Chapter 1582

Matthew turned his gaze toward Morell's front gate. The dim evening light made it hard to see clearly, but he could make out a figure standing at the entrance. Behind him, there was a tall, dark shape—about the height of a person—though Matthew could not tell what it was. He stood up, brushing the dust off his pants. "Finally! Someone's home. Let's go talk to them." With that, he strode forward. As he got closer, the figure's hunched posture struck him as oddly familiar. When they were about ten feet away, recognition hit Matthew. It was the old man who had collapsed by the riverbank. Behind him stood bundles of freshly cut mugwort, stacked over six feet high and tightly tied together with rope, all secured to a small cart. Matthew was shocked as he realized the old man had been harvesting mugwort all the way until now. At his age, working for that long was almost unthinkable. A wave of unease settled in his chest. "Sir, why are you just getting back now? You're pushing your bo