"I'm working as a temporary Maid, and if I leave when the term is up, you can't stop me."
"Of course, I can do all the work a Maid does, you can rest assured about that."
The little girl in a green dress stood prettily before Chen Ye.
"And... and I need to be paid monthly."
Xiao Lian thought carefully and added.
"Okay, any other requests?"
Chen Ye looked at Xiao Lian, whose face was washed clean of dirt, and asked.
The girl's fair face was radiant, her features were well-defined, and her voice was crisp and pleasant.
Standing there, she had the aura of a gentle and refined girl from a small family.
"Other requests... none for now."
Xiao Lian thought hard, then shook her head.
"You've finished stating your requests, I have one too." Chen Ye smiled slightly.
Hearing this, Xiao Lian became wary, her bright eyes glancing at Chen Ye: "What request?"
"Who else is in your family? This is Yu Ying Hall, we only take in homeless children."
Chen Ye's tone was calm, his gaze fixed on Xiao Lian.
If this little girl had secretly run away and her family reported it, then Chen Ye would be in big trouble.
Xiao Lian lowered her eyes, her hands tightly clasped together, the washed-out green skirt hem slightly fluttering in the wind.
"My family are all dead."
As she said this, a flash of hatred crossed Xiao Lian's eyes.
Clearly, things were not as simple as she made them sound.
Chen Ye's eyes showed understanding, and he didn't press further.
The backgrounds of the orphans who came in couldn't all be perfectly clean.
"Alright then, welcome to Yu Ying Hall..."
A sincere smile appeared on Chen Ye's face.
【Ding!】
【Task: Adopt the second orphan completed!】
【Congratulations on receiving task rewards: 200 points, 20 taels of silver, one orphan trait extraction opportunity, unlocked building: Study】
The System's cold mechanical voice sounded in his ears, and Chen Ye's smile deepened.
Just as he was applying medicine to Da Ming, this intelligent little girl suddenly appeared outside the courtyard.
After hesitantly expressing her intentions, the conversation just now followed.
It could be seen from her asking for payment.
Compared to an orphan, Xiao Lian saw herself more as a Maid; she needed a temporary place to stay and some money.
"What's your name?"
"Xiao Lian."
The little girl's voice was as crisp as a clear spring dripping onto a rock.
A translucent blue light screen appeared before Chen Ye.
【Ding!】
【Name: Xiao Lian】
【Number: 0002】
【Gender: Female】
【Age: 13 years old】
【Traits: None】
Seeing her age, Chen Ye was startled, a look of surprise on his face.
Xiao Lian was slightly shorter than Da Ming, less than 1.3 meters.
He hadn't expected her to be 13 years old already.
At 13 in ancient times, she could already be married.
Could this girl really have run away secretly?
In an instant, Chen Ye's mind conjured up a long rebellious story under the feudal System.
"How old are you this year?" Chen Ye suddenly asked.
Xiao Lian looked up slightly, met Chen Ye's gaze for a moment, then quietly shifted it away, saying softly: "13."
Alright, she didn't lie.
Chen Ye sighed inwardly.
He stopped thinking about it; if a prospective in-law family came looking, he'd deal with it then.
Anyway, his task was to nurture orphans, once they entered Yu Ying Hall, they were his kids!
"Okay then, you can sleep in the west room, Da Ming and I will sleep in the east room."
"Bedding and such are all complete."
Chen Ye explained the facilities and situation within Yu Ying Hall to Xiao Lian.
Xiao Lian remembered everything, then her expression became strange.
Adding her, there were only three people in the entire Yu Ying Hall.
One must know that when Xiao Lian was still in Jianning Prefecture, the Yu Ying Hall in her hometown had over a dozen children.
However, most of those children were physically disabled or foolish like Da Ming.
This was the first time she had seen a Yu Ying Hall on such a small scale.
After arranging Xiao Lian's accommodation, Chen Ye sat on the reclining chair and began to process the task rewards.
After claiming the rewards, his points reached 581, and he still had over 50 taels of silver, which was completely sufficient for daily expenses.
"System, extract an orphan trait."
Chen Ye lay on the chair, basking in the sun, and silently chanted in his heart.
A translucent blue turntable immediately appeared before his eyes.
It started spinning rapidly.
A moment later, it stopped on four characters.
【Great Wisdom Appears Foolish】
【Trait Effect: Slightly increases intelligence, greatly increases comprehension; but appearance will look more honest and simple】
Seeing this label, Chen Ye shot up from the reclining chair.
Da Ming, who was squatting on the ground watching ants nearby, was startled when his dad suddenly sat up.
He sniffled and stared blankly at Chen Ye.
Chen Ye's eyes lit up as he stared at the trait, this trait was good.
It was practically tailor-made for Da Ming.
Without hesitation, Chen Ye bestowed the trait upon Da Ming.
Da Ming, who was sniffing, suddenly froze, his originally foolish gaze slowly turning honest.
He rubbed his head, feeling an indescribable sensation.
Da Ming only felt his mind seemed clearer, things he didn't understand before, he now understood.
After bestowing the trait, Chen Ye glanced at Da Ming twice, his mouth twitching.
Why did he look more serious...
Originally, Da Ming just looked foolish and slow to react, but now compared to before, he had an added sense of honesty.
The overall description was honest and foolish.
Chen Ye seriously examined Da Ming.
Da Ming stood up and gave Chen Ye an honest smile: "Dad."
"Hmm, it still had some effect." Chen Ye rubbed his chin, thinking.
If you looked closely, you would find that Da Ming's eyes were more spirited than before.
Just like the trait description: Great Wisdom Appears Foolish.
With this trait, at least it compensated for Da Ming's intellectual deficiency.
It's fine if he looks honest, after all, he was originally unremarkable.
At least now looking honest can be considered a positive point.
After extracting the trait, Chen Ye looked at the newly unlocked Study function.
【Please select the binding location for the Study】
【After successful binding, this building will become the Study and gain the Study buff】
【Study Buff: Reading in the Study greatly increases comprehension and memory】
Chen Ye looked at the layout of the small courtyard, thought for a moment, and bound the Study to the west wing.
The west wing faced east, so when the sun rose, the first ray of sunlight would shine through the window into the Study.
At that time, the children of Yu Ying Hall would sit neatly in the Study, their voices clear as they read.
How wonderful that would be.
Chen Ye closed his eyes and imagined the scene, then felt something was off.
When there were more children later, they would always need to learn cultural knowledge, right?
Who would teach them then?
Thinking of this, Chen Ye sighed lightly.
Nurturing orphans was indeed not that simple...
Every aspect had to be considered.
Xiao Lian sat in her room. The room was not big, and there were some empty beds inside.
It seemed that when Yu Ying Hall had more children, they would inevitably have to crowd into one room.
However, Xiao Lian was not picky about this, as it was similar in ordinary households.
Through the window, she saw Chen Ye occasionally sitting up in the reclining chair and Da Ming squatting beside him watching ants, and she stared blankly for a moment.
Xiao Lian came back to her senses and took out the book she had taken from the scruffy man from her Pregnant.
The book with the purple cover was slightly yellowed, and the three characters 《Surprise Flower Finger》 on the cover were a bit worn, indicating that the original owner must have frequently read it.
Her gaze moved inch by inch from the cover, Xiao Lian closed her eyes and silently said in her heart: "Mother, I will definitely kill him."
"Definitely."
Then, she opened the book.