The little one's purse connects the two worlds, turning a desolate village into a paradise.

She dared not think any further.

Her eyes suddenly turned red, and her eye rims became wet.

"Grandpa Village Chief's sickle is covered in yellow rust, what should I do... Please help me get some medicine and that needle, I have money, Uncle."

When Chen Lei saw how frightened the little girl was, he quickly came out from behind the counter and gently patted her shoulder: "Don't cry, don't cry, it's okay, you'll be fine after the injection."

As soon as he finished speaking, he looked around the shop again. There were still customers picking out things, so he couldn't leave at all.

His two-dollar store does have band-aids and alcohol, but the band-aids are of poor quality and are completely ineffective against cuts from rusty sickles.

Chen Lei felt a pang of unease, unsure of what to do, when a soft voice suddenly came from behind him.

"Why is the child crying? Chen Lei, are you bullying a child?"

As soon as He Miao walked in, she saw the little girl with tears welling up in her eyes, but not quite falling.

Chen Lei quickly explained, "No way, the child is worried about the adults at home. He said that the village chief cut his hand with a rusty sickle, and the cut was quite big. Their village seems to be quite remote. Last time they came, they didn't even know how to use soap, and I guess there's no clinic there."

She was in a hurry and came to me wanting to buy medicine. I asked her if the knife was rusty, because rust can cause it to overheat, and that's how she got like that.

This isn't a pharmacy, and I can't leave; I'm really worried about it.

He Miao understood immediately and looked at the little girl who was staring at him expectantly.

It turned out to be the case.

She crouched down, took out a pack of tissues from her bag, and gently wiped away Ya Ya's tears with one: "Little girl, the shopkeeper is busy, how about I take you to the pharmacy? The pharmacy is nearby, and they have all kinds of medicine."

Ya Ya sniffed her little red nose and nodded obediently.

That pretty lady is so gentle.

Her paper was soft and fragrant.

My panicked heart seemed to calm down a little bit at once.

Chen Lei immediately breathed a sigh of relief: "Then I'll have to trouble you."

He knew He Miao; she lived nearby and came to the store every few days. She was a regular customer, and he wouldn't feel comfortable letting anyone take the little guy away if they weren't familiar with her.

He Miao gently took Ya Ya's cold little hand and said, "It's okay. I'll take you to buy medicine for Grandpa Village Chief. He'll feel better after he takes it."

Upon hearing the mention of Grandpa Village Chief, Ya Ya immediately perked up and followed He Miao outside.

Two figures, one tall and one short, hurriedly left the small shop and headed towards the pharmacy.

Chen Lei watched them walk away, then clapped his hands, preparing to retrieve the items behind the counter.

As soon as he turned around, his gaze froze.

Ya Ya's black folding stroller is still sitting there all alone.

He chuckled and shook his head, then put the trolley behind the counter and placed it against the wall.

After standing still for a moment, he turned around and walked back to the shelves.

I picked out a few boxes of bandages from my own store. They were cheap, but they were all genuine products, not the cheap, low-quality kind. They were enough for emergencies.

I also took a few small bottles of iodine solution and alcohol, as well as a large pack of cotton swabs.

Remembering that the child had mentioned wanting to buy sulfur soap, he went to the basket opposite the cashier and counted out ten bars of sulfur soap.

Chen Lei put these things into a clean little bag and placed them on top of the small black box on the cart.

When the child comes back, I'll give her the car and her belongings all at once.

Even a little help is appreciated.

The pharmacy isn't far, just around the corner outside the night market.

Ya Ya's legs were too short, and she stumbled as He Miao led her. After a few steps, He Miao noticed and simply bent down and picked her up.

When I hugged her, I realized that she was so thin and frail that it was hard to tell from her puffy cotton coat. Her clothes sank in instantly, and she looked like a skinny little stick.

The small bundle was nestled quietly against her chest.

He Miao gently patted her back and quickened her pace toward the pharmacy.

As soon as you push open the door of the pharmacy, clean and bright lights shine down, and a faint aroma of medicine wafts in the air.

Rows of transparent glass cabinets, with neatly arranged medicine boxes, made Ya Ya's eyes widen in amazement. This is a pharmacy?

She had never seen a place like this before, so neat and clean, with so many little boxes.

Are they all medicine?

Bravo.

Grandpa Village Chief is saved.

The shop assistant quickly and warmly approached: "Hello, what kind of medicine do you need?"

He Miao gently put her down and looked down at Ya Ya: "Tell this older sister how Grandpa Village Chief got injured and what the wound looks like. The clearer you describe it, the more effective the medicine will be."

Ya Ya pursed her lips, carefully recalling the red marks on Grandpa Village Chief's hands.

She raised her little hand, extending two slender fingers to show a cut about the same length as her palm: "Grandpa has a cut this long on his hand, it's red and it hurts when I touch it... Grandpa said it was from when he was chopping wood, when he was cut by the sickle."

Ya Ya is still young and doesn't know that there are many kinds of knives. She only remembers sickles and kitchen knives. The village chief's explanation was vague, only saying that she accidentally cut herself with a sickle while chopping firewood. She subconsciously said that it was a sickle that cut her.

But by some strange twist of fate, she was right.

She paused, then remembered what the shopkeeper had said, frowned, and added earnestly, "That sickle... it's yellowish and rough, and it's rusty..."

Upon hearing that the cut was from a rusty sickle, the shop assistant immediately became more serious and asked softly, "Grandpa, is the wound very red and swollen now? Is it oozing pus? Does he have a fever or feel weak?"

Ya Ya tilted her little head and thought seriously, "The wound is red and a little swollen, but there's no pus. Grandpa looks quite energetic. Fever... what does fever mean?"

"It's just a fever, your body feels hot," the shop assistant explained patiently.

"No, Grandpa doesn't. His hands are still ice-cold."

The shop assistant nodded, then looked at He Miao behind Ya Ya: "Redness and swelling indicate that the injury was recent. It's alright as long as it hasn't festered. The child came relatively quickly, which means it's not seriously infected yet, but it still needs to be treated properly."

As she spoke, she went to the shelf, took a small pile of items, and put them on the counter.

"I'll get you iodine solution, sterile gauze, and anti-inflammatory ointment. First, clean the wound inside and out with iodine solution, then apply the ointment, and wrap it with gauze. Change the gauze every day."

Most importantly, if someone is cut by a rusty knife, they must get a tetanus shot within 24 hours to be on the safe side.

Ya Ya looked up at the screen, listening with a confused expression. She could roughly understand what the disinfection and medicine application meant, but she couldn't understand the last sentence.

The shop manager had mentioned earlier that I needed to get a shot, but how do you give a shot to that little embroidered girl? With your fist?

She spoke timidly, her voice small, "Sister... what is a shot?"

Upon hearing this, both the shop assistant and He Miao were taken aback, and the shop assistant looked at He Miao.

"The village is quite remote for the children..."

The shop assistant softened her voice and tried to explain simply: "Getting an injection means the doctor uses a thin needle to gently prick your arm and inject the medicine, so Grandpa won't get sick anymore."

"A sound... a syringe..." Ya Ya was even more confused.

He Miao squatted down and gently patted her head: "Don't you have a doctor or a clinic in your village? Hmm... a doctor?"

doctor?

The little sprout understood, her eyes no longer clear and blank, but the color in her little face gradually faded.

Last year... the village doctor was arrested.

When the imperial court conscripted able-bodied men, it didn't just take away men; skilled doctors were also in short supply, especially those fighting in battle. The village's only barefoot doctor was also taken away along with them.

There were also young aunties.

Ya Ya clearly remembers that day, the village, which was perfectly fine, suddenly became mostly empty.

The young men hung their heads, silent, not even daring to look back at their elderly parents at home. The older women in the group covered their mouths, stifling their sobs, which came out in sobs.

They walked away in groups, slowly disappearing into the road at the village entrance.

So many people just disappeared like that, never to return.