Sweet Rebirth: The Little Healer

But as Zhao Nuanyue spoke, Zhao Nuanyang’s eyes shone brightly as he looked at his sister.

Seeing this, Wang Yuan tried to persuade her again. "Nuanyue, look! The moment Nuanyang heard ’movie,’ his eyes lit up. He must really love them. We only get to see a movie these few days out of the whole year. Let’s go watch."

When Wang Yuan used to go to Jincheng City, she had loved watching movies, even saving her bus fare to buy tickets. So when she heard a movie was being shown in the village, she desperately wanted to go, even though she was scared.

Zhao Nuanyue saw the joyful look in her brother’s eyes and found she couldn’t refuse.

"Nuanyang, you want to see the movie?" Zhao Nuanyue asked. If her brother wanted to go, she would take him, doing her best to grant his wish.

Her brother had always lived in his own world. Although she did her best to help him engage with his surroundings, it hadn’t been very effective. ’Now that he wants to see a movie, this is a sign of him interacting with the outside world,’ she thought. ’I should encourage this, not refuse it.’

"Mhm!" Zhao Nuanyang nodded. He liked the images in the movies.

"Alright then, we’ll go see the movie right after dinner," Zhao Nuanyue said. "I’ll find some warmer clothes. It’s cold at night, and we can’t risk catching a cold."

After dinner, she saw Hua Yusen sweeping the courtyard and couldn’t help but ask, "Mr. Hua, we’re going to the movie. Aren’t you coming?"

"I’m not going. I have things to do tonight," Hua Yusen said in a low voice. ’While everyone in the village is at the movie, I can use the pot here at the Dragon King Temple to cook something for those old folks.’

Zhao Nuanyue understood his plan and shot him a meaningful glance, letting him know where she had hidden some duck eggs.

Hua Yusen nodded. "Be careful, then. That despicable Wang Dadan is bad news. You should warn the others, too."

Hua Yusen had only been here for a few days, yet he had already seen Wang Dadan’s ill intentions. It just went to show how obvious Wang Dadan usually was.

"Okay, I will," Zhao Nuanyue replied. "Hua, we’re leaving now!"

Just as she spoke, Li Qiong walked over and asked with a grin, "What are you two doing, making eyes at each other like that?"

Uh... Zhao Nuanyue was speechless. ’I was just using my eyes to give Hua Yusen a secret signal, not flirting with him!’

Zhao Nuanyue lowered her head and said, feigning shyness, "Sister Qiong, what are you talking about! I’m not speaking to you anymore."

Embarrassed, Zhao Nuanyue grabbed her brother’s hand and hurried out of the Dragon King Temple ahead of the others.

After Zhao Nuanyue and the others left, Hua Yusen was alone in the Dragon King Temple. He found the spot she had indicated earlier. There were several duck eggs inside, so he quickly took out ten, boiled them, and delivered them to the old folks.

With so few people around the village, he was unlikely to be seen.

Hua Yusen thought about Zhao Nuanyue’s reaction. It had been so natural, arousing no suspicion at all. ’She’s a natural at this kind of covert work,’ he couldn’t help but think in praise.

To stay warm, Zhao Nuanyue had gotten two glass saline bottles from the village’s barefoot doctor and filled them with hot water. She gave one to her brother and held the other herself to warm their hands and bodies.

Along the way, Li Qiong and Wang Yuan chattered excitedly, talking about movies they had seen before.

Afraid of getting separated from her brother in the crowd, Zhao Nuanyue held onto the corner of his shirt the entire time.

Yang Guanghui was also in high spirits and joined Li Qiong and Wang Yuan’s conversation.

Zhao Nuanyue and Zhao Nuanyang followed behind them, listening with great interest.

Behind them, not too far off, a few other people were following, slowly closing in with ill intentions.

Zhao Nuanyue sensed them. ’Those people are sneaky. They’re up to no good.’ But she figured there was no need to be afraid since their group was large. She quickly called out a warning, "Wang Yuan, Li Qiong, don’t get so caught up in talking about the movie! Make sure you stay close to us."

Hearing this, the exuberant Wang Yuan froze for a moment, then quickly moved closer to Zhao Nuanyue and Yang Guanghui. She must have remembered the last incident, which happened precisely because they had gotten separated from the larger group.

’We can’t get separated this time,’ she thought.

"Right, we have to stick together," Wang Yuan nodded, her heart pounding with fear. "And when we get to the movie, let’s find some other people from our village to stay with."

"Even if you need to relieve yourselves, don’t go alone. You must go in a group," Zhao Nuanyue reminded them again, afraid that the slightest carelessness would give those shady characters an opening.

Yang Guanghui was surprised by Zhao Nuanyue’s astuteness. ’She’s young, but she’s so thoughtful and forward-thinking,’ he mused. ’No wonder Li Qiong and Wang Yuan were the ones who got into trouble last time, and not her.’

"Right, listen to Nuanyue," Yang Guanghui nodded in agreement. "Even if we have to step away from the crowd, we can’t go too far."

Li Qiong felt a wave of belated fear. She patted her chest and said, "It’s a good thing Nuanyue reminded us. I’d almost forgotten the lesson we learned last time."

Li Qiong and Wang Yuan held hands, their palms slick with nervous sweat.

"As long as there are a lot of us, those crooks won’t dare to try anything brazen," Zhao Nuanyue said, trying to comfort them after seeing how frightened they were.

As for the people trailing them, Zhao Nuanyue wasn’t the least bit afraid.

By the time they reached the threshing ground in the neighboring Willow Bay where the movie was being shown, the place was already packed solid. They couldn’t squeeze their way to the front even if they tried.

The crowd wasn’t just from Willow Bay; people young and old had come from several of the surrounding villages to see the movie.

Zhao Nuanyue led Zhao Nuanyang and, with some difficulty, found a spot in a corner. She had him stand while she stood on a log, which allowed her to barely see the screen from the side. Her brother, however, had grown quite tall—now nearly five-foot-eleven—so he could see perfectly.

Yang Guanghui found a spot nearby, and soon, everyone was captivated by the plot of the movie.

Though not a huge movie fan, Zhao Nuanyue still watched with interest. However, her attention wasn’t entirely on the screen; she frequently scanned the people around them.

As luck would have it, she spotted Liu Lanhua twisting her plump figure and squeezing her way out of the crowd.

Zhao Nuanyue realized that Yang Guanghui, Li Qiong, and Wang Yuan were gone.

’Weren’t the three of them right here just a moment ago?’

If she hadn’t seen Liu Lanhua, Zhao Nuanyue might not have been so worried about Li Qiong and the others. But Liu Lanhua, just like Wang Dadan, was a malicious old woman full of wicked schemes. As long as it benefited her, she was capable of anything.

Zhao Nuanyue didn’t dare run around searching. The crowd was too dense, and her brother, Zhao Nuanyang, was right beside her.

Although she was worried about Li Qiong and the others, her brother was her priority. ’You can only help others when you have the ability to do so.’

Fortunately, there was a fishpond at the edge of the threshing ground and a long irrigation ditch not far beyond. It was winter, so the water in the ditch was very low and had nearly dried up.

Zhao Nuanyue merged her consciousness with the water. ’Ugh, this water really stinks,’ she thought.

With no time to complain, Zhao Nuanyue spread her consciousness, searching everywhere. However, the ditch only had water in scattered patches, which made her search much more difficult.