Sweet Rebirth: The Little Healer

This required tremendous courage.

”You know, what you’re doing is very foolish.” After a long moment, Feng Wanru finally said slowly, ”The doctors all say Yu Sen is never going to wake up. You’re still young. You have your whole life ahead of you.”

Hearing this, Zhao Nuanyue smiled, but her eyes glistened with unshed tears. She replied slowly, ”Actually, you aren’t the first person to tell me that. My master said the same thing, and I’ve given it a lot of thought. Aunt Hua, please let me stay and take care of Hua. I’ve already made up my mind. I’m eighteen, and I can take responsibility for my own decisions.”

Faced with such a determined Zhao Nuanyue, Feng Wanru was at a loss for words.

”Sigh... Let’s just wait and see.” Feng Wanru didn’t dare to agree. The more time she spent with Zhao Nuanyue, the more she felt she was a good girl, and the more reluctant she became to let Nuanyue waste her youth.

Zhao Nuanyue didn’t see any annoyance in Feng Wanru’s eyes, but rather admiration, which made her breathe a sigh of relief.

’Rome wasn’t built in a day,’ she thought. She believed that, given time, she could definitely get Feng Wanru to accept her. Then she could be with Hua Yusen.

’Although using such means isn’t exactly honorable, I’m just an ordinary person. If I want to have love, to have the marriage of my dreams, to be with Hua Yusen legitimately, then I have to work for it.’

Some might think Zhao Nuanyue was being too subservient, that she could just ignore Feng Wanru and find a better man. But setting aside the feelings between Zhao Nuanyue and Hua Yusen that spanned a past and present life, even an ordinary woman would face this problem if she wanted to marry a wealthy man.

Perhaps some would say she could just find an ordinary man and live a peaceful life.

However, Zhao Nuanyue understood that her beauty was destined to prevent her from living an ordinary life.

Since she had to face this kind of situation one way or another, she would face it bravely, build up her strength, become powerful enough to protect herself, and fight for her own happiness.

「That afternoon, after lunch, Zhao Nuanyue rode her bicycle to the Immortal Grass Hall.」

Sun Haoran happened to be at the Immortal Grass Hall and arranged for Zhao Nuanyue to learn how to prepare herbs from Tang Kai Xuan. In truth, Tang Kai Xuan was already qualified to see patients on his own, but because their master valued his junior apprentice-sister, he came over to teach her personally.

Fortunately, Zhao Nuanyue had already memorized almost all the medicinal herbs, so when it came to preparing them, she achieved twice the result with half the effort.

When she encountered herbs that had been processed in ways she hadn’t seen before, Zhao Nuanyue would ask Tang Kai Xuan in detail.

Tang Kai Xuan would explain everything to her carefully, and Zhao Nuanyue benefited greatly from his instruction.

When their shift ended at six in the evening, Tang Kai Xuan and Zhao Nuanyue changed their clothes and went straight to the backyard, ready to have dinner with everyone.

Zhao Nuan Yang had also finished work and returned home excitedly.

Seeing her big brother and sister return, Little Red Carp came running from a distance on her short little legs, her face beaming with a sweet smile.

Zhao Nuanyue hugged Little Red Carp for a long moment before they went to the dining room together.

Cao Jingya was there again today, holding onto Madam Sun’s arm and talking to her.

”Big Sis, that Cao Jingya bought me a bag of candy, but I still don’t like her,” Little Red Carp whispered, leaning against her sister.

Zhao Nuanyue raised an eyebrow and asked, ”Why don’t you like her?”

”When she’s in front of Grandma Beauty, she’s all smiles and seems really nice. But when Grandma Sun isn’t around, she gives me this cold look, like she really hates me,” Little Red Carp whispered. ”Anyway, she’s not a good person. And I think Grandma Sun doesn’t treat her very well either. But I can’t figure out why, if Grandma Sun doesn’t like Cao Jingya, she doesn’t just send her away and instead listens to her ramble on while she subtly and overtly tries to find out about the Sun Family’s secret formulas.”

At this thought, Zhao Nuanyue froze. ’Sun Haoran was once betrayed by an apprentice. Could that apprentice be Cao Jingya?’

Then, Zhao Nuanyue recalled that Sun Haoran had been betrayed by an apprentice over a secret formula. Combined with the disdain and disgust in Liu Wenqiang’s tone whenever he mentioned Cao Jingya, it was almost certain to be her.

”Oh, okay. From now on, listen more and talk less,” Zhao Nuanyue instructed. ”It’s best if you act like a little kid who doesn’t understand grown-up talk. That way, you’ll be able to learn a lot of things.”

”Okay, I get it, Big Sis,” Little Red Carp agreed. She was her sister’s little spy, gathering all sorts of information about the Immortal Grass Hall.

When Cao Jingya saw Zhao Nuanyue approach, she said with a laugh, ”I’m so envious of our junior apprentice-sister. She gets to live and eat at Master’s house, and not just her, but her brother and sister too!”

As soon as she said this, Madam Sun’s expression froze, and the smile on her face vanished.

As if she hadn’t detected the provocation in Cao Jingya’s words, Zhao Nuanyue flashed a grin that showed her canine teeth and said, ”That’s right, living and eating at Master’s house is wonderful; everything is provided for us. My brother started his job today, and I’ve started working at the Immortal Grass Hall too. From now on, we’ll give all our wages to Mistress to cover our food expenses.”

Hearing this made Madam Sun even angrier with Cao Jingya.

Setting aside the fact that Zhao Nuanyue was her husband’s new disciple, Zhao Nuanyue and Zhao Nuan Yang were also his saviors. Even if they didn’t pay a cent to live and eat in her home, she would be more than happy to have them.

”Jingya, don’t say things like that again. When you first came to my Immortal Grass Hall to study medicine, didn’t you also eat and live here for free?” Madam Sun said softly. ”I know you mean well, but your words are hurtful. Don’t say such things anymore, or you’ll make me angry.”

Hearing this, Cao Jingya quickly tapped her own mouth and said, ”Look at this mouth of mine, it’s so awful. I was just worried because the family’s finances are tight, so...”

”No matter how difficult things get, we won’t be short on food for the three of them,” Madam Sun said coolly. ”And in the future, don’t bother bringing those few pounds of grain anymore. Keep it for yourself.”

”Mistress, I really meant well,” Cao Jingya said, though she was fuming inside. ’I bring these things so everyone can eat their fill, and this bunch of paupers isn’t even grateful!’

”I know you mean well,” Madam Sun said. ”All right, that’s enough. It’s time for dinner.”

In the dining room, although the meal consisted of radishes and cabbage with a few slices of fatty pork, it was cooked well and tasted good.

Cao Jingya ate a little and then claimed she couldn’t eat anymore.

Sun Haoran and Madam Sun acted as if they hadn’t heard her and continued encouraging everyone to eat.

After dinner, Zhao Nuanyue helped wash the dishes and clean up.

Seeing that everyone was busy with their own tasks, Cao Jingya had no choice but to take her leave. However, since she hadn’t achieved her goal, she would have to come back again.

This made Zhao Nuanyue even more curious about what exactly had happened between Cao Jingya and the Sun Family. So far, it was all just her speculation. Tomorrow, she would ask Liu Wenqiang about it.