Sweet Rebirth: The Little Healer

”I had a guess, too, Uncle Miao. But why did you guess it would be Li Jianjun, and not Yang Guanghui?” Zhao Nuanyue asked. A moment ago, she’d been thinking that perhaps Yang Guanghui would be the one to pick them up.

”You’re so silly.” Little Red Carp teased her sister, thinking, ’She’s gotten so dense since she got married.’ ”We’re coming for Ms. Li Qiong and Jianjun’s wedding. If the groom himself doesn’t come pick us up, Ms. Li Qiong would probably give him an earful.”

”Haha, Little Red Carp’s reasoning makes a lot of sense,” Zhao Nuan Yang agreed. ”I also figured it would be Miao Dahai and Jianjun coming to get us. The weather outside doesn’t look good. If it were nicer, Sister Qiong would have probably come too.”

Although Zhang Hong and Li Wei remained silent, they found the conversation amusing. They were especially intrigued by Little Red Carp. ’How can such a little kid be so smart?’

At times, they noticed that even Zhao Nuanyue and Zhao Nuan Yang would get lectured by Little Red Carp. The way she acted like a little grown-up was especially adorable.

They chatted and laughed for the rest of the journey. When Little Red Carp got sleepy, she took a nap in Zhao Nuanyue’s arms. By the time she woke up, the train had stopped. They had arrived in Labor County.

”Little Red Carp, wake up. We’re here.” Zhao Nuanyue gently patted the girl’s cheek. Since they had a lot of luggage, Zhao Nuanyue couldn’t carry Little Red Carp and had to lead her by the hand instead.

Fortunately, Little Red Carp was used to climbing around Brick City, so she didn’t complain about being tired from walking on her own; in fact, she was thrilled.

After getting off the train, Zhao Nuanyue looked up to see light, fluffy snowflakes drifting down from the sky. The snowfall wasn’t heavy, but the temperature was low, and the wind was biting. ’No wonder Yu Sen was so worried when he heard we were coming,’ she thought. ’The weather is awful, and he was afraid Little Red Carp and I would catch a cold.’

Zhao Nuanyue carefully re-wrapped the scarf around Little Red Carp’s neck before following Zhao Nuan Yang out of the train station.

The moment they stepped outside, Little Red Carp jumped up and down, pointing at Miao Dahai and Li Jianjun in the distance. ”Sister, they’re over there!”

Zhao Nuanyue looked where Little Red Carp was pointing, and sure enough, she saw Miao Dahai and Li Jianjun.

’Little Red Carp really is clever. She guessed right.’

Miao Dahai and Li Jianjun spotted Zhao Nuan Yang, Zhao Nuanyue, and Little Red Carp as well and hurried over to them.

”Nuanyue, Nuanyang, Little Red Carp! It’s so wonderful to have you back,” Miao Dahai boomed with a hearty laugh. ”Nianqiao Village will always be your home! You’re always welcome!”

”Thank you, Uncle Miao. We appreciate you coming to get us,” Zhao Nuanyue said with a smile. ”It’s getting late. We should get going before the snow gets too heavy for us to travel.”

”Alright, let’s get going then,” Miao Dahai said with a grin. When he saw the two guards in military uniforms behind Zhao Nuanyue, he realized she must be doing very well in Jincheng City. She was Hua Yusen’s wife now, with people to protect her.

Li Jianjun smiled and clapped Zhao Nuan Yang on the shoulder. ”Nuanyang, you look much stronger! And Little Red Carp, you’ve gotten so much taller.”

”That’s right! A whole year has passed, and Little Red Carp has shot up! Grandpa Miao probably can’t lift you anymore, but I can still give you a piggyback ride. Come on, hop on Grandpa Miao’s back. We can’t have our Little Red Carp getting tired.” Miao Dahai was also fond of the sweet little girl and, without waiting for an answer, crouched down to offer her his back.

Little Red Carp felt a bit shy but was also very grateful. She smiled and said, ”Grandpa Miao, I’m really heavy now, and I can walk by myself. You can just hold my hand; you don’t need to carry me.”

Seeing that Little Red Carp was insistent, Miao Dahai stood up and took her small hand in his own large, rough one. ”Such a considerate girl,” he chuckled. ”Alright then, Grandpa will just hold your hand.”

As far as Miao Dahai was concerned, this child found by the river in Nianqiao Village was one of their own. Even though Zhao Nuanyue had adopted her, Little Red Carp would always belong to the village.

Her story was even recorded in the village annals!

Li Jianjun helped Zhao Nuan Yang and Zhao Nuanyue with their luggage. They walked quickly to a large yard next to the station where vehicles were parked, found their ox-cart, and swiftly loaded their belongings. He then helped Zhao Nuanyue, who was holding Little Red Carp, climb into the makeshift canopy fashioned from plastic tarps.

The space inside was small, only large enough for Zhao Nuan Yang, Little Red Carp, Zhao Nuanyue, Zhang Hong, Li Wei, and Li Jianjun, so Miao Dahai had to sit outside. But everyone was dressed in thick layers, so they could withstand the cold even if the snow grew heavier.

At times, Li Wei and Zhang Hong would even hop off to jog behind the cart. Some of the mountain roads were so rugged that it was faster to jog than to ride in the slow-moving ox-cart. Thankfully, Zhao Nuanyue had the foresight to make sure everyone ate a full meal on the train before they departed.

Halfway through their journey, they came upon a mountain cave. Miao Dahai stopped the cart to feed Old Huang some fodder. The group built a fire inside the cave, and Zhao Nuanyue hopped down to help boil some water. They warmed up some flatbread over the fire and ate.

Zhao Nuanyue took some pastries from her bag and passed them around. After everyone had eaten their fill of flatbread and pastries, and warmed themselves with hot water, they set out on the road again!

「They finally reached Nianqiao Village just before nightfall.」

At the entrance to the village, Li Qiong and Yang Guanghui had been waiting ever since lunch, hoping to be the first to see Zhao Nuanyue and Little Red Carp the moment they arrived.

As dusk began to settle, they finally spotted a dark speck slowly making its way toward Nianqiao Village.

Li Qiong’s face lit up. She immediately started walking briskly toward the approaching cart, exclaiming, ”They’re here! They’re here!”

Yang Guanghui was also delighted. Over the past two days, they had cleaned the rooms in the Dragon King Temple. The bedding was the same set Zhao Nuanyue and the others had used before; Li Qiong had washed and stored it, so they had only needed to take it out and air it to get it ready for use.

Sensing Li Qiong’s approach, Little Red Carp poked her head out from the canopy and called out, ”Ms. Li Qiong! Ms. Li Qiong...!”

Back when they lived in the Dragon King Temple in Nianqiao Village, after her sister Zhao Nuanyue, Li Qiong was the person who had cared for her the most. Because of this, Little Red Carp felt a special closeness to her.

The moment Li Qiong reached them, Little Red Carp jumped down from the cart.

Seeing that Little Red Carp had already hopped off the ox-cart, Zhao Nuanyue and Zhao Nuan Yang felt it was only right to get down as well.

Miao Dahai chuckled at the sight. ”Nuanyue,” he said, ”I’ll take this luggage to the Dragon King Temple for you. Don’t just stand here talking—get moving. It’s too cold outside.”

”Alright,” Zhao Nuanyue agreed. She walked over to Li Qiong. ”Li Qiong, Yang, it’s so good to see you both again. I’m so happy.”

”We’re happy to see you too,” Yang Guanghui said with a smile. ”Let’s not stand around talking. It’s freezing out here. Let’s head back.”

Li Qiong hugged Little Red Carp, then pulled Zhao Nuanyue into another embrace. Her voice choked with emotion as she said, ”Nuanyue, I’ve missed you so much.”