She sighed deeply and pondered for a long time.
It took so long that Zhou Qiqi's fingers, gripping the receiver, turned slightly white before she finally spoke again:
“Zhouzhou’s consciousness has most likely been clear all along, but she is trapped in a very deep ‘space’ formed by the brain’s self-protection mechanism. Now, Dr. Wu and Dr. Chen’s professional methods are probably ineffective in pulling her back. The only people you can rely on are her blood relatives, namely you and your husband, and her grandparents.”
"us?"
Zhou Qiqi's heart sank suddenly. She glanced at Shen Huaichuan and said:
"But...none of us are medical students. We've only read some materials for a few days. We know absolutely nothing about professional hypnosis and soothing techniques..."
Letting them, who had no experience, take the lead sounded too risky, and she had no confidence in it at all.
Dr. Zhai seemed to take a slight breath on the other end of the phone, her tone softening as she spoke gently:
"Don't worry, you don't need to do any professional operations. What you need to do is actually very simple."
She paused, then said clearly:
“Go back now, stay by the child’s side, and keep talking to her.”
"Don't say anything to her deliberately. Just chat like you would with someone else. Talk about anything, let her body keep hearing your voices... Perhaps, her consciousness can slowly find its way back by following these familiar voices. That way, she might wake up."
However, out of a doctor's meticulousness, after finishing his explanation, Dr. Zhai solemnly added:
"However, I must tell you in advance that I cannot guarantee the success of this method. In fact, the chances of success are extremely slim. You must be prepared for the worst."
Zhou Qiqi gripped the receiver, took a deep breath, and said firmly:
"Okay, I understand. We will do our best."
There is no other choice now that things have come to this.
Zhou Qiqi once again sincerely thanked Dr. Zhai. After she and Shen Huaichuan safely escorted the old man home, they immediately turned the car around and headed back to the military dependents' area.
Back home, Zhou Qiqi didn't waste a moment and relayed Dr. Zhai's words to the two doctors and the Shen family elders.
Dr. Wu and Dr. Chen immediately said that they would fully cooperate and would not go back to the resettlement room to rest that night, but would stay by Zhouzhou's side to observe and record any subtle changes.
The two elders of the Shen family were initially stunned, especially Qin Peilan.
Upon hearing this "a solution that is not a solution," his eyes widened for a moment, as if he had not yet recovered from the immense grief.
Shen Zhenbang tried to comfort her in a low voice, and she tried hard to listen, but tears just kept falling uncontrollably.
He was in a daze, his lips trembling, unable to utter a single word.
Seeing her mother-in-law in this state, Zhou Qiqi felt both anxious and pained.
She walked quickly to Qin Peilan, squatted down, and tightly grasped her mother-in-law's cold, trembling arms, rubbing them vigorously up and down, trying to convey some warmth and strength.
She raised her head, her gaze fixed firmly into Qin Peilan's tear-filled eyes, and asked clearly and forcefully:
"Mom! This is the last resort! Do you remember what you said? Our family has never produced a coward!"
Now, put your hand to your heart and ask yourself: are you going to just keep grieving, be a deserter, and watch Zhouzhou... just disappear like that? Or...?
Is it possible for our whole family to unite as one, seize this last bit of time, and fight this tough battle together?
Zhou Qiqi's words jolted Qin Peilan awake.
Yes, she's someone who's experienced life and death and commanded battles. How could she collapse at this moment?
Just then, Shen Huaichuan silently walked over, his strong body pressed tightly against his mother's side.
On the other side, Shen Zhenbang also stretched out his broad palm and firmly held his wife's shoulder.
The family of four stood closely together like this.
They kept all the storms outside and focused all their strength on Qin Peilan.
Qin Peilan felt the steady support of her son, the strong backing of her husband, and the expectant eyes of her daughter-in-law.
A tenacity rose from the depths of her heart.
Little by little, light returned to her dazed eyes.
She took a deep breath, forcefully wiped away her tears with her sleeve, forced a smile, and said in a hoarse but unusually firm voice:
"Okay! Qiqi, you're right! There are no cowards in our family! Stop crying! We're all one family, thinking and working together, we must win this battle! We'll bring our Zhouzhou back safe and sound!"
Without delay, the whole family immediately gathered around Zhouzhou's bedside.
It started with Qin Peilan. She bent down and called "Zhouzhou" over and over again. Her voice went from eager anticipation to hoarseness. She called for more than half an hour without stopping.
Then Shen Zhenbang took over the conversation, followed by Shen Huaichuan, and finally Zhou Qiqi.
They kept shouting like that for more than two hours, until the early hours of the morning, as the night outside the window grew even darker.
But Zhouzhou lay quietly on the bed, her eyelashes closed, her breathing steady, as if she were lost in a dream, and she did not respond to their calls at all.
Zhou Qiqi felt a heavy weight in her heart. She could sense that the family's initial determination and expectations were being worn away little by little by these futile cries.
If this kind of shouting continues, not only will the children collapse, but the adults will too.
Watching your voice go unanswered is a mental torment and a source of frustration that is far more devastating than physical exhaustion; even the strongest will cannot endure it for long.
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