Sweet Rebirth: The Little Healer

”Ms. Yuan, my sister and I made some preserved plums—my favorite! I’ll go get some to share with you,” the Little Red Carp said with a grin. ”We can eat pastries and preserved plums while we drink tea. It’s a rare treat.”

”Oh, great! I’ll wait for you to bring them out,” Wang Yuan said with a chuckle, sitting down on a stone stool to wait.

The Little Red Carp followed Zhao Nuanyue into the main room and whispered to her, ”Sister, Wang Yuan has something evil on her!”

”Heavens, Wang Yuan still hasn’t given up on trying to harm us.” Zhao Nuanyue was alarmed, then said guiltily, ”Are we going to swap out the poison in her porcelain vial again?”

Hearing this, the Little Red Carp quickly shook her head, looking at her sister as if she were an idiot. ”Sister, I’m starting to think you’re hopeless. The only reason we went through all that trouble to swap Wang Yuan’s poison last time was to coordinate with Grandpa Gu’s plan. We don’t have any other grand schemes this time, so let’s use the simplest method: give her a taste of her own medicine. Let Wang Yuan try that evil poison herself.”

”Huh?” Zhao Nuanyue froze, stunned. ”Then... will Wang Yuan die?”

The Little Red Carp shrugged, unconcerned. She shook her head and said, ”Whether Wang Yuan lives or dies depends entirely on the vial of poison in her hand. She’s here to harm us right now. Sister, how can you still be so soft-hearted? When Wang Yuan decided to poison us, she didn’t care whether we’d die or not!”

The Little Red Carp was getting exasperated. Her sister was just too nice for her own good, far too kind.

”No, Little Red Carp, you’ve misunderstood. I’m not being soft on Wang Yuan, and I don’t feel sorry for her. I couldn’t care less if she lives or dies.” Seeing the Little Red Carp’s exasperation, Zhao Nuanyue quickly tried to soothe her and explain. ”I’m worried that if we cause Wang Yuan’s death, you might be punished.”

”Of course I won’t be punished! Wang Yuan is the one using the poison, not us. If there’s any punishment, it will be for her. She’s bringing this on herself,” the Little Red Carp said hurriedly. ”So you don’t need to worry at all. Besides, since she brought the poison, we should give her the chance to use it. It’ll save us the trouble of having to be on guard against her all the time.”

Hearing the Little Red Carp’s words, Zhao Nuanyue felt relieved. As long as there were no repercussions for the Little Red Carp, she no longer felt any psychological burden. As for Wang Yuan, Zhao Nuanyue had already given her a chance.

But Wang Yuan never cherished it. Time and time again, she had tried to harm her for some personal gain.

Zhao Nuanyue was not a doormat. ’Being kind to someone trying to harm her? That would make me a complete fool!’

”Little Red Carp, let’s go with your plan,” Zhao Nuanyue said, agreeing with her sister’s approach. ”Later, I’ll find an excuse to step out of the kitchen to give Wang Yuan an opportunity to be alone with our food. We’ll both watch her with our Divine Sense and use the chance to swap out the food we’re going to eat.”

”Okay, let’s do it!” The Little Red Carp nodded. ’We have to settle this today. I’m tired of being on edge every day and having to act all meek and sweet in front of Wang Yuan.’

After the two sisters had their plan, one of them carried out the tea while the other held the jar of preserved plums. They came into the courtyard and placed everything on the table.

”Ms. Yuan, these are the delicious preserved plums I wanted to share with you! My sister made them herself. Once you try them, you’ll find them unforgettable,” the Little Red Carp chattered on, praising her sister’s skill with her usual enthusiasm.

Wang Yuan took the preserved plum the Little Red Carp offered her. She took a bite—it was sweet and sour, and truly delicious. No wonder the Little Red Carp praised them so highly. It wasn’t just something kids would like; she, an adult, loved them too.

”Wow, your sister is so talented! I love these. If you have any extra, I’ll be bold and ask for some to take home,” Wang Yuan said with a cheerful laugh, acting even more warm and outgoing than she had back in Nianqiao Village.

If Wang Yuan’s personality matched her appearance, she would actually be quite likable. But that wasn’t the case.

”Of course, of course! It’s my sister’s first time making them, so there isn’t a lot, but I’ll spare a small jar for you, Ms. Yuan,” the Little Red Carp said, feigning reluctance. Since she had asked for them outright, it would seem stingy not to give her any. Even though she despised Wang Yuan, the Little Red Carp still shared.

On one hand, she didn’t want Wang Yuan to get suspicious. On the other, it could be considered repayment for all the food Wang Yuan had been bringing over recently.

This way, the Little Red Carp felt no psychological burden at all in dealing with Wang Yuan.

”Nuanyang, stop painting over there and come have some snacks and tea with us,” Wang Yuan called out to Zhao Nuan Yang, who was drawing not far away.

”Okay, I’m coming.” Zhao Nuan Yang put away his art supplies, washed his hands, and joined everyone at the stone table to eat snacks, drink tea, and chat cheerfully.

Wang Yuan asked, ”Man Yue, is there anything you need help with? You’re getting married, and I don’t know how I can help!”

”We’re keeping everything simple, so there’s not much to help with. I can handle it myself. If I have any questions, I’ll ask Madam Sun, so I don’t need to trouble you,” Zhao Nuanyue explained, not wanting Wang Yuan to get too involved in her life.

”Well, if you don’t need help, then I’ll just be lazy,” Wang Yuan said with a chuckle, unbothered by Zhao Nuanyue’s refusal. ”But the offer still stands. If you need anything, don’t hesitate to ask. After all, we’ve been friends for several years.”

After they finished their snacks and tea, Zhao Nuanyue went to the kitchen to start making dinner. The Little Red Carp went to play with Zhao Nuan Yang, making her brother hold a rubber-band rope for her to jump over.

”Wang Yuan, why don’t you stay out here and play with them? I can handle the cooking by myself,” Zhao Nuanyue said politely to Wang Yuan, just as she normally would.

”It’s no problem. We used to do this all the time back in Nianqiao Village—I’d tend the fire while you cooked. You’re a better cook. With the same ingredients, your dishes always taste better than anyone else’s. Back in our old courtyard, you were the head chef.”

”Oh, you all were just flattering me back then. I wasn’t that good; I just used more seasoning,” Zhao Nuanyue said with a smile. ”Thinking about it, time flies. It’s been over three years, and we’ve all grown up.”

”Yes, we’ve all grown up, and now we’re about to start our own families,” Wang Yuan said with a smile. ”I really miss Li Qiong right now. If she could come visit, the three of us could have a proper reunion.”

”I know. It’s so inconvenient being this far apart. Even if we have the money now, we don’t have the time to go to Nianqiao Village. And it would be even harder for Li Qiong to make a trip to Jincheng City,” Zhao Nuanyue said with a sigh, as if they were fated never to be reunited.