Chapter 133
After dinner, the village chief led them to participate in a bonfire party. Agnes was almost frozen like a popsicle when she finally saw the bonfire being lit.
A dozen young men and women dressed in local attire held hands and danced around the bonfire, greeting them warmly and eagerly pulling them into the dance.
To Agnes' left was a beautiful girl dressed in yellow, and to her right was the village chief's handsome son, Herman, also dressed in local attire with a wide-brimmed straw hat.
There were always topics to talk about among peers, especially with a few educated villagers who had ventured out of the mountains. Their conversations flowed smoothly, adding some fun to this charity event.
Back at the lodging, Agnes was shivering so much that she didn't even have the strength to wash her face, only wanting to dive into the warm bed.
"Knock, knock, knock." The sudden knock on the door in the middle of the night startled Agnes, who was about to undress, and she hurriedly zipped her jacket back up.
"Who is it?" she asked, somewhat surprised.
"It's me, Agnes." The voice was kind and familiar, with a touch of Nellie's unique charm.
When she opened the door, there stood Nellie, accompanied by her handsome son Herman, like a warm presence in the night.
Nellie smiled warmly at Agnes, "Not asleep yet, Agnes?"
Agnes nodded slightly and then asked, "Is there something you need this late?"
Nellie turned and gestured, and Herman picked up an item from the ground and handed it to Agnes, saying, "This is our electric heater. Mom wants you to use it."
"This... how can I accept this?" Agnes was overwhelmed by the unexpected kindness. She knew that in the village, not to mention electric heaters, even basic heating facilities were scarce. Where did this come from?
Without allowing her to refuse, Nellie had Herman bring the heater into the room, find a socket, and plug it in. Only when the room was warm did they leave.
"Thank you so much, but what about you?" Agnes wondered if this was the only heater in the village.
Nellie smiled sincerely, "We're used to it. You city folks are different from us. Get some rest, it's late."
With that, the mother and son left.
The addition of the heater indeed made the room much warmer. Agnes sat on the bed, feeling conflicted. Could it be true, as Justin said, that Nellie had intentions for her? Wanting her to stay and become Herman's wife? Herman was indeed handsome, but she was married, and Leopold's existence made everything else seem unnecessary.
As she was lost in thought, her experience of fetching hot water dispelled her doubts. Not only Nellie, but even the landlord was very considerate, bringing her several pots of warm water without her asking.
Even the washbasin, face basin, and towels were all brand new. Agnes didn't find it particularly special; perhaps everyone here deserved such kindness.
After shivering through her washing routine and getting into bed, she felt not cold but exceptionally warm. Upon closer inspection, she found that someone had silently laid an electric blanket for her and turned it on in advance.
Unable to resist, she sent a WhatsApp message to Justin and Jeremy, cautiously asking, "Is it cold over there?"
Justin replied after a long time, "We couldn't stand it anymore, so Jeremy and I are sharing a bed."
Before she could respond, another voice message came, "It's freezing here, and Jeremy even asked me to warm the bed for him. It's unbearable."
"But for the warmth in the second half of the night, having someone to rely on, I accept it."
Agnes couldn't help but laugh.
Jeremy's voice followed, "After warming the bed for so long, it's still cold. Justin, are you a snake?"
Clearly, they didn't have the luxury of an electric blanket.
Unable to sleep, she sent a message to Grace, "Are you asleep?"
Grace instantly replied with a voice message, "What do you want? This place is freezing, how can I sleep? I regret not bringing something to keep the kids warm, even an electric blanket would do. Now I don't even dare to get into bed."
Grace was her cousin, and Agnes worried about her catching a cold, so she suggested, "Why don't you come and sleep with me?"
Grace was silent for a moment before replying, "I don't want to sleep with you! Who knows if you have any weird smells! This place doesn't even have an electric blanket!"
Let her be!
The next day, the distribution of charity supplies at Willow Creek School officially began, benefiting every household. As night fell, the day passed quickly.
Agnes quietly gave some money to the guardians of the orphaned children. An elderly person almost knelt down to thank her, scaring her, and she quickly helped them up.
On the third day, before the arrival of the second batch of supplies, the college students took turns teaching the children, telling stories they had never heard and singing unfamiliar songs. The simple classroom was surrounded by villagers, listening intently. Agnes and Justin's singing, Jeremy and John's stories, brought happiness to everyone's faces.
On the fourth morning, new cotton shoes and clothes were distributed. The children washed their feet and eagerly tried on their new shoes.
In the afternoon, with rare free time, Agnes wandered alone to the field behind the school, taking a deep breath of the cold air. She wondered if Bella and the others had received the postcards Grace had sent.
Just as she sat down and took out her phone with no signal, a figure came into view.
Looking up, it was Austin.
Agnes looked around, confirming she was alone, but Austin kept staring at her, "Do you need something from me?"
Austin didn't speak, just stared at her.
Agnes felt uncomfortable under his gaze, "I'm not a man, don't look at me like that, it scares me."
Austin sneered, "You're as stupid as the rest of them!"
Was he here to cause trouble?
Agnes put away her phone and stood up, just as Austin spoke, "Hey, what's your relationship with Leopold?" He had overheard that Agnes was someone Leopold cared about.
Hearing that familiar name, Agnes turned and calmly said, "Austin, you're still young, mind your own business."
"Still young?" Austin's forehead veins bulged. Luckily, she was a woman, or he would have hit her already!
As Agnes walked away, Austin sent a message to Ethan, "Ethan, Agnes called me a kid! I want to go back to Lumina City, send someone to pick me up, I'm not taking that bus again!"
With poor signal, Ethan received the message some time later.
Ethan replied briefly, "She's right, stay there."
Austin was silent.
He believed Ethan loved Kelly deeply, so he decided to go back and ask his father if he and Agnes were switched at birth in the hospital.
He felt Agnes was more like Ethan's real sister, and he was just adopted to protect her like a little knight.
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