Chapter 401: Happy to Help?

Chapter 401: Chapter 401: Happy to Help?

"Struck by lightning? Was that the thunder we heard yesterday? When I heard that sound, I thought the sky was splitting open and ran outside to look! All the horses in our stable were so scared they dropped to their knees," Ye Shangyi said, still shaken.

Lu Shaoyuan shared the news he’d heard from his older brother.

"That was the one. They say it happened out of nowhere. Princess Consort Qi had just left the Imperial Study when she got struck. Her face was completely blackened!"

Ye Shangyi burst out laughing. "Serves her right! Who told her to have such malicious intentions? Even Heaven couldn’t stand it anymore. Did it kill her?"

Shen Ningning, who had been quietly eating pastries, lifted her big, round eyes and watched them like a kitten, waiting for the rest of the story.

Lu Shaoyuan shook his head. "I heard she didn’t die. The Imperial Physician saved her, but half of her hair was burned off."

The people of Cangyun Country considered their hair more important than their own lives. They believed that their bodies, hair, and skin were gifts from their parents, and that hair was a symbol of their parents’ health.

So, after Princess Consort Qi was struck by lightning, not only was half her hair scorched, but it was rumored she was left with a scar on her face as well.

The Qi Family now considered her inauspicious. Early this morning, Mrs. Qi Sr. took her daughter-in-law and granddaughter, Qi Xiuwei, to the National Temple to offer incense and pray to the gods.

Ye Shangyi sneered, "Hmph, she got off easy. If heaven truly has eyes, why didn’t it strike her a couple more times?"

Shen Ningning secretly let out a breath.

’I only touched the red dot once yesterday, and a bolt of lightning struck.’

’The red dot disappeared afterward, so I stopped touching it. Otherwise, who knows how many more lightning bolts there might have been.’

Lu Shaoyuan looked at Shen Ningning. "Why are you so quiet? You don’t feel sorry for her, do you?"

The little one quickly blinked her big eyes. "I didn’t!"

Ye Shangyi giggled. "Exactly! Why would Ningning feel sorry for someone like that? It’s probably because Princess Consort Qi bullied her that the Heavenly God couldn’t stand it anymore!"

Shen Ningning played along with a couple of dry laughs. Her soft, pink, and adorable face looked a little guilty.

Half a month passed. By mid-September, the weather had turned cold.

The Emperor issued a decree, calling on the noble families and wealthy merchants of Cangyun Country to each contribute to helping the poor rebuild their homes after the natural disaster.

In response to the Emperor’s call, Mr. Han of the National Academy also gave his students an assignment.

He required the students to provide meaningful assistance to others within a one-month deadline.

Furthermore, they had to write a formal report on it and submit it to Mr. Han by the end of October.

As for students from poor families, like Xu Jingxi, Mr. Han advised that they could join their classmates in their charitable efforts and do what they could to help.

Any student who completed the assignment in an outstanding manner would be recommended by Mr. Han to have dinner with the Emperor.

For the young masters and ladies from noble families, this was a great honor that would bring glory to their ancestors.

So, ever since Mr. Han announced the assignment, the students of the National Academy had been going all out, vying for the spotlight.

Some brought a group of family servants and headed straight for the alleyways where the poor gathered, delivering meat and grain door-to-door.

Others aided the city’s beggars, building thatched huts for them and giving them shelter.

For a time, students from the National Academy performing good deeds were a common sight throughout the city.

Even the usually high-and-mighty young masters and ladies could be seen on the streets, lending a helping hand to the poor.

Inside the Guest Welcoming Building, Shen Ningning sat in a private room on the second floor.

Her two chubby little hands were formed into circles, which she held up to her eyes to look through.

The Black Wolf King lay dozing at her feet, drowsy and half-asleep.

Ye Shangyi was sleepy too. She leaned on the windowsill, thoroughly bored. "What’s so interesting to look at? You’ve been staring for so long."

"On the west end of the street, Liang Yici is in a martial arts competition, planning to use the silver from the audience’s donations to help the common people. On the east end, by the creek, Xie Yuanjiu and a few classmates are releasing fish they bought from the market," Shen Ningning said, pouting her little lips.

She looked at Ye Shangyi. "Don’t you think it’s strange? Liang Yici is competing to raise silver to buy things to help the common folk, but why is Xie Yuanjiu releasing so many fish?"

Ye Shangyi yawned. "Who knows? Whatever she’s thinking, it’s bound to be some underhanded trick."

Shen Ningning raised her little hands to her eyes again. "Hmm, let me look again."

Ye Shangyi wailed in boredom. "What’s the point of watching them? We haven’t even finished our own good deed project yet! You should be thinking about what kind of helpful thing we can go do."

Her wail was quite loud, drawing a displeased look from the Black Wolf King, who lifted its eyelids to glance at her coldly.

Ye Shangyi quietly closed her mouth and offered a cautious smile. "Go on back to sleep, Mr. Lang."

The Black Wolf King did indeed close its eyes.

Shen Ningning’s soft voice piped up, "I understand why Xie Yuanjiu is doing that."

"Why?"

"Look," Shen Ningning said, pointing downstream along the creek. "There’s a group of fishermen waiting to cast their nets. When the fish released upstream reach them, they can catch them without any effort."

Ye Shangyi squinted and saw that it was just as Ningning had said.

Under the sun, the stream flowing through the city was clear and sparkling.

Xie Yuanjiu and her classmates were releasing fish upstream, while downstream, people were gathered by the bank, fishing them out.

"Can you even call that releasing them? It’s a complete waste of effort! And she calls this helping people? She’s just messing around. Did Xie Yuanjiu’s brain get fried by lightning too?" Ye Shangyi scoffed, crossing her arms.

Shen Ningning blinked her big eyes at her. "She’s not as simple as you think."

"I bet that in her report to Mr. Han, she’ll say that releasing the fish solved the needs of two groups of people: the sellers and the fishermen who caught them."

Ye Shangyi pursed her lips in disdain.

"A school of fish gets tormented back and forth, only to end up back at the market to be butchered. And she calls that helping others? That’s hilarious."

Just then, a waiter came in, pushing a four-tiered wooden cart.

It was laden with a dazzling array of delicious dishes—a good eight or nine plates in all!

"Princess, Miss Ye, your dishes are all ready. Should I pack them up for you to take away?"

Shen Ningning slid off the soft couch by the window. "Pack ’em up!"

Ye Shangyi was surprised, but then she understood. "I get it! You’re going to take this food to help the beggars who can’t afford to eat, right?"

Shen Ningning gave her a strange look. "This food is for someone else, but it’s not for charity. It’s for a visit!"

"Who are we visiting?"

"Xu Jingxi! I heard his hand is much better and he’ll be able to come back to class with us soon. We’re taking this food to go see him and Grandpa Xu today," Shen Ningning said with a beaming smile.

Ye Shangyi grew anxious. "It’s almost October, and we still haven’t started on our good deed project! What are we going to submit to Mr. Han?"

Shen Ningning wasn’t afraid, because she was Mr. Han’s favorite student.

Ye Shangyi, however, was afraid. If she didn’t complete her assignment well, her grandfather would think she had brought shame upon the Ye Family.

The little one smiled sweetly. "I’ve done so many good deeds already, why do they need to be written on paper? Besides, you can’t force something like this."

"We just need to notice things in our daily lives and jot down the times we help out."

With that, she grabbed Ye Shangyi’s hand. "Come on, let’s go see Xu Jingxi together!"

Ye Shangyi sighed. "Oh, alright. I guess it’s just because I love hanging out with you!"

The Black Wolf King got up, shook out its fur, and followed Shen Ningning and the others out of the private room with a steady, imposing stride.

The waiter carried the heavy food box and placed it on Shen Ningning’s carriage.

"Take care, Princess, Miss Ye!" he said, bowing and scraping.

As the carriage started to move and sway, the curtain shifted, and the waiter caught sight of the Black Wolf King’s cold, wolven eyes again.

He immediately bowed. "Take care, Mr. Lang! Please come again!"

The Black Wolf King: ...

’Ever since I was officially entered into the Xie family’s genealogy, everyone in the Capital City has started calling me Mr. Lang.’

Shen Ningning and Ye Shangyi had just arrived at the entrance of Xu Jingxi’s village house.

...when they saw a group of shouting servants surrounding the place.

A fierce-looking shopkeeper stood at the head of the group. "Mr. Xu Sr., stop hiding and come out! I have proof right here in black and white, with your mark on it. If you keep hiding, don’t blame me for reporting you to the government!"