There is a happy inn in the capital.

The illusory girl nodded slightly; her voice, though still directly entering the mind, now carried a touch more human gentleness.

【Yes】

"My God..."

Li Shuchen circled the illusory figure once, then clapped his hands as if suddenly realizing something.

"I see! No wonder you didn't like it when I called you Xiao Jizi at first. So that's why. I'm sorry, I didn't know you were a girl. I thought it was just a program."

It's okay, I've gotten used to it after hearing it for so many years.

Are you leaving?

Yes, the final reward for the host's mission is to restore my freedom.

"I see. I take back what I said earlier. I won't bother you anymore. Take care when you get home."

I won't leave for now; I'll stay with you until the core mission is complete.

"Core mission? I have another mission? Why didn't you tell me?"

[The host is already on the mission and performing well; it's almost complete.]

The virtual girl smiled faintly, and her figure disappeared from the spot.

Li Shuchen sat back down on the stool and rubbed her face. What was this core mission? How did she end up in a mission without even realizing it?

Forget it, let it be.

June, the fourteenth year of the Purple Star Dynasty, in the water towns of Jiangnan.

"Mr. Li! Congratulations on the grand opening of your new store!"

Congratulations! For the first three days of opening, all dishes are 20% off! Local residents can also take home a free "Happiness Pastry"!

The entrance to the brand-new "Happiness Inn Suzhou-Hangzhou Branch" was packed with people, and the air was filled with the sounds of gongs and drums.

Li Shuchen, dressed in a neat brocade robe, stood at the door with a wide, toothy grin.

This is already her seventh branch in the south.

In just a few years, the name "Happiness Inn" has spread throughout the country.

Everyone knows that the owner of this inn is an extraordinary woman. Not only are her dishes novel and delicious, and she treats her staff kindly, but she also has a widely praised act of kindness.

After each new store opens and becomes profitable, a significant portion of the funds is allocated to establish a "poverty relief shelter" in the local area, where porridge and medicine are regularly distributed, assistance is provided to the elderly and widows, and financial aid is given to impoverished students.

"I heard that Mr. Li just renovated the dilapidated orphanage in the east of the city last month and even hired a tutor to teach the children to read!"

"More than that! My husband works in the kitchen of the inn. The owner said that as long as you are hardworking and reliable, regardless of your background, you can learn a skill and earn money!"

"That's right! My daughter helps wrap bouquets at Miss Ye's flower shop. The pay is decent, and she looks much more energetic!"

The people queuing up to try the new product were discussing it animatedly, their faces filled with admiration and longing.

The long queues outside the new store weren't just for the food, but also for sharing in the blessings of "happiness" and "goodness."

Meanwhile, "Baihua Fang," which often opens next to "Happiness Inn," has long been a refreshing sight in various parts of southern China.

Thanks to the support of Li Shuchen's extensive transportation network, flowers from both the north and south were able to circulate rapidly.

Inside the flower shop window, various fresh flowers, some delicate and elegant, others vibrant and rich, are arranged and packaged with Ye Bingli's unique artistry, creating a breathtaking sight.

Outside the shop, pedestrians carrying bouquets can be seen almost everywhere.

"To celebrate Brother Wang's housewarming, I've gifted you a potted clivia. How elegant!"

"It's my wife's birthday today. She'll definitely love this bouquet of pink roses with multi-headed bubbles!"

"I got paid today, so I bought myself a bunch of daisies. It made me so happy!"

Flowers are increasingly becoming a common gift for expressing emotions and decorating life, whether given to friends, relatives, lovers, or even oneself.

Although Ye Bingli doesn't often appear at every branch, her rules of "fresh flowers, fair prices, and honest service to all customers," along with her refined and aloof reputation, have made "Baihuafang" a guarantee of quality and style.

The fragrance of flowers not only wafts through the streets and alleys, but also enters the windowsills and hearts of more and more ordinary people.

Autumn of the fifteenth year of the Purple Star Dynasty

Ping An and Xing Fu turned three, a lively and active age filled with curiosity about everything.

On this day, Li Shuchen, the godmother of the number one child, strolled happily through the West Market of the capital, holding one child in each hand.

"Godmother, candied hawthorns!" Ping An pointed to the glistening candied hawthorns.

"Godmother, the kite!" Xingfu exclaimed, watching the butterfly kite fluttering in the sky.

"Buy! Buy them all!"

Li Shuchen, full of generosity, instantly transformed into a generous spender, "But let's make it clear first, each person can only eat one candied hawthorn. Take the rest back for your mothers to try. As for kites... I'm good at climbing trees, but flying kites might be a bit risky. I'll go find your godmother Yuying later!"

As they were talking and laughing, they suddenly heard a piercing bark from a dog and a man's cursing coming from the alley next door.

"Awooo—! Woof! Awooo..."

"You damn dog! Eat my cornbread! I'll beat you to death!"

The two children were startled and grabbed Li Shuchen's hand tightly.

Li Shuchen frowned and led them quickly over.

In the corner of the alley, a butcher with a fierce face was beating a small, yellow mongrel dog with a wooden stick.

The dog cowered in the corner, too weak to run away, only able to let out a weak whimper. Several patches of its fur were missing, and blood seeped from them.

"Stop!" Li Shuchen shouted sternly.

The butcher turned around and saw a well-dressed young woman with two children. He paused for a moment, then said impatiently.

"What's it to you? This wretched dog is stealing the grain from my shop!"

"It's wrong for it to steal, but beating it to death like this is going too far!"

Seeing the dog's near-death state, Li Shuchen's anger flared.

"My dog, I can beat it if I want! Even if I kill it and eat it, it's none of your business!" the butcher said, waving his stick.

Happiness hid behind Li Shuchen and whispered, "Shuchen's mother, the dog is so pitiful... Is it in a lot of pain?"

Ping An puffed out her cheeks and glared at the butcher: "Bad uncle! You hit the dog!"

A middle-aged man watching the commotion chimed in, "What does a little kid know? An animal is an animal. It's only natural that it gets beaten for stealing food. We humans are the most intelligent of all beings, the boss!"

Li Shuchen took a deep breath, too lazy to waste any more words with the butcher, and simply took out a silver ingot from his purse and threw it over.

"I'll buy the dog! This money is enough for you to buy ten baskets of steamed buns!"

The butcher's eyes lit up when he saw the silver. His expression immediately changed; he picked up the silver, weighed it in his hand, and chuckled.

"You should have said so earlier! This dog... it's yours!" he said, throwing down the stick and leaving.

Li Shuchen cautiously approached the yellow dog.

It watched her warily, but was too weak to resist or escape.

Li Shuchen took off his outer garment, gently wrapped it around the animal, and carefully picked it up.

"Peace, happiness, stay close to your godmother, we need to hurry and find Doctor Sun."

The two children nodded vigorously, their little faces serious, and followed Li Shuchen closely, running all the way to Qingde Medical Clinic.

Dr. Sun carefully examined the dog's injuries, cleaned them, applied medicine, and bandaged them.

"He has quite a few superficial injuries, but his bones are mostly fine. He was mainly starving and frightened. With some rest, he'll be lively and energetic again."

Watching Dr. Sun feed the dog some rice porridge and medicine, and the dog slowly close its eyes and fall asleep, Ping An and Xing Fu finally breathed a sigh of relief.