Sweet Rebirth: The Little Healer

Hearing what her husband said, Zhao Qinqin wasn’t happy. After all, she had grown up in her aunt’s house and still had some affection for her cousin, Wang Dadan.

”Sigh, my cousin is a good man. He used to bring us plenty of gifts,” Zhao Qinqin said. ”Now he’s in trouble, and he’s brought news about Miao Dahai—that there’s something improper going on between those young people and the ones helping the village. This is the perfect reason for us to deal with Miao Dahai! By the way, haven’t you been getting beaten down by Miao Dahai’s reports lately? We can use this to expose them, can’t we?”

Zheng Delin nodded. ”That’s actually a pretty good idea. I’ve got it. I’ll go discuss this tomorrow. We can’t let things in Nianqiao Village go on like this. Miao Dahai has been running around, causing me a lot of trouble. If necessary, we can...”

”We can what?” Zhao Qinqin asked curiously, looking at her husband with anticipation.

The matter was too important. Zheng Delin couldn’t reveal his plan, not even to his wife.

”It’s nothing!” Zheng Delin said, continuing to eat. ”You’re a woman. Ask what you should, and don’t ask what you shouldn’t. Go get me another bowl of rice. I’m not full yet.”

”So secretive, you won’t even tell me.” Zhao Qinqin rolled her eyes. ”I can let it slide if you keep your work secrets from me, but if you start making eyes at that little hussy again, I won’t let you off easy.”

”What are you talking about? Nothing happened. But with you making such a racket, people will start thinking something did,” Zheng Delin said irritably. ”Enough. The situation out there is grim. It wasn’t easy for me to climb to this position, so don’t you dare ruin things for me.”

’That beautiful woman... Hmph. Once I have more power, I’ll be able to have any woman I want!’

’As for Wang Dadan... Heh, not bad. He delivered a useful piece of information.’

The next day, Zheng Delin went to Zhao Liqiang’s office. He then led a group of young people straight for Nianqiao Village. A boisterous crowd of several dozen people on bicycles, they shouted slogans as they sped along.

Just outside the county town, the road was decent, and they managed to keep a steady pace. But as the road conditions worsened and the area grew more remote, the young people’s speed began to drop.

”Man, this Nianqiao Village is way too far, and the roads are terrible,” one young man said, wiping sweat from his brow. His butt was sore from the bicycle seat.

Zheng Delin wiped his own sweat. It had been several years since his last trip to Nianqiao Village, and his stamina wasn’t what it used to be.

”Everyone, just hold on a little longer!” Zheng Delin declared righteously. ”You are all exemplary. You’ve overcome so much hardship already. You can definitely do this!”

”We can do it!” the crowd echoed, resuming their chants. ”Forward, march on! Forward, march on...”

The closer they got to Nianqiao Village, the worse the road became.

They rode their bicycles, but eventually, it became impossible. The path grew too steep, and the road was littered with rocks. They had no choice but to dismount and push their bikes the rest of the way to Nianqiao Village.

Their initial high morale had long since evaporated, replaced by exhaustion. By the time they reached Nianqiao Village, it was nearly two in the afternoon. Cold, hungry, and drenched in sweat, they had none of the spirited vigor they’d started with that morning.

The people of Nianqiao Village were in the middle of their work when they saw a group of youths approaching, pushing bicycles. They were quite surprised.

Zhao Nuanyue’s Divine Sense was roaming through the water when she suddenly perceived a large group of young people rushing into Nianqiao Village. She was startled.

’Why are these people here?’

Zhao Nuanyue hurried to find Hua Yusen. ”Look! Look over there, by the village entrance! A big group of young people on bicycles just arrived. Who are they? Why are they here? Could they be...?”

Hua Yusen saw them too. A cold smile touched his lips. ”They’re here. Just as expected. Don’t worry, we’ve already prepared for this.”

”Oh, will we be able to get through this safely?” Zhao Nuanyue asked, her heart pounding with fear. ’These people are like a swarm of locusts,’ she thought, ’gesticulating wildly, full of indignation and cynicism.’

Hua Yusen nodded. ”We can. Trust me.”

Hua Yusen’s words calmed Zhao Nuanyue slightly. She decided to wait and see how things would unfold.

One of the youths grabbed a villager and demanded arrogantly, ”Get your village chief, Miao Dahai, out here!”

The villager was carrying a shoulder pole with baskets full of goods on either end. Hearing this young punk clamoring to stir up trouble with the villagers, he raised an eyebrow and snapped, ”Who do you think you are? Our village chief is busy. Can’t you see we’re working here? Move it, get out of the way!”

The villagers walked off with their shoulder poles, not giving the youths the time of day.

The youth was stunned. Ever since he’d become a team leader, he had always been treated with respect. Everywhere he went, people deferred to him. But now, a mere villager had the audacity to give him a dirty look and ignore him completely.

The villager was already far away. The youth ran up to another person, grabbed him by the arm, and repeated, ”Get your man, Miao Dahai, out here!”

The person the youth grabbed this time was none other than Dong Sanshu. He was not only literate and good with accounts but also had a famously sharp tongue. ”Don’t come here spouting nonsense!”

Dong Sanshu had been on his way to grab a shovel for work and to pass on a warning, but the youth kept a firm grip on him.

The youth was completely taken aback by Dong Sanshu’s eloquence and his ability to quote famous sayings from books. He found himself utterly speechless, unable to think of a single rebuttal.