Chapter 41: Chapter 41: If Only Ningning Could Be My Daughter-in-law...

"We’re willing! Of course, we’re willing!" The villagers were fired up.

In their eyes, Shen Ningning was now a little goddess of wealth!

She was generous and quick to pay, and kindhearted to boot. They would be more than happy to work for her!

But Shen Ningning said, "I just need a few aunties who are good at cooking. That’s all!"

Then, Wolf Three and Lang Si brought forward wooden buckets filled to the brim with fresh vegetables and meat.

The little girl pointed and said, "Every time I go to the private school, my grandmother has to prepare my meals. But she’s getting old, and the weather is so hot, so I want to ask some aunties to help me cook."

She had already thought it through last night.

’I’ll put the food the aunties make into my Immortal Realm.’

’Then, whenever I want to eat at school, can’t I just take it out anytime?’

If she let her grandmother do it all by herself, it would be far too tiring.

The villagers stared at the fresh meat and vegetables, their eyes nearly popping out of their sockets.

The leafy greens were dotted with dewdrops, so tender they looked like they would release water if you pinched them.

The beef and pork had clear marbling, with a perfect balance of fat and lean meat.

There were green and red chili peppers, napa cabbage, and countless eggs.

The old village chief said in astonishment, "Ningning, how much silver did you have to spend on all these groceries!"

Shen Ningning gave a small smile, her voice soft and sweet. "I didn’t spend any silver. They were all raised and grown on the mountain."

On the mountain? Did Wolf Mountain really have so many treasures?

Some villagers couldn’t help but look up with envy at the great mountain behind the village.

But when they looked down, they saw the wolf pack by Shen Ningning’s side, staring at them with dark, intense eyes.

It was as if the wolves would tear out their throats the moment they dared to have any ill intentions.

The pack of wolves Shen Ningning raised was simply too strong; they were taller than a man when they stood up.

Their fur shone with a healthy sheen, their teeth were incredibly sharp, and their gazes were ferocious.

Instantly, any crooked ideas they might have had were immediately dismissed.

It was better to just honestly help Shen Ningning and get some benefits. 𝚏𝕣𝐞𝗲𝐰𝕖𝐛𝐧𝕠𝕧𝚎𝚕.𝐜𝚘𝗺

Sister-in-law Liu volunteered eagerly, "Ningning! Your Aunt Liu here is famous in the village for my cooking."

"How about this? Just leave it to me. I’ll pick a few people for you, and I guarantee we’ll make these dishes delicious and fragrant!"

Shen Ningning nodded decisively. "Alright, but... I want to appoint one person specifically."

The little girl’s bright, dark eyes scanned the surroundings.

"Why don’t I see Granny Chen?" She remembered that Granny Chen was a good cook.

Besides, Granny Chen had always been very good to her, so Shen Ningning wanted to include her.

But Sister-in-law Liu said, "Oh, Ningning, you haven’t heard? I heard Granny Chen’s son was kicked out of the border garrisons and sent back. She went to the suburbs of the capital two days ago to wait for him."

Uncle Liu nudged his wife, frowning. "Don’t spread gossip."

"How am I spreading gossip! I saw Granny Chen leaving the village in tears that day, so I asked her what was wrong. She told me herself," Sister-in-law Liu retorted, unconvinced.

But Uncle Liu didn’t want her to discuss another family’s private matters, and so they started to argue.

Confusion rose on Shen Ningning’s little face.

’Didn’t Granny Chen send all that silver over? How could he still have been sent back?’

Seeing that Uncle Liu and his wife were about to get into a heated argument, the old village chief quickly stepped in to mediate.

"Alright, that’s enough shouting!"

Shen Ningning snapped back to reality, her voice sweet and soft. "In that case, Aunt Liu, I’ll leave the cooking to you. Please find four other aunties to help, and I’ll give each of you two taels of silver later."

"Okay, okay!" Sister-in-law Liu was overjoyed.

She immediately called over a few village women she was close with, and they left, carrying the two buckets of vegetables and meat.

These aunties were all masters of stir-frying.

They went to Sister-in-law Liu’s house. Firewood was tossed in, the fire roared to life, and plumes of cooking smoke began to drift out.

They heated oil for a stir-fry. Shredded pork was tossed in the wok, turning glossy and tender.

The bok choy was first blanched in bone broth, then lightly stir-fried with minced garlic.

The aunties bustled around the stove, their iron ladles creating one delicious dish after another.

Sister-in-law Liu went straight to making her specialty.

Her knife skills were excellent. She sliced the pork into pieces as thin as a cicada’s wing, blanched them in bone broth, and then layered them over bean sprouts, green vegetables, and wood ear mushrooms.

She added chopped green and red chili peppers, garlic, and Sichuan peppercorns, then poured sizzling hot oil over the top!

The aroma was so strong it could drift all the way to the village entrance!

After finally finishing the dish she was working on, she wiped her hands satisfactorily on her blue cloth apron.

Just as she was about to turn and start the next dish, she saw someone quietly tucking a piece of pork belly behind her apron.

Sister-in-law Liu strode over in a few quick steps and grabbed her by the wrist.

"Fu Gui’s mother, what did you just take?!"

"SHH! Don’t shout!" The village chief’s daughter-in-law, Mrs. Deng, gestured for silence.

Her eyes darted left and right; the other aunties hadn’t noticed.

Only then did she lower her voice. "Ningning brought so much food. If we cook it all, she won’t be able to finish it. Won’t it just spoil?"

"I’m just taking a little piece of meat. Don’t you dare tell her."

Sister-in-law Liu said at once, "That’s not right!"

"Ningning trusts us, that’s why she asked for our help. And she’s paying us silver! You can’t take her silver and then take her things too!"

"If you want something from her, just go ask her openly. Why are you doing sneaky things like this!"

Mrs. Deng’s face darkened instantly. "Don’t be ridiculous, I’m not stealing."

"How is it not stealing? Put it back right now!" Sister-in-law Liu said. "Your son Fugui follows Ningning around all day, calling her ’Little Wolf Sister’ this and ’Little Wolf Sister’ that. If Ningning finds out about this, what will she think of your Fugui?"

Hearing this, Mrs. Deng finally showed a hint of guilt.

She took the piece of pork belly out and placed it back on the cutting board.

"I know, I won’t do it again. Please don’t tell Ningning."

"I won’t tell her, but you have to remember not to do this kind of thing again. You need to set a good example for Fugui. Don’t make him unable to hold his head high in front of Ningning!"

Mrs. Deng nodded repeatedly.

However, a new thought occurred to her.

’My son Fugui really does get incredibly excited every time he sees Shen Ningning.’

’He practically follows her around like a little puppy.’

’Shen Ningning is only four, but she’s already so bright and pretty, with fair skin and features like something out of a painting.’

’When she grows up, say to eleven or twelve, she’ll probably be even more beautiful!’

’In the whole village, the only one worthy of Shen Ningning is someone from my Deng Family!’

’My father-in-law is the village chief, after all. Our family even raises chickens, ducks, and pigs. Our circumstances are much better than anyone else’s.’

’If my son really likes her, it would be a wonderful thing to have her as his wife in the future!’

Mrs. Deng began to daydream as she kneaded the dough.

Meanwhile, Shen Ningning arrived at the mad scholar’s courtyard, carrying a bag of red fruits and oranges.

She knocked on the door, but as usual, the mad scholar ignored her.

The clear sound of reading drifted through the broken window frame.

"Mad Teacher, I’ve come to see you!" Shen Ningning poked her little head through the doorway, her big, bright eyes looking at the person on the broken chair.

The mad scholar’s reading came to an abrupt halt.

He finally awoke from the vast ocean of his books.

"Why do you call me ’Mad Teacher’?"

"Because... I don’t know your family name," the little one said softly.

Her round, pink cheeks showed a shy and embarrassed expression.

The mad scholar was silent for a moment, then suddenly smiled.

"That’s fine. My name has long since ceased to be important. You can go on calling me that."

After speaking, he turned and took a book directly from a shelf.

A flip through its pages revealed it was densely packed with annotations and notes.

"You’ve come at the perfect time. I’ve prepared a new book for you. This one is more difficult than the last two, so you must listen carefully."

The mad scholar pulled Shen Ningning down to sit on the floor with him and began to teach her new things, little by little.

The little girl once again began her studies, feeling a bit lost at first.

She went from being completely in a fog to understanding everything with a single explanation from the mad scholar in less than half an hour.

When the mad scholar got so excited he was practically spitting as he spoke, Shen Ningning would immediately extrapolate from his examples, making him even more emotional, as if he had found a kindred spirit.

When the two of them grew tired of studying, Shen Ningning would peel an orange with her small hands and share it with the mad scholar.

Two hours passed this way, until the sun began to set, bathing the rooftop in a golden light.

When Shen Ningning grew up, she would often recall this scene from her childhood.

Her first teacher, in this barren land and under these cracked roof beams, had poured out all his knowledge to build a steady bridge for her, one that led to a brilliant and wonderful destiny.