Chapter 165: Everyone Invites Lao Jia

Zhang Ping'an's thoughts were in turmoil; he had no good solution for now, and he couldn't just open his mouth and talk about things that would happen years later.

"Ping'an-ge?" Wang Xiaoling's soft, sweet voice came through.

"Hmm?"

It turned out he had been thinking too intently, and his hand had unknowingly moved to a soft spot to massage it.

"Ahem, since there's nothing going on right now, it's time you started practicing the Body Refining Technique I taught you before."

"Ah?"

"Don't 'ah' me. It has many benefits for the body. You women have flexible bodies, so it's actually easier to practice."

Zhang Ping'an had taught Wang Xiaoling before, but it had been delayed for over a year due to giving birth and raising the child.

"Follow what I do."

Because she had practiced before, it wasn't until the tenth movement that Wang Xiaoling felt the strain.

"Alright, that's it for today. Xiaoling, take a breather; I'm going to go cook."

"Mm, okay."

Wang Xiaoling responded; she truly had no extra strength left now, her whole body feeling soft and limp.

Zhang Ping'an made four hearty dishes; although Body Refining had many benefits, it also consumed a lot of energy and needed replenishment: stewed venison, stewed chicken soup, as well as spiced beef and scrambled eggs.

Zhang Ping'an fetched the two little ones back, and following them were Bang Geng and He Yuliang.

Wang Xiaoling had already served the rice by then, and seeing two more little ones, she served a bowl for each of them.

"Xiaoling, you've used up a lot of energy, hurry and eat. I'll make meat sandwiches for them."

"Mm, okay."

Zhang Ping'an gave each of the four a meat sandwich; his own two children got extra eggs and a little bit of shredded meat, while Bang Geng and Yuliang got half and half.

"Thank you, Zhang Shu."

"Thank you, Great-Uncle."

"Mm, eat slowly."

One meat sandwich and a bowl of porridge each was about enough; sure enough, the four little ones were full after eating and scurried off to play again.

"Ping'an-ge, I ate so much today." Wang Xiaoling rubbed her little belly.

"You used up a lot of energy, so naturally you eat more. From now on, I'll wake you up at 6:30 every morning to practice for half an hour."

"Can I..."

"No. Don't you want your skin to become smoother in the future? Don't you want to keep the appearance of a twenty or thirty-year-old even when you're fifty?"

"I do. Alright, I'll practice."

"That's right."

Although Zhang Ping'an wasn't sure if she would Cleanse Marrow and Cut Meridians after finishing the Eighty-one Forms, it would certainly have many benefits.

That lazy bum Jia Dongxu still couldn't complete a full set of the Eighty-one Forms, so Zhang Ping'an didn't use him as a reference; the closest he ever got was finishing the Seventy-two Forms in one go before he couldn't hold on any longer.

Although he failed to Cleanse Marrow and Cut Meridians, both his physical fitness and reaction speed had improved significantly, and his entire spirit and energy were different.

Qin Huairu was indeed worthy of her top-tier physique; the reason Jia Dongxu could fight her to a draw was also because of the Body Refining Technique, so whenever Jia Dongxu was about to lose to Qin Huairu, he would intensify his Body Refining practice for a period.

If Jia Dongxu could persist in practicing like Zhang Ping'an, he could beat Qin Huairu to the ground in minutes.

Among these nephews, Zhang Ping'an undoubtedly favored him the most, and he rarely lacked anything that Zhang Ping'an had, but this guy had poor self-discipline and was a bit content with small comforts.

On the fourth day of the Lunar New Year, Zhang Ping'an dropped Wang Xiaoling and the children off at the Pharmacy before catching up with the main group.

"Ping'an, Li Ze, Dazhuang, and the others insist on treating me and you to a meal this weekend; they asked me to tell you."

"Sure. They really should thank you for being able to become Second-Grade Workers. If it weren't for you, San Jie Fu, giving up your own time to teach them, they would have really struggled. You also have a chance to aim for the sixth grade."

"Hahaha, them becoming Second-Grade Workers means they can earn more money. The difference between my fifth and sixth grade isn't big, and with time being tight, I'm not confident I can pass, so I might as well put all my effort into training them."

Zhang Ping'an knew nothing about bench work, and he didn't know if these words from San Jie Fu, Lao Jia, were true or not, but as far as he felt, Lao Jia still had hope of aiming for the sixth grade.

Time quickly reached the weekend, and Zhang Ping'an's family, Lao Jia's family, and Xiao Jia's family all gathered in the courtyard of Zhang Ping'an's maternal grandfather.

The kitchen in the courtyard was already bustling; Erniu, Dazhuang, Erzhuang, Qin Weiguo, Li Ze, and Li Cheng, along with their wives, were busy in several kitchens, and Zhang Xiaohua and Wang Xiaoling soon joined them, while Qin Huairu rested in the room as she was pregnant.

Qin Dabao and Uncle Zhang Laiyuan seemed to know the children were hosting today, so they tacitly went home to hunt.

With seven or eight people working, they finished two tables of food just past eleven o'clock; the nine men sat at one table, and the women and children at the other.

Among the adults, Jia Dongxu had the lowest seniority, and with today's guest of honor being his father, Lao Jia, the job of pouring wine fell to him.

"San Jie Fu, I won't say too much, but I'll toast you. Without your guidance, I'd probably still be stuck as a First-Grade Worker."

"Erniu, we are all one family. You are willing to learn, and I am willing to teach; isn't that just right? If you weren't willing to learn, even if I forced you, it would be useless."

"San Yi Fu, that may be so, but the fact that we were taught by you is solid truth. I also toast you."

"That's right, Uncle. Without you and Dongxu, I'd still be farming in Qin Family Village."

"Hahaha, good, let's all drink!"

Everyone was related, and they were all men, so some things didn't need to be said too clearly; as long as they understood in their hearts, that was enough.

As the liquor went down, the atmosphere became lively. They didn't forget to talk about bench work knowledge while drinking, leaving Zhang Ping'an and Jia Dongxu, who knew nothing about it, just staring blankly.

"Xiaoling, isn't our Ping'an capable? Look at the jobs of these younger brothers and nephews, and the Clothing Shop where I work; they were all set up by Ping'an. Ping'an has supported both sides of the family all by himself."

"Thinking back to when Ping'an first entered the city, he was only thirteen. In the blink of an eye, he even has children now," Zhang Xiaohua said with deep emotion.

"Mm, I know, San Jie. My mother's job is also thanks to Ping'an-ge."

This meal lasted for over two hours, and even with Lao Jia's alcohol tolerance, he was a bit dazed, so in the end, Zhang Ping'an pedaled the tricycle to send him home.

At night, Wang Xiaoling suddenly remembered the thirteen years old that Zhang Xiaohua mentioned; she remembered Zhang Ping'an saying he entered the city in '49.

"Ping'an-ge, are you the same age as me?"

"That's right. To marry you sooner, I specifically asked my parents to change my age to be two years older," Zhang Ping'an looked at her affectionately, his hands becoming restless.

"Oh my~"

The days that followed returned to their dull routine; every morning he persisted in taking Wang Xiaoling to exercise, went out for a stroll in the morning, and after handing in supplies in the afternoon, he would slack off in the department.

It was just that Lou Xiaoe began coming more frequently; one day on her day off, she brought a gift Lou Bancheng had made up for, a pair of Jade Pendants, which did not look cheap judging by their texture.

"Xiao'e, this is too valuable."

"What of it? We have plenty at home." Then Lou Xiaoe stayed at Zhang Ping'an's house for the day, seemingly having endless things to talk about with Wang Xiaoling.

"Mm, delicious, it's so delicious. Although it doesn't taste as good as He Dashu's, it feels like the ingredients are fresher."

"Brother-in-law, where did all this meat come from?" Ever since she recognized Sister Xiao Ling, she stopped calling Zhang Ping'an 'brother' and called him 'brother-in-law' directly.

"Purchased from the countryside. If you like eating it, I'll bring you some next time too."

"Great, great! I'll come over to get it on my next day off."

"..."

After eating and drinking her fill in the afternoon, Lou Xiaoe packed up quite a bit more and rode her ladies' Bicycle back.

"Brother Ping'an, follow her a bit; she's just a child."

"Alright."

As it turned out, Zhang Ping'an had only followed for a short while after pushing his bike out when he saw A Biao from last time; Zhang Ping'an nodded at him and then turned back.