Chapter 274: Gaining the Chieftain's Trust

The clock in the tent ticked away as the chief and his servants kept a watchful eye on Zoey.

Zoey knew the chief didn't fully trust her yet. If she rushed forward, not only would she fail to treat the chief's son, but she might also upset the tribe and cause unnecessary conflict.

All she could do was ask Matthew to check on the chief's son from time to time, record his blood pressure and heart rate, while having Matthew continuously share the treatment plan with the chief.

As the medication took effect, the little girl's temperature gradually dropped, her breathing became steady, and the seizures didn't return. After the girl's condition stabilized, Zoey checked on several other patients.

Just when Zoey thought everything was going smoothly, the chief's son suddenly took a turn for the worse, vomiting blood heavily, with his blood pressure dropping sharply.

"We need to operate immediately to stop the bleeding! Quick, get him to the operating room!"

Zoey made the call without hesitation, ordering the servants carrying the stretcher.

But no one listened to her. The servants looked at each other, then at the chief. Without the chief's word, they didn't dare let this foreign woman touch the chief's son, or even look at him too closely.

Seeing she couldn't convince them, Zoey quietly had the nurses prepare surgical instruments while she began repeatedly disinfecting with boiled saline solution instead of antiseptic.

The chief stood nearby, his face grave as he watched her work. Of course he knew his child's condition was serious. But his beliefs wouldn't allow him to ask Zoey to save the boy.

The boy suddenly coughed violently, spraying two mouthfuls of bright red blood onto the sand beside the stretcher.

"This is bad, prepare for surgery!"

Zoey shouted, quickly calling the nurses over.

The chief didn't object this time, letting the nurses and volunteers carry his son's stretcher into the operating room. The surgical lights came on, and the chief was left outside the closed iron door.

After giving his servants a few quiet instructions in the local language, they left. Only he remained, anxiously waiting outside the operating room door.

Despite the crude conditions in the operating room, Zoey focused completely on stopping the boy's bleeding. Sweat ran down her forehead, soaking her protective suit, but she had no time to wipe it away.

This went on for a full 8 hours. From early morning to evening, Zoey didn't eat a bite or drink a drop of water. Her lips were cracked and peeling, but she maintained intense concentration. When the last stitch was complete and the chief's son's bleeding was finally under control, with his blood pressure slowly rising, Zoey finally let out a long breath. Her body swayed and she nearly collapsed, but was caught just in time by a nurse beside her.

Matthew left the operating room to update the chief on the surgery. In the brief moment the door opened, a small figure slipped in—it was Leah.

She was holding a worn cloth doll, her steps extremely light, afraid of disturbing anyone in the tent. Seeing Zoey's pale face, she pressed her lips together and walked up to her.

Leah looked up and pulled a candy wrapped in colorful paper from her pocket, holding it out to Zoey.

The wrapper was a bit wrinkled from being clutched, but still showed bright colors. She blinked, her eyes falling on Zoey's cracked lips, and pushed the candy forward again, her small face full of urgent pleading.

Zoey felt warmth in her heart. She crouched down and smiled at Leah.

The operating room wasn't a place for Leah to stay long. Zoey had the nurses monitor the patient's vital signs and wait for him to gradually wake up. She then took Leah's hand and walked out of the operating room together.

Seeing Zoey emerge, the chief stepped forward, his Adam's apple bobbing several times before he struggled to speak in heavily accented English: "My... son, thank you for saving him."

"He's out of danger now."

Zoey's voice was terribly hoarse, but carried a reassuring strength: "The bleeding has stopped and his blood pressure is stable. But he'll still need ongoing care to recover slowly."

Hearing Zoey personally say his son was "out of danger," the chief's tense body finally relaxed. He staggered back a step, and Matthew quickly helped him lean against the corridor wall. The chief covered his face with both hands, his shoulders shaking violently. After a moment, he lowered his hands, his face already covered in tears—this chief who ruled his tribe with absolute authority and had never shown weakness before others now seemed like an ordinary person who had set down all his burdens, letting tears flow freely.

He took a deep breath, straightened his slightly disheveled clothing, then walked up to Zoey and bowed deeply, his forehead nearly touching the ground—this was the highest form of respect in their tribe, reserved for the most honored people. "Thank you, healer from afar." His voice was choked but extremely solemn:

"I didn't trust you before and nearly killed my son. You saved his life, making you our tribe's benefactor. From now on, whenever you need anything, our entire tribe will go through fire and water for you, without hesitation."

Leah seemed to sense the change in the chief's attitude. She pushed the candy in her hand toward Zoey again.

The chief looked down at Leah, the sharpness in his eyes completely gone, replaced by gentleness. He patted Leah's head, then looked at Zoey, his tone much softer:

"You're exhausted. I've already had people prepare food and water. Please rest well first."

Zoey looked at the chief whose attitude had completely changed, then at Leah beside her with her hopeful expression, and a faint smile appeared on her cracked lips. She didn't refuse the chief or Leah. After nodding to the chief, she accepted the candy from Leah.

She unwrapped the candy and put it in her mouth. A sweet taste instantly spread through her mouth, driving away some of her fatigue.

Seeing her eat the candy, Leah smiled with satisfaction, as if she had tasted it herself.

Zoey took Leah's hand and went to the courtyard, choosing a clean spot to sit down gently. Her gaze fell on the wrinkled but still bright candy wrapper in her palm. Her fingertips moved slightly as she began to fold it slowly.

The evening sun's rays came through gaps in the tent, casting dappled shadows on the ground, falling right on Zoey's fingertips. Her movements were gentle and focused. The ordinary candy wrapper gradually took shape in her hands, and soon a delicate little butterfly was formed. Zoey gently pinched the butterfly's wings and held it up to the setting sun. Sunlight shone through the colorful wrapper, casting tiny spots of light on the ground. The butterfly looked lifelike, as if it might spread its wings and fly away at any moment.

Leah sat beside Zoey, her small hands clutching her cloth doll tightly, her eyes fixed unblinkingly on the candy wrapper butterfly, her long lashes casting faint shadows below her eyelids. Her cheeks flushed with a light blush, the corners of her mouth turning up slightly. Clearly captivated by this exquisite little creation, she just pressed her lips together without saying a word.