
The left side was for the mad scholar to read.
The right side was where he lived and slept.
When Shen Ningning walked in, she saw the mad scholar was once again so engrossed in his books that he had forgotten to eat or sleep.
A bowl of noodles sat on the table, long since dried into a solid clump.
She clicked her tongue. "Mad scholar, how long has it been since you’ve eaten?"
"Only two days. I’m not hungry," the mad scholar replied without looking up.
Shen Ningning quietly left a few fruits, lest he feel hungry with nothing to eat and end up fainting.
The little one then checked his rice urn and water vat.
The rice urn was still full, but the water vat was more than half empty.
So, while the mad scholar wasn’t looking, Shen Ningning refilled his water vat with Spiritual Spring Water.
"Mad scholar, take your time with your books. I left some fruit for you on the table, so eat when you’re hungry. I’m heading back now."
Shen Ningning was about to leave with the Black Wolf King when the mad scholar suddenly called out to her.
"Wait." He walked over, dumped the noodles out of the bowl, then went outside to wash it clean with snow before handing it to Shen Ningning. "This bowl belongs to the old village chief."
"I’ve been meaning to return it to him, but his family never opens their door. I’ve found some fascinating books recently, so I don’t plan on going out much. Ningning, if you see the old village chief, please help me return this to him. Thank you."
Shen Ningning took the bowl, blinking her big eyes.
Leaving the mad scholar’s house, the little one was thoroughly perplexed.
"How long has it been since the old village chief came out?"
The Black Wolf King paced leisurely beside her, its paws leaving one plum-blossom print after another in the snow.
It let out a couple of soft awoos, answering nonchalantly.
When Shen Ningning wasn’t in the village, it came by almost every day for a look around, mainly to check on Grandma Qin.
But every day the Black Wolf King came, it saw that the old village chief’s house door was shut tight.
’This is so strange!’
Shen Ningning had heard Sister-in-law Liu and the others mention it before.
Although their door was never open and their lights were rarely on at night,
they could still see smoke from a cooking fire during the day.
So, it wasn’t likely they had just moved away.
Shen Ningning decided to go take a look.
Holding the bowl, she walked to the old village chief’s front door and knocked gently.
"Grandpa Chief, it’s Ningning. Are you home?"
The courtyard was silent. There was no response.
Shen Ningning walked to the fence at the side and stood on her tiptoes to peek inside.
Afraid she couldn’t see, the Black Wolf King let the little one stand on its back.
However, the courtyard was still, and the curtains behind the windows were drawn tight, revealing nothing.
But the snow in the yard looked as if it had been swept, piled neatly on both sides of the path.
Shen Ningning’s bright, clever eyes darted around.
She slid nimbly off the Black Wolf King’s back, then tugged its ear with her small hand and whispered a few words into it.
The Black Wolf King nodded its head repeatedly.
Shen Ningning then shouted at the door, "Grandpa Chief! Your cowshed is on fire! Come out and look!"
The next second, the little one heard the house door being flung open from inside the courtyard, and someone ran out in a hurry.
The Black Wolf King immediately backed up, took a running start, and its huge, powerful body sailed effortlessly over the courtyard fence.
A woman’s scream echoed from the courtyard.