The Silent Wife novel (Rachel and Justin) novel Chapter 556

It was late when Rachel and Justin arrived at the homestay. So, they retired to their rooms to rest.

When Rachel arrived in her room, Regina had just finished her bath and was now sitting on the side of the bed while applying medication to her leg. The room smelled of safflower oil.

“Let me do it.” Rachel noticed how clumsy she was and could not resist approaching her to help. Regina’s eyes brightened. Regardless, she feared she would say something that angered Rachel, so she closed her mouth obediently and stretched out her leg. She hissed as Rachel applied the ointment.

“Does it hurt?”

“No.” Regina shook her head at once. Rachel did not ask further, but her movements became gentler as she massaged the medication onto Regina’s twisted ankle.

“This medicine is for invigorating the blood and releasing stagnation. It’s only effective if you massage it onto the spot.”

“Is it also Eastern medication?”

“I think so.” Rachel nodded. “Most medications currently on the market are no longer purely Eastern, but are mixtures of both Eastern and traditional medication.”

“I’ve heard my dad say that Hudson Pharmaceuticals produces Eastern medication, although their sales aren’t good.”

“He mentioned that to you?”

Regina nodded carefully. Rachel took a deep breath and let it out slowly. She didn’t have any pressure to hide her true self; maybe she wasn’t so wary of Regina because they were family.

“The market for Eastern medication hasn’t been so good in the last few years. And it’s not just Eastern medicine; the market for Eastern medical practitioners isn’t doing well either. So except for some middle-aged or older people who still believe in them, the younger generation’s more willing to trust Western doctors.”

“Why?”

“Part of it is because of the bad market reviews regarding Eastern medicine. As a result, many people have pretended to be Eastern medical practitioners to scam others, leading to their bad reputation. The other part is because the main aim of Eastern medicine is to regulate the health of the body, and thus it doesn’t act as fast as traditional medicine. That is why it doesn’t fit into the fast pace of modern life.”

It was a while before Rachel realized she had said too much. Regina was only sixteen and might not fully grasp what had been said.

“Never mind, I’ve said enough. Rest early.” Rachel placed Regina’s leg back onto the bed and placed the medication back before getting up to prepare for bed.

It was already late. The bedroom lights were off, and the room plunged into darkness. Rachel turned over before hearing Regina’s voice coming from the other bed. “Rachel, are you awake?”

After a few seconds of silence, Rachel answered, “Mm-hmm.”

“Can I sleep with you?”

Rachel didn’t reply.

“If you don’t say anything, I’ll take it as a yes.”

“Stop moving around. Doesn’t your ankle hurt?”

Rachel’s words made Regina pause as she pushed off her blanket.

The room was dark, and Rachel could not see Regina’s expression. Nevertheless, she could still feel the girl’s disappointment through her silence.

“Are you asleep?” Rachel couldn’t help but ask.

The voice coming from the other bed was muffled. “I miss my mom.”

Rachel was stunned as she suddenly remembered what Justin had said during their evening walk. Regina’s mother, Natasha, had died of cancer two years ago, meaning Regina was only fourteen. She was only a child, then.

After a moment of silence, Rachel moved toward the inner side of the bed to create some space. “Do you want to sleep here?”

Regina froze, but there was immediately the sound of movement as she climbed onto Rachel’s, still wrapped in her blanket.