"Jacob, your leg..." Nora stood at the door of the operating room, looking at him nervously.
"The doctor cured me. I can even move my big toe now," Jacob said excitedly.
Nora couldn't hold back anymore and rushed into the operating room, throwing herself into Jacob's arms, tears streaming down her face as she kept saying, "This is amazing, it's amazing."
Jacob couldn't help but shed tears as well.
This was like a new beginning for him.
Just three days ago, he experienced a major setback in his life.
As an honest and hardworking cook, he had been working in the kitchen for over twenty years.
But he got into trouble with the restaurant owner, who falsely accused him of stealing money from the customers and mercilessly beat him, even breaking his left leg.
What was even more despicable was that the owner threatened him, saying that if he didn't leave Calva, he would harm his wife Nora, and his son Carl.
Jacob was just a powerless cook; how could he gamble on whether the owner would respect Calva's laws?
So, he packed his things and left Calva early the next morning with Nora and Carl.
But his leg was broken, and with a five-year-old son and very little money, he had no choice but to venture into the chaotic and lawless abyss.
He had heard about the high cost of treatment in the medical hall – the starting price was 10,000 copper coins.
For someone with such serious injuries, it would probably take tens of thousands of copper coins to get fully treated.
It was only last night that he heard from the innkeeper about this abyss medical hall.
The doctor there might not know healing magic, but he had a miraculous surgical technique, and the best part was that it wasn't too expensive.
He came here with a hopeful attitude, but he didn't expect his leg to be truly healed.
"Two bottles of cleansing potions, 200 copper coins; one bottle of hemostatic potion, 100 copper coins; surgical fee, 700 copper coins. In total, it's 1,000 copper coins," interrupted Charlotte, interrupting the couple's emotional release.
It wasn't that he lacked empathy, but there were still many patients waiting in line for surgery, and those who were bleeding couldn't wait.
Nora quickly backed out of Jacob's embrace, her face slightly red. She handed the child to Jacob and fumbled for her money pouch, pouring out seven or eight silver coins and a copper coin.
"Doctor, I only have 860 copper coins," Nora said, feeling embarrassed and apologetic as she looked at Charlotte.
Jacob also lowered his head in shame.
The doctor had healed his leg, given him, a new life, and only charged 1,000 copper coins.
But he couldn't even come up with that amount.
Charlotte looked at Nora, dressed in simple clothes, and then at the thin little boy in Jacob's arms.
His brow furrowed.
Although he didn't know what had happened to this family of three, it was clear to see their financial hardship since they could only bring this amount of money to the Abyss.
"It is against the rules of the medical hall to owe money," Charlotte said.
Nora looked at Jacob in distress.
Jacob looked up, as the pillar of this family, he had to step up and do something at this time.
"But you can provide collateral of equal value, and you have three days to raise the money to redeem it," Charlotte continued, his gaze falling on the silver necklace around the child's neck.
"That one there, if you don't come to redeem it after three days, I will take it to the pawnshop and sell it."
"But that necklace..." Jacob was getting anxious.
It was just a decorative necklace he bought for eighty copper coins.
Nora grabbed his hand and stopped him from saying anything more. She took off the necklace and handed five silver coins to Charlotte, bowing deeply.
"Thank you, Doctor. We will come to redeem the necklace with the remaining five hundred copper coins."
Charlotte glanced at Nora with surprise.
After a moment of hesitation, he accepted the money and the necklace, and in his heart, he gained a newfound respect for this mother.
"Thank you, Doctor," Jacob also expressed his gratitude to Charlotte.
Nora took the child and helped Jacob leave.
Charlotte watched her frail figure, holding the child in her arms, supporting her husband with her shoulder.
Women may appear weak, but when it comes to being a mother, they can be strong.
Perhaps it is just like that?
Before he could dwell on it further, the next patient had already entered the operating room, and he was immersed in one surgery after another.
Busy as he was, it was already noon.
As he was about to close the clinic after seeing off the last patient who had difficulty moving, Charlotte noticed a family of three sitting on the stairs nearby, enjoying a loaf of black bread.
The little boy was awake, happily munching on half a loaf of bread.
When they heard the sound of the door opening, Jacob and Nora turned their heads.
Nora quickly got up and walked towards Charlotte, standing in front of him with some nervousness and unease.
"Doctor, we saw that you were looking to hire a cook. My husband, Jacob, has been working as a cook at the Starry Night Inn in Calva for over twenty years. He has extensive experience and skills. Could you give him a chance?"
So, they were looking for work. Charlotte understood now why they didn't leave far after receiving treatment but stayed at the clinic's entrance instead.
A cook with over twenty years of experience could indeed fit his needs, but being good at cooking in the kitchen didn't necessarily mean being good at operating an alchemy furnace.
He needed to test Jacob's skills.
"Let me speak with him first."
Charlotte said to Nora and approached Jacob.
Seeing him about to stand up, he quickly added, "You can sit and talk since your legs are not convenient."
"Thank you." Jacob didn't insist and nodded gratefully toward Charlotte.
"How big have you cooked? What fuel do you usually use? Can you control the fire?" Charlotte asked directly.
Jacob was slightly taken aback but quickly replied, "The biggest fire I've cooked is the one for boiling water at the inn. It's a pot with a diameter of over a meter, and it holds three tons of water.
It needs to be boiled within half an hour, and we boil six pots of water each day.
We usually use coal, but the coal for cooking and the coal for heating are different.
If you need high heat, we use high-heat coal, if you need low heat, we use low-burning coal.
Tell me how to cook it, and I'll do it for you.
I am the favorite cook among our inn's chefs.
They all like me to cook for them."
As Jacob talked about cooking, his face visibly showed more confidence.
"Talking alone won't do. Once your leg is better, I want to personally see your skills before deciding whether to take you in." Charlotte didn't directly recruit him.
Whether a cook could handle the job would affect the quality of the fire in the alchemy furnace, and the success of concocting potions depended on the right level of heat. The role of a furnace operator was crucial in the entire potion workshop, second only to the alchemist.
"No problem, as long as you give me a chance." Jacob nodded confidently.
"Uncle, did you save my father?" the little boy asked quietly, looking at Charlotte.
"Yes, I cured your father's leg." Charlotte smiled and nodded. He asked, "What is your name?"
"I'm Karl. Thank you for saving my father." The little boy stood up and bowed deeply to Charlotte.
He looked obedient and sensible, very endearing.
"You're welcome. It's what a doctor should do." Charlotte smiled and patted his head, noticing the patch on his trousers with a cute little elf sewn on it using colorful threads.
The embroidery was quite exquisite, and he couldn't help but ask, "Little Carl, did your mother sew this for you?"
"Yes, this is the little elf my mother sewed for me." Carl nodded, proud.
"Mother is amazing. She not only sews little elves but also makes many other fun things. She can do anything well."
"Just some little trinkets," Nora said somewhat bashfully, but the smile in her eyes couldn't be concealed.
Getting recognition and praise from her child made every mother feel happy, perhaps.
"I also need to recruit a female packer. Are you interested?" Charlotte looked at Nora and asked seriously.
Nora was stunned for a moment, and after three seconds, she looked somewhat bewilderedly at Jacob sitting beside her.
She had been taking care of the children at home for five years and hadn't worked outside.
She was a little nervous.
Jacob was also taken aback, clearly not expecting Charlotte to seek Nora out for recruitment.
"Sure, sure! Mother just mentioned wanting to work as a packer. She's so talented that she can do it well." It was little Carl who reacted the quickest and immediately spoke for Nora.
"If you're willing to give me a chance, I'd like to give it a try," Nora said quickly, her eyes filled with excitement.
"Where are you currently living? How about moving to Baka Street? It's relatively safer in the Abyss, and there's a budget hotel in the third alley where you can temporarily stay."
Charlotte looked at Nora and continued, "Nora, right? I have some tasks for you this afternoon, but you can finish settling in first before coming."