Actually, what Doctor Chen really wanted to ask was whether the injury had been caused by family members or by someone else—and whether they needed to report it to the police.
But this family clearly treasured the child deeply. He worried that asking such a question would only embarrass them.
Shi Shengli had managed to rise to the position of department chief somehow. Maybe his abilities in other areas were average, but when it came to reading people’s expressions and understanding what was in their hearts, he was quite capable.
“Thank you for the reminder. Our family plans to report this to the police. Our daughter was hurt like this for no reason at all—we need an explanation.”
“As it happens, I was just about to ask her what happened when you arrived first.”
Doctor Chen relaxed a little.
These days, families who favored sons over daughters were everywhere. Sometimes he asked such questions out of good intentions, only for it to backfire.
“Alright then. If you have any questions, you can come find me anytime.”
“Thank you so much, Doctor Chen.”
“No need to thank me. It’s my duty.”
Doctor Chen nodded and walked out of the ward.
Shi Shengli escorted him to the door. After watching the doctor leave, he glanced left and right before signaling for his eldest son to keep watch near the entrance. Only then did he return to the room.
Fortunately, this was a six-bed hospital room.
Since Shi Meiqing had been brought in as an emergency case, she’d temporarily been placed here, and currently she was the only patient inside.
As long as someone watched the doorway and they kept their voices low, there was no need to worry about others overhearing.
“Daughter, tell Dad what happened today.”
Shi Meiqing opened her mouth but didn’t know where to begin.
The main problem was that, in this era, the matter was extremely serious.
All because Little Curly Hair had told her about transmigration.
During the last half-year of her life, Little Curly Hair had lectured her every day about survival tips for traveling through different time periods. Listening wasn’t enough either—there were even quizzes.
Compared to people from this era, she honestly knew far more than modern people did about it.
But her parents here were ordinary people.
If she told them the truth, wouldn’t they spend every day terrified and anxious?
As for telling the police—
She absolutely didn’t dare.
Those two people had openly stood on the street in broad daylight speaking Japanese to each other without the slightest fear. Their courage was outrageous.
Who knew how many people in this city were protecting them?
Without someone trustworthy, she would rather carry the secret to her grave than expose her family to that kind of danger.
Shi Meiqing frowned, pretending her head hurt terribly.
Shi Shengli panicked immediately.
“Daughter? Daughter, what’s wrong?”
“Eldest, hurry and get the doctor! Your sister doesn’t look well!”
Shi Jingye dashed out immediately.
Meanwhile, Shi Meiqing deliberately held her breath to make her complexion look worse, then viciously pinched the inside of her thigh beneath the blanket.
Her eyes instantly reddened, and tears began streaming down her face.
Holy crap.
Pinching your thigh like that hurt this much?!
Her grandparents really had treated her too well growing up. She had never truly experienced a normal childhood—and she definitely hadn’t been beaten much.
The pain was absolutely real.
She couldn’t rub it, but she could act.
“It hurts…”
Doctor Chen, who had just returned to his office, rushed back at a run.
Seeing Shi Meiqing’s condition, he immediately stepped forward to examine her.
After a thorough checkup, he looked somewhat puzzled.
Once Shi Meiqing seemed to feel a little better, he finally asked:
“What happened just now? Did you accidentally touch the wound?”
Shi Meiqing shook her head slightly.
Instantly, dizziness crashed over her vision, and everything went black for a moment.
This time she didn’t even need to pretend anymore.
The face that had flushed red from pain instantly turned pale.
Doctor Chen hurriedly stopped her movement.
“Don’t move your head around. You’re experiencing aftereffects from a concussion. You need complete rest.”
Once the wave of dizziness and nausea passed, Shi Meiqing felt noticeably weaker.
It was her first time truly understanding what “the world spinning around you” felt like.
It was awful.
And it came with nausea strong enough to make her want to vomit.
Luckily she hadn’t eaten anything earlier, or she definitely would have thrown up.
After resting a little until the dizziness faded, Shi Meiqing answered the doctor’s question in an even weaker voice, looking every bit like someone seriously injured.
“My dad… asked me what happened today. B-but whenever I try to think about it, my head starts hurting. I can’t remember anything.”
“I only… only remember going out to the supply cooperative to buy fountain pen ink. The rest… every time I try to remember, my head hurts.”
Doctor Chen nodded.
“If you can’t remember, then don’t force yourself to. This should be temporary memory loss. Rest slowly and you’ll recover.”
“In your current condition, it’s best not to overthink anything. If you feel tired, go to sleep immediately.”
Shi Meiqing had just been about to nod before remembering the agony from earlier.
In the end, she only squeezed out a weak:
“Mm.”
“If you can sleep, then sleep,” Doctor Chen instructed.
Then he signaled for Shi Shengli to step outside with him.
Shi Shengli motioned for his eldest son to stay with his sister and followed Doctor Chen out of the ward.
His face was full of worry.
“Doctor Chen, is something wrong with my daughter?”
Doctor Chen nodded.
“The human brain is very complicated. Sometimes, when a person experiences extreme fear or trauma, the brain instinctively blocks out the memory of the event.”
“Shi Meiqing’s condition appears to be exactly that.”
Shi Shengli muttered softly,
“Extreme fear or trauma…”
So his daughter must have encountered something terrifying today to end up suffering like this.
“My recommendation is that you don’t mention the details of her injury for now. You saw it yourself—just trying to recall it gives her headaches. That’s not good for her recovery.”
“Will my daughter remember it again someday?”
Doctor Chen paused.
“Honestly, sometimes it’s better not to remember terrifying things. Don’t you think? At least the child is still safe and alive.”
“Of course, that’s not absolute. Sometimes memories like this return quickly. Some people only remember after encountering a key trigger.”
“And some people… may never remember for the rest of their lives. Your family should prepare yourselves for that possibility too.”
Shi Shengli nodded slowly.
“If she forgets only this incident, will it affect anything else?”
“No. You probably noticed it too, right? The dullness in your daughter’s eyes is gone now. That should be a good sign.”
Hearing the confirmation, Shi Shengli finally relaxed a little.
“Yes, I noticed too… but I wasn’t sure.”
“Then observe her for a while longer. At the very least, she won’t become worse than before.”
“You’re right. Sorry to trouble you again. I won’t ask her about the incident anymore. If she remembers it herself someday, then we’ll talk about it.”
Although he wanted justice for his daughter, every time she tried to remember, she got splitting headaches.
Compared to that, justice suddenly didn’t seem nearly as important anymore.
As long as he protected his daughter carefully from now on, that was enough.
But even though he said he wouldn’t ask anymore, Shi Shengli still couldn’t stop wondering.
What exactly had his daughter seen…?
What had frightened her so badly that even remembering it made her unwilling to face it?