Upon reaching Dr. Feroma's residence, the sky was already dark.
Dr. Feroma was waiting for them by the village entrance. From a distance, Carla saw an old man sporting a Whyte beard in plain clothes standing beneath a large tree. He was smoking a tobacco pipe while looking into the distance.
"That's Dr. Feroma." Mrs. Borah recognized him at first glance. "He hasn't changed one bit even after twenty years."
"Yeah, I still remember Dr. Feroma coming to our house when I was young. He looked like now. Father joked about him being immortal because he never seemed to age."
Carla thought about her father and was hit by a pang of sorrow.
When the car came to a halt, Dr. Feroma immediately brought over his apprentice, Ladona, to welcome them. Looking Carla up and down, he commented, "I haven't seen you for more than ten years and you're all grown up now."
"Dr. Feroma, do you still remember me?" Carla asked excitedly.
"Of course, I do." Dr. Feroma nodded continuously. "You look just like your mother!"
Carla was slightly caught off guard at the mention of her mother.
"Dr. Feroma, what about me? Do you still remember me? I'm Mrs. Borah." The older woman said enthusiastically, "I came to visit you with Mr. Wigston twenty years ago. Miss was only three years old then."
"Yes, I remember." Dr. Feroma nodded with a smile and studied Mrs. Borah closely. "You don't seem to be in good health. Since you're here, I'll take a look and see what you need."
"You are right. Thank you!" Mrs. Borah was immensely grateful.
"Come. Let's go inside." Dr. Feroma's kind smile made him seem like a long-lost relative more than a doctor. "How was your trip?" he asked.
"It was quite alright."
Mrs. Borah and Dr. Feroma chatted all the way and soon, the group arrived at the latter's house.
The house was made out of bricks and Whyte tiles with a small and quiet courtyard. There was a strong fragrance of herbal medicine throughout the entire place. Various herbs were planted in the backyard, while a shady tree stood tall in the front yard. And beneath the tree were birds leisurely pecking the ground.
A young girl wearing an apron over her floral jacket ran out from the kitchen with a spatula in her hand. Seeing Carla and Mrs. Borah, she grinned broadly. "My saviors are here!"
"Huh?" Carla was bewildered.
Dr. Feroma introduced, "This child was severely ill back then and needed a kidney transplant. It was your father would paid for her treatment. Later on, he provided for her education as well, so she's always been grateful to your family."
"Oh, I think my father has mentioned it before."
Carla only had a vague recollection as her father had helped many people when he was alive. This young girl and Diane were among those people.
"Give me your hand." Dr. Feroma led Carla into the house, but wasn't in a hurry to be a hospitable host yet. Instead, he took his profession very seriously and checked her condition first.
Carla complied by extending her hand. Dr. Feroma carefully examined her complexion, then checked her pulse and drew some blood before going to his home laboratory to run some tests on it.
"Let me show you both to your rooms first." The young girl then merrily introduced herself, "My name is Hapilia."
"Thank you, Hapilia."
Carla and Mrs. Borah followed Hapilia further into the house. Although it was of a classic design and did not have the opulence of the city, it was clean, tidy, and one-of-a-kind.
After Hapilia made the bed for them and helped them with their suitcases, she was about to take them to the yard when Ladona came over. "Carla, Dr. Feroma is asking for you."
"Alright." Carla hurried to his laboratory with Mrs. Borah trailing closely behind.
With a grave expression, Dr. Feroma held out the vial of blood that had been tested. "The poison in your body is too strong!"
Carla's heart almost stopped in her chest. As expected of a genius doctor. In such a short amount of time, he managed to determine that she had been poisoned.
"Dr. Feroma, can she be cured?" Mrs. Borah asked anxiously.
"I can't say for sure." A crease formed between Dr. Feroma's brows. "I rarely encounter such a powerful poison. I'll need to study it to see if she can be cured. It may take some time."
"How long will it take?" Carla's heart was in her throat.
"This really depends on your luck. Perhaps it'll take hours, maybe days, or months, or years. Or perhaps, it can never be cured…"
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