Sweet Rebirth: The Little Healer

Zhao Nuanyue nodded slightly. Gu Qingyu picked up the bowl and took a sip of the brown sugar water. ”Not bad, this is delicious,” he praised. ”It reminds me of when my wife gave birth to our eldest son. We were at the revolutionary base back then, and the local villagers made her some brown sugar water with egg. She said she couldn’t finish it and gave me the other half of the bowl. Of course, I knew it wasn’t that she was too full—she just couldn’t bear to eat it all herself. I only had one sip before setting it aside to heat up for her again that night.”

All it took was a single bowl of brown sugar water with egg to stir up so many memories for Gu Qingyu.

Upon seeing Gu Qingyu drink the drugged bowl of brown sugar water, Wang Yuan’s heart pounded with excitement. She smiled and said, ”Happy Moon Festival, everyone! Even though we’re far from home, we should still celebrate it properly.”

”Thank you,” Gu Qingyu said. Once he had finished, he handed the bowl back to Wang Yuan.

”Don’t mention it. I think someone’s coming, so I’ll head back now,” Wang Yuan said, taking the bowl from him and starting to leave. ”Nuanyue, you stay and keep the elders company. I’m going to help out in the front.”

”Okay.” Zhao Nuanyue nodded, watching Wang Yuan leave.

She had been watching Wang Yuan the whole time, and so had Little Red Carp. Once they confirmed that what Wang Yuan had put in the bowl was just the plain water from the switch they’d made, she finally felt relieved to let Elder Gu drink the sweet soup.

”Elder Gu, rest assured, there was nothing wrong with that bowl of sweet egg soup,” Zhao Nuanyue whispered. ”I guarantee it!”

”Yes, I trust you and Xiaohua,” Elder Gu smiled. ”It’s the Moon Festival. As the saying goes, ’On festive days, one misses family more than ever.’ I wonder how my loved ones are doing, so far away.”

Yet, his gaze was bleak, filled with a deep, unspoken longing.

The sun slowly set on the horizon, and a bright moon gradually rose.

”’May we all be blessed with longevity, and share the moonlight though a thousand miles apart.’” Old Sir Qian said, looking at the bright moon in the sky. He thought of his grandson and daughter-in-law in the Northeast, and his son who had already passed away.

Old Madam Qian gently held her husband’s hand, her eyes welling with tears as she said, ”At least we still have each other!”

Old Sir Qian turned to his wife and reached out a calloused hand. He nodded and said, ”Yes, I still have you, and you still have me!”

He Qiang was also uncharacteristically subdued. He stared silently at the moon, hoping its light could carry his longing across the miles.

Sun Haoran smiled. ”The fact that we’re all still here is a blessing in itself,” he said. ”Let’s have a proper celebration today. Nuanyue made us some wonderful food yesterday. I’ll go get it from the cellar so we can all eat our fill.”

”That’s right,” He Qiang agreed with a nod. ”A full belly leaves no room for homesickness!”

Zhao Nuanyue felt a stir of emotion as she listened. Looking at the group of elders, she said, ”You all can start getting dinner ready. I’ll bring over some more nice dishes in a little while.”

”Alright. Thanks for going to the trouble,” Gu Qingyu said with a smile. ”Let’s not dwell on anything and just enjoy the festival!”

”It’s no trouble at all, as long as everyone’s happy,” Zhao Nuanyue replied humbly. Then she returned to the front courtyard, where she saw Li Qiong and Wang Yuan cooking. The portions were all very generous. From every dish, Wang Yuan was setting some aside to bring to the elders later.

In particular, the final dish—a sweet soup with glutinous rice balls and a dash of sesame oil—was ladled into two large bowls.

”Wang Yuan, we have two servings of this. Isn’t that too much?” Li Qiong asked, surprised. ”We have so many other dishes today. Smaller portions would have been plenty.”

Wang Yuan laughed. ”Come on, it’s a major festival! It wouldn’t be right for us to be feasting up front while the elders in the back are left wanting. We may not see them much, but they’re our elders. Respecting the old and cherishing the young is a traditional virtue, you know. Besides, it’s just for tonight. No one’s going to come and check on things.”

Wang Yuan’s words were so noble-sounding that if Zhao Nuanyue hadn’t known the truth, she would have believed Wang Yuan was an incredibly kind-hearted girl.

’Perhaps Wang Yuan’s enthusiastic display is just a way to assuage her guilt. Maybe being a little nicer to Gu Qingyu will make her feel better about herself.’

Hearing this, Li Qiong felt she had been a bit petty. She gave an embarrassed laugh. ”Heh, you’re right. I wasn’t as thoughtful as you!”

This was the difference between Li Qiong and Wang Yuan.

Li Qiong didn’t always think things through and was rather direct, but she would never intentionally harm anyone.

”Nuanyue, Li Qiong, hurry and help me carry this over,” Wang Yuan urged. ”After we deliver it, we can eat.”

With that, Wang Yuan picked up the large tureen of sweet glutinous rice ball soup and led the way. Under the cover of the gathering dusk, she emptied the rest of the poison from the porcelain vial into the soup. This delicious sweet soup would surely be consumed by everyone, ensuring her plan was foolproof.

Seeing Wang Yuan’s actions, Zhao Nuanyue could only smile bitterly. ’So I was overthinking things,’ she thought. ’Wang Yuan feels no guilt at all. She must think one dose isn’t enough, so she’s adding a second. And to avoid raising suspicion, she’s poisoning the largest bowl, which everyone in the back will eat. If that poison were real, all of the elders would die.’

’The sweet egg soup earlier was meant only for Elder Gu, not the others. But now, just to ensure her mission succeeds without a single hitch, she’s poisoning everyone. It’s clear that Wang Yuan has completely cast aside her humanity for her own selfish desires.’

Seeing this, any conflicted feelings Zhao Nuanyue had about Wang Yuan vanished completely.

’Maybe completing this mission will get Wang Yuan what she wants from Guo Dongmei—a life in Jincheng City. But she’ll never know that her every move was being watched. She’ll never realize what she’s done wrong, or what she’s truly lost.’

This was all Wang Yuan’s choice, and she alone would have to bear the consequences.

The elders saw Wang Yuan, Li Qiong, and Zhao Nuanyue arriving with more food. Zhao Nuanyue, walking at the very back, gave another nod to Gu Qingyu and Sun Haoran, then gestured with her finger toward the bowl of sweet glutinous rice ball soup in Wang Yuan’s hands.

Gu Qingyu understood the signal and smiled faintly.

After all, the real poison had already been disposed of. There was nothing to fear.

The elders were delighted to see so much delicious food and thanked the women.

After wishing everyone a happy festival, the three women returned to the front courtyard.

Hua Yusen and Yang Guanghui had already moved a table into the main hall of the Dragon King Temple, where they would eat dinner that night.

When Zhao Nuanyue and Little Red Carp saw the toppled Dragon King Statue, they were filled with a mix of complex emotions.

As an adult, it wouldn’t be appropriate for Zhao Nuanyue to make an offering before the Dragon King Statue, but Little Red Carp, who was not yet two, could.

So, Zhao Nuanyue tore a chicken leg off for Little Red Carp and placed it in her bowl. She then added a few pieces of meat and several meatballs. ”Go on, eat,” she said.