Free Web NovelChapter 133: Chapter 133: Qin Fangmei Is to Be Executed
Shen Ningning blinked her bright, expressive eyes. "I’m not curious. I’ll hate whoever you hate, Brother."
Mo Lingwei raised an eyebrow, then chuckled softly.
"When the time is right, I’ll tell you why."
Shen Ningning nodded obediently.
That night, the little girl was sent back to the foot of Wolf Mountain.
Chen Ye was just patrolling the village with a lantern when he spotted Shen Ningning and hurried over.
"Miss, I took the refugees to see the doctor today. For the most part, they just have minor ailments and injuries. Other than the weakness caused by long-term starvation, there are no major issues."
Shen Ningning nodded, relieved. "Thank you for your hard work."
But Chen Ye’s expression remained serious, and he hesitated. "It’s just..."
"Just what?"
"That boy, Wuer... he’s developed some kind of festering sores. The Shopkeeper said it’s contracted from dead bodies and is very difficult to cure."
Shen Ningning gasped. "Is it serious?"
Chen Ye nodded. "He has them on his stomach and the backs of his thighs, hidden under his clothes."
Eventually, these red sores will spread and ulcerate across the entire body until the person dies.
In the past, someone with this would have been thrown onto a corpse pile.
Shen Ningning pursed her lips, silent.
Chen Ye continued, "The Shopkeeper told me in private... that if nothing can be done, we should find a painless way for the child to... go."
"Absolutely not!" the little girl immediately protested.
Just because they don’t have the right medicine doesn’t mean it’s incurable.
She thought for a moment. "Where have you settled them for now?"
Chen Ye said, "We put up a simple shelter behind the tea stall. The ones who stayed are all pretty honest and well-behaved. We left them some water before we left." freёweɓnovel.com
"The good news is, you only get these sores from direct contact with a corpse, so Wuer’s illness isn’t contagious to the others right now."
Shen Ningning made a quick decision. freewebnovёl.ƈom
"Alright, Brother Chen, here’s what we’ll do. Starting tomorrow, I want you to get a vat of water from my house and have Wuer soak in it."
"And make sure you tell everyone else not to drink from that vat, no matter how hungry or thirsty they get."
Chen Ye nodded at once. "Okay."
’He knew his young miss had her ways.’
After all, the plague pustules he’d had were severe, but he had almost fully recovered after soaking for a single night in a vat of her water.
The next day, Chen Ye did as instructed.
The refugees were obedient, doing whatever Shen Ningning told them to.
No one but Wuer touched his vat of water.
Shen Ningning went to check on him a few times and found Wuer soaking with just his head above the water, looking absolutely ecstatic.
He told the others, "The young miss felt bad for me! She was worried I was too hot, so she’s letting me soak!"
One day, while Shen Ningning was busy at the tea stall, a plain carriage pulled up outside. Her classmate, Ren Yu, peeked out.
"Ningning! Ah, you really are here! Come with me, quick! There’s a great show to see!"
Shen Ningning blinked, confused. "What show?"
Ren Yu jumped down from the carriage and grabbed her arm without another word. "You’ll know when you see it! It’s sweet, sweet justice. You absolutely cannot miss this."
The little girl stumbled as she was pulled along. She quickly turned to say a word to Chen Ye and Jiang Zhi before climbing into Ren Yu’s carriage.
The carriage headed straight for a narrow alley in the Capital City.
Even before they reached it, they could see a crowd of townspeople gathered at the alley’s entrance. A clamor of voices, mixed with what sounded like crying and shouting, came from within.
Ren Yu pulled Shen Ningning down from the carriage and pushed her way through the crowd.
"Look! See who that is?" Ren Yu said, pointing ahead.
Outside the gate of a residence in the alley, a group of government officers was dragging away a young girl.
Shen Ningning took one look and instantly recognized her.
It was Qin Fangmei!
One of her feet was injured, and she was hopping on the other, crying and screaming as she struggled.
"Aunt, save me! Save me!" she shrieked, desperately clutching the sleeve of a woman beside her.
The woman’s face was streaked with tears. "Officers, sirs, Fang Mei is just a child! Please, show some mercy and let her go!"
"Enough nonsense!" a government officer snapped. "By order of the Emperor, all children of Wang Guihong are to be imprisoned for her crimes and executed on the first of next month!"
Qin Fangmei was so terrified she nearly fainted.
Wang Cuizhi’s face turned deathly pale. ’Could it really be about what happened with Shen Ningning?’
"Sirs, please, have a heart! We’ll go beg Shen Ningning for forgiveness, we’ll kowtow to her! Just let her go."
’This is my own sister’s only child!’
The officer, however, had no time for her pleas. "So now you know to beg for mercy? Too late! Take her away."
Qin Fangmei was dragged away, her voice growing hoarse from screaming.
As she was hauled toward the mouth of the alley, she saw Shen Ningning’s small figure and her eyes widened as if she had seen a ghost.
"Shen Ningning, you’re the one who did this to me! I’ll never forgive you, not even as a ghost!" she shrieked, her voice cracking.
Shen Ningning wrinkled her little nose in distaste. ’Just looking at her brings bad luck.’
The little girl guessed that the Emperor must have issued this order to bring her justice.
She felt no pity for Qin Fangmei, only a revulsion that made her want to look away.
Just then, Ren Yu pulled two rotten eggs from her sleeve and pressed one into Shen Ningning’s palm.
"Here, Ningning. Take it. Hit her with it!"
With that, Ren Yu threw hers first.
It hit Qin Fangmei square in the head.
The sticky, stinking yolk dripped down her face, and the crowd reeled back, covering their noses.
Ren Yu immediately raised her voice, "announcing" Qin Fangmei’s evil deeds to the crowd.
"Everyone, get a good look! This is Qin Fangmei! She may be young, but her heart is just as vicious as her mother’s!"
"She disrespects her elders and bullies the weak! Her methods are cruel and vicious, she even tried to take a life! Now she’s finally reaping what she sowed!"
In an instant, any sympathy the crowd might have had for Qin Fangmei vanished.
Instead, they began to point and jeer with contempt.
"Ningning, what are you waiting for? Throw it!" Ren Yu said, patting Shen Ningning’s shoulder.
The little girl’s clear, dark eyes locked onto Qin Fangmei’s twisted, snarling face.
The smell of the rotten egg brought back some bad memories.
It had been her birthday, and Grandma Qin had specially saved an egg for her.
But Qin Fangmei had switched it with a rotten one.
She had even giggled while trying to make Shen Ningning eat it.
If she didn’t, Fangmei threatened to tell Aunt Qin that she had stolen from the family.
Qin Fangmei had bullied her just as much as Aunt Qin, if not more.
Shen Ningning squeezed the rotten egg in her hand, raised her arm, and threw it without hesitation.
SPLAT! It smashed right into Qin Fangmei’s mouth as she was spewing curses.
Ren Yu stared in surprise, then burst out laughing. "Ningning, what a perfect shot! That wicked Qin Fangmei deserved that!"
Wang Cuizhi, watching from a short distance away, was both heartbroken and furious. She rushed over.
"Shen Ningning! The Qin Family raised you for years, and this is how you repay them? Beg them to let Fang Mei go, now!"
Shen Ningning looked up at her, her dark eyes glinting with a cold light.
"The Qin Family didn’t raise me. Grandma Qin did."
"And I will not plead for Qin Fangmei. For everything she did to me, I wouldn’t forgive her if she died ten thousand times over."
Wang Cuizhi choked on her words.
’This child is so heartless!’
When she looked back, Qin Fangmei had already passed out from the stench and was being dragged away.
Panicked, Wang Cuizhi pointed a finger at Shen Ningning’s face. "Fine! Stand there and do nothing while she’s sent to her death! Just wait until you get home and tell Grandma Qin what happened. Fang Mei is her own granddaughter! We’ll see if she doesn’t break down and sob with grief."
"And it will all be your fault!"
