Chapter 176: Commune Establishment 2.0

"Good, good, good, thank you for your hard work, Ping'an," Li Aiguo said, looking at Zhang Ping'an, who was covered in sweat.

"It's nothing. There are two hundred more catties here; I'll go deliver them to Uncle Li."

"Just leave them here. You take a rest; I'll find someone to deliver them."

"That works too."

If it were anyone else, he would have to consider it, but Li Aiguo was fine; if he dared not deliver them, going home to get a "belt-fried-meat" beating would be the least of his worries.

"Ping'an, how come the scar on your shoulder has disappeared?"

"Did you forget what Xiao Ling's grandfather does? I've been learning from him for seven or eight years," Zhang Ping'an rolled his eyes at him.

"Right, right, right. Do you still have the medicine? Can it remove old, long-standing scars?"

"I do. I'm not sure if it can remove the scar, but it should be able to fade it."

"That, um..."

"I don't have it on me. I'll send it to you later. You're a grown man, are you afraid of having a scar?"

"Sigh, it's not me; it's my little sister. She was naughty when she was little and got scalded by boiling water. The skin on her forearm and wrist is deformed. She doesn't even dare to wear short sleeves in the summer and keeps them covered all year round."

"How old is your sister now? How many years has it been since she was scalded?"

"She's eleven this year; it's been seven or eight years."

"Hmm, alright. If it's convenient, I'll take a look. The medicine I use might not necessarily be suitable for her."

"Good, good, good. You go get the medicine, and I'll bring my sister over right now."

Li Aiguo was very excited. He had seen Zhang Ping'an's wound with his own eyes back then, and now the skin where the wound had been was as smooth as before, without the slightest trace visible.

His sister, Li Aihua, had also become a bit self-conscious because of this; ever since she was old enough to understand, he hadn't seen her wear short sleeves again.

"That works too."

Zhang Ping'an's previous medicine was Golden Sore Medicine, which had miraculous effects on wound recovery, but for this kind of burn, and old scars at that, the effect would likely be limited. However, the Yongle Encyclopedia also contained records of an Ointment for burns; he could whip some up.

Half an hour later, Zhang Ping'an returned to the Eastern City Branch, and Li Aiguo was already waiting with a little girl who had her head lowered.

"Let's go, let's go to the office first," Li Aiguo said, pulling Zhang Ping'an along.

"Alright."

Upon reaching the office, Zhang Ping'an finally got a clear look at the little girl who had been keeping her head down. She was very pretty, a rare beauty even at such a young age, and she didn't look like Li Aiguo's biological sister at all.

"Hmm~ there's nothing wrong with her body," Zhang Ping'an said after finishing taking her pulse.

He then went to roll up Li Aihua's sleeve to check the degree of the burn, but she held his hand down.

"Don't worry. If you do as I say, even if it doesn't recover completely, it will definitely fade. If you don't look closely, it should be hard to notice."

This wasn't Zhang Ping'an bragging; the prescription itself stated this effect, and since his medicinal ingredients were all enhanced versions, the results would only be better than what he said.

"Really?" Li Aihua finally raised her head, her voice also very crisp.

"Naturally."

Hearing Zhang Ping'an's affirmative answer, Li Aihua finally loosened her right hand, her eyes filled with anticipation.

"Hmm, it's not too serious. The effect might be better than expected. I'll give you a few acupuncture needles first to help wake up the muscle and skin in this area. Don't be afraid, it won't hurt, hehehe."

Zhang Ping'an was amused by the little girl's expression; she covered her eyes with her right hand but peeked through her fingers.

"Alright, apply this medicine..." Zhang Ping'an hesitated for a moment and didn't do it himself; at eleven, she was already a young lady.

"Li Ge, take her back and have your aunt apply the medicine for the little sister. You don't need to use too much at once; just spread it evenly over the affected area."

"Why don't you come back with me?"

"That works too," Zhang Ping'an thought for a moment and agreed. They would feel more at ease if he were there the first time.

In a sidecar motorcycle, Zhang Ping'an sat in the back, Li Aihua sat in the box beside him, and they rode in a flurry all the way to a large courtyard.

"Mom, Dad," Li Aiguo dashed into the house as soon as he parked, telling his parents about Li Aihua's situation.

"Good, good, good."

"Ping'an Ge, come with me," Li Aihua said in a low voice.

"Alright."

"Mom, Dad, this is the Zhang Ping'an I often mention."

"Hello, Uncle, Aunt."

Li Aiguo's father, Li Chuanjia, was a tall man with a rugged face, while his mother had the temperament of a woman from the Jiangnan water towns. Zhang Ping'an finally understood; the two siblings had each inherited traits from one parent.

"Good, good. The young man is truly a talent. As for Xiaohua..."

"It's real."

"Good, good, good. Child's mother, you learn well from Ping'an."

"Alright."

What followed was Zhang Ping'an giving instructions and Li Aiguo's mother doing the work, wrapping it gently with gauze after spreading it evenly.

"Xiaohua, how does it feel?"

"It's tingling and itchy, and also cool and refreshing."

"Hmm, good. Try not to sweat these next few days; it's best if you don't leave the house. It's normal to have slight pain in your arm during this time; after all, this medicine will break down and reorganize the existing wrinkled skin."

"Also, take this bottle of Medicine Liquid. Drink two qian half an hour after dinner every night—just one small cup like the ones used for drinking alcohol is fine. I'll come back in a week."

This was Space Water; Zhang Ping'an had put some bupleurum roots in it, which could soothe the liver and regulate Qi, as well as accelerate skin repair.

"Hmm, okay." Li Aihua's eyes were sparkling at this moment.

Zhang Ping'an left the courtyard amidst the thanks of Li Aiguo's parents.

"Ping'an, thank you. This Ointment must not be cheap. How much money do I owe you?"

"We're brothers, not outsiders. Isn't your little sister my little sister too?"

"Alright, we'll talk about it then."

The two parted ways at the Sub-bureau; with this delay, it was already nearly eleven o'clock, so Zhang Ping'an simply went straight to his master's house to cadge a meal.

"Brother Ping'an, why are you back so soon?" Wang Xiaoling asked in surprise.

"I just arrived at the village..." Zhang Ping'an explained briefly.

"Oh, so that's how it is."

After finishing the meal and coaxing Wang Xiaoling to sleep, Zhang Ping'an hurriedly delivered over a hundred catties of pork to the Rolling Mill before rushing back to his old home.

In the evening, Li Aiguo returned home to discuss with his father and mother how to thank Zhang Ping'an.

"Ping'an won't accept money; I know him. He's considered my colleague now, so I really can't think of what to give him."

"Let him have a service pistol. Didn't you say he often goes into the mountains to hunt? Having a gun should make him safer."

"Eh? That actually seems possible." Li Aiguo felt that no man could resist the temptation of a firearm.

The next morning, the people of Zhang Family Village ate their fill, brandishing sickles to harvest wheat, their sweat soaking their undershirts.

"Ping'an, take it slow, come back and drink some water. The weather is too hot this year." Zhang Dadan always felt the weather this year was abnormal.

"Alright, I'll stop once I finish cutting to the end of the field."

"Big Brother, here, drink some water." Six-year-old Zhang Xile handed the water over to Zhang Ping'an.

"Phew~ Alright, go cool off under the tree." Zhang Ping'an downed it in one go; it was only nine o'clock, but the sun was already making people feel miserable.

Busy from six in the morning until seven in the evening, with lunch eaten right at the edge of the field, the wheat from their family's seven-plus mu of land was finally all cut down.

The next morning, just like in previous years, Zhang Ping'an went to help his second and third uncles' families, followed by bundling and transporting; the technical work of threshing had to rely on the older generation.

In five days, the wheat of all three families was stored in the granary; this year was a bumper harvest for the whole village, too. The wheat yield of Zhang Ping'an's family was about the same as last year, while other families almost all had an increase of four or five hundred catties in their harvest.

The villagers' praise for Zhang Laohan was as if it cost nothing; the person sent by the county to be responsible for recording was also taken aback—this had broken the county's record.

However, before he could report it, harvest reports from all over the country began to double; some even had claims of ten thousand catties per mu, making their yield of over three hundred catties per mu seem unremarkable instead.

"Dad, I see this pig is nearly two hundred catties now; how about we slaughter it for meat?"

"Are you short on meat?" Zhang Laohan rolled his eyes at him.

"Eat it, listen to our good grandson; I'm craving meat too." Grandma now listened to Zhang Ping'an for almost everything; not only did she listen, she even provided assists.

"..."