Chapter 24: Chapter 24: Thank Goodness, You’re Here at Last

Suddenly, a questioning voice came from behind them.

"Who are you?!"

Lai Zi turned around and saw the village chief’s grandson, Deng Fugui, standing not far away.

He was holding a slingshot, flanked by two lackeys, and glaring at them angrily.

"Oh, it’s just you, Fugui. It’s nothing, it’s nothing. These men are friends of your Uncle Lai Zi."

"The person with ’delicate skin and tender flesh’ you just mentioned—were you talking about Little Wolf Sister?" Deng Fugui didn’t believe Lai Zi’s nonsense for a second.

The two human traffickers exchanged a glance.

Lai Zi’s heart sank. ’How did Deng Fugui overhear us?’

He quickly waved his hands and forced a smile. "We were just looking for her to play, that’s all. OUCH—!"

Before he could finish, Deng Fugui had already drawn his slingshot and shot a stone at him!

Lai Zi clutched his head.

Deng Fugui immediately shouted at the top of his lungs, "Someone, come quick! Grandpa! Dad! Lai Zi brought people to the village to kidnap Little Wolf Sister!"

As he yelled, the old village chief rushed over with more and more people.

Seeing this, Lai Zi panicked. "This is bad! Run!"

He and the two human traffickers turned and fled.

But before they could get far, they were tackled and pinned to the ground by the village’s able-bodied men!

Most of the villagers were united.

Afraid of getting beaten, the two human traffickers quickly blurted out, "Lai Zi was the one who called us here!"

"That’s right! He told us there was a pretty, delicate little girl in the village and that we should kidnap her to sell for a good price!"

The old village chief walked up to Lai Zi, his face livid with anger.

"You bastard! I always knew you were no good. First, you helped Aunt Qin slander Ningning, and now you want to sell her."

"Our village has just started to see better days, and that’s all thanks to the good fortune Ningning brought. How dare you, you son of a bitch, try to ruin it!"

The old village chief waved his hand. "Beat him!"

Clubs and sticks rained down on Lai Zi’s body like dense hailstones.

The one who struck the hardest was Uncle Liu.

After a few blows, with a sharp "CRACK," the club broke. Lai Zi let out a bloodcurdling scream, like a pig being slaughtered.

"My leg! My leg is broken!"

The old village chief signaled for everyone to stop.

He issued a stern warning, "A broken leg is a small matter. If I ever see you causing trouble in this village again, we’ll take your life!"

With that, he ordered the villagers to throw Lai Zi straight out of the village.

Just then, Shen Ningning appeared at the village entrance with the Black Wolf King.

Seeing the scene, she was a little surprised. "Grandpa Village Chief, what happened?"

Sister-in-law Liu rushed forward and took Shen Ningning’s hand.

"Ningning, it was so dangerous! That wretched Lai Zi actually held a grudge against you and hired human traffickers to kidnap and sell you!"

The Black Wolf King suddenly bared its teeth with a ferocious snarl.

The four strong male wolves behind it immediately surrounded Lai Zi.

Ready to pounce at any moment.

Lai Zi was so scared he wet his pants.

Seeing this, the two human traffickers began to kowtow and beg for mercy, tears streaming down their faces.

"Lai Zi was the one who called us! He said we could sell her for a good price, so we came! We know we were wrong! We’ll never do it again!"

Shen Ningning’s face was round, her watery eyes shimmering with a dark light.

She looked at the two traffickers. "It looks like they’ve done this sort of thing more than a few times. Grandpa Village Chief, we should take them to the government. We might even be able to get some information out of them!"

The old village chief nodded and called over four young men from the village.

"You four, take these two, along with Lai Zi, to the government. Hand them over to Chief Wang and explain everything clearly."

Lai Zi begged for mercy, but the villagers didn’t spare him a single glance as they followed Shen Ningning into the village.

"Grandpa Village Chief, my grandma said the uncles have worked hard helping us repair our house. She told me to bring some flour to reward everyone. Could you please help me distribute it?"

As she spoke, she waved her little hand.

The four male wolves came forward and shook the sacks of flour off their backs.

The old village chief hurried over to take a look.

As soon as he opened one, he saw it was fine white flour!

A full eight large sacks!

The old village chief’s eyes grew red.

"On behalf of the entire village, thank you, Ningning."

The little girl smiled sweetly, revealing her cute dimples. "You’re welcome. Please go and distribute it, Grandpa Village Chief."

The old village chief set up a distribution spot at his front door.

Everyone in the village came with large jars to collect the white flour.

The villagers who had previously helped Aunt Qin bully Shen Ningning could only watch from afar through their windows, green with envy!

’We really shouldn’t have done that!’

’How could we have offended such a little goddess of fortune?!’

Shen Ningning sat on a chair behind the village chief, obediently eating red fruits, with the five wolves lying in a circle around her.

The old village chief’s grandson, Deng Fugui, couldn’t help but approach.

"Little Wolf Sister..." He offered an ingratiating smile but stopped a good distance away, not daring to get any closer.

Shen Ningning tilted her head. "Fugui?"

She thought he had his eye on the red fruits in her hand.

She immediately took one from the small pouch at her waist and offered it to him. "Do you want one?"

Deng Fugui gulped and nodded, but then quickly shook his head.

"I was the one who spotted Lai Zi first and called for help."

"Oh, then you’re really amazing," the little girl praised generously.

Deng Fugui immediately beamed with happiness. "I patrol the village every day! You can leave your safety to me!"

Shen Ningning was four years younger than him, and though she was fair and delicate, she still just looked like a little sister.

Deng Fugui felt it was his duty to protect his little sister.

But as soon as he said this, the five wolves, including the Black Wolf King, all shot him a sidelong glance.

Shen Ningning continued to eat her fruit, her cheeks puffed out.

Gazing at her big, sparkling eyes, Deng Fugui mustered his courage.

He took another step forward. "Little Wolf Sister, can I... can I pet your wolf?"

Shen Ningning replied in a cute voice, "Sure, if you dare."

Deng Fugui shuffled forward, one tiny step at a time.

The five wolves simply stared at him with cold, indifferent eyes.

He finally managed to get close to the Black Wolf King and was about to reach out and touch its ear.

However, the Black Wolf King suddenly stood up and shook its fur.

This scared Deng Fugui so much that he fell on his butt, then scrambled away wailing.

The Black Wolf King: ?

The surrounding villagers burst into laughter.

Shen Ningning’s voice was soft and sweet. "What’s there to be afraid of? Langlang is super gentle!"

Saying this, she reached out her small hand, hooked it around the Black Wolf King’s neck, and nuzzled her face against its head.

In response, the Black Wolf King gave the little girl’s hair a lick.

From a distance, leaning against a wall with tears of fright in his eyes, Deng Fugui saw this scene.

His admiration for Shen Ningning deepened.

After everything was distributed, the little girl prepared to bring the horse-drawn cart over to give water and food to Uncle Liu and the others who were working.

However, just as she reached the foot of Wolf Mountain.

She saw a familiar figure pacing back and forth.

Shen Ningning walked up. "Grandpa Shopkeeper?"

The pharmacy manager turned, his face lighting up with joy when he saw the little girl.

"Thank heavens, I’ve finally found you, Little Miss."

He gestured, and an attendant brought over a brocade box.

When it was opened, several strands of severed hair lay inside.

"The shopkeeper from Renxin House who threatened you, Little Miss, has been thrown into the high prison on charges of substituting inferior goods for quality ones and selling substandard medicinal herbs."

"I’ve also made arrangements. His conduct was vile, so he will be made to suffer physically in prison every day. This severed hair and the government notice are proof."

The ancients often said that one’s body, hair, and skin were gifts from one’s parents.

To have one’s hair cut was proof of a serious matter.

Shen Ningning glanced at it. "Grandpa Shopkeeper, he’s your rival. You don’t have to tell me how he was dealt with."

The pharmacy manager closed the box and took out the paper with the government notice.

He quickly explained, "I just wanted to put your mind at ease, Little Miss. Our partnership for medicinal herbs can still proceed as normal, right?"

Shen Ningning nodded slightly.

The pharmacy manager smiled and rubbed his hands together.

The next second, he sighed and said, "However, there is one more thing I must ask for your help with, Little Miss..."