CHAPTER 884: CHAPTER 884: A PERSON DRIFTING ON THE RIVER

"No, no, I’ve already troubled you too long here." Old Mr. Downey, with a head full of silver hair and a kind, gentle face, said, "If I stay any longer, I’ll start treating this place as my own home and wouldn’t want to leave."

"Then, you can treat it as your own home. After all, we’re family. I have plenty of rooms here, you can stay wherever you like." Simon Xavier wasn’t just being polite; he genuinely respected the old physician from the bottom of his heart.

At this moment, Mrs. Xavier came over and, seeing him packing his luggage, quickly urged him to stay, "How about leaving tomorrow, sir? Nathan is going to Argent tomorrow, and he can give you a ride."

The original plan was to arrange a car when the old gentleman left, but since the elderly man had always been thrifty, he didn’t want to trouble them and was adamant about not calling a car.

He always felt that driving him especially was quite far and wasted gas money.

Before the old man could refuse, Simon Xavier directly grasped his arm, "Sir, could you listen to us this time?"

The old man looked at Mr. Xavier, then at Mrs. Xavier.

Mrs. Xavier smiled, "You don’t know how long it will take to return once you travel back, Nathan is going there for a project tomorrow; it’s conveniently on the way, and he can look after you, so we’ll be relieved. We’ve recently harvested quite a lot of medicinal herbs, carrying them is too heavy."

"Sir, the steward arranged for someone to go fishing early this morning. How about having two more meals of river fish? No need to rush in one day; usually, the fish at noon tastes better than in the afternoon, more fresh."

Thus, the Xavier Family’s enthusiasm was overwhelming. The old gentleman indeed loved eating the freshly caught river fish from their home, and whenever it was mentioned, he couldn’t help but gulp.

"Alright, alright, then I’ll stay here, and tomorrow I’ll go back to Argent with Nathan!" Old Mr. Downey agreed cheerfully, deciding to stay one more night.

Mr. Xavier and Mrs. Xavier were very pleased, and although they weren’t related by blood, they were indeed people whose energies resonated well with each other.

That day, at noon by the river, there were two middle-aged men who loved fishing.

They were hired specifically by the Xavier Family for the fishing job; not only did it pay well, but it also fulfilled their passion.

They had been fishing for the Xavier Family for thirty years.

The warm sunlight shone on the river’s surface, which glimmered brightly. The weather was really nice today.

As the baskets filled with river fish, and the men prepared to finish work early and return.

One of them noticed something seeming to float toward them from the river’s surface... something was off, as there wasn’t a single piece of trash in this river.

"What’s that? Look! It’s such a large piece floating over."

His companion heard and turned his eyes, squinting for a closer look, "Could it be a person? It really looks like one!"

As they watched it float slowly over... the two middle-aged men exchanged glances and instinctively felt a bit scared.

But it was as if some fate had destined it, as it floated closer, eventually grounding on the nearby riverbank and stopped moving.

Almost as if it was meant for them to see.

With fishing baskets on their backs, the two men walked back along the wooden walkway, then set down their baskets, and cautiously walked towards where the person was stranded.

The long, black hair... it was a girl.

"Hey, hey, wake up." They stood before the girl, not daring to reach out and touch, fearing it might be a woman’s corpse.

The girl lay motionless on the riverbank, uncertain if she was dead or merely unconscious, appearing very pitiful.

The two middle-aged fishermen exchanged a glance, despite it being their first time facing such a situation, they instinctively felt afraid.

However, a sense of goodwill compelled them to get involved.

"Check if she’s breathing." One said, slowly squatting in front of the girl, undoubtedly feeling scared inside as well.

If she was breathing, they would save her; if not, they’d contact the police, they couldn’t simply ignore.

He gently parted the hair covering the girl’s side face, only to find her face was covered in wounds, which was terrifying!

With a heavy heart, the middle-aged man cautiously extended his finger near her nostrils... he himself held his breath, trying his best to feel.