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Xiao Bianbian has been feeling a bit troubled lately; everyone experiences troubles, regardless of age.
Yet this particular trouble is something she can only share with her little bear. However, the little bear isn’t a real person after all; it’s merely her emotional support, which means her troubles remain unresolved.
“Huihui, today when Uncle came, he didn’t ring the wind chime again, even though I clearly made an agreement with him that he would ring the wind chime whenever he arrived.” Bianbian placed the little bear on the sofa, sat cross-legged on the floor mat, and gazed into its dull, lifeless eyes.
If it weren’t for the big apples, mineral water, and other foods left on the table—items Uncle had given before—Bianbian wouldn’t have even realized that Uncle had come.
The first time, Bianbian thought her uncle had simply forgotten. But when he came a second time, he still didn’t ring the wind chime. Just as she began to wonder, the Invisible Uncle appeared again—this time, he did ring the chime.
Thus, Bianbian concluded that most likely, the Invisible Uncle had just forgotten.
However, the next day, the Invisible Uncle quietly returned once more, leaving behind the same food as yesterday, along with some additional delicious treats Bianbian had never tasted before.
Then, amidst the little girl’s growing confusion, the wind chime would ring again the next time he visited. Occasionally, the uncle would give her some beautifully wrapped candies and pastries that tasted wonderful.
After several repetitions, the little girl began to feel troubled. As her frustration grew, a guess suddenly occurred to her.
—The formula that develops brain capacity is something Bianbian drinks every single day; the effects contained within it are constantly influencing her developing mind.
In other words, Bianbian, who was already clever, would become even smarter. Moreover, a child’s intuition is sometimes the best method of identification.
“I think…” Bianbian looked at Huihui, her small face showing a hint of uncertainty and some confusion, “…the uncle who comes each time… seems to be different.”
Huihui watched her quietly, unable to offer any meaningful response.
Bianbian, having reached this conjecture, felt no joy; instead, a hidden fear stirred within her.
Grandpa once said that no one ever treats another person kindly without a reason.
At first, she thought the uncle who couldn’t see wanted to fatten her up just to eat her later, but after receiving all kinds of food from him and his help, she dismissed that suspicion.
If her current guess is true—that each visiting uncle isn’t the same person—then why would they all do the same thing: treat her kindly?
Survival can make a person grow quickly without formal teaching. Even though Lu Yu had always protected Bianbian well before the infection, the dangerous post-apocalyptic world inevitably taught Bianbian many things while staying by his side. When Grandpa was around, the little girl naturally didn’t overthink anything; she could simply live innocently under his powerful protection.
Yet after Lu Yu became infected, she was left all alone, spending dozens of days isolated in her room; inevitably, she matured greatly during that time.
The uncle’s inexplicable kindness toward her stirred fear within her due to its unknown cause—an instinct inherent to every living being.
This was also the reason Bianbian did not directly confront her uncle for clarification.
She felt grateful for his help yet feared that seeking answers might anger him, and she simply did not wish to make her uncle angry.
So the little girl became somewhat troubled.
Not long after, a roar from outside interrupted her thoughts. Bianbian hurried to the window, stepped onto a small stool, and looked down, spotting her grandfather.
Grandfather and Uncle Zhu Yuan had gone out today. Bianbian actually wanted to go with them; having been “cooped up” at home for so long, she too wished to wander outside. With both Grandfather and Uncle Zhu Yuan present, she felt perfectly safe, yet Grandfather’s roar had stopped her.
Obediently, Bianbian had no choice but to stay at home.
Grandpa held a flapping pheasant in his hand; judging by the range of its flapping and the vigor of its wings, it was clearly a living creature—a rare sight in the post-apocalyptic world, especially within the city.
Of course, Bianbian didn’t know all that, but she could recognize that Grandpa was holding a chicken.
Behind Grandpa, a Level 3 zombie lingered nearby, its eyes fixed intently on the flapping pheasant, clearly eager to pounce and sink its teeth into the bird the moment the elderly zombie let his guard down.
Grandpa looked somewhat impatient; upon meeting Bianbian’s little head peeking from above, he tightened his grip, causing the flapping pheasant’s wings to stiffen before its body went limp and hung straight down.
Bianbian didn’t immediately understand Grandpa’s intention. When Grandpa opened his mouth and made a snapping motion, Bianbian watched for a moment before seeming to grasp the meaning: “Grandpa, do you want me to eat it?”
Grandpa stopped his movements, gave an almost imperceptible nod, and emitted a low sound from his throat.
Bianbian was puzzled. After thinking carefully, she concluded that Grandpa must have caught a chicken and brought it back for her to eat. But why hadn’t he returned? Was he calling for her to come down?
Still, such a big chicken—she didn’t know how to cook it. Bianbian looked at her small hands and felt that trying to prepare the chicken the way Grandpa used to make meat dishes for her would be far too difficult.
Downstairs, a zombie let out a roar, as if urging her onward.
“I’m coming down right now.” Well, regardless, Grandpa was calling for her; she ought to go down.
Bianbian hopped off the chair, picked up the teddy bear from the sofa, grabbed the pretty little knife Uncle had given her, and ran downstairs.
An elderly zombie carrying a wild pheasant stood neither too close nor too far away at the entrance of the residential compound, as if he had specifically come there to meet her.
“Grandpa,” Bianbian said, glancing puzzledly at the wild pheasant. Unexpectedly, after roaring to drive the Level 3 zombie a bit farther away, Grandpa started walking forward. He took two steps, then turned around to check; once certain Bianbian was following, he continued leading the way with reassurance.
Bianbian had no choice but to follow Grandpa.
The Level 3 zombie, after being growled at a few times by the elderly zombie, circled around to follow three meters behind Bianbian. Another reason the elderly zombie looked back to check if Bianbian was keeping up was likely to see whether the Level 3 zombie was behaving itself.
Two zombies, one leading and one following, walked with a tiny girl between them. Not only did they not attack the little girl, but they also shielded her protectively in their midst. Had anyone witnessed this scene, they would have been utterly astonished, even finding it unbelievable.
How could zombies possibly refrain from eating humans, let alone protect one?
Following Grandpa as they walked and walked, covering two whole streets, Bianbian’s initial doubts had completely vanished. She gazed excitedly at her surroundings. Ever since Grandpa turned into a monster, the farthest place Bianbian had dared to go was Jinxin Supermarket; she hadn’t ventured anywhere else.
After confirming that neither of the zombies would bite her, Bianbian had wanted to follow them when they went out during the day, but Grandpa had stopped her. She never expected that this time, Grandpa would voluntarily take her out with him.
For Bianbian, who hadn’t left the house in so long, it was like a little bird released from its cage; everything she saw seemed beautiful.
Even though she had walked down this street many times before with Grandpa.
Having lived in Jinxin Community for so long, the grandfather and granddaughter had already explored every corner of the surroundings; Bianbian herself had walked along this street before.
She remembered there was a kindergarten ahead.
Grandpa had told her that in the old days, kindergartens were filled with young children studying together, where teachers taught them to read, draw, sing, and dance, and where they could make friends.
Bianbian listened with great longing.
Since birth, she had stayed by Lu Yu’s side, encountering many humans, but never anyone her own age; the closest she had ever come to a peer was someone ten years old.
In the post-apocalyptic world, the elderly and children are often the least likely to survive.
That was why Lu Yu found Bianbian, a newborn who had been abandoned, in a trash can. This grandfather-grandchild pair, with one too old and the other too young, became a tempting target for others for a long time; after all, they looked easy prey.
Fortunately, Lu Yu is a Class B ability user, which has allowed him to provide Bianbian with a relatively safe and happy childhood in this post-apocalyptic world.
The drawing paper and crayons Bianbian used were found in the kindergarten, along with some pinyin workbooks and picture books. Unfortunately, Lu Yu didn’t know exactly how to teach a child to recognize characters. Before the apocalypse, he wasn’t a teacher but merely a lonely old man; after a few attempts that only earned his granddaughter Bianbian a bewildered look, he gave up on teaching her to read.
Then he decided that once Bianbian grew a bit older and his own ability advanced to Class A, he would take her to live in the base and enroll her in school.
He had heard that the large bases had already established basic educational systems.
After all, no matter how harsh the survival conditions, humanity must continue to propagate, and for that to happen, acquiring knowledge through learning is indispensable.
Alas, he never made it to that stage of his plan.
　　……
Soon, Bianbian spotted that kindergarten.
It was evident that before the apocalypse, this kindergarten had been quite large, equipped with numerous playground facilities. However, after years of devastation, its walls were now covered in dark, mottled stains—the remnants of dried blood.
Five years ago, the apocalypse erupted on an ordinary weekday. People went to work as usual, children attended school as normal. Inside this kindergarten, little ones sat neatly in rows within their classrooms, attentively listening to their teacher’s lesson.
Then, the virus struck suddenly.
One teacher coughed violently, spewing blood before collapsing to the ground; seconds later, she rose again and lunged at those terrified little faces.
　　……
Before Lu Yu became infected, upon discovering this kindergarten, he had taken a liking to its playground facilities, thinking his granddaughter could play here.
For this reason, he had tidied up the kindergarten somewhat; aside from the bloodstains on the walls and some broken tables and chairs, he had managed to clean the place reasonably well.
Then, only after confirming that the surrounding area was safe, would he bring Bianbian over, allowing the little girl to experience some of the playground equipment that children often enjoyed before the apocalypse.
Therefore, Bianbian was very familiar with this kindergarten.
The elderly zombie stopped at the wide-open gate of the kindergarten. He placed the pheasant on the ground, swayed unsteadily in a circle, walked behind Bianbian, and stood alongside the Level 3 zombie.
Bianbian was completely baffled by her grandfather’s actions. She turned to look at him, only to see him raise his finger and point toward the kindergarten.
Was Grandpa telling her to go inside?
To pick up the pheasant from the ground, obedient Bianbian had to free her hands. Yet she held a small knife in one hand and Huihui in the other. After a moment’s thought, the little girl boldly tucked the small knife into her waistband.
Today she wore the tiny camisole Uncle Invisible had given her, paired with elastic-waist shorts that exposed her fair little arms and legs. She looked just like an oversized scoop of creamy ice cream—utterly delicious to behold.
With one hand now free, Bianbian grabbed the pheasant by its neck and lifted it up. Recently, her strength had grown considerably; she could now hoist a several-jin-heavy pheasant with just one hand.
The little girl slowly walked into the kindergarten. Inside lay a courtyard flanked by classrooms on both sides. Bianbian had no idea what Grandpa wanted her to do here.
Just then, she heard a loud clang coming from the third classroom on the right. Caught off guard, the little girl jumped in fright; she was starting to feel scared.
Turning around, she saw Grandpa and Uncle Zhu Yuan had quietly followed her in; they were crouching behind the children’s slide, not far from Bianbian.
With Grandpa and Uncle Zhu Yuan present, the faint fear that had risen in Bianbian vanished. Curious, she carried the pheasant closer to the third classroom.
Inside the classroom, a young man lay collapsed near the podium, tightly wrapped in metal sheets like a silkworm cocoon, unable to move, his mouth also covered by the metal.
Suddenly spotting a small head peeking in from the doorway, the man banged his head against the floor with a thud, making muffled “wu-wu” sounds from his mouth.
Bianbian glanced twice and recognized who this person was.
The villain who hit Grandpa!
Regarding the great battle that day, Bianbian didn’t pay much attention to the appearances of others, but remembered very clearly the two villains who kept hitting Grandpa.
One was a fat villain, and the other was the person standing right before her.
Feng Leijie is already dead; the man here is Luo Yesheng, severely wounded and quietly recuperating in this spot.
Bianbian knows the villain is powerful. If she couldn’t see Uncle helping, Grandpa would be no match for the villain. She watches the villain with vigilance.
The metal piece covering the man’s mouth sprang open like a spring. Regaining freedom of speech, Luo Yesheng stared incredulously at the tender little girl before him: “…You’re the one who stole my chicken?”
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That’s right. Grandpa had snatched the pheasant Luo Yesheng found and made Bianbian carry it over to him with only one purpose in mind—to have Luo Yesheng roast the chicken for Bianbian to eat.
After all, Bianbian herself couldn’t handle preparing a chicken.
Grandpa was just that considerate!