It wasn't long before Brother Qian's severe convulsions gradually subsided.
The people who had been holding him finally loosened their grip, leaving only two of them continuing to straighten his bent arms.
"What happened? Why was it such a commotion?" Just as the situation stabilized and everyone was watching Brother Qian, Uncle Qian and Aunt Qian— the elderly couple— hurried out of the house, seemingly drawn by the commotion.
The crowd instinctively made a path for them.
When they saw their son on the ground, his face slightly purple from the convulsions, both were stunned.
Panic quickly overtook them, and they hurried over, kneeling down to look at him for a long moment.
Aunt Qian's voice trembled as she asked, "What… what happened? What's wrong with Dadong?"
Dadong is Brother Qian's nickname.
A middle-aged man with the surname Chen spoke up: "He probably had a seizure, a kind of epilepsy. He should be okay now; once he rests, he'll recover."
"Epilepsy? How could he have this? No one in our family has ever had it," Uncle Qian said, trying to remain calmer than Aunt Qian, but his face still showed disbelief.
"Who knows what exactly caused it—he's probably just overworked. Let's carry him back inside; sleeping on the ground isn't good for him," said Chen, gesturing for several burly men nearby to lift Brother Qian and carry him back into the house.
Uncle Qian and Aunt Qian stepped aside and followed behind the group.
Aunt Qian had been wiping tears ever since she saw her son lying on the ground, while Uncle Qian supported her, and the elderly couple trembled as they followed, looking utterly helpless.
Once they were out of sight, only a few of us remained.
Uncle Gazi had initially intended to follow with Tingyun, but worried that the child might cause trouble inside, he decided to stay behind.
I furrowed my brow, watching the group disappear into the house, a sense of foreboding slowly rising in me.
I remembered a student from my previous school who had suddenly collapsed during lessons, convulsing and foaming at the mouth just like Brother Qian.
It wasn't my class, but the teacher later privately told me about it.
The child was sent to a hospital and didn't attend school for a long time.
Apparently, he had a serious illness.
Fortunately, his family was wealthy, and his parents took him to Beijing for treatment.
Soon after, the world descended into chaos, and I lost track of the child's condition.
During that time, I had specifically searched online for information about this kind of situation.
Brother Qian's condition is now medically referred to as epilepsy.
When it reaches a major seizure, it's what we commonly call "yangdianfeng" (sheep epilepsy), one of the more common neurological disorders.
The causes are extremely complex, with many possible factors.
I'm not a medical professional, so at the time I only looked it up out of curiosity, and I don't know the full specifics.
All I know is that if Brother Qian's condition is indeed epilepsy, judging from what just happened, it was a major seizure—the very thing someone just shouted as "yangdianfeng."
If this is truly the case, then Brother Qian's situation is dangerous.
A major seizure is a very critical form of epilepsy, and without timely intervention, it could lead to brain edema, brain herniation, respiratory failure, and a host of other complications that could result in rapid death.
Uncle Gazi, who had been silently following the group for a while, suddenly spoke up: "With this kind of condition, the kid probably won't live long."
Upon hearing this, everyone turned to look at him.
Xu Shu asked, "Uncle Gazi, do you know what this really means? Is it really epilepsy?"
Uncle Gazi nodded: "Eighty to ninety percent sure. Judging by the symptoms, there's no mistake."
Curious, I asked, "Uncle Gazi, have you studied epilepsy?"
After hearing me, Uncle Gazi was silent for a long moment before waving his hand and sighing: "I've studied it for a long time."
He paused, then pointed at Tingyun: "Yuntou's grandmother has this condition. Sometimes it hits her out of nowhere. Back then, Yuntou wasn't even born yet, and I had to watch her all the time—if she had an attack, she'd fall and get hurt. It was really troublesome."
"Then can you tell what exactly is happening with Brother Qian?" Han Xue asked anxiously.
"How could I tell exactly? I can only have a rough idea. This condition either exists or it doesn't, and once a seizure hits, it's like a floodgate opening—attacks can come at any time." Uncle Gazi paused, seeming to recall something, frowned for a long moment, then asked us:
"Did Old guy Qian just say no one in their family has this condition?"
"Yes, he mentioned that," Shen Feng replied.
"Damn!" Uncle Gazi put Tingyun down, slapped his thigh sharply, and his entire expression instantly turned serious.
He kept muttering, "Damn, damn."
"Uncle Gazi, what do you mean by 'damn'?" Yangyang interrupted, speaking up.
Uncle Gazi didn't immediately answer Yangyang, but instead looked toward Old guy Qian and his wife's house with a worried expression.
At that moment, a thought suddenly flashed through my mind, recalling some of the information I had read earlier.
My brow instantly furrowed, and I stared blankly at Uncle Gazi, unconsciously muttering, "Damn…"
"Why are you saying 'damn'? What's wrong? Do you know something?" Han Xue, losing patience, urged impatiently.
I glanced at her briefly, then shifted my gaze back to Uncle Gazi and slowly said, "If epilepsy isn't hereditary, then it could be caused by some problem in the brain affecting the nerves."
Upon hearing this, Uncle Gazi withdrew his gaze from the distant house, frowned, and looked at me for a moment before nodding: "Miss Chen, you actually know something about this?"
I shook my head: "Just a little, not in depth."
"Ah…" Uncle Gazi sighed deeply, then scanned the others before saying, "Yuntou's grandmother had it due to a tumor. This kid, Qian, suddenly having an episode at this age… it's not a good sign."
"So you're saying Brother Qian might also have a tumor in his brain?" Xu Shu asked hesitantly.
I waved my hand: "Not necessarily. There are many possibilities—hypertensive encephalopathy, encephalitis, or even a recent brain injury could lead to this outcome."
I glanced at Uncle Gazi again and continued, "However… Brother Qian hasn't shown any recent physical discomfort. Encephalitis or other brain conditions usually come with noticeable physical symptoms, and there's been no report of him being injured recently. So… what Uncle Gazi mentioned might be a more likely possibility."
"My god…" Han Xue covered her mouth in shock, staring incredulously at the spot where Brother Qian had been lying.
After a moment, she asked us, "If that's really the case, what should we do? Brother Qian… could he die?"
I shook my hand: "It's hard to say. This condition has always been complicated, and even now, it's not something we can determine the cause of in just a few words."
"But…" Zhang Hongsheng, who hadn't spoken until now, finally said, "I'm wondering—given his condition, could it have any impact on others?"
"Impact?" Uncle Gazi looked at him and shook his head.
"It won't affect anyone. When he has an episode, he doesn't hit people—he just convulses on his own."
"No, Uncle Gazi, that's not what I mean." Zhang Hongsheng glanced around at everyone, hesitated for a moment, then continued, "Although it may sound a bit too practical to say this now, with so many lives at stake, I really have to warn you."
"Just say it," Han Xue urged.
"I mean… regardless of what causes the episodes, just looking at his current condition alone, it's not very optimistic. Epilepsy carries a certain risk of death—everyone knows that. Since it's potentially fatal… well, I don't even need to say more; I think everyone can understand."
Upon hearing this, everyone fell silent.
Zhang Hongsheng's words were blunt but clear—Brother Qian's condition left life and death completely uncertain.
None of us knew when another episode might occur, and if no one was around—or if something went wrong—he could die at any moment under any circumstance.
The key point Zhang Hongsheng was emphasizing was this: dozens of people live in this activity room, and if Brother Qian were to have an episode when everyone is off guard… the chaos that could ensue is obvious.
Thinking of this, I furrowed my brows tightly and looked at Shen Feng and Xu Shu.
Their expressions were just as serious.
After a long pause, Xu Shu cleared her throat and suggested, "Why not inform the people in the valley? Situations like Rongrong's can be monitored in isolation. Maybe we could temporarily isolate Brother Qian for observation as well."
Shen Feng, however, shook his head. "That wouldn't work. Regardless of what the others in the valley might do, Uncle Qian and his wife would never agree to send their son there. If a fuss breaks out, it would be another mess. Last night already caused enough disturbance, and if anything else happens, it would be hard to explain to Suo Tian."
Hearing this, Xu Shu sighed and looked at me. "Chen Yang, do you have any ideas?"
I helplessly shrugged and shook my head.
"What ideas could I have? Everything we know right now is just speculation. If we rush to isolate him and it turns out Brother Qian's condition isn't as serious as we think, what then? Uncle Qian and his wife would hate us. But if we don't isolate him, and what Zhang Hongsheng just mentioned happens… then we'll regret it forever."
I scratched my head in frustration.
Situations like this, with no good options, are really annoying!
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