On Wang Er Ya's side, perhaps because Niu Niu had been able to drink her fill these past few days, her cries were no longer as silent as before and had started to carry some sound.
That day, Wang Er Ya noticed Niu Niu had been crying and fussing incessantly. Coincidentally, the group was taking a break, so she asked Da Niu to help shield them while she removed Niu Niu's pants to check if she had soiled herself.
It was only then that she discovered Niu Niu's bottom was not only red and swollen but had already begun to fester in some areas, turning white.
Upon further inspection, she found that the skin under her armpits, around her neck, and in the creases of her knees was also red, swollen, and peeling, with signs of ulceration.
In truth, Wang Er Ya had noticed the redness on Niu Niu's body earlier, but there was nothing she could do about it, and she hadn't realized it would become so severe.
Since they had been traveling almost nonstop during the day, she had to devote most of her energy and attention to keeping up with the journey and feeding the child. Maintaining hygiene was simply impossible under such circumstances.
With water in short supply, she was already grateful to have enough for drinking and dared not waste any for other purposes.
Moreover, Niu Niu had no spare clothes. Whenever she wet her pants, they would simply be left to dry before being put back on. If she had a bowel movement, the waste would be cleaned off, the fabric rubbed with soil, sun-dried, and rubbed again before being reused.
The hygiene conditions were truly dire. It wasn't just Niu Niu—almost no one had spare clothes to change into. Everyone was filthy and reeked, and for women like Wang Er Ya, the grime and stench served as a form of protection.
Both Wang Er Ya and Da Niu had grown accustomed to the smell. If they had fleas, they simply scratched. But seeing Niu Niu covered in so many sores and crying incessantly, Wang Er Ya felt heartbroken. At the same time, she worried the child's cries would draw unwanted attention.
So, Wang Er Ya decided to seek help from the miraculous System.
Thus, Ning Xuan received Wang Er Ya's plea for assistance, asking if there was any medicine to treat the redness, swelling, and broken skin on the child's bottom and neck.
Ning Xuan replied, asking her to wait while she looked for something, then turned to Lin Yuhan for help.
When Lin Yuhan heard it was for medicine for a child, she had no idea what to get and went straight to a pharmacy to inquire.
The pharmacy staff, based on Lin Yuhan's description of the symptoms, handed her a tube of ointment. Worried it might not be enough, Lin Yuhan bought an extra tube, along with some cotton swabs and gauze.
The staff also reminded Lin Yuhan of some precautions for infant care, which she carefully noted.
As she jotted down the instructions, Lin Yuhan used her thoughts to relay the information to Ning Xuan.
After reading the message, Ning Xuan asked Lin Yuhan to also purchase some wet wipes and small black cloths.
Ning Xuan really wanted to buy new clothes for Niu Niu to change into, but they were fleeing a famine. New clothes would undoubtedly attract attention, and even if the child was being carried by Wang Er Ya, someone was bound to notice, which could lead to trouble. Reluctantly, she gave up on the idea.
Once she had the items, Ning Xuan took advantage of her empty dorm room to open the package of wet wipes. Lin Yuhan had bought the kind meant for mothers and babies—a large pack containing dozens of sheets. Ning Xuan opened one pack first.
She then soaked the small black cloths with hot water from her kettle. By the time they were fully wet, the temperature had cooled to a safe level. After preparing everything, Ning Xuan traded the ointment, wet wipes, and damp cloths to Wang Er Ya.
She also explained how to use them.
Fortunately, it was already afternoon. After the group had rested and traveled a bit further, night fell completely, and they settled down to rest.
Niu Niu had cried herself to sleep from exhaustion, but her sleep was restless, with frequent tossing and turning.
In truth, Niu Niu was very thin, with little flesh on her bones. During this period of fleeing famine, she spent most of her time nestled in Wang Er Ya's arms. The weather was already hot, and being constantly held while fully clothed made it worse. For easier carrying, she was wrapped in an additional cloth and carried against the chest, causing Niu Niu to sweat profusely.
The red, chafed, and broken skin areas were all caused by this prolonged heat and moisture. Combined with the hot weather and poor sanitary conditions, the broken skin had become inflamed.
Using the cloth that held Niu Niu as cover, Wang Er Ya relied on touch to first wipe Niu Niu's body with a warm, damp cloth beneath the covering. Then she cleaned her own hands with a wet cloth and quickly applied medicine to Niu Niu using her fingers.
Using cotton swabs would have been more hygienic, but circumstances didn't permit it. With multiple sores on Niu Niu's body, cotton swabs would have been too slow, and Wang Er Ya needed to stay alert to their surroundings, leaving no time for careful application.
After the ointment was applied, a cooling sensation followed. Niu Niu, who had been whimpering, soon quieted down. Only then did Wang Er Ya feel somewhat relieved.
Then it suddenly occurred to her: although Da Niu was very sensible, she was only just over a year old. Could she also have red, swollen, or broken skin?
Under the cover of darkness, Wang Er Ya held Da Niu in front of her and carefully lifted her clothes. Sure enough, there were red, raw patches under her arms.
Due to scarce food and surviving on compressed biscuits, Wang Er Ya and her two children had very infrequent bowel movements. Sometimes they felt the urge but couldn't go, only relieving themselves once every six or seven days. Thus, Wang Er Ya hadn't checked Da Niu's bottom for several days—it was undoubtedly red too.
Wang Er Ya repeated the same process for Da Niu, wiping her body and applying medicine. She avoided wiping the face and exposed areas, as cleaning them would only cause more trouble.
At just over a year old, Da Niu couldn't speak yet, occasionally uttering a few indistinct words. But most of the time, she understood when Wang Er Ya told her to stay quiet, and she would remain silent obediently. Throughout the entire process, Da Niu made no sound, though her expression relaxed noticeably after the medicine was applied.
Fortunately, they had reached an area where green plants were gradually becoming more abundant. The leader mentioned they would search for a water source tomorrow. Along the way, they had occasionally found nearly dried-up water sources, digging pits underground to barely uncover some murky water. But none of the refugees complained, lining up to collect water. Though Wang Er Ya had water, she couldn't reveal it openly, so she joined the queue at the very end.
Many refugees shared Wang Er Ya's sentiment that hope was just within reach. They all clung to similar thoughts, feeling that with a little more perseverance, things would improve. It was this very belief that kept them going.
.
Ning Xuan took medicine and her fever subsided by noon. Since she had already taken leave, she continued resting in her dormitory that afternoon.
Knowing that Wang Er Ya could only apply the medicine to the children at night, Ning Xuan felt anxious on her behalf. However, for safety reasons, it was definitely better to do it after dark.
Ning Xuan was highly empathetic by nature. If she didn't know about the situation, it would be one thing, but since they had been in contact—though they had never met—they could be considered friends. So Ning Xuan was genuinely worried for Wang Er Ya.
It wasn't until evening, when she received Wang Er Ya's message saying the medicine had been very effective, that Ning Xuan finally felt relieved.
Just as Ning Xuan was about to go to sleep, a familiar warm flow emerged, and she knew her period had arrived.
According to the original host's memories, this body hadn't had a period for three months, and Ning Xuan hadn't experienced one since arriving here over a month ago.
Perhaps it was due to better nutrition recently, combined with resting in the dormitory after her fever broke today, her body was more relaxed, and her period had arrived just like that.
At this moment, Ning Xuan particularly wished the house would be completed soon. Otherwise, it would be inconvenient for her to change sanitary pads. She planned to use the sanitary pads traded from the modern era, not wanting to use the menstrual belts of this time—they were too troublesome and, she felt, unhygienic.
Helplessly, Ning Xuan could only get up and go to the bathroom to change.