Chapter 42: The Golden Hill
Abel hesitated before pushing the door open, his fingers clammy with unease.
The man outside shifted from foot to foot, his face tight with worry.
"What is wrong?" Abel asked.
"I am looking for healer U-Mao."
It was the healer’s neighbor. "Your two sons are asking for the healer to check on them. They could not take the pain anymore."
"What happened to them?" Abel asked.
"I don’t know," the man admitted, voice hushed. "Bruises cover their bodies, and their faces... swollen, like a pig’s."
A chill ran down Abel’s spine. He glanced at Lara, who merely shrugged. Abel guessed that the two people who attempted to steal last night were the healer’s two sons.
Lara left the Lenard household, Abel trailing beside her. He had insisted on escorting her despite her protests. Eventually, she relented.
"Abel, you could catch fish from the river instead of risking your lives in the mountains. You have already dug a pit. You can enlarge it a bit to make a small pond and place the extra ones in it. If you can catch some climbing perch, then much better, but you have to separate it from the rest of the fish."
"I’ll go to the rice paddies and catch climbing perch." Abel agreed.