Sweet Rebirth: The Little Healer

After getting in the car, Zhao Nuanyue sat in the back instead of the front passenger seat.

Hua Yulin was silent for the entire drive. He only stopped the car when they were near Master Hu’s courtyard.

”Thank you, Yu Lin!” Zhao Nuanyue said with a smile. ”Oh, right, I haven’t wished you a Happy New Year yet.”

”You too,” Hua Yulin replied with a smile. He watched Zhao Nuanyue go into Master Hu’s house, then drove away.

When he got to the hospital, Hua Yulin didn’t go straight up. Instead, he took out a cigarette. As he smoked, he found himself envying his older brother. His brother had been bright and clever since he was a child, outshining his peers and repeatedly earning merits for his service. Even in an unfortunate coma, he had brought glory to the Hua family, ensuring its unshakable standing.

Even more fortunately, there was a woman who was willing to be with his brother, even if he never woke up.

’His brother was unfortunate, but also fortunate.’

After finishing his cigarette, Hua Yulin’s mind cleared. Shaking off the distracting thoughts, he went to the hospital room to stay with his brother.

Hua Yufen was already there, trying to talk to their brother about things at home. With Hua Yulin joining in, their conversation became more animated.

After eating at Master Hu’s house, Zhao Nuanyue took her younger brother and sister to their home on the shores of Qingya Lake.

Zhao Nuanyue and Zhao Nuan Yang knelt on the floor. On the table before them sat a picture frame. Inside it was a handsome man with a righteous air, a gentle smile on his face.

It was Zhao Xu!

Their birth father.

The man who had given them life, but had not been there to watch them grow up.

But Zhao Nuanyue didn’t blame her father, Zhao Xu, for this. He had acted out of duty, for a mission that was his responsibility.

”Dad, Nuan Yang and I are doing well. We’ve also adopted a little sister, Little Red Carp, so you don’t have to worry about us,” Zhao Nuanyue said softly. ”We couldn’t do this before, but now we’re back in our own home to pay our respects to you.”

When she finished, she kowtowed to the photograph.

Zhao Nuan Yang kowtowed as well, saying, ”Dad, we’re doing great. You don’t need to worry.”

Seeing her big brother and sister kowtow, Little Red Carp followed suit. ”Dad, I’m your little daughter, Little Red Carp. The three of us are very happy, so you don’t have to worry. We burned a lot of money for you yesterday, so you should hurry up and find a good family to be reborn into.”

Hearing this, both Zhao Nuanyue and Zhao Nuan Yang were dumbfounded.

’This Little Red Carp... she’ll say anything!’

”What’s wrong?” Little Red Carp asked, puzzled. She thought she must have said something wrong. ”Sister, Brother, did I say the wrong thing?”

Zhao Nuanyue hugged Little Red Carp and said softly, ”You didn’t say anything wrong, Little Red Carp. We’re doing just fine, so Dad doesn’t have to worry. And it would be good for him to start a new life.”

”Mhm, I chanted the rebirth mantra yesterday when we were burning joss paper,” Little Red Carp said earnestly. ”Maybe... maybe it’ll help. I’m not really sure.”

”It’s the thought that counts, Little Red Carp,” Zhao Nuan Yang said with a smile. ”Come on, get up. The floor is cold, you don’t need to keep kneeling.”

After the three of them got up, they took out a Chinese Chess set and played a few games.

When they saw the sky outside beginning to darken, the three siblings headed back to Immortal Grass Hall.

That evening, Sun Haoran told Zhao Nuanyue, ”Nuanyue, you, Nuan Yang, and Little Red Carp should get ready tomorrow. You’re coming with me to pay a New Year’s visit to the Gu Family. They actually wanted to see you before the New Year, but they were too busy and never found the time. They asked me to tell you, so please don’t be upset.”

”The Gu Family is concerned with matters of great importance and manages countless affairs; of course they’re busy. We understand,” Zhao Nuanyue said with a smile. She could accept that without any issue.

Gu Qingyu had once fallen on hard times, but he was safe now and held a position of great power and influence. Zhao Nuanyue understood the situation, so she had no complaints.

”Haha, yes, the Gu Family is certainly busy. Though he is physically weak, it doesn’t affect his work,” Sun Haoran said. ’In his heart, however, he knew better than anyone that there was nothing wrong with Gu Qingyu’s health at all; it was just a ploy to make the Li family let down their guard.’

However, Gu Qingyu had been back in Jincheng City for a year now. All told, it had been over a year and three months since Wang Yuan had poisoned him. Not only had Gu Qingyu not died, he seemed to be getting more vigorous by the day. This was bound to arouse the Li family’s suspicion. Once they discovered the truth—or perhaps before they could even wait to discover it—they would make a move on Gu Qingyu again. It was likely to be another bloodbath.

Zhao Nuanyue went back to get the clothes ready for Little Red Carp and Zhao Nuan Yang to wear the next day.

’This time, we can’t possibly go empty-handed! I have plenty of valuables in my space, but I can’t just pull them out. The source would be too difficult to explain. Besides, Gu Qingyu isn’t just a respected elder; he’s a national leader. He would never accept an expensive gift.’

”Nuan Yang, Little Red Carp, what do you think we should bring to the Gu Family tomorrow to show our appreciation?” Zhao Nuanyue asked. It was a difficult decision, so she decided to see what her brother and Little Red Carp thought.

Little Red Carp tilted her head in thought. ”Didn’t we find a lot of things in that cave last time? There are tons of good things in there. We could just find something exquisite and valuable to give them. That would show how much we care.”

”But how would we explain where such a valuable item came from?” Zhao Nuanyue asked. ”Besides, I don’t think he would accept an expensive gift from us.”

”Uhm... then... could you make some pastries?” Little Red Carp suggested. ”I remember Grandpa Gu likes the ones with red bean filling. I remember one time when he was eating one, he recited a poem: ’Red beans grow in the Southern Country, / In spring they sprout on many a branch. / I pray you gather them in plenty, / For they are the truest tokens of longing.’ I don’t get it. How does eating a red bean pastry turn into longing?”

’It’s a little complicated,’ she thought. ’Hard to explain to Little Red Carp.’

”Haha, Little Red Carp, Grandpa Gu was just using the pastry to reminisce about someone. Also, the red beans we eat and the ’red beans’ in the poem are two completely different things,” Zhao Nuan Yang explained, taking the chance to clear things up so Little Red Carp wouldn’t get it wrong and embarrass herself later. ”You can just listen to the poem, but don’t get the two kinds of red beans mixed up.”

”Huh?” Little Red Carp scratched her head. ”There are two kinds of red beans? That’s so complicated.”

”Pastries are a great idea, but we don’t have enough time to make them,” Zhao Nuanyue said with a frown. ’Actually, even if I had time, I wouldn’t want to. After all, Gu Qingyu isn’t the same man he was back in Nianqiao Village. Everything he eats now is carefully selected and inspected.’

If she just brought in homemade food, his staff probably wouldn’t let him eat it anyway.

”I’ve got it!” Zhao Nuan Yang’s eyes suddenly lit up. ”Sister, we can’t give him food, and we can’t give him anything expensive, but we can give him one of my paintings! I’m just a minor artist right now, so my paintings aren’t worth much money, but I put my whole heart into them. What do you think, Sister?”

Hearing her brother’s suggestion, Zhao Nuanyue felt a sense of sudden clarity.