The older woman stood up from the floor.
Gu Qingya said, "Your child looks only two or three years old. A craniotomy carries risks, and if it truly is an intracranial hemorrhage, the blood will not disperse on its own, which may lead to recurring seizures. Surgery isn't an option right now, but I can teach you how to handle a seizure to help the child recover quickly."
"You mean there's no cure?"
Gu Qingya replied, "It's not that there’s no cure, but the human brain is very complex. Perhaps when he grows up, the pooled blood will dissipate on its own, and the seizures will stop. If he still isn't better by then, you can take him to a major hospital to have a specialist perform a craniotomy."
"What is a craniotomy?"
"It means opening the skull to remove the clotted blood so the person can get better."
The older woman understood and looked terrified. "Open up a person's head? They'd die! No, no, girl, just teach me those methods you mentioned."
Gu Qingya knew that people in this era didn't understand such surgeries, so she didn't press the matter and carefully taught the woman how to care for someone having a seizure. Once she was sure the woman understood, she finished.
Gu Qingya and Song Zhishu walked back to their seats one after the other, with Fu Yurou following behind, watching their backs. She was basically certain that things weren't going to work out between her and Song Zhishu. He had played the hero twice, and with Gu Qingya shining so brightly, it would be strange if Song Zhishu weren't moved.
"System, my life is so miserable!"
The System replied, "Host, many people who die from diseases can never come back to life. Their lives are much harder."
Fu Yurou was left speechless. So, this was a case of "worse than some, better than others," was it?
As soon as they sat down, Li Qiuyan said, "We must leave someone at our seats at all times. Otherwise, our things could be stolen, and we wouldn't even know. We were lucky this time, but if anything had happened, I wouldn't have let it slide."
In this era, petty theft was rampant, and without surveillance, losing something meant suffering in silence. Fu Yurou, still immersed in the sorrow of losing her potential partner, was annoyed by Li Qiuyan's bossy tone.
"High-cheekbones, you're so sure we wouldn't take your things? Besides, if you don't let us watch your stuff, we might lose things too."
At this, Li Qiuyan glanced at them suspiciously and snorted, "I'm not worried. If something of mine goes missing, I'll search your bags. Besides, I wouldn't be a thief." She glared at her. "Why do you call me 'High-cheekbones'?"
"Your cheekbones are so high; it's such a distinctive feature, much easier to remember than your name."
"Pfft." Gu Qingya couldn't help but laugh. Wang Fangfang followed suit, leaving only Li Qiuyan, who was so red with rage she didn't dare to lash out.
"Don't be mischievous." Song Zhishu looked at Fu Yurou with a hint of doting affection, then added, "Comrade Li is right. It was my oversight this time. Next time, we will definitely leave someone to watch the luggage."
Li Qiuyan's expression softened, and she nodded. "Comrade Song is right. We didn't lose anything this time, not just because of luck, but because you were there. With the stunt you pulled, the thieves didn't dare to try anything." She then asked curiously, "But how did you do that just now?"
"Do what?"
Li Qiuyan said, "Don't lie to me. I figured it out—that wasn't medicinal powder at all, it was sand, wasn't it? I've seen that kind of sand before, just not as fine as the one you used. I've played with sand before, and it wouldn't turn a hand black just by touching engine oil. Yet, that woman's hand really did turn black. How did you do it?"
Gu Qingya was secretly startled, warning herself to be more careful when taking items from the System Mall in the future. If even Li Qiuyan could spot the trick, others certainly could too. She couldn't underestimate the people of this era. Given the emergency, she hadn't had time to prepare, so she had just taken some sand from the children's toy section and put it in an empty medicine bottle.
"It was sand?" Wang Fangfang asked in surprise.
Fu Yurou quickly acted surprised as well. As long as she didn't stand out or act too clever, she would be fine. Only Song Zhishu, who had missed the earlier part of the incident, looked at Gu Qingya with curiosity.
Seeing this, Gu Qingya had to offer an explanation. "I just took advantage of people's desire to gain and fear of loss. When I grabbed the woman's hand, I smeared black ink on her palm. When the thief saw it, he naturally didn't dare touch the 'sand.' It was the thief's own weak nerves that exposed him."
Li Qiuyan said, "That's not right. I watched you pour the sand, and her hand didn't turn black before that."
"I was just fast; you didn't see it clearly."
Of course, that wasn't how it happened. Gu Qingya had used ink that only turned dark after a few seconds, much like color-changing lipstick, but that was all she could explain for now.
"Comrade Song is truly clever; it makes us feel inferior." Having heard the story, Song Zhishu looked at Gu Qingya with nothing but admiration.
Here we go again. Song Zhishu’s eyes were glowing as he looked at Gu Qingya, and Fu Yurou sighed helplessly.
"So it was just a magic trick." After understanding, Li Qiuyan pursed her lips. She didn't admire Gu Qingya the way Song Zhishu did and wore an unimpressed expression. Gu Qingya didn't care about Li Qiuyan's attitude; she was just relieved to have talked her way out of it. She closed her eyes and fell asleep.
People in this era went to bed shortly after dark. It was around seven o'clock, and with nothing to do, Fu Yurou also closed her eyes and feigned sleep. In reality, her consciousness drifted into the spatial dimension to browse the System Mall. Once she understood the sections and features, she truly fell asleep.
However, the train rocked constantly, and she slept poorly, caught in a semi-conscious state. The train stopped several times along the way, with people getting off and many more boarding, adding to the swaying.
As dawn approached, the train stopped again. She, Wang Fangfang, and Li Qiuyan woke up to go wash, and when they squeezed back, she saw that an extra person was sitting next to Gu Qingya.
The man wore a white shirt washed to the point of being translucent and black cloth trousers. His features were average, but his hair was slicked back in a greasy, shiny style. It was hard to tell what he had greased it with, or perhaps he just hadn't washed it. Fu Yurou felt disgusted and repulsed at the sight. She had no interest in him and, following a gesture from Song Zhishu, slipped into the seat by the window.
"Yurou, give me your canteen. I'll go get you some water," Song Zhishu said.
"Thanks." Fu Yurou pulled out her canteen and handed it to him with an indifferent attitude. If he was going to be stolen away, why bother acting warm? As for the water, she’d take it as interest for being played. Looking at him now, Song Zhishu was nothing special—a man who looked at the pot while eating from the bowl. She would settle the score with him once they got off the train.
Wang Fangfang picked up her empty canteen, clutched the strap, but didn't offer to go get water with him.
As soon as Song Zhishu left, the greasy man spoke up: "Greetings, comrades. I am an educated youth heading down to the countryside in Heisheng Province. My name is Zhang Zhigao. We will be traveling together for a while, so let's get to know each other."
"Fu Yurou." She said her name coldly.
Wang Fangfang looked down and said, "I'm Wang Fangfang."
"I'm Li Qiuyan. Comrade Zhigao, where in Heisheng are you heading?"
"Qingshui Village, Lianhua Town, Harbin, Heisheng Province."
Li Qiuyan said in surprise, "What a coincidence, me too!"
Fu Yurou felt awful the moment she heard that. If they were all going to the same place, wouldn't she have to see this guy every single day?
*Ding-dong!*
【Host, a task has been triggered: Win the favor of Zhang Zhigao. Give him a piece of candy.】