Chapter 79: Chapter 79: Ningning Has a Way

She hadn’t just roasted it; Qin Fangmei had already eaten the pigeon’s legs.

Seeing the steward’s huge reaction, she couldn’t help but get a little angry.

"I didn’t know it was your carrier pigeon! Besides, I ate it, so what? At worst, I’ll have my uncle compensate you!"

The steward roared, "What good is money?! Don’t you know we were about to use that pigeon to call for help?!"

"Now that you’ve eaten the pigeon, we’re going to be trapped here for even longer!"

The surrounding classmates erupted in shock.

Even Qin Fangmei was stunned.

"I... I didn’t know! You never told me I couldn’t eat the pigeon!" she said, then began to cry pitifully.

Mr. Huang heard the commotion and hurried over.

The moment he saw the roasted squab on the ground, a complex emotion flashed in his eyes.

With things as they were, he could only have his Attendant Student disperse the other students while he stayed behind to discuss a solution with the Mountain Villa Steward.

Qin Fangmei was led away by two female students, crying the entire time.

Shen Ningning watched her retreating back with cold, round, dark eyes.

’She didn’t feel any schadenfreude, only a sad pity for Qin Fangmei’s stupidity. She had dragged everyone down with her.’

’Now, everyone has to figure out how to get through this predicament together.’

Not long after Shen Ningning returned to her room, Ren Yu ran up to talk to her.

She had just finished putting her things away in the Immortal Realm.

Ren Yu came up to the second floor. "Ningning... it’s so cool up here in your room!"

Shen Ningning was sitting by the table. She looked back at her with a sweet smile. "I have a lot of windows open. Do you want to sit for a while?"

"Okay! Perfect. I just heard something and wanted to tell you. You’re definitely going to be angry when you hear it."

Ren Yu sat down, and Shen Ningning handed her a red fruit, which she accepted with a smile.

Shen Ningning tilted her head, her voice soft. "What is it?"

Ren Yu took a bite of the Red Fruit and said, "Who else but Qin Fangmei! She’s truly awful. I just heard from Xiang Qian that she caught the carrier pigeon a day ago and tied it up in her room."

"The Mountain Villa Steward found the small message tube the pigeon had been carrying in her room."

Shen Ningning’s watery eyes flew wide. "So you’re saying she knew it was a carrier pigeon?!"

’And she ate it anyway?!’

Ren Yu nodded emphatically, huffing with anger. "Exactly! She’s so selfish, and she even lied when she was caught."

"But there’s something even more infuriating. Mr. Huang asked her why she hid it, and if she knew that was stealing." 𝑓𝑟𝑒𝘦𝓌𝑒𝑏𝑛𝑜𝘷𝑒𝘭.𝒸𝘰𝑚

"Guess what she said?"

Shen Ningning shook her head to show she didn’t know.

Ren Yu put down the fruit. "She said she caught it for you! She claimed that you had a spat with her and gave your food box to other classmates, leaving yourself to go hungry!"

"She said she saw you weren’t coming out for meals and was afraid you were starving, so she caught the pigeon for you."

Shen Ningning retorted, her voice filled with childish fury, "She’s lying!"

"That’s what I think too! Qin Fangmei is obviously selfish. How could she possibly have done it for you? Thankfully, the teacher didn’t believe her either. He punished her by making her copy texts and smacked her palms."

Ren Yu sounded a little gleeful. "Getting her palms smacked on the very first day of the academy... Qin Fangmei is probably the most disgraceful person in our whole private school!"

"By the way, on my way here, I saw Lu Shaoyuan and the others heading to the place where we dug for wild vegetables before. They’re going to dig for more. Are you going?"

Shen Ningning shook her head, her voice soft. "It’s too hot. I’m not going."

But Ren Yu hesitated. "But... they’re saying that if we run out of food, everyone will receive portions based on how much work they contribute."

Shen Ningning didn’t mind. In fact, she thought it was fair.

"That’s okay, I just won’t take a share then. I still have some fruits left, and they’re filling enough. I won’t compete with everyone else for food."

Hearing this, Ren Yu didn’t say anything more. She just glanced enviously at the fruits before taking her leave.

But the expression on Shen Ningning’s little face suddenly grew solemn.

’If the bridge isn’t repaired soon, none of us can get out.’

’She couldn’t bear the thought of people actually dying of thirst.’

After some thought, Shen Ningning decided to go check the back mountain.

Jingshan was named Jingshan because, many years ago before the drought, the mountain was covered in lush, verdant greenery and boasted beautiful scenery.

But now, as Shen Ningning braved the scorching sun, all she could see were withered trees and barren land.

Beneath the fiery sun, everything had lost its vitality.

The little girl climbed slowly, her feet treading on the dry, cracked mountain soil.

After walking for only the time it takes an incense stick to burn, her little clothes were already soaked with sweat.

"Phew, I’m burning up," she said, wiping the sweat with her small hand and pouring Spiritual Spring Water from her waterskin over her head.

Only then did she cool down a little.

Jingshan was located to the west of the Capital City, a great distance from Wolf Mountain to the east.

A continuous mountain range separated them.

Therefore, Shen Ningning was unfamiliar with the terrain here and didn’t dare to venture too far.

「Just then.」

She heard a squeaking sound from behind her.

When she turned around, she saw two little monkeys!

They were squatting and sniffing at the spot where she had just poured the Spiritual Spring Water.

They chattered nonstop, as if they were studying it.

Strangely, it seemed she could understand what they were saying.

’They were discussing whether she was the little girl from Xiangyun Village.’

’They even mentioned that their uncle said this little girl was the Monkey King and had all sorts of food.’

Hearing this, Shen Ningning pouted. "When did I become the Monkey King?"

The two little monkeys jumped in fright, letting out a loud SQUEAK! They were shocked that she could actually understand them!

When Shen Ningning took a step closer, they scrambled up a tree in terror.

"Don’t be afraid, I’m not a bad person," she said, pulling the red fruits she had brought from her pocket.

One of the little monkeys cautiously climbed down, snatched a fruit, and immediately scurried back up the tree.

Shen Ningning looked up. "From what you were just saying, it seems you know the troop of little monkeys on Wolf Mountain, right?"

The two monkeys looked at each other and nodded lightly.

The little girl asked in pleasant surprise, "So you found out about me from them?"

Wolf Mountain and Jingshan were over fifteen miles apart!

One of the little monkeys chattered, explaining.

They were all of the same tribe. When Shen Ningning brought forth the Spiritual Spring all over Wolf Mountain, this group of little monkeys from Jingshan had been drawn there by its reputation.

With the permission of the monkey troop there, they had drunk a few mouthfuls of the Spiritual Spring Water.

That was why they were able to recognize her when they smelled the water she had brought.

Shen Ningning’s face lit up. "That’s great! Do you know if there’s any other way to leave Jingshan?"

The two of them pointed in different directions, one to the left and one to the right.

The little girl paused. "Two paths?"

Then, the two little monkeys started chattering argumentatively, shoving each other until they finally broke into a fight.

Monkey fur flew everywhere.

One said to go south, and it would take three days and three nights to get out of the mountains.

The other said to go right, and they could get down the mountain by crossing a wooden bridge.

"Stop fighting!" Shen Ningning quickly reached out her small hands to pull them apart.

From their argument, the little girl understood.

Jingshan was surrounded by deep, old forests. It would be extremely dangerous for so many people to leave on foot.

Not to mention the possibility of encountering wild beasts, the lack of food and water was terrifying enough.

Worried, Shen Ningning sat down on the ground.

"The only wooden bridge leading down the mountain is already broken. It looks like we won’t be able to get out anytime soon, and everyone is out of food."

’Even if Grandpa County Magistrate’s people find us and come to fix it, repairing a bridge takes time. It won’t be easy.’

’It seems I really will have to bring out the Spiritual Spring Water.’

Perhaps sensing her dilemma,

the two little monkeys went to the side to discuss for a moment.

Suddenly, they ran over, gently tapped Shen Ningning’s arm with their little paws, and chattered twice.

After understanding them, the little girl’s voice filled with soft delight. "You have a way to help us?"