Chapter 284: Extreme Cold 30

"Dad, Dad."

Leo went forward and shook his sleeping father awake. The old man opened his eyes, looking at the crowd in confusion.

"I don’t believe we’ve gotten your names."

"My name is Evelyn Ford, and this is my boyfriend, Ronan Kendrick. You can just call us by our names."

"Alright, Evelyn. Could you please take a look at my uncle?"

The room was very dim, with a coal stove providing the only light.

"Don’t just stand in the doorway. Do you have a kerosene lamp?"

"Everyone, spread out. Don’t block the way," Drake said with a wave of his hand. Everyone except Leo left.

"Evelyn, our base doesn’t have much of anything. Should we move my uncle outside?"

"It’s too cold outside. His body can’t take it. I’ll go get my medical kit."

Evelyn Ford returned to the vehicle to get her medical case. Inside was an old-fashioned, battery-powered flashlight.

Back in the earthen house, Evelyn turned on the flashlight and handed it to Ronan Kendrick, asking him to hold it for light.

Besides a bottle of hydrogen peroxide, there was no other medicine in the case. However, the sight of a scalpel was enough to convince Drake and Leo that Evelyn was indeed a doctor.

"Both of his lower legs are severely injured. The left one is fractured and was never set properly. The right was punctured by a sharp, rusty object and was never treated correctly, which led to infection. Both legs are swollen and festering, and the nerves are necrotic. If we don’t amputate, the only option is debridement—scraping the dead flesh away."

"Will my dad be able to stand again?"

Evelyn shook her head. "I can’t guarantee that, but I can clean out the rotten tissue."

"Evelyn, we’re counting on you." Drake pulled Leo back, stopping him from saying any more.

Evelyn nodded. "You two should go outside for now. I just need Ronan Kendrick here to help me. Talk to your father and tell him not to be afraid. I’ll do my best."

The old man had actually heard everything clearly. He held out no hope for his legs and simply pleaded with Evelyn for some painkillers.

"Dad, Dr. Ford doesn’t have any medicine, but she can clear out the dead flesh for you. Once new tissue grows back, your legs won’t hurt anymore. And I have good news—we have sheep now! Five big, fat ones!"

Evelyn put on her gloves. After Leo and Drake had left, she took out a pill and gave it to the old man. Once he fell into a deep sleep, she began to treat his infected legs.

"This is really severe. I don’t know if new flesh will even be able to grow."

"The nerves are already dead. Amputation is the best option," Ronan Kendrick said calmly.

Evelyn shook her head. "The cost of amputation is too high."

After disinfecting the area, Evelyn took out her scalpel. The process of scraping the flesh was a true test of one’s fortitude. The rotting meat was like a decade-old cured ham, its surface covered in mold and reeking of a thick, foul stench.

An hour later, Evelyn had finished treating and bandaging the infected legs. She let the others back in. The rotten smell still hung heavy in the air, and the debrided flesh sat in a basin.

"It’s done."

Evelyn left the hydrogen peroxide for Leo, along with three packets of Chinese herbs.

Drake had someone bring over several hundred pounds of sweet potatoes and cassava, along with three barrels of sweet potato wine. Evelyn didn’t stand on ceremony and accepted it all.

"If you’re willing, you’re welcome to stay. There are some empty houses in the base you can use."

"Thank you for your kindness, but we can’t stay."

They moved the goods to their vehicle. After Leo’s father woke up, Evelyn and Ronan prepared to leave. Just then, a few small children ran over to see the old man.

"Those are the kids my uncle saved. A year ago, a wild boar charged and started attacking people. He broke his leg protecting them."

The children were all thin and frail, their clothes tattered. One of them had a constant runny nose from the cold.

「Half an hour later.」

The old man woke up. Leo immediately gave him the brewed herbal medicine to drink. Seeing his father’s condition improve, Leo tried to kneel to Evelyn again, but thankfully, she was quick enough to pull him up.

"Since he’s awake now, we should be going."

"I’ll see you out." Although Drake was disappointed they couldn’t convince the pair to stay, he didn’t press the issue.

As they walked out of the base, the old man at the gate put away his long rifle. Evelyn waved to them, and the two of them, leading the Mammoth and their bartered food, hurried back toward the small forest.

Evelyn kept out five hundred pounds of sweet potatoes and five hundred pounds of cassava, storing the rest in her space. She also kept twenty pounds of the sweet potato wine. Cassava is poisonous, but once prepared properly, it is very filling. She planned to keep some in her space and try planting it when they reached Frelia.

"It’s getting dark. We probably have another three hours to go."

Evelyn had the Mammoth stop. She took out some branches and water, letting it eat and drink its fill before they continued on their way.

’It’s not every day you meet good people.’

Ronan Kendrick saw the excited look on her face and sat beside her, watching her intently.

"What is it?"

"Hungry."

Evelyn was suddenly hit with the realization that they hadn’t eaten all day. She rushed over and hugged Ronan Kendrick.

"I’m sorry, I completely forgot about eating."

She took out food and water, and the two quickly ate dinner. Despite having rushed around all day and even performing surgery, Evelyn didn’t feel tired. In fact, she was quite excited.

"What a haul! They must have a decent stockpile, or they wouldn’t have traded us so much food. There’s probably a coal mine nearby. They were all using honeycomb briquettes."

Evelyn poured two glasses of the sweet potato wine and took a sip. It tasted exceptionally good, and the aroma filled the entire vehicle cabin.

"This wine is strong."

Worried that Evelyn might get drunk, Ronan only let her have one sip. His own tolerance for alcohol was average at best, so he didn’t dare drink much either.

「Three hours later.」

In the dead of night, the two returned to the small forest. The others were all still awake and ran out when they heard the noise. Everyone breathed a sigh of relief seeing them return safely.

"We were worried sick! Thank goodness you’re okay."

Evelyn smiled. "We came back with a full load. We traded for five hundred pounds of sweet potatoes, five hundred pounds of cassava, and twenty pounds of sweet potato wine."

Everyone was stunned for a moment. It wasn’t until Ronan Kendrick started unloading the sweet potatoes and they saw the sacks of them that Quincy suddenly rushed over and hugged Ronan, completely catching him off guard.

"It’s really sweet potatoes and cassava! You guys are amazing! You actually managed to trade for food! A thousand pounds! This will last us all the way to Frelia!"

Ronan Kendrick quickly shoved him away, brushing off his clothes with a disgusted look.

"These sweet potatoes are huge! And they smell so good. They must be the honey-sweet kind. The cassava is massive, too. But isn’t cassava poisonous? How do you prepare it?"

"Peel the skin and soak it in water for an hour, and the poison will be gone. You can steam the cassava or grind it into flour."

Everyone moved the sweet potatoes and cassava into a shipping container and started making dinner. Evelyn then told them about the base.

"There aren’t many people there. The person in charge right now is a man named Drake. He said that three years ago, it rained acid in Khoros for a whole month, killing tens of thousands. His group moved in afterward."

Hearing this news, the mood instantly plummeted.

"So the north is just as miserable... sigh."