Chapter 162

Shermaine made breakfast. There was leftover stew from last night, which she reheated. She also made a pie after seeing some flour.

When Joshua got up, he seemed sluggish, as if he hadn’t slept well. He asked, “Sheary, when do you plan to go back to Basterel?”

They had been out for a few days, and now that they had gotten Kingston, the matter was considered resolved.

Shermaine replied, “I’ll go see Bianca first.” She was still thinking about the scrolls Bianca had mentioned and wanted to learn some cursing skills.

This time, Joshua didn’t follow her. After breakfast, he intended to sleep a bit more to regain his energy.

The weather was nice that day. As Shermaine walked toward the mountains, she nearly reached the halfway point when she saw Bianca, carrying her granddaughter Chloe on her back and leaning on a cane, rushing down the mountain in a hurry.

Chloe, who was strapped to Bianca’s waist, looked pale and lifeless due to her illness.

She had a fever last night that hadn’t subsided, and her breathing was very weak. Bianca needed to take her to the town hospital for a routine check–up and treatment.

Bianca was particularly anxious. “You came just in time. Did you drive into the village? Have the young man who followed you last night take us to the town hospital.”

Shermaine asked directly, “What’s the illness?”

“Congenital heart disease,” Bianca said.

Shermaine took Chloe’s pulse. Fortunately, it was just a fever; there was no abnormality with her heart. “Take her back to the house and let her lie down. Her heart is fine. She just has a fever. She’ll be okay once the fever breaks.”

“But the medicine she took didn’t bring the fever down,” Bianca said.

“Use physical cooling methods,” Shermaine said.

Shermaine knew medicine, and Bianca trusted her. Following her advice, Bianca took Chloe back to the house and laid her on the bed.

“Is there any alcohol?” Shermaine asked.

“Yes,” Bianca said.

“Bring it here,” Shermaine said.

After Bianca brought the alcohol, Shermaine instructed her to wipe Chloe’s neck, groin, and armpits with the alcohol and to place a cool towel on her forehead.

After doing all this, Shermaine also said, “Bring me her medical records.”

Bianca had them with her and took them out from her canvas bag, handing them over.

Shermaine reviewed the records. Congenital heart disease was not difficult to treat with current medical standards. Chloe’s condition could be cured with surgery, but since she had been weak since childhood, the risk of going under the knife was high.

Before that, they needed to strengthen her body. “Chloe is so frail. Why didn’t you take care of her health?”

“I did. She took medicine every day,” Bianca said.

“Did you prescribe it yourself?” Shermaine asked.

Blanca shook her head. “Although Mysonnian doctors are also doctors, compared to healing and harming, we tend more toward the latter a to prescribe medicine for Chloe casually. That was prescribed by a doctor in the city.”

She leaned on her cane. “Do you think I wanted to fight you for that 1,000–year–old ginseng last time? I wanted to cook it for Chloe to eat.”

“Do you think eating it would make her better?” Shermaine confirmed that Bianca wasn’t very good at healing.

Shermaine flipped to the back of the traditional medicine prescription. The doctor who wrote this prescription was average; no wonder Chloe didn’t get better after taking it, and it even damaged her health.

“Teach me cursing skills, and I’ll take care of Chloe’s illness,” said Shermaine.

“Shermaine, can you really cure Chloe’s illness?” Bianca asked.

“I never joke about a patient’s life,” Shermaine said.

Bianca believed in Shermaine’s abilities and agreed without hesitation. “It’s a deal.”

It just so happened that she was getting old and wanted to take on an apprentice. She had actually had the thought long before.

When Joshua found out that Shermaine might have to stay in Xenhall for a long time, he didn’t object.

He quietly prepared everything she would need to stay here, including building a signal tower so that she could have a signal to contact the outside world while she was here. And if he went back, he would be able to find Shermaine.

Building a signal tower was quite a complex project, but within just over a week, not only did Xenhall have a signal, but it also began to have electricity. For the Mysonnians in Xenhall, it was like a dream come true.

On the day Xenhall got electricity, Joshua could no longer stay.

Although Shermaine had been busy these past few days, often visiting Bianca and leaving him on his own, Joshua found the rural life surprisingly comfortable and pleasant.

If it weren’t for Basterel sending someone to urge him to return, he really wouldn’t want to leave.

For over a week, Shermaine hadn’t treated the poison on Kingston’s face. Now, half of his face was rotten and emitting a foul odor. When James dragged him into the car, he almost vomited from the stench.

Kingston, who hadn’t bathed for more than a week, was already quite slovenly, and the injuries on his face were severe. Anyone who looked at him for too long was afraid they would have nightmares.

The morning sun was spreading its light.

After breakfast, Joshua was ready to set off for Basterel. The journey was long, so he had to leave immediately.

At that moment, James had already loaded Joshua’s suitcase into the car. In the wooden cabin, only Shermaine and Joshua remained.

“Remember to water the vegetables I planted,” Joshua said.

Mentioning the vegetables, Shermaine couldn’t help but chuckle. When she had been too busy to pay attention to Joshua, he had actually started a vegetable garden in the backyard. The seedlings, grown for over a week, were doing quite well.

She curled her lips into a smile and replied, “Got it.”

She paused. “No other business, then you should go. I’ll see you off.”

Joshua, who had been sitting on the edge of the bed, reached out and pulled Shermaine back as she started to walk away. Shermaine tumbled into his arms and ended up sitting on his lap.

Come to think of it, their current way of interacting was a bit like that of a couple who had just started dating.

However, Shermaine hadn’t given Joshua any official title yet. So, his actions were restricted, and he had to be very restrained, unable to act on any of his desires.

He had promised, and he was responsible for his words. It had only been a short while, and he already wanted to transition from a nominal fiancé to Shermaine’s actual one. It was simply impossible.

‘Does he think it’s that easy to become my boyfriend?’ Shermaine thought to herself.

Shermaine’s eyes sparkled as she looked at Joshua. “What are you doing?”

“I’ll call you every day, Sheary,” Joshua said, holding Shermaine’s waist with a burning gaze.

Shermaine laughed. “Once a day? Mr. York, you don’t have to be that eager.”

Joshua pinched her ear, his voice low and gentle. “When it comes to becoming your boyfriend, I’ve always been very eager.”

Shermaine pursed her lips. “You can worry about that when you have the time.” They had been in the countryside for nearly two weeks, and he was going to be busy with work when he got back.

No matter how busy he was, he would always find time to call Shermaine. Joshua’s eyes deepened as he changed the subject. “Sheary, do you remember that time skiing when you owed me something?”

Shermaine naturally remembered. She had wanted to split the money with him, but he refused, instead promising that if there was something he wanted, he could take it from her.

“What do you want?” she said.

Joshua smiled and said, “A kiss from you.”