Courtyard House: Rebirth of a Shopkeeper in 1937

Early in the morning, just as the sun rose, Xingbao and Guixiang were woken up by their mother. After breakfast, their eldest and second eldest brothers each carried a small basket containing dried sweet potatoes that their mother had put out. The eldest brother also carried a wood-chopping knife, while the second brother brought a small hoe. Xingbao and Guixiang were not idle either, bringing their small shovels for playing in the mud. Their father, dressed in patched and tight-fitting clothes with neat leggings, carried a long gun, grappling hook, and a water bottle on his back, and held the only two straw hats in the family in his hand. His tall stature gave Xingbao a great sense of security.

"Third Aunt, I already told Youchu that they'll be coming to the shop to help out soon. Don't worry about the children, I'll take good care of them." She turned and led the way out the side door, casually placing the straw hat into her eldest brother's basket. "Let's go."

Walking up the path, the soil on both sides was turned up, planted with sweet potatoes, potatoes, peanuts, and various beans. Further up, there were a few scattered plots planted with daylilies, which my father said could be exchanged for copper coins. Continuing up, almost halfway up the mountain, a lush tea garden came into view, the property of the Liu family.

"Alright, we can start digging for wild vegetables from here." The eldest brother called out and led the way into the wild field at the edge of the tea garden. The second brother followed closely behind. Wild onions, dandelions, and wild spinach were quickly picked out and dug up by the eldest and second brothers and put into their baskets.

Gui Xiang, shovel in hand, searched here and there for unfamiliar insects. Xing Bao's gaze lingered on a few inconspicuous tea seedlings. He squatted down, clearing away the surrounding weeds, and carefully pried at the seedlings with the shovel. The soil was a bit hard, and the weeds made it even more difficult for a three-year-old. After working for almost half an hour, he had only dug up three seedlings. Taking advantage of his father's inattention, he subtly changed his mind, and one of the tea seedlings vanished instantly, silently planting itself in his spatial dimension. Just as he was thinking of digging up some more, Gui Xiang said, "Xing Bao, Gui Xiang, let's go. Your brother has already gone to the camellia trees. There are raspberries over there."

"Where? Where is it?" Gui Xiang looked around anxiously, jumping up and down, stretching out her hands. "I can't see it, Daddy, hold me!"

"Daddy, I want one too! I want one too!" Xingbao stretched out his hands and shouted for a hug. He was too short to see anything. Heaven knows how many years he had been starving in his past life!

Father smiled, his broad arms lifting the two little ones onto either side. He pointed to a stone embankment not far ahead, where there were several hawthorn trees, laden with green, red, and black hawthorns. The eldest and second eldest brothers were picking the ripe red and black ones, popping them into their mouths as they said, "This one is big, this one is black enough."

Seeing this, the little girl was almost in tears. "Dad, hurry over there, my older brother and the others are almost finished eating!" She turned around and shouted, "Big brother, second brother, leave some for me, don't finish it all!"

"I've saved all the good stuff in your basket," the older brother replied between bites, his lips still stained with purplish-red juice.

As Dad approached, carrying Xingbao and Guixiang, he saw two baskets on the ground. One was almost full of wild vegetables, while the other had a layer of grass underneath and a small pile of shiny, purplish-black hawthorns on top. Guixiang struggled to get Dad to put her down. She tilted the basket containing the hawthorns over and climbed in, munching away. Her older brothers came over laughing, placed some freshly picked hawthorns in Dad's hands, and then ran to another tree to pick more. Xingbao, eating the hawthorns from Dad's hand, even stuffed a few into his mouth; the familiar sweet and sour taste filled his mouth. Looking at the scene before him, he felt as if he had been transported back to his past life, to that carefree and happy existence...

Only by personally returning to this era can one truly appreciate the hardships and sacrifices made by their predecessors. Having experienced the trials of the past, one understands that it was all worthwhile! Heaven has given Xingbao the opportunity to contribute his own strength alongside his predecessors. The beauty before him is his motivation to protect.

"Dad," Gui Xiang finally climbed out of the basket, her mouth, chin, and little hands all stained with purplish-red juice, like a little kitten who had successfully stolen a bite. Her face was filled with pure joy. "Let's go find our brother! Let him pick some more so we can take them back for Mom to try!"

"Dad, put me down, I'll walk by myself," Xingbao struggled. His father did as he was told and put him down. He immediately ran to hide the remaining two tea seedlings in the wild vegetable basket and covered them with leaves. His father picked up Guixiang again, carrying both baskets in one hand, and continued walking deeper into the mountains.

The path grew steeper, and the trees denser. Father put straw hats on Xingbao and Guixiang to shield them from the sun and insects. Second Brother led the way with a sturdy branch, constantly tapping it against the bushes and grass on either side, making a "pat-pat, rustle" sound. Eldest Brother, carrying a machete, led the panting Xingbao. It was clear they had been to the mountains many times. Guixiang leaned on Father's shoulder, her small straw hat swaying with her curious gaze, constantly asking, "Dad, what's that?" "Dad, what kind of bird is that? It's so beautiful!"

The climb became increasingly steep, and Xingbao gritted his teeth, his legs feeling like lead. His body was too weak; even though he'd been secretly drinking the spiritual spring water from his spatial storage for the past few days, he simply couldn't go on. Panting, he looked pitifully at his father: "Daddy, hug me!"

Further up, they finally passed through the dense forest. Before them lay a vast expanse of almost bare, steep rock faces, with only a few low shrubs stubbornly growing in the crevices. The summit was just a dozen meters away. Dad put Xingbao and Guixiang down and helped them remove their straw hats, brushing off the grass and insects.

"Ahhhhh—!" came the excited howls of the eldest and second eldest brothers from the mountaintop.

"It's my brother!" Gui Xiang's eyes lit up. Without their father's prompting, the two little ones immediately began climbing the steep rock face, using both hands and feet like two clumsy little animals. Their father followed behind, supporting them at a leisurely pace. Before long, Gui Xiang's face was flushed, and she was exhausted. Her father scooped her up. Clinging to his shoulder, she cried out to Xing Bao, "Xing Bao, hurry, Xing Bao, hurry..."

Exhausted, Xingbao practically rolled to the top of the last rock. The wind at the summit suddenly opened up, carrying an unprecedented crispness that ruffled his sweat-drenched hair. Just as he was about to plop down, his older brother rushed over, scooped him up, and gave him a big kiss on the cheek. "Haha! My Xingbao is amazing! He climbed all that high!" his brother laughed heartily. Xingbao felt like his bones were about to fall apart; he didn't even have the strength to roll his eyes. "Dad, you just watched!" he thought.