Chapter 492: Chapter 490: Luck Bonus

Fearing her bowl wasn’t clean enough, making it unattractive to others, she rolled up her sleeves and scrubbed the bowl repeatedly. When she felt it was clean, she handed it to Zhuang Qingning, saying, “Thank you.”

“No problem, it’s just a bowl of soup. Wait here; I’ll fill it up for you.” Zhuang Qingning took the bowl, walked into the courtyard, and saw that the soup on the stove was almost ready. She filled a bowl with hot soup, added a few pieces of lamb, and got two freshly baked sourdough pancakes.

After giving it some thought, Zhuang Qingning found a clean cloche and kept out only as much bread as she and Zhuang Qingsui would eat that day. She wrapped the leftover pancakes in the cloche and handed them to the beggar along with the soup.

“Lamb soup and pancakes – if it’s too dry, soaking the pancake in the soup is delicious.”

Zhuang Qingning said, “Take the rest of the pancakes for now. It’s cold out, so they won’t spoil quickly. You’ll have enough to eat for the next three or four days.”

The beggar looked at the steaming, meat-heavy, fresh lamb soup, and the white sourdough pancakes. Tears welled up in his eyes immediately. He didn’t dare to take the bowl. Brushing away a tear, he bowed deeply to Chu Qingning several times.

“Thank you, thank you, thank you, Bodhisattva.”

“No need to thank me, eat quickly before it gets cold and isn’t as delicious.” Zhuang Qingning saw that he wasn’t reaching to take the food, so she placed the bowl on the ground and rested the pancakes on a pair of chopsticks over the bowl.

After paying his respects, the beggar saw Zhuang Qingning about to leave and hastily said, “Miss, wait a moment.”

“Do you think there isn’t enough?” Zhuang Qingning stopped and asked, “If not, I’m afraid you’ll have to wait a bit. I might be out of sourdough pancakes and will only be able to make noodle soup.”

“No, no.” The beggar shook his head, rummaging in his clothes for a bit before pulling out a small, dark lump. He offered it to Chu Qingning, saying, “Take this. Consider it my way of thanking you.”

The object was very dark, but its shape faintly suggested a silver ring.

It was clear to see that it had been kept close and had oxidized over a long period.

Given that the beggar had pulled it from a hidden seam of his jacket, this object seemed to hold immense value for him. It was carefully stored and rarely shown.

“You keep it. The food didn’t impact me at all, but this means a lot to you. Even if it’s not a family heirloom, at a crucial moment, you can use it to buy food or medicine by selling it for silver,” Zhuang Qingning smiled and said. “Hold onto something valuable. Only then can you find strength in your heart. Having something to look forward to gives you energy. You should eat, and I should get back to my meal, too.”

Zhuang Qingning turned to leave before the beggar could respond.

The beggar’s extended hand hung in mid-air, hesitating to pull back. He clutched the dark ring in his palm and hid it carefully in his jacket. Then he picked up his bowl and began to eat heartily.

When eating lamb paomo, you should first tear up the pancake and then add soup. The combination of rich soup and fragrant sourdough pancake, filled with meat and soup, was all downed with gusto.

Zhuang Qingsui finished a bowl and a half before pausing, rubbing her slightly bloated belly and putting down her bowl.

“Sister, this lamb paomo is so delicious!” Zhuang Qingsui declared. “Why don’t we have this again tomorrow for lunch? Let’s have Jinzhou and the teacher try it, too.”

“Okay, I’ll make the pancakes first thing tomorrow morning. The soup should be nearly ready by then. Just heat it up at lunchtime and soak the pancake in it,” Zhuang Qingning responded, gathering their bowls and chopsticks.

“Alright, I’ll take care of it,” Zhuang Qingsui patted her small chest. “Sister, you don’t need to worry.”

“My Qingsui is such a good girl,” Zhuang Qingning pinched Zhuang Qingsui’s small cheek.

The little girl was now eating well and sleeping soundly, noticeably growing taller and filling out. Her formerly sallow, withered cheeks were now full, giving her a healthy appearance.

However, there seemed to be a drawback to this…

Zhuang Qingning found herself increasingly fond of pinching Zhuang Qingsui’s face.

“Sister, I’ll help you with the dishes,” Zhuang Qingsui offered, taking the dishes to the kitchen to find a wooden basin.

Zhuang Qingning tidied up the table and chairs before sweeping up the floor with a broom.

“Ding, congratulations, host. You have completed a random task—charitive deeds.”

“The rewards for the host are as follows: 666 points of diligence, and one silver ring pattern.”

What…?

The charitable deeds’ task must have been referring to her act of kindness earlier when she fed the beggar lamb soup and some sourdough pancakes.

It was just out of pity for the man, yet it fulfilled a random task.

And the reward was excellent.

She didn’t need to mention diligence points; for a heavily indebted person like her, every diligence point was a ray of hope for paying off the debt—especially the silver ring pattern…

Zhuang Qingning carefully unfolded the pattern to take a look.

It was a modern-style open silver ring. The ring body featured a hollowed-out butterfly and plum blossom pattern. It appeared simple and elegant, while also maintaining a sense of soft beauty.

Such a silver ring didn’t seem to require complex craftsmanship, yet its design differed from the current trends. Even if it couldn’t be said that people would vie for this pattern, it would at least attract attention as a fine product.

Whether it was sold directly at a favorable price, or if she ever had the chance to open her own silver shop, this item would be a useful commodity.

Good, good.

Zhuang Qingning happily kept the pattern for now.

She had to admit, System Five had finally figured out its responsibilities and started to become more active, understanding what it should do for its host.

Compared to a while ago when System Five seemed almost semi-absent, putting her in a financial predicament, the current System Five was impressively diligent, almost deserving of an outstanding system medal.

“Cough!”

“Although the host’s praise feels delightfully gratifying, it’s making me somewhat complacent,” said the system.

“But I am a very honest system, and reality is what it is, so I must tell you that…”

“The reason for the frequent random tasks, the ease of completing tasks, and the generous rewards lately is not due to my diligence but the result of the marriage stone.”

“The marriage stone has grown significantly recently, which has increased the strength of your lucky halo. That’s why you’re experiencing the current situation.”

The marriage stone… grew?

Significantly?

So, the question was, has she been in frequent contact with anyone recently?

After some thought, it seemed like she had been…

She had been treating Cheng Ruize, meeting Fang Hou frequently, and even Chu Jinnian regularly came to her home for lessons.

One of these three couldn’t be causing the growth in the marriage stone, right?

Zhuang Qingning furrowed her brows in thought.