Sweet Rebirth: The Little Healer

Seeing how serious Zhao Nuanyue was, Hua Yusen chuckled and said reassuringly, ”Haha, why are you getting upset with a child! Here, you eat this egg!”

Zhao Nuanyue took the egg and bit into it forcefully. Little Red Carp’s frequent displays of acting like she wasn’t getting enough love were a real headache for both Zhao Nuanyue and Zhao Nuan Yang. They were terrified that some smooth-talking rascal would come along one day and trick their precious little sister away.

Zhang Hong drove Zhao Nuanyue and Little Red Carp to Immortal Grass Hall and to school. The weather was bad and very cold today, so Zhang Hong was also giving Zhao Nuan Yang a ride to his job at the museum.

Zhao Nuanyue led Little Red Carp to the door of her preschool class, then squatted down and gave her a big kiss on the cheek. ”Your big sister will always love you,” she said. ”I’ll peel an egg for you every morning from now on!”

”Heh!” Little Red Carp frowned, not knowing whether to laugh or cry. ”Sis, you’re overthinking things. I was just joking with you. You actually took me seriously!”

Hearing her little sister say that, Zhao Nuanyue breathed a sigh of relief and poked Little Red Carp’s chubby little cheek. ”I was just worried you’d take it to heart!”

Little Red Carp shrugged and held out her hands. ”This time, I really wasn’t overthinking it. You were, my dear sister!”

”Really?” Zhao Nuanyue was skeptical, not quite believing Little Red Carp’s words.

Little Red Carp was exasperated. She gave her sister a kiss on the cheek and said, ”Now do you believe me? I really wasn’t overthinking it. I was just teasing you to liven up the mood at home. I know you and Big Brother worry, but I’m not so shallow that I’d be lured away just because someone says a few nice things and gives me a treat.”

’That’s exactly what I was worried about!’

”Haha, you’re so smart, Little Red Carp. I guess I don’t need to worry. Class is about to start, so hurry inside with Teacher Xiao Wang,” Zhao Nuanyue said with a light laugh, holding up her fist to bump it against Little Red Carp’s.

”Mhm!” Little Red Carp nodded, grinning. ”Go team!”

Zhao Nuanyue exchanged a few more words with Teacher Xiao Wang, then got in the car and headed to Immortal Grass Hall.

Once in the car, Zhao Nuan Yang, who had been silent, let out a breath of relief. ”Little Red Carp is so much more mature now.”

”Yeah, Little Red Carp has matured so much in just half a year,” Zhao Nuanyue said. ”She’s even starting to slowly accept Hua Yusen. Maybe we don’t need to be so on edge anymore.”

”Heh, I think we still need to be a little on guard. Didn’t you see how she looked when we were acting like that? Even though she said she didn’t care, her eyes were smiling,” Zhao Nuan Yang said with a gentle smile. ”Little Red Carp doesn’t really mind who we’re nice to, she just wants to make sure our attitude toward her never changes.”

”Mm, you’re right. Our Nuanyang is so observant,” Zhao Nuanyue said with a laugh. Then a thought suddenly struck her. ’I’m already married, and since we’re twins of the same age, I wonder if he has a girl he likes now?’

At this thought, Zhao Nuanyue fell into a pensive state. ’How should I ask my brother about such a sensitive topic?’

Seeing his sister lost in thought, Zhao Nuan Yang was surprised. ’We were in the middle of a conversation. What’s she thinking about?’

”Sis, what are you thinking about?” Zhao Nuan Yang asked. ”Is there something else going on with Little Red Carp?”

”Not Little Red Carp. It’s you!” Since her brother had asked, and he was much more outgoing than before, Zhao Nuanyue felt that asking him this question now wouldn’t trigger any of his sensitive nerves.

”Me?” Zhao Nuan Yang was puzzled, tilting his head to look at his sister. ”Is something wrong with me?”

Seeing the look of complete cluelessness on her brother’s face, Zhao Nuanyue knew he had no idea what she was worried about. She decided there was no point in making him guess and that she should just ask.

”Yes, you,” Zhao Nuanyue confirmed with a nod. ”Look, we’re twins. I’m already married, and we’re the same age. Is there any girl you like? If there is, you have to tell me so I can help you vet her. After all, our mother isn’t around and our father passed away early, so as your big sister, I’m practically your parent. It’s my job to look out for you.”

Hearing his sister’s question, Zhao Nuan Yang froze.

”I... I don’t have a girl I like,” Zhao Nuan Yang said, a little embarrassed, as if he was afraid his sister wouldn’t believe him. ”Really, there’s no one. If there were, you’d be the first person I’d tell.”

Seeing her brother look so nervous and flustered, Zhao Nuanyue smiled. She patted his shoulder and said in a heartfelt tone, ”Nuanyang, there comes a time for everyone to get married. Look at me. I liked Hua Yusen, so I worked hard to be with him, and now we’re in love, married, and very happy. If you have someone you like, tell me, and we’ll see what kind of person she is. If she’s a good girl, Nuanyang, you should be bold and go after her. It doesn’t matter if you succeed or fail. Having that experience is how you truly grow up.”

”Okay, I get it, Sis.” Zhao Nuan Yang understood what his sister meant. Suddenly, the blurry image of a small, somewhat naive figure flashed through his mind. ”If I find someone, I’ll tell you,” he said.

”Good!” Zhao Nuanyue smiled. Worried her brother hadn’t fully understood, she repeated herself, ”When you feel like you really like someone, go for it. If you succeed and the feelings are mutual, then you can be together. But if you try your best and she’s not willing to accept you, don’t force it, Nuanyang. As the saying goes, you can’t force love. My Nuanyang is so outstanding, you’ll definitely be able to find an even more suitable girl.”

At this moment, Zhao Nuanyue was like a wise older sister, giving Zhao Nuan Yang a lesson on relationships and guiding her brother to continuously try, explore, and develop his own feelings.

”I understand, Sis,” Zhao Nuan Yang nodded. ”I won’t do anything extreme. If it doesn’t work out, we can go our separate ways peacefully. It can be like He Qiang—maintaining goodwill and feeling grateful for having known each other is its own kind of beautiful outcome.”

Hearing Zhao Nuan Yang’s words, Zhao Nuanyue felt incredibly grateful to He Qiang for setting such a healthy example of love for her brother. An action like that was more effective than ten thousand words she could ever say.

”Yes, that’s exactly it,” Zhao Nuanyue nodded. ”You’ll meet many people in life. We can hate our enemies, but please don’t hurt or hate the people we’ve loved. However, that’s not set in stone. If they turn around and hurt you, don’t let old feelings stop you from protecting yourself. Don’t just let them walk all over you.”

”Haha!” Zhao Nuan Yang laughed when he saw the nervous look on his sister’s face. ”Sis, I’m not an idiot. Of course I wouldn’t let anyone hurt me. Like you said, we’re the same age. It makes no sense that you’d understand something that I wouldn’t. You’re overthinking things again. You don’t need to worry about me!”