Rhys felt relieved after hearing her words and seeing how they were getting along. He smiled and said, “That’s good. Even though I was telling the truth, I know it’s wrong to make you fight with each other. My mom told me not to say things that make others unhappy.”
Edward spoke up, “Then why were you saying that just now?”
Nanci tugged on his sleeve, making him close his mouth and give her a helpless look. She adjusted his tie gently and said, “You should go to work now. See you tonight.”
After Edward left, Nanci sat down at the dining table and looked seriously at the little boy in front of her. His attitude had completely changed from before, leaving her somewhat unprepared. Yesterday, he had been distant, but today, he apologized on his own accord, even saying it was his mother who taught him. She sighed and thought, “Everyone has their own struggles, including his mother. She must have been desperate and was taken advantage of by someone with ill intentions.”
The boy looked at her and asked, “Why did you sigh?”
“Nothing. Have you had enough to eat?”
The boy nodded eagerly and asked, “Can we start the treatment now? I want my mom to come back and see me healthy as soon as possible. I want to tell her personally that she doesn’t have to work so hard anymore and that I’ll be a man who protects her!”
Nanci patted his head and said, “What a filial child you are. Your mom will be proud t even though she’s not around. Let’s go sit on the sofa. I’ll get my tools to check on you.”
The boy obediently walked over and sat on the sofa, waiting for Nanci to treat him.
Nanci didn’t know why he was being so cooperative today. Jokingly, she said while carrying her toolbox, “Why are you so obedient today? Aren’t you afraid I’ll harm you? This is my house, so you thought if something happened to you here, no one would know, didn’t you?”
The boy confidently replied, “You won’t harm me because you’re a good person. Before my mom left, she told me to listen to you because you’d help me. At first, I thought you forced my mom to leave, so I had a bad attitude towards you. If you were really bad people, you wouldn’t care about me at all.”
Seeing how mature he was for his age made Nanci feel a pang of sadness.
She had lived a mature life herself before. He used to have a loving mother with him, but now…
“Alright, a kid shouldn’t think so much. I never really got angry with you. After all, I’m an adult. My job is to help cure your eyes. Just cooperate with me during the treatment.”
“Okay.”
Nanci took out a flashlight for a simple examination and saw some red veins in his eyes but found no major issues other than needing surgery.
The illness was easy to treat. It was just they couldn’t afford the medical expenses.
A wave of emotion surged within Nanci as she realized many patients in this world gave up on treatment due to the high costs of medication.
Nanci put down her tools and said to the boy, “It’s okay. Rest at home for a few days. I’ll get some herbal medicine for you from the clinic, then we’ll go to the hospital for a minor surgery.”
The boy couldn’t believe it and asked, “Is it really that simple? So if people who are poor get sick, do they have to die from it?”
Nanci frowned, unsure how to answer because she didn’t have the power to ensure everyone in the world could get timely treatment.
The boy’s voice rang out loudly. “In the future, I’ll make sure everyone can come to my clinic for free treatment! I’ll change this cruel world.”
Hearing such words from a child made Nanci smile. While she didn’t believe him, she didn’t show it. She simply said with a smile, “Alright then, I will help you when the time comes.”
“Adults are so hypocritical! Your face has already given you away! I’ve told you many times not to treat me like a child!”
Nanci felt helpless and thought she needed more practice hiding her emotions since even a child could see through her.
She earnestly said, “Then tell me why I should believe you. Have you ever studied herbal medicine?”
“I’ve taken it before.”
“Do you know about Cordyceps? Do you know what kind of herb it is?”
The boy shook his head and said, “I don’t know anything now, but I’m still young, and I can learn from scratch! Don’t underestimate me. You’ll see my achievements in the future.”
Nanci could only agree with him, “I’m looking forward to that day.”
Rhys suddenly noticed something at his feet, thinking it was a toy. He kicked it lightly, only to hear a pitiful cat yowl. “Meow!”
Quickly looking down, he saw a small cat glaring at him fiercely, as if ready to fight for its honor. He wanted to pick it up and comfort it, but the cat darted past him and jumped onto Nanci’s side.
Nanci stroked the cat’s fur and said to it, “It’s okay. This isn’t a bad person. He just didn’t see you. You shouldn’t suddenly appear at someone’s feet. Go on, get to know him. You’ll be spending time together from now on.”
The little boy walked over and asked, “Is this your cat? How long have you had her? She’s so cute! I’m really sorry, kitten. I didn’t mean to hurt you. Please forgive me!” He reached out to hug the cat.
Nanci worried the cat might scratch him and was about to intervene, but the cat jumped right into his arms. The boy’s face lit up with joy as he began chatting with the cat on the sofa.
“This cat is named Bella. She hasn’t been with us for long, but she’s very gentle. Just don’t bother her. She’s a female cat.”
“Bella, that’s a nice name.”
Nanci said proudly, “Of course! It was me who came up with such a great name!” Seeing the boy’s smiling face, she felt it was fine to leave him alone at home. She asked, “I have to step out for a bit. Do you want to come with me or stay here?”
“I’ll stay here. You go ahead.”
Nanci agreed, looking at him and the cat. “Alright, you two behave at home. I’ll be back soon. If anything comes up, you know where to find Jenny, right? Just ask her for help.” With that, she grabbed her car keys and headed out.
At Ross Clinic, Raul spotted her arrival, his eyes lighting up. He hurried over and greeted her warmly, “Ms. Ross, it’s been a while since you last came. What do you need today?”
Nanci shrugged nonchalantly. “Yeah, I’ve been a bit busy. Where’s Uncle Cameron? I never see him when I come by. Is he that busy?”
“Yeah, Mr. Ross is really dedicated to this clinic. Whenever he has free time, he goes to other markets to check on medicine prices and quality, and even some good formulas…”
“Got it. There are customers now. You should go back to your work. I’ll just grab a few things myself.”
Raul wanted to help her, but seeing the customers at the door, he could only give up on the idea.
Nanci picked up a paper bag, packed a few boxes of medicine, and waved goodbye to Raul as she left. He felt a wave of frustration as he turned to the customers, saying, “Sorry, our store is closed for a break. You might want to check elsewhere. We’ll be back in an hour.”
The two customers looked at him in confusion before muttering a curse and exiting the store. Someone nearby noticed the situation and asked, “Aren’t we open now? Why turn customers away? The manager won’t be happy about this.”
Raul replied, “As long as you don’t say anything, he’ll never know.”
The staff member, hearing this, could only turn and leave, not wanting to get into trouble, especially with their parents relying on his meager salary.
Raul gritted his teeth, muttering under his breath, “Why can’t you just look at me?”
…
Nanci left Ross Clinic and got back into her car, checking the time. It was still early, so she decided to visit Edward, stopping along the way to pick up lunch for the office.
Entering, she cheerfully called out, “Hey, handsome! The takeout’s here. How about a meal before you dive back into work? You still have time for lunch, right?”
“Of course! What brings you here? Didn’t you say you’d wait at home for me?”
“I thought I could catch you before you skipped lunch again. I stopped by Ross Clinic to pick up some medicine and figured I’d drop by and see you. Look! I caught you again! If you keep ignoring my warnings, I might not talk to you.”
Edward chuckled, “Well, I just wanted you to join me for lunch.”
“But I don’t want to come here every day! Hmph!”
Edward said gently, “I don’t want you to have to come here either. I don’t want you to get worn out. I promise I’ll eat on time from now on. Just stay home and take care of yourself.”
“You sure know how to sweet talk. Now eat up. I’ll head back soon and won’t disturb your work.”
After lunch, Nanci carefully cleaned up the table while Edward’s gaze remained fixed on her.
“Alright, you go back to work. I’ll be off. See you tonight!”
Edward pointed to his cheek, signaling her. Nanci smiled knowingly and planted a soft kiss on his face, waving goodbye as she left the office.
Back at home, Rhys was tired from playing with the cat when Jenny came out to prepare a meal. She kindly said, “Rhys, come eat!”
“But isn’t Nanci still out? Let’s wait for her to eat together.”
“Ms. Ross sent a message saying she had lunch at the office and told us to eat first, so you don’t have to worry about her. Now hurry over!”
Rhys looked at Jenny but eventually walked over and sat at the table.
Jenny chatted cheerfully, “Rhys, how do these dishes look? Since you just got here, I don’t know what you like. Try this beef stew-one of my specialties…”
Seeing her enthusiasm, Rhys felt reassured that she was a good person and began to eat heartily.
Jenny smiled as she watched him, constantly serving him more food. “Slow down! No one’s competing with you. You need to eat more to grow strong!”