Chapter 298: Qi Tongwei

Yi Zhonghai first went home to have a word with Tan Cuicui, telling her to pack some things to bring along, while he went to the Clothing Shop to ask Jiabei for leave and buy the tickets, agreeing to meet directly at the station later.

Zhang Ping'an also packed up at home; the Medical Box his master had left him before going to Xiangjiang came in handy now.

Besides the Silver Needle he had kept back then, Zhang Ping'an also prepared some bottles and jars, as well as medicinal herbs suited to the two's condition.

Dong Dani also packed a small parcel for Zhang Ping'an, filled with food for the road.

"Sister-in-law, is Jiabei all packed?"

"All set, Ping'an, let's go. We're troubling you to make this trip with us."

"Oh, come on, Jiabao is a child I watched grow up too."

At this moment, Yi Jiabei still didn't know the situation, and Tan Cuicui, fearing she might be agitated, didn't explain in detail.

Yi Zhonghai was already waiting at the train station with four tickets; seeing the three of them approach, he waved to signal them over.

"Sister-in-law, Jiabei, I see Brother Yi, let's head over."

"The train is at ten; Donglai says the ox cart from their brigade will wait for us until ten tonight."

"Hmm, calculating the time, that should be about right. We should arrive around five or six in the afternoon; even with delays, an hour or two should be enough."

"Right, no time to lose, let's set off." The group of four, carrying their parcels, squeezed into the flow of people.

At ten the next morning, Zhang Ping'an, who hadn't slept much, looked as if nothing was the matter, while the three members of Lao Yi's family all looked exhausted.

"Brother Yi, sister-in-law, Jiabei, drink some water."

Zhang Ping'an took his Military Water Bottle and poured some water into each of their Tea Mugs.

"Ping'an, this is..." Yi Zhonghai asked, looking at the yellowish-brown water.

"I added some herbs to refresh the mind and fight fatigue; it can help relieve exhaustion."

"Good, thanks."

Yi Zhonghai downed it in one gulp, his frame shuddering; he felt much more spirited, just like someone who had just washed their face with cold water after waking up from a hangover, feeling refreshed.

Without stopping much along the way, Zhang Ping'an's group arrived at the station just after five in the afternoon, where they saw Donglai and a middle-aged stranger outside.

"Donglai."

"Uncle, you came too." Jia Donglai was very happy; although he had only been away from home for three or four days, he was still very happy to see a relative in a strange place.

Seeing that Zhang Ping'an was only four or five years older than Jia Donglai but was an elder, Qi Qingbei felt a slight surprise in his heart.

"Hmm, this is..."

Afterward, Jia Donglai introduced the two sides, and Qi Qingbei shook hands firmly with Yi Zhonghai.

"Brother, Tong... Jiabao has relied on you and your wife's care all these years. This is Jiabei, right?"

Qi Qingbei couldn't gauge Yi Zhonghai's attitude, so he didn't call Jiabao by the name Tongli again.

"Brother, what are you saying? Jiabao is like my own son. Of course, I'm very happy for him that he can find his biological parents, but Jiabei doesn't know much about this matter yet."

"Oh, oh, good, good. Let's head back first and talk about it then."

"Agreed."

On the way, Tan Cuicui sat on the Ox Cart and whispered the whole story to Yi Jiabei.

Yi Jiabei was a bit bewildered by this; Yi Jiabao didn't even remember things from his childhood clearly, let alone her.

"It's okay, we'll understand everything once we get there and see."

"Mm."

Seeing this, Qi Qingbei sighed softly; he could understand. A three-year-old child being abducted and then raised in a foster family—it was perfectly normal not to remember childhood.

Zhang Ping'an, on the other hand, got along quite well with Qi Qingbei along the way, and learned from him that Yi Jiabao's original name should have been Qi Tongli.

This name, this surname—it made Zhang Ping'an think immediately of Qi Tongwei, that man who "surpassed heaven by half a move."

If they were really from the same village, would Director Qi be wearing split-crotch pants right now?

By the time the Ox Cart carried everyone to Qi Family Village, it was already ten at night. The educated youth from yesterday had been settled at the Youth Point, so the current Brigade Headquarters was empty, which was perfect for arranging the four of them.

"It's too late now, and you've all traveled a long way, so you must be quite tired. Rest for the night, and we'll talk tomorrow."

"That works." Since they were already here, there was no rush, and they were indeed tired after sitting on the train for more than a day.

"Alright then, get some rest early. There's hot water prepared in the room over there."

"Good, thank you."

The night passed without incident. The next day, Zhang Ping'an got up early, finished his exercises in the courtyard, and started wandering around the village. It was warmer here than in Sijiucheng, at least six or seven degrees higher.

This Qi Family Village was quite remote and not large. After walking a full circle, Zhang Ping'an discovered that the population was less than a hundred households, and most were old-fashioned Earth-walled Houses.

Zhang Ping'an returned to the Brigade Headquarters. Qi Qingbei was already up and looked slightly surprised to see Zhang Ping'an returning from outside.

"Young Brother Zhang is up early?"

"Mm, I'm used to it. I just wandered around since I had nothing to do."

"I've made some food at home. Would Young Brother Zhang like to come eat a little later?"

"No, no, I brought my own rations, I'll just eat something casual later."

Although the three years of special hardship had passed, it was clear that every household here was not wealthy. If he went to eat an extra mouthful, they might have to go hungry for a meal.

Moreover, Zhang Ping'an had just looked around; there didn't seem to be much planting land here, so the rations for every household must be limited.

"Alright then, we'll have a good drink at noon." Qi Qingbei didn't insist further.

"Good."

This drink was definitely unavoidable, as their group had been invited here after all.

At eight in the morning, Jia Donglai and Yi Jiabao both came over.

"Uncle."

"Uncle Zhang, are Dad, Mom, and Little Sister up yet?"

"Not yet, they were exhausted yesterday, so they probably need to recover a bit."

"Then, Zhang Shu, have you eaten?"

"I have eaten."

Zhang Ping'an's mother had prepared quite a few Scallion Pancakes for him; he stewed a pot of Lamb Soup directly in his space and ate it with the Scallion Pancakes, sweating profusely.

"Then, Zhang Shu, could you..."

"Let's go. Donglai told me everything on the way. Donglai, you just wait here for Brother Yi and the others to wake up." Zhang Ping'an entered the room and picked up his Medical Box.

"Alright, Uncle."

"Zhang Shu, my mother is doing fine now. She regained her consciousness when she saw me yesterday, but my father seems a bit like a vegetable."

After hearing this, Zhang Ping'an was actually a bit worried about the one who had suddenly regained consciousness; if it had been a gradual recovery, it would have been fine, but sometimes it is not a good thing to wake up suddenly due to stimulation.

"Hmm, let's take a look first and then decide."

Yi Jiabao led Zhang Ping'an to the front of a house that only had three rooms of Earth-walled House.

"This is the home of my second uncle, Qi Qinghai, and my parents also live here."

"Hmm."

"Tongli, this is..."

"Second Uncle, this is my Zhang Shu. He is my neighbor, and also..."

"I am a doctor, here to take a look at Jiabao's parents."

"Oh, oh, good, please come in quickly."

Qi Qinghai had not seen much of the world, and upon hearing that he was a doctor from Sijiucheng, although the person was a bit young, he did not dare to be negligent.

Only then did Zhang Ping'an notice that Qi Qinghai had a slight limp, and the child he was holding in his arms faintly resembled Director Qi; he knew what was going on in his heart.

Yi Jiabao's biological parents had also tidied up yesterday and were still fast asleep; although they looked aged, at least one could see that Jiabao and Jiabei bore some resemblance to them.

Zhang Ping'an reached out to take their pulses and frowned; the situation was about the same as he had guessed initially. Both of them were indeed not long for this world, and even with his intervention, he could only buy them a year or so at most.

"Let's go outside to talk."

"Zhang Shu, my parents, they..."

"The situation is very bad..." Zhang Ping'an repeated what he had told Jia Dongxu yesterday, combined with the current situation.