“Brother Qiurong, come here!”

Under the banyan tree, the chubby figure lifted his head in confusion.

Looking around, he spotted Qin Ruqing.

His dark eyes lit up and he toddled over in her direction.

Qin Ruqing had a kindly smile on her face until he exclaimed, “Little sister!”

Her smile froze instantly.

She put on a serious expression and said firmly, “Don’t call me little sister!”

“Why not? You are my little sister!”

“Just one month younger doesn’t count!”

A month’s time indeed puzzled Qin Qiurong for a moment.

He earnestly counted on his chubby fingers for a long while, still persistently insisting, “No, little sister is little sister. Even if it’s just one day, you’re still little sister.”

Qin Ruqing: “…”

She sighed deeply and silently repeated in her mind, “I won’t argue with a child! I won’t argue with a child.”

Qin Ruqing changed the subject, “What are you squatting under the tree for?”

Qin Qiurong answered honestly, “I’m watching ants.”

Just as she expected.

Qin Ruqing’s eyes darted around and then she pulled Qin Qiurong to sit beside the railing, whispering mysteriously, “Hey, Rongqiur, I have something good to give you…”

Qin Qiurong leaned in, lowering his voice just like Qin Ruqing.

“What is it?”

Qin Ruqing glanced around, hesitated with her hand on the storage bag.

This location by the railings of the square shaped path was at the center of the Qin family’s estate, often frequented by elders or servants.

It wouldn’t be good if someone saw something unexpected.

She waved him over with a serious tone, “Come with me.”

This gesture, this expression, it was filled with the determination to do something big!

Qin Qiurong was impressed by Qin Ruqing’s aura and trotted along behind her.

Qin Ruqing found a crevice in a rockery and both of them squeezed inside.

The cave was small, but just enough for two children.

Finally feeling safe, Qin Ruqing took out the jade bottle.

Inside was the elixir from the Enlightenment Pearl that she pretended to have drunk earlier.

“The good thing I’m talking about is this!”

Qin Qiurong stared at the jade bottle in Qin Ruqing’s palm and asked curiously, “What is this?”

Qin Ruqing opened her mouth to explain but hesitated.

She didn’t know how to say it.

Tell him directly?

Say this thing can improve your aptitude?

It could, but she was afraid Qin Qiurong wouldn’t keep it a secret and might tell his mother.

Then, if his mother asked their parents, the whole thing would be exposed.

“This is… oh well, it’s a good thing anyway. It’s drinkable. Just drink it and you’ll know.” Qin Ruqing pushed the jade bottle into the chubby boy’s hand and said simply, “Drink!”

Qin Qiurong obediently nodded, uncorked the bottle, sniffed it first, then took a sip.

Originally intending just a sip, he didn’t expect the liquid inside to be so smooth, almost like it was urging him to drink it all.

The amount in the bottle was just enough for one sip.

After finishing it, Qin Qiurong smacked his lips in confusion and asked, “Little sister, is this chicken soup?”

Qin Ruqing watched his reaction carefully, about to ask him how he felt, when he heard this chubby boy call it chicken soup.

Alright, chicken soup it is then.

Saves me the trouble of coming up with an explanation myself.

Qin Ruqing gracefully descended the steps, casually saying, “Sure, chicken soup. My mom made me a special batch of chicken soup which I’ve been saving. There’s just a sip left, but I’ll give it to you now. Aren’t I nice to you?”

Qin Qiurong’s eyes welled up with tears of gratitude. “Sister, you’re really kind!”

Looking at Qin Qiurong’s innocent and pure expression, Qin Ruqing sighed inwardly.

Honestly, she felt a pang of regret.

This was a spirit medicine that could enhance one’s aptitude!

Her parents hadn’t told her how much they spent to obtain this Enlightenment Pearl, but she wasn’t a naive child.

She could guess the approximate value.

Initially, she planned to exchange this Enlightenment Pearl with the system for points.

However, the system informed her that the pearl didn’t meet the criteria for the marketplace, leaving Qin Ruqing disappointed.

Now that the Enlightenment Pearl was used by Rongqiu, Qin Ruqing didn’t regret it.

Her feeling of distress was instinctive, but more subtly, she was conflicted.

— The second and third branches of the Qin family were always at odds with the eldest branch!

Giving this Enlightenment Pearl to Rongqiu might boost his aptitude, but would it also bolster their arrogance and aid them in suppressing the eldest branch? Ah, forget it, forget it.

These are matters for adults, not for us children.

Qin Ruqing’s heart went through a whirlwind of emotions for a while, but she eventually composed herself.

Sternly, she said, “Rongqiu, this is our secret. You can’t tell anyone, not your dad, not your mom… no one! Do you understand?”

Qin Qiurong nodded vigorously.

Qin Ruqing scrutinized him suspiciously for a moment, then employed the ultimate authoritative weapon in the world of children — “Pinkie promise!”

“We pinkie promise. If you betray me, I won’t talk to you ever again.”

Qin Qiurong’s chubby face instantly turned serious, treating it like the end of the world.

He solemnly extended his hand and hooked his pinkie with Qin Ruqing’s.

“I remember, sister! I won’t tell anyone!”

His resounding voice echoed through the cave entrance, startling Qin Ruqing.

She hurriedly covered his mouth and peeked outside left and right.

Luckily, no one was there.

Seeing his bright red apple face displaying such a serious expression, Qin Ruqing knew he had truly taken it to heart.

Still, she couldn’t help feeling a bit uneasy.

It wasn’t that she didn’t trust Qin Qiurong; he was pure-hearted and would never deceive her.

The main concern was Qin Qiurong’s young age.

If Third Aunt noticed anything amiss and probed him, it could lead to trouble.

Although even if it were exposed, it wouldn’t cause significant problems since Rongqiu had already consumed the spiritual liquid and achieved her goal.

However, she preferred to avoid unnecessary complications.

After some thought, Qin Ruqing decided to personally watch over Qin Qiurong until the medicine’s effects completely absorbed before letting him go.

She patiently played with him for a while, which delighted the chubby little guy.

Only when she heard the system prompt in her mind did Qin Ruqing finally breathe a sigh of relief.

[Side Quest: Excellent Descendant — Enhance family member Qin Qiurong’s aptitude, completed. First completion of the task, 50% bonus reward. Do you wish to claim it?]

Qin Ruqing was overjoyed. This was her first completed task.

---

Surprisingly, there was a 50% bonus. She quickly said, “Claim.”

[Claimed. Points +200, 4 Qi-return Pills, 1 Low-grade Storage Bag, 10 Low-grade Spirit Stones.]

Qin Ruqing looked at the rewards and thought they seemed a bit meager at first glance.

Even with a 50% bonus, why were there so few rewards? She even doubted if these items could accumulate to a thousand points.

But then she realized, maybe it wasn’t that the rewards were lacking, but rather, that the cost of the Divine Elixir was just too high.

Five-grade spirit medicine was something the Qin family couldn’t normally obtain.

In the largest auction houses of Nanling County, such medicines might not appear for years.

Normally, completing a task would earn around 50 to 100 points.

Tasks weren’t always available and required specific triggers, making it difficult to accumulate points.

Therefore, these rewards were actually quite generous.

Qin Ruqing sighed and finally said, “Exchange them, System, convert all these into points for me.”

The system noted that the female lead likely hadn’t started in the best circumstances!