The old man perked up and immediately nodded: "Good, good! It's time to stretch my muscles."
He moved his body; he had just undergone surgery and was still having difficulty walking.
The caregiver pushed a wheelchair over from the corner, carefully helped the old man sit down, and went down the ramp.
Zhou Qiqi then took an extra blanket and covered the old man's legs with it.
The small garden in the backyard of the military hospital was very well maintained, surrounded by holly walls, with several benches placed under a few bare sycamore trees.
The midday sun shone through the sparse branches, casting a warm glow.
Zhou Qiqi pushed the wheelchair slowly along the smooth cement path, the wheels making a slight "creaking" sound.
The old man squinted, enjoying the rare sunshine and fresh air. After a moment of silence, as if he had finally found the right moment to speak, his tone filled with the concern of an elder:
"Xiao Zhou, I didn't have a chance to ask in detail last time at the Zhuo family's house. Zhouzhou, that child... what's wrong with her voice?"
Zhou Qiqi paused slightly as she pushed the wheelchair, looked ahead, and calmly recounted Zhouzhou's ordeal.
"...In short, the child suffered too much trauma and has never uttered a sound since being rescued."
She paused, a wave of barely concealed sadness and helplessness washing over her, and unconsciously added in a low voice,
"This is severe psychological trauma, also known as PTSD. The child's grandparents have been to various hospitals and tried both traditional Chinese medicine and Western medicine, but so far, there's still no good solution..."
As soon as the words left her mouth, Zhou Qiqi's heart skipped a beat, and she knew something was wrong.
How many people in China understand this foreign term nowadays?
Sure enough, the old man keenly caught the unfamiliar syllable. He turned his head and asked in confusion:
"Xiao Zhou, what did you just say... T? What does that mean?"
Zhou Qiqi quickly changed the subject, trying to gloss over the issue:
"Oh? Oh, it's nothing, it's just a medical term that means a major psychological hurdle that's hard to overcome..."
Grandpa Zhai, true to his father's status as mayor, remained completely unaffected by her influence. His brow furrowed slightly, and his fingers tapped lightly on the armrest of his wheelchair, as if he were trying to recall something.
"Wait... PTSD... PTSD... Why does that sound so familiar?"
He slammed his hand on the armrest, and his cloudy eyes lit up.
“I remember now! My eldest daughter, my granddaughter, is studying medicine abroad on a government scholarship! I think she mentioned this term in her last letter! She said it was a new disease name that was only officially established abroad in the 1980s! PTSD! Yes! That's the name!”
He spoke more and more clearly, and his pace quickened:
"She mentioned it briefly in her letter, saying that this kind of illness only occurs when a person suffers great pain or experiences a tremendous shock! The symptoms are exactly what you just described: Zhouzhou is not talking, has nightmares, and is afraid of people—it all matches up! Oh dear, look at my memory, I just couldn't remember it!"
These words struck Zhou Qiqi like a thunderbolt!
She froze, and then a huge, unbelievable ecstasy instantly dispelled the gloom in her heart!
She only knew that this mental illness was not taken seriously until the late 1990s, and various treatment options were subsequently developed, so she never had any hope.
I didn't expect they were already researching it!
And Grandpa Zhai's eldest granddaughter is actually learning this?!
"Mr. Zhai! You...you're telling the truth?!"
Zhou Qiqi's voice trembled slightly with excitement. She instinctively gripped the wheelchair's handle and looked anxiously at the old man.
"Your eldest granddaughter...is she really researching this?"
"How could it be fake!"
The old man also seemed very excited, as if he had found new hope.
"It's written in black and white in the letter! She's been working on this while she's abroad!"
The immense surprise made Zhou Qiqi's heart pound. She suppressed her excitement and spoke earnestly:
"Mr. Zhai, could you please contact your eldest granddaughter and tell her about Zhouzhou's situation? Ask her if there are any good solutions for children like Zhouzhou abroad? Or even just some suggestions or directions would be helpful!"
A glimmer of hope rekindled in her eyes, a hope that came so unexpectedly and preciously.
Without the slightest hesitation, Old Master Zhai immediately nodded in agreement:
"No problem! Leave it to me! As soon as I get back to the ward, I'll call the boss and tell him to contact his daughter right away! That girl is kind-hearted; she'll definitely care knowing that the child of a drug enforcement hero has suffered!"
He then thought of practical issues and added...
"However, since he's abroad, it might take a while for letters and phone calls to come back and forth to get definite news. Here's what I'll do, Xiao Zhou, write down Zhouzhou's specific situation. I'll have the eldest brother pass it on to his daughter, so she'll have something to say about it!"
"Okay, okay! No problem! I'll write it as soon as I get back!"
Zhou Qiqi readily agreed, her eyes welling up with tears.
"Mr. Zhai, thank you! Thank you so much! We're not in a hurry, really not in a hurry! Having this hope is better than anything else!"
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