Let's Go and Have a Feast

As the words fell, the room fell silent.

Zhouzhou cautiously observed their expressions and thought about how Senior martial uncle Mingtong charged two yuan for a fortune-telling, while she charged five yuan for a medicine that cost her nothing. It seemed a bit excessive, especially since Grandma had treated her to so many delicious dishes. It was unfair for her to charge that much.

Thinking this, she held up her plump hand and retracted three fingers, leaving only her index finger and middle finger forming the shape of "two" near her ear. Softly, she said, "Grandma, if you think it's expensive, just give me two yuan."

She even scratched her head with embarrassment, looking like a cunning merchant.

Mingtong facepalmed, speechless.

Expensive? Two yuan wouldn't even buy cabbage!

The little girl was so ignorant.

He clearly said five million yuan!

Looking at their attire, even the watch on their wrists was worth more than that.

Five yuan? It's unbelievable that she came up with that!

Mingtong was frustrated and couldn't help but roll his eyes.

Madam Qin glanced at him and took out a card with a smile. She handed it to Zhouzhou. "This one is for you, as thanks for saving my life."

What's this?

Zhouzhou held the black card in her hand, curiously examining it. It had a golden border around it, giving it a powerful appearance.

She didn't recognize it, but Mingtong immediately recognized it—it was a limited-edition black card!

Even though it was a supplementary card, it was more than enough to buy planes and cruises.

She had stumbled upon a gold mine!

Zhouzhou was young and had just come down from the mountain. Being young and inexperienced, she couldn't figure out the significance of the card even after studying it for a while. She remembered that the money given by the worshippers who came to Sanqing Temple didn't look like this. So she returned the card, saying, "Grandma, please exchange it for steamed buns for me."

Upon hearing this, Mingtong choked, almost fainting. Before Madam Qin could say anything, he quickly snatched the card back with a smile and said, "When it comes to saving a life, it's a big deal. It definitely needs proper repayment. Otherwise, if the karmic debts cannot be resolved, it won't be good for this benefactor."

That also made sense.

Zhouzhou tilted her head and thought for a moment. "Then, thank you, Grandma."

Although she still wanted steamed buns more.

A child's thoughts were shallow, and whatever she was thinking would immediately show on her face. Madam Qin couldn't help but hold back her laughter, her eyes filled with love as she looked at Zhouzhou.

If only she were her granddaughter, that would be wonderful. The little girl was truly adorable.

The more she looked at her, the more she liked her. She couldn't get enough and couldn't help but keep talking to her.

Zhouzhou was quick to respond to any questions and had a clever tongue despite her young age. Her ability to express herself was excellent, and her voice was soft and sweet, which made Madam Qin like her even more.

Taking advantage of their conversation, Mingtong quietly slipped out and found the nearest ATM to check the balance on the card. He was planning to deceive the little girl into buying a multi-story mansion when he saw the number displayed.

His hand, which had reached out to count the digits, suddenly froze, and the smile on his lips completely disappeared. He widened his eyes in disbelief, staring at the "2" displayed in the balance column, utterly dumbfounded.

How was that possible!

He reluctantly took out the card, examined it left and right, and confirmed that it was indeed the limited-edition black card. The anti-counterfeiting marks on the back were all clear, exactly the same as the genuine one. There was no possibility of a mistake.

But what was up with the balance?

A limited-edition black card with only two yuan inside? Was there something wrong?

With these thoughts, his face darkened as well.

In the private room, a dazzling golden light flashed, catching Zhouzhou's attention. She suddenly turned her head to look in a certain direction.

"What's wrong?" Madam Qin noticed her movement and curiously asked.

Zhouzhou didn't answer. She swiftly jumped off her chair and ran to the corner, opening the bundle placed there and taking out the statue of Ancestral Master statue.

To her surprise, one of the statue's fingers, which had been covered in dust, had turned golden!

It was shining and almost dazzled her eyes.

Zhouzhou rubbed her eyes and looked at this scene in disbelief.

Yes, it was this color!

Exactly the same as Ancestral Master statue she had seen initially!

But back then, the entire figure was shining with golden light, and now only one finger was golden.

But wasn't it just gray a moment ago? How did it suddenly change like this?

Zhouzhou tilted her head, showing confusion in her eyes.

Coincidentally, Mingtong walked in with a drooping head at that moment. When he saw the statue of Ancestral Master statue in her hand, his brows furrowed suddenly, and he remembered something, his face changing drastically.

He quickly walked up, lifted Zhouzhou in his arms, and hurriedly carried her outside to a corner. Only then did he put her down and looked at Ancestral Master statue in her arms, shocked. "How did Ancestral Master statue turn into this?"

This miniature statue represented Ancestral Master statue of their Sanqing Temple. The golden light on it was not made of real gold but transformed from the offerings and merits of the worshippers.

He knew that the number of worshippers had decreased in the past year, but it shouldn't have deteriorated to this extent.

"I don't know either," Zhouzhou was even more clueless than him. She blinked her eyes, looking at him with a puzzled expression. "When we descended the mountain, Ancestral Master statue was still covered in dirt. I don't know why, but suddenly his finger turned golden."

Speaking, she became somewhat excited. "Senior Martial Uncle Mingtong, could it be that Ancestral Master statue can transform? Will he become that golden, radiant Ancestral Master statue in the future?"

She liked that kind of Ancestral Master statue!

It looked prosperous!

No, that's not right.

However, Mingtong furrowed his brow deeply. Ancestral Master statue did not have the ability to transform, and he didn't know where the golden light on him had gone. But from what she said, it was completely gray before, and just now the finger turned golden.

Wait, just now?

A flash of realization crossed his mind. He lowered his head and looked at the black card in his hand, then glanced at the soft and gentle girl. A thought suddenly ignited in his heart, and he exclaimed in shock, "What curse do you suffer from?"

"Lack of money," Zhouzhou spoke up with a clear and crisp voice, mixed with a childish tone. However, it struck Mingtong's head like a thunderbolt. His fingertips trembled, and he kept muttering "No wonder."

No wonder the golden light on Ancestral Master statue disappeared.

No wonder the temple declined this year.

No wonder Li Yuanming wanted to send her down the mountain.

All of this, clearly, was because of this little girl!

She turned out to be cursed with a lack of money!

With her around, anyone who wanted to be a worshipper on the mountain was out of luck!

But evidently, Zhouzhou had exceptional metaphysical talents, arguably the best he had ever seen. However, in contrast, her curse of poverty was particularly severe.

It even affected the people close to her, making it impossible for them to hold on to money.

The money in the black card was not because the Qin family was stingy, only depositing two yuan. Instead, it was because they gave it to Zhouzhou, and the money was transferred to Ancestral Master statue as offerings!

Mingtong felt like crying but had no tears. He never expected it to be like this.

This wasn't a wealth-attracting deity; it was clearly a money-shredding machine!

He couldn't dare to keep her any longer.

"Well, Zhouzhou, you see, you're already four years old, and you can be self-reliant now. You can even beg for food. Your future life will definitely be fine. So how about we part ways here and live our own lives?"

Zhouzhou looked at him but remained silent. Her little mouth pouted, remembering the delighted expression of the Taoist Abbot when he sent her away and the resolute look on Li Yuanming's face when he drove her down the mountain. Suddenly, her heart ached. She opened her mouth and burst into tears.

"Senior Martial Uncle Mingtong, don't you want me anymore?"

"I knew it, all of you despise me."

"The Taoist Abbot doesn't want me, Master Yuanming doesn't want me, and now even Senior Martial Uncle Mingtong doesn't want me anymore."

"Don't worry, I won't drag you down." As she spoke, she wiped her eyes with one hand and hugged Ancestral Master statue with the other, crying heart-wrenchingly. "I'll go beg for food and be a beggar!"

Madam Qin arrived and witnessed this scene. The little girl was crying miserably, recounting her experiences of being abandoned repeatedly, which tugged at Madam Qin's heartstrings.

Without thinking, she blurted out, "If they don't want you, I want you!"