Chapter 27: Chapter 27: Qin Fangmei Wants to Go Home? The Door’s Gone

Shen Ningning paused for a moment, then nodded. "Yes."

The mad scholar turned his head, and only then did the little girl get a clear look at his face.

He had a refined, scholarly, and well-proportioned face.

Although his hair was messy and his clothes disheveled, his entire being exuded the crisp, clear air of a true scholar.

Though thin, his posture was as straight and tall as a pine or bamboo.

The mad scholar’s eyes darkened. "I have no silver to give you."

Shen Ningning’s smile was sincere, her eyes sparkling as if a handful of tiny stars had been scattered in them.

"It’s okay, it’s a gift for you!" ’Besides,’ she thought, ’I can just buy another brush.’

The mad scholar stared at her, unblinking.

When the child smiled, she had a cute dimple, and her eyes were clear, innocent, and bright.

His gaze shifted, and he noticed the Thousand Character Classic and the Three Character Classic inside her open bundle.

The mad scholar suddenly reached out and pulled the two books out.

He sat down on the ground, opened a book, and without another word, began to teach Shen Ningning.

The little girl was completely bewildered.

’Didn’t I just come to check on the mad scholar and bring him some food?’

’How did it turn into a lesson?!’

The mad scholar taught with great earnestness.

With every sentence he explained, he would then teach Shen Ningning how to contemplate the meaning behind it.

He would even suddenly quiz her on the lines they had just read.

He made sure she had learned it.

The mad scholar’s teaching method was quite peculiar; he selected key points and explained them in meticulous detail.

Barely an hour passed, but he had already explained both books thoroughly.

She was very clever and understood with just a little guidance.

To her surprise, Shen Ningning had just received her first formal lesson from him.

As the lesson progressed, the little girl copied him, sitting cross-legged on the ground.

Finally, he closed the book.

"I have now paid for your brush," the mad scholar said.

So, this was his way of repaying Shen Ningning’s kindness for gifting him the brush.

The little girl stood up and patted down her skirt.

"Actually, I came to see if you’ve had enough to eat. Uncle Liu and the others are very worried about you."

The mad scholar returned to his table and began reading again.

Speaking of eating, he must have been hungry, because he casually picked up a blade of grass from the table and put it in his mouth.

"I’ve eaten, thank you," he said, his eyes completely absorbed in his book.

Disbelief was written all over Shen Ningning’s round little face and in her big eyes.

’How can someone be so obsessed with reading?!’

’It’s amazing!’

The little girl thought for a moment, then said, "I don’t have any extra buns today, but when I bring food tomorrow, I’ll bring some for you too."

The mad scholar was completely lost in the world of poetry and books and didn’t respond to her.

Fortunately, the little girl didn’t mind. She left his house with the few sleepy Langlangs in tow. 𝘧𝘳𝘦ℯ𝓌𝘦𝒷𝘯𝑜𝑣𝘦𝓁.𝒸𝘰𝓂

Just as she stepped through the doorway, she heard the mad scholar call out, "Wait."

Shen Ningning turned around. The mad scholar was holding out the bag of rice and flour that Uncle Liu had given him.

"Take this back. Return it to him."

"Huh?" The little girl was taken aback.

But the mad scholar had already sat back down and resumed his reading.

Shen Ningning didn’t know what to do. ’Looking at him,’ she thought, ’he really doesn’t have the time to cook.’

On her way back, carrying the bag of grain, she ran into Sister-in-law Liu.

With her children’s bellies full at home, the joy on Sister-in-law Liu’s face was plain to see.

The moment she saw Shen Ningning, she hurried over.

"Ningning, your Uncle Liu just scolded me. It was all my fault. No matter how angry I get, I shouldn’t have spoken so recklessly in front of you."

"When I said I quit, I was just angry. Please don’t hold it against your aunt."

Shen Ningning had naturally rosy lips and pearly teeth, and when she smiled, she looked even more like a delicate jade carving.

"I’m not angry. But I just saw the mad scholar, and he returned the food." The little girl handed over the bag of rice and flour.

Sister-in-law Liu froze for a second, then burst out laughing. "See? I told you he was just a bookworm who only knows how to read! He won’t even take food!"

"If he doesn’t want it, fine. I’ll take it back." She took the bag.

Shen Ningning walked along with her and couldn’t help but ask, "Has he always been this... mad?"

Sister-in-law Liu said nonchalantly, "Mhm, you bet! He’s been in a daze like this ever since he first came to the village."

"The village chief said his family was once a renowned and powerful clan in the Capital City. Something happened, their family fortunes declined, and they lost all their wealth."

"He was supposed to take the imperial examinations but failed. Our village is close to the Capital City, so he used what little money he had left to buy a house in the village and settled down here."

"Ningning, don’t bother with him in the future. That man is mad. He only cares about reading; he doesn’t even care about his own life."

The little girl mumbled quietly, "How can I not bother? He’s an amazing teacher."

’He just has to explain it once, and I get it!’

Suddenly, Shen Ningning’s eyes lit up.

"Aunt Liu, I’m going to Guangyang County to study soon. I’ll be back in two days. Langlang will bring the food over every day in my place."

"I’ll prepare a portion for the mad scholar too. When the time comes, can you help me give it to him?"

Sister-in-law Liu frowned.

She wasn’t the type of person who liked meddling in other people’s affairs.

However, she knew how to be grateful.

Shen Ningning had brought so much food that she was feeding more than half the village.

And her family had benefited the most.

Sister-in-law Liu thought for a moment, then nodded. "Alright! I can deliver it, but I can’t be responsible for whether he eats it or not."

With the two of them in agreement, Shen Ningning felt relieved.

Before leaving for school, the little girl worried that her grandmother and the Langlangs would go hungry while she was away.

So, she dragged out a large amount of fresh meat.

Worried it would spoil, she salted all of it and stored it in jars in the cellar.

Grandma Qin was very resourceful. A few days ago, she had watered some rotting wood with the Spiritual Spring and had grown a large batch of wood ear mushrooms.

Seeing Shen Ningning running in and out, she couldn’t help but say with a pang of sympathy, "Ningning, take a rest. You’ll only be gone for two days. We definitely have enough food."

"Grandma, I’m not tired. For the two days I’m not home, you and the Langlangs have to take good care of yourselves."

As she spoke, the little girl pressed her face against the Black Wolf King’s head. "Langlang, protect Grandma for me."

The Black Wolf King nodded repeatedly.

The wolf pack was reluctant to see Shen Ningning go, even if it was just for two days.

They came up one by one, vying for her affection and nuzzling against her.

On the day she was to leave for school, Grandma Qin woke up bright and early.

She took the garlic shoots they had grown, cut them into segments, and stir-fried them with golden-yellow eggs.

She also took the wood ear mushrooms from the last harvest, shredded them with carrots, cooked them, and made a cold salad.

Grandma Qin also packed two roasted chickens for Shen Ningning, both of which she had made herself.

Lifting the heavy food box, Shen Ningning said in her soft, sweet voice, "Grandma, I can’t carry it!"

Grandma Qin was still placing washed red fruits into the box one by one.

She smiled and said, "When you get to the private school and make new friends, share this with everyone. Ningning, remember to be kind to others."

Shen Ningning nodded obediently, committing it to memory.

The wolf pack escorted her to the foot of the mountain. The sun had not been up for long, but the heat was already unbearable.

The people sent by the County Magistrate to pick up Shen Ningning were already waiting with a carriage at the base of Wolf Mountain.

The little girl said goodbye to the wolf pack, shouldered the bundle containing her books, and boarded the carriage to leave.

「Not long after she left.」

Landlord Du’s carriage came rumbling to the entrance of Xiangyun Village.

The carriage curtain moved, and Qin Fangmei, now recovered from her illness, jumped down.

She had previously fallen into a well, gashing her forehead. A scar remained, and it looked terribly ugly.

She had to wear her bangs long to cover the scar.

In her heart, she hated Shen Ningning to the core.

’It’s all that little orphan’s fault, always causing trouble!’

But, thankfully, she had her uncle, Landlord Du, to take care of her.

And now, having recovered, her uncle had specially sent her back to the village in a carriage. She couldn’t have been more pleased with herself.

However, she had just entered the village when the village chief’s grandson saw her.

Deng Fugui shrieked, "Someone from the Qin Family is back!"

Before Qin Fangmei could even process what was happening, she was surrounded by the villagers.

Every one of them glared at her with menacing hostility.

Qin Fangmei was stunned for a moment, then put on an air of superiority and shrieked, "You bunch of paupers, how dare you block my way! What do you think you’re doing?!"

Just then, the old village chief walked over.

The villagers parted to make way for him.

The old village chief looked at Qin Fangmei with disgust in his eyes and said bluntly, "Your family no longer has a place in this village. We don’t welcome you back. Leave at once!"