Chapter 293: Done Deal

"Li Ge, go prepare a spittoon for the old master."

"Alright."

Less than half an hour after Li Laoyezi finished the medicine, he vomited violently, bringing up nothing but yellow-black, aged phlegm, and a foul stench permeated the air.

"Whew~ that felt damn good, I haven't felt this relaxed in years. Hmm? Why does it smell so bad? Ugh~"

"……"

Li Aiguo hurriedly took the spittoon out to dispose of it and opened all the doors and windows; it took quite a while for the stench in the room to slowly dissipate.

"Dad, how are you feeling?"

"I feel great, hahaha, better than ever before."

Li Chuanjia and Li Baoguo, the two brothers, exchanged a glance, both hearing that their father's voice was full of vigor, clearly different from the loud but weak voice he had before.

"Ping'an, well done. If I had known you had such medical skills, I would have sought you out long ago."

Li Baoguo also looked slightly embarrassed; in the circle he shared with Li Huaide and Xu Baisheng, the evaluation of Zhang Ping'an was that he was a "male savior," after all, the Medicinal Wine he provided was basically either Tiger Bone or Tiger Penis.

Li Aihua, who had been hiding in her room out of shyness, also opened her door and peeked out due to the commotion outside.

"Aihua, come over here quickly."

Li Chuanjia was now looking at Zhang Ping'an with the eyes of a father-in-law looking at a son-in-law, and upon seeing his daughter come out, he hurriedly called out to her.

"Oh."

At this moment, Li Aihua had completely lost the liveliness she used to have at Zhang Ping'an's house, standing shyly beside her mother.

"Didn't you keep clamoring to see your Ping'an Ge? Now that he's here, why are you too shy to look?" her mother whispered in Li Aihua's ear.

"Oh, Mom~"

Li Aihua snuck another glance in Zhang Ping'an's direction, happened to make eye contact with him, and instantly hid behind her mother like a startled rabbit.

"Hehe."

Zhang Ping'an felt a bit awkward; although Li Aihua's mother's voice was low, he had heard it clearly.

"It's getting late. Eldest, Lao Er's wife, hurry up and go cook. Let's rest a bit too, and let the young people chat properly. Ping'an, why don't you and Aihua go for a walk in the courtyard?"

"Alright."

Zhang Ping'an did not refuse; since he had decided to come, he would have to have a good talk with Li Aihua.

The two walked out of the main room one after the other. Li Aihua followed with her head down, step by step, and when Zhang Ping'an stopped, she didn't notice and bumped right into his back.

"Oof."

"You girl, how are you still as careless as before?"

Zhang Ping'an turned his head, looking at the little girl from before who had now grown into a tall beauty.

"Ping'an Ge, it's because you stopped suddenly."

Hearing Zhang Ping'an's gentle voice, Li Aihua felt as if she had returned to several years ago; she wasn't as shy toward Zhang Ping'an anymore, and she no longer called him "brother-in-law."

"Aihua, let's sit over there and talk," Zhang Ping'an said, pointing to the pavilion nearby.

"Mm, okay."

"Aihua, actually, this matter is unfair to you, you..."

"Ping'an Ge, I know your character, and I know you probably haven't forgotten Xiao Ling yet. When you cured the burn on my arm back then, I already had a bit of a crush on you."

"At the age when I cared most about beauty, during the darkest time of my life, you tore away the gloom in my heart, and only then did I have the courage to walk in the sunlight."

"After that, I often found excuses to go to your house to play. I envied Xiao Ling so much back then, and sometimes I often thought, if only I were Xiao Ling, how good that would be."

"Ping'an Ge, I, I like you."

In fact, Li Aihua didn't say that while spending time with Lou Xiaoe, it was precisely because they both had the same thoughts that they became friends.

Li Aihua suppressed her maidenly shyness and said everything that had been bottled up in her heart in one breath, her beautiful eyes also waiting in anticipation for Zhang Ping'an's answer.

Zhang Ping'an's heart was incredibly complex; what virtue or ability did he have to make so many beauties fall for him?

Hmm? No, wait. I have a space, I have a powerful physique, a handsome appearance, and god-tier medical skills. Oh, never mind then.

"You silly girl." Zhang Ping'an stood up subconsciously and rubbed Li Aihua's little head with some pity.

"Ping'an Ge~" Li Aihua leaned against Zhang Ping'an, quietly enjoying the faint scent of herbs on him.

"Ahem, let's go back."

"Mm."

Seeming to sense the change in Zhang Ping'an's feelings, Li Aihua returned to her usual personality, skipping ahead to lead the way.

"Hehe." Li Laoyezi watched his granddaughter skipping along from inside the room and knew it was a done deal.

At noon, Zhang Ping'an had a meal at the Li family's house, and after everyone had eaten and drank their fill,

"Ping'an, my dad's health..."

"Don't worry, Uncle Li. For the next half month, I will come every day to give the old master acupuncture and decoct medicine. He just needs to recuperate slowly from now on."

"Good, good, good."

Li Baoguo also regretted not seeking Zhang Ping'an out sooner to treat his father. If his father hadn't retired, his Li Family could have advanced even further.

However, he then thought of his father's indifferent nature toward fame and wealth and smiled bitterly, shaking his head.

"In that case, I'll stay for another half month."

Li Laoyezi and his wife had always lived in a Siheyuan similar to Zhang Ping'an's, and he was also a Managing Master. This time, it was only because his granddaughter had been wronged that he came over to give his eldest son a wake-up call.

For the next half month, Zhang Ping'an would go to the Li family every morning, finish the acupuncture, decoct a day's worth of medicine, and then spend time cultivating his relationship with Li Aihua.

Li Laoyezi had also gone from being sickly at the beginning to, if not exactly vigorous, at least looking like a normal old man. If he continued to recuperate slowly for a while, living another twenty or thirty years wouldn't be a problem.

"Ping'an, I feel like my bones are two taels lighter. I can't wait to go back and tidy up my garden."

Li Laoyezi lived in the back wing-room of the Siheyuan, and on the side, he had two fen of land he had cleared himself, where he usually grew some scallions, ginger, garlic, chili peppers, and the like.

"You should still focus on resting, especially in a few months when winter comes."

"Alright, hahaha, everything will be as the doctor says."

Ever since he was injured, he hadn't been able to breathe freely for a long time; in just this short half-month, he felt as if he had returned to the ease of thirty years ago, so he cherished it all the more now.

"Ping'an, you and Aihua should get things settled as soon as possible before the new year."

"Alright, I will have my father and mother come to discuss it with you and Auntie as soon as possible."

"Mm, keep it as simple as possible; just having a meal together as a family will do."

"Alright." Zhang Ping'an nodded; he hadn't intended to hold a big ceremony anyway, firstly because the environment didn't allow for it, and secondly, because this was his second marriage.

Zhang Ping'an only told his father and mother about this matter after he returned home.

"Good, good, good. Aihua? Is that the little girl who used to come over to play every day? Good, it's good that you're familiar with each other."

Dong Dani had an impression of the two girls who often came to play at their home; she had felt back then that both girls were interested in her son, and she had even warned Wang Xiaoling about it.

But fortunately, her son had great charm, and the little girl had grown into a fine young woman.

Like Dong Dani, as time passed and the current situation changed, Zhang Laohan felt less resentment toward Wang Xiaoling's family, but he still held a grudge in his heart regarding them taking away his grandson and granddaughter.

However, he was equally happy now; no matter what, Zhang Ping'an getting married was a top priority.

"Fine, your mother and I will have everything prepared by then."

"Father, Mother, they live in the courtyard housing, so we should just bring some pastries, tea leaves, and wine when we visit."

"Would that be too shabby?" In Zhang Laohan's eyes, if there wasn't a feast of fish and meat, it couldn't be called a wedding.