Chapter 278: Chapter 278: Grandma’s Relatives

Ye Shangyi’s carriage took Shen Ningning directly to the foot of Wolf Mountain.

The moment the little one stepped down from the carriage, Ye Shangyi couldn’t resist lifting the curtain.

She asked, "If you’re free in a few days, you can come over to my place to play."

Shen Ningning blinked her big eyes. "Mmm, when I’m free, I have to stay home and keep Brother company~"

Xie Mingxu would be returning to the border very soon.

The next time they would see each other would be a year later.

That’s why Shen Ningning had promised him that she would stay at the Xie Mansion after her classes at the National Academy ended.

She also planned to bring Grandma Qin and the Black Wolf King with her.

Hearing this, a flicker of disappointment crossed Ye Shangyi’s eyes.

But she still put on a brave face, saying, "Fine, don’t come. I invited other people anyway, hmph."

She dropped the curtain, and the carriage departed.

Just then, Ye Shangyi’s maid lifted the light blanket Shen Ningning had just been draped in.

And discovered a pouch full of red fruits underneath.

There were five or six round, plump, and juicy fruits.

"Miss, look! The Commandery Princess must have left them."

Ye Shangyi glanced over, surprised. "That Shen Ningning! She clearly had other food but didn’t take it out to share with me."

Despite her words, she wasn’t angry.

Instead, she picked up one of the red fruits and took a bite.

’So sweet!’

’Being friends with Shen Ningning seems pretty nice, actually.’

Meanwhile, the little one had already run into the village.

"Grandma, I’m back! Grandma~" she called out cheerfully as she went.

The villagers on the road saw her and greeted her one after another.

Sister-in-law Liu, holding a winnowing basket, said to the little one, "Ningning, it looks like you have a visitor at home!"

’A visitor?’

Curious, Shen Ningning ran back to her village house.

As soon as she entered the courtyard, she saw Grandma Qin through the open door of the main house, smiling and talking to a man in his thirties.

The man’s skin was sallow, his complexion dark.

He was incredibly thin, and the tattered cotton padding of his clothes could barely cover him.

Grandma Qin looked up, saw Shen Ningning had returned, and immediately beckoned her over.

"Ningning, you’re back just in time! Come, let Grandma introduce you. This is my nephew, Dong Aniu."

When the man saw Shen Ningning, it was like a pauper seeing gold.

A sharp glint flashed in his eyes. He immediately stood up, rubbing his hands together as he greeted her.

"You must be Ningning, right? I’ve heard so much about you! Oh my, and what a pretty and bright little girl you are."

"Here, Uncle Ah Niu has some broken rice cakes for you. Take them." From his tattered pocket, he pulled out a handful of dark, grimy food.

Shen Ningning held out her small hand and silently accepted it, but she didn’t dare to eat it.

Grandma Qin smiled faintly. "Ah Niu, Ningning is Chancellor Xie’s goddaughter now. You can’t just have her call you ’Uncle’."

Dong Aniu immediately nodded. "Aunt, don’t worry. I, Ah Niu, know my place."

"Well then, I’ll be counting on you for this matter. I’ll go back and get settled now, and I’ll move over in a few days."

With that, he prepared to leave.

As he passed Shen Ningning, he again revealed his straw-yellow teeth in an ingratiating smile.

The little one stared blankly as he left.

"Grandma, is he moving in?" Shen Ningning couldn’t help but ask.

Grandma Qin pulled the little one to her side, her eyes filled with sorrow.

"Ningning, my dear sister has passed away. From now on, you’re the only family I have left in this world."

As she spoke, tears streamed from the wrinkled corners of her eyes.

Shen Ningning quickly used her small hands to wipe her grandma’s eyes.

In a desolate tone, Grandma Qin explained the reason for Dong Aniu’s visit.

It turned out that after she and her sister had married into different families, they hadn’t kept in frequent contact.

In her earlier years, when Grandma Qin was having a hard time and being abused by Aunt Qin, she had considered seeking shelter at her sister’s home for a while.

However, the Dong Family was running a booming tofu business at the time.

Her sister’s husband and two sons didn’t agree to let Grandma Qin stay with them.

So, the matter was dropped.

Fearing she would be a burden to her sister’s family, Grandma Qin never initiated contact with them again.

It was her sister, Mrs. Dong Sr., who would occasionally, in private, send her youngest daughter to bring Grandma Qin some food and check in on her.

But after the drought began, everyone was too busy fending for themselves, and they lost contact.

Now, the latest news was that Mrs. Dong Sr. and her husband were sleeping in their house.

But unexpectedly, heavy snow caused the house to collapse in the middle of the night. It wasn’t until morning when Dong Aniu woke up that he discovered his parents had been crushed to death by the snow.

Unfortunately, Dong Aniu was about to get married, and how could he do that without a house?

He was over thirty, his tofu business had failed, and his family was dirt poor.

He had finally found a matchmaker who arranged for him to marry a widow with a daughter.

Just as they were about to hold the wedding, a funeral befell the Dong Family first.

When the woman learned that half of the Dong family’s house had collapsed, she immediately refused to marry him.

She even set a condition: unless he found a new house, the marriage was off, and she wouldn’t even return the betrothal gifts.

With no other options, Dong Aniu thought of seeking refuge with his mother’s older sister.

After asking around, he found out that Mrs. Dong Sr.’s sister, Grandma Qin, was none other than the grandmother of the famous blessed girl!

That was why Dong Aniu had come looking for her so eagerly.

Shen Ningning scratched her little face, a little confused.

"So, he came to Grandma to take over our house?"

Grandma Qin patted the little one’s head and said with a smile, "No, he means to just borrow it temporarily for his wedding."

"They’ll move back after they’re married."

Jiang Zhi, who was listening nearby, looked disgusted.

"Why is this man so unfilial? His parents just died, and he’s already thinking about getting a wife?"

Grandma Qin shook her head and sighed. "He’s a pitiful one. Thirty-two and still without a wife."

Hearing this, Shen Ningning also said, "Whatever Grandma decides is fine. Your family is my family~"

"So, we were supposed to go stay at the Xie Mansion for a while in a couple of days. Are you still going, Grandma?"

Grandma Qin chuckled. "Ah Niu needs to get married. When they perform the wedding ceremony, they can’t do it without an elder present."

"I want to stay and see him get married. That way, I can face my deceased sister."

Shen Ningning understood.

She would just have to take the Black Wolf King with her to the Xie Mansion for a few days.

Jiang Zhi was still worried. "I have to report to General Chen’s Mansion soon."

"But I don’t feel right about leaving Grandma Qin alone to deal with that Dong Aniu."

"How about I stay behind and go to General Chen’s Mansion a few days later? Chen Shaobei is very reasonable; he should agree."

Grandma Qin shook her head. "That won’t do. Good child, you should go report for duty when you’re supposed to. Nothing will happen to me here."

Hearing her say that, Jiang Zhi could only agree. "Alright then."

Shen Ningning thought for a moment, and before she left, she went across the way to find Chen Ye.

The little one instructed him to please look after Grandma Qin while she was away for the next few days.

Most importantly, he was not to let anyone bully her.

Afterward, Shen Ningning went up the mountain again to talk to the Black Wolf King.

The Black Wolf King was to go with her to stay at the Xie Mansion.

The wolf pack couldn’t come down the mountain at will, but for Grandma Qin’s safety, the Black Wolf King still arranged for one wolf a day to go into the village and check on her.

Only after all the arrangements were made did Shen Ningning feel at ease.

The next day, she left with the Black Wolf King in the carriage. Jiang Zhi went with her, heading straight to General Chen’s Mansion to report for duty.

The little one whispered to her, "Sister Jiang Zhi, what if Brother Chen Shaobei finds out you’re a girl?"

Jiang Zhi shook her head confidently. "He won’t. Chen Shaobei promised me my own room. Don’t worry."

’Her own room?’

’Are the household soldiers treated that well?’

Shen Ningning scratched her little cheek, curious.

They had just left when Dong Aniu drove a donkey cart into Xiangyun Village right after them.

"Aunt!" Dong Aniu shouted happily. "I brought Lifen to see you."

Grandma Qin was feeding Wolf Three, who had just come down the mountain to visit her.

Hearing his voice, she walked to the door with a kindly smile.

"Ah Niu, you’re here?" She turned her head and saw the woman sitting on the donkey cart.

She had a somewhat sallow, long, and thin face, but her features were still rather delicate.

However, as she sized up the village house, her gaze was impolite.

Dong Aniu pulled Lifen into the courtyard. "Take a look! Are you satisfied this time?"

"My aunt’s big village house has three rooms. It’s larger than both of our places. We’ll get married right here."

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