Chapter 223: Warmth

"Eat, eat, don't fight tonight, get along well," Zhang Ping'an said as he took out fresh forage to feed the three horses.

Just as Zhang Ping'an stepped out of the horse pen, he ran into his grandfather.

"Grandfather, you haven't slept yet?"

"Hahaha, good grandson, to think you rode a horse all the way here. Come, your second uncle must have the noodles ready."

His grandfather's appearance hadn't changed much compared to a few years ago, but the wrinkles deepened significantly when he smiled.

Moreover, while Beijiang hadn't experienced any major natural disasters in the last two years, it was still somewhat affected by the Mainland, and grain prices had fluctuated quite a bit.

However, because his grandfather's household had the high-yield grain seeds Zhang Ping'an had left behind, they didn't go hungry; looking at his eldest uncle and now his second uncle, they hadn't changed much from a few years ago.

"Alright," Zhang Ping'an was indeed exhausted to death and just wanted to finish eating and get a good night's sleep.

Arriving at the kitchen, his second uncle, Dong Dali, had already dished out a large bowl of noodles, topped with plenty of garnish.

"Ping'an, this is some shredded meat left over from dinner, eat up quickly."

"Alright, thank you, Second Uncle."

Zhang Ping'an picked up his chopsticks and began to wolf down the food, finishing the bowl of noodles in no time, then patted his belly in satisfaction.

"Ping'an, go to sleep as soon as you're full; your eyes are full of bloodshot veins."

"Mm, alright."

Zhang Ping'an quickly tidied up the bowl and chopsticks and replaced all the water in the kitchen before returning to his room to prepare for sleep.

After locking the door, Zhang Ping'an slipped into his space, washed up simply, and then came out to fall into a deep sleep on the bed.

"Ping'an must be exhausted."

"Indeed, even Big Brother is worn out after driving back, let alone Ping'an, who rode a horse."

"Mm, you go back to sleep too."

"Alright, Father, you get some sleep early too."

"Mm, alright."

The next morning at eight o'clock, his eldest and second uncles had already gone to work, leaving only Zhang Ping'an's family still fast asleep.

It wasn't until nine-thirty that Zhang Ping'an woke up; this sleep had been unprecedentedly comfortable, and it was a rare occasion for Zhang Ping'an to sleep in over these years.

"Hoo~" Just as Zhang Ping'an stepped out to wash up, his grandmother and grandfather heard the movement and hurried over.

"My dear grandson, you're awake. How are you? Still tired? Hungry, aren't you? I'll go heat up some food for you right now," his grandmother's concerned words made Zhang Ping'an feel exceptionally warm.

"Grandmother, Grandfather, I'm not tired, I've recovered, but I am indeed hungry."

Zhang Ping'an had slept for nearly twelve hours, and the bit of noodles in his stomach from last night had long since been burned off.

"Good, good, as long as you've recovered, go wash up quickly."

"Mm, alright."

Perhaps due to Zhang Ping'an's chain reaction, his parents and Wang Xiaoling also got up one after another; only the six children were still sleeping.

"Da Ni, Laizhong, Xiao Ling, you're awake too. Ping'an arrived after ten last night, you were all asleep, so we didn't call you; he just got up too."

"Father, Mother, Xiao Ling," Zhang Ping'an said just as he returned from washing up.

"Mm," Zhang Laohan looked at Zhang Ping'an's spirited appearance and knew his son had recovered.

"You three don't just stand there, go wash up and come eat. My dear grandson, come quickly, there are lamb buns you love."

"Coming, Grandmother, I'm coming right over."

Ten minutes later, Zhang Ping'an patted his belly in satisfaction; six lamb buns and a bowl of Lamb Soup to fill the gaps—just right.

"Father, Mother, are you short on grain here?"

"Not bad, your father and I planted quite a lot of potatoes and wheat in the yard. For some reason, the harvests these past few years have been exceptionally large, so we've just been storing them in the grain jars at home."

"It's fortunate we didn't take them out to sell, otherwise we might really have gone hungry. I heard that the Mainland was affected by natural disasters in the last two years, causing grain yields to drop and starving quite a few people."

"Mm, I suppose not; anyway, it hasn't had much impact on Sijiucheng. Your eldest grandson is capable, so we've never gone hungry, and there's meat to eat at home every few days."

Dong Dani didn't know much about the outside world; regardless, everyone she came into contact with was fine except for being a bit thin, and no one had starved to death, so she naturally assumed the disaster of the last two years wasn't serious.

"Hahaha, I knew my eldest grandson couldn't be stumped. You didn't look sallow when you arrived yesterday, just tired."

"Hehe, Grandmother, Grandfather, you know I can hunt, so we aren't short on meat. If we can't finish it, we take it to the Black Market to trade for grain. You wouldn't believe it, but at its peak, pork prices in the Black Market rose to over five yuan a jin, and white flour and rice were close to three."

"And it was still in short supply; basically, as soon as it appeared on the market, it was snatched up."

"Sigh, it seems our situation here is still good. At least the grain yield hasn't dropped; it's just that grain prices have fluctuated quite a bit due to the Mainland's influence, but fortunately, it hasn't affected us much."

"It really is better here."

After ten o'clock, the children woke up one after another, each with a pitiful little face that made Zhang Ping'an ache with sympathy.

"Be good, get up, wash up, and eat. Later, Daddy will take you to ride the big horses."

Zhang Ping'an had scattered grass seeds over a radius of more than ten miles around his grandparents' home years ago, and now it was a lush, green sight; looking up, everything was green, so there was almost no dust or sand here.

Moreover, the daytime temperature here was about the same as Sijiucheng, around seventeen degrees, which was perfect for an outdoor excursion.

His younger brother was fine; after all, he had been here when he was over a year old and had experience. Now at nine, he was at the age where a child's energy was most abundant, and he had recovered after a night's rest.

Weidong and Weijun were much the same, two little rascals; it was mainly the triplets who suffered due to their age, as long-distance travel was least friendly to the elderly and children.

"Mm, alright," the triplets only perked up a bit after hearing Zhang Ping'an's words.

"Yes, yes, yes, eat first. Great-grandfather will hitch the carriage for you right now, and Great-grandfather will take you for a ride around the area."

His grandfather was also showing love for the children because of his love for Zhang Ping'an; having not participated in Zhang Ping'an's childhood, seeing Zhang Ping'an's children now was like seeing Zhang Ping'an when he was little.

As soon as Zhang Ping'an entered the horse pen, he smelled a strange odor. His grandfather's nose twitched, and his face darkened slightly, but he became excited again when he saw Zhang Ping'an's big horse.

"Ping'an, is this a Sweat-Blood Horse?"

"I don't know, I rented it in Wushi, but it certainly wasn't cheap."

"Then it must be. Look at this coat, it's like brown silk, with a small head and a long neck, and the limbs too—it looks like an aristocrat among horses, it shouldn't be wrong."

"Maybe I'll have a Sweat-Blood Horse of my own next year, hahaha."

"What?" No wonder there was a strange smell as soon as I entered the horse pen; it turns out these two horses were mating.

"Neigh—"

"Yo, quite arrogant, aren't you?"

"Grandpa, let me do it, this fellow is very wild."

"That works, I'll go harness the cart for Ma."

When Zhang Ping'an and Grandpa arrived at the Front Courtyard, the few children had also finished eating and were curiously looking around at this and that in the Front Courtyard.

"Wow, Dad, I want to ride the big horse too."

"Hehe, alright, you all hold onto the saddle tight, one holding onto the other behind." Zhang Ping'an lifted the triplets onto the horse, then lifted the younger brother and the twins onto the other one.

"Grandma, Dad, Mom, Xiao Ling, let's go out for a stroll."

"Hehe, you go ahead, I'm going to pick some strawberries and mulberries so you'll have something good to eat when you get back," Grandma said.

"Mom, I'll go with you. Xiao Ling, you all go out and play."

"That's right, Ping'an, Xiao Ling, let Dad take you around the area."

Zhang Laohan didn't plan on going out either; he had just gone out to take a look around, and since it was all pasture grass, which he was already used to seeing at the pig farm, he didn't intend to go out.

"Alright then, let's go." Zhang Ping'an and Grandpa each led a horse, while Wang Xiaoling drove the empty horse cart.

"It's too beautiful here."