Chapter 643

Chapter 643 Out Of Place

Upon hearing this, Blaine found himself in a dilemma. “I’m afraid that might be a bit tricky. Dr. Thomme resides in the dorm of the health center, along with the nurses who came to assist her.”

The underlying message was that, as a grown man, his presence at the girls‘ residence might not be entirely appropriate.

Josiah understood completely. “Don’t worry. I’ll just have a few words with Dr. Thorne. After that, I’ll leave.”

After all, this was a matter between the couple. Blaine reluctantly turned to Lysander, his expression showing considerable difficulty. He didn’t want to offend Josiah, a rare and sincere donor, but he had to consider the feelings of Lysander and her team.

After Lysander finished her chocolate, she was aware that Josiah was not someone who could be easily dismissed. Therefore, she took the initiative and said, “Mr. Alvarez, you carry on with your work. I’ll take him for a walk.”

The two of them retraced the path Lysander had taken, eventually returning to the health center.

When Josiah caught sight of the two–story building ahead, he already felt that the conditions here were quite challenging. However, upon getting a clearer view of what was referred to as the dorm, he furrowed his brows unconsciously.

Lysander was concerned that the nurses might be inconvenienced inside, so she said to him, “You wait here for a bit.”

Instead of questioning her, Josiah simply stopped in his tracks. He waited until she pushed open the dorm door and peeked inside before returning to invite him in. Only then did he step into the dorm.

The homes that the villagers had built themselves mirrored the structure of their own residences. They had even used sturdier bricks with the intention of providing insulation against the wind. In contrast, the door frames were significantly lower.

When Lysander and the nurses entered, they were unaffected. However, it was a different story for Josiah. He had to lower his head to get in. Yet, in the next moment, he still ended up bumping solidly into the second–level guardrail of the bunk bed placed near the door.

The lighting in the cramped room was far from ideal. He hadn’t mentally prepared himself, and it had never occurred to him that the bunk bed would be placed so close to the door.

As a result, a solid thud resonated within the dorm.

Unable to pretend she hadn’t heard, Lysander turned around and asked, “What’s wrong?”

Josiah refused to show weaknes

in front of her. As he sidestepped the bunk bed and moved further into the room, he drew in a sharp breath to suppress the pain, saying, “It’s nothing. It was just a minor bump-

His words abruptly came to a halt as he accidentally knocked over the hot water bottle on the ground while stepping forward. The water inside spilled all over his trouser cuffs.

Lysander wore an expression of subtle helplessness. “Are you all right?”

sinh miabad in the foll… L

-l.. at the mom

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Chapter 643 Out Of Place

okay. I’m fine. The water inside was cold… Do you have a mop around here?” he asked.

Finished

The room was only so big that one could take it all in with a single glance. It didn’t seem like a place where a mop would be found.

Lysander glanced at the red bricks on the ground and said, “It’s fine. Don’t worry about it. The floor here is paved with leftover bricks from the construction. The ground underneath is the same as outside, so the water will seep through on its own. Also, the water in the hot water bottle was filled yesterday. Hence, the water had turned cold.”

Upon hearing these words, Josiah felt the dorm conditions worsen. As he stood inside the room, scanning his surroundings, he couldn’t help but feel a pang of sorrow. He wondered how Lysander had managed to live in such conditions for so long.

Lysander didn’t find it particularly hard to bear, but seeing him standing awkwardly to avoid touching anything, she said. “If you have something to say, sit down. Don’t just stand there.”

Josiah glanced around, unsure of whether to speak up.

The table inside the house was filled with agricultural products that the villagers had delivered in the morning. There was hardly any space left for him to sit.

Understanding the reason behind his silence, Lysander pointed to the lower bunk on the left and said, “That’s my bed. Why don’t you take a seat for a while?”

Josiah glanced at the neatly made bed, shaking his head as he said, “No worries. I’m fine standing. Back at home, you always disliked it when someone sat on your bed in their outdoor clothes.”

Although Lysander never openly showed her distaste or voiced it out, whenever someone acted in such a manner, she would wait until they left and then change the entire set of beddings herself.

Having been a doctor for so many years, she eventually developed mysophobia.

To Lysander’s surprise, Josiah still remembered such trivial matters. She laughed helplessly and uttered, “What do you think this place is? I came here to provide support, not to enjoy myself. Given the conditions of the health center, there’s no need for fuss.”

Only then did Josiah settle himself down by the edge of the bed.

Lysander treated him as a guest, picking up the empty hot water bottle and heading out. “I’ll

go

heat up

some water.”

Outside the dorm, there was a hand–washing basin constructed of cement. It was fitted with a faucet that was connected to a well. When turned on, one had to hold a jug underneath it for quite some time before it would be filled.

Josiah assumed that Lysander was going to take it elsewhere to boil water. However, she simply went back into the room and retrieved an immersion heater to use.

Such water–heating appliances had been phased out in the city for many years.

Lysander saw the complex expression on Josiah’s face and said lightly. “The world is vast. Many people live in ways you don’t understand. It’s just a tool for boiling water. Isn’t it enough that it can boil water?”

Josiah gave a slight nod, a hint of worry in his voice as he asked, “Is it safe when electrical appliances come

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Chapter 643 Out Of Place

into contact with water?”

91%

Finished

“If someone’s keeping an eye on it, it’s quite safe. This thing boils water quickly.” Once the water was boiling, Lysander immediately unplugged the device. She then grabbed one of the few remaining paper cups in the house, filled it almost to the brim with water, and handed it over, saying, “There’s no coffee here, so you’ll have to make do with plain water for now.”

Josiah quickly assured, “Plain water is just fine.”

He noticed that the water in the paper cup was still quite hot, so he held it by the edge and blew on it.

Lysander took the opportunity to remind him, “The villagers here drink well water, so even if it’s boiled, it still has a strong salty taste. If you really can’t get used to it, you might want to wait until you get

back to the city to buy some bottled water.”

This was a subtle suggestion for him to return as soon as possible,

he promptly drained the

Once the water Josiah was waiting for had cooled to a drinkable temperature paper cup in one gulp. Then, looking earnestly into Lysander’s eyes, he said, “I don’t need any bottled water. If you can drink the water, then I can, too.”

He tried his best to hide any signs of discomfort, but the slight furrow in his brow betrayed his true feelings at that moment.

In a very considerate manner, Lysander pretended not to notice, deftly changing the subject by asking, “How did you know I was here?”

Given Josiah’s capabilities, it wouldn’t have been difficult to track her whereabouts. He was simply an order away from locating her. However, his claim of it being a coincidence suggested it was likely the truth.

Suppressing the bitterness brought on by the taste of salt and alkali, Josiah eloquently recounted the twists and turns of the period.

“After you left, I went to see your Dr. Ziegler,” Josiah said.

“Did the Dr. Ziegler tell you?”

“Even Dr. Ziegler only knew that the state was pulling staff from various hospitals to provide medical support in remote areas. As for which town or village you were assigned to, he wasn’t sure.”

Lysander gave a nod.

She had gone there with the intention of wanting some solitude, so when she received her assignment, she didn’t tell anyone else. She simply packed up a bit and went over.

“So, how did you eventually find out I was in this village? Did you ask the medical team in the state?”

“No,” said Josiah. “Everyone was pretty busy. I didn’t want to bother anyone. Dr. Ziegler mentioned it was around this area, so I just searched one by one.”

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