Chapter 5: Replace 2: Collecting money and eliminating disasters for others

For several days in a row, Zhang Xiuhua went out from time to time to ask people to inquire about the bone-shaping expert. She spent a lot of money but didn't get any useful information.

The small treasury left by Li Shuli only has a little over a hundred taels of silver. If she continues to spend it like this, it will soon be gone.

Fortunately, the Li family would send people to deliver food, clothing and other daily necessities every month. Apart from providing relief or shelter to the hungry people every day, their current life was not a problem.

Chunlan comforted Su He: "Don't worry, Miss. If you really have no money, I will go embroider some handkerchiefs and sell them in the city. I will definitely be able to make some money."

She has always been an excellent needlework woman. In the past, all the embroidery work on Li Shuli's clothes, inside and out, was done by her.

Zhang Xiuhua was not to be outdone: "Although I can't match Chunlan's embroidery skills, I still have quite a bit of strength. At worst, I can just go to the mountains to chop some firewood and sell it at the market."

Finally, she became a little confused: "Is there really someone in this world who can shape bones?"

Su He's expression remained calm, his eyes as dark as ink, like a deep pool.

It was deep winter, and the fire was burning in the house. She used tongs to put a piece of silver charcoal into the fire and said slowly, "Of course there is."

If my mother says there is, then it must be there.

When she was a child, she fell because she was running too fast. Her nose bone was almost broken. She cried loudly in pain and said, "Mom, my nose hurts so much. I am going to become ugly."

Mother comforted him gently: "If He He becomes ugly, I will find someone who knows how to shape bones and change He He back to her original appearance."

Su He stopped crying and asked, "Is there anyone in the world who can shape bones?"

Mother replied, "Of course."

"How did mother know?"

"A young master told my mother."

"Will that young man not lie?"

Mother looked outside the house, as if looking back to the past. She said, "That young man is the person I trust most in this world. He would never lie."

My mother never revealed who that young man was.

Su He poured two cups of tea, handed them to Zhang Xiuhua and Chunlan respectively, and then asked, "Didn't Aunt know a bounty hunter before? This kind of business always has a wide range of contacts. Maybe you can get some useful information."

Zhang Xiuhua, who was sitting by the fire, was stunned for a moment, then her face turned pale. "I actually forgot about this. Okay, I'll go back to my hometown tomorrow and ask around to see if I can get in touch with him again."

The next morning, Zhang Xiuhua went out in the severe cold.

Her hometown is Liuzhou, a day's drive from Xishan.

The bounty hunter is named Fang Yichen. He is a boy that Zhang Xiuhua rescued when she was in her hometown. Unexpectedly, the boy became a bounty hunter when he grew up.

Later, she went to Beijing to work as a servant. Fang Yicheng visited her once and brought her a large bag of pork head, but there has been no news from him in recent years.

After arriving in Liuzhou, Zhang Xiuhua first went to see two old friends. Through the information provided by the old friends, she contacted a master who taught martial arts to Fang Yicheng.

I then learned about Fang Yicheng's recent situation through this old master. It turned out that he had been staying near the capital for the past two years.

The meeting was arranged several days later.

It was a snowy day. Looking around, the sky and the earth were covered in white. From time to time, the sound of branches being crushed by the heavy snow could be heard from the mountain behind the courtyard.

Su He and Chun Lan prepared a heater, tea and snacks in the main hall early in the morning.

Zhang Xiuhua also prepared the main dishes for the guests in the kitchen in advance.

But they waited for a whole day but Fang Yichen didn't show up.

It was not until dusk, just after the group had finished dinner, that a man suddenly appeared at the door of the main hall.

He was tall and slender, with a stern face, a long sword hanging from his waist, and snow that had not yet melted was scattered on his head and body.

Zhang Xiuhua hurried out to greet him: "Yicheng, you're finally here. We've been waiting for so long."

Then he turned around and introduced: "This is my young lady, her name is Su He."

Su He also stepped forward and bowed.

She was wearing a moon-white jacket today, with a long circle of fox fur around the collar, which made her face look as white as jade and her eyebrows and eyes as beautiful as a painting.

Fang Yichen's gaze fell on her face, but only for a moment before he hastily looked away.

He asked, "What does Aunt want to see me for?"

Zhang Xiuhua smiled and said, "We haven't seen each other for so many years. You can't just stand outside and talk to your aunt. Come in and sit down."

Fang Yicheng went into the house and sat down as he was told.

Chunlan quickly served him tea and placed an eight-treasure box containing snacks in front of him.

Su He took the opportunity to ask, "Mr. Fang, have you had any meal?"

Fang Yicheng replied: "I have used it."

His eyes fell on the teacup and snacks, but he didn't look at Su He.

It seems reserved, but also seems conceited.

After a moment, he finally raised his eyes and asked Zhang Xiuhua, "What on earth did you want to talk to me about, aunt?"

Zhang Xiuhua was explaining quietly, "Don't be offended, young lady. He has been like this since he was a child, always straightforward."

Then he turned around and continued, "It's no small matter to go through so much trouble to find you."

Zhang Xiuhua stepped forward and sat on the round stool opposite Fang Yicheng. "I came to you because I wanted you to help me find someone who knows how to shape bones. After all, you travel a lot and have a lot of experience."

"Aunt wants to shape bones?"

"It's my young lady who wants to shape her bones."

Fang Yicheng didn't ask why, but his expression was filled with determination and resoluteness. "Aunt has done me a favor. If she needs help, I will help her for free. But if it's someone else, my rule is 'I take money from people, but I help them get rid of their misfortunes.'"

It's nothing wrong to speak frankly.

Su He asked, "I wonder how much money Mr. Fang wants?"

Fang Yicheng's gaze fell back on Xiao Shi: "If you just want to inquire, it will cost at least thirty taels of silver."

Without asking for an exorbitant price, Su He said "deal".

When Su He handed the thirty taels of silver to him, he looked at her for the second time, but only for a moment, and then quickly looked away.

He said, "I'll come back in ten days." Then he took the silver and left the house.

Su He only saw his bony fingers flash by.

When Zhang Xiuhua followed him outside to give him a few more instructions, he was no longer there.

On the table, the tea and snacks brought by Chunlan remained untouched.

Zhang Xiuhua comforted him: "Although he looks like an ignorant person, he is actually a reliable person."

Su He smiled slightly: "I can see that."

Sure enough, ten days later at dusk, Fang Yicheng arrived as promised.

He brought the news he had gathered, "There is indeed a man who is skilled in bone shaping, his name is Bai Jin'an, he is over 80 years old and has lived in seclusion for many years."

Su He's face lit up with joy. "Master Fang, do you know where he lives in seclusion?"

"He lives in seclusion in a cave in Fuzi Mountain. It's difficult for ordinary people to find him." Fang Yicheng pursed his lips slightly, and seemed to muster up a lot of courage before he let his eyes fall on Su He's face. "But I am familiar with the terrain in the mountains and can take you there, but..."

Su He felt something in his heart: "You just want a reward, right? Mr. Fang, tell me the number."

He answered simply: "Thirty taels of silver."

After paying Fang Yichen's remuneration, there was really little left in the small treasury.

Zhang Xiuhua was filled with dissatisfaction. "When I rescued that kid, I never thought he would be such a money-grubber. Now we're almost being squeezed dry by him."

Su He comforted her: "Don't worry, auntie, there are still a lot of jewelry in the cabinet. If we really can't make ends meet, we can pawn all the jewelry."

Zhang Xiuhua sighed and nodded.

The next day, led by Fang Yicheng, Su He set out for Fuzi Mountain.

Zhang Xiuhua accompanied them all the way, while Chunlan stayed behind to guard the house.

Fuzi Mountain is about a hundred miles away from Xishan.

Amidst the wind and snow, the carriage took three full days to finally reach the foot of Fuzi Mountain.

The mountain road was too steep to drive on, so several people had to get out of the car and walk.

It was covered in ice and snow, and the cold wind was biting.

The mountain path is difficult to walk on, and every step feels like stepping on an abyss.

But Fang Yicheng was as agile as walking on flat ground, and Zhang Xiuhua was able to keep up with him smoothly with brute force. Only the slender Su He fell from time to time and even almost rolled off the cliff.

Fang Yicheng always managed to grab her at the first moment and rescue her easily.

Su He was still in shock and thanked him repeatedly, adding at the end: "Mr. Fang, this money is not easy to earn."

Fang Yicheng had a blank expression on his face. Without saying a word, he turned around and continued walking.

The three of them searched the mountains for a whole day before they found Rongdong, where Bai Jinan lived, on the mountainside.

It was already dusk. Bai Jinan had just returned from fishing and was pouring the fish he had caught onto the ground one by one. The fish desperately jumped up, their scales flashing.

Su He stepped forward, bowed, and explained his purpose.

Bai Jinan has white hair and beard, and kind eyes, but he did not comment on Su He's words.

"Anyone who comes is a guest. Let me prepare dinner for you first." After he said that, he took out a kitchen knife and killed all the fish, big and small. The fishy smell spread throughout the cave.

It was almost a full fish feast: fish head soup, braised carp, steamed crucian carp, sweet and sour fish, and a deep-fried fish.

Bai Jinan greeted him warmly, "All the fish on the table were caught by me. Let's eat them while they're hot."

The few of them hadn't eaten all day, but they ate heartily. They ate so much that they didn't want to eat fish for some time.

After dinner, Bai Jinan still did not mention the bone shaping matter.

He dragged over some straw mats for them to sit on, and added two torches to the cave. Then he went into the cave next door and rested.

Zhang Xiuhua wanted to ask him how much money it would cost to shape his bones, but she didn't have time to ask.

The next day at dawn, Bai Jinan got up, washed up, and went out of the Rong Cave again with his fishing rod.

Su He quickly put on her coat and followed him out. She had come here with so much difficulty, and she was determined to convince this old man no matter what.

Fang Yicheng heard the noise and quietly came out of the cave, following the two of them not far away, as if he was watching, or as if he was protecting them.

The deep mountains in the early morning are like a big ice cave, with white snow covering the sky and the cold wind cutting the face like a sharp blade.

Bai Jinan didn't walk far, he just found a valley sheltered from the wind and sat down to fish.

There is an underground river at the foot of the mountain, which flows all year round and is full of fish and shrimps.

Su He also sat down on the rock beside him and accompanied him in fishing.

Bai Jinan said kindly, "Young lady, why bother following me here and suffering the cold?"

Su He replied: "Senior, why bother asking when you already know the answer?"

Bai Jinan smiled, was silent for a moment, and then asked, "Miss, what do you want to shape yourself into?"

Su He took out the portrait of Li Shuli from his sleeve and slowly unfolded it in the cold wind.

Bai Jinan only glanced at it briefly before looking away. "People who come to me for bone reshaping usually have their faces disfigured or have unusual appearances. You have a beautiful face, but you want to be reshaped like someone else. I don't understand why."

Su He put away the portrait and asked, "Do I need to give a reason for asking Senior to shape my bones?"

"That's not necessary." Bai Jinan smiled again, "It's just that the bone-shaper has to break the skin and flesh and temper the bones and blood. The pain is like the furnace fire of refining gold or the phoenix nirvana. It's not something that ordinary people can endure."

Su He answered neatly: "Don't worry, senior, I can handle it."

Bai Jinan sighed, "It seems that the girl is in a desperate situation."

As soon as he finished speaking, he saw a fish taking the bait. The old man quickly pulled up the fishing rod, and sure enough, a red carp was hanging on it.

He smiled broadly, and said meaningfully, "The fish has taken the bait."

Su He echoed: "Congratulations, senior."

Bai Jinan took the fish off the rod and put it into the bamboo basket beside him. Then he wiped the handle with snow water and sat down to fish again.

His tone sounded nonchalant: "To be honest, I have never sculpted bones for others." After a pause, he added: "But this face of mine was shaped by myself." After saying that, he turned and looked at Su He.

Su He also turned around and looked at him.

A cold wind blew, and a layer of frost fell on Bai Jinan's white beard.

She asked, "Why do seniors never shape bones for others?"

Bai Jinan smiled kindly: "Because they can't agree to the conditions I set."