Chapter 16

"Whoo..."

With this piercing cry for help, it seemed as if everyone in Central Park was drawn to look in the direction of the scream.

John quickly stood up and looked towards the source of the commotion.

Soon, everyone saw what had happened. A middle-aged woman, dressed in fine clothes, stood on the thin ice by the lake, desperately shouting, "Help! Save my daughter..."

"I'll go check it out!"

Just as John was trying to figure out what might have happened, Joshua had already jumped up and ran towards the scene like a gust of wind.

Emma lifted her skirt, about to follow her brother, but was quickly grabbed by the quick-handed Mrs. Stone: "Stay there! No matter what happens, why would a girl like you go over there? Stay put!"

"But..."

Emma's expression was clearly unwilling, and she pouted in defiance.

The old Hunteralls also stood up. Mr. Stone, with a serious face, waved his hand and said, "Alright, let's go over and see. If we can help, we should."

Hearing this, John's impression of the Stone family improved significantly.

Whether it was Joshua, who had run over first, or Mr. Stone, who now looked serious, they seemed to be very enthusiastic and kind-hearted people. Even Mrs. Stone, aside from being too gossipy, didn't have much to dislike. As for the little girl Emma...

She was just a young girl who didn't understand much, and John had already completely let it go.

Leaving two male servants to watch their belongings, the two families quickly walked to the lakeside, where a crowd had already gathered. They heard the woman scream, "Please save my daughter! She fell into the lake through that ice hole! Please, please save her..."

"Fell into the lake?"

John was startled and quickly stood on tiptoe to see over the people in front. Sure enough, about ten meters in front of the woman, there was a large hole about half a meter in diameter on the ice!

Almost the moment he saw the hole, John guessed what had happened. Such incidents were not uncommon. Children, playing and walking on unsafe ice, while parents, due to a momentary lapse in attention, failed to supervise them, leading to one tragedy after another. In John's long-buried memories, he had also witnessed such a scene...

"Damn!"

John couldn't help but curse fiercely.

Although he was also anxious, John was at a loss for what to do, as he couldn't swim! And don't forget, it was the cold winter just after New Year's. Getting into the water was no easy task. Otherwise, with the person screaming for help for ten seconds, someone would have already jumped in to save her if it were summer.

"Plunk!"

Just as John's mind was racing to find a solution, a dull splash was heard, and the crowd erupted in a commotion!

"Joshua!"

This time, it was Mrs. Stone's turn to scream!

"Joshua jumped in?"

Turning to see Mrs. Stone's terrified face, as if she had seen a ghost, John was startled again. He quickly pulled his grandfather, who was standing beside him, and asked urgently. Although he was not short, he was only eleven years old, and without standing on tiptoe, he couldn't see what was happening. However, Old Hunterall was over six feet tall, about 1.8 meters, and in this era, he stood out like a crane among chickens, able to see clearly.

Old Hunterall was also shocked, swallowing hard and nodding, "Yes, Joshua just jumped in... This boy, he's too impulsive!"

As the grandfather and grandson were talking, another "plunk" was heard, and it seemed someone else had jumped in. The Stone family had already pushed through the crowd and rushed to the lakeside. Mrs. Stone even ran to the woman who was screaming and shouted loudly, "Joshua, get out of there! Damn it, get out of there..."

"Grandfather, you and Mr. Stone should immediately look for a doctor in the crowd!"

Amidst Mrs. Stone's shrill screams, John's memories from his past life flooded back, and his mind became unusually clear. Almost instinctively, he shouted, "I'll go back to the carriage to find some spare clothes! Oh, and some strong liquor!"

Saying that, John turned and ran towards the carriage!

As John ran away, Old Hunterall did not immediately act. He was not even surprised that John could come up with such a well-thought-out plan in such a short time. He just stood there, a bit dazed, with a glint of joy in his eyes.

"This boy, he finally calls me Grandfather..."

...

John found two thick blankets used for seating in his and the Stone family's carriages. He then called the male servants from both families to gather all the wool blankets on the grass. He even found half a bottle of whisky from a gentleman who had just arrived!

After spending a couple of minutes gathering everything, a cheer suddenly erupted from the lakeside!

Someone must have come up!

John, feeling anxious, immediately called the two flustered male servants and shouted, "Carry the blankets and follow me! Take the half bottle of whisky too, and don't break it!"

It was winter!

If one wasn't used to winter swimming, the cold lake water could be extremely harmful to the body. Even after getting out, the cold air would continue to harm them. They had to act quickly!

The male servant from the Stone family led the way, shouting, "Make way! Please make way!" as he ran.

Perhaps because of the servant's urgent voice, the crowd quickly parted, allowing the three of them to run to the lakeside. John's first sight was of Joshua, who was struggling to walk towards the shore on the thin ice. He was only wearing a pair of pants and a shirt, drenched and shivering, his face pale and his lips almost purple!

In his arms, he was holding a small, thin girl!

"Everyone, don't come any closer!"

Old Hunterall forcefully grabbed Mrs. Stone's almost frantic arm and shouted, "The ice is too thin! Too many people will make it break! We'll wait here, Joshua, hang in there!"

With a "splash," another person climbed out of the large hole.

"Give your things to the person behind you!"

John quickly gave Henry his instructions, then ran to his grandfather with the blankets and handed them to Mr. Stone, who was trying to remain calm: "It's best if Joshua takes off his wet clothes!"

"Alright, thank you, John!"

Even in this critical moment, Mr. Stone didn't forget to thank John. He took the thick blanket and ran towards Joshua, who had just reached the shore.

Soon, all three of them were safely on land.

The girl was taken by her mother, who was frantic with worry. A doctor who was already prepared quickly approached to assess her condition. Joshua was surrounded by the Stone family and their servants. Mrs. Stone, too busy to scold her son, hurriedly helped him take off his wet clothes and wrap him in blankets, even forcing whisky into his mouth. The person who came up later was also taken care of by Henry and some热心的人.

John then approached his grandfather: "Sir, do you know where the nearest hotel is? They need to warm up quickly!"

"I know!"

Old Hunterall's eyes lit up, and he looked at John with deep meaning, immediately nodding.

John's consideration was very thorough. For people of this era, a little frostbite might not be a big deal, but if it led to other diseases, it could be serious!

Old Hunterall immediately called Henry over and began giving instructions for the next steps, while John prepared to walk over to the three people who had just come ashore to see if there was anything he could do to help.

"Lucy!!!"

But at that moment, a heart-wrenching scream erupted from the crowd, followed by a soul-piercing, agonizing cry!

It was the mother of the girl.

"What happened?"

John was stunned and stopped in his tracks.

"What a pity."

The people surrounding the girl shook their heads, expressing their sorrow. Two sensitive ladies were already sobbing softly.

"How could this be?!"

John's pupils suddenly contracted, and he pushed aside a man in front of him, quickly walking to the side of the little girl.

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