Chapter 19: The Saved Boy Is His Nephew

People who knew Stephanie knew that she had been in poor health since childhood. Abbey and another girl immediately supported Stephanie, saying worriedly, “Stephie, are you alright?”

“Why did you have a heart attack all of a sudden?”

Stephanie, pale and weak, said, seeing Lawson’s concern, “I don’t know. It just hurts.”

Lawson, unconcerned about the soaked Myrna, carried Stephanie with a tense face, saying to Abbey, “I’ll take her to the hospital.”

“We’ll go with you.”

Abbey and her friends, scolded by the old man, no longer felt comfortable staying. They followed Lawson. Lawson and Stephanie left immediately, with a few people trailing behind.

Myrna removed the equipment from the boy’s neck after seeing him spit out all the water. She sighed in relief. Only then did she feel a burning pain in her neck. She touched the injured area, lowered her head, and saw blood on her hand. It must have been from the child scratching her in panic.

The old man, who had just reprimanded Stephanie, noticed the wound on Myrna’s neck and said worriedly, “Young lady, your neck is scratched. You should have it disinfected at the hospital!”

Myrna was unconcerned about the small amount of blood. She regularly transfused blood to Stephanie each month to keep her alive; this minor injury meant nothing to her.

“I’m fine.”

The old man, still worried, followed her, saying, “You should have a doctor examine the wound. The river water is dirty, and the wound is on your neck. Things will get worse if it becomes infected.”

“Young lady, did you learn traditional medicine? Your skills show you’re experienced, yet you seem to be a university student. Do you have a family member who is a doctor? Is that your grandfather or grandmother?”

In the old man’s generation, those skilled in traditional medicine were highly respected, and most people trusted traditional treatments. However, as technology advanced, modern medicine gradually replaced traditional methods. He saw Myrna skillfully treating the boy using traditional methods, noting her youth. Therefore, he asked out of curiosity.

“It’s not like that. I just treated him; I got lucky.”

Myrna, experiencing a buzzing sound, took out tissues from her bag and wiped the blood from her neck, her head aching. She replied absentmindedly to the old man. She had saved the boy, but she needed to go to school tomorrow for a purchase!

At that moment, the crowd erupted in an uproar, as if someone had intruded. Before Myrna could look up, she heard a familiar voice, “Myrna?”

What was that voice? Myrna looked in the direction of the voice and felt a splitting headache. Why was it Blake’s “friend” again?

Calvin rushed over. Seeing the crowd gathered under the bridge, he knew Alfredo must be there. He feared bad news but forced himself to approach. The situation was better than he expected. Alfredo was lying on the ground, eyes closed, but breathing. He curled up, spitting out water.

Near Alfredo was a drenched girl. Her exceptionally fair skin appeared almost transparent. Her black hair clung to her pale neck, her wet clothes outlining her curvaceous form. She looked over in surprise with dark eyes when she heard his voice, but seemed a bit impatient.

Calvin was surprised by the scene. His people examined Alfredo and reported to Calvin in relief, “Mr. Larson, Alfredo is fine. He wasn’t in the water long and was saved in time. He just choked on too much water and fainted.”