Sweet Rebirth: The Little Healer

The willow trees in Nianqiao Village, called Soft Willow by the locals, were unlike those found elsewhere. They were not just pliable but also exceptionally resilient and fine, perfect for weaving into exquisite craft baskets.

In her previous life, after getting together with Hua Yusen, Zhao Nuanyue no longer had to painstakingly navigate relationships with different men or face her disgusting stepfather’s family. She lived in a large, dream-like house he had prepared for her, spending her time in the spacious courtyard learning all the things she had always wanted to but never had the chance.

Crafting baskets was one of those skills. At the time, Zhao Nuanyue also enjoyed flower arranging.

And painting...

She had all the paintings her brother left her mounted and framed, hanging them in her art studio. She would paint in there, and though her skills were poor, being close to those paintings made her feel as if her brother was right by her side.

”That’s right. When people have work to do, there’s much less quarreling,” Li Guihua said with a smile. ”Our village has no other source of income, unlike the nearby Wang Family Village—you know, the one where many people starved to death. This year, they don’t have to submit grain as tax; they can just turn in various carved wood products instead.”

Hearing this, Zhao Nuanyue’s eyes lit up. ’I was just thinking about weaving a few nice baskets for my own use. I can’t believe the policies have changed. This could be a way to earn more income.’

This flexible economic policy made Zhao Nuanyue realize that Elder Gu had probably resumed his duties.

’This was the only way to improve people’s material lives, rather than spending all day making a fuss, neglecting production, and enforcing rigid, one-size-fits-all policies.’

Zhao Nuanyue didn’t mention that she knew how to weave willow baskets. She planned to gather some branches on her way back, weave a few, and give them to Aunt Li. If the villagers were willing to learn and the authorities were interested in purchasing them, Zhao Nuanyue would teach everyone.

Although she had faced many dangers here, it had ultimately provided her and her brother with a place to call home. They had enough to eat, her brother had regained his health, and they had even gained a bright and clever little sister in Little Red Carp.

Zhao Nuanyue had always considered this place her land of good fortune.

There was also her relationship with Hua Yusen, getting to know Elder Gu, accepting Sun Haoran as her master, and building friendships with Old Madam Qian, Old Sir Qian, and He Qiang. Most importantly, she had met the Old Dragon King and Little Red Carp.

All of this was incredibly precious to Zhao Nuanyue, and her heart was filled with gratitude.

She was grateful for the very land and people of Nianqiao Village.

So, when Zhao Nuanyue went back for lunch, she cut some Soft Willow branches and laid them out to bake in the sun.

Yang Guanghui was puzzled. ”Nuanyue, what are you doing with these willow branches?” he asked. ”We have plenty of firewood at home; we don’t need these.”

”Yeah, Nuanyue!” Li Qiong was also curious. ”Are these willows medicinal or something? Do they have some other use?”

Zhao Nuanyue listened and replied mysteriously, ”It’s a secret!”

Although Zhao Nuan Yang was curious, he didn’t ask since his sister wasn’t telling. He simply helped her gather the willow branches and lay them on the ground to dry in the sun.

Little Red Carp’s eyes sparkled. ’She felt her big sister was about to do something earth-shattering again.’

’I can’t wait!’

The willow branches baked in the sun for two days until they were about seventy percent dry. Zhao Nuanyue gathered them up and stored them inside the house for later.

With the weeding in the fields finished, the women had free time again. Li Guihua, Miao Dahai, and Wu Dazhu borrowed oxcarts from several neighboring villages and went to the county town together to pick up chicks and rabbits.

They set out at dawn and didn’t return until dusk.

A bonfire was lit at the entrance of the village hall, and they began distributing the chicks and rabbits, working through the night.

Each person received one chick and one baby rabbit.

Since there were now eight people living in the Dragon King Temple, they received eight chicks and eight baby rabbits.

When Little Red Carp saw the fluffy little chicks and baby rabbits, she adored them. Tipping her head back, she said to her sister, ”Big Sister, can you let Little Red Carp raise them? I’ll catch fish for them to eat.”

’Uhh... Aren’t those fish your own kind?’

’Besides, chickens and rabbits don’t eat fish.’

’Oh well, a carp who has become a spirit probably isn’t the same species as regular fish anymore. It makes sense that Little Red Carp would say something like that so casually.’

”Little Red Carp, chickens eat grain and bran, and baby rabbits eat grass. They can’t eat fish,” Zhao Nuanyue said with a smile. ”We can pull up grass to feed the rabbits.”

Little Red Carp’s face lit up with understanding. She nodded and said, ”Oh, so that’s how it is! I’ve seen the ducks in the river eat little fish and shrimp sometimes. If that’s the case, then I’ll pull grass for them every day.”

Now that they had chicks and rabbits, Little Red Carp was overjoyed and would spend her days gathered around, watching them.

After the Soft Willow branches had been sitting indoors for three days, Zhao Nuanyue saw they had turned a beautiful rose-red color. Only then did she take them out to the courtyard and begin weaving an exquisite flower basket.

Seeing Zhao Nuanyue halfway through weaving a basket, Li Qiong finally understood. She watched with great interest from the side. ”Wow, so after the willow is sun-dried and then cured in the shade, it turns this beautiful color! If it’s not cured in the shade, it seems to be a darker red. Does the color change depending on the amount of light it gets?”

”Yes!” Zhao Nuanyue nodded. ”You noticed that, too.”

”Well, that’s pretty obvious!” Li Qiong rolled her eyes. ”Let’s see what kind of basket you can actually make.”

Zhao Nuanyue’s hands were nimble. In just an hour, she had already woven a perfectly round basket with a wide opening. The rose-red exterior seemed to have a soft sheen, giving it a particularly classic and elegant look. Li Qiong loved it, hooking it over her arm and parading around the courtyard.

Just then, Yang Guanghui came in and saw the exquisite basket on Li Qiong’s arm.

”Not bad at all,” Yang Guanghui said, surprised. ”I never would’ve thought these useless willow branches could have such a beautiful color and be woven into such a nice basket. If Village Chief Miao and Aunt Li find out about this, they’ll definitely want to learn and promote it. This could be a new source of income.”

Without looking up, Zhao Nuanyue chuckled softly. ”Nianqiao Village has such wonderful Soft Willow resources; it would be a shame not to use them. I overheard Aunt Li mentioning that Wang Family Village uses carvings to pay their grain tax, and that some other villages sell crafts directly to shops for money. If we can make use of Nianqiao Village’s high-quality Soft Willow, it will surely bring great benefits to the village.”

Old Madam Qian and Old Sir Qian returned from their walk to see the basket on Li Qiong’s arm. Then they spotted an even more delicate and beautiful one that Zhao Nuanyue had just finished. They were absolutely enthralled, turning it over in their hands. ”Nuanyue, you have such skillful hands to be able to weave such a lovely basket!” Old Madam Qian praised. ”And to think the willow branches right by our door have such a gorgeous color.”

As the women admired the two finished baskets, Zhao Nuan Yang and Little Red Carp ran off to the hills behind the village. They returned with an armful of red, yellow, and white wildflowers. By then, his sister had just finished another basket, this one shaped like a vase, so they arranged the wildflowers inside it.