Chapter 257: Chapter 257: The Crowd’s Mockery

On the night of New Year’s Eve, the sound of firecrackers from the foot of the mountain was incessant. Up on the mountain, however, the residence was quiet and warm.

Xie Suzhi sat by the window of the guest room, watching the light snow drift down into the courtyard.

After the lively New Year’s vigil they had all just shared, everyone had returned to their rooms to rest.

Xie Suzhi was the only one who couldn’t sleep. He gazed at the distant silhouette of the mountains, hidden in the snowy night. The red lanterns hanging under the dark corridor looked like a lighthouse in the middle of a vast ocean.

Guiding lost travelers home.

From time to time, a patrolling black wolf would pass by outside. It would glance at him through the window before coldly withdrawing its gaze.

These fierce beasts, born and raised in the great mountains, definitely did not like interacting with people.

But for Shen Ningning’s sake, they had become more personable.

Xie Suzhi clutched his chest and coughed softly.

Just then, a kind and elderly voice came from the doorway. "Prime Minister, you haven’t rested yet?"

Xie Suzhi quickly stood up, opened the door, and welcomed Grandma Qin, who had woken in the night, inside.

"Not at all. I saw it was snowing, and the courtyard looked so peaceful and serene. I’ve rarely seen such a pleasant and comfortable sight, so I couldn’t help but watch for a while longer."

Grandma Qin smiled as she walked in and placed a pot of hot tea on the table.

She reminded him, "It’s cold at night, be careful not to catch a chill. I heard you coughing just now. You must take good care of yourself."

Xie Suzhi nodded in agreement and supported Grandma Qin as if she were his own mother.

After putting down the tea, Grandma Qin was about to leave.

Just as she reached the door, the old woman seemed to remember something.

She turned back and asked, "Prime Minister, please forgive an old woman for prying."

"There’s something I’ve been wanting to ask you in private. Ningning’s parents... are they really impossible to find?"

Xie Suzhi’s expression faltered. He nodded with difficulty and asked, "What is it, Ma’am? Why the sudden question?"

Grandma Qin shook her head and sighed. "It’s nothing, really. My heart just aches for Ningning."

"Back when that Wang Guihong was still alive, she would beat Ningning half to death. The girl held on to a single hope in her heart."

"She believed that if she could find her birth parents, she wouldn’t be bullied anymore. I often used that to encourage her, to give her the motivation and courage to keep living."

"But now, the only news she’s received of the parents she searched and waited for is that they’re dead. I think even though Ningning doesn’t say it, she’s still in great pain."

"That child is sensitive and kind. No matter how much sadness she feels, she keeps it all bottled up inside."

"Seeing her grow up and live her life now, I’m both happy and worried. I’m an old woman. I don’t have many years left to be with her."

"If I pass away one day, I’m afraid she’ll feel like she’s lost her last connection to this world. So, Prime Minister, I implore you, if one day I..."

Xie Suzhi quickly interrupted, "Ma’am, please don’t say such things. You are hale and hearty. You will surely live to be a hundred."

As he spoke, he lifted his robes and knelt, startling Grandma Qin. She reached out to help him up. "Prime Minister, you mustn’t do this! Get up, quickly."

Xie Suzhi did not get up. Instead, he kowtowed to Grandma Qin several times.

The rims of his eyes were slightly red, betraying a mix of complex emotions.

"Ningning is fated to be with the Xie family. From now on, she will be my daughter. I will protect and dote on her as a father would."

"Furthermore, you can consider me your son. From this day forward, I will be a filial son to you and a doting father to her. If I break this vow, may I be struck by lightning and die a horrible death!"

Grandma Qin pulled him up in a panic. "Pah, pah, pah! It’s the New Year, don’t talk about death."

"I believe you, Prime Minister. Please, don’t make such terrible oaths. When Ningning grows up, she will still need you to take care of her."

Xie Suzhi knew Grandma Qin was worried about Shen Ningning. The old woman had little power of her own; her only hope was to secure a promise from the Xie family.

But what Grandma Qin didn’t know was that Xie Suzhi would give his own life to take good care of Ningning.

After seeing Grandma Qin off, Xie Suzhi couldn’t help but step outside. He walked softly to the door of Shen Ningning’s room.

The little one’s room was the warmest of all, so her window was always kept open a crack. This way, it wouldn’t get stuffy, and she could sleep comfortably.

Just then, through the half-open window, Xie Suzhi saw the little one sprawled on her bed, fast asleep.

She was surrounded by sleeping wolves.

They were all guarding her, sleeping peacefully.

Xie Suzhi watched Shen Ningning’s small hand, which was lying outside the covers. It seemed as if she were catching butterflies in her dream, occasionally grabbing at the air.

As he watched, an indulgent, faint smile appeared on his face.

Suddenly.

A huge wolf’s head popped out from inside.

The Black Wolf King propped its front paws on the table and stared, wide-eyed, at Xie Suzhi through the window.

It gave him a cold glance, and without any fuss, used its head to push the half-open window shut.

THUD.

Xie Suzhi was speechless.

’This wolf has such a bad temper.’

"Father?" Xie Mingxu’s low voice called from behind him. "What are you doing here?"

Xie Suzhi turned around and saw that Xie Mingxu was also awake and walking in his direction.

He cleared his throat. "I couldn’t sleep, so I wanted to see if Ningning was asleep. But that Black Wolf King closed the window."

Xie Mingxu hesitated for a moment, then sighed softly.

"It’s all your fault, Father. Otherwise, I could have at least gotten a glimpse of Ningning through the window."

Xie Suzhi was speechless.

’It was clearly that petty Black Wolf King.’

Suddenly, a cold "tsk" sounded from nearby.

"What are you all gathered here for?" Mo Lingwei’s black hair was loose, giving him the noble air of a gentleman carved from jade.

He walked to the window, and when he saw it was tightly shut, his smile vanished.

"Why is the window closed? Wasn’t it just open?"

After Mo Lingwei spoke, the Xie father and son stared at him, their eyes slightly wide.

’The Crown Prince has already been here several times?’

’No wonder the Black Wolf King got annoyed.’

After the New Year, two heavy snows fell.

Although the State Preceptor had said there would be no snow disaster this winter, some people still chose to believe the blessed girl’s words.

They held onto their supplies and watched, all of them guessing how long the snow would last.

Unexpectedly, just as the first month ended, the snow stopped, and the brilliant sun emerged.

The seasons were changing. It was as if winter were slowly receding as blades of grass sprouted from the ground, revealing patches of fresh green.

The sun, moon, and clouds wheeled through the sky, eventually ushering in the spring.

More and more people began to sell off their cotton clothes, quilts, and various other winter gear on the streets.

Normally expensive fox furs, bearskins, and mink coats were all being sold off at the cheapest prices.

Mo Lingwei bought them all up and threw them into a warehouse, stockpiling them for Shen Ningning.

The Xie family also did not stop collecting wood. Knowing the little one’s opinion hadn’t changed, they continued to buy dry firewood.

And Shen Ningning was not idle. Whenever she had free time, she would go to her granary, take the damp wood she had bought, and place it in the Immortal Realm to dry in the sun.

「Soon, it was the third month of spring.」

The snow had stopped, but the weather had not yet turned warm. More and more people were selling off their winter supplies.

On several occasions, Wang Qiao’er brought people to the entrance of Xiangyun Village to shout insults and jeer.

"Well, well, why is the famous blessed girl so quiet now? Wasn’t there supposed to be a snow disaster? Where’s the natural disaster? Where did it go?"

"It’s already the third month! The willow branches are sprouting. Let’s see what you have to say for yourself now. These fools from Xiangyun Village, you must have scammed them out of a lot of money, right?"

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