Sweet Rebirth: The Little Healer

Seeing Li Gongming, Zhao Nuanyue cursed inwardly. ’This guy just won’t go away.’ Just a moment ago, Hua Yulin had misunderstood her relationship with Li Gongming. Now, with him blocking their path right in front of Hua Yulin, she had to make things crystal clear. She couldn’t let Li Gongming drive a wedge between her and the Hua family.

Zhao Nuanyue took two steps back, hiding behind Hua Yulin, and whispered, ”He’s that playboy, that scoundrel!”

Hua Yulin frowned, looking at the approaching Li Gongming. ”Li Gongming,” he said, ”you’re being awfully attentive to my big brother’s fiancée. Do you have some kind of ulterior motive?”

Li Gongming was unfazed, and he chuckled. ”Since she’s your big brother’s fiancée, why are you getting so close with your sister-in-law? It’s a real shame your brother is in a vegetative state. Are you planning on taking his place?”

”You!” Hua Yulin was overcome with a surge of anger. ”Li Gongming, don’t you slander people!”

When Zhao Nuanyue saw how a few words from Li Gongming were enough to enrage Hua Yulin, she knew the young man wasn’t skilled with words. He was at a clear disadvantage against Li Gongming’s silver tongue.

If she let Li Gongming continue to provoke him, a fight would likely break out.

Zhao Nuanyue stepped out from behind Hua Yulin, a faint, cold smile on her face. ”Mr. Li, I know you and Hua Yusen have always been rivals, and that you wish he were dead. But you didn’t get your wish. Hua Yusen is still alive, and I believe he will wake up soon. So you’re approaching me, trying to tempt me, all to humiliate Hua Yusen—or maybe to find a chance to finish him off. Let me make this clear for you today: Hua Yusen is my fiancé. Even if I have to stand against the whole world, I will never do anything to cause him shame. So stop following me. If you continue to stalk and harass me, I will report you to the authorities.”

Li Gongming had been enjoying the sight of Hua Yulin fuming, unable to win the war of words. He never expected Zhao Nuanyue to step forward and deliver such a speech.

Although Li Gongming wished Hua Yusen would drop dead on the spot, he could never admit to it.

”Zhao Nuanyue, you’ve successfully managed to anger me.” Li Gongming didn’t even glance at Hua Yulin, instead fixing his icy gaze on Zhao Nuanyue.

With that said, Li Gongming turned and walked away.

Seeing Li Gongming leave, Zhao Nuanyue finally breathed a sigh of relief.

”Don’t be angry. Your anger will only make Li Gongming feel more smug,” Zhao Nuanyue said, trying to soothe him. ”The Li family may be running rampant right now, but I have more faith in Elder Gu. The Li family won’t be a threat for long.”

Hua Yulin was still fuming, but Zhao Nuanyue’s words piqued his curiosity.

”How can you be so certain?” Hua Yulin asked. ”Is it just because you’re one of Elder Gu’s followers, so you blindly trust him?”

”Heh, it’s not just because I’m one of his followers. More importantly, it’s because I believe in the choice of the people,” Zhao Nuanyue said softly, her voice full of hope for the future.

’She had been reborn. While some minor details had changed this time around, the major trends of history remained the same.’

”The choice of the people?” Hua Yulin muttered to himself, following behind Zhao Nuanyue until they reached the car.

Hua Yulin drove Zhao Nuanyue to Immortal Grass Hall. After parking the car, he turned to her, having pondered her words the entire way. ”Sister-in-law, why did you say it’s ’the choice of the people’?”

”It’s simple!” Zhao Nuanyue chuckled. ”When the Li family was in control, you couldn’t raise chickens or any other poultry. Farmers could only work the land. It was too rigid. After the common people handed over their grain quotas, they still couldn’t eat their fill or dress warmly. But after Elder Gu started managing things, people could raise poultry at home. They could also make handicrafts to trade for more money or goods. The standard of living improved; people could eat well and stay warm. Workers and farmers aren’t fools; they know which is the better choice. And the high-level managers? They’re the sharpest of the sharp; they can see it clearly too. If all the employees in an organization are constantly struggling, and the managers above them are struggling right along with them—having to sneak around just to eat something nice, play a few games, or wear better clothes—they naturally won’t be happy in the long run. When you compare the two situations side by side, the difference in quality is obvious.”

Hearing Zhao Nuanyue’s words, Hua Yulin fell into deep thought.

”Maybe you’re right,” Hua Yulin nodded. ”And... thank you.”

”Heh, I should be thanking you for the ride,” Zhao Nuanyue said with a light laugh. ”Drive safely. Don’t go too fast.”

”Okay, I will, Sister-in-law.” Hua Yulin gave a slight nod, started the car, and drove away.

Watching the car disappear, Zhao Nuanyue let out a breath. ’Getting Hua Yulin to finally call her ’Sister-in-law’ and gaining the Hua family’s direct, verbal acknowledgment of her status was a huge achievement for the day.’

When Hua Yulin got home, he found his parents in the living room, reading the newspaper and chatting. He sat down in the chair opposite his mother.

”Why didn’t you come home with us earlier?” Feng Wanru asked. She found it a bit strange. Her son had been so stern before, but now he seemed quite cheerful.

”After you and Dad left, I went back to the hospital. I stood at the door and listened to Zhao Nuanyue reading the newspaper to my brother. I think she’s someone who genuinely cares about him,” Hua Yulin explained. ”After that, I was about to drive her home when we ran into Li Gongming. You know how he is, with that silver tongue of his. I can’t win an argument with him and was about to lose my mind. Just as I was about to lose my temper and beat him up, Zhao Nuanyue stepped forward. She said a lot to defend my brother and the Hua family. I think she’s a woman worthy of being engaged to my brother.”

Hearing this, Feng Wanru’s eyes lit up, and she nodded. ”Heh, so you’ve noticed it too. That’s why your father and I are planning to make a formal marriage proposal to Sun Haoran after the New Year.”

Hua Zhiqiang readily agreed. ”That’s right. The sooner we finalize this, the sooner we can give Zhao Nuanyue official status. After all, she’s been taking care of our son this whole time without any formal standing, and she’s proven herself to be so loyal and devoted. If we keep dragging our feet, we’ll look heartless and ungrateful. Elder Gu thinks very highly of Zhao Nuanyue; he brought her up on his own accord just the other day.”

”She’s a sharp woman. She knows what she wants, and she knows what she can achieve,” Feng Wanru said. ”And another thing—try to avoid Li Gongming from now on. Don’t give him the chance to spout his nonsense and provoke you into losing your composure. That will only bring trouble to our family. The Hua family might not be a match for the Li family right now, but that doesn’t mean it will be that way forever. One day, we will grind the Li family under our heel.”

”Dad, Mom, do you also firmly believe that Elder Gu will win his struggle against the Li family?” Hua Yulin asked, looking at his parents with curiosity. He didn’t have great foresight or a strong grasp of the bigger picture, but he had one good quality: he was willing to listen to others’ opinions. He had just heard from Zhao Nuanyue that the Gu Family would triumph over the Li family, and now, hearing his own parents say the same, he was genuinely surprised.