Sweet Rebirth: The Little Healer

”I hope so,” Zhao Nuanyue chuckled. ”It’s just that my work keeps me busy, and she’s very busy too, so we don’t really see each other often.”

”Heh, be friends if you can, and don’t if you can’t,” Li Guihua said, getting the hint. But she would never have imagined that Wang Yuan would actually drug Zhao Nuanyue. In her simple worldview, when villagers fought, it just meant giving each other the silent treatment and the two families refusing to speak. She couldn’t possibly fathom someone using such a vicious drug on Zhao Nuanyue!

”Yes, that’s what I think, too,” Zhao Nuanyue replied. She and Li Guihua then chatted more about Nianqiao Village, getting along wonderfully.

At noon, Li Guihua invited them to her home for lunch, but Zhao Nuanyue declined.

Miao Dahai came over in person to invite Zhao Nuanyue, Yang Guanghui, and the others to eat. It was an offer they couldn’t refuse, so they had to go.

Back at the Dragon King Temple, they didn’t cook at all that day.

They had lunch at Miao Dahai’s home, and in the evening, Li Guihua insisted they come to her place for dinner.

For the newlyweds’ visit three days later, Zhao Nuanyue cooked a meal herself to welcome Li Jianjun and Li Qiong.

Seeing the rosy glow on Li Qiong’s face, Zhao Nuanyue could tell the couple was getting along wonderfully, and that their nights were just as blissful.

When Li Qiong had a moment to speak with Zhao Nuanyue alone, she looked incredibly bashful.

”Nuanyue, thank you for that little booklet you gave me. Otherwise, that night would have been so embarrassing,” Li Qiong said shyly, truly grateful for Zhao Nuanyue’s thoughtfulness.

Hearing this, Zhao Nuanyue put on a mischievous expression, wiggling her eyebrows. ”Hehe, c’mon, tell me. How was it almost embarrassing?”

”You’re awful,” Li Qiong said, lightly smacking Zhao Nuanyue’s shoulder. ”How can I talk about things like that with someone else! Don’t even ask. I’m not telling you, and that’s final.”

”Oh, come on, we’re all women here. Just tell me! It’s not like I’m going to gossip about it. Why be so modest?” Zhao Nuanyue chuckled. ”Come, come, spill the details.”

Li Qiong shot Zhao Nuanyue a look. ”It’s easy for you to say,” she scolded playfully. ”Why don’t you tell me all about you and Hua Yusen? You expect me to talk? Do you take me for a fool?”

”Hehe!” Zhao Nuanyue laughed sheepishly, knowing she wasn’t going to get any juicy gossip out of Li Qiong. ”Fine, if you don’t want to say it, you don’t have to.”

”It’s not something to be talked about,” Li Qiong said, her face red. ”But you’re different now that you’re married. You’re so bold! I really underestimated you before.”

Teased to the point where she didn’t know whether to laugh or cry, Zhao Nuanyue shrugged and held up her hands. ”Don’t call me bold. After a little while, you’ll be just as bold as me.”

”You girl, you’ve got such a sharp tongue,” Li Qiong chided. ”I can see it now. That Hua Yusen will never escape your grasp.”

At the mention of Hua Yusen, Zhao Nuanyue glanced out the window. She saw Li Jianjun chatting with Yang Guanghui, a huge smile plastered on his face. She clicked her tongue in amusement. ”Wow, marriage really changes a man. Look at Li Jianjun. He’s married a beautiful wife and now he’s grinning like the landlord’s dopey son.”

”Your man is the one who’s grinning like a dopey son!” Li Qiong retorted, displeased. ’Why does that description sound so strange?’ she thought. ’Li Jianjun just has an honest, good-natured smile, okay?’

”My, my, just married and already so defensive,” Zhao Nuanyue said with a pout. ”Fine, I won’t say any more. But let me remind you—you can’t just get married and forget your best friend!”

”You can rest completely assured. How could I ever forget you!” Li Qiong promised. But then a melancholy look crossed her face. ”It’s just... thinking about you leaving so soon really makes me sad.”

Zhao Nuanyue felt a pang of sadness too, but she knew that no matter how beautiful this place was, she couldn’t stay forever. She comforted Li Qiong, ”All good things must come to an end, but I’m sure we’ll have a chance to meet again. Whether or not you come to Jincheng City, I’ll definitely bring Little Red Carp and Nuanyang back to visit.”

”Okay, that’s good,” Li Qiong nodded. ”But I’m also going to work hard to get into a university in Jincheng City. I might not become wildly rich and successful, but at least the gap between us won’t keep growing. If I really just stay cooped up in this mountain village, even if you visit often, we’ll drift apart. I’ll fall behind, and we won’t have anything in common to talk about anymore.”

This was a perfect example of the saying that great wisdom can appear simple.

”For you to have that kind of insight, it’s clear you’re a very intelligent person. Li Guihua was always praising me, saying I was the smartest, but I’m realizing that’s not quite right. You’re the smartest one among us. You know what you want, and you know that the only way to truly get anything is through your own hard work,” Zhao Nuanyue said slowly, her gaze toward Li Qiong filled with encouragement and faith in her friend.

Li Qiong felt greatly encouraged.

At the same moment, both of them thought of Wang Yuan. They sighed in unison, but neither said a word.

After a moment, Li Qiong composed herself and asked, ”Nuanyue, when are you all leaving? I want to prepare some things for you to take. I can’t let you go home empty-handed.”

This time, Zhao Nuanyue and the elders had brought her so many gifts, and she felt it would be wrong not to give something in return. Besides, her mother-in-law had already said she would help her prepare some reciprocal gifts.

”We have to go back tomorrow,” Zhao Nuanyue answered with some reluctance. ”The travel back and forth takes up a lot of time, and we’ve already been here for several days. It’s time to go. After all, Nuanyang and I both have jobs and can’t stay away for too long.”

Hearing this, Li Qiong nodded. ”I’ll go home and prepare them tonight. I’ll have to trouble you to take them back to Jincheng City and pass them along to the elders for me.”

”No problem,” Zhao Nuanyue nodded. Even though it was an extra burden, it was a heartfelt gesture from Li Qiong, and she would be sure to pass it along.

That evening, Li Jianjun came to take Li Qiong home, and the two friends parted reluctantly. After getting married, though the bond between them as sisters was still strong, the most intimate person in each of their lives had now become her husband.

When Li Qiong arrived home, her mother-in-law, Li Guihua, had already prepared the return gifts to give to Zhao Nuanyue to take with her early the next morning.

Miao Dahai also contributed a lot, making the collection of return gifts very generous. Although they were just Nianqiao Village’s local specialties—things like salted fish, mountain delicacies, and cured meats—they were incredibly delicious and couldn’t be bought in Jincheng City.

When Zhao Xiaohai heard that the Little Red Carp was leaving, he secretly came to see her off. He even gave her his prized slingshot as a gift. He was reluctant to part with it and asked, ”Little Red Carp, will you come back again?”

”I will! But it probably won’t be until next year, or maybe even later,” the Little Red Carp replied. Her older sister had promised they would return, so she wasn’t lying to Zhao Xiaohai.

Hearing that the Little Red Carp would be back, Zhao Xiaohai brightened up. He scratched his head and said, ”Okay then. I’ll wait for you to come back.”