Chapter 36: Chapter 316: Someone Reported Grandpa County Magistrate

Originally, the Immortal Realm contained only three great halls, which stored food, medicinal herbs, and weapons, respectively.

But!

Next to the three halls, a fenced-off enclosure had unexpectedly appeared!

Inside were cages, each holding four chickens and four ducks—and they were alive!

"My Immortal Realm... is starting to raise living things!?" the little girl exclaimed in astonishment.

She hurriedly scampered over on her little feet to check if the jade was still there.

Just as she expected.

The jade was gone.

Not only that, but when Shen Ningning passed the Spiritual Spring, she discovered that dozens of plump, tail-wagging fish had appeared in the water!

"Grandma! We’re rich! We can raise chickens and ducks now!" the little girl exclaimed, excitedly running out of the Immortal Realm.

She dragged a bamboo cage in one hand and held two large fish in the other.

The fish struggled so fiercely that Shen Ningning’s little clothes were splattered with water!

Grandma Qin rushed over at the sound and was overjoyed at the sight. "Did these come from Ningning’s Immortal Realm too? This is wonderful!"

The grandmother and granddaughter hurried to the Lotus Pond to release the fish.

Shen Ningning took out ten of them at once and tossed them into the pond to raise.

The wolf pack drew near out of curiosity. Wolf Three opened its mouth to bite one of the fish in the water, only to get slapped by its tail. It yelped furiously, AWOO, AWOO.

Grandma Qin and Shen Ningning laughed as they went to the kitchen.

In the small courtyard next to the kitchen, they put up a small fenced-in yard.

They kept the chickens and ducks on opposite sides.

Grandma Qin inspected the eight little animals and nodded repeatedly. "Not bad at all, especially this pair of ducks."

"Once they start laying eggs, Grandma will make you salted duck eggs."

Shen Ningning’s mouth started to water just from hearing those words.

She leaned against the fence, her eyes wide with anticipation. "Grandma, does this mean we’re a wealthy family now?"

She had heard Aunt Qin say before that in the village, the old village chief was considered the wealthiest.

Because his family had chickens, ducks, and even raised a pig!

Therefore, Shen Ningning believed that being able to raise these little animals was a sign of prosperity.

Besides, the silver she had earned wasn’t nearly as lovely as living creatures!

Grandma Qin chuckled and stroked her small, rosy cheeks.

"Yes, we are. For lunch, Grandma will make some fish soup for Ningning."

"Okay!" the little girl agreed cheerfully.

Grandma Qin rolled up her sleeves and skillfully caught a plump fish from the Lotus Pond.

She then took it into the kitchen and gave its head a sharp rap with the back of her knife.

Shen Ningning had been peeking from the doorway, but when she saw this, she quickly covered her eyes with her small hands.

"Scary~" she whimpered, her voice soft and trembling.

Grandma Qin’s kind laughter rang out. "Don’t be scared, don’t be scared. Grandma just knocked it out, so it won’t feel any pain."

After a little while, Shen Ningning finally dared to spread her fingers and peek through the gaps.

Grandma Qin had already finished cleaning the plump fish with deft movements.

With a butcher knife in hand, she scraped the scales off completely.

She gutted the fish, and as soon as the entrails hit the floor, Lang Si squeezed his chubby body inside and expertly gobbled them up.

Next, Grandma Qin held the knife vertically and ran it down along the fish’s spine, feeling for the direction of the large bones as she deftly filleted the meat.

"Wow!" Shen Ningning stared, mesmerized. "Grandma, you’re amazing!"

Grandma Qin just smiled, thinking nothing of it.

When she was young, her father had been a butcher.

So, back when Grandma Qin was just a girl, she had helped her father butcher pigs and sheep.

Cleaning a fish was a trivial matter for her.

Shen Ningning watched as Grandma Qin stir-fried the fish bones, fish head, Sichuan peppercorns, scallions, and ginger.

Then, she poured in boiling Spiritual Spring Water.

After simmering on low heat for twenty minutes, she lifted the lid to reveal a rich, milky-white broth!

She added a spoonful of pure salt, and the aroma immediately wafted up to greet them.

"It smells so good!" Shen Ningning couldn’t help but lean against the stove, her large, bright eyes fixed on the pot in anticipation.

Grandma Qin laughed. "It’s not done yet."

Using a homemade wooden slotted spoon, she scooped out the dregs.

She then strained the fish broth two or three times through the cheesecloth used for making tofu, afraid a fish bone might get stuck in Shen Ningning’s throat.

In the end, only the fragrant, aromatic fish broth remained.

Grandma Qin blanched the fish fillets in the broth, then added sliced tofu, washed green vegetables, wood ear mushrooms, and other mushrooms.

Once cooked, she scooped them out and arranged them at the bottom of a bowl.

After arranging the fish fillets on top, Grandma Qin sprinkled on some ground pepper and poured sizzling hot oil over everything!

TSSSSS—

The steaming hot tofu fish soup was ready.

The fragrance instantly filled the air, and the wolves all crowded at the doorway, peering in and wondering what smelled so delicious.

They brought the soup out to the courtyard, and the grandmother and granddaughter held their bowls of steaming rice.

Grandma Qin scooped up a spoonful of soup, blew on it twice, and brought it to the little girl’s lips.

Shen Ningning opened her mouth wide and drank it all in one gulp!

So savory!

So savory it could make your eyebrows fall off!

"It’s so yummy!" Shen Ningning eagerly picked up her spoon and drank several more mouthfuls of soup.

Grandma Qin beamed, unable to close her mouth from smiling so wide. "Slow down, be careful not to burn yourself."

Lang Si couldn’t take it anymore and sidled up to Grandma Qin, its wolf eyes constantly glancing toward the table.

The Black Wolf King let out a furious roar, and only then did Lang Si retreat with its tail between its legs.

Since it couldn’t have any fish, it had to content itself with gnawing on a large, meaty pork bone.

Watching Shen Ningning eat with such relish, Grandma Qin felt it was all worth it, even though she was drenched in sweat from the heat. 𝑓𝑟ℯ𝘦𝓌𝘦𝘣𝑛𝑜𝓋𝑒𝓁.𝑐ℴ𝓂

She smiled kindly. "Next time Ningning comes back, Grandma will make you grilled fish."

Shen Ningning looked up and saw beads of sweat constantly trickling down her grandmother’s forehead.

Her heart ached for her. She put down her bowl and chopsticks, ran over, and wiped the sweat from her grandmother’s brow with her small hands.

"Grandma, don’t work so hard! It’s so hot. If you stay in the kitchen all the time, you’ll faint from the heat!"

As she said this, Shen Ningning suddenly thought of something and vanished into the Immortal Realm.

A moment later, she reappeared holding several medicinal herbs.

The little girl put the herbs into a sachet and placed it in Grandma Qin’s hand.

"Last time, Grandpa Shopkeeper at the pharmacy gave me a sachet for cooling off from the summer heat. It works really well, so I saved it for Grandma."

Grandma Qin was quite touched. "Ningning, you’re so thoughtful. With you here, Grandma doesn’t have to worry about a thing."

"Alright, good girl, Ningning. Go on and eat. The fish soup is best when it’s hot."

Afterward, as Shen Ningning ate, she thought to herself.

’Is there a way to help Grandma cool down?’

Summer had truly set in, and the weather would only get hotter.

Yesterday, on her way back to Wolf Mountain from Xiangyun Village, she had seen that the ground in the fields had cracked open several more inches from the dryness.

*

On the day she was to go to her lessons, the carriage arranged by the County Magistrate was waiting at the foot of Wolf Mountain as usual.

Shen Ningning carried a heavy food box on her back, filled to the brim with Grandma Qin’s love!

"Brother Guard!" she called out happily as she ran down the slope.

"Miss Shen," the guard replied, forcing a smile.

Shen Ningning had been good at reading people since she was a child. Seeing the guard’s expression, she couldn’t help but ask curiously, "Brother Guard, did something unhappy happen to you?"

The guard was taken aback, then quickly cupped his hands in a salute. "Thank you for your concern, Miss Shen. It’s not about me. It’s just that in two days, when your lessons are over, I might not be able to come pick you up."

Shen Ningning blinked her round eyes, thought for a moment, and then gave him a sweet smile.

"That’s okay! You should go take care of your important business!"

"It’s not that. It’s... Lord County Magistrate has recently been impeached and reported for harming the common people. The situation is serious, and he has been ordered to remain at home while awaiting investigation."