Sweet Rebirth: The Little Healer

Zhao Nuanyue said nothing and simply went to make Li Qiong something good to eat.

This mutual care brought Zhao Nuanyue and Li Qiong even closer.

After that, Li Jianjun brought pheasants, wild rabbits, and wild ducks to the Dragon King Temple almost every day. He even hunted a wild boar and sent over more than half of the best cuts he was allotted.

If they were just ordinary friends and he had no other intentions, carrying Li Qiong down the mountain and bringing her some eggs would have been more than enough. But the fact that he was now bringing food here almost every day was certainly intriguing.

People aren’t made of stone. Even though Li Jianjun hadn’t said a word, Li Qiong could sense his kindness and affection.

Even someone as slow on the uptake as Yang Guanghui noticed what was happening. He whispered to Zhao Nuanyue, ”Nuanyue, do you think Li Jianjun has a thing for Li Qiong? He comes every day, and never empty-handed. Even a blind man could see what’s going on.”

”Heh, you’re just now figuring that out?” Zhao Nuanyue rolled her eyes at Yang Guanghui. ”This goes way beyond just ’being on good terms’!”

Yang Guanghui agreed completely, nodding. ”You’re right, it really is. Li Jianjun is a good man. I used to work with him a lot, and he was always coming to ask Old Sir Qian for guidance on his studies. I know him pretty well—he’s much better than the average young man in the village.”

”True, but Li Qiong is from the city and probably still wants to go back. Li Jianjun is here in Nianqiao Village. If they want to be together, it will take a lot of courage,” Zhao Nuanyue said with a sigh. Still, she believed that if they were fated to be and truly had feelings for each other, they would find a way.

It wasn’t for others to meddle in, so it was best to let them figure things out on their own.

Yang Guanghui thought for a moment, then his eyes lit up. ”Nuanyue, it might not be such a big deal, actually. Look how studious Li Jianjun is. Even Old Sir Qian said that his academic level surpasses that of some past university students. And Li Qiong used to get good grades and studies very hard, too. If they can both get into university, then this whole city-versus-country issue won’t be a problem for them anymore.”

Hearing this, Zhao Nuanyue nodded eagerly. ”You’re right! And Yang, you have to keep studying hard. Since you’ve been reviewing consistently all this time, your chances of getting into a university will be much higher than everyone else’s.”

”Yes! That’s how Old Sir Qian encouraged me, too. He said that a lot of people have already let their studies slide and given up on their books. Because they haven’t studied in so long, they’ve forgotten a lot of the material and probably won’t do well if they have to cram,” Yang Guanghui said excitedly. ”This is my chance!”

”Yes, this is our chance,” Zhao Nuanyue said. ”So we have to study hard and never give up.”

”I won’t give up. I definitely won’t,” Yang Guanghui said, clenching his fists in a gesture of self-encouragement.

Meanwhile, at Director Li’s home, Li Guihua looked at her son. ”Jianjun, are you sure you don’t want that university spot? A spot at a university! That’s such a precious opportunity!”

After careful consideration, Li Jianjun shook his head. ”Mom, I don’t want to go to a university like that. It wouldn’t let me play to my strengths in the sciences, so I’d rather wait for the national entrance exam.”

”Sigh,” Li Guihua lamented. ”If you miss this opportunity, it will be very difficult to get another one.”

Li Jianjun shook his head. ”I’m not worried. I’m confident I can get into a university on my own.”

”What good is your confidence?” Li Guihua said with a wry smile. ”It’s such a precious spot. If you don’t want it, it’ll go to Dong Sanshu’s son. He’s also a high school graduate, and Dong Sanshu is very well-liked in the village. If we turn it down, it’ll go to him.”

”Mom, I really don’t want it,” Li Jianjun insisted, trying to reason with her. ”Think about Elder Gu, the man Zhao Nuanyue protected. He’s definitely an important person. My brother is connected to that world too—they’re high-ranking officials who help run the country, so they wouldn’t lie. Zhao Nuanyue didn’t take one of those spots, which shows that the school can’t be very good.”

Hearing her son’s reasoning, Li Guihua stopped trying to persuade him. She sighed and said, ”Well, as long as you don’t regret this later, that’s all that matters. It’s your decision to make. By the way, you’ve been going to the Dragon King Temple recently, and you always bring game with you. Are you going to see Li Qiong?”

When his mother asked so directly, Li Jianjun blushed and lowered his head.

”If it’s not for Li Qiong, are you going to see Zhao Nuanyue?” Li Guihua grew alarmed. Others might not know, but she was aware of the ambiguous, budding romance between Zhao Nuanyue and Hua Yusen. It would be a disaster if her son also fell for Zhao Nuanyue.

It wasn’t that she thought Zhao Nuanyue was a bad person, but she felt her own son wasn’t good enough for her. In the end, it would all come to nothing, leaving him with only heartache.

”N-No... not Zhao Nuanyue.” Seeing his mother’s misunderstanding, Li Jianjun quickly explained, ”L-Li Qiong is injured. She broke a bone, so I went to visit her.”

Li Guihua breathed a sigh of relief, but then she looked at her son with suspicion and a furrowed brow. ”I remember after you carried her back, you took more than thirty of our eggs over to her. That was more than enough for a courtesy visit. Why did you keep going back to give her pheasants and wild rabbits?”

Li Jianjun blushed and lowered his head, unable to meet his mother’s eyes.

Seeing her son look so flustered, Li Guihua understood everything. She chuckled. ”You... you’ve taken a liking to that girl, Li Qiong, haven’t you?”

”N-No...” Li Jianjun denied it profusely. ”It’s just... it’s just...”

”Alright, now. You’re my son. If I saw you acting like this and still couldn’t tell what was on your mind, I wouldn’t be your mother,” Li Guihua said with a laugh. But then she sighed. ”That girl Li Qiong is a good person, a fine young woman. It’s just... she’s from the city, and we’re from the countryside. I’m afraid she might look down on you!”

Li Jianjun’s face fell with disappointment at his mother’s words, but he remained silent.

”However,” Li Guihua said with a smile, ”it’s not an impossible situation. If you really like her, I’ll find a way to help you marry her.” So many people had tried to set her son up, but he hadn’t been interested in a single one. It turned out he had his sights set on Li Qiong all along.

’Her son had good taste!’

”Mom, you can’t pressure Li Qiong,” Li Jianjun quickly interjected, worried his mother might resort to some kind of scheme. ”She’s already in a difficult position, having left her home and family to come all the way out here. If we try to force her into anything, how would that make us any different from people like Wang Dadan and Li Siming?”