Wolf-Raised Cub with a Space: Surviving the Disaster Years

First, the little girl had Jiang Zhi take the three refugees who had tried to eat people to the government office in the city.

Afterward, she made up her mind and immediately set to work.

Shen Ningning secretly took out over a hundred taels of remaining silver from the Immortal Realm and gave it to Chen Ye.

"Brother Chen, go back to the village and ask Uncle Liu and the other craftsmen from last time to come. I also need you to buy some lumber in the city."

"Miss, are you planning to build something?"

"That’s right. I want to build a simple but sturdy tea shed," Shen Ningning said with a nod.

She told Chen Ye to buy plenty of lumber. She planned to set up the tea shed at a nearby fork in the road, and she also wanted to build a few small rooms behind it.

Before the drought, people had indeed opened tea sheds outside the city gates to give travelers a place to rest.

However, since the disaster began, refugees had swarmed the area, making passing nobles unwilling to stop. Naturally, the tea sheds had all closed.

So, Chen Ye’s first reaction to opening a shop here was that it would lose money.

’How could they possibly make any silver in a place that even the wealthy avoided?’

But Shen Ningning was resolute, looking completely self-assured.

「The next day.」

The little girl took some fresh Aconite into the Capital City to trade for silver with the pharmacy manager.

The pharmacy manager chuckled and cupped his hands, offering his congratulations first.

"I heard you were named the Funing Village Chief, Miss. Your good fortune is truly profound and enduring! I could tell long ago that you had an exceptional air about you. You were destined for great wealth and prestige!"

Shen Ningning placed six Aconite roots on the counter, one after another.

At his words, she blinked her large, expressive eyes and looked at the shopkeeper.

"Huh? How do you know, Grandpa Shopkeeper?" ’She had specifically told Mo Lingwei not to make a big deal out of it.’

A flicker of guilt crossed the pharmacy manager’s eyes.

Then he quickly smiled and said, "You forget, Miss, I have connections in the palace. That’s how I heard a whisper of it."

"Oh, I see." Shen Ningning nodded slightly. "By the way, is that important person you always mention feeling any better?"

’After taking so much Aconite, they should be almost completely better, right?’

’Just what kind of illness is so hard to cure?’

The pharmacy manager shook his head. "It’s not something that can be cured so quickly. That esteemed person’s illness is a chronic one."

Shen Ningning asked curiously, "Who is this important person? Is it someone I might have heard of?"

The pharmacy manager was at a loss for words. "I... doubt it."

Knowing how sharp she was, he feared she would notice something was off. The manager said hurriedly, "Please have a seat, Miss. I’ll go get your silver."

He turned and went into the back room, only then wiping the cold sweat that had just broken out on his forehead.

’I almost let it slip!’

Ever since learning that Shen Ningning was the Crown Prince’s benefactor, the pharmacy manager had wanted to use the opportunity to grow closer to her.

However, his brother, Lord Fang, the Dean of the Imperial Hospital, had warned him to keep quiet about it.

Although the pharmacy manager didn’t know the exact reasons, he could make a few guesses.

His brother in the palace was apparently part of Consort Li’s faction.

Whether out of guilt or remorse, the pharmacy manager gave Shen Ningning an extra one hundred taels this time.

He handed the little girl a total of one thousand taels in silver notes.

Shen Ningning didn’t hesitate or refuse this time, accepting the money happily.

After returning to the village, she immediately summoned Chen Ye and Jiang Zhi.

The hundred-some taels she had given him before were definitely not enough to buy all the lumber, so she gave Chen Ye another 500 taels in silver notes. This amount also covered the daily wages for the craftsmen.

She then gave Jiang Zhi 300 taels to purchase supplies for the tea shed.

And so, whenever Shen Ningning wasn’t in class at the local school, she was outside the city helping to build the tea shed.

Among the refugees she had helped were many tall, able-bodied young men, and they all came to lend a hand.

They refused to accept any pay, asking only that Shen Ningning treat them to a couple of steamed buns, which was more than enough to satisfy them.

That evening, countless stars glittered while a bright moon hung high in the sky.

Grandma Qin sat on the veranda, dozing, with Wolf Three and Lang Si curled up at her feet.

Meanwhile, Shen Ningning sat in the courtyard with the Black Wolf King at her side. The girl and the wolf were busy working on recipes for her sweet drinks.

Although it was called a tea shed, the little girl was actually preparing several different flavors of chilled drinks.

One was made with chopped oranges mixed with honey. Another was made by crushing loquat candy into a powder, drizzling it with honey, stirring, and then topping it with fresh watermelon chunks. The last one was lychee honey with crushed pear.

Two spoonfuls of these sweet, fruity concoctions would be placed in a large bowl, and then the clear, sweet, and delicious iced Spiritual Spring Water would be poured over top.

’It’s sure to be a crowd-pleaser!’

Shen Ningning had even thought of the prices.

One cup for one tael of silver, or four cups for three.

Shen Ningning had already tasted all three flavors.

She scooped two spoonfuls of the crushed loquat candy and honey into a bowl, added diced watermelon, and then poured in some iced spring water.

With a gentle stir, the golden honey swirled and dispersed, making the watermelon chunks and ice crystals look glistening and delectable.

On a hot summer night like this, Shen Ningning couldn’t help but want to drink another bowl herself.

Fortunately, the little girl restrained herself.

She patted her little tummy. "No more for today, or I’ll get an upset stomach!"

Then, Shen Ningning picked up the chilled bowl and ran over to Grandma Qin.

"Grandma, try this~" ’Grandma hadn’t tried any of the flavors she’d been working on yet!’

But Grandma Qin seemed lost in thought, her gaze distant as she stared at the bright moonlight bathing the courtyard floor.

"Grandma?" Shen Ningning tilted her head, her voice soft and sweet.

Only then did Grandma Qin seem to snap out of her daze. She looked at Shen Ningning, her smile kind and gentle. "Ningning, what is it?"

Shen Ningning held up the chilled bowl. "Try this! I’m planning to sell it at the tea shed!"

Grandma Qin took a few sips and praised it profusely.

This boosted the little girl’s confidence even more, and she went back to experimenting with the sugar and honey ratios.

But just then, the Black Wolf King tapped her little foot with his paw.

"AWOO~" It let out a few low growls.

Understanding him, Shen Ningning looked toward her grandma, only to see that she had zoned out again.

The Black Wolf King was telling her that Grandma Qin had something on her mind.

’Now that he mentioned it,’ Shen Ningning thought back on her grandmother’s recent behavior, ’it really does seem that way.’

’At first, she thought Grandma was just uncomfortable from the heat, but they had ice at home, not to mention the Seven-Round Fan, which made the house as cool as a spring day.’

’It seemed that ever since Uncle Qin’s execution, something had been weighing on her grandmother’s mind.’

’Langlang had told her that Grandma Qin had taken a trip to Yu’an County by herself. What did she do there? Could her low spirits be related to that trip?’

「Ten days passed in a flash.」

Shen Ningning’s tea shed was starting to take shape.

She found a craftsman to make the sign and decided to give her tea shed a catchy and pleasant name.

"’What should I call it?’ she wondered, sitting on a chair. The Black Wolf King lay beside her while the refugees stood around, helping her brainstorm."

Someone suggested "Long Live Miss," another proposed "Miss’s Peace," and, most ridiculously, a third person suggested "Miss’s Long and Fortunate Life."

Shen Ningning didn’t know whether to laugh or cry.

’Since it’s the name of the tea shed, how can it be all about me?’

The little girl’s eyes shifted. She looked down and saw the Black Wolf King lazily flicking his ears.

’These past few days, Langlang has been running all over the place with me. It must have been so tiring for him.’

’Jiang Zhi and Chen Ye had also worked hard, but she hadn’t treated them poorly; she had given them Silver Taels to thank them.’

’But the Black Wolf King was special to her, as important as a godfather.’

An idea suddenly struck her. She jumped off the chair, grabbed the Black Wolf King’s paw, and pressed it onto the inkstone.

"AWO?!" The Black Wolf King’s eyes flew open, and he watched her, perplexed.

She then pressed his paw onto a piece of paper, leaving a black paw print the size of an adult’s palm.

Then, she picked up a brush and wrote three words: "Wolf’s Sweet Water." Afterward, she held up the paper, looking it over twice with satisfaction.

Everyone stared, dumbfounded. Even the Black Wolf King shook his ears in confusion.

Shen Ningning explained with a sweet smile, "My sweet drinks are so good, even Langlang loves them."

She then handed the paper to the sign maker, telling him to copy it onto the plaque in gilded lettering.

It was the first time the craftsman had seen such a name for a shop, and he repeatedly praised Shen Ningning for her unique style.

The little girl paid him twenty taels of silver. The craftsman promised to deliver the sign in five days and departed happily.

Just as Shen Ningning was about to gather the refugees to make an announcement...

Several trusted aides in black Iron Armor cleared a path, stopping at the entrance to the tea shed. A moment later, a luxurious carriage pulled up behind them.

A hand with well-defined knuckles lifted the curtain, revealing Mo Lingwei’s narrow eyes, which held the hint of a smirk.

"Shen Ningning. Come, get in the carriage." He extended a hand in invitation.

’Mo Lingwei had been swamped with work recently, and this heartless little girl had truly forgotten all about him. She hadn’t come to see him in nearly half a month!’