“Really, Miss? Can you cure my sister’s illness?”
“Let me take a look first.”
She hadn’t seen the little girl’s condition yet, so it would be false to say she could definitely save her.
But as long as there was a glimmer of hope, Cheyenne wouldn’t give up.
“Okay, as long as you can help cure my sister, I’ll take you to find those ghosts. Even if they eat me, I’m willing.”
Mike said excitedly, treating Cheyenne as his only hope.
“Don’t worry, I will do my best.”
With Mike’s help, they learned that the grandfather’s name was Maxim, eighty-five years old this year.
Due to living in such a hot and humid place for years, he suffered from severe rheumatism.
And Baylee’s illness was caused by witnessing her father’s death at the age of three, and her mother abandoning them, which made her melancholic.
After that, she fell seriously ill.
She never spoke again.
“Baylee, don’t be afraid, you can call me sister. Sister is not a bad person, let me take a look at you, okay?”
Baylee timidly stared at her with her bright eyes, her small hands still nervously gripping her grandfather’s arm.
“Grandpa.”
“Don’t be afraid, she’s a good person.”
Encouraged by her grandfather and brother, little Baylee finally mustered the courage to take the first step.
She tremblingly reached out her hand to Cheyenne.
Compared to her brother, Baylee was much thinner, and holding her hand felt as delicate as cat’s paws.
Even the veins on her hand were clearly visible.
Cheyenne felt a tinge of sadness at the sight, children without parents were truly pitiful, but fortunately Baylee had a loving brother and grandfather.
She gently extended two fingers to touch her wrist and carefully examined her pulse for a while.
This kind of treatment was very special for the grandfather and grandson; they had never seen it before.
“Sister, what are you doing?”
“When I was a child, I went to the hospital with my dad on the shore, and they would put a round thing on the patient’s chest.”
Leandro stroked his beard and smiled lightly, saying, “You’re talking about a stethoscope, only Western doctors need such instruments.”
“Our traditional medicine is much more powerful than Western medicine. We only need to observe, smell, ask, and feel to understand the patient’s condition.”
“Just like… what Cheyenne is doing.”
Mike nodded as if he understood, suddenly enlightened.
“Oh, so this is traditional medicine. It’s really amazing. When I grow up, I want to learn traditional medicine too.”
Upon hearing this, Leandro lovingly patted his little head.
“That’s possible. As long as you have talent, I’m willing to take you as my apprentice. But are you willing to leave here with me?”
“No, my sister and grandfather are still here.”
What would happen to them if he left?
“Good boy, filial and responsible, you’re a good kid. I won’t force you, let’s talk about it later.”
“Don’t make noise now, Cheyenne is examining the patient.”
“Okay.”
After a preliminary examination, Cheyenne found that the child’s body was simply weak due to long-term malnutrition.
As for her inability to speak, it wasn’t due to any significant physical reasons.
“Cheyenne, how is this child?” Leandro asked curiously.
Cheyenne withdrew her hand, shook her head regretfully, and held her own conclusion.
“Her body doesn’t have any major issues. The reason she can’t speak should be psychological.”
“I think it’s probably because of her father’s death that she was frightened, so she developed an avoidance mentality, isolating herself from the outside world.”
Medical professionals know that physical ailments are easy to solve, but psychological ailments can only be dealt with by the individual.
“What she needs more is a psychologist, but this island is too desolate, only possible to find one on the mainland.”
The only thing they could do now was to give this child some food, at least to fill her stomach.
The news that his sister’s illness could be cured was good news for Mike;
But going to the mainland… put him in a dilemma again.
Grandpa is old and has rheumatism, making it difficult for him to walk; if they don’t go, maybe his sister won’t be able to speak for the rest of her life.
The biggest problem is that they have no money; if they reach the shore, how will the family make a living?
It’s pitiful that at such a young age, he has to bear so much pressure. Cheyenne smiled and gently pinched his little face.
“Alright, don’t think too much for now. Everything will get better in time.”
“As for your grandpa’s rheumatism, that’s more complicated. I’ll teach you about some herbs that can treat rheumatism tomorrow.”
“In the future, you just need to gather these herbs for him to take regularly.”
Mike gratefully held Cheyenne’s hand, his eyes red, and said, “Thank you, sister, you are as kind and beautiful as an angel in the sky.”
He heard from foreign tourists that angels are messengers of God.
They are usually female, wearing white dresses, and have wings on their backs.
Only kind and beautiful women can be called angels.
Cheyenne is the angel in his heart, even though she dresses quite shabbily, all in black.
On the other side, Kelvin, hearing this, saw this cheeky kid daring to hold his wife’s hand!
With a cold face, he walked up and pushed him away.
“At such a young age, he’s already so smooth-talking, he probably won’t be a good person in the future.”
“Go, find me an empty boat, and this money is yours.”
While speaking, he took out a $100 bill and handed it to him.
Mike was hesitant to accept it, but thinking about having to support his grandpa and sister, he took it.
He secretly vowed to repay Cheyenne well in the coming days.
They temporarily settled here, lacking everything around them except for empty boats.
They found an old fishing boat to live in temporarily, and Mike’s grandpa kindly gave them a few blankets.
There is no electricity here, so they use the oldest and most backward kerosene lamps for lighting at night.
While Mike was helping them make beds, he reminded carefully, “Sister, it’s cold here at night, and living on a boat makes it damp, so make sure to cover yourself well.”
“I’ll hang the lamp at the bow so it won’t accidentally tip over.”
“In our village, there were cases of people accidentally knocking over kerosene lamps and getting burned to death.”
The next day, the person looked miserable, with his face disfigured from the burns.
Listening to his nagging, Cheyenne felt heartbroken, truly reflecting the saying –
“The child of a poor family matures early.”
At the age of thirteen, he should still be in junior high school.
Most kids are raised by their parents, but Mike has to shoulder the responsibility of providing for his family.
Being both a father and mother to his sister.
Respecting his father and being dutiful to his grandpa.
Perhaps because Cheyenne herself has experienced hard times, she sympathizes with his situation.
“Alright, I understand, thank you, Mike.”
“It’s getting late, you should go rest now.”