Sweet Rebirth: The Little Healer

”Sigh!” Feng Wanru sighed. Looking at her son, she noticed his hair was shorter and his beard was gone. He looked so fresh and clean; it was clear Zhao Nuanyue was responsible.

Feng Wanru watched as Zhao Nuanyue finished trimming Hua Yusen’s fingernails and then his toenails. She even filed away the calluses that had formed on his feet from being immobile for so long, and then carefully put warm socks on him.

’Even as his mother,’ Feng Wanru thought, ’I couldn’t have been this thorough.’

Zhao Nuanyue glanced at her watch. It was already noon, and she was beginning to feel hungry.

So, Zhao Nuanyue gathered the clothes she had just changed Hua Yusen out of, packing them into a small, wheeled wicker case. ”Aunt Hua,” she said softly, ”I have things to do this afternoon, so I’ll come visit Hua again tomorrow.”

Without lingering, Zhao Nuanyue turned and left, pulling the small wicker suitcase behind her.

Only after Zhao Nuanyue had left and closed the door did Feng Wanru take a deep breath.

’Sigh, what a meticulous young woman.’

Feng Wanru sat by Hua Yusen’s bed. Though her heart ached, she was slowly accepting the reality of the situation. She no longer cried and was now able to speak calmly to Hua Yusen, who looked as if he were just in a deep sleep.

”Son, are you really going to throw away your wonderful future like this? Don’t you want your family? Don’t you want to be with the girl you like?” Feng Wanru murmured. ”To give up on all these wonderful things... you really are a fool!”

”Please wake up, Son.”

”Your younger brother is diligent, but his abilities are limited. He’s simply not capable of supporting the Hua family...”

In Feng Wanru’s mind, she wasn’t just Hua Yusen’s mother; she was also one of the Managers of the Hua family. She always looked at the bigger picture, hoping Hua Yusen would wake up and lead the Hua family to greater heights, making them an even more illustrious clan.

Her feelings were a mixture of love, hope, and a strong dose of pragmatism.

But for someone in a family like the Hua family, this was all understandable.

In contrast, Zhao Nuanyue’s love was far more sincere than Feng Wanru’s. The love and sacrifice of her past life had made Zhao Nuanyue realize that Hua Yusen was her one and only love, steadfast until death.

Feng Wanru spoke for a long time until her mouth grew dry. Seeing her son still motionless in his deep sleep, she sighed, stood up, and left.

When Feng Wanru returned, she said to her husband, ”Old Hua, I saw that girl in Yusen’s room again today. She’s incredibly meticulous—she cut Yusen’s hair, trimmed his nails, and gave him a shave.”

”What do you think of her?” Hua Zhiqiang asked with a frown. ”Do you think she’s sincere?”

”You can tell her sincerity at a glance,” Feng Wanru said. ”Whether she’s speaking or doing things for Yusen, she is extremely meticulous and incredibly thoughtful.”

”Let’s just observe for now and see how long she can keep this up,” Hua Zhiqiang said. ”We’re in a difficult position. Whether we approve of her marriage to Yusen or not, it’s not the right time. It’s best to wait and see how the situation unfolds.”

Feng Wanru nodded. ”You’re right. If we approve, some might say we’re forcing her. But if we disapprove... seeing how devoted she is, and knowing our son was so smitten with her, we wouldn’t have the heart. All we can do is wait and let things take their course.”

”Mm, we’ll wait then,” Hua Zhiqiang agreed with a nod. In any case, his son wasn’t going to wake up anytime soon, so it wouldn’t cause too much trouble.

While Zhao Nuanyue was in the hospital room taking care of Hua Yusen, Zhao Nuanyang took Little Red Carp to buy tanghulu. Afterwards, they went to play in the same small park as the day before.

A white-haired old man and an eight-year-old boy sat on a park bench, watching Little Red Carp frolic happily on the grass.

”Grandpa, is she an idiot?” Leng Che asked, looking at Little Red Carp running around on the grass nearby. He really couldn’t understand how someone could be so happy playing a simple game of ’eagle catches the chick.’

Hearing this, the white-haired old man didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. His grandson was far too mature, having had almost no childhood, and had developed a serious, rigid personality as a result.

”No, that’s just the innocence and fun of childhood,” the old man explained with a smile. ”All children are like that. They can play a simple game for ages and never tire of it.”

But just as they were speaking, the cheerfully playing girl ran over. She glared at the solemn-faced Leng Che and snapped, ”You’re the idiot! You’re the big idiot! Hmph, hmph!”

With that, she ran off in a huff.

The white-haired old man was stunned for a moment, then burst out laughing.

Leng Che, who had just called the little girl an idiot, looked utterly mortified, clearly embarrassed by her reaction.

Zhao Nuanyang was surprised to see his sister run over and say that, but he knew Little Red Carp was never unreasonable. So, instead of immediately scolding her, he asked, ”Little Red Carp, what’s wrong? Did that person offend you?”

”Hmph! That big idiot called me an idiot!” Little Red Carp replied, her chubby little hand pointing back at the mortified Leng Che.

Zhao Nuanyang didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. ”Haha, he was just kidding!” he said.

”No, he wasn’t,” Little Red Carp said, shaking her head. ”I heard him. If I treated that as a joke, then I’d be the real idiot.”

”Alright, he said something mean to you, and you said something mean back, so now you’re even. Don’t be angry anymore, okay?” Zhao Nuanyang coaxed her softly. ”You had tanghulu today. After we have lunch, how about I buy you a sugar painting?”

Hearing this, Little Red Carp’s eyes lit up. ”Okay, okay!” she nodded. ”Little Red Carp isn’t angry anymore! Let’s go, Big Brother, let’s go buy it now!”

”We have to wait for Big Sister,” Zhao Nuanyang said with a smile. ”Try not to be so impatient, okay?”

”Okay,” Little Red Carp agreed. ”But why isn’t Big Sister out yet? Is that woman going to bully her?”

Little Red Carp’s words made Zhao Nuanyang worry about his sister. Just as he was about to take her to go check, he saw his sister coming back.

Relieved to see his sister out, Zhao Nuanyang told her about Little Red Carp’s comical little scene.

Zhao Nuanyue found this amusing. She walked over to the old man and smiled. ”Sir, my little sister was being a bit naughty just now, I hope you’ll forgive her. And little brother, please don’t be upset.”

Seeing how polite Zhao Nuanyue was—and knowing full well that his grandson had started it by calling her sister an idiot—Mr. Huang chuckled. ”My grandson was in the wrong,” he said. ”We should be the ones apologizing to you.”

”Haha, it’s just teasing between children. It’s all forgotten,” Zhao Nuanyue laughed. ”Little Red Carp, say goodbye to the grandpa and the big brother.”