Raising Orphans, Not Assassins

In the height of summer, the weather grew hotter with each passing day. The incessant chirping of cicadas filled the air, adding to the sweltering heat. Under the blazing sun, the air seemed to shimmer visibly with rising heat waves.

Sitting in the shade of a tree, Chen Ye fanned himself with a pink round fan, yet sweat still poured down his forehead.

Located in the southern part of the Great Wu Dynasty, Lin'an Prefecture experienced bone-chilling winters and scorching summers.

"System, what were you thinking, choosing this place? It's nothing compared to the north," Chen Ye complained while fanning himself.

The system, being non-conscious, couldn't respond.

In the blink of an eye, a month had passed since Chen Ye arrived in the Great Wu Dynasty.

He gradually adjusted to the ancient lifestyle, including its rhythms and customs.

Through daily settlements, Chen Ye's accumulation of points reached 4092.

The average daily gain or loss fluctuated around 100 points.

In addition, Chen Ye became acquainted with his neighbors.

They knew about the newly established "Yuhang Orphanage," led by a young man who was kind-hearted and always willing to help, often seen assisting others with their children.

Among these neighbors was the madam from the Yi Hong Brothel.

One morning, the madam from the Yi Hong Brothel paid Chen Ye a visit, bringing some gifts and engaging in a conversation.

The details of their conversation were unclear, but when she left, the madam's face bore a smile, and Chen Ye's treasury gained an additional 100 taels of silver.

That night, as Chen Ye slept soundly, he heard the cries of a baby outside his door. He went out and found a baby girl, whom he named Chen An'an, nicknamed Xiaofu.

Thus began Chen Ye and Xiao Lian's challenging life.

Xiaofu was lively by nature and liked to cry and make a scene to attract attention. Whenever she was awake and there was no one around, she would start wailing.

With no other choice, Chen Ye and Xiao Lian took turns caring for Xiaofu each day.

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Fortunately, Xiaofu was already a year old and had been weaned, otherwise Chen Ye would have had to find a wet nurse.

"Waaah..."

In the orphanage, the cries of Xiaofu could be heard again, and Chen Ye's face relaxed.

Today was Xiao Lian's turn to take care of Xiaofu, so he could have a peaceful day. However, tomorrow would be his turn again.

Thinking about this, Chen Ye's face showed signs of distress. Adopting and caring for an orphan was not an easy task. Fortunately, for now, there was only Xiaofu, but as the orphanage grew, it would require more manpower.

Recently, officials from the justice hall had also visited and brought some silver.

Their implication was clear: the orphanage was a good deed, and if there were any unwanted children in the future, the yamen (the headquarters or residence of a Chinese government) would send them here. After all, in ancient times, in families with poor conditions, many chose to drown their female babies.

In a way, the orphanage was accumulating virtue.

The children adopted by the orphanage could be registered and recorded in the household registry, avoiding the issue of unregistered individuals.

Therefore, in terms of finances, Chen Ye didn't have to worry. As long as there weren't too many people, it would be enough to cover living expenses.

Da Ming's physique had visibly improved over the past month, and he was taller than children of the same age. However, his appetite had also increased day by day.

Chen Ye would tremble at the words "Dad, I'm hungry."

At the dining table, Chen Ye worried that Da Ming would burst his stomach with the amount of food he ate.

Fortunately, such fantasies did not come true.

Furthermore, Chen Ye noticed that Da Ming was particularly fond of axes. In the first few days after receiving the axe, he would swing it around every day, even sleeping with it. Concerned that he might accidentally injure someone, Chen Ye drilled a hole in the axe handle and tied a rope to it so Da Ming could carry it on his waist when not in use.

Apart from his love for axes, Da Ming seemed to have an inherent aversion to wood. Every time firewood was brought home, Da Ming would insist on chopping it with his small axe as if venting his frustrations.

Chen Ye didn't delve into the reasons behind this behaviour.

In a month's time, Da Ming's gratitude level had risen to 79%, and it was expected to reach 80% within a day or two.

It was clear that Da Ming was very satisfied with his current life and grateful to Chen Ye.

Considering Da Ming's attributes, Chen Ye purchased a "Schwarzenegger Exercise Manual" from the system mall for him to follow the training regimen outlined in it. {ED: I'm sorry, what?}

Since Da Ming seemed to have a faster rate of strength growth, it was best to focus more on training. If he was interested in chopping trees, then he could specialise in that area. With strength, he could chop trees faster than others, and even if he couldn't continue chopping trees in the future, he could do other tasks.

Da Ming had a simple and honest personality, and Chen Ye didn't have too many expectations for him.

As long as Da Ming could support himself in the future and grow up happily, that's all Chen Ye cared about. He applied tailored teaching methods to Da Ming.

Externally, Xiao Lian seems unchanged from usual. She was diligent in managing household chores and her cooking skills had improved. She also showed patience in taking care of Xiaofu.

However, beneath the surface, every night before Chen Ye went to sleep, he noticed Xiao Lian practising the "Jing Hua Finger" martial arts technique in the daily settlement information. From the system's description, her proficiency seems to be increasing steadily.

This made Chen Ye want to ask her about it every time he saw her, but he restrained himself as he could not explain how he knew about Xiao Lian practising martial arts techniques.

Chen Ye could only envy Xiao Lian's daily progress in her training.

Furthermore, half a month ago, Xiao Lian's gratitude level was also activated, but it was only at 62%, and it didn't rise as quickly as Da Ming's, at least it was still better than nothing.

Overall, everything seemed to be moving in a positive direction.

The only thing that confused Chen Ye is the system missions. Since Da Ming triggered a mission progress once, the system missions seem to have died out, with no more prompts and stuck at 1/2 progress.

After pondering for a while, Chen Ye tried to guide Xiao Lian subtly, hoping she would choose a profession that interests her and develop from there. However, Xiao Lian seemed to be interested in everything and nothing at the same time.

This led to the system missions being put on hold.

As a result, Chen Ye currently had no new orphan attributes and could not give them to Xiaofu.

"Sigh, the rate at which points increase is still too slow... There are still too many places that require points."

After Xiaofu was added, he exchanged some vaccines, which cost him a lot of points.

In Yuhang County, after the child abduction case, there were no other major cases that month, only minor thefts and drunken brawls.

Everything was progressing slowly and peacefully.

As the weather got hotter, it became evident why Chen Ye preferred not to engage in physical labour.

In the surrounding areas of Yuhang County, some families with the surname Qin worked tirelessly every day, enduring the scorching sun. It's hard work.

Meanwhile, Chen Ye only needed to manage his own little plot of land, which was already enough for him.

Of course, Chen Ye was a special case. Normally, the yamen would allocate a piece of land for the orphanage to cultivate.

"Director!"

From the courtyard came Xiao Lian's call, and Chen Ye got up, fanning himself with the fan, leisurely strolling into the courtyard.

Under the shade of the trees in the courtyard, Da Ming lifted his head and innocently called out, "Dad."

Da Ming was bare-chested, wearing shorts on the lower body, his skin showing a healthy wheat colour, with some muscle lines visible. After a month of training, there were noticeable changes in his body.

"Why are you training again? It's so hot today. Wait until it's cooler before you continue."

"Stop now."

Chen Ye frowned slightly.

Da Ming chuckled slightly and stopped. He didn't want to upset his dad.

Chen Ye looked at Xiao Lian and asked, "What's wrong?"

Xiao Lian carried a basket on her arm, her fair and lovely face showing a hint of fatigue.

Seeing Chen Ye looking so relaxed, Xiao Lian couldn't help but feel a little resentful. Today was just too hot, and Xiaofu refused to sleep, making a lot of noise. It tired Xiao Lian out..

"Director, Da Ming is growing so fast, I'm going to buy some cloth to make him some new clothes."

"Buying ready-made clothes all the time is too expensive."

Xiao Lian expressed her thoughts.

After a month of getting to know each other, Chen Ye had a deeper understanding of Xiao Lian. She was intelligent, hardworking, and knew how to manage the household frugally. She could be considered an outstanding woman nurtured under the feudal system of ancient times.

"Go ahead, be careful on the way."

"Okay."

Xiao Lian left with the basket slung over her shoulder.