Chapter 300: Awakening

"Tongwei, this child just isn't shy with strangers. Come, come, come, let Uncle hold him."

Qi Qingbei watched as Zhang Ping'an brought the child out and he stopped crying. He had held him before, but within a minute of taking him, Qi Tongwei would cry.

It was the same now; when Qi Qingbei leaned his large face in, Qi Tongwei stopped smiling, and then, less than ten seconds after being taken from Zhang Ping'an's hands, he wailed loudly.

"Oh, oh, oh, Tongwei, don't cry."

"Waa, waa, waa."

"..."

"Ahem, how about I take him back?"

"Good, good, good." Qi Qingbei awkwardly handed Qi Tongwei back to Zhang Ping'an, and as a result, the child stopped crying.

"This brat..."

"By the way, Doctor Zhang, about Qinghai's foot..."

"It's fine now, but the healing time will be long. It's best not to move around much during this period. After the New Year, it should be about right; he can try walking then, and there will be no need to worry about a limp in the future."

"Good, good, good."

Qi Qingbei had initially been skeptical of Zhang Ping'an's medical skills, but he thought about how the man came from Sijiucheng and was also an elder to his nephew in the same village;

as educated youth, they still had to stay in the village for a few years, so he certainly wouldn't joke about such a matter.

"Doctor Zhang, what about the situation with Qingshan and the other one?"

Zhang Ping'an shook his head slightly. It wasn't convenient for him to say much, but seeing this, Qi Qingbei knew their situation was not optimistic.

The family reunion inside the house had also ended, and everyone walked out. Qi Qinghai's wife saw Qi Tongwei in Zhang Ping'an's arms and took him over, feeling embarrassed, only to find he had already fallen asleep.

"Sister-in-law, your little Tongwei is shy with people he knows but not with strangers. He cries when I hold him, but smiles when Young Brother Zhang holds him, and now he's even fallen asleep."

"Brother Qingbei is joking."

"Uncle Qingbei, if it were me, I'd choose my uncle too. Your face scares little children."

"You brat..."

Qi Qingbei subconsciously touched his stubble-covered face, looked at Zhang Ping'an again, and sighed silently.

"Doctor Zhang, sorry to trouble you to make a special trip. Big Brother and Sister-in-law have already told me. Thank you."

"Don't say that. Jiabao is my nephew, and Big Brother Yi has been my old neighbor for many years. Regardless of who it's for, I would have made this trip."

Zhang Ping'an avoided Yang Qingmei's bow. Although there wasn't much difference in their ages, looking at her appearance, he felt very flustered having an old woman bow to him.

"Alright, alright, counting it up, we are all relatives, so let's stop thanking each other back and forth."

"Right, right, right. We've set up a table at the Brigade Headquarters. The time is about right, let's go eat first."

"You all go ahead. I'll help out at Big Sister-in-law's place."

The others didn't force her; in Yang Qingmei's condition, she wouldn't be able to eat the big fish and meat anyway.

Zhang Ping'an slightly raised his wrist and saw it was indeed almost eleven o'clock. The group walked to the brigade, where two women were already preparing to stew chicken and duck.

"Brother Qingbei, do you have any old hens raised in your homes here?"

"Naturally, every household has two or three."

Yi Jiabao understood instantly. The Medicinal Cuisine Zhang Ping'an mentioned used old hens supplemented with various medicinal herbs; if they had them here, it would save him from having to buy them.

"Uncle, can I buy—no, trade for a few? My parents need old hens as a medicinal base."

"Fine, I have three at home. Go get them after you finish eating. Don't worry about trading or not."

"That won't do. Raising old hens isn't easy to begin with; it should be done properly," said Yi Zhonghai.

"How about this: take one first, and I'll make the Medicinal Cuisine in a moment. You all can go buy a few more at the Black Market tonight."

"Good, I'll go get one now."

"Jiabao, take more Grain Coupons for your uncle."

"Alright, Dad."

The two returned quickly, and Tan Cuicui conveniently slaughtered and cleaned the chicken. Zhang Ping'an built a simple earthen stove and borrowed a clay pot to start the stew.

As each medicinal herb was added, the chicken soup changed from clear to a yellowish-brown. The fragrance of the chicken soup mixed with the medicinal scent, and everyone subconsciously swallowed their saliva.

"Uncle, what is this? It's too fragrant."

"You can't eat it no matter what. If you eat it, you'll definitely have a nosebleed." This Medicinal Cuisine not only replenishes Qi and blood but also has a calming effect.

"..."

The chicken and duck were stewed over at the Brigade Headquarters, and Zhang Ping'an was finishing up here.

"Jiabao, take this to your parents. This is for both lunch and dinner. The soup must be finished. If your parents can't eat the chicken meat, give it to your Second Uncle and Aunt; they also need proper nourishment."

"Alright, Uncle Zhang. Uncle, Dad, Mom, you all eat. Don't wait for me."

"Good."

"Dad, Mom, can I go with my brother?"

"Of course you can, go ahead."

"I'll go too," Jia Donglai followed at the right moment.

This left only Qi Qingbei, the Yi Zhonghai couple, and Zhang Ping'an at the table.

"Come, come, come, old brother, sister-in-law, Young Brother Zhang, let's eat."

"Good, good, good, come, come."

"Ke fan, ke fan."

"Uh, it just means eat, 'ke fan' is our local dialect here."

"Hahaha, good, eat."

At Qi Qinghai's house, Qi Qingbei saw everyone getting along harmoniously. Now he was also warmly hosting the Yi Zhonghai couple, and this meal was enjoyed by both host and guests.

That evening, the three of them—Qi Qingbei, Jiabao, and Zhang Ping'an—went to the Guying Commune Black Market, bought six old hens in one go, and also bought several dozen catties of rice and fine grains.

Zhang Ping'an turned his back to the two of them and took over thirty jin of two-mix flour from his space to serve as his rations for this period; he could just have Yi Zhonghai reimburse him later.

He also took two cans of Milk Powder and over ten jin of Big Bone; these were prepared for Director Qi and his father.

When he was holding Qi Tongwei in the morning, he had discovered that the child was a bit malnourished, and Director Qi was, after all, the person Zhang Ping'an admired most in his past life.

Now that he was also Yi Jiabei's cousin, and since Yi Jiabei was his niece-in-law, they could be considered relatives, so he would just treat it as an investment.

The next morning, as soon as Zhang Ping'an finished his workout, he began to slaughter a chicken and prepare Medicinal Cuisine; the intense fragrance immediately woke up Yi Zhonghai's family.

"Brother Yi, you're awake? I bought quite a bit of two-mix flour last night to serve as our rations for these few days, you'll have to reimburse me."

"Hahaha, you kid..."

Yi Zhonghai directly took out thirty yuan and handed it to Zhang Ping'an, and Zhang Ping'an accepted it without standing on ceremony.

Jiabao came over early in the morning, and just in time, the Medicinal Cuisine was ready.

"Jiabao, this is the amount for one day."

"Okay."

Zhang Ping'an also followed along to check the pulse for the day, and at the same time, he brought the Milk Powder and Big Bone along with him.

"I can't accept this, Doctor Zhang."

"Qi Qinghai, sister-in-law, I feel a connection with your child; he was smiling at me the first time we met. He is a bit malnourished right now, so this Milk Powder is just right to nourish the child."

"You don't want the child to not grow tall in the future, do you? Boiling the Big Bone for soup is good for your wound healing; at worst, you can just repay me in the future."

"Doctor Zhang, how am I supposed to repay this favor?"

"Second Uncle, Zhang Shu is just warm-hearted; you should accept it first, and we can talk about it after your body has recovered."

"How about this: my nephew might have to stay here for two years, so you can just help me look after him more when the time comes."

"Okay, Doctor Zhang, I will remember this favor for the rest of my life."

"Hahaha, good."

Just like that, after two consecutive days, Zhang Ping'an began to apply acupuncture and prescribe medicine according to the symptoms; two days later, Qi Qingshan improved slightly and showed signs of waking up.

After dinner that night, Zhang Ping'an was in his room organizing medical records—he now recorded every patient he treated—when Yi Jiabao suddenly ran in from outside.

"Zhang Shu, my father seems to have woken up."

"Let's go, let's go take a look."

Yi Zhonghai and his wife next door were also startled, and the group of five all went to Qi Qinghai's house.