Chapter 313: Dongzi Gets Married

Half a month passed in a flash; at Qi Family Village, the condition of Qi Qingshan and his wife had worsened.

Because of the medicinal packets Zhang Ping'an had prescribed, they drank them every day, and it was only by relying on this medicinal soup that they were hanging on to life, but human strength is limited after all.

"Jiabao, dig under this tree; there is something your grandparents left behind years ago underneath."

"Alright, Dad."

After more than half a year, Yi Jiabao had gradually accepted the facts; since he could not stop it, he would let them spend their limited time in comfort.

This old house of Qi Qingshan's had already been renovated; although it was still an Earth-walled House, it was much better than its previous dilapidated state.

Yi Jiabao took a shovel and dug under the persimmon tree that was several decades old; after digging about half a meter, he struck a hard object. He thought it was still a root of the persimmon tree, but it turned out to be a rectangular box.

"That's it, Jiabao, be careful."

"Mm, okay."

Yi Jiabao carefully dug out the soil around the box and soon retrieved it; the surface of the box had already rotted somewhat.

Afterwards, at Qi Qingshan's signal, Yi Jiabao opened it; inside were two packets of silver dollars, the wrapping paper already crumbling;

there were also four silver ingots, four gold bars, some gold jewelry, and jade bracelets.

"This..."

"Jiabao, half of the things here belong to your second uncle; go call him over now."

"Alright, Dad."

Soon, Qi Qinghai came over with Yi Jiabao; at this time, Qi Qinghai's legs and feet had completely recovered, though he could not yet do heavy labor.

"Qinghai, this portion is yours."

"This..." Qi Qinghai knew nothing at all about his father hiding treasure.

Qi Qingshan had already divided the items into two, and finally, he moved his own share of silver dollars and gold bars over to Qi Qinghai's portion.

"Qinghai, all these years you have been the one taking care of me and your sister-in-law; take these as a little compensation from me as your older brother."

"Big Brother, I didn't know about these things at all; that means they were left for you by Mom and Dad, I don't want them."

"Qinghai, don't refuse. These were divided by Dad back then; if it weren't for what happened that year, these things would have been divided long ago, and they almost ended up buried underground forever," Qi Qingshan sighed endlessly.

"Alright then, Big Brother, I will only take my share; I don't want yours. You are my own brother; it is only right that I take care of you."

"So be it." Qi Qingshan looked at the firm expression on his second brother's face and stopped insisting.

After the two brothers finished dividing them, Qi Qinghai took his share home, showed it briefly to his wife, and then wrapped it up again and buried it back underground.

These things could not be brought out into the open now; if someone with ulterior motives reported it, it would be a disaster, not a blessing.

"Jiabao, these bracelets and gold bars are for you; the other jewelry and silver ingots will be left for Jiabei."

"Alright, I'll listen to you."

Two days later, Qi Qingshan's family took their belongings and rode the train back to Sijiucheng, with Qi Qinghai's family following along.

Back in Sijiucheng, Yi Zhonghai had already prepared the wedding room and had been busy arranging things these past few days.

Yi Zhonghai and Lao Jia did not intend to make a big show of it; it was enough for the relatives of the two families to have a meal together.

Because Zhang Ping'an was unsure if Dongzi would follow Yi Jiabao back to Qi Family Village, he gave the Bicycle ticket and money he had prepared in advance to Dongzi, so it would be convenient to make purchases wherever she was.

Qi Qingshan's family continued to live in Yushui's room, while Qi Qinghai's family was arranged by Zhang Ping'an to stay in his own side room.

"Godfather."

"Hahaha, good son. Tongwei, this is your godmother, god-grandfather, god-grandmother, your god-uncle, and your Wei'an... hmm..." Zhang Ping'an did not know Qi Tongwei's exact age and was momentarily unsure who was older.

"It should be older brother."

Qi Tongwei was also very well-behaved and called out to everyone one by one, even though his speech was still a bit slurred.

One day later at Donglaishun, the four families sat at two tables; after the meal, Dongzi was considered married into the Yi family. This was perhaps the closest marriage within the Siheyuan.

Three days later, Qi Qingshan's family prepared to return, and Dongzi followed Yi Jiabao back to Qi Family Village; the work quota, after some twists and turns, was returned to Zhang Ping'an.

It just so happened that Zhang Ping'an had not been able to buy a suitable job position at the Black Market these past few days; when the time came, he could completely trade with someone for a suitable one, so the room for maneuver was large.

During these three days, Zhang Ping'an took Qi Qinghai's family to tour all of Sijiucheng and eat all over Sijiucheng, which left a deep impression on Qi Tongwei's young mind.

"Tongwei, you must grow up quickly; come find me to play often in the future."

"Alright, Brother Wei'an."

After sending off Qi Qinghai's family, Zhang Ping'an returned to his routine of leaving at eight and returning at five, with the family eating together in the evening.

"Ping'an, Aihua, look, Wei'an has no playmates since Tongwei left; you two need to put in more effort," said Dong Dani.

"Mm, Mom, I know."

At night, the two lay on the bed, the mess on the bed showing that a bout of intense exercise had just ended.

"Brother Ping'an, Mom is urging us..."

"Wait until you can complete the Body Refining Technique in one go before talking about it." Currently, Li Aihua had learned all the movements, but she simply could not perform them all at once.

"Oh... Brother Ping'an, is it true that Sister Xiao Ling completed the Body Refining? I remember seeing Sister Xiao Ling's skin glowing at that time."

"..."

"Mm, once you complete the entire set of the Body Refining Technique, your body will expel quite a few impurities, and then you will naturally become fairer and more beautiful."

Zhang Ping'an usually encouraged her, but Li Aihua's physical fitness was a big step behind Wang Xiaoling's.

"Alright, I will practice." Now that she had a comparison, Li Aihua had even more motivation.

"Aihua, since you mentioned Xiao Ling, there are some things I want to tell you; actually, I..."

"Don't, Brother Ping'an, wait until later; I'm not ready yet."

A woman's heart is delicate; she had sensed something about Zhang Ping'an's affairs, but Li Aihua was still happy that Zhang Ping'an was willing to take the initiative to tell her, though she did not want to know just yet.

"Aihua."

"Brother Ping'an..." Li Aihua blocked Zhang Ping'an's mouth with her own, not giving him a chance to speak.

The next morning, Zhang Ping'an got up and finished his workout, but this time he did not call Li Aihua; the two intense sessions last night had exhausted too much of her energy, and she was still fast asleep, though fortunately, today was a day off.

Two months later, the health of Qi Qingshan and his wife deteriorated daily, and Yi Jiabei also took leave to come and look after them.

"Father, Mother, rest assured, my son will definitely have the surname Qi."

"Good, good, good child."

The final worry of Qi Qingshan and his wife was finally put to rest, and their health actually improved, but unfortunately, three days later, they both passed away one after another; Yi Zhonghai and Lao Jia all went over as well.

According to Qi Qinghai, Qi Qingshan and his wife both passed away in their sleep without suffering any pain at all, which could be considered half a happy funeral.

During these two months, Zhang Ping'an also managed to get a job for his younger brother: an apprentice Accountant at the Textile Factory.

In fact, given Zhang Xile's aptitude, he could fully handle being an Accountant, but it would also be good for him to settle down as an apprentice for two years.

"Lao Yi, let's also find a job for Jiabao and have him come back."

"Hmm... Jiabao is still observing the mourning period in Qi Family Village; let's talk about this after the New Year, though we can keep an eye out for opportunities first."

"Alright."

Before they knew it, it was October, and Li Aihua finally completed her final Body Refining; just like with Wang Xiaoling, Zhang Ping'an prepared hot water and sent the bashful Li Aihua into the wooden bathtub.

In the bedroom, in front of the mirror, Li Aihua looked at herself and could hardly believe it; she was glowing with a white-and-pink complexion, crystal clear, and her skin looked like a freshly peeled egg.

"Hehe, oh my..." Li Aihua, who was admiring herself, was suddenly swept up into Zhang Ping'an's arms.

"Wife, it's time to have a baby..."

"Mm..."