Sweet Rebirth: The Little Healer

Little Red Carp’s pure smile warmed Zhao Nuan Yang’s heart, and the nervousness he felt melted away.

’That’s Little Red Carp!’

’That’s his little sister!’

And so, as Zhao Nuan Yang looked at Little Red Carp, he smiled too.

Zhao Nuan Yang’s smile, true to his name, was like the gentle sun—warm, soft, and pure.

Zhao Nuan Yang, Zhao Nuanyue, and Little Red Carp—all three of them smiling together created the most beautiful and perfect scene imaginable.

In that moment, Zhao Nuanyue forgot her tragic and ill-fated past life. She forgot Hua Yusen, and she even forgot her enemies. The smiles and the beauty before her were more important than anything else.

It was getting cold. Seeing his little sister still in the water, Zhao Nuan Yang reached out a hand and said, ”Little Red Carp, the water’s cold! Let Big Brother carry you out!”

”No!” Little Red Carp shook her head repeatedly. With a push off the bank, she propelled herself to the middle of the pool.

Hearing that Little Red Carp wouldn’t let him hold her, Zhao Nuan Yang felt a pang of sadness. He looked pitifully toward Zhao Nuanyue and Little Red Carp and said, ”Sis, Little Red Carp doesn’t like me anymore! She won’t let me hold her!”

”That’s not true!” Little Red Carp retorted from the water. ”I like Big Brother, but... but I’m not wearing any clothes. I’m a little girl, so I can’t let a boy hold me—not even Big Brother! That’s what Sis said!”

Only after hearing this did Zhao Nuanyue and Zhao Nuan Yang notice Little Red Carp’s burst pants floating on the surface of the pool.

Zhao Nuan Yang quickly took off his jacket. ”Here, Sis, you go wrap Little Red Carp in this. You hold her so she doesn’t get cold.”

Although she knew Little Red Carp wouldn’t actually get cold, Zhao Nuanyue didn’t want to refuse her brother’s kindness. She nodded and called out, ”Come on, Big Brother gave you his jacket. Time to come out.”

Little Red Carp then swam to the bank, ducked under the jacket held by her sister, and transformed back into a little girl.

Zhao Nuan Yang reached out to gently squeeze Little Red Carp’s cheek, then squeezed his own, confirming that this wasn’t a dream—that the stories and the scenes before him were all real.

”This is truly magical!” Zhao Nuan Yang’s confusion gave way to a gaze full of curiosity. ”To think there’s a little fairy in my family!”

Little Red Carp was delighted to hear her brother call her a fairy. ’After all, I’m just a Carp Spirit, not some grand celestial fairy,’ she thought. ’But in my brother’s and sister’s eyes, that’s what I am.’

”That’s right. We have a little fairy in our family,” Zhao Nuanyue said with a smile. ”This is a secret between the three of us. I swear, here and now, that only we three will ever know. I won’t tell anyone, not even my future husband or my children.”

Hearing his sister’s words, Zhao Nuan Yang paused for a moment, then immediately raised his right hand. ”I swear it, too. I will never tell anyone other than the three of us—not my future wife, not my children, and not my friends.”

Little Red Carp planted a kiss on her sister’s cheek, then leaned over to kiss her brother Zhao Nuan Yang’s cheek as well. ”You two are the best!” she chirped.

Zhao Nuan Yang, Zhao Nuanyue, and Little Red Carp all smiled happily.

”Big Brother, I’ll teach you how to use this ring.” Little Red Carp suddenly noticed the pinky ring on his hand. ”Press the ring with the thumb and index finger of your right hand, then say ’Little Red Carp is the cutest,’ and you’ll go inside. Then, to come out, you say ’Little Red Carp is the prettiest.’ Quick, quick, give it a try...”

Hearing Little Red Carp’s instructions, Zhao Nuan Yang was dumbfounded all over again. He had just come to terms with her being a Carp Fairy, and now he was confronted with something so fantastical it was hard to believe.

But it was happening right in front of him, leaving him no choice but to believe.

He was so shocked that he completely overlooked how ridiculous the command phrases were.

He did as Little Red Carp instructed, and suddenly, Zhao Nuan Yang found himself in a strange space.

Zhao Nuan Yang looked around. Good heavens, the space inside was as large as a room! There was a stone table, stone shelves, and a basin to the side with running water—perfect for washing his brushes.

In a corner sat the two large chests they had seen in the cave. He opened them and saw that they were indeed filled with those beautiful and precious works of calligraphy and painting.

There were even four lamps on the walls, keeping the entire space brightly lit.

Zhao Nuan Yang was captivated and couldn’t put them down. As he looked through the artworks, he wished he never had to leave.

Zhao Nuan Yang lost track of time as he admired the art, only snapping out of it when his stomach began to growl. He remembered his sisters were waiting outside, so he quickly put the pieces away and exited the space.

Seeing his two sisters staring at him, Zhao Nuan Yang felt a bit sheepish. He scratched his head and said softly, ”Sorry, I lost track of time. You must be hungry.”

Seeing her brother emerge, Little Red Carp nodded vigorously. ”I’ve been hungry for ages! Super hungry! Now that you’re out, can we go home?”

Zhao Nuan Yang looked around the cave. ”I want to put all my supplies in there,” he said. ”That way, I can paint at home instead of having to come all the way out here.”

Zhao Nuanyue nodded. Knowing her brother’s passion for painting, she completely understood. She and Little Red Carp helped Zhao Nuan Yang pack up his things so he could store them inside.

The supplies were a motley collection, and some were old, but they were the best an artist like Zhao Nuan Yang could hope for in these turbulent times.

Thanks to these supplies, Zhao Nuan Yang no longer felt lonely—he had found his life’s greatest passion.

After everything was packed, Zhao Nuan Yang took a long look at the cave where he had spent so much time. ”Thank you,” he said. ”Thank you for giving my spirit a home.”

Seeing how solemn her brother was, Zhao Nuanyue didn’t interrupt.

She waited until he was ready and had set aside his reluctance to leave, then led her younger siblings away from the cave.

”Sis, why are we going this way instead of the other way? This path is much longer,” Zhao Nuan Yang asked as he followed behind her, carrying Little Red Carp.

”I know, Big Brother, I know!” Little Red Carp chirped excitedly. ”It’s because Liu Lanhua and Wang Cuihua are on that other path by the creek. They were chasing us before but accidentally fell in. They’re probably waiting there to pick a fight, but Sis doesn’t want to mess around with those shrews, so we decided to take this way down. It’s a little longer, but we get to prank them, and that’s fun! They probably don’t even know this path exists. They’ll just wait... and wait... and wait! They can wait there forever!”

Hearing Little Red Carp’s explanation, Zhao Nuan Yang finally understood.

”Sis, did they bully you?” Zhao Nuan Yang turned to look at her. ”I can protect you now. Next time, I’ll handle them.”

Zhao Nuanyue’s heart warmed to hear him say that. ’But his way of dealing with those two shrews is too blunt,’ she thought. ’He probably wouldn’t even land a punch before they started slinging mud at him.’