Chapter 3

The streets of Qinglong Town were not large, with only one crossroad where the East-West Street and the North-South Street intersected. The streets had no names; they were generally referred to as South Street, North Street, East Street, and West Street, based on the central intersection.

The Chunqiu Medical Hall was located on North Street. Its position was neither good nor bad, and it was a standard two-story building from when the street was first developed. The paint on the building was peeling and worn, but the four dark gold characters on the horizontal plaque were still clear and bright.

When Li Qingyun and his mother entered the medical hall with their luggage, they sensed something was wrong. Two elderly people were picking up things from the ground, with some Chinese herbs scattered about, creating a mess. In the corner, there were a few broken drawers for storing herbs.

"Grandma, Grandpa, what happened?" Li Qingyun exclaimed, dropping his bags and rushing into the room.

"Nothing much, we just ran into some unreasonable troublemakers. Hey? Fuhua, what happened to your arm?" The white-bearded old man straightened up, startled to see Li Qingyun's injury, his eyes full of concern.

Without any visible movement, the old man lightly jumped and was already in front of Li Qingyun. His movements were as agile as an eagle and as swift as a white ape, showing no signs of old age. He reached out and took Li Qingyun's pulse.

"Grandpa, I'm fine, just a minor injury to my arm. Nothing else is wrong," Li Qingyun replied, not struggling. He knew his grandfather's nature; he wouldn't be at ease until he checked his pulse.

Grandma, who was also picking up herbs, straightened up, rubbed her waist, and smiled, "Why did Fuhua come back? It's not a holiday, and it must have cost a lot to come back! Oh dear..."

The almost entirely white-haired grandma rubbed her eyes, as if only now clearly seeing Li Qingyun in the dim light, her gaze fixed on his injured left arm.

"My dear grandson, what happened? Did you get into a fight? I've always told this old man to teach you some self-defense, but he insists that his master forbade it, saying it should never be passed on. Not even to his son or grandson. What good is that? Look, just look..."

Grandma wiped away her tears, not caring about the pulse-taking, and made him sit on a nearby bench, asking him in detail about what happened.

Chen Xiuzhi caught up from behind, explaining somewhat guiltily, "Father, Mother, don't worry, it's all over. Half a month ago, Fuhua was in a car accident. I didn't tell you because I was afraid you would worry. He just got out of the hospital and is planning to stay here for a while to recover."

"What? A car accident? Oh my dear grandson..." Grandma was heartbroken again, her tears even more abundant. Li Qingyun was her youngest grandson, smart and obedient, her beloved child.

"It's just a minor injury, I'm fine now. Grandpa and Grandma, don't worry," Li Qingyun hurried to reassure them.

Grandpa stroked his long beard and nodded, "Hmm, except for the poor circulation in your left arm, you're healthier than before. Especially your spirit, it's much stronger than during the New Year. Old woman, stop crying. Fuhua is back, go make dinner. I'll clean up the mess on the ground."

Grandma muttered something, helped bring the luggage inside, and then went to cook. Behind the small building was a small courtyard with some simple flowers and plants. The kitchen was made of blue bricks, with only two small rooms, an earthen stove, and a pile of dry firewood and kindling.

Chen Xiuzhi helped with the cooking, leaving Li Qingyun to help clean up the herbs.

"Grandpa's medical skills are unparalleled in Qinglong Town, and even famous in Lingshan County. If someone causes trouble in the medical hall, don't the townspeople do anything?" Li Qingyun was quite angry, and seeing his loved ones bullied, even the most patient person would lose their temper.

This wasn't just Li Qingyun's flattery. In Qinglong Town, who hadn't heard of Li Chunqiu from the Chunqiu Medical Hall? He usually only charged a small fee for the cost of the herbs, and even helped those in need for free. The medical hall's profits mainly came from the wealthy in Lingshan County.

"A few young people from the county town came, saying that their elders didn't get better after taking the medicine for three days, so they came to cause trouble. It was dark when it happened, and no one on the street noticed. They smashed things and ran, saying they would come back tomorrow. Ha, young people these days, so arrogant and disrespectful, they don't know their own weight. They didn't even try to reason before smashing things," Li Chunqiu wasn't overly angry. At his age, he had seen many injustices and could let them go.

"Are they really coming back tomorrow? Grandpa, I'll go to the village in the morning and call some people. One for one, two for two," Li Qingyun clenched his fist in anger, and the few pieces of black aconite he had just picked crumbled into dozens of pieces.

After drinking the space spring water for a few days, his strength had clearly increased. In his anger, his strength showed.

Li Chunqiu was slightly surprised but didn't show it, taking the broken black aconite and smiling, "We're in business, so we have to endure and yield when we can. Fighting and killing won't bring peace. Don't go back to the village to call people. I want to see which patient sent them to smash my medical hall. I'm old, but I still have my skills."

Li Qingyun pouted, not believing him, "Really? You've been saying that all your life, but I've never seen your real skills. I've heard that when you were young, you dared to hunt in the deep mountains with just a bow and a quiver of arrows. And that you defeated the old village chief of Chenjiagou to get my father a wife."

Mentioning his past achievements, Li Chunqiu laughed heartily, "Ha, is that not true? Skills can be used for self-defense and to keep the body healthy, not for show. Of course, if you can't find a wife, I don't mind showing off a bit and getting you a pretty one."

Li Qingyun hurriedly said, "No, no. The best martial artists in the area are from Chenjiagou. But Chenjiagou is my maternal grandparents' village, and I know all the aunts and uncles there. I can't marry their daughters, it would be too embarrassing."

"Embarrassing? The other day, your cousin's daughter from Chenjiagou asked me why she couldn't reach you on the phone. She seemed to know you well."

"You mean Bai Ni? Well, I just see her as a little sister, a cousin. You know, I have a girlfriend," Li Qingyun's face turned red, not knowing what to say.

"You have a girlfriend? Why didn't you bring her home during the New Year? You're twenty-three this year. When your father was twenty-three, you were already born."

"Okay, I admit we had a falling out, and she didn't want to come to the mountains for the New Year. Then, because I couldn't afford a house in Yunhuang City, we broke up. But don't worry, late marriage and late childbearing are popular now. I'll definitely find someone suitable, no random matchmaking."

"I'll give you one more year. You decide," the old man stroked his beard, looking deep and mysterious.

After being teased by his grandfather, Li Qingyun forgot about the anger over the medical hall being smashed. He then brought up a few embarrassing stories about his grandfather, and the two of them had a good-natured argument, creating a warm atmosphere.

After cleaning up the herbs, dinner was ready. Li Qingyun accompanied his grandfather for a few cups of old wine from a jar, then took out the gifts he had bought, distributing them to his grandfather and grandmother. The last item he brought out was a large bottle of water, a regular 2.5L mineral water bottle, but it was filled with space spring water. Without waiting for the elders to speak, he found three cups and filled them.

"This boy, even bringing water home, not afraid of the weight?"

"Can't drink water right after eating..."

Li Qingyun's mother smiled, "Father, Mother, you don't know how good this water is. It's said to be very beneficial for health, brought by Fuhua's classmate from abroad. It's very precious."

"Is it that amazing?" Li Chunqiu picked up a cup of water, sniffed it, and his narrow eyes lit up, "Hmm? This smell..."

He took a sip, smacked his lips, and his gray eyebrows twitched. Gulping, he finished the cup in one go.

After drinking, he closed his eyes and remained silent, savoring the taste of the water.

Li Qingyun's grandmother, who knew the old man's temper, wouldn't show such a reaction unless it was something good. She followed suit and drank the water to the last drop.

Li Qingyun noticed that each person had a different reaction after drinking. His grandmother sweated the most, and the effect was the most obvious, with a healthy redness appearing on her cheeks. His mother, who had drunk a lot before, only had a light sweat on her nose, with no other symptoms.

The most surprising was Li Chunqiu. He kept his eyes closed, and suddenly exhaled a long, thick breath, almost tangible. For a moment, Li Qingyun thought he was seeing things, as the breath disappeared quickly, leaving only the window paper on the back wall rustling.

"This water is really something..." After exhaling, Li Chunqiu opened his eyes, his excitement and joy evident even to a blind person.

Li Qingyun's mother, being from Chenjiagou, was surprised, "Father, your skills have improved..."

Li Chunqiu waved his hand and laughed, "No, no. At our level, it's not easy to break through. I just cleared out some impurities in my body, making it a step closer to breaking through."

Li Qingyun was confused and said, "What are you talking about in riddles?"

The old man laughed, "Martial arts are something you wouldn't understand, and knowing wouldn't benefit you."

Li Qingyun's grandmother complained, "You're all experts, always talking about things we ordinary people can't understand. One is from Chenjiagou, and the other is a half-baked village doctor with martial arts skills, always talking about martial arts. If you're so skilled, why didn't you go to university?"

"Ha, that's true. Grandma, let's ignore them. Come, I'll take you to the bathhouse at the street corner. You've sweated a lot, and a bath will help you sleep better," Li Qingyun took the opportunity to tease his mother and grandfather.

"That's a good idea. Grandma will pay, just to annoy this old man," she said, getting up to gather her clothes, feeling unusually light.

Li Chunqiu smiled bitterly, looking at his sulking grandson and wife, unable to explain. He was just a bit envious of the remaining spring water and asked with a sheepish face, "Fuhua, do you have more of this water?"

"I'll have more if you tell me about your skills, less if you don't," Li Qingyun said without turning back.

"You brat, no respect!" Chen Xiuzhi pretended to be angry, "I'll decide. The remaining water will all go to your grandfather. When your classmate brings more, save a big bottle for your grandparents."

"Brutal dictatorship... always bullying your poor youngest child! Fine, I still have Hu Dahai to exploit, which makes me feel a bit better," Li Qingyun exaggerated, helping his chuckling grandmother out of the yard.

---

The page turns, and the advertisement begins.

The page turns, and the advertisement ends.