Chapter 58: Clear Weather Day Chapter 37: Stone Mountain Bone

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Protagonist:

Shaowei

Liu Qi

Ji Jin vaguely had some guesses, and just as he was weighing his words, he only heard Shaowei, walking beside him, directly ask the child on his back: "Do you have a father?"

These words were both blunt and hard, just like the stick in Shaowei's hand.

The child looked at her, gently shook his head, and only when his gaze turned forward did wariness and resentment surface in his eyes: "That person looking for me isn't my father."

The boy recalled, and explained his experiences.

Last autumn, he and his grandmother traveled south all the way; his grandmother said the winter in the south would be easier to endure, so she brought him along begging as they slowly went south, and they truly survived last year's winter... but his grandmother fell ill and died in the scorching summer of this year's fifth month.

His grandmother was already very old; from his earliest memory, it was his grandmother who brought him begging everywhere to survive, and in these years of relying on each other, his grandmother had truly suffered too much hardship.

He thought, perhaps his grandmother knew she wouldn't live long, so she brought him on a long journey south, wanting to use her last moments to protect him on this final leg, sending him toward a warmer place.

He wanted to bury his grandmother, to buy a coffin for her; he had no money, but he was willing to exchange himself for money. That buyer picked and chose, disliking that he was too thin and small, and was only willing to pay two thousand cash; the weather was truly too hot, his grandmother couldn't wait, so he nodded to that person.

That person said he would take him to the county office to register a contract; he hurriedly followed, but was knocked unconscious midway, and when he woke up, he was already on a small boat.

He tried to jump into the water to escape, but was still discovered by that person.

All along the way he suffered who knows how many beatings; he was very afraid, but even more so hateful, hate surpassed fear, and he became even more unwilling to give up any chance to escape.

The day before yesterday, taking advantage of when that man stopped the mule cart and went to the roadside grass bush to relieve himself, he broke free of the hemp rope binding his hands and jumped off the cart—that hemp rope had been worn by him to the point of snapping two days prior, he had shown no abnormality, only waiting for this one opportunity.

The man discovered his escape, and while chasing from behind shouted reprimands loudly, throwing gravel that heavily smashed onto him, fresh blood soaking through the wolfskin on his body.

That originally intact wolfskin coat now only had half left; the other half had been cut off to exchange for medicine for his grandmother, and this remaining half only barely wrapped half his chest and back, and it was precisely because of this that he managed to keep it on even in summer.

He didn't dare run toward places with people; those people wouldn't believe him, and even if they believed him they wouldn't help him—he had witnessed this many times along the way—so he fled in panic into the mountains.

The August mountain nights were already somewhat cold; due to his injuries and weakness he felt it even more unbearably, it was that half wolfskin clinging to him that allowed him to hold on.

The boy lying on Ji Jin's back turned his head to look at Shaowei walking beside them.

Shaowei looked straight ahead without glancing sideways, watching the last wisp of twilight about to dissipate; what flashed through her mind was that cold-faced old woman handing her half a cold steamed bun.

Night had just fallen, but was diluted by the lake-water-like moonlight of August; soon this moonlight was stirred into a mess by wind lamps and torches and human figures, as a group of villagers hurriedly searched into the mountains.

Just as Shaowei said, Jiang Fu decided she couldn't be bothered to search for people to help, but if Jiang Fu didn't worry, there were naturally those who did worry; Qingwu, hearing the news, cried and went to shout for her father, dragging her father out the door to find people.

When the two groups met, Qingwu saw through her tears only Shaowei gripping a stick, Yan Family Brother carrying a child, and Mo Li holding fruit in her lapels.

Qingwu wailed and cried out, lifting her skirt to rush forward and check if the several people were injured; Shaowei younger sister was fine, Mo Li was fine, Yan Family Brother... Yan Family Brother with half his face swollen was from the first time entering the mountain, and the fact that he could still carry a person now meant no new incidents had occurred.

A fruit was extended before the tear-wiping Qingwu, nearly poking her in the face; Qingwu looked up, saw it was Mo Li who gave it, broke into a smile through her tears, and accepted it.

The crowd of villagers all breathed sighs of relief, their gazes one after another turning toward that child: "There really was a child abandoned in the mountains..."

On the way back, everyone learned of this child's ordeal from Ji Jin's mouth, and couldn't help but curse that man who had slipped away.

The Village Head waiting at the village entrance proposed letting the child eat a hot meal to recover for a couple days, then in two days bring people to the county office to report to the authorities.

The boy was unwilling to go with the Village Head, only looking at Shaowei.

Shaowei could only bring the limping boy back home; however, standing before the courtyard gate, she hesitated, struggling to find the right words.

Her relationship with Jiang Fu was not what outsiders saw as younger sister and elder sister, and this small courtyard, like those books, was something she had to show to others—she always had to get Jiang Fu's consent first.

The Shaowei King who was invincible and awe-inspiring in the mountains could not be the master of this small courtyard.

Mo Li ran into the courtyard: "Head of Household, we're back!"

"Just back, wanting to starve me to death?" Jiang Fu slowly walked out from the hall where a lamp was lit, yawning and stretching lazily.

The dutiful Mo Li, holding fruit in her lapels, ran toward the kitchen: "Head of Household, Mo Li will cook rice right now!"

As she ran, a fruit fell out, bounced and hopped a few times, and was picked up by Jiang Fu bending down, pinched in her hand.

"Mo Li's fruit has been harvested and brought back." Jiang Fu smiled at Shaowei standing outside the courtyard gate: "Where's the fruit you picked? Little ghost."

Shaowei could only yank out the boy hiding behind her, grab his arm and bring him into the courtyard, steeling herself to request of Jiang Fu: "He has nowhere to go, can we take him in for two days? Just two days!"

Jiang Fu smiled faintly at that child.

Shaowei pushed the person forward, then lightly kicked him from behind.

The boy threw himself down to his knees, and kowtowed a solid, loud head-knock toward Jiang Fu: "I can do any kind of work!"

Jiang Fu walked before him, half-crouched down, but raised her hand, placing it on his head top.

In the boy's confusion, that clean, slender hand had already reached into his messy hair, touching his parietal bone and frontal bone in succession.

While Jiang Fu performed bone palpation on him, her gaze looked again and again at that dirty, pitiable face, finally settling on the half wolfskin wrapped around this child's body.

Jiang Fu's eyes revealed a look of sudden realization, looking at Shaowei: "That so-called exchanging the coat for food back then, turned out to be this kind of exchange... I was saying, how did you have such a huge appetite, to actually eat up the money for a whole coat."

The boy also raised his head to glance at Shaowei, and said seriously: "Grandmother said, this coat saved my life, it was an immortal manifesting their spirit!"

And he knew who this immortal was; he had seen it with his own eyes, and remembered it.

Mentioning this old matter, Shaowei didn't speak, only heard Jiang Fu ask the boy: "First tell me, what are you called?"

"I'm called Stone!"

Jiang Fu smiled faintly: "Your life was picked up by someone; since your fate has already been changed, your name must also change, a name can be an omen, the name Stone can no longer suppress your current unknown fate."

Shaowei listened from the side, wanting to speak but stopping; in her view, Jiang Fu demanding a name change right off the bat was really making things difficult for the person, but she worried Jiang Fu's words had their own reasoning, and more importantly Jiang Fu was the master of this small courtyard... having a request of someone, she could only shut her mouth.

Shaowei didn't refute Jiang Fu's words, but still asked the boy: "Do you want to change your name?"

The boy thought seriously for a good while, then nodded: "Either is fine."

"..." These two words "either is fine" simply made Shaowei want to roll her eyes, only feeling he had an appearance of deep consideration, yet hadn't considered out any specifics.

Jiang Fu smiled at Shaowei: "The coat was given by you, the person was also brought back from the mountain by you, how about this name is changed by you?"

Shaowei agreed without the slightest hesitation: "Good!"

If Jiang Fu were to change it, one would only fear he'd add some sort of Spotted Raccoon Dog or White Raccoon Dog or the like.

Shaowei also began to ponder deeply; after laboriously thinking out a one, two, three, she asked that boy: "Rocks in the mountains are called Shan Gu; changing it to Shan Gu — do you have any opinion?"

The boy hurriedly nodded to express agreement.

Having obtained his agreement, Shaowei only then looked toward Jiang Fu again.

Jiang Fu quietly looked at Shaowei for a moment, a thread of nearly cherishing pitying smile spreading in her eyes; she said in a slow voice: "Noble and firm, there is no better name than this."

And more precious than this name is this name-giving little brat.

Ordinary people, having obtained power the size of a sesame seed, mostly subconsciously deploy authority; once this authority is deployed, it must revolve around their own wishes.

This historically domineering little brat, however, never thought to impose his own preferences, but chose to preserve this child's self and origin.

Shan Gu is also stone, a more resilient, more massive, more sinewy rock; there will be no better name than this, nor will there be a more precious natural heart than this.

Jiang Fu straightened up, and as she turned, said: "Shan Gu, in that case I'll keep you for two days; come, let me take a look at your injuries."

Shan Gu was still somewhat in a daze when Shaowei kicked him again, urging in a low voice: "She agreed; why aren't you hurrying to follow?"

"Oh! Good!" Shan Gu hurriedly scrambled to sit up, and under Shaowei's accompaniment followed into the hall.

His stature was a bit shorter than Shaowei's; Jiang Fu had Shaowei fetch an old robe for him to change into.

The bloodstains wiped away, fortunately no serious bone injuries were seen; those traffickers, in order to sell for a good price, certainly had a hundred torture methods, yet often would not let the "goods" be damaged too severely lest they leave disabilities — this also counted as a great fortune amid misfortune.

After applying medicine, Mo Li also finished cooking the rice; he boiled a large pot of soup noodles, the broth had kale and cured meat, and was quite delicious.

Others are rigid minds; Mo Li is a mindless one — because Jiang Fu did not directly order him to add one person's portion of rice, he only cooked according to the usual amount.

But Mo Li had really eaten too many fruits in the mountains; he did not know to proactively increase the rice amount, nor did he know to proactively decrease it; he only ate half his usual portion before he could eat no more, the remaining half went to Shan Gu — likewise also counting as a great fortune amid misfortune; Jiang Fu couldn't help but sigh with emotion: today there were really quite many great fortunes.

After eating, Shan Gu voluntarily wanted to go wash pots and wash bowls; Mo Li refused to let him — having already yielded the rice, cannot yield this matter again; Mo Li still had some instinctive food-guarding heart toward strangers, but clearly guarded the wrong place, only guarding a pile of leftover bowls and chopsticks to wash.

At night Shan Gu naturally squeezed into Mo Li's room; Mo Li slept on the bed, he made a floor bedding, yet also obtained a night of peaceful sleep.

Medicine applied, rice eaten full, peaceful sleep slept; Shan Gu originally thought he ought to be lively as a dragon and vigorous as a tiger, but upon waking the next day, his injuries and muscles and bones felt doubly painful — as if his body took advantage of his sleep to hold a discussion, determined he was already safe, everyone then relaxed their tension, ceased work right there, each lying down gasping for breath.

Even so, Shan Gu did not want to eat and lodge for nothing; he rolled up the bedding he had slept on, and again limping dragged his painful body to Mo Li's bedside, attempting to make the bed and fold the quilt for Mo Li; however, lifting that chaotic quilt, he discovered even more messy things — dry cakes, fruits, and preserved fruits carefully wrapped in cotton cloth, malt sugar...

Hearing Mo Li outside shouting for everyone to eat morning meal, Shan Gu hurriedly pulled that quilt back over, and dared not fold it again.

Even so, Mo Li still keenly noticed his bedding had been moved by someone. At night, he sat cross-legged on the bed, back facing Shan Gu, repeatedly counted his things, confirmed nothing was missing, only then reluctantly let down his vigilance.

Thus sleeping fully another night, Shan Gu finally felt his body lighten, able to go out and do some decent work.

When Shaowei sat quietly in the early morning, through the window she saw Shan Gu sweeping the ground; after sweeping, he added water to the vats, and incidentally washed both vats inside and out once, then ran to the ox shed to shovel ox dung, added fodder to the stone trough.

After Shaowei finished quiet sitting, she only felt exceptionally empty, actually had nothing to do, could only go help Mo Li set out the rice.

Jiang Fu rose late; looking at the orderly scene in the courtyard and the three busy people, she couldn't help but nod in gratification.

Autumn high air cool, very suitable for enjoying morning meal in the courtyard.

Jiang Fu ordered Shaowei to move a food table out for her; she herself sat cross-legged before the food table; Mo Li squatted outside the kitchen; Shaowei sat on the mud-made platform steps before the hall holding a bowl; Shan Gu squatted at Shaowei's lower side; a small square courtyard, four people sitting everywhere; plus birds squatting on the eaves, seemingly deploying a formation.

Just as morning meal was finished, the Village Head brought people to the door, saying they wanted to take Shan Gu for a trip to the County Office.

Shan Gu immediately became vigilant again; Jiang Fu persuaded and comforted a couple sentences, he still hesitated; Shaowei, who was anxiously waiting to spar with sticks with Mo Li, gripping her stick, frowned at him: "What are you spacing out for? Everyone's waiting for you."

Shan Gu gave a start, hurriedly nodded, honestly followed the Village Head and went.

Since Shan Gu had memory, he had been with Grandma; Grandma said his father and mother died early; he also couldn't say clearly how old he specifically was — perhaps eleven, perhaps twelve; and because days passed too hard, he looked more like only ten years old.

He described that trafficker's appearance in extraordinary detail; the County Office based on his provided clues drafted a wanted portrait and filed a case.

The case filed, the child must be placed; the Village Head brought the person back to Taoxi Township, discussed with Jiang Fu, also sought Shan Gu's opinion, finally handed the person to a couple in the township to raise.

That couple was already near fifty; previously had a child, also abducted and sold by traffickers; the couple heartbroken; the man injured from hunting and unable to reproduce again. Someone privately persuaded them to buy one to raise, met with the woman's flat refusal; her child was abducted by someone, now to again buy a child from traffickers — who knows if another family's child would therefore be abducted?

This time this couple heard of Shan Gu's experience, and stirred adoption intentions.

The couple very thrifty; days though ordinary but not bitterly cold; Jiang Fu said to Shaowei, this couple kind-hearted kind-faced, Shan Gu's fate can have a karmic connection with them.

Shan Gu only listened to Shaowei; Shaowei told him to go, he obediently followed that Surname Zhou couple home; leaving, his arms didn't forget to hold that half wolfskin coat.

The Zhou Family Couple, to express gratitude, sent quite a lot of food, and two live large carp.

Jiang Fu said in Chang'an City, betrothing a raccoon slave home also requires presenting fish; this fish should be given to the raccoon slave's natal family former master, that is Shaowei — therefore letting Shaowei decide how to eat it.

Though Shan Gu was "betrothed" to the Zhou family, he almost daily came over to visit; saying visit, actually working like an ox and horse; couldn't stop him even if blocked.

Autumn passed winter came; daily no major events occurred; Ji Jin and the others felt Shaowei recently always had a somewhat suspicious ghostly strange feeling.