But now, with Fang Xun's arrival,
Ningguang's mother could clearly see that her daughter had become much more cheerful than before.
For that alone, Ningguang's mother was deeply grateful to Fang Xun.
"Mm-hmm! Brother Fang Xun said Ningguang would definitely become an excellent secretary one day."
"Ningguang has to grow up quickly so she can help Mr. Fang shoulder some of his burdens!"
The little girl's face was full of earnestness, and she looked forward to the life awaiting her.
Ningguang's mother gently stroked Little Ningguang's head, her gaze tender. "That's right. Mr. Fang has helped our family so much."
"If we ever get the chance, we'll definitely repay him..."
"Mm-hmm, Ningguang will repay Brother Fang Xun~"
The little girl's voice was so childish, yet so sincere.
Cloud Retainer Delivers a Godsend
After kneeling to offer their thanks, the villagers were all relieved and grateful to have survived the disaster.
Though they were happy, their faces also looked troubled.
Their village had been completely destroyed by the Ancient Rock Dragon Lizard.
Now, the villagers had nowhere to live.
Buying houses in Liyue Harbor was clearly out of the question.
Prices in Liyue were so high that poor people like them could never afford to live there.
And rebuilding their homes wouldn't be easy for the villagers, either.
It would take a great deal of time and effort.
Most importantly, they needed a huge amount of lumber.
Even if they cut down every tree nearby, it still wouldn't be nearly enough to rebuild the whole village.
Without enough lumber, they would have to buy it.
Which brought them back to the original problem:
They had no money.
Thinking of this, the villagers couldn't help sighing in sorrow.
Losing their homes meant they would have to sleep outdoors, and even meeting their most basic needs had become a problem.
Watching all this, Little Ningguang felt awful.
Many families in the village had helped her and her mother before.
The doctor who treated them had refused to charge for his services.
Their neighbors often brought them fresh vegetables so the two of them wouldn't go hungry.
And there were so many others.
Each of them had cared for Ningguang's family in their own quiet way.
Now, seeing everyone homeless and downcast,
Ningguang felt a sadness and disappointment she couldn't put into words.
She really wanted to help them, but there was nothing she could do.
After all, she still owed Fang Xun a lot of money.
She didn't have any Mora to spare.
Fang Xun noticed that the poor little Ningguang was feeling down.
He immediately realized that she was upset about what had happened to the villagers.
He gently patted Ningguang's forehead and said softly, "Little girl, I have a task for you."
"Brother Fang Xun, what task?"
Little Ningguang put her sadness aside and gazed at Fang Xun with wide, curious eyes.
"Your friends here are all homeless. I can put up two million Mora to help them rebuild their homes, but I have one condition."
"They'll have to work for me, and their wages will go toward paying off the cost of repairing their houses."
"As for what work they'll do once they become my employees, you can decide. I'll only look at the results. Do you understand?"
This was a perfect opportunity to make money, and Fang Xun naturally wasn't going to pass it up.
He would pay to rebuild the villagers' homes,
which would trigger his talent, "What Is Scattered Will Return,"
and raise Ningguang's affection for him at the same time.
However he looked at it, it was a deal with nothing to lose.
Besides, Ningguang had an excellent head for business. She'd simply never had the chance to put it to use.
Fang Xun naturally wanted to start cultivating the little girl's business skills.
That way, he could comfortably become a hands-off boss in the future.
Hearing Fang Xun's words, Ningguang's eyes widened in surprise.
"Huh? Brother Fang Xun is willing to pay to rebuild everyone's homes?"
"That's wonderful! I'm sure everyone will be happy to take the job."
"But what kind of work should Ningguang assign them?"
Along with her excitement, the little girl began to worry.
It wouldn't be easy to find work for so many villagers.
Brother Fang Xun had given her a difficult task.
"What's wrong? Is there a problem?" Fang Xun asked with a smile.
"No problem! Ningguang promises to get it done!"
The little girl spoke in a childish voice, but her expression was serious.
Soon,
Ningguang stood in the middle of the crowd and addressed the villagers earnestly. "Uncles and aunties, please quiet down. I have something to tell you on behalf of Brother Fang Xun!"
The little girl was already starting to look like a secretary.
At least when it came to work, she wasn't nervous at all.
As soon as the villagers heard Little Ningguang speak, they fell quiet in unison.
Little Ningguang was always obedient and sensible, and everyone liked her.
Besides, Ningguang had just saved them, and the villagers remembered her kindness.
And since she was speaking on Fang Xun's behalf,
they were even less likely to show disrespect to the adeptus.
Once the crowd had quieted down, Ningguang continued, "Brother Fang Xun said he's willing to put up two million Mora to rebuild our village."
"But there's one condition: everyone has to become Brother Fang Xun's employee, and the wages you earn will go toward paying for the repairs to your homes."
"Would you all be willing to sign this contract?"
The villagers had all been worrying about having nowhere to live.
But when they heard that Fang Xun was willing to pay for the rebuilding, they were overjoyed.
"I don't know what anyone else thinks, but I'm willing!"
"Thank you, adeptus! You're truly a good person. You saved us, and now you're even willing to pay to repair our homes."
"We're willing to work for you too, adeptus!"
Just as expected, nearly all the villagers agreed to sign a contract with Fang Xun.
After all, they didn't even have a place to live right now. Who could worry about the future?
Besides, Fang Xun was kindhearted and powerful.
They were all willing to work for him.
Ningguang's words also reached Cloud Retainer, who was watching from afar.
Cloud Retainer was a little surprised. She hadn't expected Fang Xun to pay to repair the village.
"I never expected Fang Xun to be so charitable. This truly exceeds my expectations."
"There are few merchants in Liyue these days willing to do this much for the people."
"The more I see of this boy Fang Xun, the more I like him."
Soon, Cloud Retainer spread her wings and left.
She flew toward Liyue Harbor,
making a beeline for the place where Ganyu worked.
Hearing a noise outside the window, Ganyu instinctively looked up.
She was very surprised to see Cloud Retainer had arrived.
"M-Master, what brings you here?"
Cloud Retainer gave an arrogant huff, then said, "Ganyu, you're always rushing about, devoting yourself to Liyue."
"And yet you didn't even know that an Ancient Rock Dragon Lizard had appeared near Guili Plains. Do you realize that an entire village nearly lost their lives?"
"W-What?" Ganyu jumped up from her chair, her expression tense.
That Ancient Rock Dragon Lizard was no ordinary monster.
Before you continue