Soon, Qiqi, Makoto, and Ningguang walked out of the forest and headed towards the village.
As the village entrance grew closer, Qiqi subconsciously lowered his head, his hands constantly fiddling with the hem of his clothes.
He looked a bit nervous and uneasy.
Because Qiqi was afraid that his appearance would once again cause panic among the villagers.
However, things were not as bad as Qiqi had imagined.
On the contrary, the villagers not only did not deliberately avoid Qiqi, but also actively greeted him.
Because everyone already knew about Xiao Qiqi's tragic past.
They also knew that Qiqi would not harm anyone and was a kind-hearted zombie.
So they all tried their best to make Qiqi feel kindness and warmth.
"Qiqi, welcome to our village as a guest!"
"Qiqi, want to play marbles together?"
"Qiqi, you're so cute!"
Looking at the warm and hospitable villagers, Qiqi blinked his big pink eyes and then softly said, "Everyone... is very enthusiastic towards Qiqi..."
"Qiqi... likes it here..."
Qiqi felt his eyes well up.
Completely different from the sadness he felt before, Qiqi's heart was now filled with gratitude.
Because the villagers no longer avoided or feared him.
And they accepted him and were willing to be his friend.
For Qiqi, who feared loneliness and longed for friends, this was truly a joyful thing.
The little girl herself was easily satisfied.
Even a little warmth could make him feel happy.
Qiqi felt very happy now.
At the same time, some villagers who had done wrong also stepped forward.
They scratched their heads and awkwardly said to Qiqi, "Qiqi, we've all heard what the Immortal said about you."
"We misunderstood you before, and we hope you can forgive us."
"Yes, the Immortal told us that Qiqi is a kind zombie, and we feel very guilty. We shouldn't have hurt Qiqi like that before."
One after another, people came forward to apologize to Qiqi.
The innocent and kind Qiqi forgave them all.
"Qiqi... doesn't blame anyone..."
"Qiqi likes it here..."
During this process, although Qiqi didn't know what 'Immortal' meant, he felt it sounded familiar.
And he also knew that the Immortal the villagers referred to was Makoto.
It was Makoto who helped the villagers clear up their misunderstanding of Qiqi.
And made the villagers accept Qiqi.
Because of this, Qiqi looked up at Makoto, and he said word by word, very seriously, "Makoto... thank you..."
"Qiqi... wants to repay Makoto..."
The little girl was innocent.
He felt that since Makoto had helped him, he should repay Makoto.
Looking at such a cute and naive Xiao Qiqi, Makoto couldn't help but smile, rubbed his head, and softly said, "Qiqi, I feel your sincerity."
"However, I don't have anything for Qiqi to do right now."
"So, next time."
Qiqi heard this and nodded obediently: "Okay..."
"When Makoto has something he wants to do... tell Qiqi..."
"Qiqi... will complete it..."
Xiao Qiqi's voice was soft and childish, but his tone was firm.
However, as soon as Qiqi finished speaking, his face visibly turned pale, extremely so.
Because it was currently the time of day when the sun was strongest.
As a zombie, Qiqi needed to live in a cold and dark environment.
When the sun shone on him, it made him feel very uncomfortable.
"Qiqi... uncomfortable..."
Makoto also noticed Qiqi's abnormality, so he immediately said, "Qiqi, your physique is special; you cannot face the sun directly. You need a cool place to rest."
As he spoke, Makoto turned to Ningguang and said, "Ningguang, take Qiqi to rest under a cool big tree. Both of you go rest."
"Ningguang worked hard today, taking me over mountains and through valleys, so you should also go rest."
Ningguang heard this but shook his head and said, "Ningguang can take Qiqi to rest, but Ningguang cannot rest."
"Because Ningguang is not tired, Ningguang can continue to work."
Ningguang's thoughts were very simple.
As Makoto's secretary, if Makoto wasn't resting, how could he rest?
That would be too irresponsible.
"Ningguang will first take Qiqi to rest under the tree, and then come back to supervise everyone."
"Since Brother Makoto has entrusted the task of building new houses to Ningguang, Ningguang does not want to disappoint Brother Makoto."
Yes, building new houses.
Now that the village was to be rebuilt, Makoto also thought of building a house here along the way.
After all, merchants acquiring property is a long-term investment.
Furthermore, from a long-term perspective, Makoto would also travel to Mondstadt, Inazuma, and Sumeru in the future, so it was naturally better to acquire more properties.
The task of building new houses naturally fell on Ningguang's shoulders.
The workers were responsible for building the houses, and Ningguang provided corresponding suggestions from the side.
This was also a way to train Ningguang.
Makoto originally wasn't in a hurry to build new houses.
He didn't expect Ningguang to be so dedicated.
This also touched Makoto a little.
He hadn't doted on the little girl for nothing.
At this moment, Qiqi's weak voice sounded from the side.
"The sun... makes Qiqi uncomfortable,"
"But... Qiqi can endure..."
"Qiqi also wants to help..."