Sweet Rebirth: The Little Healer

”Hahaha...” Zhao Nuanyue’s surprise turned to joyous laughter. ”Little Red Carp, you’re amazing! You’re so smart. If it weren’t for you, I would have been doomed this time. I might never have made it back here.”

”Mhm, that’s right.” The Little Red Carp nodded again and again. ”Yes. On one hand, I didn’t want anything to happen to you. On the other, I definitely didn’t want your failure to return to cause a great disaster for Nianqiao Village. Thankfully, Hua Yusen cares about you a great deal, so he went to find you immediately after seeing your tragic state in his dream.”

Hearing the Little Red Carp’s words, Zhao Nuanyue was deeply moved. Her questions were answered. Then she asked softly, ”Little Red Carp, you keep mentioning that a calamity will befall Nianqiao Village. What kind of calamity is it, exactly?”

”I don’t know, I don’t know, I really don’t know...” The Little Red Carp frantically tried to distance itself from the topic. From its denial, Zhao Nuanyue knew it was lying. It definitely knew but was simply unwilling to say.

Zhao Nuanyue gently stroked the Little Red Carp’s tail and offered a faint smile. ”Little Red Carp, you always call me your master, but I’ve never thought of you as my servant. It’s okay if you have secrets you don’t want to share with me; I respect your choice. However, you did say it’s a calamity, and not just for me, but for all of Nianqiao Village. It concerns hundreds of lives. I hope you’ll let me know before it happens. After all, I’m just an ordinary person. If I don’t know in advance, I won’t know how to handle it.”

Hearing its master’s words, the Little Red Carp felt even more guilty. But the Old Dragon King had said it couldn’t tell Zhao Nuanyue just yet.

”I understand, Master. When the time is right, I’ll tell you. You just need to know that I would never harm you,” the Little Red Carp promised. ”Together, we will protect the people of this land and fulfill the Old Dragon King’s last wish.”

”I know. You’re a good fish; you wouldn’t harm me.” Zhao Nuanyue smiled sweetly. ”My current abilities and the life I have now are all thanks to you and the Old Dragon King. I’m deeply grateful to you both, so as long as it doesn’t go against my conscience, I’ll do my best. But you know... I’ve benefited so much from the Dragon Scale and you, and I want my brother to get better, too. If he stays in his current condition, he’ll never be able to live independently. Little Red Carp, is there any way to help my brother slowly become a normal person?”

The Little Red Carp knew of Zhao Nuanyang’s condition. After thinking carefully, it said, ”Nuanyang is different from other people. While I don’t have a direct way to cure him, I can give you some aquatic plants. They can soothe the mind and strengthen the body. Over time, they will be good for him. Combined with your meticulous care, perhaps he can slowly recover.”

”Really? Is there really something that magical?” Zhao Nuanyue was thrilled. If what the Little Red Carp said was true, then Nuanyang could regain his health. He could live a normal life, study, get married, and have children.

Seeing Zhao Nuanyue so excited, the Little Red Carp was exasperated. ”The things that have happened to you are even more magical, and you’ve accepted them, haven’t you? This is nothing strange. There’s no need to be so shocked.”

”Thank you, thank you, Little Red Carp,” Zhao Nuanyue said excitedly. ”From now on, just plant those aquatic plants in the water not far from the Dragon King Temple. I can gather them for cooking or to make tea. Not only can Zhao Nuanyang have them, but I and others can, too. After all, they’re good for the body and have no downsides.”

”Right, right!” the Little Red Carp nodded. ”And it tastes pretty good, the color is nice, and it even has a pleasant name: water celery. You can eat it three seasons out of the year. I’ll get some for you once spring arrives.”

”Okay, that’s wonderful. That way, it won’t attract anyone’s attention,” Zhao Nuanyue said with a smile. ”Meeting you and the Old Dragon King was the greatest fortune of my life. It changed everything.”

”Mhm, okay, that’s enough flattery. I should get back and rest, and you should get some rest, too.” After speaking, the Little Red Carp wagged its tail as if to say goodbye. Seeing Zhao Nuanyue back safe and sound, it could finally relax.

After her chat with the Little Red Carp, Zhao Nuanyue’s heart was at ease. She finally understood why Hua Yusen had arrived just in the nick of time—it was because the Little Red Carp had warned him.

Still, thanks to the Little Red Carp’s warning, Hua Yusen had arrived in time for her to escape disaster and return safely. And while she had suffered through a calamity and Zhao Jinghai had not received the punishment he deserved, it wasn’t a total loss for Zhao Nuanyue. At the very least, she had gotten back the house that belonged to her and her brother.

In the future, a large courtyard home like that, in that location, would be worth a fortune.

Zhao Nuanyue remained wary of Zhao Jinghai, but she wasn’t afraid. With memories from her past life, her Special Ability in this one, and capable people by her side—especially Hua Yusen—she was confident she could surpass Zhao Jinghai and would one day be able to deal with him.

Zhao Nuanyue let her thoughts drift, imagining the life ahead, and slowly fell asleep.

It was the soundest she had slept in a long time. Back in Jincheng City, faced with Wang Lianhua and Zhao Jinghai’s strange behavior, Zhao Nuanyue hadn’t dared to sleep at all. Later, in the hospital, she had protection, but she wasn’t used to it.

Only here did Zhao Nuanyue feel truly secure and safe.

Zhao Nuanyue slept soundly and didn’t wake until seven o’clock the next morning.

Hearing sounds outside, Zhao Nuanyue got up to make breakfast.

When Zhao Nuanyang saw his sister was up, he got up as well to help with the fire.

With Zhao Nuanyue around, breakfast was always a feast. She made a filling of minced radish and pork and wrapped a whole pot of wontons.

After the elders had washed up, they came to the table to find a large bowl of wontons waiting for each of them. The wontons and hot broth were delicious and warming, and they couldn’t have been happier.

”The quality of our meals shoots straight up whenever Xiao Zhao is here. It’s amazing how the same ingredients can taste so different depending on who’s cooking,” He Qiang remarked. ”Before Xiaohua left, he caught a lot of fish for us. They’re all buried in that snowdrift. Let’s have some boiled fish for lunch.”

”Okay, sounds good,” Zhao Nuanyue replied. ”I just checked the cellar downstairs. There’s definitely a lot to eat. We’ll have boiled fish for lunch today, and fish with pickled greens tomorrow!”

”By the way, Xiaohua left a couple of days after you did. He still hasn’t come back, though. No idea where he went,” He Qiang added. ”If he were here, we could have fresh fish. Actually, I think I could probably go get some fish at night, too. As long as I don’t get caught, it should be fine.”