Adrian Hawthorne parked the bike and quickly supported Herman Morgan, who was about to collapse. But he was too small, and it was a real struggle to hold him up.

"Dad! Brothers! Come out, quick!" Tang Xiaonan shouted.

As soon as the words left her mouth, Felix Thorne and the three brothers emerged all at once. Although they didn’t understand the situation, Howard Thorne quickly stepped forward to support Herman Morgan.

"He’s from Wraven, here to trade for sugar. He got seriously ill and passed out on the road. I happened to run into him, which is why I’m late," Adrian Hawthorne explained.

"As long as you’re back, that’s what matters. Help him inside."

Felix Thorne then told Jim, "Go get your grandpa."

"I’ll go too."

Tang Xiaonan trotted after him. Byron Thorne had just finished his meal. Hearing there was a sick person, he slung his medicine box over his shoulder and came over. Goldie Thorne came along as well; he had heard from Tang Xiaonan that it was the "sugar-trading uncle," so of course he had to come and see.

"This is pretty serious. It’s a good thing you found him. Otherwise, if he’d been left out in the cold all night, it could have been a disaster."

Byron Thorne took his temperature: thirty-nine and a half degrees. He also had thick phlegm in his trachea. Although it was just a cold, it wasn’t going to be an easy recovery. He would need to rest and recuperate slowly.

He gave Herman Morgan a shot to reduce the fever, then handed over a bag of leaves and roots. "Grab a handful and boil it in water. It’ll bring down the fever, flush out toxins, and stop the cough."

"Grandpa Thorne, how much exactly should I grab?"

Adrian Hawthorne asked earnestly. Apothecaries always wrapped medicine in paper, with a fixed amount for each dose. Byron Thorne’s big bag had no fixed measure, and his instructions were vague. He wasn’t sure about the dosage.

"Just grab a handful. It won’t kill him."

Byron Thorne had a casual expression. He always just grabbed a handful to brew, and in all these years, nothing had ever gone wrong.

Adrian Hawthorne’s mouth twitched. He looked down at the herbs in his hand. ’Should I brew them or not?’ He was genuinely afraid he might cause someone’s death. This barefoot doctor, Byron Thorne, was just too unreliable.

But he had been on Millstone Peak for several years and had never heard of Byron Thorne killing anyone with his treatments. ’The medicine might not cure him,’ he thought, ’but it probably won’t kill him, right?’

The fever-reducing shot worked very well. Herman Morgan broke out in a sweat, his fever subsided, and his spirits improved greatly. After chugging a large glass of warm water, his body felt much more comfortable.

"Thank you so much. How much for the medicine?"

Byron Thorne had just opened his mouth when Goldie Thorne said nonchalantly, "It’s just herbs we picked on the mountain. No charge."

The shot was provided by the township clinic, and the herbs were picked by them. The cost was zero, so it would be embarrassing to ask for money. That was what Goldie Thorne thought, but Byron Thorne did not.

Byron Thorne resentfully shut his mouth and shot Goldie Thorne a meaningful look. ’This spendthrift! I’ll tell the old woman when I get back, and we’ll beat the stuffing out of this little brat.’

"Oh, I couldn’t possibly. I have some eggs here."

Herman Morgan took a bag of about ten eggs from his carrying pole and placed them on the table. A smile appeared on Byron Thorne’s face. This Mr. Morgan knew how to handle things better than his own son.

Adrian Hawthorne took a bag of candy from his pack and also placed it on the table. "Candy I bought for Xiaonan."

Phoebe Huxley was all smiles. She liked savvy kids. It didn’t matter if they were sweet-talkers, as long as they were generous. This ’jinx’ from the Hawthorne family was actually quite savvy. The bag of candy had to be at least half a catty, and with the one yuan for the bike rental, this was a pretty good deal.

"Come rent the bike again next time you go to town."

Phoebe Huxley was already booking the next bit of business. Felix Thorne shot her a warning look, but she ignored him completely. When it came to family matters, she was the one who called the shots.

"Okay, thank you, Uncle Felix and Aunt Phoebe."

Adrian Hawthorne couldn’t have asked for anything better. He would be going into town more, not less, and he couldn’t get a bicycle permit. For now, he could only borrow the Thorne family’s bike. He had gotten a lot more done today; having a bike was so convenient. He had to figure out how to get a bicycle permit as soon as possible.