Chapter 172: The Little Fool in the Group Favorite Story – 15

Xie Hui had already been about to fall asleep when he heard that sentence. His movements froze for a moment, then, going completely against what had just been said, he pulled the child back into his arms.

It was the height of summer, and being held so tightly made Ning Ning unbearably hot. He tried to squirm away, but he wasn’t strong enough to break free from Xie Hui’s grasp. After a while, he finally gave up and muttered in defeat:

“Daddy… don’t hold…”

Xie Hui let go as he wished, watching as the boy quickly rolled to the side and pulled the blanket over his belly. In no time, he was fast asleep again.

For most children, this would be the most ordinary thing in the world. But seeing Ning Ning do it made Xie Hui’s nose sting with emotion. He took a deep breath, forcing down all the feelings surging in his chest.

In the inn, even as the night grew deep, Xie Hui couldn’t fall asleep. His mind was filled with everything that had happened earlier.

Buddhism was full of mysteries. Even if he spent his entire life studying it, he might never grasp its true essence.

The abbot had merely snapped a twig and dipped it in the temple’s water.

Xie Hui had never underestimated the so-called “small people.” He’d seen too many who seemed ordinary on the surface but were simply low-profile by nature, especially those connected to Buddhism.

That night, Xie Hui didn’t even know when he finally fell asleep. All he remembered was being jolted awake the next morning, gasping for air.

As soon as he opened his eyes, he saw Ning Ning sprawled across his chest.

“Daddy… I’m hungry.”

Shaking off his grogginess, Xie Hui opened his eyes and looked at him for a moment before replying casually:

“Hmm? What do you want to eat?”

His voice was still hoarse from sleep. Ning Ning lay on his chest, propping up his chin with his hands.

“Buns… with meat.”

The inn was right next to a bustling market, and Xie Hui could already smell the aroma of steamed buns drifting in. He sat up, lifted the little one into his arms, and walked over to the window to tidy up Ning Ning’s hair.

He wasn’t sure if it was just his imagination, but Xie Hui felt like the child looked much more spirited than he had the day before.

He took Ning Ning downstairs and bought two meat buns and two vegetable buns. The vendor’s skills were quite good—the buns were fluffy, and the pork filling had a hint of green onion, flavorful but not greasy.

Xie Hui didn’t plan to stay in this town for long. The next day, he found a merchant caravan and traveled back with them.

There were crops at home, and taking care of a child required a lot of attention. He couldn’t keep relying on the village chief’s family forever—they had their own fields to tend, after all.

On the way back, Xie Hui bought some seeds from a traveling merchant.

The carriage dropped them off at the village entrance. Xie Hui first went to greet the village chief, while Ning Ning ran off to call for his rooster.

Even though they’d been away for a while, the village chief had taken excellent care of both the house and the yard.

The village chief’s wife, worried that they wouldn’t have time to cook right after returning, sent over some vegetables from her own garden. Xie Hui, in return, gave her some pastries he’d brought back as a small gift.

No one had lived in the house for some time, and it was summer. No matter how well it had been maintained, weeds had inevitably sprung up in the yard. As Xie Hui started weeding, Ning Ning ran over to help.

He wasn’t very strong, so when he couldn’t pull something out with one hand, he used both. Once, he yanked too hard and fell flat on his backside. Dazed for a moment, he got up and patted the dirt off his clothes.

After that, he was noticeably more careful and didn’t fall again.

Father and son worked until evening before they finally cleared all the weeds from the yard.

Ning Ning lay on the rocking chair where Xie Hui usually rested. Xie Hui walked over and gave it a gentle push. Seeing the boy jolt awake in surprise, he chuckled and asked:

“What do you want for dinner? How about noodles?”

The village chief’s wife had just sent over some fresh greens. Add two eggs, and it would make a tasty meal.

“Okay.”

Ning Ning nodded. He seemed to be enjoying the rocking chair and didn’t want to get off. He squinted contentedly as he swayed back and forth. The setting sun cast a warm glow over his face, while the rooster scratched at the ground nearby, looking for bugs.

The next day, Xie Hui grabbed his farming tools and got ready to head to the fields. He carried some supplies in one hand and held Ning Ning’s hand with the other. When they arrived, he noticed that the neighboring field was overrun with weeds.

It was obvious no one had tended it in a long time. Crops left like that wouldn’t yield much come harvest season.

Xie Hui only gave it a glance before looking away. It wasn’t something he needed to concern himself with.

As he got busy with the farm work, the changes in Ning Ning became even more apparent. He was no longer like a puppet waiting for someone to control him.

At first, he was quite obedient and helped out. But before long, he got distracted by interesting things around him.

Xie Hui didn’t think it was a bad thing for a child this age to be a little playful. He just reminded him not to wander too far and then quietly went back to work.

Seeing how much Ning Ning adored that rooster, Xie Hui had another idea. Maybe he could ask the village chief to keep an eye out—see if any families nearby had puppies about to be born.

While his hands were busy with farm work, his mind was free to wander. It gave Xie Hui time to reflect on many things.

If the village chief hadn’t said what he did back then, Xie Hui would never have thought in that direction.

After all, this world had no Spiritual Qi to speak of. He had always assumed that the “blessed child” title was just a scam.

If Spiritual Qi were abundant, then what happened with Xie Kangli wouldn’t be anything special, let alone something worthy of being called a protagonist’s fate.

In those old-world settings, the world’s will always favored the protagonist.

From the beginning, Xie Hui had tried to use scientific reasoning to explain why Ning Ning behaved like a little fool.

Maybe he’d been bullied as a child and developed a psychological condition that made him unwilling to speak. Or perhaps he had autism. But he’d never once considered that the issue might lie with the boy’s soul.

He’d spent so much time in scientifically grounded worlds that this sudden brush with the supernatural still left him feeling a bit stunned.

Ning Ning ran around the field ridge for a while. When Xie Hui finally finished the morning’s work and called out to him, the boy came running back.

Seeing how much he was sweating, Xie Hui reached out and wiped his face.

“Not hot?”

“It’s hot.”

“Then why are you playing so hard?”

Hearing the faint scolding in his father’s tone, Ning Ning drooped his head and followed behind him. After a long pause, he mumbled in defense:

“It’s not hot when I’m playing…”

Later that afternoon, as the sun began to set, Xie Hui took Ning Ning to ask the village chief to help keep an eye out for any puppies that might be born soon.

If the child liked animals, Xie Hui would be more than happy to let him raise a little pet.

It would help teach him responsibility—and besides, it would be a companion in its own way.

They were still a short distance from the Village Chief’s house when Ning Ning tugged at the corner of his father’s robe.

Noticing the movement, Xie Hui looked down at him.

“Hm?”

“Daddy, carry me.”

Xie Hui figured he was still traumatized from being bitten by the goose last time, so he crouched down and picked him up.

The Village Chief was outside, sorting through some dried mountain goods. When he heard footsteps, he turned his head. Upon seeing Xie Hui, his face lit up with a warm smile as he walked over to greet him.

“Xie Hui! What brings you here today?”

“Village Chief, does anyone in the village have a puppy?”

The moment Ning Ning heard his father mention this, he immediately perked up and looked up.

“Hmm… I don’t think anyone has one this year. But I’ll keep an eye out for you next year.”

Now that he was older, the Village Chief had developed the typical fondness for chatting that came with age. Before long, the conversation shifted to the Xie family.

Xie Hui hadn’t been back for long, but the Xie family had already fallen into chaos.

The old couple had sold off half their farmland, drained nearly all their savings, and even borrowed money from others.

But treating their youngest son’s leg was like pouring silver into a bottomless pit. No matter how much they spent, it vanished without a trace.

In desperation, Old Madam even considered marrying off Xie Kangli just to get some bride price money to continue paying for treatment.

Xie Kangli didn’t want to become a rich merchant’s second wife. Enraged, Old Madam slapped her more than a dozen times in front of a crowd, cursing her for being ungrateful.

“You weren’t home before, but now that you’re back, they’ll probably come looking for you too.”

“I understand. Thank you, Village Chief.”

“Don’t leave just yet. Your aunt dried some bamboo shoots a while back. Figured you probably didn’t have any, so take some home and give them a try.”

Xie Hui rarely refused gifts like this from the Village Chief. He accepted them with a smile.

As for Old Madam’s actions, Xie Hui wasn’t the least bit surprised.

If it had been someone else, and he heard they were being forced to marry an old man just for money, he might’ve stepped in to help—if he had the means.

But this was Xie Kangli. He felt nothing for her. In fact, he thought she deserved it.

In the client’s memories, when Xie Kangli was still a child, she once said that since Ning Ning was still young and too naive to notice anything, they might as well sell him and use the silver to buy treats for their grandparents.

That comment had delighted Old Madam at the time, and everyone else had just laughed it off as a joke.

But now, when Xie Hui thought back on it, he felt Xie Kangli had been rotten to the core from the very beginning.

“Daddy, the puppy?”

Before Xie Hui could sink too deep into his thoughts, Ning Ning’s voice rang out beside his ear.

His voice wasn’t the soft, milky tone most toddlers had. It was a bit hoarse, rougher.

Back when he couldn’t speak clearly or form full sentences, Xie Hui hadn’t noticed. But now that his words were getting clearer, that unique, slightly raspy voice stood out, carrying a charm all its own.

“Mm. If we can find one, Ning Ning can raise a puppy.”

“Mm… two!”

So happy he could barely contain himself, Ning Ning started skipping as he walked.

“That’s fine too.”

When it came to little things like this, Xie Hui was always happy to indulge his child.

The atmosphere between father and son was light and cheerful all the way home—until they reached the gate and saw an Old Madam standing at the entrance to their courtyard.