Chapter 104: Chapter 104: Great Benefits
"Hahaha..." Zhao Nuanyueâs surprise turned to joyous laughter. "Little Red Carp, youâre amazing! Youâre so smart. If it werenât for you, I would have been doomed this time. I might never have made it back here."
"Mhm, thatâs right." The Little Red Carp nodded again and again. "Yes. On one hand, I didnât want anything to happen to you. On the other, I definitely didnât want your failure to return to cause a great disaster for Nianqiao Village. Thankfully, Hua Yusen cares about you a great deal, so he went to find you immediately after seeing your tragic state in his dream."
Hearing the Little Red Carpâs words, Zhao Nuanyue was deeply moved. Her questions were answered. Then she asked softly, "Little Red Carp, you keep mentioning that a calamity will befall Nianqiao Village. What kind of calamity is it, exactly?"
"I donât know, I donât know, I really donât know..." The Little Red Carp frantically tried to distance itself from the topic. From its denial, Zhao Nuanyue knew it was lying. It definitely knew but was simply unwilling to say.
Zhao Nuanyue gently stroked the Little Red Carpâs tail and offered a faint smile. "Little Red Carp, you always call me your master, but Iâve never thought of you as my servant. Itâs okay if you have secrets you donât want to share with me; I respect your choice. However, you did say itâs a calamity, and not just for me, but for all of Nianqiao Village. It concerns hundreds of lives. I hope youâll let me know before it happens. After all, Iâm just an ordinary person. If I donât know in advance, I wonât know how to handle it."
Hearing its masterâs words, the Little Red Carp felt even more guilty. But the Old Dragon King had said it couldnât tell Zhao Nuanyue just yet.
"I understand, Master. When the time is right, Iâll tell you. You just need to know that I would never harm you," the Little Red Carp promised. "Together, we will protect the people of this land and fulfill the Old Dragon Kingâs last wish."
"I know. Youâre a good fish; you wouldnât harm me." Zhao Nuanyue smiled sweetly. "My current abilities and the life I have now are all thanks to you and the Old Dragon King. Iâm deeply grateful to you both, so as long as it doesnât go against my conscience, Iâll do my best. But you know... Iâve benefited so much from the Dragon Scale and you, and I want my brother to get better, too. If he stays in his current condition, heâll never be able to live independently. Little Red Carp, is there any way to help my brother slowly become a normal person?"
The Little Red Carp knew of Zhao Nuanyangâs condition. After thinking carefully, it said, "Nuanyang is different from other people. While I donât have a direct way to cure him, I can give you some aquatic plants. They can soothe the mind and strengthen the body. Over time, they will be good for him. Combined with your meticulous care, perhaps he can slowly recover."
"Really? Is there really something that magical?" Zhao Nuanyue was thrilled. If what the Little Red Carp said was true, then Nuanyang could regain his health. He could live a normal life, study, get married, and have children.
Seeing Zhao Nuanyue so excited, the Little Red Carp was exasperated. "The things that have happened to you are even more magical, and youâve accepted them, havenât you? This is nothing strange. Thereâs no need to be so shocked."
"Thank you, thank you, Little Red Carp," Zhao Nuanyue said excitedly. "From now on, just plant those aquatic plants in the water not far from the Dragon King Temple. I can gather them for cooking or to make tea. Not only can Zhao Nuanyang have them, but I and others can, too. After all, theyâre good for the body and have no downsides."
"Right, right!" the Little Red Carp nodded. "And it tastes pretty good, the color is nice, and it even has a pleasant name: water celery. You can eat it three seasons out of the year. Iâll get some for you once spring arrives."
"Okay, thatâs wonderful. That way, it wonât attract anyoneâs attention," Zhao Nuanyue said with a smile. "Meeting you and the Old Dragon King was the greatest fortune of my life. It changed everything."
"Mhm, okay, thatâs enough flattery. I should get back and rest, and you should get some rest, too." After speaking, the Little Red Carp wagged its tail as if to say goodbye. Seeing Zhao Nuanyue back safe and sound, it could finally relax.
After her chat with the Little Red Carp, Zhao Nuanyueâs heart was at ease. She finally understood why Hua Yusen had arrived just in the nick of timeâit was because the Little Red Carp had warned him.
Still, thanks to the Little Red Carpâs warning, Hua Yusen had arrived in time for her to escape disaster and return safely. And while she had suffered through a calamity and Zhao Jinghai had not received the punishment he deserved, it wasnât a total loss for Zhao Nuanyue. At the very least, she had gotten back the house that belonged to her and her brother.
In the future, a large courtyard home like that, in that location, would be worth a fortune.
Zhao Nuanyue remained wary of Zhao Jinghai, but she wasnât afraid. With memories from her past life, her Special Ability in this one, and capable people by her sideâespecially Hua Yusenâshe was confident she could surpass Zhao Jinghai and would one day be able to deal with him.
Zhao Nuanyue let her thoughts drift, imagining the life ahead, and slowly fell asleep.
It was the soundest she had slept in a long time. Back in Jincheng City, faced with Wang Lianhua and Zhao Jinghaiâs strange behavior, Zhao Nuanyue hadnât dared to sleep at all. Later, in the hospital, she had protection, but she wasnât used to it.
Only here did Zhao Nuanyue feel truly secure and safe.
Zhao Nuanyue slept soundly and didnât wake until seven oâclock the next morning.
Hearing sounds outside, Zhao Nuanyue got up to make breakfast.
When Zhao Nuanyang saw his sister was up, he got up as well to help with the fire.
With Zhao Nuanyue around, breakfast was always a feast. She made a filling of minced radish and pork and wrapped a whole pot of wontons.
After the elders had washed up, they came to the table to find a large bowl of wontons waiting for each of them. The wontons and hot broth were delicious and warming, and they couldnât have been happier.
"The quality of our meals shoots straight up whenever Xiao Zhao is here. Itâs amazing how the same ingredients can taste so different depending on whoâs cooking," He Qiang remarked. "Before Xiaohua left, he caught a lot of fish for us. Theyâre all buried in that snowdrift. Letâs have some boiled fish for lunch."
"Okay, sounds good," Zhao Nuanyue replied. "I just checked the cellar downstairs. Thereâs definitely a lot to eat. Weâll have boiled fish for lunch today, and fish with pickled greens tomorrow!"
"By the way, Xiaohua left a couple of days after you did. He still hasnât come back, though. No idea where he went," He Qiang added. "If he were here, we could have fresh fish. Actually, I think I could probably go get some fish at night, too. As long as I donât get caught, it should be fine."