His Precious Love
Chapter 82

Chapter 82 Priceless

"That's because I only feel alive when I'm working."

Curtis' voice was soft and flat. All Rayna could hear was the sound of the leaves rustling in the wind. "Mr. Faymon, what did you say?" she asked as she did not hear his response.

She wanted to lean in to hear him better but ended up tripping over some veins on the ground. Just as she was about to knock her head against his back, he turned around in the nick of time and held her firmly. It was as though he saw it coming.

"Ms. Garland, the ground is uneven," Curtis said in resignation. Sometimes, I feel that she's brilliant, and at times, I'd have the opposite opinion. Can't she walk properly?

From then on, he held her wrist and moved forward while cutting down the shrubs with the other hand.

Rayna's heart skipped a beat, and her ears flushed as she looked at her wrist that was within his grip.

Around ten minutes later, they finally reached the village and saw that the surrounding buildings were simple but solid. With various vegetables growing around them, the place looked full of vitality. "Wait!" Rayna shouted at Curtis. Then, she grabbed two handfuls of soil and rubbed them on her face and arms before doing the same for him. Her actions caused him to knit his brows tightly.

"We can't just go in like this. Let's pretend we got lost," she explained.

Curtis was at a loss for words.

"Someone's coming, Mr. Faymon!" Seeing a man approaching with a hoe over his shoulders as if he was out to farm, Rayna whispered into Curtis' ear, "Think on your feet." With that, she proceeded to lie on the ground, acting as though she had fainted.

Curtis did not respond.

When he noticed that the man was heading in their direction, he quickly squatted down and carried Rayna into his arms. She looks like a fugitive with her face covered with soil. A look of amusement flashed across his eyes.

Once again, he was impressed by her.

Seconds later, the man, who was usually an alert person, put his guard down upon seeing how disheveled Curtis and Rayna looked. He then spoke to Curtis in a foreign language.

The latter did not understand what the man was saying but nodded when he noticed him pointing toward the village. With Rayna in his arms, Curtis followed the man into the village, and they soon entered a house.

After a short while, a woman with a headscarf walked in with a bowl of water that looked as clear as spring water.

Curtis took the bowl of water from the woman and drank a few mouthfuls first, pretending to be parched. Upon ensuring that it was safe to consume, he fed it to Rayna.

Rayna played along by taking a few sips of the water before gradually opening her eyes.

"Oh, my goodness! We didn't die!" she exclaimed joyfully as she leaned into Curtis' embrace. Tears of joy even flowed down her cheeks.

Curtis' eyebrows twitched. Kristie isn't the only one who can act well! This woman is also quite impressive in acting.

Rayna did not hug him for long. Soon, she let go of him and wiped off the tears on her face. Acting as if she had just seen the woman, she asked curiously in Uronian, "May I know where are we?"

"Y-You can speak our language?" The woman looked at Rayna in shock. Slightly excited, she continued, "I thought only the people in our village knew this language."

Because Uronian was a language that was close to extinction and the villagers could not understand the language spoken by outsiders, they relied on hunting for survival.

In response, Rayna answered, "My grandpa taught me the language. He told me he had grown up in the northern region. No matter where he went, he made sure to remember his origin. Unfortunately... my grandpa passed away when I was young."

"May God bless you." The woman pushed Curtis aside and held Rayna's hands. Gazing at the younger woman as if the latter were her daughter, she asked, "You must've gone through a lot of hardships, right?"

Rayna nodded with teary eyes. "My dad wouldn't accept Zahar because he's poor and mute. Instead, he wanted me to marry a sixty-year-old man. However, Zahar and I are truly in love. I'm willing to do anything for him."

Hearing that, the woman swept a glance at Curtis and asked, "Is he Zahar? Are you two married?"

"Yes. You saw how much he loves me, right? I eloped with him. But I didn't expect my dad would get so mad that he kept jeopardizing our business. We couldn't stay in Mapleton anymore, so we brought our goods here. We planned on selling the goods so that we could provide for our child. Unfortunately, we lost our way and our truck at the same time," Rayna uttered.

"Where's your child?" the woman asked.

"I just got pregnant not long ago." Rayna caressed her abdomen and put on a pitiful expression. "I don't care if my dad hates me, but this child belongs to Zahar and me. I want to raise our child well." Touched by Rayna's words, the woman pulled her into her embrace and patted her back as an act of comfort. "Poor child. I'm a mother, so I know how tough it is to be pregnant. If you don't mind, you and your husband are welcome to stay the night here," she said.

"We wouldn't want to trouble you too much," Rayna replied. "Perhaps you could give us some food. That would be more than enough. Thank you."

"You wouldn't be troubling me!" The woman did not mind providing shelter for them. While looking at Rayna's abdomen, she said, "Besides, you just got pregnant. You shouldn't move around too much. Just stay here."

Rayna did not reject her anymore. "You're so kind. Thank you.”

The woman's heart swelled with adoration. With a bright smile on her face, she tucked Rayna in and stood up to leave.

Before she left, she gave Curtis a look of admiration and pity.

Frowning, Curtis watched the door close before turning toward Rayna. He smiled when he saw the tears in her eyes. "Ms. Garland, your acting skills are marvelous."

"Don't talk, Mr. Faymon." Rayna signaled for him to keep quiet. In a low voice, she said, "I told that woman we're a married couple. We have a small business together, and you're mute."

Curtis' lips twitched, and he voiced his confusion, "Why am I a mute?"

"To gain their sympathy, of course." Rayna beckoned him to come closer. Once he did, she added, "We'll stay here tonight and go out to see what the situation is like when tomorrow comes. By the way, what's the thing that's worth one billion?"

Curtis took out a plastic bag from his pocket and opened the layers of wrappers, revealing a withered plant kept within. A faint fragrance could be whiffed.

Does he take me for a fool? Rayna pointed at the flower and stared at him in shock. "This? One billion?"

He grunted an acknowledgment in response before explaining, "A component extracted from this plant can regenerate cells and delay the aging of the human body."

"What's so special about that?" she asked. "Now, medical researchers worldwide have already developed a lot of medicines to delay the aging of the human body. It's just a matter of affordability these days." "The medicines available internationally can delay aging but can't regenerate cells." Curtis quirked his lips and added, "Cells have a short lifespan and cannot regenerate. This component, however, can make that happen. It can regenerate cells in the human body with a success rate of sixty percent. It warms and nourishes various organs in the body, and it also has a significant effect on heart diseases." Dumbfounded by his explanation, Rayna did not respond for a while.

Although she was not a biology student, she knew what he was trying to convey. Basically, the thing in his hand was akin to the medicine of immortality, capable of causing the whole world to go crazy for it. "H-How is this thing only worth one billion?" Rayna held the plant and exclaimed in a trembling voice, "Things that can reverse aging are priceless!"

"But how is it possible that only a handful of people know about a treasure like this, Mr. Faymon?" she then asked.

"Didn't you see?" Curtis jerked his chin up and uttered in a deep voice, "It can only be found in this place. Otherwise, why would I have brought you here?"

"That's true." Rayna smacked her forehead. How silly of me!

Chapter 83 Uncle Curtis Calls Her Darling

Rayna learned from Curtis that Gabriel was the one who discovered the plant after obtaining a piece of paper with the location from a local citizen in Tyrandas by a stroke of luck.

When he had derived its value, he immediately reported it to Curtis. Alas, the location indicated on the paper was written in Uronian, which was close to extinction. Therefore, they expended tremendous effort to find someone who could read the language.

Nevertheless, she merely felt like snickering at all that.

Well, but of course, they've expended much effort. After all, I've had a taste of Uncle Curtis' interlocked stratagems!

As the sky outside the window gradually darkened, the woman with the headscarf came in again and offered to bring them out for dinner.

Unable to turn her down, Rayna left the house with Curtis.

Upon arriving at the courtyard, she found that it was exceedingly bright. It turned out that the huge rocks placed around the place had been coated with a layer of vegetable dye. At night, they were just like the

moon.

Several blankets made of animal fur were laid out in the open space, with small tables on top of them. The men were sitting together and chatting, whereas the children sat at a table by themselves. Meanwhile the women were preparing food.

The atmosphere was incredibly merry, and happiness was written on the face of every single individual.

"It's really nice here." Rayna could not help feeling envious of the scene before her that looked like a perfect picture, serene and heartwarming. Not only does one age slower here, but there's also nothing to worry about.

"In that case, stay for a few more days," the woman named Aisha urged smilingly.

She then led Rayna and Curtis over to a group of people. "Mr. Yildiz, this is Sumeyye and her husband, Zahar. They were out to do business when they accidentally got lost."

The man she spoke to was the village chief, Murat Yildiz. He appeared to be about thirty years old with some wrinkles around his eyes, young and robust. If Rayna had not known about the plant, she would have mistaken him for a man in his prime.

Ever since she came out, she had noticed that there were basically no elderly people in the village.

"Nice to meet you, Mr. Yildiz. Thank you for taking us in. We're truly grateful," Rayna gushed, having grown all the more proficient in the language. At the same time, she bowed to Murat.

Surprise flooded Murat. "Aisha was right. You can really speak our language. I thought no one else could converse in it besides those in this village of ours."

He proceeded to arrange for Rayna and Curtis to sit beside him before talking up a storm.

Rayna had long since concocted a flawless background for herself and Curtis. She answered all the questions from Murat while acting pitifully from time to time. Throughout it all, Curtis sat at the side quietly since he was playing a "mute."

A few minutes into their conversation, Murat suddenly asked, "So, what kind of business are you both involved in exactly?"

At that, Rayna plunged into a dilemma.

D*rn! I forgot to ask Uncle Curtis about this in the room earlier!

She promptly nudged Curtis with her elbow without turning to him. "He's asking about our business, Mr. Faymon!"

Taking a piece of flatbread from the plate, Curtis fed it to her and replied in a low voice, "Vegetable and cotton seeds."

His breath brushed against her ear, making her shudder. Rayna bit his finger in retaliation.

After hurriedly stuffing the flatbread into her mouth, she answered with a calm demeanor, "We sell vegetable and cotton seeds."

"Vegetable seeds?" Murat's interest was immediately piqued. The land in the village was suitable for cultivation, but they could not communicate with outsiders because of the language barrier. As such, they were unable to trade for those things.

Consequently, they lacked vegetables the most. All their food came from hunting.

Nodding, Rayna lamented sorrowfully, "My family is in such a business, but my father doesn't like Zahar. I couldn't sell off the seeds I took from home, so I could only bring them here to sell."

"May God bless you richly. It so happens that we lack vegetables and cotton here. If you're agreeable, I'll trade for them with furs," Murat proposed.

In response, she shook her head and uttered sincerely, "No, no, you're behaving too much of a stranger with us, Mr. Yildiz. I'll just give those seeds to you. If Ms. Aisha hadn't given me some food, I would've probably lost my child. I owe you all a debt of gratitude. Regretfully, we lost our way, so I don't know where the vehicle carrying the goods is."

"It's okay. Just have a good rest with Zahar tonight. I'll send someone out to look for it tomorrow," Murat declared.

"Thank you, Mr. Yildiz."

When the conversation finally ended, Rayna breathed a long sigh of relief.

Seizing the opportunity while Murat turned to speak to someone else, she related the earlier exchange to Curtis.

After Curtis had listened to it all, admiration showed in his eyes.

Needless to say, they could not possibly agree to the trade. Ultimately, their goal was the plant, not the furs. If they were to give the vegetable seeds to the village for free, they would be doing them a great favor. At that time, the villagers naturally would not suspect their motive when they asked for the plant.

Hmm... The more I interact with her, the more I find her brilliant.

Soon, steaming hot food was served on the tables. It was all stewed meat, the fragrant aroma hitting them right in the face. However, there were hardly any vegetables.

Murat had someone carry out a few flasks of liquor they brewed themselves. He also poured a brimming glass for Curtis.

Picking up the glass, Curtis took a whiff of it. At once, his brows furrowed.

Noticing that, Rayna leaned over and inquired in a whisper, "Don't tell me you can't drink, Uncle Curtis?"

"No, but the alcohol content of this is very high. I rarely drink such type of liquor," he explained.

In truth, it was because something would happen if he were to drink hard liquor. He had no idea what the aftereffects were, but Gabriel advised him against it.

"Then, I'll drink it instead. It's just a glass anyway." Rayna picked up the glass before something occurred to her, and she voiced, "I told them I'm pregnant. Would I be giving the game away if I were to drink it?" Hearing that, Curtis was rendered speechless.

At that precise moment, those at the other tables started cheering, raising the glasses in their hands one after another.

"How impressive, Ms. Garland. You're even pregnant with my child." Smirking, Curtis took the glass of liquor out of her hand and downed it in a single go.

A drop of liquor trickled down the corner of his mouth, running down his collarbone before disappearing into his shirt, rendering him sexy and seductive.

In a flash, the saying that went along the lines of "some people were the epitome of sexiness when they imbibed" flashed across Rayna's mind.

At that moment, she was convinced of the veracity of that statement.

Curtis only drank that glass of liquor throughout the meal. The color of his face remained unchanged, but he seemed to be feeling unwell, massaging his temples every so often. His brows were also knitted together deeply.

"Mr. Yildiz, my husband isn't feeling too well. I'll help him back to Ms. Aisha's house to rest first."

"Sure! Go ahead."

Rayna hastily supported Curtis. Upon seeing that his eyes were half-closed and he only seemed semi-conscious, she placed his hand across her shoulder. No sooner had she hoisted him up than she almost

stumbled to her knees.

Oh gosh, how heavy!

Fortunately, Aisha's house was merely a stone's throw away, so she managed to help him back to their room. It was pitch-black inside. It took her groping around for a long time before she successfully removed the fur from atop the stone.

In an instant, the room turned as bright as day.

By the time she tossed him onto the bed, she was already panting heavily. Staring at the man who was dead asleep, she muttered, "I shouldn't have said that I was pregnant. Otherwise, I could've drank that glass of liquor on your behalf."

I've seen him drink liquor multiple times in the past, but he had always turned out fine. Why did he get drunk with just a single glass this time? Was it really because of the alcohol content?

While puzzling about the matter, Rayna went outside in search of water. After washing her face and arms, she retrieved a basin of water to wipe Curtis down.

As soon as she pushed open the door and stepped into the room, she was greeted by the sight of the initially slumbering man sitting on the bed with a blank expression on his face.

"Oh, you're awake, Uncle Curtis?"

The moment Curtis spotted her, his eyes lit up. He instantly got off the bed and hurried over to her. Unlike before, he did not exude an oppressive aura as he stood before her at full height. Rayna was wholly bewildered.

For some inexplicable reason, she felt as though the man standing in front of her was not Curtis. Instead, it was a massive dog.

His unfathomable eyes were locked onto her intently. As he had imbibed, his voice carried a trace of insobriety, and he looked incredibly docile with his downcast eyes.

"Darling."

Rayna was so shocked that she loosened her grip on the basin, and the container filled with water crashed onto the ground with a clang.

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