Chapter 263: Returning to Modu 2.0

Zhang Ping'an could not say much about this, and the main point was that the vitality within Liu Laotou's body was indeed nearly exhausted.

"Second Brother, regarding Uncle Liu, I am powerless. This is not an illness; it is the aging of bodily functions, which is to say, his lifespan has reached its end."

"Alright, I understand."

Jia Youwei sighed softly. He had experienced much over these years and had read many medical books, so he could understand what Zhang Ping'an meant.

Coupled with his many years of practicing martial arts, he could also faintly sense that weak vitality within Liu Wanzhou's body.

"Second Brother, actually, this might not be a bad thing for Uncle Liu. After all, he is old; it would be best if he could finish his life without illness or disaster."

"Moreover, now that you have recovered, his final worry has been set aside. In the time that remains, I trust that with your company, Uncle Liu will have no regrets."

"Sigh, how could I not understand what you say? Very well, I will prepare to return to Modu in these two days."

"That is good." Zhang Ping'an thought for a moment, then handed Jia Youwei a jade bottle.

"Inside are ten pills, which I made using ginseng and other medicinal herbs. One pill each time, dissolved in the water vat you use for meals; it might be able to extend some time."

In truth, this was made by Zhang Ping'an using Space Water mixed with some nourishing and strengthening medicinal herbs; long-term consumption would nourish the body and achieve the effect of prolonging life.

"Good, thank you, Ping'an." Jia Youwei thanked him solemnly, not standing on ceremony, and accepted the jade bottle.

After Jia Youwei left, Zhang Ping'an continued reading his medical books. This Jia Youwei might have a bitter life, but he truly had good fortune;

For a normal person to be kidnapped while mentally deficient as a child, it would be a miracle to live to ten, yet he not only lived safely to over thirty, but everyone he met was a benefactor.

"Mother, I plan to go back to see Grandpa and Grandma tomorrow."

"Good, it has been about a week since we went back; we will all go back to see them then."

"Good."

At one in the morning, Zhang Ping'an arrived at the Black Market he had been away from for a long time, and relying on the knowledge he had learned, he picked up a few bargains. Although the others were also genuine goods, they were too expensive, so Zhang Ping'an did not buy them.

"Little Brother Divine Doctor, you have finally come again."

"Have you finished eating it all?"

"It was digested long ago." The weather was hot now, and things were prone to spoiling, so there hadn't been much meat in the last transaction.

"Done." This time there still wasn't much meat, mostly grain, vegetables, fruits, and eggs.

After completing the transaction, Tong Laosi finally pulled him to the side.

"Little Brother Divine Doctor, Jin Ye asked me to ask you, do you want to travel with us when the time comes?"

"I am sorry, I have disappointed Jin Ye. We master and disciples have no intention of traveling with outsiders."

"Done, then I have an idea. But since the weather is hot, you should come to the Black Market more often."

Tong Laosi could also understand Zhang Ping'an's approach; without a foundation of trust, no one would feel at ease turning their back to the other party.

"Good, I will try my best."

Early the next morning, because Wang Xiaoling and Zhang Laohan were both at work, the three children in school also brought their meals, which they could just heat up at school.

There were only five people on this trip back to the old home. Zhang Ping'an pedaled the tricycle, carrying some grain and fresh meat, and his mother and the triplets were also in the cargo box.

"Dadan, is that your grandson Ping'an?"

A group of old men and women at the village entrance's CBD were gossiping under the tree, and from afar, they saw a tricycle coming this way.

"It seems it really is. I won't chat with you all anymore, my dear grandson is back."

Zhang Ping'an also saw his grandfather waving at him from afar and increased his pedaling speed a bit more.

"Father."

"Grandpa."

"Great-Grandpa." X3

"Good, good, good. Come, Great-Grandpa will take you all home."

Zhang Ping'an did not leave; with so many uncles and elders present, he had to greet them regardless. After distributing a round of cigarettes and greeting everyone, Zhang Ping'an then went back.

"Our old Zhang family's ancestral grave has emitted blue smoke; we produced a Cadre like Ping'an."

"Indeed, I heard from Uncle Dadan that he is already a Division Chief, a rank even higher than our Commune Secretary."

"Is that true?"

"Could that be fake?"

The group of old men and women felt honored, and then they began over half an hour of praise for Zhang Ping'an.

Grandfather took the children, while Grandmother and Mother tidied up the kitchen to prepare a meal. Zhang Ping'an went to the Back Mountain; he wanted to see if the Tea Tree he had plucked bald last year had grown leaves.

It was now April, and the mountain already had a touch of green. Thanks to Zhang Ping'an scattering pasture seeds every time he came, this place had become a paradise for herbivores like pheasants and wild rabbits.

Every now and then, a pheasant would flutter away. As Zhang Ping'an went deeper, there were occasionally wild deer and wild sheep; those within range, Zhang Ping'an would just collect them along the way.

Not daring to delay along the way, Zhang Ping'an soon arrived deep in the Back Mountain. The first few Wolves smelled his scent and came running over, wagging their tails.

"Go, go, go."

Zhang Ping'an casually tossed out ten wild rabbits to dismiss them and filled the stone trough with Space Water again.

It was a pity that this Tea Tree was still in the budding stage; it was estimated it would take another month to mature. The patch of cutting-propagated Tea Trees was growing quite well.

Zhang Ping'an plucked at this patch of Tea Trees for a while and soon collected nearly a hundred catties of tea leaves.

"Not bad, not bad, I can stir-fry another twenty catties of tea leaves. I just don't know how the taste compares to their parent trees."

Zhang Ping'an tidied up and prepared to go down the mountain, scattering pasture seeds along the way as usual.

On the way down the mountain, Zhang Ping'an poked a Huangmao to death in his space and immediately gutted it, taking out its heart and lungs. Once back, he would smoke it, which would be enough for his grandparents to eat for a month or so.

Returning home, Grandmother and Mother had already started cooking. Zhang Ping'an took the processed Huangmao, marinated it with salt and other seasonings, built a simple shed, and began to smoke the pork.

"Father, what are you doing?"

"Smoking pork. The weather is hot now, and if there is too much meat, it will spoil if not eaten. It can be eaten for a long time after being smoked."

"Oh."

Zhang Wanqiu nodded as if she understood, then focused her attention on watching from the side, occasionally handing firewood to Zhang Ping'an.

"Hehe."

Zhang Ping'an was amused by the little girl and used his blackened fingers to draw a big, messy face on his daughter.

"Ping'an, I see your skin is itching for a beating."

Zhang Dadan had been watching the two boys play, but when he turned around and saw what Zhang Ping'an had done, he grabbed his cane and charged over.

A perfectly cute little girl had been drawn into a little kitten by Zhang Ping'an; even though Zhang Dadan favored boys over girls, he still wanted to give Zhang Ping'an a good thrashing at that moment.

"Grandpa, I was wrong, I'll wash Wanqiu clean right now."

Zhang Dadan chased after Zhang Ping'an with his cane, which instead made Zhang Wanqiu giggle "giggle-giggle" with laughter.

"What's wrong, what's wrong? This brat..."

Grandma heard the commotion, and upon seeing Zhang Wanqiu's messy face, she immediately understood and hurried to carry her granddaughter away to wash her clean.

"Hmph hmph," during the meal, Zhang Dadan was still glaring at Zhang Ping'an with an unfriendly expression.

"Ahem ahem," Zhang Ping'an coughed twice in embarrassment; he had just acted on a whim earlier.

Returning home in the afternoon, Zhang Ping'an saw Jia Youwei talking to a strange middle-aged man; Zhang Ping'an guessed it must be Jia Daniu's son, and Jia Youwei also saw his family and gave a slight nod in acknowledgment.

In the evening, Lao Jia brought Jia Youwei over and asked Zhang Ping'an to take another look; he was worried about Jia Youwei going back alone and wanted to escort him back to Modu, but was refused by Jia Youwei.

"Mm, it's good to take a look; San Jie Fu, Second Brother, please sit," Zhang Ping'an then checked the pulse.

"Rest assured, San Jie Fu, Second Brother has no problems, and besides, ten or eight ordinary people wouldn't be able to get near him."