Sweet Rebirth: The Little Healer

When had such a good thing ever happened to a girl from the countryside!

”Shanzi, you better not be lying to us,” Liu Lanhua said with a sigh, ”Otherwise, your sister will only be more disappointed and upset later.” With so much having happened to their family in the last two years, she didn’t dare get her hopes up too high. The bigger the hope, the bigger the disappointment.

Li Shan gave a bitter smile. It was one thing for his sister not to believe him, but even his parents doubted his words. ”Mom, Dad, I’m really not lying to you,” he said. ”This fall, recruiters will come looking for soldiers. One of them is a superior of mine. I’ll just have a word with him then and ask him to look out for our Yingzi.”

”Oh, that’s wonderful!” Li Siming was thrilled to hear his son’s words. ”My son and daughter are both going to the city! The Li family is on the rise! Getting our revenge in the future won’t be so difficult anymore.”

Hearing this, Liu Lanhua clasped her hands together and wept with joy. ”That’s right, the Li family is on the rise! My son and my daughter are both going to the city. We’ll be an honored family.”

Li Shan wanted to tell his parents about his mission, but he was afraid they would let it slip. He decided to observe for a while longer before saying anything.

If he could complete the mission on his own, there would be no need to tell his parents. If he ran into trouble and needed their help, he would tell them then.

Li Ying made her older brother a large bowl of egg noodles.

The reason they had eggs was that the village had allowed families to raise chickens this year. So, even though eggs were precious, they could still have them from time to time.

After Zhao Nuanyue returned home, she felt deeply unsettled. She thought there was something strange about that Li Shan.

”Sis, what are you thinking about? You’ve had a long face ever since you got back,” Little Red Carp asked in her sweet, childish voice, a concerned look on her face.

Although Zhao Nuan Yang, who was beside them, didn’t ask, he was also worried about his sister. He tilted his head to look at her, waiting for her answer.

Zhao Nuanyue smiled, smoothed out Little Red Carp’s slightly messy hair, and then said slowly, ”I just think Li Shan’s arrival is a bit strange.”

”What’s so strange about it? It’s normal for people who work in the city to come home to visit family. We grew up in the work-unit housing compound, don’t you know that?” Zhao Nuan Yang was confused. ”What I think is that Liu Lanhua and Li Siming will definitely tell Li Shan about what’s been happening in the village. Maybe he’ll get angry and come looking for trouble with us.”

”Haha, of course I know about that rule. I just find it strange that Li Shan would come back for a family visit when he hasn’t even been gone for two years,” Zhao Nuanyue said softly. ”Anyway, if you two see him, run somewhere with a lot of people.”

”Okay, got it.” Zhao Nuan Yang nodded. ”Sis, we bought a lot of stuff today. We should hurry up and put it away. Let’s not dawdle.”

Little Red Carp was already hopping over to the two large bundles. She pulled out a large piece of pink, floral-print fabric and said with a grin, ”Sister, you have to make a pretty new dress for Little Red Carp!”

”Okay, Sister will make it for you.” Zhao Nuanyue gave Little Red Carp a kiss. This time, she had bought a lot of fabric in the county town: enough to make two outfits for herself, two for Zhao Nuan Yang, and four for Little Red Carp.

Children ran around all day, so their shoes and clothes wore out especially fast. Plus, most fabric nowadays was cotton, which wasn’t very durable. Making clothes for Little Red Carp throughout the year required a lot of fabric.

Besides, Little Red Carp was now old enough to know what was pretty and what wasn’t. She liked vibrant colors and would rather go without than wear drab, gray clothes. She had even asked Zhao Nuanyue to embroider two red carp playing among lotus leaves on her black cloth shoes.

Zhao Nuanyue began to put things away, sorting and storing everything.

Now that they had the Space Ring, they stored many of their things inside it. That way, they didn’t have to worry about someone suddenly barging in to search their home.

After washing up, Zhao Nuan Yang went into the space to draw. Little Red Carp was tired today, so after she washed up, she went to bed early with her sister.

After Li Shan returned, he took the things he had bought and went around the village visiting the elders, making sure not to miss Miao Dahai.

Faced with Li Shan’s humble and polite demeanor, Miao Dahai didn’t give him a hard time. After all, Li Siming and Liu Lanhua were the ones responsible for those incidents. Li Shan had been away and knew nothing about it.

Li Shan didn’t mention his parents’ affairs in front of Miao Dahai and the others; he was only there to pay a visit. That being the case, Miao Dahai naturally wouldn’t bring it up and look for trouble.

In just a day or two, everyone in Nianqiao Village knew that Li Shan was back.

For several days in a row, Li Shan helped out with chores at home and mingled with the young people in the village, laughing and talking. He acted at ease and was tactful, not at all like an unreasonable person.

Zhao Nuanyue and Little Red Carp secretly kept an eye on Li Shan, but they didn’t notice anything unusual.

’Could I really just be paranoid?’ Zhao Nuanyue muttered to herself, full of doubt. ’No, I have to stay vigilant. I can’t let my guard down. As the saying goes, a dog that bites doesn’t bark.’

There were three of them now—sister and siblings. They were a big target, so no matter where Zhao Nuanyue went, she kept her brother and sister by her side.

Li Shan was also silently observing Zhao Nuanyue, as well as her foolish-looking brother and chubby little sister.

He had originally planned to grab Zhao Nuan Yang and Little Red Carp when they were alone, but Zhao Nuanyue never left their side, giving him no opportunity to act.

About ten days later, Li Shan finally understood that it would be difficult for him to ruin Zhao Nuanyue’s face and kill her all by himself.

So, after careful consideration, Li Shan came clean to his parents. ”Mom, Dad, visiting family is only part of the reason I came home. The other is to do something for my superior. As long as I complete the task he gave me, getting a promotion is practically guaranteed. Plus, he said he’d get my sister a spot at a factory.”

Hearing their son’s words, Li Siming and Liu Lanhua looked at each other. So their son’s return really was unusual.

”Shanzi, what kind of mission do you have to complete? Is it hard? Is it dangerous?” Li Siming asked hurriedly. Since his son was already back, it meant he had already agreed to his superior’s arrangement and couldn’t refuse. ”I knew your return this time was different. I figured there had to be a reason.”

”Son, our family can’t afford to be stirred up in any more trouble,” Liu Lanhua said. ”Sigh... but since your superior has already given you the order, you’ll be in for it if you go back without doing it. What is it, exactly? If you need our help, just say the word. You’re our family’s hope. Who else would we help but you!”

Li Shan was touched by his parents’ words, but at the same time, he felt unfilial. However, when he thought about how he would be entrusted with important duties and promoted after completing this mission, he was willing to risk everything.