Sweet Rebirth: The Little Healer

Zhao Nuanyue was skeptical of what the Little Red Carp said.

”What do you mean by ’recovered’? Is your body healed, or has your Mana returned?” Zhao Nuanyue asked suspiciously. ”You have to tell me the truth. Don’t hide anything. If I find out you’ve kept something from me, I’ll really give you a spanking.”

”Umm...” The Little Red Carp thought for a moment. ”Actually, my body will be fine by this afternoon. It’s just that my Mana needs to be nourished by Dragon Energy. That will probably take ten to fifteen days.”

Hearing the Little Red Carp’s words, Zhao Nuanyue breathed a sigh of relief. Ten to fifteen days wasn’t short, but it wasn’t too long, either. As long as the Little Red Carp could make a full recovery, she wouldn’t worry.

”Alright then. From now on, I’ll bring you here right after I go to the hospital,” Zhao Nuanyue said. ”I won’t go to Immortal Grass Hall this afternoon. I’ll stay here and keep you company.”

The Little Red Carp shook its head and said, ”Sister, you don’t need to stay here for very long. An hour or two around noon will be enough. There’s too much Dragon Energy, and I can’t absorb it all at once. You can’t get fat from a single bite.”

”Haha...” Zhao Nuanyue laughed. ”That’s a pretty good analogy. Very fitting.”

”Of course. I’m a clever Little Red Carp,” it said proudly. ”Alright, Sister, can we go back now? We might even make it back in time for dinner!”

”Okay, I’ll go get a few fish to bring back,” Zhao Nuanyue said. ”I was originally planning to clean this place up and move in, but now that Guo Dongmei has her eyes on us, it’s better to be cautious. We won’t live here anymore.”

”Mhm, I actually think it’s pretty nice over at Grandma Sun’s. There are more people, and it’s lively,” the Little Red Carp said. ”Besides, Grandpa Sun is very formidable, and Guo Dongmei seems to be terrified of him. We should be safe living there.”

”Yes, that’s what I was thinking. Guo Dongmei is the type who won’t rest until she achieves her goal,” Zhao Nuanyue said. ”But her arrogance just reveals her inner panic to me. She’s bluffing. The Guo Family has already accomplished half their objective, and Guo Dongmei has broken off her engagement to Hua Yusen, so what could possibly be making her act this way?”

”Hehe...” The Little Red Carp seemed lost in thought, then its eyes lit up. ”I know! Her engagement to that other man must not be going smoothly!”

The Little Red Carp’s comment reminded Zhao Nuanyue that Hua Yusen had once told her Guo Dongmei had an ambiguous relationship with the Li family’s second son, Li Gongming.

’Logically, Guo Dongmei has already broken her engagement with Hua Yusen. If she were already engaged to someone in the Li family, she should be acting poised and polite, graceful and dignified. She would even choose to remain silent to reduce gossip, not act like a wild animal and insult me.’

’Guo Dongmei’s actions could certainly make me angry, furious even, and provoke me into lashing back with harsh words. But doing so would also damage Guo Dongmei’s own image.’

’After all, the Li family is a major clan, able to contend with the Gu Family, and their requirements for a future daughter-in-law are extremely strict.’

’Guo Dongmei acting this way would inevitably cause the Li family to find fault with her.’

”Little Red Carp, your guess is very likely correct. But our information is incomplete, and there’s a lot I don’t know. That’s why I hope Hua Yusen wakes up. Not only can he protect us, but through his position, I could get access to some resources,” Zhao Nuanyue said. She was completely in the dark; without enough information, she couldn’t make the right judgment.

”No, no way.” Hearing Zhao Nuanyue’s words, Xiao Hong shook its head repeatedly. ”Absolutely not. The Spiritual Power is already being slowly absorbed by Hua Yusen. If you wake him up rashly, he could really be ruined.”

”What?” Zhao Nuanyue was stunned. ”The consequences are that serious? Little Red Carp, you’re not lying to me, are you?”

”Sister!” The Little Red Carp wrinkled its nose. ”How could I lie to you! It’s the truth. If you don’t believe me, I’ll take you to the hospital right now and we can wake Hua Yusen up.”

”No, no, that’s not necessary! I believe you, Little Red Carp.” Zhao Nuanyue waved her hands dismissively. She couldn’t ruin Hua Yusen for life just because of a temporary hardship.

”The most critical thing right now isn’t Guo Dongmei, or even Hua Yusen, but your marriage to him,” the Little Red Carp said, sounding wise beyond its years. ”It doesn’t matter how many resources you have; it’s nothing compared to becoming a daughter-in-law of the Hua family. Even if you can’t use all of their resources, people will have to show you respect out of deference to them. We’ll be able to use their name to keep ourselves safe. What’s more, by then you’ll be Hua Yusen’s official fiancée, and Guo Dongmei will just be the ex who broke off the engagement. The next time you see her, she should be the one avoiding you.”

The Little Red Carp’s analysis was stunningly insightful, each point logical and clear.

Zhao Nuanyue nodded. ”You’re right. At this stage, my marriage to Hua Yusen is the priority. Isn’t this what we’ve been working so hard for all this time?”

”Yes. I’ve noticed Feng Wanru’s attitude toward you has softened lately. She’s clearly starting to approve of you. You just have to maintain your current course, and you’ll get what you want,” the Little Red Carp said. Seeing its sister’s conflicted expression, it continued to coax her, ”Don’t struggle with it, and don’t feel guilty. You might be doing this for your own goals, but you’re also helping Hua Yusen! That’s more than enough to make up for the lies we’ve told.”

”Alright.” Zhao Nuanyue smiled and nodded. She found the Little Red Carp’s ’chicken soup for the soul’ to be quite comforting. ”I still think relationships shouldn’t be complicated by so many other things, but our situation is extremely complex. We can’t untangle everything even if we try. So, we just have to make effective use of every advantage we have to achieve our goal.”

”Exactly. Isn’t this why we’ve been working so hard?” The Little Red Carp took its sister’s hand. ”In these difficult times, we can only rely on ourselves. We have to keep striving.”

”Little Red Carp, that was perfectly said. You’re amazing,” Zhao Nuanyue laughed. ”I’m so incredibly fond of you. Whenever I’m lost and conflicted, you always show me the right answer so I don’t take the wrong turn at a crossroads and waste my life.”

”Haha, that’s because you’re my big sister!” the Little Red Carp laughed. ”We promised we’d be sisters for life. I have to be good to you, and you have to be good to me.”

”Mhm, I will always be good to you, Little Red Carp. If I break this vow, may I be struck down by heaven and earth and never be reincarnated.” Zhao Nuanyue knew how much the Little Red Carp had done for her, so she was willing to make such a terrible, solemn oath in front of it.

Hearing her sister’s words, the Little Red Carp quickly reached out its chubby little hand to cover her mouth. ”Sister, I know your heart, and that’s enough! You don’t have to make these terrible vows. You know that these kinds of oaths... they actually have real power.”