Ye Chengshun didn't respond. He stroked and smoothed the dog's leg, then got up to find a packet of medicinal powder, mixed it with wine to form a paste, and applied it to the dog's leg. Next, he found some wooden planks, measured their lengths, broke them, and used them to secure the dog's leg before wrapping it with cloth.
"Alright, it'll be able to walk in seven or eight days. Dog bones heal faster than human bones." After saying that, Ye Chengshun waved his hand, indicating that he could take it away.
Song Hao was secretly shocked. Such a serious injury would only result in disability in the eyes of ordinary people, but Ye Chengshun had simply touched it casually and applied some medicine, and he could say with certainty that it would heal in seven or eight days. It was really unbelievable.
"Mr. Ye, this is a stray dog. We found it on the street. Why don't we leave it here to recover from its injuries before letting it go?" Song Hao said.
"Suit yourself," Ye Cheng replied.
At this moment, Ye Chengshun's wife walked over, her face gloomy, and said, "Old Wang is here again."
Upon hearing this, Ye Chengshun frowned and walked towards the wine shop ahead.
A middle-aged man sat in the shop, smoking a cigarette with a serious expression. He didn't say a word when Ye Chengshun came in.
"It's his Uncle Wang!" Ye Chengshun said apologetically, "I'm really sorry, could you please give me some more time? I really don't have the money to pay you back right now." Clearly, the man had come to collect a debt.
"My family also urgently needs money, otherwise I wouldn't bother you since we're neighbors," the man said coldly and impatiently.
"Sigh!" Ye Chengshun sighed and said helplessly, "Why don't you take a look at how much my shop is worth and give it to me as payment?"
"This thing is only worth a few bucks. It's only worth about the same if you include the houses in front and behind it. Old Ye, I'm not forcing you, but you've owed me this money for years, and I really can't let you not pay it back. I'll give you three more days. If you still can't pay it back by then, I'll have to come and take the house." After saying this, the man coldly threw down his words and got up to leave. He went into a shop across the street.
Ye Chengshun sat there, head down, looking worried. Seeing that staying any longer was not a good idea, Song Hao said, "Mr. Ye, we won't bother you any longer. You can keep that dog for now, and we'll come back to pick it up in a few days." After saying that, he gave the sergeant a wink, and the two of them left.
Ye Chengshun did not get up to see them off, and let them go.
After leaving Ye Family Wine Shop, Song Hao sighed, "It's unimaginable that such a master of bone setting could be in such dire straits!"
The sergeant said, "That's no one else's fault but his. He's hiding his skills, so what can anyone do?"
“Let’s go, let’s solve his immediate problem first.” Song Hao said, walking towards the store.
"Brother Song, you're going to pay back the money for him? Judging from what they said, it's no small amount," the sergeant asked in surprise.
"Let me go ask first. I have tens of thousands in my bank card. If it's not enough, I'll call Tang Yu and ask her to transfer some to me," Song Hao said as he walked into the store.
"Brother Song!" The sergeant exclaimed with deep respect, truly moved by Song Hao's actions.
The man surnamed Wang was sitting behind the counter smoking, looking sullen. When he saw Song Hao and the squad leader come in, he assumed they were customers and quickly got up to greet them.
“Sir, I’m a friend of Mr. Ye. I saw you at his place earlier. I’d like to ask how much money Mr. Ye owes you?” Song Hao asked bluntly.
Upon hearing this, the man remembered that he had indeed seen these two people at the Ye family's wine shop earlier. He sat down again, sighed, and said, "Thirty-five thousand. If it weren't for the fact that two years ago, his two sons were both admitted to university, but he didn't have the tuition fees, and he came to me to borrow money, and I was so excited and happy for them that I lent it to him, he wouldn't still be unable to pay me back now." After saying this, the man seemed quite regretful.
“Is that so!” Song Hao nodded and said, “Uncle, I’ll pay this money for you, but don’t tell him that I’m the one paying it.”
“You…” The man was astonished upon hearing this.
“We’ll go to the bank and withdraw this money for you. With interest, we’ll give you 40,000,” Song Hao said.
"Really...really?" The man could hardly believe his ears.
Song Hao smiled and said, "Of course, but you have to give me the IOU between you two from back then."
"Yes, yes, yes!" Overjoyed, the man hurriedly rummaged through a box and pulled out an IOU signed by Ye Chengshun.
"Then let's go." Song Hao glanced at the IOU, turned around and walked out.
"Are you a relative of the Ye family?" The man hurriedly followed, afraid that Song Hao would leave.
Upon arriving at the bank, Song Hao withdrew 40,000 yuan from his card and gave it to the man, then took back the IOU and tore it up.
"You're such a good person! You actually paid back Old Ye's money." The man deposited the money back into the bank and turned to Song Hao, expressing his gratitude and emotion.
“You’re a good person too! So I can’t make things difficult for you any further. Let’s consider this matter over. The Ye family won’t ask about it, so don’t bring it up again,” Song Hao said with a smile.
"Alright, alright!" The man was grateful and left.
"Brother Song, you're truly a righteous man! I, the sergeant, have made the right choice in following you!" the sergeant said admiringly.
"It's no big deal! We can't force them to take back his house," Song Hao said with a smile.
“Now that the creditor has changed, I think we don’t need to ask him again; he’ll come out of retirement,” the sergeant said happily.
Song Hao shook his head and said, "Although we have helped him, we cannot use that as a condition for asking him to come out of retirement. We should try to persuade him in a way that is not difficult for him."
Upon returning and meeting Wu Qiguang, Song Hao recounted his second visit to Ye Chengshun.
“You did the right thing. It would be worth it even if you paid back 400,000, let alone 400,000.” Wu Qiguang greatly praised Song Hao’s actions. Then he shook his head and said, “This Ye Chengshun, why didn’t he tell me about his family’s difficulties? Maybe he was afraid I would use this to persuade him to come out of retirement. Song Hao, I’ll pay back this money.” With that, Wu Qiguang went to find his bankbook.
Song Hao quickly stepped forward to stop him, saying, "Teacher Wu, you shouldn't be so polite with me. It's fate that we can help Mr. Ye."
Wu Qiguang nodded and said, “Alright! Then let Ye Chengshun owe you this favor. Isn’t he stubborn? We might as well take this opportunity to force him to come out of seclusion. The Ye family’s bone-setting technique cannot be left to stagnate because of him, otherwise it would be a real pity. Go see him again in a few days, and let’s see what reason he has to refuse you.”
Song Hao said, "I helped him pay off his debts only to relieve his immediate crisis; I didn't have any other intentions. I think it would be better to persuade him to come out of retirement voluntarily."
Wu Qiguang said, “I know you are kind-hearted and genuinely want to help him. You don’t want to use this to blackmail him. But if we don’t use this opportunity to force him, he still won’t be willing to revive the Ye family’s bone-setting technique. Sometimes you have to be a gentleman and a villain at the same time, as long as you keep it in moderation. Otherwise, someone will take advantage of you and won’t even know what happened.”
Song Hao laughed and said, "If I can't get him to come three times, I'll come ten times. In time, we'll become like family. I don't believe I can't get this stone Buddha out of the temple."
"Good job, Song Hao! With you in charge of Tianyi Hall, there's no worry about it not growing and expanding. It's so satisfying to work with you!" Wu Qiguang laughed heartily.
"By the way, Song Hao, I'll go see Ye Chengshun in a few days to sound him out. More importantly, I'll introduce you and your Tianyi Hall to him. Actually, talented people always want to find a place where they can fully utilize their abilities; otherwise, what's the point of learning? The Ye family's extraordinary bone-setting techniques have been hidden among the people for decades, unknown to most, because they haven't encountered the right person or opportunity to let them shine again. You know, when Ye Chengshun was young, he could make pigs, horses, cattle, and sheep walk on their own legs—it was truly miraculous! It was only because of several family misfortunes that he became disillusioned. You must rekindle his passion. If he comes out of seclusion, he's capable of creating a series of miracles. The unique bone-setting techniques in traditional Chinese medicine are simple, convenient, and effective—in many ways, they are unmatched by modern medicine," Wu Qiguang added.
"To gather talents from all disciplines and jointly promote the art of medicine is one of the tenets of Tianyi Hall," Song Hao said.
Wu Qiguang nodded and said, "Those who specialize in one skill, when they reach the right level, can become divine! With one skill, one can be arrogant and domineering; with a hundred skills, one can surpass all others! That's how it is."