Chapter 292: Introducing a Potential Partner

"Cough, cough, what?" Zhang Ping'an had just taken a sip of tea and spat it straight out.

"Don't get excited. Although the girl herself has no objections, her parents aren't very willing, so it still depends on your intentions here."

"You have to know, as long as you aren't married, you will always carry the brand of your ex-wife's family. It might have been fine before, but you understand what the situation is like now."

Zhang Ping'an fell silent. Wang Weiguo was telling the truth; at this time, the brand on him would be magnified infinitely. Unless he married, but Zhang Ping'an didn't want to marry because of this, and it wouldn't be fair to the woman either.

"Uncle Wang, who are you talking about?"

"You know her too, Aiguo's younger sister, Aihua."

"What?" No wonder her parents were unwilling; the age gap was too large.

"Uncle Wang, this isn't appropriate. Aihua is still just a little girl."

"Still a little girl? She's nineteen years old this year. Anyway, she isn't in school right now, so getting married early is fine. Besides, she liked you before; I don't believe you didn't know."

"..."

Zhang Ping'an hadn't realized it, but Wang Xiaoling had told him back then, though he had only thought it was the affection of a younger sister for an older brother.

Come to think of it, Zhang Ping'an hadn't seen Li Aihua for two years, not since Wang Xiaoling went to Xiangjiang.

"Ping'an, let me tell you, don't be ungrateful. My sister is about to break ties with Mom and Dad because of you, just because they rejected my second uncle's proposal last year without asking for her opinion." Li Aiguo, who had been eavesdropping outside, felt distressed and burst in.

"It's a good thing you and Zhong Mingzhu didn't work out, otherwise my sister would have been heartbroken. My parents were also scolded by my grandfather. See when you have time; my grandfather wants to see you."

"This..."

"Don't worry, my grandfather isn't an old stubborn. He doesn't care about social status. Just like he says, our Li Family's ancestors were all farmers, and he is one too." Regardless of how much truth there was in these words, they were pleasant to hear.

"That's right, Ping'an. Aside from having a bit of a temper, Uncle Li is great in every other way."

"Pfft, hahaha."

"Li Aiguo, I think your skin is itching."

Wang Weiguo's face darkened. Of course he knew what Li Aiguo was laughing at—wasn't it about the time he was beaten by his grandfather when he was young?

"Sorry, Uncle Wang, I couldn't help it."

"Get out, get out, get out."

"Alrighty. Ping'an, let me know when you've decided on a time." Li Aiguo quickly disappeared from the office.

"Ping'an, Uncle Li doesn't hold any official position now. He retired early due to health reasons, so you don't need to worry about anything." Wang Weiguo thought Zhang Ping'an was afraid of a repeat of the Zhong Family incident.

"It's not that, Uncle Wang. I just feel it's unfair to Aihua."

"What's unfair about that? Just treat her well after you're married."

"Fine. Regardless, I will go see Li Laoyezi." Zhang Ping'an hesitated for a moment, then agreed.

"That's more like it. You two haven't seen each other for two years, right? Aihua has blossomed into a big girl now."

"And these past two years, Uncle Li's health seems to have improved quite a bit because of the tea leaves and Medicinal Wine you gave Aiguo, so you have an advantage. Don't be insecure." Wang Weiguo patted Zhang Ping'an on the shoulder.

"..."

"Alright, I understand, Uncle Wang."

After leaving the office, Zhang Ping'an found Li Aiguo to set a time for them to meet.

"This weekend? Sure, then it's settled. You still remember the way to my house, right?"

"Mm, I remember."

"Then I'll wait for you at the door on my day off."

"Mm, good."

Three days passed in a flash, and in the blink of an eye, it was the weekend. At nine in the morning, Zhang Ping'an carried a small basket of eggs, two packs of tea leaves, two bottles of nourishing Medicinal Wine, and two pheasants to Li Aiguo's house.

"Ping'an, over here. Why did you bring so many things?"

"How could I show up empty-handed? Besides, these are just eggs we couldn't finish at home, Medicinal Wine I prepared myself, and Wild Tea I roasted myself. The pheasants were also hunted; it didn't cost any money."

"..."

"You're something else."

After an inspection at the guard post, Li Aiguo finally brought Zhang Ping'an inside.

"Ping'an, my second uncle and second aunt are here too."

"Mm."

To be honest, Zhang Ping'an was a little nervous. This was more nerve-wracking than meeting his father-in-law back in the day. After all, his relationship with Wang Xiaoling had been a natural progression, and he hadn't experienced that kind of matchmaking lineup of aunts and relatives.

"Grandpa, Grandma, Dad, Mom, Second Uncle, Second Aunt, Ping'an is here."

Li Aiguo's loud voice immediately drew everyone's gaze in the main room to Zhang Ping'an. Zhang Ping'an felt his scalp tingle as he greeted everyone with an awkward smile.

"Young man, come over here and sit. Are you really thirty-two this year?"

Li Laoyezi waited until Zhang Ping'an walked closer to realize that Zhang Ping'an's face looked about the same age as his own granddaughter.

"That's right, Li Laoyezi. I am indeed thirty-two this year."

"With your appearance, who would believe you're thirty-two? Traditional Chinese Medicine is truly miraculous." He just assumed Zhang Ping'an had a good method of self-care.

He already knew that his granddaughter's burn had been cured by Zhang Ping'an, and the tea leaves and Medicinal Wine his grandson brought every year also came from Zhang Ping'an's hands.

"You flatter me, sir. I've only learned a little bit of the basics."

"Hahaha, being too humble isn't good, young man. I haven't been feeling very well lately; would you take a look at me?"

"Sure."

Zhang Ping'an didn't hesitate. Just for the sake of the relationship between Wang Weiguo and Li Baoguo, Zhang Ping'an wouldn't stand idly by.

As soon as Zhang Ping'an took his pulse, his expression changed. This physical state was no less severe than that of Mu Santai. He didn't know how this old man usually endured it.

"Old man, you have great willpower."

Zhang Ping'an said this out of the blue. His lungs were injured in the same way; every breath must have been painful, yet Li Laoyezi could still laugh and chat. He was worthy of being from the older generation of the revolutionary family.

"Hahaha, young man, you are truly not simple."

Zhang Ping'an deliberated for a moment, then quickly wrote out a prescription and handed it to Li Aiguo.

"Li Ge, sorry to trouble you with this trip."

"Got it, I'll be back soon."

"Li Laoyezi, I am going to start the acupuncture now."

"Go ahead, what do you need me to do?"

"You just need to lie on your side, sir."

"Alright."

"Feishu, Dazhui, Fengmen, Zhongfu, Tanzhong..." Zhang Ping'an inserted the needles with lightning speed, and soon Old Master Li had quite a few needles in his chest and back.

Fifteen minutes later, Zhang Ping'an withdrew the needles, and Li Aiguo returned with the medicine.

"Whew, I feel much lighter all over; you're a fine young man." While praising Zhang Ping'an, Li Laoyezi also glared at his own son.

It was as if he were saying that by rejecting such a good grandson-in-law, they had made him endure two extra years of pain.

Li Chuanjia scratched his head in embarrassment; it wasn't that he hadn't thought about having Zhang Ping'an take a look at his father, but firstly, Zhang Ping'an was too young—he was only twenty-four or twenty-five at the time—and secondly, he had assumed Zhang Ping'an relied mostly on the miraculous nature of his Ointment.

"Rest for a while, sir, I'm going to go decoct the medicine for you." Zhang Ping'an took the medicine and followed Li Aiguo to the kitchen.

When Zhang Ping'an opened the medicine packet in the kitchen, he frowned; several of the herbs inside had been processed so crudely that more than half their medicinal efficacy had been ruined, so he had no choice but to wait until Li Aiguo wasn't looking to swap them with his own herbs.

As the medicinal ingredients were added one by one, the initial pungent smell of herbs transformed into a fragrant medicinal aroma.

As he carried the Decoction into the main room, Li Laoyezi caught a whiff of the medicinal fragrance.

"Not bad, just the smell alone is different from other Decoctions." Li Laoyezi took the Decoction and drank it all in one gulp.