Chapter 143: Li Huaide's Gratitude

"Well done, Kou Dali. You're much better than I was the first time."

"Really, Master?"

"Mm, keep it up. Just practice a few more times and you'll have it."

Xu Damao witnessed Kou Dali's growth and felt a great sense of accomplishment for the apprentice he had personally trained.

"Mm, okay, I will work hard."

At the Sijiucheng Rolling Mill Procurement Department, Zhang Ping'an was lying flat.

"Team Leader Zhang."

"Hm? Secretary Liu?"

"Yes, Director Li asked me to come and call you."

"Alright, let's go. Brother Liu, did the Director say what he wanted with me?"

"Good news," Secretary Liu said, keeping him in suspense.

"Knock, knock, knock."

"Come in."

"Ping'an, come, come, sit down. Little Liu, you go out and close the door."

"Oh, oh, okay."

Li Huaide was exceptionally enthusiastic today, which gave Zhang Ping'an goosebumps all over.

"Director, just tell me if you need anything."

"Ahem~ I called you here today mainly to thank you." Li Huaide also realized he was being overly enthusiastic and gave a dry cough.

"???" Zhang Ping'an was completely confused and didn't know what was going on.

"It's about that Wild Honey you gave me last time. After your sister-in-law drank it in water, she lost a whole lot of weight over the past half year. You'll see when you go look later. Come home with me for dinner tonight."

"Ah? This..."

Did this space Wild Honey really have such an effect? Zhang Ping'an truly didn't know; after all, he had only given it to relatives around him, and he hadn't seen them have such a big reaction.

"Don't decline, everything is already prepared at home."

"Alright, then I'll go back and tell my family."

"Mm, that's good. Then I'll send a car to pick you up at six-thirty."

"No need, Director. It's not far, I'll just ride my bike over."

"Alright then, just don't be late."

"Understood, Director."

Zhang Ping'an didn't return to the Procurement Department and rode his bike straight to the Pharmacy. Now, Wang Xiaoling brought the child to work, and her grandmother watched the child during work hours.

"Xiao Ling, I have something to do tonight and might be back a bit late. I'll have my mother come over to pick you up later."

"No need, Brother Ping'an, it's just a few steps."

"That won't do, it's settled."

"Okay."

Zhang Ping'an went back to the Siheyuan and told his mother.

"Alright, I'll go over when the time comes."

Zhang Ping'an still had to prepare something; he couldn't go empty-handed. In the end, he chose two bottles of ten-year-old aged liquor and two bottles of Wild Honey.

Li Huaide was likely inviting him over this time because the Wild Honey was finished and he wanted more, so Zhang Ping'an simply brought some along.

"Knock, knock, knock." At six-ten, Zhang Ping'an knocked on Li Huaide's door.

"Is that Ping'an? You came, so why did you bring things?"

Xu Lijuan opened the door, and Zhang Ping'an was stunned. Good heavens, she must have lost forty or fifty pounds.

The old Xu Lijuan was big and sturdy, nearly one meter seventy tall, and must have weighed one hundred sixty or seventy pounds. Now, she looked to be at most one hundred ten or one hundred twenty pounds.

Xu Lijuan was also very satisfied with Zhang Ping'an's reaction; almost everyone who hadn't seen her for a long time was like this.

"Sister-in-law? Sister-in-law, your change is too big, isn't it?"

"Speaking of this, I have to thank you more, sister-in-law. Come in quickly. Dad, Big Brother, Li, Ping'an is here."

The sister-in-law who was busy in the kitchen heard the commotion and came out to look. Seeing Zhang Ping'an, she saw only a handsome young man.

The three people in the study also came out. Leading them was an old man with an overwhelming sense of presence, surely cultivated from being in high positions for years. Behind him followed a middle-aged man who looked eighty percent like him, and then Li Huaide.

"Ping'an, let me introduce you. This is my father-in-law, and this is my brother-in-law, Xu Baisheng."

"Xu Laoye, Brother Xu, hello. This junior pays his respects."

"Hahaha, good. Just call me Uncle Xu from now on. Ping'an, I have to thank you for my daughter's matter."

"Xu, Uncle Xu, you are too polite. It was also a coincidence. Although I knew honey had the effects of beauty, skincare, and moisturizing the bowels, I didn't expect the effect to be so good."

"Regardless, your sister-in-law wants to thank you."

"That's right, Ping'an. And that Wild Tea of yours is also fragrant, hehe."

"Actually, both of these things were things I collected unintentionally while hunting in the mountains over the years. The tea was also stir-fried by myself."

"Oh? Nature is truly magical. I didn't expect the mountain Wild Honey and Wild Tea to have such good effects."

"Dad, Big Brother, Li, don't just stand there chatting. Sit down, dinner is ready." At this time, Xu Lijuan and her sister-in-law Zhong Yan had already brought the stir-fried dishes to the table.

"Alright then, let's chat while we eat."

Li Huaide took two bottles of Moutai out from the cabinet on the side, but then saw the black cloth bag that Xu Lijuan had casually placed on the cabinet.

"Ping'an, did you bring this?"

"Mm, I figured sister-in-law's Wild Honey should be about finished, so I happened to have two bottles at home and brought them over. There are also two bottles of old liquor from before."

Hearing there was more Wild Honey, Xu Lijuan hurriedly put down her bowl and chopsticks and went to take it into her hands. This was her life-saving medicine.

"Ping'an, thank you."

"What are you saying, sister-in-law?"

"Good, good, good. Let's taste this aged wine today." Li Huaide set the table down and opened Zhang Ping'an's aged wine; immediately, a fragrance of wine wafted out.

"Hiss—good wine!"

The other two grown men also had sparkling eyes, both staring at the wine in Li Huaide's hands. Li Huaide did not dare to delay and poured a small cup for each person.

"Come, come, come. I'm happy today, let's drink some wine to celebrate."

"Ping'an, is this Medicinal Wine?" After drinking it, Xu Qianshan felt an indescribable medicinal fragrance in his mouth, and his body seemed to feel a few degrees lighter.

"Xu Shu is sharp. This is indeed considered Medicinal Wine; it can dredge the meridians and activate collaterals, and consolidate the foundation and cultivate the origin. However, one cannot drink too much; no more than two taels per person per day."

In reality, this was just ordinary high-proof white spirit, only it had been soaked in the Great Cauldron for a long time and had become tainted with a trace of pill fragrance, but it did indeed have some effect on ordinary people.

"Good, good, good."

Having witnessed his daughter's miraculous weight loss, Xu Qianshan had also investigated Zhang Ping'an and knew that he had learned a few tricks from a Traditional Chinese Medicine practitioner and was also the man's grandson-in-law, so he did not doubt the effects of this wine at all.

Afterward, Xu Qianshan gave his son a wink, and Xu Baisheng helplessly packed up the remaining wine, preparing to take it home later.

"..." Li Huaide could only watch helplessly.

"Ahem, come, eat the food, eat the food."

"Right, Ping'an, taste your sister-in-law's cooking; it's not for show."

"Alright, Xu Shu, Li Ge, sister-in-law, then I won't stand on ceremony."

"When you're at Li Ge's place, it's just like being in your own home."

Zhang Ping'an really did not stand on ceremony and buried his head to start devouring, though he did restrain himself a little; otherwise, these dishes really wouldn't be enough for him alone to eat.

"Sister-in-law's cooking is top-notch," Zhang Ping'an didn't forget to offer some praise.

"Hehehe, as long as you like eating it."

Xu Lijuan was naturally happy that her cooking was recognized, and Xu Qianshan looked at the unpretentious Zhang Ping'an with increasing appreciation; usually, which of the younger generation didn't act like a mouse meeting a cat when they saw him? Even his own grandson was the same.

This meal was enjoyed by both host and guest, and everyone got what they wanted: Zhang Ping'an successfully entered the line of sight of the big shot behind Li Huaide, so his work would surely be smooth sailing in the future;

Xu Qianshan obtained the Medicinal Wine and also witnessed an outstanding younger generation member; Xu Lijuan had this Honey to help, and in the future, she could lose another ten or five catties, after all, most of the fat and toxins accumulated in her body had already been expelled.

Li Huaide's relationship with his father-in-law's family became even closer, which would be of greater help to his future official career; everyone was happy.