American Farmers: Facing a Cutoff at the Start

Not right.

He remembered clearly that after having dinner with Lina at an Italian restaurant, her favorability rating was 43.

Why did it drop two levels instead of rising after two days?

Could it be because she specifically left her private phone number that night, and he was busy forging iron and hadn't been able to contact her?

A woman's heart, a needle under the sea.

"Tsk."

Fett shook his head inwardly: He wondered if 41 points of goodwill would be enough to lend money.

He took out his phone and, using the weak signal, opened Google.

Fingers flew across the screen, typing keywords:

Emergency sutures, medical expenses in Arkansas...

The page loads very slowly, and the spinning loop is incredibly frustrating.

After browsing through the web pages one by one, Fett had a general idea of ​​what was going on.

Even if you go to a cheaper emergency medical center, the cost of cleaning the wound, stitching, tetanus shot, and antibiotics will easily be around $800 or $1000.

This doesn't even include the cost of tetanus immunoglobulin in case the wound is deep.

Anyway, let's try anything, even if it seems hopeless.

It's better to borrow from a private lender than for two old men to go to a bank for a loan.

Fett took a deep breath, opened iMessage, and entered the number on the note into the recipient field.

With his fingers hovering over the keyboard, Fett hesitated for a moment.

Should I just send a long message asking for money?

That might be a bit abrupt, but let's chat first.

After a few seconds of thought, he typed: "Good evening, Miss Anderson. This is Fett Carter. I'm sorry to bother you so late."

"call out."

With a soft click, the message was sent.

"Ding!"

A crisp notification sound rang out.

He replied almost instantly.

The screen lit up, and a line of text popped up, even the punctuation marks seemed to carry an uncontrollable resentment:

"So you finally remembered to contact me?"

"I thought you threw away the note with the number on it."

……

Laketown, Avester Bank Apartments.

Lina was lying face down on the soft bed, her injured ankle resting on a pillow. Although the swelling had gone down considerably, it still ached slightly.

As soon as I woke up in the morning, the TV started playing boring soap operas.

She didn't even glance at it, clutching her phone tightly in her hand, turning on the screen every two minutes to check it.

It's been a whole day.

The young man who helped her into the house, applied ice to her skin, and drove her back home seemed to have vanished.

She angrily threw her phone aside, crossed her arms, watched a boring TV series, and vowed never to talk to that jerk again.

"Ding!"

In that instant, as if she had been electrocuted, she lunged at the bedside table and grabbed her phone.

I saw that unfamiliar number and the opening remarks.

Lina bit her lip, but the corners of her mouth unconsciously turned up. The grievances and disappointments she had just felt instantly dissipated.

"snort."

She lay face down on the pillow, her fingers flying across the screen.

"Ding!"

A message came in.

Lina slowly read the message Fett had sent.

"Would you save a wounded cowboy on the verge of bankruptcy?"

Immediately afterwards, a picture was sent over.

In the dim light of the carriage, the thigh tightly bound by a strip of cloth looked particularly shocking; the bloodstains had soaked through the bandage, turning it a dark red.

"what!"

She let out a short scream, and the phone nearly hit her in the face.

Ignoring her injured ankle, she abruptly sat upright in bed, her fingers trembling as she pressed the voice button, her voice sharp and urgent:

"What's wrong with you?! Where are you?!"

……

Fei opened the short voice message, which lasted only a few seconds, and held it to his ear.

Lina's trembling and anxious questioning voice entered his ears.

There is a play!

The concern in that tone was genuine.

Without delay, Fett's fingers flew across the screen as he sent the words he had already prepared:

"Attacked by wild boars, currently on the way to the Lake Town Emergency Medical Center, almost incurring medical expenses."

"As you know, my family's loan is overdue, and we're practically penniless."

"So... I have no choice but to ask you. Could you lend me $1500 to tide me over?"

To make the loan seem more plausible, he added:

"I have accident insurance. I'll repay you as soon as the insurance company sends the check."

send.

It was almost the instant my finger left the screen.

"Ding!"

There was no nonsense, and no questions were asked about when the repayment would be made or how much interest was involved.

Only one line of text appeared on the screen, cold yet incredibly warm:

Send me your bank account number.

A few seconds later.

My phone vibrated; it was a text message notification from Avis Bank about a transfer.

「您的帐户尾号7890于12月2日20:46收到转帐汇款$2，000.00，当前余额$2，582.50。」

Looking at that number, Fett's lips curled into a smile.

2000?

They gave out an extra 500.

This woman is really generous.

The five hundred-plus yuan in the card was the original owner's remaining living expenses from school. Although it wasn't much, there weren't many places to spend money in the countryside.

Now, with this additional $2000, the medical expenses should be covered.

Fett quickly typed, "Thanks, I'll treat you to dinner later."

He leaned forward and patted the back of old Frank's seat in front of him:

"Dad, Uncle Roy, we don't need to go to the bank."

"The money issue is resolved; I just borrowed it from a friend."

"What?"

Old Frank turned around abruptly, his face full of disbelief:

"Really? Where did you get such a rich friend? Someone who'd lend you money in the middle of the night?"

Fett didn't explain much, and simply handed over the phone, the bank transfer notification on the screen glowing faintly.

Old Frank squinted, carefully counting the zeros at the end, before his furrowed brows relaxed and he let out a heavy sigh of relief.

"Okay! That's good! That's good!"

He handed the phone back, and said in a serious tone:

"Since they're willing to help us, we should remember this kindness."

"I'll pay them back as soon as the insurance company's check arrives."

"If anyone asks for your help in the future, you can't refuse."

"Okay, Dad."

Fett took the phone, put it back in his pocket, and leaned back in his chair, exhausted, to rest with his eyes closed.

He didn't notice that Leila, who was beside him, had been watching his phone screen without saying a word, and had witnessed the whole thing.

She recognized the name of the person who sent the text message.

Lina.

The female clerk at that bank.

Leila clenched her free left hand into a fist.

A bittersweet feeling I'd never experienced before surged in my chest.

Fett risked his life to save him, but he couldn't help her at all.

That feeling of powerlessness was even more suffocating than when I was facing the wild boar.

Not reconciled.

I'm really not willing to accept this.

She bit her lower lip in the dimly lit carriage until she tasted the rusty, metallic taste of blood.

A fire now ignited in those eyes that had been filled with tears.