It was nearly 11 PM, and Chen Ye lay on the bed, the System's cold mechanical voice sounding in his ears.
【Ding!】
【Daily Settlement Initiated:】
【Today, Chen Daming got up early to fetch water, exercising his strength, rewarding 10 points.】
【You discovered Da Ming getting up early to work, felt sorry for Da Ming, and told him to go back to sleep, rewarding 5 points.】
【You took Da Ming to the morning market to eat wontons, rewarding 5 points.】
【Chen Daming broke the porcelain bowl, exercising his strength, rewarding 5 points.】
【Chen Daming ate until he was full, rewarding 5 points.】
【Chen Daming was abducted by the Wind and Rain Pavilion, broke down the prison door, and ran out, rewarding 50 points.】
【Chen Daming reunited with you, rewarding 10 points.】
【Chen Daming gave you a pink round fan as repayment, rewarding 50 points.】
【You helped Chen Daming apply medicine, rewarding 5 points.】
【You gave Chen Daming the "Great Wisdom Appears Slow-Witted" trait, making Chen Daming smarter, rewarding 10 points.】
【Chen Daming ate until he was full at dinner, rewarding 5 points.】
【You took Chen Daming to read shui hu zhuan, learning literacy, rewarding 5 points.】
【You taught Chen Daming how to wash up, rewarding 5 points.】
【Ding!】
【You adopted the second orphan: Xiao Lian, rewarding 200 points.】
【You taught Xiao Lian how to use condiments, rewarding 5 points.】
【Xiao Lian learned cooking methods, rewarding 5 points.】
【Xiao Lian observed the Secret Manual Surprising Flower Finger and gained some insight, rewarding 20 points.】
【Ding!】
【Chen Daming's gratitude towards you has increased!】
【Total points: 350 points】
The daily settlement ended, and Chen Ye's points reached 931.
Subsequently, the System popped up Chen Daming's information box.
【Name: Chen Daming】
【ID: 0001】
【Gender: Male】
【Age: 10 years old】
【Current Traits: "Strong Physique", Great Wisdom Appears Slow-Witted】
【Current Gratitude: 65%】
Seeing the 5% increase in gratitude, Chen Ye's mouth curved into a smile.
Da Ming, this child, although simple-minded, is truly a good child.
Chen Ye brought up the daily settlement again, staring at Xiao Lian's section for a while.
"Xiao Lian actually has a Secret Manual? Where did she get it?"
"Before adopting Xiao Lian, were her actions not included in the daily settlement?"
Chen Ye pondered, becoming even more curious about Xiao Lian's background.
After processing the settlement information, the task refreshed.
【Task: Determine the future career development direction of the orphans (0/2)】
【Task Reward: 1000 points, Orphan Trait Draw Opportunity * 2】
Chen Ye touched his chin when he saw the refreshed task.
"This task is a bit difficult, hiss..."
"Don't think about it, go to sleep first."
Chen Ye cast aside the distracting thoughts in his mind and sank into slumber.
He didn't know how much time had passed.
"Cock-a-doodle-doo..."
"Cock-a-doodle-doo..."
The continuous crowing of chickens echoed through Yu Hang County again.
"Again!"
Chen Ye wore a pained expression, twisting a few times on the bed, then heard a slight movement in the courtyard and opened his eyes wide.
"Da Ming?" Chen Ye called out.
A simple-minded voice came from the small bed not far away: "Dad?"
Not Da Ming?
Chen Ye listened carefully for a moment and indeed heard a faint scraping sound coming from the courtyard.
It sounded like...
The sound of sweeping.
"No way, another early riser?" Chen Ye got up, put on his clothes, and came to the courtyard.
He saw Xiao Lian in a light blue dress, holding a broom in her fair hands, sweeping the ground stroke by stroke.
A thin layer of mist enveloped the air, and the sound of sweeping rustled.
A faint wisp of dust gently rose from the ground.
Xiao Lian heard the movement behind her, turned around, saw Chen Ye, and a smile appeared on her pretty little face as she crisply called out: "Dean."
The little girl's hair was styled in a Hanging hair with a bun, symbolizing an unmarried girl, and her figure was slender, adding a touch of ancient charm in the hazy mist.
Chen Ye was stunned for a moment, then came back to his senses, a little puzzled: "Xiao Lian, you are..."
"Sweeping the courtyard. Zhu Zi said: 'Rise at dawn, sweep the courtyard, keep inside and out clean.'"
Xiao Lian held the broom, sweeping and saying: "I've already heated up breakfast, it'll be ready to eat soon."
Hearing this, Chen Ye's mouth couldn't help but twitch twice.
A sense of guilt couldn't help but rise in his heart.
Ancient people got up very early, unlike him who slept until the sun was high.
Chen Ye half-opened his mouth, wanting to say, Xiao Lian, don't bother, go back and rest.
But seeing that Xiao Lian was almost finished sweeping and breakfast was almost heated, he couldn't say the words.
Alas...
Chen Ye sighed inwardly.
What a sin.
Get up, get up.
Chen Ye turned to go back to his room to change clothes, when he suddenly paused, turned his head, and asked: "Xiao Lian, did you... attend a private school?"
"No... just learned from... from my father."
The little girl's clear voice came.
Chen Ye nodded upon hearing this. Xiao Lian's background was indeed interesting.
Ordinary commoners couldn't access things like "Zhu Zi said."
Chen Ye pushed the door and went back to his room.
Where he couldn't see, Xiao Lian tightly gripped the broom, and the green veins on her fair little hands bulged.
A few seconds later, Xiao Lian continued to swing the broom in her hand, sweeping the courtyard.
...
"Come, Da Ming, follow my rhythm, one two three four, two two three four, three two three four, four two three four, one more time..."
"Okay, next is chest expansion, one two three four..."
Chen Ye stood in the center of the courtyard with Da Ming, doing morning exercises.
Xiao Lian stood to the side, looking at the two people with their strange yet somewhat graceful movements, looking like she wanted to laugh but was holding back.
Chen Ye noticed Xiao Lian and invited: "Xiao Lian, do you want to do morning exercises together?"
Xiao Lian blushed, quickly shook her head, and ducked into the study.
These strange movements didn't look like martial arts at all, she didn't want to learn them.
They were useless.
Chen Ye did a few rounds with Da Ming, breaking a sweat, and white steam rose from their bodies in the slightly cool morning.
"Da Ming, do two rounds every morning from now on. You got many movements wrong just now."
Chen Ye patted Da Ming's shoulder and said with a smile.
Da Ming gave a simple smile and didn't say anything.
He didn't think the movements just now were bad, on the contrary, he found them very interesting.
Chen Ye had a deeper meaning in taking Da Ming to do morning exercises. He found that the points from the daily settlement were arguably the main source of points. Taking the children to exercise and interact every day.
He would get more points during the settlement.
Chen Ye stretched his body a few times and instructed Da Ming: "Da Ming, exercise more when you have nothing to do from now on."
"If you're hungry, we'll eat. The Dean has money, not afraid of you eating."
Da Ming had the "Strong Physique" trait, so exercising more usually only had benefits and no drawbacks.
Chen Ye also checked on the injury on Da Ming's shoulder, and seeing that the bruise had faded much more than yesterday, he finally felt relieved.
Through yesterday's daily settlement, Chen Ye knew that this injury was from Da Ming breaking down the prison door.
He thought that the people from the Wind and Rain Pavilion must have temporarily placed the child in a civilian house, and considering the child's age and strength, the prison door they made shouldn't have been too sturdy.
It was also good luck that Da Ming was able to return this time.