Sweet Rebirth: The Little Healer

Such gestures are born from the mutual care between loved ones.

”Thank you, Little Red Carp.” Hua Yusen accepted it and went to slip it into his pocket, unconvinced that the rock was actually a lucky stone.

Zhao Nuanyue knew the Little Red Carp never did anything without a reason. There had to be a purpose for it to come all this way just to give Hua Yusen a black stone.

Still, she trusted that the Little Red Carp would never harm Hua Yusen. She snatched the small stone from his hand, then took the seashell necklace from around his neck. After tying the small stone to it, she placed it back around Hua Yusen’s neck.

”There. You can’t waste the Little Red Carp’s kind gesture. You have to keep this with you at all times,” Zhao Nuanyue instructed. ”I’ll be waiting for you to come back safely.”

Hua Yusen nodded. He patted the Little Red Carp’s head, kissed Zhao Nuanyue on the forehead, and then reluctantly left.

After Hua Yusen was gone, Zhao Nuanyue looked at the Little Red Carp and asked in confusion, ”Little Red Carp, what is that black stone?”

”Hehe, it’s something good, of course!” the Little Red Carp replied with a proud grin. ”It’s an Illusion Stone that I found at the bottom of Qingya Lake. At a critical moment, it can help Big Brother-in-law cause others to hallucinate, making them do all sorts of absurd things they wouldn’t normally dare to but secretly want to.”

”Huh?” Zhao Nuanyue was stunned. ’Something so magical actually exists?’ ”Little Red Carp, how can you be sure it will be used on his enemies?”

”Hehe, that’s the magic of the Illusion Stone,” the Little Red Carp replied. ”I can’t explain it clearly, but I can guarantee you that thing can help Big Brother-in-law. With it and the seashell you gave him, he will definitely be able to complete his mission and return safely.”

”Alright. Thank you, Little Red Carp.” Zhao Nuanyue felt relieved. When it came to things like this, the Little Red Carp was very reliable. Since the little creature either couldn’t explain it or simply didn’t want to, she knew there was no point in asking further.

Back in her room, Zhao Nuanyue couldn’t fall asleep for a long time. She silently prayed for Hua Yusen to return safely. Thankfully, the Little Red Carp’s help allowed her to feel a little more at ease.

「The next day」 Zhao Nuanyue took the Little Red Carp to his preschool class before heading to Immortal Grass Hall.

She learned from Senior Brother Tang that their master had also gone on a business trip with Gu Qingyu.

Zhao Nuanyue was already very familiar with medicinal herbs, so she was now beginning to study pulse-taking under Tang Kai Xuan.

One could say that pulse-taking is the most fundamental skill in traditional Chinese medicine, and also one of the most difficult to master.

Her master had already taught her the basics, and Zhao Nuanyue was familiar with several types of pulses, but she needed more practical experience. So, whenever Tang Kai Xuan saw a patient, he would first take their pulse himself. Then, he would have Zhao Nuanyue do the same and state her diagnosis.

Sometimes Zhao Nuanyue’s assessment was correct, but other times it was off. Tang Kai Xuan would promptly explain where she went wrong. By taking the patient’s pulse again and making a comparison, she was able to commit the various pulse patterns to memory!

Through this tireless process, Zhao Nuanyue made great progress.

Watching the bright, clever Zhao Nuanyue, Tang Kai Xuan finally understood why their master had insisted on accepting her as his disciple—and his very last one, at that.

One day, while Zhao Nuanyue was seeing a patient with Tang Kai Xuan, a beautiful young woman came in, supporting an elderly woman.

”How can I help you?” Zhao Nuanyue asked without looking up, busy organizing the prescriptions on her desk.

”Huh?” The young woman sounded surprised. ”Your voice is very familiar!”

Zhao Nuanyue froze. The woman’s voice was familiar to her, too. She snapped her head up and saw the young woman in the floral dress standing before her. It was Wang Yuan.

’Wow, what a coincidence!’

”Oh, you... you’re Nuanyue?” Wang Yuan exclaimed, her voice filled with excitement and pleasant surprise. ”Wh-when did you get back? Why didn’t you come look for me? I gave you my address!”

Zhao Nuanyue was a bit taken aback by Wang Yuan’s enthusiasm. Knowing the truth of their past, she couldn’t reciprocate that same warmth.

”It’s me, Wang Yuan,” Zhao Nuanyue said with a faint smile. She then glanced at the elderly woman, who looked to be in discomfort. ”I don’t think now is the time to catch up. The lady with you seems quite unwell. Let’s get her looked at first.”

Wang Yuan nodded quickly. ”Oh, look at me. I was so excited to see you, I almost forgot my mother is sick. My mother’s stomach has been bothering her recently. She took some Western medicine, but it didn’t help. I heard the National Doctors at Immortal Grass Hall are excellent, so I brought her here.”

”Mm.” Zhao Nuanyue nodded. Even though Wang Yuan had tried to poison someone in the past, right now, Zhao Nuanyue was a doctor. A healer’s heart should be like a parent’s. She had to push aside her personal feelings and grudges to treat Wang Yuan’s mother. She took her pulse, examined her eyes and the coating on her tongue, and diagnosed her with chronic gastritis.

Tang Kai Xuan then examined Wang Yuan’s mother himself. After asking some detailed questions, he arrived at the same diagnosis as Zhao Nuanyue. He allowed Nuanyue to write the prescription, which he then reviewed. He noted that the dosage for one of the herbs was a bit high; after all, Wang Yuan’s mother was elderly and couldn’t handle the same dosage as a younger person. Otherwise, it was an excellent prescription that took all factors into account.

Tang Kai Xuan rewrote the prescription and said to Wang Yuan, ”Alright, you can go get the medicine filled. After you finish this course of medicine, come back for a follow-up. This is a chronic illness and needs to be managed slowly. It should be completely better in about three months.”

”Thank you, Doctor,” Wang Yuan’s mother said gratefully.

Wang Yuan looked at Zhao Nuanyue and said, ”Nuanyue, you’re working now, so I won’t bother you. I’ll take my mother home first. When you have free time, you must come hang out with me!”

Zhao Nuanyue nodded. ”Okay. You go ahead. I’ll find you when I’m free.”

’For now, this was all she could say to Wang Yuan—maintaining a polite distance without getting too close or starting a conflict.’

After Wang Yuan left, Zhao Nuanyue let out a long sigh of relief, but her mind was elsewhere.

Tang Kai Xuan looked at the time, poured a glass of water, and took a short break. ”Junior Sister,” he asked, ”you seemed a bit annoyed with that woman, Wang Yuan.”

”I wouldn’t say annoyed. We just have some different views,” Zhao Nuanyue said, not telling him the truth. It was a secret concerning Gu Qingyu, after all, and she couldn’t tell anyone—not even her Senior Brother. ”It’s a bit awkward being around her, but she’s... fine, I suppose.”

”I see,” Tang Kai Xuan said with a nod. After their break, he went back to seeing patients.

Only when her shift ended did Zhao Nuanyue have a moment to think. ’Was it really a coincidence that Wang Yuan came to the clinic today?’

’Maybe it was. Maybe I’m overthinking things. After all, her mother really is sick, and it’s quite serious.’