Courtyard House: Rebirth of a Shopkeeper in 1937

Xingbao quickly leaned closer, his eyes full of hope, and asked in a low voice, "Big brother, what if students from Sanmin Middle School stayed at our house? They brought so many books, could we borrow a few to read? We promise not to damage them, and we'll return them when they leave. Given their status, they shouldn't mind, right?"

As soon as he finished speaking, the second brother and Guixiang stopped what they were doing and looked at the eldest brother with expectant eyes.

Upon hearing this, the eldest brother was taken aback for a moment, then his face lit up with excitement, a longing gleaming in his eyes. He stroked the grains of rice in his hand, pondered for a while, and then slowly spoke, his tone carefully chosen: "Judging from what you and Guixiang saw today, they are very wary. It will be difficult for them to lend us books. Most of the wealthy young men I've met are arrogant and don't necessarily look down on us country bumpkins. Some are so proud that they would rather throw their things away than lend them to us."

These words were like a bucket of cold water poured over Xingbao's head, extinguishing most of the joy that had just ignited in his heart. The smile on his face instantly faded, and his eyes dimmed. He lowered his head and silently continued picking rice, his heart filled with disappointment.

Seeing his son's dejected look, the older brother felt a pang of sympathy. He paused, then changed the subject, his tone becoming more encouraging: "But don't be too discouraged; it's not entirely hopeless. We can try asking the teachers at the school. Most teachers, regardless of the institution, genuinely like studious children. As long as we're sincere and explain our sincere desire to study, we might be able to borrow a few books. If we happen to encounter a kind and easy-going student, we can plead with them and try our luck—who knows, it might work!"

Upon hearing this, Xingbao's eyes lit up instantly, like sparks ignited by the wind, and most of his frustration dissipated. He thought to himself: Of course! Sanmin Middle School has so many teachers and students, there must be quite a few female students. This is a perfect opportunity! He carries the memories of his past life, making him more mature than his peers. He simply can't pull off the cutesy, charming, or coquettish act; it feels awkward to him. But Guixiang is different! She's young, with a pretty and adorable appearance, fair and delicate skin, and big, bright eyes that blink like two black grapes. Her voice is soft and sweet, melting hearts. She's sure to be a master at being cute. He can then take Guixiang to those female students, have her act coquettishly, and say a few sweet words like "Sister is so pretty" or "Sister is so knowledgeable." That's guaranteed to make the young ladies happy. Once they're happy, borrowing a few books will be a piece of cake! Thinking of this, Xingbao's mood brightened again, and he picked up the rice with even more energy.

The next morning, Xingbao was still asleep when he was abruptly awakened by a cacophony of noise. The sounds were chaotic and loud, a mix of men's growls, women's sobs, and children's cries, all clearly audible even through the doors and windows. He rubbed his sleepy eyes, quickly dressed, slipped on his shoes, and ran outside—he had to find out what was going on.

As soon as Xingbao ran out of the shop, he saw a large crowd gathered in front of Uncle Youcai's house not far away. He quickly squeezed to the edge of the crowd and asked a familiar villager for details. He then learned that the taxes had suddenly increased, and the tenant farmers in the village, who were already struggling financially, were now completely unable to make ends meet. With nowhere else to turn, they had no choice but to bring their families and block Uncle Youcai's door—Uncle Youcai was one of the village's major landowners, and the tenant farmers rented his land. The men, their faces flushed, pounded on the door with their fists, shouting for Uncle Youcai to come out; the women, holding their children, sat on the threshold, weeping and wailing, their tears mingling with the dust on their faces, constantly demanding an explanation from Uncle Youcai and asking if they could no longer live like this.

Xingbao looked around and saw that it wasn't just Uncle Youcai's family; several other tenant farmers with large fields in the village had also gathered in front of their houses, demanding answers, though the crowd was smaller than the massive one at Uncle Youcai's house. His gaze swept over the crowd at Uncle Youcai's house, and he saw many of his usual playmates. They weren't chasing and playing as usual; they just followed their parents listlessly, heads down, eyes vacant, completely devoid of their former vitality. Xingbao felt a pang of sadness at their sight.

Xingbao knew in his heart that these tenant farmers were the ones who were truly struggling to survive. A heavy stone seemed to be pressing on his chest, making it hard to breathe. He couldn't bear to look any longer and turned to walk towards the breeding field outside the village.

There were more people in the breeding field today than usual. Apart from the children who had come with their parents to demand an explanation, almost everyone who was going to work at the breeding base was there. Usually, everyone would be chattering and laughing while working, but today they were unusually quiet. Each of them was looking down and carefully watering the cabbages, catching insects, and weeding, their little faces full of seriousness that did not match their age.

Seeing Xingbao approach, several of his closest friends put down what they were doing and ran over quickly. One of them looked up at him, his eyes full of anticipation: "Xingbao, we'll definitely harvest even more potatoes next year so everyone can have enough to eat, right?"

Looking into those eager eyes, Xingbao took a deep breath, raised his voice, and said firmly, "Next year, we'll not only plant more potatoes, but we'll also cultivate sweet potato seedlings first! Once the seedlings are grown, everyone will plant them, and next year we can dig up even more sweet potatoes and never go hungry again!" After saying this, he scanned the crowd and shouted, "Long Zhixing, Deng Xiwu, you've all seen my family's sweet potatoes, right? Tell everyone, just how big are they!"

Hearing Xingbao call their names, Long Zhixing and Deng Xiwu immediately stepped out from the crowd and vividly recounted the scene of digging sweet potatoes at Xingbao's house that day. "You didn't see it! Xingbao's sweet potatoes, you could dig up four or five big ones in one go!" Long Zhixing said, gesturing excitedly. "Really that big?" The other children didn't believe it and crowded around. "Of course it's true!" Deng Xiwu eagerly proved, spreading his arms wide to show, "They were this big! Bigger than our little heads!"

"Talk is cheap! Let's see it!" one child questioned. "My dad hid the sweet potatoes and won't let us touch them!" Long Zhixing said, his face flushed with anxiety. "Besides, the sweet potatoes are too heavy; we can't carry them, and we'll get a beating if we break them!" Deng Xiwu added. "If you can't produce them, you're just bragging!" More and more children voiced their doubts. Deng Xiwu, quick-tempered, turned bright red and shouted fiercely, "You wait! I'll go back and get them for you right now!"

After saying that, he turned to his older brother Deng Xuewen, who was standing aside watching the commotion, and tugged at his sleeve: "Brother, let's go back together, bring the sweet potatoes over to show them, and tell them to stop believing us!" Deng Xuewen hesitated—secretly taking sweet potatoes from home would surely result in a beating and scolding from their parents if they found out. But he couldn't resist the encouragement and urging of his friends, coupled with his younger brother's expectant eyes, and finally nodded helplessly.