Chapter 459: The Old Man Departs

The New Year's Day of 1994 arrived as promised; Zhang Ping'an was sixty years old at this time, and his grandfather, Zhang Dadan, was one hundred and sixteen.

Although his body remained as usual, Zhang Ping'an felt that his Qi and blood were getting worse by the day, and his grandmother's physical condition was much the same.

"Ping'an, my right eyelid has been twitching lately; I always feel like something bad is going to happen."

Zhang Ping'an was momentarily speechless; he did not know how to answer his father's question.

"Father, Mother, let's go back to our hometown to live for a while. I'm tired of staying in the city every day, and it just so happens we can spend the New Year in our hometown."

Upon hearing this, Zhang Laohan's heart skipped a beat; he finally knew where this premonition came from.

"Ping'an, your grandparents..."

"Grandpa and Grandma are fine, their bodies are very healthy, but after all, their age is what it is..."

Zhang Ping'an did not continue; Zhang Laohan naturally understood. He himself was already ninety-nine years old; if it weren't for his own good son, he estimated they wouldn't even be centenarians.

It was also fortunate that Zhang Ping'an had medical skills to rely on, otherwise it would have been truly difficult to explain why this entire family were all long-lived people.

"Mm, I understand. I'll pack up later, and we'll go back."

Zhang Laohan could also be considered a centenarian, and he could face birth, aging, sickness, and death with equanimity, provided it wasn't his own relatives.

Zhang Ping'an felt equally uncomfortable. Since he was a child, his grandparents had treated him, the eldest grandson of the eldest branch, very well. But no matter how formidable he was, he could not change the iron law of birth, aging, sickness, and death; all he could do now was accompany them more.

"Mm, okay."

At the Zhang Family Old Residence, the Earth-walled House had already been torn down and rebuilt; it was now an old-style three-courtyard Siheyuan with green bricks and dark tiles, which was also the mainstream architecture in Zhang Family Village at present.

Zhang Ping'an sent his father and mother to the Old Residence and went to his second and third uncles' houses to say a word.

"Ping'an, are you saying that your grandparents... no wonder my eyelid has been twitching lately."

"Mm, I also hope that I felt wrong, but..."

"I understand."

In Zhang Family Village, people in their seventies or eighties were common, but those who lived past one hundred were few and far between to this day, let alone those who could live healthily to over one hundred and ten; currently, there were only Zhang Ping'an's grandparents.

In the evening, the families of the second and third uncles also came over one after another.

"You've all come, that's good. I was originally planning to talk to you at the end of the year. It was Ping'an who told you, right?"

When an old person nears the end of their lifespan, they will vaguely perceive it; Zhang Dadan was just like this. Although his body could still move as nimbly as if flying, he could feel that sense of weakness from his very bones.

"Eldest, you don't need to be sad. No one can escape birth, aging, sickness, and death, and besides, your father living this long is already a huge profit."

"If you guys live shorter lives than your old man, I won't let you off when we meet down below."

The three brothers were all filial people, and Zhang Dadan did not want them to be overly sad and affect their own lifespans.

He was a person from the previous dynasty; he had experienced too much and suffered too much. Even though Zhang Ping'an and Zhang Laohan came over every few days to pour Space Water, it could only let them live to about a hundred years old.

Zhang Laohan and the two uncles were better off. Although they had suffered no shortage of hardships in their youth, ever since Zhang Ping'an came, they had almost exclusively consumed Space Water and Space Ingredients, and the upgraded Space Water in particular had even helped them Cleanse Marrow and Cut Meridians.

They could at least live to one hundred and twenty. Especially Zhang Ping'an's father and mother, who were kept by his side, practicing Tai Chi, drinking Space Tea, and eating Space Ingredients—it was hard not to be long-lived this way.

"Understood, Father." The three brothers looked at each other, all with bitter smiles on their faces.

After the meal, Zhang Ping'an also told the children about their great-grandparents, and for a time, luxury cars were constant in Zhang Family Village.

The second and third uncles also told their own children. Although the cousins were all Workers, they now each had a small car; even if they were low-end models, they could still shelter from the wind and rain, and it was more convenient for the whole family to travel back and forth.

The successive return of the Zhang family also alarmed the old village chief Zhang Laiyou and some other old men and women. He was also ninety years old this year. The only person who could make the Zhang family return all at once was likely the person with the highest seniority and the longest age in Zhang Family Village: Zhang Dadan.

"Uncle Dadan, he..."

"It shouldn't be. I saw Uncle Dadan a few days ago; his body is very sturdy, and the same goes for Auntie."

"Then that's strange."

For a time, those close to Zhang Dadan's lineage also went to the Zhang Family Courtyard, and after coming out, everyone had a heavy expression.

"Alright, rest assured, I'm fine for the time being. If you have anything, we'll talk after the New Year."

Wasn't Zhang Dadan saying that he could hold on until after the New Year, but after the New Year, it was hard to say?

Everyone thought it was reasonable; Zhang Dadan was almost one hundred and twenty years old and was the long-lived star of the village. That sturdy body, not to mention moving as nimbly as if flying, was steady when walking, which once made people ignore his age.

"Sigh, this kind of thing is inevitable."

"That's right, even if Uncle Dadan passes away, it's still a happy funeral."

The old men and women in the village in their seventies or eighties envied Zhang Dadan; it would be good if they could live to ninety.

In fact, the long-lived elderly in Zhang Family Village were likely the most in the surrounding ten miles and eight villages, all because whenever Zhang Ping'an returned to his hometown, he would put a lot of Space Water into the well every few days.

This was also one of Zhang Ping'an's methods to deceive people; they couldn't be the only ones in their lineage to be long-lived. If everyone was generally long-lived, then it was normal for their lineage to be a bit longer-lived.

On New Year's Eve, the Zhang Family Old Residence was full of people. Just Zhang Laohan's lineage alone had nearly fifty people, big and small; adding the families of the second and third uncles, there were nearly one hundred people.

This was also the time when the family was most complete. Zhang Ping'an found a photographer to come over and left behind precious photos and footage of this five-generation family.

Once the Spring Festival passed, the father's generation, Zhang Ping'an, and the cousins all stayed behind. Anyway, they were retired, and there was little difference between living in the city or the village. The children and grandchildren went to do what they needed to do, and would come back to visit when they had time.

Once the first lunar month passed, Zhang Ping'an felt that his grandparents' Qi and blood were almost imperceptible, but their complexions were unusually rosy. He knew the time had come.

Grandfather Zhang Dadan smiled and said goodbye to everyone one by one, but when the day really arrived, Zhang Ping'an's tears still could not be held back from falling.

"Don't cry, my good grandson. Grandpa and Grandma are satisfied with this life. If your father hits you again in the future, you can tell me in a dream, and I will come to discipline him."

"Grandpa, Grandma..."

Three days later, Zhang Ping'an's grandparents passed away in their sleep. This was the first time since Zhang Ping'an came to this world that he cried so heart-wrenchingly; at sixty years old, he cried like a child.

The departure of loved ones can never be empathized with. One week later, the grandparents had been buried, and the house was still filled with a sorrowful atmosphere.

Before the grandparents were buried, the three brothers almost all greeted friends and relatives with smiles, but now Zhang Ping'an saw his father, second uncle, and third uncle secretly wiping away tears in private several times.

"Hoo~"

Zhang Ping'an forced himself to tidy up his mood, boiled a large pot of Medicinal Cuisine, and sent it to his father, mother, and the second and third uncles.

They were already old, and if they were overly sad, it was not what his grandparents or he himself wanted to see.

"Father, Mother, Second Uncle, Third Uncle, eat something."

"Mm, just put it there."

Zhang Ping'an ladled a bowl for each person and placed them in front of everyone.

"This is Medicinal Cuisine, it should be drunk while hot."

"Alright, Big Brother, Lao San, Ping'an also went to a lot of trouble; Father and Mother wouldn't want to see us like this."

"Mm."