Courtyard House: Rebirth of a Shopkeeper in 1937

The matter of the letters was finally put to a temporary end. Father called his eldest and second eldest brothers to go to the backyard to work, leaving only Mother, Xingbao, and Guixiang in the main room. Guixiang immediately broke free from her mother's arms, ran to Xingbao's side, stared at him with her round eyes, and asked curiously, "Xingbao, what medicine did you bring for Uncle? It's so effective! I studied medical books with you and learned to identify medicinal herbs with our master, but I've never seen a prescription like this before. Did you keep it a secret?"

Xingbao inwardly cried out in alarm—how could he have forgotten this little girl! She had a good memory and was very meticulous; if he pressed her for details, she would easily give herself away. He dared not say that he had prepared the medicine himself, after all, they both read the same medical books, and apart from having slightly less knowledge than him, Guixiang's talent in medicine was not much less. He quickly organized his thoughts and made up a plausible excuse: "Sister, it's that Panax notoginseng plant that Brother Qianjin brought when he passed by our house last time. The medical books say that Panax notoginseng can treat internal and external injuries, promote blood circulation, and remove blood stasis, with very good effects. Later, it grew a little bigger, so I ground it into powder and asked my senior brother to help deliver it to Uncle."

Gui Xiang frowned slightly, still looking suspicious, and stared at Xing Bao, asking, "Just a little bit of Panax notoginseng powder, and Uncle can get better with it? I read in a medical book that for external injuries to heal quickly, several herbs need to be used together. Panax notoginseng alone is not enough; you also need hemostatic and anti-inflammatory medicines."

Xingbao had anticipated her question and had already prepared his response. He calmly explained, "Sister, Panax notoginseng is the main ingredient, and its efficacy is crucial. After Uncle gets the medicine, he will definitely find a doctor at the front lines to combine it with other auxiliary herbs. Didn't Brother Qianjin say last time that Panax notoginseng is now under strict control and is a scarce medicinal material, especially on the battlefield? Although our Panax notoginseng plant isn't very big, in Uncle's hands, it's a life-saving treasure. They will definitely use it sparingly, so it will naturally have a significant effect! Besides, Senior Brother also said that Uncle's injury isn't too serious, and he will recover faster."

The mother sat to the side, watching the two siblings argue about the medicinal herbs with a smile. Her eyes were full of satisfaction, and she couldn't help but say, "It seems that letting you two learn medicine from Old Master Yang was the right thing to do. You two must learn the skills diligently so that you can save lives, help more people, and inherit his mantle as soon as possible." Guixiang and Xingbao both nodded heavily, keeping their mother's words in mind.

The next morning, before dawn, with only a sliver of light appearing in the east and a few scattered stars still hanging in the sky, Dad got up early. He took a few sweet potatoes, still warm from the night before, from the stove, dusted them off, and tucked them into his pocket. He had been assigned by the village to take a few villagers to Yongfeng Town to help purchase funeral supplies. After all, four families were holding a funeral together. Although they were only building a cenotaph and didn't need to buy a coffin, incense, candles, paper money, white cloth, wine, and vegetarian food—everything had to be prepared, and there was no time to waste.

After breakfast, Master got up and went to the homes of several elderly people in the village for follow-up examinations, worried that their conditions might relapse during the night. Xingbao and Guixiang followed along. This time, Xingbao insisted on helping Master carry the medicine box. The medicine box was heavy, and it was the first time Xingbao had ever carried one, but he held it very steadily. Guixiang was responsible for handing over the medicinal herbs and writing down the prescriptions. The two worked together very well, like two young doctors.

After examining each of the elderly people, the master breathed a sigh of relief and said to the waiting family members, "The elderly are all fine now, but their emotions are still not calm. They are feeling depressed and their blood circulation is not smooth. They should take a few more doses of calming medicine on time for a few days, get plenty of rest, and stop overthinking. They will gradually recover." Upon hearing this, the family members all breathed a sigh of relief, thanked the master repeatedly, and smiled in a long time.

After explaining the follow-up medication instructions, including the heat for decocting the medicine, the timing of administration, and dietary restrictions—such as avoiding spicy and cold foods and eating more mild and nourishing foods—Master was finally at ease. Second Brother proactively led Black Charcoal over, intending to escort Master home—Master had been out all night, and if he didn't return soon, his wife would surely worry. Besides, there was the matter of exchanging currency for supplies that needed to be dealt with quickly and couldn't be delayed. Xingbao and Guixiang were too young, and the mountain path was difficult to traverse, so they didn't go with Master to his house and turned back to the kitchen first.

Xingbao and Guixiang had just walked hand in hand back to the entrance of the kitchen when they saw several figures gathered around the bluestone steps—elders from several families in the village. Some were squatting on the steps smoking pipes, their pipes sparkling in the morning light; others stood to the side, rubbing their hands, their brows furrowed. When they saw their eldest brother emerge from the house wearing a faded old jacket, they immediately stubbed out their cigarettes, put their hands down, and hurried to greet him, their voices filled with urgency and a hint of pleading: "Yanbang, we've finally waited for you!" "Thank you for your help; the child's eulogy still needs you to write it!"

The two listened for a few moments before finally understanding the whole story. It turned out that four families in the village were going to hold a funeral together, but in those days, literate people were scarce. The only person in the entire village who could write a proper eulogy that was respectful, compassionate, and dignified for the deceased was the eldest brother. Unfortunately, several families in neighboring villages had also received notices of death in action, and the scribes who usually wrote eulogies were either busy with their own funerals or were being sought after by other families and couldn't spare the time. Therefore, the heavy responsibility of writing eulogies for the four families in the village fell entirely on the eldest brother's shoulders.

Although the battle at the front was intense and the remains of the fallen soldiers were hard to find, so they could only make cenotaphs out of their old clothes and belongings, the heads of the four families still gritted their teeth and decided to hold a proper funeral according to the village's old customs. The difference between holding a funeral and not holding one was huge. Listening to the elders' murmurs, Xingbao understood—funerals in this chaotic world were neither the extravagant, wasteful feasts with dozens of tables he had seen in his previous life, nor were they the evil deeds of "eating the blood of the dying." They emphasized reciprocity and sought personal connections and protection.

As long as a funeral is held, the villagers will come to mourn; especially the sons who died for their country, even the village head will have to show up, personally offer incense and pay respects, ostensibly to honor the heroes, but in reality, to give these four families face. Several altars will be set up in front of the mourning hall, and the money and grain given by relatives and friends will be life-saving money for poor families without able-bodied men, helping them survive the harsh winter. Today you help my family when they are in trouble, tomorrow my family will help you when they are in trouble; this debt of gratitude can be repaid slowly in the future. Even if the family loses its breadwinner, there will be relatives and neighbors to look after them, and no one will dare to bully them openly. But if no funeral is held, and the mourning hall is deserted, those scoundrels who covet the land and property of the widowed and orphaned will dare to openly "take advantage of the destitute," and then they will cry to heaven and earth in vain.