When Shen Ningning returned to the restaurant, she found that Jiang Zhi had already left.
The dishes on the table were almost all eaten.
The waiter walked over. "Miss, your friend left a note for you earlier."
Shen Ningning took it and looked.
Two words, "Thank you," were written in very neat script.
After settling the bill, Shen Ningning left the restaurant and headed straight for the jade shop.
The moment she stepped inside, her eyes were dazzled by the brilliant array of pearls and jade.
The prices varied from low to high, with a stunning variety of jades of all colors.
Shen Ningning looked around.
The cheapest piece was still 300 taels, and it was just a small one.
Besides, it didn't look very impressive.
Shen Ningning spotted a palm-sized Wealth God Statue on the highest shelf.
It was made of Yellow and White Jade.
'It looks so much like my brother's jade!'
The little girl quickly pointed at the jade and asked the shop owner, "What kind of jade is that? How much silver is it?"
Several waiters were busy attending to wealthy customers.
Only the Shopkeeper, who was doing the accounts, glanced at Shen Ningning. He walked over and said patiently, "This is called Nephrite Jade. It's 300 taels an inch."
The little girl blinked her big, round eyes.
She was just about to say that it wasn't too expensive.
Unexpectedly, the Shopkeeper quickly added, "Gold. One inch is 300 taels of gold."
Shen Ningning's little mouth immediately formed an "O." "That expensive?"
'How many medicinal herbs would I have to sell to buy an identical piece of jade to replace my brother's?'
The Shopkeeper gave a friendly smile. "Little girl, if you want to buy jade, you should have your family bring you."
Shen Ningning silently shook her head and turned to leave the shop.
She couldn't afford it right now.
The little one puffed out her rosy cheeks and muttered under her breath, "Oh, Immortal Realm, Immortal Realm, how could you? Of all things to eat, you had to pick such an expensive piece of jade!"
'Looks like I'll have to start saving up!'
It was getting late, so Shen Ningning decided to go home.
Before leaving, she went to the clothier's and bought several new sets of clothes.
Then she went to the stables to hire a driver and headed back.
On this trip, what with the meal, clothes, and other miscellaneous items, she had spent a total of one hundred and fifty taels.
She wrapped the 200 taels that Granny Chen needed in a separate bundle.
Finally, Shen Ningning stored the remaining five hundred and fifty taels in the small chest inside the Immortal Realm.
The carriage stopped outside Xiangyun Village.
Shen Ningning, carrying the silver bag, walked toward Granny Chen's house.
On the way, she ran into the village chief's grandson, who was playing in the cracked fields with a group of seven- and eight-year-old children.
As soon as they saw Shen Ningning, they ran over and followed her from a short distance.
"Little Wolf Girl? Little Wolf Girl?" the village chief's grandson called out, leading the group.
Shen Ningning turned back, her watery eyes giving them a fiercely cute glare.
Suddenly!
From Wolf Mountain behind Xiangyun Village, a series of wolf howls echoed out.
The Black Wolf King knew Shen Ningning was back and was watching from the nearby woods.
The group of children immediately froze, falling silent and not daring to shout anymore.
The village chief's grandson stammered, "S-Sorry, Wol... Miss Wolf, we were just curious. We didn't mean any harm."
Shen Ningning didn't want to bother with them, so she turned her head and walked away.
Only then did the howling from the woods stop.
The little one went to Granny Chen's house, closed the door, and unwrapped the bundle.
The gleaming silver made Granny Chen's eyes turn red.
"Ningning, so much money..." she choked out. "We will definitely pay you back in the future."
"Don't cry, Granny Chen. You should send this money out quickly. Saving your family is what's important. We can talk about repayment later!" Shen Ningning said magnanimously, waving her small hand.
Granny Chen nodded repeatedly. She didn't even have any decent tea to offer Shen Ningning.
Fortunately, the little girl didn't mind, so Granny Chen hurried into town to send the money.
Just as Shen Ningning was about to leave Xiangyun Village and head home, the village chief blocked her path.
Village Chief Deng Changshou was sixty-five years old, with graying hair, and held considerable authority in the village.
Earlier, when Aunt Qin was bullying Shen Ningning, he couldn't stand to watch and had said a few words.
However, Aunt Qin paid the village chief no mind at all.
Therefore, Village Chief Deng stopped interfering.
Seeing him now, Shen Ningning asked curiously, "Grandpa Village Chief, is something the matter?"
The village chief asked with concern, "Ningning, how are you and your grandmother getting by on the mountain now?"
"We're doing well. Without Uncle and Auntie, Grandma barely cries anymore," the little one answered truthfully.
The village chief nodded, then sighed. "Your uncle, Qin Sheng, borrowed fifteen taels of silver from my family to buy rice. Your grandmother knows about this."
"Now it's time for repayment, but your uncle and aunt have both been thrown in jail. Who knows when they'll be back. I'm not trying to plead their case, but I'm worried this money won't be paid back."
"My grandson is about to start his studies, and with a family of seven, we all need to eat. Fifteen taels might not seem like a lot, but it's not a small amount either."
"Do you think you could..." The village chief trailed off, stopping himself mid-sentence.
He probably knew that asking a four-year-old child to repay Uncle Qin's debt was simply not right.
But people always look out for themselves first.
Besides, his family wasn't well-off either and was waiting to use that money.
Shen Ningning looked at him in silence.
"Grandpa Village Chief, Uncle and the others weren't nice to me," the little one said in her soft, sweet voice.
The logic was laid out plainly.
'They were mean to me, so why should I help them pay their debts?!'
The village chief was taken aback for a moment, then pulled a red contract with a fingerprint seal from his sleeve.
"Ningning, I'm not forcing you. Look, it's in black and white, with his fingerprint. Your uncle put the house up as collateral. He said if he couldn't repay the money, the village house would be mine."
"You don't have to pay the money, that's fine too. But in that case, please tell your grandmother for me that this house belongs to me for now. If your uncle wants it back later, he can buy it back with the money."
"We're all fellow villagers and neighbors. I won't take advantage of you."
With that, the village chief turned to leave.
A light flickered in Shen Ningning's dark, dewy eyes.
"Wait!" she called out, stopping him.
The village chief turned back. "What is it, Ningning?"
The little girl walked forward. "Since my uncle can't pay you back, this house belongs to you now, Grandpa Village Chief."
"So, if I wanted to buy this village house from you, Grandpa Village Chief, how much would it cost?"
The village chief was stunned. When he came to his senses, he asked, "You want to buy it?"
Shen Ningning nodded decisively, her little face rosy and her expression resolute.
"I can pay, but I'm only buying my own village house. The money my uncle owes you is his own debt. I won't help him pay it back."
'But I can still buy the village house.'
The village chief thought about it and felt this was also a solution.
"Your family's yard isn't very big, and its location in the village is a bit remote. I won't ask for much. How about I sell you this house for twenty taels?"
Shen Ningning agreed at once. "Okay."
The village chief hadn't expected the little girl to be so quick and decisive.
Shen Ningning was also considering that her grandmother had lived in that village house her entire life.
She surely had an emotional attachment to her own home.
If it were just gone like that, her grandmother would be heartbroken.
"I also need you, Grandpa Village Chief, to act as a witness. We'll draw up a contract stating that the house is given to me, making it mine. If anyone else tries to move in, you, Grandpa Village Chief, should rally the villagers to drive them out."
"Anyone else," of course, referred to Aunt Qin's family!