"Don’t mention it. Yongxian is a good kid," Sun Haoran said with a smile. "Mr. Qian, Sister-in-law Qian—"
Someone came in from outside and whispered into Madam Sun’s ear, "The meal is ready. We can start eating."
Upon hearing this, Madam Sun said with a warm smile, "Let’s all go to the dining room. We can talk while we eat."
"Alright," Sun Haoran agreed. "It’s just a simple meal, so I hope you don’t mind!"
Zhao Nuanyue watched the happy and harmonious scene in the dining room, where everyone was eating and chatting. ’It’s just like being back in Qi Family Village.’
After the initial period of harassment and torment from Zheng Delin, Wang Dadan, and Li Siming, they had settled down in Nianqiao Village, leading a peaceful and warm life.
When Old Sir Qian saw how happy his wife and Tang Xinran were to learn that their son was not in any serious danger—that he only needed to take a few doses of medicine and rest up to be as healthy and energetic as before—he was overjoyed too. The heavy weight on his heart was finally lifted.
In the afternoon, Zhao Nuanyue returned to the front to see patients. Sun Haoran, however, did not go to his post, choosing instead to stay and entertain Old Sir Qian and his family.
The bonds forged with friends through shared hardship run deeper. Thus, unless it was something extremely important or urgent, Sun Haoran would not abandon Old Sir Qian and the others to attend to business.
Because Zhao Nuanyue’s medical skills had earned the approval of both Sun Haoran and Tang Kai Xuan, she was now allowed to see patients on her own.
However, because she was so young, many patients didn’t trust her when they first saw her.
Zhao Nuanyue wasn’t annoyed by this. She knew this was a challenge that came with her age. ’But I believe that as long as I explain things patiently and diagnose carefully, the patients will gradually come to trust me.’
Because Zhao Nuanyue’s prescriptions were highly accurate and always targeted the root of the problem, they were particularly effective. Slowly, she built a good reputation. Some patients were even referred by previous ones, specifically requesting to be seen by her.
Zhao Nuanyue was thrilled that her hard work was paying off. At the same time, she came to understand the true meaning of a healer’s compassionate heart and resolved to personally put it into practice to help even more patients in the future.
As Zhao Nuanyue held more consultations and saw more patients, her salary increased. Her wages alone were now enough to support herself and her two siblings.
When Zhao Nuanyue got off work, she passed by the school and picked up Little Red Carp.
When Little Red Carp saw her sister, she jubilantly began chattering away, telling her all about what had happened at school in a very amusing way.
"Hey, Little Red Carp," Zhao Nuanyue said after her sister finished her school stories, deciding to share something from her own day. "Old Sir Qian’s grandson, Qian Yongxian, is back. I’ll introduce you two, and then you’ll have a new friend to play with!"
Little Red Carp’s eyes lit up. "That’s great, Sis!" she said with a smile. "I have another new friend! Counting He Xiaohou and Brother Che, that makes three new friends."
Little Red Carp absolutely loved playing with other children, and she loved making friends with them even more.
This enthusiastic and friendly nature made Little Red Carp well-liked by everyone, especially other children. Whether they met her in daily life or at school, all the kids loved to play with her.
"If you’d like, I can invite them all over to our house this weekend," Zhao Nuanyue offered, knowing her sister’s personality. She wanted Little Red Carp to interact with more children and become more accustomed to human development and ways of thinking.
After dinner, Zhao Nuanyue and Zhao Nuan Yang practiced martial arts in the backyard with Little Red Carp.
Zhao Nuanyue was learning a great deal about medicine during the day, so she didn’t need to study so hard at night. As for Zhao Nuan Yang, she didn’t want him straining his eyes by painting under the dim light in the evening.
Little Red Carp cultivated her own power while guiding her older brother and sister in their training, not stopping to rest until eleven at night.
The days passed like this, one after another.
「A month had passed since Hua Yusen’s departure.」
Hua Yusen returned to Lu State after a month and found the person Gu Qingyu had secretly placed by Liu Zhongjun’s side to inquire about the situation.
They met in private. Hua Yusen asked, "Uncle Zhou, why did Liu Zhongjun back out? When Elder Gu was here last time, Liu Zhongjun personally promised to ally with us against the Li family."
Even though they were indoors, Zhou Ming still scanned his surroundings before lowering his voice and speaking slowly. "It wasn’t actually Liu Zhongjun who backed out, but his brother-in-law. He’s taken control of Liu Zhongjun’s household now. Even for me, it was a great risk to come out and meet you."
Hua Yusen was completely baffled. "How could Liu Zhongjun be unable to control his own brother-in-law?" he asked.
"A man’s heart is never content, like a snake trying to swallow an elephant," Zhou Ming replied. "Liu Zhongjun’s brother-in-law, Wu Yongqiang, was always being lectured and suppressed by him, leading Wu Yongqiang to both fear and resent him. The Li family approached him, promising to make him the highest authority in Lu State if he took care of Liu Zhongjun. Blinded by greed, Wu Yongqiang made his move. The official story now is that Liu Zhongjun is unwell and unable to work." Zhou Ming continued, "Wu Yongqiang has already taken over most of the power in Lu State. If you want to gain control of its operations, you must rescue Liu Zhongjun now!"
Hua Yusen’s brows furrowed tightly. If Liu Zhongjun’s crisis came from an external threat, it wouldn’t be hard to solve. But this was an internal betrayal, which made things much more complicated. Some of Liu Zhongjun’s own men, under the pretext that Wu Yongqiang was just "helping" his unwell brother-in-law, had allowed him to seize control of Lu State’s affairs.
It was just as Zhou Ming said. The only way for Liu Zhongjun’s loyal subordinates to realize they had been deceived by Wu Yongqiang was for Liu Zhongjun himself to return to work.
It was the most effective method, but also the most difficult.
"Is Liu Zhongjun’s life in danger?" Hua Yusen asked. ’If Liu Zhongjun is already dead, I’ll spread the truth that Wu Yongqiang imprisoned him to death. That will shake everyone’s confidence, and I can seize control in the chaos.’
Zhou Ming considered this carefully before shaking his head. "Not for now, but I can’t say what will happen in a few days. Wu Yongqiang is a ruthless man. He won’t give up the power he holds, not even with his own sister and niece in the house."
Hua Yusen thought for a moment. "Mm, I understand. Also, can you get me a map of Liu Zhongjun’s house? And a list of the people Wu Yongqiang has won over?"
Zhou Ming nodded. "I have one here. It’s not perfectly accurate, but it’s close enough. As for the list, I don’t have all the names yet, only a few. You can take a look."
Zhou Ming placed two sheets of paper on the table.
Hua Yusen took them and looked them over, a clear understanding dawning in his mind.