For a long time, there was no reaction from the old lady. Wan Qian looked up and froze. This… this… could she have been scared silly?
The old lady's face showed not the slightest expression; her eyes were wide open, staring blankly ahead, her eyelids motionless—she didn't even blink.
"This is serious—if something happens, how much compensation will I have to pay?" Wan Qian suddenly felt dizzy.
She grabbed the old lady's shoulder and shook her vigorously. She kept muttering, "Grandma, grandma, are you okay? If anything happens to you, how am I supposed to live?!"
Suddenly, there was a loud "bang," and dust filled the air. The rocking chair under the old lady was forcefully dismantled by Wan Qian's shaking.
The old lady fell to the ground with a thud, accompanied by two sharp "ka-ba" sounds as her withered, fragile legs bent at unnatural angles.
Even Wan Qian, no matter how slow she was, could tell that the old lady had probably broken her bones. At her age, a bone fracture could be fatal.
Wan Qian's conscience began to hurt. No matter how reluctant she was to spend money, she couldn't care about it at this moment.
She hoisted the old lady onto her back and shouted at the little boy in the shop, "Where's your village's health clinic? Take me there—quickly!"
Carrying the old lady on her back, Wan Qian rushed into the clinic, the wind kicking up dust behind her. She burst through the clinic's door.
"Is anyone here? Is the doctor here?" Wan Qian shouted.
The yard was silent, not a sound.
The little boy timidly spoke, "The adults have all gone to prepare for the God Worship Festival."
What should they do? Without timely treatment, wouldn't the old lady's injury worsen?
Wan Qian carried the old lady into the clinic's ward and laid her on the bed.
The little boy opened his mouth as if to say something, but seeing Wan Qian's expression, he dared not speak.
Wan Qian took out her phone while trying to reassure the old lady, "Don't worry, grandma, even though the doctor isn't here, I will take responsibility for your injury."
She opened her phone. "I'll look it up online to see how to handle your leg."
She started typing "What to do for a broken bone," and the results that popped up left Wan Qian stunned.
What? You're not supposed to move someone with a broken bone? Recalling how she had carried the old lady all the way here, Wan Qian's conscience began to hurt again.
Wan Qian forced herself to stay calm as she put down her phone. "Don't worry, grandma, your leg will be fine."
Looking at the old lady lying motionless on the bed, her eyes blankly staring at the ceiling, Wan Qian softened her voice to comfort her, "Rest here for now. I'll come back to see you when the doctor returns in the evening."
Thinking about how she had brought the old lady to the clinic, leaving the shop without anyone to manage it. If a thief or burglar came now, it would be a huge loss. She decided to go back to the shop to keep an eye on things for now.
Wan Qian returned to the shop.
During the time she had carried the old lady away, no one had entered the shop, and everything was just as it had been before—a cup lay shattered on the floor, her thermos sat aside, and the remains of the rocking chair were scattered everywhere.
Wan Qian rolled up her sleeves and prepared to clean up. She glanced around the pitch-black room, thought for a moment, then went in to grab the dustpan and broom.
Her actions were mainly driven by a sense of guilt. As she felt responsible for the old lady's condition and thought she should at least do some housework to make up for it.
However, the shop was dirtier than Wan Qian had imagined. The door was extremely small, the windows were closed, and no light penetrated inside, making the space especially gloomy and dark. The floor wasn't cemented but was bare earth—uneven and equally dark, as if layered with years of accumulated grime.
While sweeping, Wan Qian even uncovered a pile of bones from beneath the counter. Each bone had been chewed clean, with not a scrap of meat remaining. They varied in size and bore marks of bite impressions of different depths.
"Sigh, the old lady's eyesight is really poor, she didn't even notice all this trash. I wonder how long it's been here."
Wan Qian sighed as she swept the bones outside. Among the bones was a piece of paper with some faintly written rules. However, Wan Qian didn't look closely and just treated it as trash.
After her busy cleaning, it was already evening. The sky gradually darkened, transformed into a dull greyish-purple tinted by the sunset and afterglow.
Finally, some movement occurred in the silent village. People started emerging from who-knows-where, appearing on the streets and in houses, chatting casually as if they were ordinary villagers.
Wan Qian had just reached the shop's door and set down the dustpan and broom when a stooped old man approached her.
"Cough, cough, cough—young lady, you look a bit unfamiliar. Are you a guest who just came to the village?" The old man said as he coughed.
He coughed so violently that his whole body trembled, making Wan Qian suspect the old man might cough up his lungs.
Wan Qian nodded slightly, "Yes."
"Oh." The old man's wrinkled face shuddered as if trying to muster a smile, but none appeared. He glanced toward the counter behind Wan Qian and said, "Please, help me get a pack of cigarettes."
Wan Qian went behind the counter and pulled out a pack of cigarettes. There was only one brand in the village's shop, packaged in a white box without any brand name.
Wan Qian walked up to the old man and handed him the cigarettes.
The old man reached out to take the pack of cigarettes, leaning on his cane as he shakily turned around, about to leave.
Wan Qian quickly called out to him, "Wait, you haven't paid yet."