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Leaving Nuoding City's bustling main street, Ning Dazhuang pushed the empty flatcart, his steps far lighter than when they had come, as though even the wheels had stopped creaking.

From time to time, he subconsciously raised a hand to press the hard, heavy spot against his chest, his face filled with a complicated mixture of immense joy and faint unease.

Forty Gold Soul Coins! That was four Purple Soul Coins, an enormous sum he would have needed years of exhausting carpentry work to save!

And now, it had come so easily because of a "stone" his son had casually picked up by the river. The feeling was intensely unreal.

Ning Chuan walked quietly beside his father, wearing the appropriate excitement of a young boy, though his eyes remained clear and calm.

This money was only a drop in the bucket for his future plans, but it was a crucial first step—enough to improve his family's life and provide a preliminary material cover for his later actions.

"Dad." As they passed a butcher shop, Ning Chuan stopped and pointed at several strips of streaky pork hanging there, as well as a rack of fresh pork bones. "Why don't we buy some meat and bones to take home? Mom and Xiao He haven't had meat in a long time."

Normally, Ning Dazhuang would have hesitated for ages, calculating every Copper Soul Coin, and perhaps only buying a small strip of the cheapest fat to render into oil.

But today, he merely glanced over and grandly waved a hand. "Buy it! Get the good stuff!"

He took out his money pouch and counted out several dozen Copper Soul Coins, buying a full three pounds of pork belly and a rack of bones with plenty of meat still on them. The butcher wrapped them in dried lotus leaves, making for a heavy bundle that smelled richly of meat.

Next, Ning Dazhuang took Ning Chuan to a cloth shop. Ignoring Ning Chuan's protests that he had enough clothes, he insisted on buying several feet of sturdy, durable blue cotton cloth and a piece of soft cotton cloth printed with tiny flowers.

"This blue cloth will make two sets of work clothes for you and me, and this floral cloth is for your mother and Xiao He." Ning Dazhuang carefully wrapped up the fabric, a satisfied smile on his face. "The rest of the money... we need to hide it well."

Finally, in an unprecedented move, he stopped at a snack stall and bought a small packet of the cheapest Maltose Candy for Ning Xiaohe, who was waiting eagerly at home for candied hawthorn.

On the way back to the village, Ning Dazhuang became noticeably more talkative. No longer silently pushing the cart, he rambled on to Ning Chuan about plans for the family. "...We can't spend the money carelessly. We have to save it. Maybe someday we can send Xiao He to the city to learn a trade... And we'll need to prepare a bride price for you to get married... Sigh, if only you had Soul Power too..."

By the end, his tone inevitably carried a trace of regret.

Ning Chuan merely listened in silence and nodded occasionally, though his thoughts were on entirely different matters.

As the sun set, father and son returned to Holy Soul Village.

The moment they entered the courtyard, Liu Lan, who was gathering the drying clothes, and Xiao He, who was squatting on the ground playing with pebbles, looked over.

"You're back? Did everything go smoothly?" Liu Lan put down the clothes and came forward. Her gaze habitually swept over the flatcart first, and seeing it was empty, she let out a breath of relief. Then she noticed the huge lotus-leaf bundle in Ning Dazhuang's hand and the fabric Ning Chuan was carrying. She froze. "Th-this... why did you buy so many things? And meat too?"

Ning Xiaohe ran over as well, tilting up her little face and sniffing hard. Her eyes sparkled as she stared at the meat bundle in her father's hand.

A proud smile nearly broke across Ning Dazhuang's face, but he suppressed it and mysteriously lowered his voice. "Let's go inside. We'll talk inside."

The family of four entered the house and shut the door.

Ning Dazhuang first placed the fabric on the bed, then carefully handed the bundle of meat to Liu Lan. Only then did he pull out the heavy money pouch from the innermost pocket against his chest.

At last, he took a deep breath, turned the pouch upside down, and gently tipped it over.

Clink, clatter!

Four coins gleaming with noble purple light, their edges carved with intricate patterns, and a small pile of bright gold Soul Coins rolled across the rough wooden table, giving off a tempting glow beneath the dim oil lamp!

"Ah!" Liu Lan suddenly covered her mouth, her eyes widening in disbelief as she stared at the pile of coins on the table—especially the four Purple Soul Coins she had only heard of in legends!

Ning Xiaohe opened her little mouth wide as well, looking from the money to her father and brother, her small face full of bewildered shock.

"Th-this... where did all this money come from? Dazhuang, you... you didn't do anything..." Liu Lan's voice trembled. Her first reaction was not joy, but fear.

She grabbed her husband's arm, her face turning slightly pale.

There was no way selling furniture could have earned this much money!

"What nonsense are you thinking!" Ning Dazhuang hurriedly explained, unable to suppress the excitement on his face. "It was Xiao Chuan! That black stone he picked up at the riverbank a few days ago! Who would've thought it was really a treasure? At Seven Treasures Pavilion in the city, the old master took one look at it and offered forty Gold Soul Coins!"

He then briefly explained what had happened, emphasizing that his son had found it and that Seven Treasures Pavilion had offered the price on their own.

Only after hearing this did Liu Lan let out a long breath, patting her chest as the lingering fear faded. Then enormous joy surged over her like a tide, reddening her eyes.

She looked at Ning Chuan, her gaze full of comfort and disbelief. "Xiao Chuan... you child, you really... really are lucky..."

As she spoke, she pulled Ning Chuan into her arms and hugged him tightly.

Ning Chuan could feel his mother's body trembling slightly.

Ning Xiaohe came back to her senses as well. With a cheer, she pounced over and hugged her brother's arm. "Big Brother is amazing!"

After the excitement passed, Ning Dazhuang's expression turned serious. He lowered his voice. "No one can tell anybody about this! There are too many loose tongues in the village. If word gets out, who knows what trouble it'll cause. We need to hide the money well!"

Liu Lan immediately nodded, her expression turning solemn too. "Right. We can't make a fuss about it."

After thinking for a moment, she hurried to the corner, moved aside an old earthenware jar, and dug out a small clay pot beneath it. She poured out the several dozen Copper Soul Coins inside, then carefully placed the four Purple Soul Coins and most of the Gold Soul Coins into it. She buried it again and even sprinkled some dust over it to conceal it.

Only a few Gold Soul Coins and the Copper Soul Coins were left in a tattered money pouch for daily expenses.

After hiding the money, Liu Lan looked at the large slab of pork belly and bones on the table, a genuine smile appearing on her face. "Today, we'll indulge ourselves too! Xiao He, help Mom start the fire!"

"Okay!" Ning Xiaohe replied excitedly.

Before long, the long-missed, mouthwatering aroma of rich meat drifted from the humble kitchen.

Liu Lan cut off the fatty portions to render into lard, sprinkled a little salt over the cracklings, and served them to Ning Xiaohe and Ning Chuan as snacks. They were so fragrant and crisp that Ning Xiaohe's eyes narrowed in delight.

The remaining lean meat and bones were stewed with potatoes in a big pot. The broth bubbled away, filling the air with fragrance.

At dinner, the table was more abundant than it had ever been.

There was a large basin of glistening potato stew with meat, soft and flavorful from long simmering; a plate of golden fried eggs; a bowl of milky-white bone soup; and even a small bowl of greens stir-fried by Liu Lan with the newly bought lard.

Ning Dazhuang even, for once, allowed Liu Lan to warm a small pot of the cheapest wheat ale.

"Come on, eat more!" Ning Dazhuang placed a large piece of meat into everyone's bowl, piling especially high portions into Ning Chuan's and Xiao He's bowls.

The family of four sat around the little wooden table beneath the dim yellow lamplight, eating this dinner that was extravagance beyond measure to them.

No one spoke. There was only the sound of chewing and the occasional soft clink of bowls and chopsticks, yet the air was filled with a steady, warm happiness.

Ning Xiaohe ate until her mouth was greasy, her satisfied little face flushed red.

Watching her husband and children devour their food, Liu Lan's eyes and brows brimmed with smiles. Yet she could not bear to eat much herself, constantly putting meat into their bowls.

Ning Dazhuang took a sip of wheat ale. His dark face glowed red as he looked at his family with contentment in his eyes.

Ning Chuan ate quietly, feeling this simple yet real warmth.

The scent of meat and his family's smiles temporarily drove away the sense of danger lurking in the shadows and eased the heavy plans in his heart, plans far beyond his years.

This was what he wanted to protect.

After dinner, Ning Xiaohe hugged the Maltose Candy her brother had bought for her and went to sleep early, completely satisfied.

Under the lamplight, Ning Dazhuang and Liu Lan quietly discussed how to use this "windfall," planning what to buy while worrying about the future.

Ning Chuan returned to his little room and shut the door.

Rather than immediately trying to enter the Garbage Station, he lay on the bed fully clothed, listening to the faint, rhythmic sound of hammering from the Blacksmith Shop at the edge of the village. His heart was calm.

He knew this was only the beginning.

The road ahead was still long, and dangerous...