Sweet Rebirth: The Little Healer

The back basket Zhao Nuanyang carried was custom-made. Zhao Nuanyue had commissioned it from a village weaver, providing a piece of cloth for its construction. It featured a built-in, stool-like seat so Little Red Carp could sit right inside.

Right then, Little Red Carp was sitting inside the basket, with only her little head, tied in a high ponytail, bobbing along. Her big eyes darted about, taking in the scenery of the back mountain.

The autumn harvest was over, and the mountain was draped in a layer of yellow. Though touches of green remained, the lush vitality of summer was gone, replaced by a hint of autumn desolation.

However, while there were fewer flowers and green leaves, the branches were now heavy with fruit.

”Sister, what’s that?” Little Red Carp asked, pointing to a tall pine tree. She had only ever seen the common plants that grew by the water, like poplars and willows.

Zhao Nuanyue smiled. ”That’s a tall pine tree. Because they always grow straight up toward the sky, ancient scholars and poets often used them in poems and metaphors. For instance, ’Heavy snow weighs down the pine, but the pine stands tall and straight’...”

Zhao Nuanyue patiently explained everything Little Red Carp asked about. The little girl was full of questions, and her sister answered every single one.

Carrying Little Red Carp on his back didn’t feel tiring at all to Zhao Nuanyang. He listened to the conversation between his sisters, finding it quite amusing, a constant smile playing on his lips.

Gradually, Zhao Nuanyue and Zhao Nuanyang fell behind the other villagers, who had already forged ahead.

”Oh, Little Red Carp, bringing you along today has really slowed your brother and me down.” Zhao Nuanyue glanced into her basket. It held only a pound or two of mountain treasures, far from enough to meet her quota, let alone Zhao Nuanyang’s share.

Little Red Carp blinked her big eyes, not quite ready for the fun to end. She beckoned for her sister to lean in closer.

Zhao Nuanyue leaned in, and Little Red Carp pointed east. Zhao Nuanyue looked over. It was a stretch of woods that wasn’t very dense. ’There probably aren’t any mountain treasures there,’ she thought.

”Really?” Zhao Nuanyue muttered to herself, feeling a little doubtful.

”Mhm, mhm!” Little Red Carp nodded, then whispered in her sister’s ear, ”There are lots and lots over there!”

Hearing his sisters whispering behind him, Zhao Nuanyang felt a little left out. ”What are you two talking about? Keeping secrets from me?”

”Hehe, it’s nothing,” Zhao Nuanyue said with a grin. ”Nuanyang, let’s stop following the villagers uphill. We keep falling behind and will only get their leftovers, so we’ll never meet our quota. Let’s go check over there instead. I found a whole bunch in that area once last year. I bet it left spores, so new ones must have grown this year.”

Zhao Nuanyang glanced at the crowd of people up ahead. It was true they’d never get to the front. He nodded. ”Alright. This area is still within the safe zone, so it should be fine. Let’s go try that spot you mentioned.”

And so, with Little Red Carp’s guidance, Zhao Nuanyue led them east. After walking for three or four hundred meters, they found a trove of mountain treasures beneath a fairly dense grove of trees—all of the exact varieties they needed for their quota.

”Haha, our luck has turned!” Zhao Nuanyue exclaimed. She leaned over to the basket on her brother’s back and kissed Little Red Carp’s wide forehead. ”Little Red Carp, you’re our lucky star!”

Zhao Nuanyang was overjoyed to see so many mountain treasures. He also leaned back to give Little Red Carp a kiss on the forehead. ”What amazing luck,” he said. ”We should bring this little one with us again tomorrow. Who knows, maybe we’ll find great stuff like this every day.”

”That’s right! Little Red Carp, I’ll get you out. You can play here on the flat ground, but don’t run off, okay?” Zhao Nuanyue’s spirits were high. They could finish their quota in a single morning, which meant they could spend the afternoon gathering things to stash away for the New Year.

Little Red Carp nodded eagerly. ”Okay, okay!”

In truth, Little Red Carp couldn’t wait to explore the back mountain.

As Zhao Nuanyue and Zhao Nuanyang started rapidly gathering the mountain treasures, Little Red Carp began to explore the vicinity.

She was just so curious about everything.

As Zhao Nuanyue worked, she frequently glanced over at Little Red Carp, who was playing nearby.

Before long, they had filled two large baskets and stuffed a sack to the brim. It was a bountiful harvest.

”These two baskets are enough to turn in for the quota,” Zhao Nuanyue said with a laugh. ”We can take this sack to the cave later and save it for ourselves. And hey, this afternoon we can go pick wild berries! Little Red Carp will love that.”

Zhao Nuanyang nodded. ”Sounds good. You and Little Red Carp both love wild berries.”

”Little Red Carp, time to go!” Zhao Nuanyue called out. But when she turned around, the little girl who had been playing nearby just a moment ago was gone. ”Oh my god, where is Little Red Carp?”

Zhao Nuanyang froze and whipped his head around. Seeing that Little Red Carp was missing, his face instantly went pale, his breathing grew ragged, and his eyes took on a frantic look.

Zhao Nuanyue was startled, but she quickly tried to console him. ”Nuanyang, take a deep breath. Relax. Don’t panic. Little Red Carp is resilient; she’ll be okay, I promise. Don’t worry. We’ll find her together.”

Zhao Nuanyang got to his feet, took a few deep breaths, and then broke into a run, shouting, ”Little Red Carp, where are you? Little Red Carp, where are you?”

There was a sob in Zhao Nuanyang’s voice. Though Little Red Carp had only been living with them for a few short months, the joy and laughter she brought to him and Zhao Nuanyue were immeasurable.

Zhao Nuanyue knew what Little Red Carp was capable of—she was a carp spirit, after all—so she wasn’t overly concerned for her safety. But seeing Zhao Nuanyang’s severe panic filled her with anger. ’When I find her, I’m going to give that disobedient girl a piece of my mind.’

’A few more scares like this, and my brother Zhao Nuanyang’s condition will only get worse.’

”Little Red Carp! Little Red Carp...!” Zhao Nuanyue began searching as well, calling out loudly. After she had gone about a hundred meters, she finally heard the little girl’s voice.

Hearing the panic in her brother’s and sister’s voices, Little Red Carp got scared, too. ’Oh no! I snuck off without telling Sister. They must be angry with me! They might even spank me!’

”I... I’m here...” Little Red Carp called out as she crawled out of a small cave, her face and clothes covered in dirt, making her look like a stray kitten.

Seeing Little Red Carp, Zhao Nuanyue was fuming. She rushed forward, ready to spank her.

But Zhao Nuanyang was faster. He swept Little Red Carp into his arms, hugging her tightly. ”Don’t run off,” he said, his voice thick with emotion. ”Don’t ever just run off like that!”

Squeezed so tightly she could barely breathe, Little Red Carp’s face turned red. ”Brother,” she wheezed, ”I won’t run off again. I promise I’ll never run off again!”

Seeing her brother so agitated, Zhao Nuanyue quickly tried to soothe him. ”She said she won’t do it again. Don’t be so tense; you’re scaring her.”

Hearing his sister’s words, Zhao Nuanyang finally began to relax his grip.

Seeing him like this, Zhao Nuanyue made a firm mental note. ’My brother can’t handle shocks like this.’