"Haaah…"
Binchotan opened her eyes, rubbing them with her small hands, feeling incredibly peaceful after that sleep.
"Ah!!! Is it already evening?!"
Binchotan looked at the setting sun outside, her face filled with panic as she stood up.
She hadn't gathered wild vegetables today, and the rice at home was almost gone.
She had to hurry to town to find work.
"My adorable little sister, you're awake!"
Just as Binchotan was panicking, a voice that brought her immense peace entered her ears.
"Oni-chan?"
Binchotan followed the voice and saw Zhong Chen holding a cup of tea, looking at her with a gentle smile.
"What's wrong? You slept so long you don't recognize me anymore?"
Hearing Zhong Chen's words, Binchotan quickly waved her small hands and said softly,
"No, it's… I… I…"
"Heh heh, alright, I know what you mean."
Zhong Chen saw Binchotan's anxious expression and quickly waved his hand, signaling that he understood her meaning.
"Hoo…"
Binchotan let out a soft breath, thinking about how Oni-chan had been by her side while she slept.
A strong sense of happiness instantly filled her entire being; she was finally not alone anymore.
"But… Oni-chan, I'm afraid I won't be able to take care of you forever?"
"Ah!!! Wh-why is that? If it's about food, I can earn money to buy rice!"
"Oni-chan, please don't…"
Before Binchotan could finish, Zhong Chen smiled and reached out to pat her small head.
"It's mainly because I think there's someone even more suitable to take care of you?"
Hearing Zhong Chen's words, Binchotan lifted her tear-streaked face, looking at Zhong Chen with confusion.
Just then, a kind voice suddenly came from behind Binchotan.
"Little Charcoal…"
Hearing this voice, Binchotan's small body trembled, and she quickly looked towards the source of the sound.
She saw her deceased grandmother, looking at her with a kind smile.
"Grandma… Grandma!!!"
Binchotan cried out as she excitedly ran towards her grandmother.
After throwing herself into her grandmother's arms, she began to sob loudly and uncontrollably.
"Waaahhh… Grandma… this is wonderful… waaahhh…"
Seeing this, Binchotan's grandmother gently patted the little one's back.
"Little Charcoal, Grandma is back. You won't be alone anymore."
"Waaahhh, Grandma!"
Zhong Chen looked at the beautiful scene of the reunited grandmother and granddaughter, immediately took out his camera, and pressed the shutter.
Click… Zhong Chen looked at the picture in the camera, nodded with satisfaction, then looked at Binchotan, and spoke with feigned disappointment:
"Oh dear, my little sister has a grandmother and has forgotten her big brother."
"Your Oni-chan is crying endlessly inside right now!"
Hearing Zhong Chen's words, Binchotan anxiously left her grandmother's warm embrace and ran to Zhong Chen's side.
She looked up at Zhong Chen with big, teary eyes and said,
"Um… I… I really like Oni-chan too!"
"Hahaha, I was just joking, Little Charcoal! How could you not like me!"
Zhong Chen heard the little one's soft voice, and the disappointment on his face immediately vanished.
"Lord Chen, thank you very much for taking care of Little Charcoal during this time."
Granny Ume (Binchotan's grandmother) bowed earnestly to Zhong Chen.
"Heh heh, this little girl is so cute, I'm very fond of her."
"Besides, a child under ten living alone in the mountains…"
"And still maintaining such an optimistic mindset, it's truly remarkable."
After hearing Zhong Chen's words, Granny Ume walked to Binchotan's side with a pained expression and affectionately stroked her small head.
"Little Charcoal, it must have been very hard living alone all these years…"
"No… I'm happy every day. I have Mama Duck… Big Bird… so many, many friends…"
"And now I have Oni-chan and Grandma, I feel very happy!"
Binchotan counted on her fingers as she recounted all the animal friends she knew.
By the end, her face was full of happy smiles.
"You won't have to work so hard anymore."
"Ms. Ume, shall we go?"
Hearing Zhong Chen's words, Granny Ume immediately nodded.
She had already learned about Zhong Chen's identity and the Monster Country Federation when she was just revived.
As Zhong Chen's mind stirred, a white Dimensional Gate appeared out of thin air before the three of them.
"Little Charcoal, let's go, big brother will take you to your new home!"
"Um… Oni-chan, can I still come back?"
"Of course, you can come back anytime you want!"
Binchotan, having received Zhong Chen's reply, nodded her small head.
Then she scurried to her grandmother's side, and hand in hand, they walked into the Dimensional Gate.
Zhong Chen watched the grandmother and granddaughter enter the Dimensional Gate with satisfaction.
Then he looked back at this world, a meaningful smile on his face, before also walking into the Dimensional Gate.
[System, what a great resource world, don't you think?]
[Host, you're becoming more and more like a big villain!]
[I was never a good person to begin with! (￣^￣)]
[Uh… Host, your frankness is making me a bit unaccustomed…]
[Tch!]
Stepping out of the Dimensional Gate, Zhong Chen immediately saw the grandmother and granddaughter with dumbfounded expressions.
"Welcome to the Monster Country Federation. Follow me, I'll take you to your new home."
"Mhm."
When Binchotan saw Zhong Chen, her uneasy heart suddenly calmed down.
Then the grandmother and granddaughter followed Zhong Chen to a district with a sign that read Commercial Street.
As they went deeper, Zhong Chen led the two to a two-story building facing the street.
"This will be your new home from now on. It has full utilities and a smart assistant. You can ask it anything you don't understand."
"Wow!!! Oni-chan, can I really live here from now on?!"
Binchotan looked at the exquisite two-story building in front of her, asking with an incredulous expression.
"Of course, this is your Oni-chan's property!"
Zhong, the real estate mogul, Chen proudly stood with his hands on his hips, declaring loudly.
That's right, Zhong Chen owned many vacant two-story buildings on Commercial Street.
Typically, these buildings would have a shop on the first floor and living quarters on the second.
However, due to the existence of spatial capsules in the Monster Country Federation,
Unless it was for business, no one would buy such two-story buildings.
Originally, many people wanted to buy the batch of two-story buildings Zhong Chen owned for business.
But at the time, Zhong Chen, who wasn't short on money, thought about waiting for land prices to appreciate.
The result was that once everyone knew he was the big boss of the Monster Country Federation, no one dared to buy them anymore.
This led to Commercial Street, despite being very prosperous, always having a few well-decorated but empty two-story buildings.
"Oni-chan's property, Sugoi! (Amazing!)"
"Alright, no more exclaiming. Let's go, come inside and take a look."
"Also, in a couple of days, you'll be going to the Academy City for school."
Zhong Chen led the grandmother and granddaughter into the two-story building, where the exquisite decor dazzled the eyes of the two who had always been poor.
After the tour, the two placed their luggage on the second floor and came downstairs to see Zhong Chen off.
At the moment of departure, Binchotan suddenly tugged on Zhong Chen's sleeve.
"What's wrong?"
Zhong Chen looked at Binchotan's small figure with a puzzled expression.
"When I grow up, I will definitely repay big brother."
"Although it's big brother's house, I definitely won't live here for free!"
Hearing Binchotan's words, a smile flashed in Zhong Chen's eyes, and he gently patted the little girl's head.
"Alright, then you should grow up quickly!"
"Mhm…"