Chapter 4: It’s up to you whether it works or not

And as for that scumbag Zhao Hang—she wouldn’t let him off easy either! Everyone who had ever wronged her would pay the price!

As night fell, the sky darkened and the villagers turned in early, extinguishing their lamps one by one. Near the village entrance, a petite figure quietly appeared under the moonlight, silently creeping into a house.

“Who’s there?”
Sitting on the bed, Xie Yu immediately sensed someone sneaking into the room. Though he was retired from the military, his past experiences and muscle memory kicked in instantly, locking on the intruder’s position. His sharp gaze fixed on the window—and there, he saw a petite figure slowly poking a small head through.

“Shh! It’s me, Comrade Xie, don’t turn on the light.”
Xie Yu’s mouth opened slightly. It took him a moment before he managed to utter a few words, “Com…rade Chang?”

Though there was no light in the room, the moonlight clearly illuminated the small face sitting on the windowsill. He was so shocked he nearly didn’t recognize her.

“Have you eaten yet?”
Chang Suisui had originally wanted to hop down from the window, but remembering the original host’s timid persona, she forced herself to slowly climb down instead. A sudden change in temperament could be explained by emotional trauma, but a change in physical skills was harder to justify—especially in front of a former soldier like Xie Yu who would easily notice.

She didn’t want to cause unnecessary trouble, so keeping up the original host’s persona was the safest way.

Xie Yu was still stunned. When he heard her question, he instinctively replied, “Not yet.”
Then he caught himself and quickly added, “I wasn’t hungry tonight.”

Gurgle—
Chang Suisui: “…”
Xie Yu: “…”

Silence fell, making the sound of crickets outside even louder.
Chang Suisui pulled the corner of her mouth into a smile and pretended to rummage through her little cloth bag. She then neatly placed a few things in front of Xie Yu—two large meat buns wrapped in paper and a still-warm military water flask.

“Here. Eat first, then I’ll treat your leg.”
Xie Yu frowned slightly, his gaze falling on her small hand. Under the moonlight, he could see a clear scabbed-over wound on the back of her pale hand, still tinged with red.

“You’re hurt?” His voice was flat but carried a hint of suppressed emotion.

Who had hurt her? That wound was clearly man-made—was it someone at the educated youth camp? A delicate girl like her, who would cry at a stern look, must seem like an easy target.

Chang Suisui glanced at the wound on her hand. “I got into a fight with my cousin at the camp today.”
“Cousin? Chang Meili?”

Xie Yu knew of Chang Meili—she was his nephew Xie Jianguo’s fiancée. Years ago, after his father saved the old man of the Chang family, the two families arranged a marriage to strengthen their bond. His father had originally wanted him to marry one of the Chang daughters, but Xie Yu had been too busy in the military. So the marriage arrangement went to Xie Jianguo instead.

He’d heard the girl meant to marry into their family was named Chang Meili and that she had been sent down to this very village. The Changs had even asked them to look after the two girls.

If he remembered correctly, Chang Meili’s cousin had a marriage arrangement as well—with one of the male educated youths who came down with her.

Xie Yu’s expression darkened briefly before something was stuffed into his hands.
“Here. Eat.”
Chang Suisui didn’t answer his earlier question, casually diverting the topic.

Xie Yu looked helplessly at the meat buns in his hands. “Comrade Chang, take these back. I don’t need them.”
Meat was hard to come by these days, and he didn’t want to take her rations.

“You’re… rejecting me?”
Her eyes welled up instantly, her expression making it clear that if he dared nod, she’d burst into tears on the spot.

Whatever explanation Xie Yu had been about to offer vanished in an instant. “No, I’m not.”
“Then eat.”

Chang Suisui pouted, her watery eyes still glimmering.
Xie Yu finally gave in and took a bite of the meat bun. The soft, savory filling melted in his mouth—he was unexpectedly impressed.

Seeing that, Chang Suisui shoved the military flask into his hand. “Drink plenty of water. I made this with medicinal herbs. It’ll help your leg injury.”

This time, Xie Yu didn’t refuse. He had already eaten the buns—might as well drink the water. He could just find a way to repay her later.

He hadn’t planned to use his old connections again, but now it seemed… he might have to do something for this little girl.

While he ate, Chang Suisui quietly examined his body with her powers.
His leg injury was strange—the bones had healed, but the nerves hadn’t reconnected, explaining his paralysis.

The water he’d just drunk had been made with spring water from her spatial dimension. She’d added half a leaf of kuding tea to make it more bitter and believable. It might not taste good, but it would definitely help heal old injuries. As for his nerve damage, it would take at least a year or two of drinking the spring water regularly to fully restore.

That said, if she used her powers directly, it would take mere minutes to fix.
But nerve healing consumed a tremendous amount of her energy. At her current level, she might only be able to heal one of his legs.

What could she do to replenish her powers?

Chang Suisui frowned, her pretty little face wrinkling like a bitter melon.
Xie Yu finished the buns in a few bites and drank half the flask of water. He then looked at Chang Suisui. Was it his imagination, or did his whole body feel warmer? His legs especially—it was a strange sensation.

Could the medicine really be this effective?

He glanced at his legs, then the water flask, and was just about to ask when he saw her little scrunched-up face.
Unable to help himself, Xie Yu chuckled softly. “Don’t worry. Even if my legs can’t be cured, it’s okay. I’ve come to terms with it a long time ago. You don’t need to trouble yourself this much.”

“You don’t get to decide whether it can be cured or not. I want to try.”

Chang Suisui pulled out a pack of silver needles from her bag and began placing them into the acupuncture points on Xie Yu’s legs.

Before she had awakened her powers, she had been a well-known traditional Chinese medicine doctor. A simple round of needle therapy to maintain his condition was easy work.

Thirty minutes later, she removed the last needle—then casually pinched his thigh.

“Hiss—!”
Xie Yu sucked in a sharp breath and then froze.

He could feel his legs?!

Though it wasn’t a strong sensation and he still couldn’t move, there was a faint but undeniable feeling of pain.

Xie Yu looked at Chang Suisui in shock and joy—only to hear her soft little voice—