Sweet Rebirth: The Little Healer

He Qiang shot Sun Haoran a contemptuous look. ’So sanctimonious, yet such a lecherous old man. And he still manages to sound so perfectly justified.’

”Haha, matters of human relations and social ethics are perfectly normal things. Why shouldn’t we talk about them?” Sun Haoran retorted. He then considered the complex times they were living in. Human nature was severely suppressed, and they were all under a system of strict ideological control. Truth, goodness, and beauty were stifled, while human flaws were magnified.

Gu Qingyu was also deep in thought. He believed, however, that this situation couldn’t last forever. Society, on the whole, was meant to progress. The current state of affairs was severely hindering social development and human advancement.

’The regressive forces blocking historical and social progress will inevitably be cast aside by the people. Once the mistakes are realized and the correct path is found, things will begin to flourish.’

He Qiang decided not to go after all. Sun Haoran was right; with the two youngsters in the kitchen, he’d only be in the way. It was quite nice to stay here and watch Zhao Nuan Yang paint, anyway.

Once in the kitchen, Zhao Nuanyue was on her own battlefield. She prepared several dishes, which, along with the leftover dumplings from the morning, was more than enough for everyone to eat their fill.

Hua Yusen watched Zhao Nuanyue, kitchen knife in hand, transform a pile of ingredients into a delicious meal as if by magic. She was incredible.

His gaze, as he looked at Zhao Nuanyue, was filled with delighted surprise, adoration, and affection.

Whenever Zhao Nuanyue happened to meet Hua Yusen’s eyes, she would shyly lower her head with a small smile, not daring to meet his intense gaze. But inside, her heart felt sweeter than honey. Because in that moment, she could see her own reflection in his eyes.

This New Year, thanks to Zhao Nuanyue’s arrival and the abundant food provided by Hua Yusen, was exceptionally warm and plentiful.

This was the happiest New Year that Zhao Nuanyue and Zhao Nuan Yang had ever had, and it was also the most peaceful New Year for Hua Yusen since leaving his parents.

The New Year’s vigil was the most leisurely time of the year. And because the village commune had distributed grain and money, the villagers were enjoying a prosperous holiday. It was a rare time when nearly everyone could eat their fill, and eat well at that.

While some families celebrated, others despaired. The villagers were all in high spirits. Even the people at the Dragon King Temple, all so far from their homes, were happy just to have full bellies, warm clothes, and a roof over their heads. For them, too, it was a very warm New Year.

Their hearts, riddled with a thousand wounds, were gradually beginning to heal.

In contrast to the other households, life in Wang Dadan’s and Li Siming’s homes was anything but comfortable.

With their injured legs, they couldn’t move. Even though they had been to the county hospital, the doctor had instructed them to rest well, warning that if they didn’t, the injury could become permanent, leaving them with a limp.

Wang Dadan was incredibly frustrated. He recalled the disappointed look in his cousin-in-law’s eyes. ’Not only did I fail to dig up any information, I got myself into this mess. So pathetic.’ Li Siming had been chewed out even worse by that man. ’If he could find anyone else suitable in Nianqiao Village, he wouldn’t be using us again and again.’

Wang Cuihua cautiously brought over the food, placed it on the small table on the kang, not daring to look at her husband’s gloomy, unpredictable face.

’Sigh. Wang Dadan always had a bad temper, but ever since he lost his job, he’s become much more violent. Whenever he’s the least bit unhappy, he takes it out on me with his fists and feet.’

”What are you so scared of? It’s not like I’m going to eat you,” Wang Dadan snapped when he saw Wang Cuihua’s pathetic expression. He felt a surge of anger. ’How can this woman be so useless? She’s nothing compared to Liu Lanhua. That woman waits on her husband hand and foot. How did I get saddled with such a worthless wife?’

Wang Cuihua said timidly, ”My husband, I was just afraid of making you angry. You don’t have a job, and now you’re injured... everyone in the village looks down on our family. Even that Zhao Nuanyue from the Dragon King Temple dares to yell at me. I just want to take good care of you so you can recover quickly. That way, when spring comes, you can get your village job back. Not only will our lives improve, but you’ll be able to stand tall again. Then we’ll see who dares to look down on us!”

Hearing Wang Cuihua’s words, Wang Dadan froze for a moment. ’This wife of mine isn’t as stupid as she looks.’ His anger subsided a little, and he nodded. ”Don’t you worry. I’ll come up with a good plan. For now, I’ll have to rely on you to take care of things at home. When spring comes, I promise I’ll give you and the children a better life.”

”Yes, yes. I believe you,” Wang Cuihua said. ’I’ve figured it out now,’ she thought. ’It doesn’t matter how well other people do; that has nothing to do with me. But if Wang Dadan does well, then my children and I will have a good life. He has a bad temper and even hits me sometimes, but compared to the scorn of the whole village, his temper is nothing. It’s normal for couples to fight, isn’t it?’

While Wang Dadan and Wang Cuihua were talking, Li Siming and Liu Lanhua were also sighing as they plotted their plans for the new year.

Li Siming’s brow was furrowed, and he couldn’t think of a single good idea.

Liu Lanhua brought her husband a cup of hot water. Seeing his worried face and constant sighing, she tried to console him, ”Yingzi’s father, don’t push yourself so hard. It’s still more than two months until spring, until your leg gets better. There’s still plenty of time. We can figure out a plan slowly.”

”Sigh, that place is guarded so tightly. We can’t get anywhere near it,” Li Siming said, his face a mask of misery. ”I’ve tried to get close to the Dragon King Temple twice. The first time, I was caught and accused of having ulterior motives, then locked in a shack for three days. The second time, I went with Wang Dadan, and we still saw nothing. Worse, we both ended up injured like this. I don’t think we can break through from the outside. We’re defeated before we can even get close.”

Hearing her husband’s words, Liu Lanhua thought for a moment. Then, her eyes lit up as she suggested, ”My husband, if we can’t breach their defenses from the outside, let’s try a different angle—we’ll break them from the inside!”

”From the inside?” Li Siming was taken aback, and then it was as if a light went on in his head. He grinned. ”Right. Sow discord among those young people. We might actually have a chance to take them all down in one fell swoop. It’s just... after what happened last time, they’re very wary of us. They probably won’t agree to cooperate.”

Liu Lanhua was unfazed and sneered, ”Men die for wealth, and birds die for food. Everyone has their price. Think about those others. They were sent packing with nothing more than a train ticket home, and they jumped at the chance. It just shows how desperate they are to get back to the city. If we promise them a way back, I’m sure they’ll work with us to get it, no matter what bad blood there is between us.”

Li Siming remained silent, mulling over the possibilities in his wife’s proposal.

After a good while, Li Siming nodded. ”Mm, you have a point. It could work. That Yang Guanghui probably won’t be easy to fool. And after what Wang Yuan and Li Qiong went through, they must be on high alert. Even if we make them a promise like that, I’m not sure they’d accept it.”