NovelEnglish
Ian shrugged his shoulders helplessly and looked at Leah. His eyes were full of tenderness
as he said, “I wish to accompany Sarah as I’m not comfortable leaving her alone.
However, I’m occupied at work.”
“Tsk tsk. Look at the lovebirds.”
“Someone has finally captured the heart of our school hunk. So many girls are going to
have their hearts broken.”
The men at the table chatted merrily and teased Ian and Leah. In contrast, the two female
volunteers had bitter expressions and hardly consumed any food.
“Why aren’t you eating?” Bryan asked in concern when he noticed the women’s odd
attitude.
The lady with curly hair, Rebecca Patel, forced a smile and said, “It’s all right. I can’t take
spicy food.”
Ian said apologetically, “I’m sorry, I selected this restaurant as Sarah likes the food here. I
forget to ask for your preferences.”
Rebecca scowled, her eyes glistening as she tried to fight back her tears. While Leah failed
to notice the woman’s annoyance, Serena did. She smirked as she realized she had
discovered a secret.
When dinner was coming toward the end, Sunny and the rest gave a toast to Ian. After
downing three glasses of alcohol, Ian said, “Although I’m unable to join the trip, I’m
confident that you guys will look after Sarah for me. She has a weak physique, so I’m
worried that she’s unable to adapt to the harsh conditions there. Do keep me informed if
there’s an emergency.”
“Of course, we will. We have been friends for so long, Ian. We’ll definitely take good care
Follow on NovᴇlEnglish.nᴇtof your fiancee.” Bryan, who was slightly intoxicated, pounded his chest and assured.
Sunny, on the other hand, was unusually silent. His face flushed and his eyes were hollow
as if he was deep in thought.
Once they had eaten their fill, Sunny stood up and announced, “I’ll be heading to the
restroom.”
“Me too!” Rebecca followed Sunny closed behind as they made their way toward the
restroom. However, once the duo was close to the restroom, they made a detour and hid
in an isolated corner.
“What’s with your expression earlier? Didn’t I tell you to get into the woman’s good
books?” Sunny glared at Rebecca and chided her.
The woman’s expression turned solemn and she bit her lip hard. She replied bitterly, “I
didn’t mean to defy your instructions. I couldn’t help myself when I saw how well Ian
treated that woman.”
Sunny frowned and looked at Rebecca with disdain. “You can’t control yourself just
because of that?” I warned you a long time ago to get lost if you are not up to the task!
Don’t you dare to mess things up for me. Do you know what happens if you make a
mistake?”
Sunny sighed in fear of incurring Rebecca’s wrath as he noticed her face turning crimson
with rage. “Don’t blame me for being blunt,” he softened his tone. “I’m just being honest
and speaking up for your sake.”
“Don’t act so righteous, you only care about your own interest. We are in the same
precarious situation now,” Rebecca clenched her jaws and hissed.
Anger thrummed through Sunny’s veins when he heard Rebecca’s threats. However, he
had no choice but to control his temper. The man sighed before urging, “Just bear with it
for a while longer. Once we reach the village, we’ll be in control of the situation.”
Rebecca’s face scrunched up as resentment festered in her. Eventually, she swallowed
down her frustration and nodded her head silently. After chatting for a while, they returned
to the restaurant.
Sunny and Rebecca did not know that their every move was being watched. After they
made their way back to the restaurant, a tall dark figure stepped out of the shadows. He
frowned as he watched the duo disappear from sight. After a brief pause, he took out his
phone and made a call. “Check this for me…”
Rock Hill Village was located in Abingdon, a town that was famous for being embedded in
the mountains. There were approximately seven to eight villages like Rock Hill Village
located across the area. However, each of the villages was located a few hundred miles
away.
In the charted bus, the group was listening intently to Sunny’s enthusiastic introduction of
Rock Hill Village. Leah was nonchalant about staying in an underdeveloped location as she
had endured hardships before she married Han. Serena, on the other hand, was a
pampered child. It was her first time sitting on a bumpy and uncomfortable bus ride. Her
face was drained of color as she leaned on Leah’s shoulders for support.
“We’re on our way to the school where we’ll be doing volunteer teaching. It’s the only
school within a ten-mile radius. All of the children from the eight villages will attend school
here,” Sunny announced with a grin.
Bryan was intrigued because it was his first visit. Hence, he inquired further, “They walk a
few miles a day just to get to school?”
Rebecca added in confusion, “Would all the students be taught the same curriculum
then?”
Sunny sighed and explained, “Unfortunately, that is the case. The villages are run-down
and backward. As a result, those locals with some form of education would strive to leave
Follow on Novᴇl-Onlinᴇ.cᴏmtheir village and find work elsewhere. As a result, there are very few teachers available. In
addition, the school is poorly resourced. Please be prepared for a challenging experience
while volunteering to teach here.”
“What could be more difficult than this bus ride? Ahh…” Serena’s speech was cut short
due to nausea. Leah hurriedly patted her back to ease her discomfort.
After a four-hour journey, the bus came to stop as it was unable to ride through the narrow
street.
“All right, we’ll have to go by foot from now on. Please get your belongings and let’s
prepare to head to the village,” Sunny informed.
Serena immediately straightened up when she heard that they could get off the bus. She
went on to fetch her belongings as instructed.
At the village’s entrance, two men and four women awaited the group. The apparent
leader looked radiant and he was dressed simply but presentable.
“Welcome to Rock Hill Village, Teachers. I’m the village head, Agus Welton,” the man
grinned and said merrily.
Sunny stepped forward and gave the man a firm handshake. “Hello, Chief Welton. Sorry
for the long wait.”
Agus signaled the villagers beside him as he spoke, “It’s all right. I’m sure you have
brought along many things. Let me send some help.”
Serena had the most belongings in the entire group. She had three pieces of luggage and
numerous bags of snacks. In addition, she had brought along a barbeque rack, as though
she was on a holiday. The most important item was a white pouch that carried all her
valued skin products.
Serena was still dazed from the earlier bus ride. To her dismay, she witnessed a burly
woman grab her bag and search through it, muttering to herself.
“Hey! Stop touching my things!” Serena shrieked.
Visit our social media platform to read fascinating stories every day and connect with the community!
