Spoiled by Eight Uncles (Lily)

Lilly felt heavy after hearing it. It's so bitter.

She lived in a peaceful era now, and she could not imagine how the people survived back then. The weakling spirit sighed, “No wonder you mentioned that the sweet was bitter; maybe the next one will taste differently.” He shared another sweet with the passionate spirit. He ate it and commented, “It's still bitter.” Lilly soon understood that the sufferings and bitterness of his life were rooted in his soul. The bitterness of losing his kids, of finding his wife, of being loyal... “I'll help you with the search.” Lilly whispered, “But | can’t guarantee you anything.” Eighty years had passed; Linda might be completely gone or reincarnated. The passionate spirit shook his head and said, “I couldn't find her. I've searched every inch for her.” He had been to every mountain and city before. She said, “I'll give it a try!” Then she talked to the air. “Master!” So, I'm only useful at times like this. Pablo thought to himself. He took the booklet out and gave it to her. “You can look for it yourself!” Huh, why isn’t the master helping me to look? She asked the passionate spirit for Linda’s birth date and time, and she flipped through the booklet. The booklet was shining on her hands, and it seemed like its energy was swallowing everything. Lilly was going through it with a straight face, and Pablo was a little bit taken aback looking at her. “I found it.” Pablo was stunned at her abilities. She pointed to the booklet and said, “Linda Nguyen, she was born on June 7, 1916, and she’s from...” The passionate spirit hurriedly said, “Yeah! Yes!” And she continued to say, “She died on November 3, 1969, in Arkville.” The passionate spirit froze on the spot. They were from the Mint Ville, and Ark Ville was right next to it. And he was dead on the same day as her; it meant that both of them were only miles away when they were dying. If he were not obsessed with staying by the rock in the Mint Ville, he might still be able to find her. He cried out pitifully. Lilly sighed. “The soul reapers brought her away, and she reincarnated soon after. | can’t tell you which world she’s in now.” The passionate spirit was still stuck in this life, while Linda was already in the next. They could never meet in different lifetimes; it would mess up the world. He cried and asked, “Is she okay?” Lilly looked at the booklet and said, “She’s doing great; she’s healthy, and she has a wholesome family now.” The passionate spirit was silent for a long time. Lilly was falling asleep after waiting so long, and he suddenly muttered, “T... This is great, as long as she’s doing good.” The passionate spirit ate the other half of the sweet, and he finally tasted some sweetness. He smiled and evaporated into the thin air. Grace raised her hand and looked at the tear on her fingertip. So, being extremely loyal is bittersweet.

Blake had been driving for the entire night, and he pulled over at the side of the road. The day was getting brighter, and everyone was in a deep sleep. Bettany woke up first. She came over and asked in a lower voice, “Is Lilly awake now?” Blake yawned and answered, “Not yet.” Bettany said, “You should get some rest! You've been driving for a long time.” They wanted to hire a driver, but Blake trusted himself more, so he insisted on driving by himself; it was late at night, and he did not want to entrust his daughter to others. Anthony walked up to them and said, “The cremation is ongoing now, and then they will be sent back to the village!” Blake nodded and drove to the funeral parlor.

Josh and the others were shocked when they woke up and found that they were in the funeral parlor. “Is that grandpa gone?” Josh asked. Lilly nodded and answered, “Yes, he’s gone with Granny Brenda.” Zachary asked, “Did you catch the passionate spirit?” She shook her head. Josh asked, “Why didn’t you catch it?” Lilly said, “He entered the jar of souls, so | didn’t have to catch it.” Josh said, “This... he’s the easiest to deal with by far?” Lilly nodded. There were a lot of procedures, including the cremation process. Lilly lay against the car window, and she quietly stared at the crematorium. There were a lot of people and ghosts passing by. Some were mourning; some looked numbed; some were saying their last goodbye; and some were staring into the sky.

“Granny, what is ‘like’?” Lilly asked. Bettany answered, “It's like how | like you and how you like us.” Lilly shook her head and said, “I'm talking about the ‘like’ between boys and girls. Just like how grandpa likes you; how aunty likes uncle; and...” Bettany was stunned. The children would have a lot of curious questions, and sometimes it would be hard to give them the answers.

Bettany did not expect Lilly to ask such a question at this young age. She thought for a while, and she gave her a formal answer.

“Liking someone is loving someone, and it's a pleasant and happy feeling. It includes admiring, loving, idolizing, etc.It's an emotion that will change over time.” | feel like Granny is bluffing!