Sweet Rebirth: The Little Healer

Hua Yusen didn’t want Zhao Nuanyue to overwork herself. ”Actually,” he said, ”with my seniority and position, I could apply to have a housekeeper assigned to us.”

”We don’t need one for now!” Zhao Nuanyue quickly refused. ”There are only four of us in the house, and we don’t eat all that much. Besides, we’re not picky, and our jobs aren’t too demanding. Zhao Nuan Yang and I can manage just fine.”

”Honestly, I don’t want a stranger in our house either,” Zhao Nuan Yang said softly. ”Especially since we don’t have any spare rooms right now, so let’s just forget it. I know you’re just looking out for my sister, Brother-in-law, but I can cook now, too. I’ll help out often.”

”Little Red Carp will help her big brother and sister, too!” Little Red Carp chimed in, eager to prove she wouldn’t be a freeloader.

’Little Red Carp really didn’t want a stranger around. A housekeeper would mean her brother and sister wouldn’t have to cook, but it would be inconvenient for their other activities... like cultivation and martial arts practice.’

Seeing all three of them—brother and sisters—object, Hua Yusen could only shrug. ”I didn’t mean anything by it,” he said. ”I just wanted to make things easier for you all. Since you’d feel uncomfortable with a stranger here, we won’t get one. But if you ever feel overwhelmed or spread too thin, you have to tell me so I can figure something out.”

”Got it, Brother-in-law,” Zhao Nuan Yang said with a nod and a smile.

’Still, Hua Yusen made a mental note to help Zhao Nuanyue with the chores whenever he had free time. That way, he could lighten the load for his dear wife.’

After dinner, Zhao Nuanyue felt full of energy. She, Zhao Nuan Yang, and Little Red Carp began sorting the gifts they had received from Nianqiao Village, Yao Cunzheng, Director Li, and Li Qiong.

Since they had nothing else to do that afternoon, they decided to deliver the items to their respective recipients.

To get it done faster, they split up.

Zhao Nuan Yang went to see Master Hu. He dropped off the items for his senior apprentice-brother, paid his respects to his master, and presented the painting he had made in Nianqiao Village for critique.

Zhao Nuanyue, for her part, went to Old Madam Qian and Old Sir Qian’s home. She also had a large parcel of mountain delicacies for them.

Having lived in Nianqiao Village for several years, the elderly couple had grown fond of such things and found them exceptionally delicious.

Finally, Zhao Nuanyue brought Little Red Carp with her to Immortal Grass Hall to deliver a gift to her master.

Miao Cunzheng had even prepared a share for Gu Qingyu, which, of course, could only be delivered by Hua Yusen himself.

Of course, Gu Qingyu was extremely cautious about what he consumed. Even the mountain delicacies from the villagers in Nianqiao Village, delivered by Hua Yusen, had to undergo a rigorous inspection before they could be served to Elder Gu.

Gu Qingyu looked at the large package in front of him and smiled. ”That Miao Dahai is quite a thoughtful fellow!”

”Yes, Uncle Miao is a good man,” Hua Yusen agreed. ”Nianqiao Village is very peaceful and stable now. I also heard from Nuanyue that they’re planning to start a literacy class to teach the village children how to read. Li Qiong and Li Jianjun are going to be the teachers.”

Hearing this, Gu Qingyu nodded, then sighed. ”Even the people in a remote mountain village understand the importance of reading and reason. Yet, some short-sighted individuals believe education causes ideological chaos, and would rather see our people become increasingly foolish and ignorant.”

Hearing Gu Qingyu’s words, Hua Yusen continued, ”Yes. They think that by keeping the people ignorant, they can do as they please and achieve their goals.”

”Heh, yes. We may be facing difficulties, but I believe their actions are obstructing the progress of society. They will inevitably be rejected by the people,” Gu Qingyu said with grave earnestness. ”A brighter day will come. We just need to hold our ground, proceed with caution, and wait patiently.”

”Yes, I will,” Hua Yusen nodded. ”Elder Gu, you must also take care of your health. The road ahead is still fraught with hardship, and we need you to continue leading the charge!”

’Gu Qingyu was pleased to hear Hua Yusen’s words. His ideals and ambitions had yet to be realized, so he would persevere, no matter the cost, even if it meant death.’

Sun Haoran was happy to see Zhao Nuanyue back. He asked about Nianqiao Village and was delighted to hear about the changes there.

「The holiday came to an end.」

Zhao Nuanyue returned to work at Immortal Grass Hall, where she could now see patients on her own. Zhao Nuan Yang continued to split his time between his work unit and Master Hu’s tutelage, busy with his job and his art. As for Little Red Carp, she cultivated at night and went to school during the day. She was having a blast and had already become the ”big sister” of her kindergarten class!

「A week later.」

It happened to be Hua Yusen’s day off.

Heavy snow had been falling all week, so they had canceled their plans to go on an outing. Instead, Zhao Nuan Yang was helping Little Red Carp build a snowman.

But on this very day, an unexpected guest arrived.

Chen Lei!

Hua Yusen was surprised to see his good friend. He looked Chen Lei up and down, baffled by the sight of him carrying bags of all sizes. ”Three Stones, what’s all this?” he asked, perplexed. ”As long as I’ve known you, you’ve come to my house to eat and drink for free without ever bringing a single thing. Now you show up out of the blue with all these gifts? I can hardly believe you’re the same old cheapskate, the same stinky, stubborn rock I know.”

Little Red Carp saw Chen Lei and recognized him as the man who had helped them catch the human traffickers on the train.

”Hello, Uncle Chen!” Little Red Carp said sweetly, calling him ”uncle” based on his apparent age, not thinking about the generational hierarchy.

Chen Lei beamed when he heard what Little Red Carp called him. ”Well now, aren’t you just the cutest, Little Red Carp! And so well-spoken.”

Hua Yusen wasn’t having it. He picked up Little Red Carp and told her, ”He’s from our generation. You can’t call him ’Uncle.’ Call him Brother Chen, okay?”

Little Red Carp scratched her head. ’Humans are so complicated,’ she thought.

”Okay, Brother Chen,” Little Red Carp said with a giggle. ”By the way, Brother Chen, did you find the parents of those three kids?”

Upon hearing her words, Hua Yusen frowned. ”What exactly happened?” he asked.

Seeing that Hua Yusen was still in the dark, Chen Lei recounted the day’s events, his face lighting up with excitement. ”...After we found them, we waited for the train to stop and hauled them over to the public security office for interrogation. And what an interrogation it was! It ended up uncovering a massive human trafficking ring involving the whereabouts of over a hundred children. Jincheng City formed a special task force, and after some careful planning, we took down the entire network of traffickers. We even rescued dozens of children. We also got the addresses for the kids who had already been sold, and we’re in the process of tracking them down. I really hit the jackpot this time, contribution-wise. Of course,” he added, ”if it weren’t for my sister-in-law and Little Red Carp, I never would have known they were traffickers in the first place.”