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John told the villagers to go back and get some rest, as well as instructing those who would leave with him to settle
things with their family during the next few days. After the crowd dispersed, Sophia finally relaxed her shoulders.
Upon heaving a sigh, she noticed that her stomach was a little upset. She quickly surmised that her tantrum
must’ve affected her child, which prompted her to sit down hastily to get some rest.
Meanwhile, John went over to hold her in his arms before consoling her in a soothing voice. “I am here, so you have
nothing to worry about. Nothing will go wrong.”
Instead of pushing him away, Sophia squeezed his shirt in her palms while gritting her teeth. “Why is he like that?”
She didn’t understand why someone as lowly as Walter was her father. Furthermore, she was extremely
disappointed in him.
Her grandfather used to serve in the military, which shaped him into a fair and just man. Even during the harsh
times, never once did his morals sway. Also, she never committed any outrageous crimes in the course of her life,
so she should count as a good citizen.
However, both instances only served to further confuse her as to why her grandfather and her would have
someone like Walter as a son and a father respectively.
In the meantime, John wasn’t quite sure how to console her, so he could only keep her company while holding her
in his arms. After a while, he carried her into the house. Lying in bed, Sophia curled herself up into a ball, seemingly
in low spirits.
John waited until she dozed off before leaving for the yard, where he brooded for a while, then left the house
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There were only dozens of households within the village, and with how small it was, one could see from one end of
the village to the other end. Seeing that he broke Walter’s finger, he guessed that the latter should either be
seeking a doctor outside the village, or have someone check on it within the village.
He wasn’t sure if there was a clinic in the village, so he headed toward the entrance to check on the road that
would lead outside the village.
Seeing that Walter was nowhere to be seen on the straight road, he checked on the other roads one by one before
finally finding Walter outside a house at the south side of the village. As if having predicted Walter’s course of
action, the villagers who were outside Sophia’s house were now gathered there, so the site was now buzzing with
activity.
Jeering, the crowd told Oscar to not treat Walter’s wounds as the latter brought it upon himself, and that he should
have all of his fingers broken. Meanwhile, Walter seemed to have sprang back to life as he shot insults back at the
villagers. Despite being alone, he was so ferocious that he could easily hold himself against a bunch of people in a
verbal fight.
All the while, old Oscar was plopped on the stool under the window while smoking on his tobacco in silence. Walter
seemed to be exhausted after lashing out non-stop, so he turned to look at Oscar. “Mr. Wilde, please check on my
finger! It’s already numb, so do you think I should bandage it up with some herbs?”
Seemingly unaware of Walter’s predicament, Oscar puffed on his tobacco before saying, “Ten years ago, we had a
poor harvest because of bad weather. Our village didn’t have a lot of crops that we could sell, as we only had
enough to sustain ourselves.
However, your father wanted to send little Sophia to school, so he had to go foraging in the mountains to find things
that he could sell. Even the storm didn’t deter him, but he fell off a slippery slope and broke his leg. It was way
worse than the injury on your finger.”
Still puffing on his tobacco, Oscar continued, “I told him that he needed to go to the hospital, as my herbal medicine
wouldn’t be of help. If he wasn’t careful about it, he might end up becoming disabled.
However, your father didn’t want to pay for the medical bills, so I wound up having to treat him for a month using
herbs. Although he healed, he was left with a limp ever since then.”
A few of the villagers were so riled up upon hearing about it, so they were starting to lash out at Walter again, while
the latter clutched onto his hand in silence. Lifting his head to glance at Walter, Oscar made his decision.
“Your wound is nothing compared to his, so don’t even come to me for treatment. Walter, I am not trying to be
cruel, but if I treated you, I wouldn’t be able to face your father when I see him in the afterlife. Don’t expect me to
waste my precious herbs on you, you piece of trash.”
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