Sweet Rebirth: The Little Healer

In this life, she wanted to live respectably. She didn’t want to be someone’s mistress, and she certainly had no desire to be a socialite passed from man to man. She was going to live a clean life, a life with dignity.

With her convictions solidified, Zhao Nuanyue knew even more clearly what to do. As for Hua Yusen, he was a cloud in the sky. She was just a foxtail grass on the ground, able only to look up on sunny days and admire him from afar, never daring to hope she could embrace that white cloud.

She could only hope that after a long wait, the cloud in the sky would condense into raindrops and fall to earth.

Then she, this little blade of grass, might be nourished by a few drops of rain.

That would be more than enough for her. If she wasn’t greedy, she could be content with her lot.

Meanwhile, when Hua Yusen saw Zhao Nuanyue return to the room blushing, he rubbed his face with both hands, knowing he had crossed a line again.

’Sigh... I can barely suppress the yearning in my heart. What am I going to do?’

The other three young people had left, so now only Zhao Nuanyue, Zhao Nuan Yang, and he remained at the Dragon King Temple. And with Zhao Nuan Yang newly equipped with brushes and paper, he was completely absorbed in his drawing, paying little attention to anything else. This meant Hua Yusen had even more time to spend with Zhao Nuanyue every day.

’Constant companionship breeds affection!’

’What you think of by day, you dream of by night!’

’I can’t think about it anymore; it just makes it worse.’ Hua Yusen had no desire to take a cold shower in the middle of winter. That would be pure torture.

Large snowflakes drifted down from the sky. Hua Yusen’s body burned with passion, but his heart was desolate. ’Ah, what a wretched fate I have!’

「The next morning」 The ground outside was a vast expanse of white, covered in a thick layer of snow.

The first thing Zhao Nuan Yang did after waking was run to the door. He stared intently at the endless mountain range in the distance, which was now blanketed in a thin layer of snow, like powder on a woman’s face, or a new winter coat for the earth.

When Zhao Nuanyue and Hua Yusen came out, they caught each other’s eye but immediately looked away, their gazes flickering with guilt.

”You cook. I’ll clear the snow.” The atmosphere was a bit awkward, so Hua Yusen hastily grabbed a broom and a shovel and set to work.

”Oh!” Zhao Nuanyue lowered her head and hurried to the kitchen, not daring to dwell on the ambiguous tension between them.

There were still steamed buns left over from the day before. Zhao Nuanyue cooked some rice porridge in the pot, placing the buns on a rack above to steam. While the firewood burned steadily, she took out a bowl of pickled dried radish and ginger from a jar, chopped them up, and added a few drops of oil for seasoning.

Zhao Nuanyue dished up a bowl for her brother and called him in to eat.

Hua Yusen had finished clearing the snow in the courtyard and was now sweeping near the entrance.

The main room was very cold, so Zhao Nuanyue moved the small table into the kitchen for the three of them to eat.

Although the rice porridge wasn’t very thick, a fragrant layer of congee cream floated on top. Paired with the steamed buns and the small side dish, the meal was delicious, filling, and wonderfully warm.

”Sigh, I wonder what those old folks are eating today,” Hua Yusen said worriedly, gazing at the gloomy, overcast sky. ”After we finish eating, let’s go to Uncle Miao’s place.”

”Yes, we have to,” Zhao Nuanyue nodded. ”But we can’t mention the elders. We can only bring up the issue with Wang Dadan and Liu Lanhua.”

”Right, we can’t be direct,” Hua Yusen agreed, nodding. ”If people figure out our objective, we’ll be at a disadvantage.”

”You’re right.” Zhao Nuanyue agreed that they couldn’t let anyone figure out their goal or leave behind anything that could be used against them. ”At worst, we can just make some extra good food for the elders tonight.”

”Mm, I suppose that’s our only option,” Hua Yusen nodded. They had plenty of food at home, more than enough. He just hoped the elders could make it through the winter.

After the meal, Zhao Nuanyue locked the door, leaving her brother at home to draw. She and Hua Yusen then headed toward the village together.

To their surprise, they ran into a dispirited-looking Liu Lanhua at the entrance to the village.

The moment Liu Lanhua saw Zhao Nuanyue, she lunged at her, shouting, ”You little slut! How dare you frame me? I was obviously trying to save someone, but you accused me of trying to hurt them!”

Zhao Nuanyue was no match for Liu Lanhua. Afraid of getting her face scratched, she quickly ducked behind Hua Yusen.

Hua Yusen grabbed Zhao Nuanyue’s hand and pulled her aside. Liu Lanhua lunged at empty air and tumbled to the ground. The snow cushioned her fall, so she wasn’t hurt.

Seeing his wife make such a scene, Accountant Li was practically fuming.

’Even now, she’s still causing trouble. Does she want to end up in jail?’

’Even though I know the truth, I can’t admit it. I have to present a united front with my wife.’

”Listen here, you two,” Li Siming said, glaring viciously at Zhao Nuanyue and Hua Yusen. ”You’d better watch what you say from now on, or you’ll face retribution.” If it weren’t for these two, how could their plan have been exposed?

To save Liu Lanhua and protect his son who worked at the factory, Accountant Li had nearly emptied his family’s savings and had even gone deep into debt.

Zhao Nuanyue peeked her head out from behind Hua Yusen and nodded repeatedly. ”Heaven is watching everything we do. Evil deeds will always be repaid in kind—you’re absolutely right about that, Li Siming. We don’t need to say what happened that day; you know perfectly well in your own hearts.”

”You!” Li Siming was stunned that Zhao Nuanyue dared to confront him so directly. ’These two are far too bold,’ he thought. ’Aren’t they afraid I’ll make their lives difficult down the road?’ ”Young people who act on impulse always end up paying the price,” he said.

”Heh, maybe we will suffer for it,” Zhao Nuanyue nodded. ”But it’s still better than being sold out and then thanking the ambitious wolves who betrayed you. Those who live by injustice will die by it. You can get away with doing bad things once, but you can’t get away with it forever!”

Liu Lanhua scrambled to her feet, pointed at Zhao Nuanyue’s nose, and shrieked, ”You little whore! You slandered me! I’m not going to let you get away with this!”

”You’re the old whore! Your whole family is full of whores! And on top of that, you’re a shameless pimp!” Zhao Nuanyue shot back. She knew how to trade insults, and she was very good at it. ”You might be able to hide your despicable deeds from the higher-ups, but you can’t fool the sharp eyes of the people.”

Liu Lanhua trembled with rage at Zhao Nuanyue’s words and charged at her again, screaming, ”I’m going to beat you to death, you bitch...”

’Hmph. She took the bait.’

”AHHH...” Zhao Nuanyue shrieked, then turned and ran toward the village, shouting, ”Liu Lanhua is trying to kill me to silence me! Liu Lanhua is trying to kill me!”