Qin Yu meets Uncle Wang

Blessed Town laid in the valley surrounded by a range of forest hills, with the highest peak named Blessed Hill, where the Qin's family mansion was built.

Qin Yu and Ling Luo walked side by side in the small patch of the flower garden in the backyard, amidst the forest of pine trees.

"Now I think about it, my family is filthy rich, isn't it?"

"Well, can't argue with that. There's no way an average family can own an entire hill, after all."

"Isn't it?" Qin Yu couldn't help but wonder, "I still can't believe that weirdo grandpa of mine was such a capable businessman." She remembered the old man who always tricked her into calling him "big brother" instead of "Grandpa" and shook her head in exasperation.

"Weirdo? I think Grandpa Qin was really sweet. I remember the reason he bought the hill because Grandma said she really enjoyed her time here when she first visited Blessed Town and he was like "Yosh! Let's buy it!" and then he created a company from scratch, and in just five years, he eventually bought not just a patch of land here but the entire hill," she said with a giggle while her eyes wandered around, enjoying the scenery.

"And Grandma thought that he was only joking. When he actually bought it for her as her dowry, she couldn't help but accept his proposal with a smile adorning her face. Well…. that was what he said though," Qin Yu shrugged her shoulders and replied.

"Hehe… but Grandma never admitted it in the end and only sneered, "Your grandpa is such a fool, it makes me worry that a bad woman will take advantage of him," Ling Luo snorted and crossed her hands in front of her chest, and spoke haughtily, imitating the way the old lady said it in her memory, and then let out a giggle once more, "but I think she was actually really happy inside. Grandma was a tsundere, after all."

"Was she really? Not that I can clearly remember it. After all, I was still five years old at the time."

"I have a better memory than you, little Yu."

"That's only because you're older than me, Big Sis Luo,"

"That's why I am your Big Sis, hehe…"

"You kind of miss the point."

"Hmm… And what's that point you want to make, Little Yu?" Ling Luo's eyes narrowed, looking at Qin Yu with a smile that didn't reach her eyes, sending a chill down Qin Yu's spine, "Care to share with this big sister?"

Qin Yu broke into a cold sweat. It seemed as if she was in the middle of defusing a bomb, and a tiny mistake in choosing the right cable could turn her body into a bloody mess. Well, in this case, it was her choice of words. Eventually, she said fawningly, "Umm… I mean, I'm glad to have a big sister as beautiful as you are, Big Sis Luo."

"Hehe… That's better…" Ling Luo's smile turned back to an angelic smile as she hummed happily.

They continued chatting randomly as they walked toward the forest path that led to the summit of the hill. Just as they were about to leave the garden and enter the forest path, a vigorous voice came from behind.

Qin Yu's heart almost skipped a beat and her body tensed. Although she knew that she would meet the owner of the voice sooner or later, she was still a little bit panicked inside.

She clenched her hand tightly, gathered her courage, and turned her body around. When she did, a man who seemed to be in his 50's with tanned skin and toned muscles — a typical body of an old field worker — and a warm smile adorning his diamond-shaped face, entered her sight.

"Good morning, Little Yu, Little Luo."

"Hey! Morning, Uncle Wang!"

Ling Luo didn't seem to notice the change in Qin Yu and cheerfully greeted the middle-aged man back.

Qin Yu, on the other hand, sighed in relief as she realized that she had completely gotten rid of her instinct as a zombie and didn't seem to have an urge to attack the man in front of her.

Uncle Wang was one of the earliest employees in Qin's mansion who had a specific duty to tend to her grandmother's flower garden. He had been there since Qin Yu's mother was still a child and one of the people his grandfather trusted the most and also his sworn brother.

He, just like her grandfather, seemed loath to be called grandfather by Qin Yu and Ling Luo. But he wasn't as shameless as her grandfather and only asked her to call him "Uncle." So, as far as she remembered, she always called him "Uncle Wang."

Qin Yu smiled back at the man clad in a green gardening suit and said, "Good morning, Uncle Wang. Thanks for your hard work today."

Elder Wang was a little bit surprised by Qin Yu's warm attitude.

"Hehe… little Yu is polite as usual. But something seems different about you today?"

"A-am I? I don't feel any different than usual, though."

"Really?"

Uncle Wang felt that something was a little bit off with Qin Yu's reply, but before he could ask more, Ling Luo, who always kept her eyes on Qin Yu's body gesture, saw that her finger was fidgeting and decided to interrupt and change the topic.

"Uncle Wang, Miaomiao isn't here today? I just make some egg puddings. It's her favorite food, right?"

When he heard the name of her granddaughter being mentioned, he immediately forgot about Qin Yu's unusual behavior and said, with a doting smile on his face, "Ah… Miaomiao is playing with her friend in the town. She said she would be back at lunch. She must be very happy to have your pudding. Thank you, little Luo."

"Hehe… I also want to see her adorable face when she eats the pudding, so you don't need to thank me, Uncle Wang."

"Anyway, Little Luo, you seem more cheerful than usual. Is something good happening to you?"

"Uncle Wang, you won't believe it, but Little Yu said that she would soon move here for good! Of course, I'm happy!"

"R-really??" The old man's body trembled in excitement, and he immediately turned his head toward Qin Yu, "Is that true, little Yu?"

"W-well… It's true."

"Good, good, finally! Zhan and Hua'er would be very happy if they could hear this…"

There was a hint of melancholy in Uncle Wang's voice as he mentioned Qin Yu's parents' name, but it was eclipsed by the joy brought by the good news. He had always considered Qin Yu as his own granddaughter, so when he heard that she would stay permanently in Qin Mansion, he couldn't help but feel excited.

"If there's anything this old Wang can help with, please don't hesitate to ask me, little Yu."

Seeing the happiness in his eyes, Qin Yu felt a warm and fuzzy feeling seeping into her heart.

The fact that she had someone that genuinely cared and was concerned about her, such as Uncle Wang and Ling Luo, made Qin Yu feel blessed and confused at the same time.

What propelled her to make the decision to abandon the people who loved and cared about her in the first place?

'How much of a fool was I in the past?'

She shook her head inwardly and decided to stop dwelling on such thoughts since she now had a chance to change her stupid behavior and embrace the present.

Now, she didn't only want to ensure her survival but also the people around her, and the first step to doing that was to put a certain amount of trust in them and include them in her plan.