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A Chinese man paid for 5,000 bowls of spicy noodles in the southwestern city of Chongqing after a vendor recovered his lost engagement ring, it's reported.

According to the , the man surnamed Wang wanted to surprise his girlfriend with the proposal on their one-year anniversary. He had spent the morning of 13 August making preparations ahead of the engagement, but while having his lunch he moved away from his seat to take a call from his girlfriend, in case she spotted him.

When he returned, he found his bag had gone, containing the three-carat diamond ring worth 300,000 yuan (US $44,900; £35,000). But fortunately a local resident had handed the bag in to the restaurant manager Yue Xiaohua, who later returned it to Mr Wang.

Mr Yue told the Chongqing Morning Post that Mr Wang "unexpectedly" returned to the restaurant the following day. "He asked us how many bowls of spicy noodles we sell in a day, and then gave me 35,000 yuan (US $5,200; £4,000), which is 5,000 bowls, saying 'please invite everyone to eat for free for the day'. "

adds that Mr Wang also gave a "thank you" letter to the shop, confirming that his girlfriend had accepted his engagement. "Chongqing has the woman I love, and so many nice people," the letter read. "I feel very honoured and happy."

Reporting by Kerry Allen

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