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

Shen Ningning nodded.

She invited the old village chief inside to talk.

The rest of the villagers gathered at the doorway, watching Shen Ningning and the old village chief sit in the Taishi Chairs on either side.

The little one sat with her back straight, a smile on her small, round face. The Black Wolf King and its pack lay at her feet, giving her a unique presence.

Everyone could feel that the old village chief was taking Shen Ningning more and more seriously.

"Ningning, you’ve seen the loquat trees in the village. They’re growing extremely well. I believe it won’t be more than two or three months before they bear their first fruit."

"It’s all thanks to the blessings of your good fortune that everyone’s lives are looking more and more hopeful."

"It’s just that the weather is too hot right now. Based on the droughts of previous years, it will likely stay this hot for at least another two months before autumn arrives. That means everyone will have more daily expenses."

"So, we all discussed it and decided we’d like to pick some of the unripe fruit first and cook it into loquat candy. That’s our village’s old trade, after all."

"Then we can take it to the city to sell and earn some Silver for living expenses. What do you think? Does your family want to join in?"

The little one blinked, a little confused.

’Is loquat candy very expensive?’

Her voice was soft and sweet. "Grandpa Village Chief, just by selling candy, how much money can we make?"

The little one truly didn’t understand.

Hearing this, the old village chief laughed along with the villagers outside.

"Look at me, I forgot that you’re still young and wouldn’t know." The old village chief thought Shen Ningning was smart and had her own ideas.

That’s why he had subconsciously come to discuss this matter with her. But in the end, Shen Ningning was just a child. He should have consulted Grandma Qin about this.

Aunt Liu said with a beaming smile, "Ningning, candy is so expensive! One tael of loquat candy can sell for twenty taels!"

’That much!?’

Shen Ningning’s eyes widened in astonishment.

Afraid she didn’t understand, Aunt Liu patiently added, "Think about it. Is it easy for you to get candy on a normal day? Aren’t those sweet things very expensive?"

The little one’s cheeks puffed out slightly as she silently recalled.

’Expensive? She didn’t know.’

’In the Immortal Realm, there was a pile of osmanthus honey, and she would carry it out jar by jar.’

’Grandma would make it into a delicious sweet soup for her.’

’Even the sour plum soup she made before had yellow sugar in it.’

’In the kitchen hall of the Immortal Realm, that stuff was just left in an inconspicuous corner.’

So naturally, Shen Ningning had never paid it much mind.

Who would have thought that sugar was a precious commodity?

The little one said softly, "Mhm, there aren’t many dessert shops in the city, and the things they sell are expensive."

Aunt Liu laughed. "Exactly! Our loquat candy can be melted down for stir-frying, used as medicine, or added to broths. It has many uses!"

’So it’s just refining sugar from fruit?’

Shen Ningning suddenly understood.

No wonder Deng Fugui had secretly given her loquat candy to eat, looking at her with such an expectant gaze.

It turned out that stuff was very expensive!

Even the village chief’s family only had a few pieces, and they ate them sparingly.

The little one also remembered something.

Last year, after Qin Fangmei returned from Landlord Du’s house, she had smugly told Shen Ningning that Landlord Du had let her have a lick of white sugar.

Qin Fangmei vividly described the sweet taste.

She even emphasized, "This is something only the nobles in the palace can afford to eat!"

At the time, Shen Ningning hadn’t thought much of it.

’Speaking of white sugar, in her Immortal Realm, it was stored in the kind of large jars used for pickling vegetables, and they were so full they were about to overflow.’

She never expected it to be so precious.

Aunt Liu was still explaining, "Ningning, you’re young, so you don’t understand. In our Cangyun Country, the most expensive things are white sugar and brown sugar. Only the princes, nobles, and high-ranking court officials can afford them."

"We common folk mostly use loquat candy and osmanthus honey. A bit more expensive would be maltose, cane honey, and yellow sugar."

Those dessert shops mostly use honey boiled from osmanthus flowers. The slightly better shops use yellow sugar.

That’s why, before the drought, Xiangyun Village had always relied on selling loquat candy to prosper.

Shen Ningning did a quick calculation in her head.

She thought for a moment and said, "Grandpa Village Chief, look at the fruit on my trees. Most of them are starting to turn a little yellow, so they should be sweeter."

"If I agree to let you take all of them to make candy, how much Silver will I get in the end?"

The villagers were startled, and the old village chief was also somewhat in disbelief.

"Ningning, you want to use them all to make candy? That’s not a good idea. It’s best to leave a batch of fruit to ripen. You can make more candy from them later."

Of course, Shen Ningning knew that.

But she needed Silver for too many things right now.

The Immortal Realm needed to consume Jade, and Jade was so expensive.

As for Grandpa Doctor, she couldn’t just take out too many medicinal herbs at once. Grandma said it would attract the covetous eyes of bad people.

Therefore, since she could grow plenty of loquats in her Immortal Realm, she didn’t really care about the small amount of fruit in the fields.

However, she hadn’t mastered the technique for refining sugar, so she still had to rely on the people of Xiangyun Village.

The little one’s round, dark eyes were resolute as she said firmly, "I want to earn more Silver."

The old village chief was silent for a long moment, chewing on a tea stem.

He also knew that although Grandma Qin and Shen Ningning lived on the mountain and didn’t have to worry about food or drink, Ningning was now attending the private school. She needed Silver for many things!

It was normal for the little one to think this way.

So, the old village chief said, "You’re a junior. I won’t take advantage of you."

"We all originally agreed on a one-tenth share of the profits per family. Since you’re contributing more, we’ll give you a three-tenths share. What do you think, is that acceptable?"

Shen Ningning thought for a moment, then nodded decisively. "Okay!"

But when she did business, she was methodical and believed in following the rules.

"Grandpa Village Chief, let’s draw up a contract."

The old village chief was taken aback for a second, then chuckled. "Ningning, would Grandpa really cheat you?"

The little one said sweetly, "Grandma says that any agreement is better protected when it’s written down on paper and stamped."

"It’s not just for my sake, but also to be responsible to you, Grandpa Village Chief, and all the uncles in the village."

"Otherwise, what would happen if one day I don’t provide as much fruit but still want to take a three-tenths share of the profits?"

Her words left the villagers speechless, and even the old village chief paused.

She had a point.

Shen Ningning had the Crown Prince backing her now. If a dispute were to arise in the future over some conflict, it would be difficult to resolve without a contract.

Besides, after her reminder, everyone realized something.

The biggest fear wasn’t that Shen Ningning would go back on her word, but that people’s hearts are hard to read. What if some of the other village households ended up turning against each other?

Drawing up a contract was a guarantee for everyone.

Sister-in-law Liu immediately said, "Village Chief, we weren’t as clear-headed as Ningning! Let’s draw up the contract quickly and finalize this great news!"

The old village chief stroked his beard, chuckling. "Alright! Jixiang, go prepare a brush and paper."

In black and white, the old village chief personally wrote it out while Shen Ningning tilted her little head, supervising and checking it beside him.

Once the contract was deemed correct, the two of them signed and put their marks on it. Representatives from the other village families then came forward to press their fingerprints.

With the contract complete, smiles appeared on the faces of every household.

The old village chief was the happiest of all, his cheeks flushed red from smiling.

He was probably reminiscing about the prosperous days when Xiangyun Village used to sell loquat candy.

"Quick, go set off a string of firecrackers at the village entrance! Aunt Liu, you take a few of the wives and prepare a big communal meal. Ningning, go get Grandma Qin. We’re going to have a proper celebration!"

Shen Ningning immediately nodded. "Okay!"

She climbed onto the Black Wolf King’s back, just about to head up the mountain to find her grandmother.

Suddenly, Uncle Liu’s son came running over with a limp, his voice a panicked shout—

"This is bad! The mad scholar fell into the well!"