“Boo-hoo-hoo, Liuliu! My bowl was broken by that bad woman!”
In the next moment, Jinjin began weeping and lamenting to Liuliu in her heart.
Looking at the main system screen, where Jinjin squatted petting the snake while watching her father and mother dig up the tree with an utterly expressionless face, Liuliu’s lip twitched.
Is this really a six-year-old child?
How could she maintain a completely expressionless face on the outside while weeping and lamenting to him in her heart?
*Rest assured, Host. That bowl was never your family’s ancestral bowl to begin with—it was merely a broken bowl conjured by the system in the likeness of your ancestral bowl.*
“Boo-hoo-hoo… Huh? Liuliu, what did you say? Say that again!” Jinjin was in the middle of her weeping routine when, upon hearing Liuliu’s words, the tears in her heart instantly ceased.
*Rest assured, Host. Your family’s broken bowl was not shattered—it has already been delivered to your wooden house by me.*
Yeah?
There was such a thing?
“Liuliu, is that true? When did you swap it?” Jinjin asked in astonishment in her heart.
*Right before the host left the Jin family home that day, when you went into the thatched room to fetch the bowl, I swapped it in advance. I was worried back then that they wouldn’t let you take it away,* Liuliu said.
Because of the upcoming plotline where Mrs. Xu smashed the bowl, the system had assigned Liuliu the task in advance to swap out Jinjin’s actual ancestral bowl.
Otherwise, if Jinjin’s ancestral bowl were shattered in this world, all the subsequent plotlines and Jinjin’s very existence would vanish.
“So that’s how it is! Hee-hee, Liuliu, you’re so smart!”
“Hee-hee, thank you, Liuliu! I forgive you for not being by my side to save me when I rolled down the hillside!”
Knowing that her broken bowl was back, all the unpleasantness in Jinjin’s heart vanished in an instant, and she happily thanked Liuliu.
“By the way, Liuliu, after I go home, how should I explain to Daddy and Mommy about the broken bowl coming back?” Jinjin asked in her mind.
*Host can just say that it’s a divine bowl, and that the shattered fragments on that side vanished because the divine bowl returned to find you on its own.*
Liuliu offered her an idea.
As for the time discrepancy, Liuliu believed that since it was a divine bowl, it could be overlooked—no one would quibble over that.
It couldn’t be helped; as a nanny system for a six-year-old child now, he had to think things through thoroughly on her behalf.
“Ah, yes, yes, yes! Liuliu, you’re far too clever! I’ll tell Daddy and Mommy just like that!” Jinjin grinned, praising Liuliu in her heart.
Thus, when the family returned home at noon, they all immediately caught sight of the broken bowl resting on the wooden shelf inside the house.
Jin Yao and Liu Dujuan froze, asking Jinjin in disbelief, “Jinjin, take a look—is that your divine bowl?”
Jinjin ran over to the wooden shelf, pretended to inspect it carefully, and then turned around happily holding the broken bowl, exclaiming with excitement, “Daddy, Mommy, this really is my bowl!”
After remaining dazed for a moment, Jin Yao suddenly slapped his thigh, grabbed Liu Dujuan’s hand, and said excitedly, “Dujuan, that’s right! I understand what happened now—this bowl really is a divine bowl!”
Liu Dujuan nodded as well, “Mm, I understand now too.”
“Heh, I suddenly feel that Mrs. Wang and Mrs. Xu getting hurt and falling unconscious might also be the divine bowl punishing them.”
At this moment, looking at the broken bowl in Jinjin’s hands, the couple felt deeply moved.
Jin Yao in particular—when he saw the divine bowl shattered by Mrs. Xu back then and Jinjin crying so sorrowfully, his own heart had broken right along with hers.
Now everything was fine. Seeing the brilliant smile on the little girl’s face, they couldn’t help but feel happy as well.
The return of the divine bowl on its own offset the sense of loss Jin Yao and Liu Dujuan felt over not finding Jin Hua’s remains.
While Liu Dujuan and Jin Yao cooked, Jinjin squatted over there with Little White, hugging her broken bowl to watch ants move house again.
However, for some unknown reason, not a single ant could be seen this time.
In the afternoon, Liu Dujuan and Jin Yao continued digging around that fruit tree, while Jinjin carried her small back-basket, held her small wooden trowel, and resumed her work of digging up medicinal herbs.
Sometimes, she also picked up some small red crabapples that had fallen around the tree pit, intending to bring them home as snacks.
The next day at noon, when the family gathered around the large stone for their meal, there was tree shade to block the sun.
“Wow, Daddy, it’s so cool! With this big tree blocking the sun, we don’t get sunbaked at all while eating!”
Jinjin leaned against the large stone while eating, speaking happily.
“Mm, Daddy measured the position carefully. Jinjin, get a good rest at noon, and Daddy will take you hunting this afternoon,” Jin Yao said softly, glancing around at the surrounding mountains.
“Yay, yay! Hee-hee, I’ll go to sleep in a bit. Daddy, remember to call Jinjin this afternoon—you can’t sneak off to hunt by yourself!” Jinjin instructed Jin Yao with gravity.
Only after Jin Yao promised her twice did Jinjin feel reassured enough to lead Little White back into the house for an afternoon nap.
Her broken bowl was placed between Jinjin and the wall, and Little White slept right inside the bowl.
Although there was no golden nest, starting today, Little White slept in a divine bowl nest.
In the afternoon, Jin Yao took Jinjin into the mountains to hunt as promised.
Jin Yao carried a bow, arrows, and a large back-basket on his back, held a cleaver and rope in his hand, and had five arrows slotted into the quiver hanging at his waist; the bow and arrows were all crafted by his own hands.
Jinjin, on the other hand, carried her small back-basket with a small wooden trowel inside, held a stick in her hand, and had Little White resting on her shoulder.
Father and daughter exchanged a glance. Fully equipped, they bade farewell to Liu Dujuan and headed into the mountains.
“Wow, Daddy, the air in the mountains is so nice!”
Entering the mountains, Jinjin was greeted by a full sight of lush green, crystal-clear spring water, and wild grass and flowers covering the ground, causing her to cry out happily.
Jin Yao looked around at their surroundings. Air?
*Wow, Jinjin! There are so many medicinal herbs here!* Seeing the prompts on the system panel, Liuliu said to Jinjin.
“Wow, Daddy! There are so many medicinal herbs here!” Jinjin immediately shouted out, following along.
Liuliu burst into laughter.
*The plant you’re holding is honeysuckle. It has properties that clear heat, detoxify, cool the blood, reduce swelling, and disperse wind-heat. It’s commonly used to treat colds, sore throats, pneumonia, appendicitis, and other ailments!*
“Wow, Daddy, this plant is called honeysuckle, and it can cure illnesses!” Liuliu’s recitation was too long for Jinjin to remember, so she simply omitted the rest.
Liuliu chuckled softly—what an amusing little girl.
Little White looked at Jinjin, then at Jin Yao, listening to the dialogue between Jinjin and Liuliu in her heart, finding it quite amusing as well.
If it guessed correctly, this two-legged beast daddy surely assumed once again that it was the one telling Jinjin. Little White felt that after following Jinjin, it had become a scapegoat snake.
Sure enough, upon hearing Jinjin’s words, Jin Yao’s eyes lit up, “Are you saying there are a lot of medicinal herbs here? Did Little White tell you?”
“Yes, Daddy! Some of these herbs are worth a lot of money. We can dig up more and sell them for money to buy Mommy a new pot, okay?” Jinjin looked up at Jin Yao with eager eyes.
Since Liuliu’s existence couldn’t be revealed, Little White had to take the blame for Liuliu. Hee-hee!
“All right!” Touched, Jin Yao patted her head. He had originally wanted to tell her that he had already ordered a pot, but he didn’t know how to explain the matter of hunting a bear last time without telling the family.
These matters were complicated to explain, involving social etiquette, personal calculations within the household, and ways of survival. It was better not to mention it for now; when Jinjin grew older, she would understand these principles on her own.
After digging up a few honeysuckle plants, Jinjin spotted some licorice on a small knoll nearby and ran over to dig up a few licorice plants as well.
Suddenly, Liuliu shouted with excitement: *Jinjin, hurry and lift your foot! You’re stepping on a ginseng plant worth a hundred taels!*
Yeah?
Jinjin froze—a ginseng plant worth a hundred taels?
Once her brain processed the information, Jinjin hastily shifted her foot with a *zeng* and looked down at the ground.
Where was the ginseng?