Courtyard House: Rebirth of a Shopkeeper in 1937

Gui Xiang broke free and was led by her father. Seeing the remaining grayish-blue broken tiles in the middle of the mountaintop, she excitedly shouted, "There really are tiles! Xingbao, come quick! There really are tiles!" She perked up immediately, shaking off her father's hand and running over. She squatted down and started digging with her small shovel. Soon, she excitedly exclaimed, "Xingbao, this one still has patterns on it!" Carefully picking up the tile, she wiped off the dirt with her little hands and proudly showed it to Xingbao. It was a small piece of cylindrical tile, but fortunately, the patterns were intact. Gui Xiang played with it for a while before handing it to her older brother, repeatedly telling him to keep it safe and show it to their mother when they got home.

After resting for a while, Xingbao quietly drank some spiritual spring water to recover before raising his eyes to admire the scenery at the summit. The summit was not large, only about ten square meters, with a relatively flat ground. The back of the mountain had a gentle slope, sparse trees, and jagged rocks. To the north, a mountain range stretched from northwest to southwest. At the angle between the two mountains, a small reservoir lay quietly. To the southeast and west, rolling hills of bluish-gray color stretched to the horizon.

Standing atop the mountain, he felt a vast, open wind, and his heart felt suddenly filled with joy. A surge of heat welled up in his chest, and Xingbao couldn't help but let out a long howl. His eldest brother, second brother, Guixiang, and even his usually composed father couldn't hide his excitement and shouted along with him.

After a cathartic release, the fatigue from the climb vanished. Perhaps that's why people are so fond of mountain climbing—yearning for the magnificent feeling of "standing on the summit and looking down at all the mountains below"! Second Brother pulled Gui Xiang and pointed to the shop below, "That's my shop." Perhaps hearing the shouts from the mountain, Mother was standing by the side gate at this moment.

"Mother, Mother, Mother—" The siblings waved and called out excitedly down the mountain, their clear voices echoing through the mountains until they saw their mother move her hand.

Gui Xiang pointed to the mountains to the north and asked, "Dad, what mountains are those? They're like a wall, blocking the whole way out." She looked unhappy. Indeed, once she saw the north, all the mood vanished, her passion stopped rising, and a sense of regret arose.

"If you don't like it, don't look over there. Look at home instead," the second brother coaxed.

"That's Pig Mountain."

"Why is it called 'Pig Mountain'? Is it a pig that turned into a pig?" The curious kids were at it again, and this time there were more than one of them. The eldest brother, the second brother, and Xingbao were all there.

"Look, the reservoir looks like its feeding trough, and the mountain peaks resemble the way your grandma's pigs look when they're eating. The highest peak, 'Fairy Temple,' is its head. And look at the area below the reservoir (in the direction of water flow) where it connects to the dam—doesn't it look like a pig's front legs protecting its feeding trough? And wow, I heard someone did an experiment before. They scattered a lot of grain husks in the stream above the reservoir, and not long after, they were found in many wells in Yongfeng! Don't you think this is a sow?" Dad said with a look of admiration.

The siblings suddenly realized and agreed with this view. "Then are those little hills over there all piglets, and they're all nursing? Heh, heh, heh, heh, no wonder they're so short." Gui Xiang laughed as if she had discovered a new continent.

"Yes, it's a little piglet." The second brother agreed with Gui Xiang's point of view.

"I went to Yongfeng with my dad to buy goods and drank the well water there. It was sweet and refreshing, much better than the well water here. It was icy cold in the summer and steaming hot in the winter!" the eldest brother said, expressing his opinion.

Okay, now that's all in the picture, what else is there? Xingbao and Guixiang both looked at their father with an air of listening to gossip.

"During the Northern Expedition, Bai Chongxi stationed his troops in Yongfeng. During this time, he made a special trip to this place to survey the terrain. This general, known as 'Little Zhuge Liang,' stood atop the mountain and surveyed the surroundings, asserting that this was indeed a strategically vital location—a natural battlefield nestled among the mountains, perfect for luring the enemy in, ambushing and annihilating them. 'Look, the mountains to the south and southeast are higher than those to the east,' he said. 'Adding to this, 'Zhupo Mountain' to the north forms a large funnel shape. The reservoir at the foot of the mountain and Jinxianling are the throat of this funnel, while the Xiangqian Road stretches out like a chain beneath Jinxianling's overlook. Five or six cannons can be placed on this mountaintop, and the entire passage will be within range. Troops can also be hidden behind Zhupo Mountain and in the mountains to the southeast. This battlefield is large enough that with proper defense and strong coordination, a well-encircled attack would be easy, making it easy to annihilate one or two divisions, ensuring they have no chance of escape.'"

Listening to his father's story—a veteran who had personally experienced the smoke of war—the boy's heart was filled with excitement! Gazing at the distant mountains, Xingbao suddenly recalled the records in his history textbook. Why was such an ingenious ambush plan never put into practice during the War of Resistance Against Japan? It was only in this area that the only major battle spanning the founding ceremony of the People's Republic of China, the "Battle of Hengbao," began. The White Army had used all their own people for this! Listening to his father's description of the plan, he could imagine how fierce that battle was. He had to remember it so that one day he could inform our army and gain some merit—no, he wanted to reduce our army's losses. That was exactly what he was thinking.

Father pointed to the valley to the east and said, "There is a road that connects to the village behind the mountain. You must never go to the other side of the valley. There are wolves in the mountains, and two more hills beyond that is tiger territory."

Gui Xiang's eyes suddenly lit up. She tugged at her father's clothes and asked, "Dad, where is the tiger? Mom always uses the tiger to scare us, but I haven't even seen a single tiger hair."

"Over there," the steady older brother interjected, pointing to a hillside a few miles away by the main road, where the trees were sparse. "See that patch of particularly green grass on the hillside? Every time I go back to the village and pass by that hillside, I can see it. There are three tigers there. They're probably dozing and sunbathing in that patch of grass right now."

"Don't tigers bite people?" Xingbao shrank his neck, a little curious.

"There's plenty of prey over there. As long as you stay away from the grassy slopes during the day, they won't bite. But once the sun sets and the tigers start hunting, you can't cross there. Remember that, especially you, eldest brother. You often cross that road, so make sure you find someone to stay with if you can't get back before sunset." Father said this sternly. Gui Xiang was too scared to make a sound, and the brothers quickly agreed. "Eldest brother, you've been focusing all your attention on books these past few years. You've put aside the martial arts I taught you years ago. Practice more when you have time. This world isn't peaceful; you need some fighting skills to protect yourself. If something happens, you won't be completely defenseless."

"Dad, shoot those three big tigers with your gun and come back to give me meat, okay?" Gui Xiang looked at the distant hillside with longing.

"If it were just one tiger, Dad would definitely have hunted it down for you to enjoy." Dad affectionately stroked Guixiang's head, his tone gentle yet cautious. "But there were three. If one shot was fired, the other two would be frightened and run away, and they'd definitely hold a grudge. They might even cause trouble for passersby later. It's good that they don't bother each other now. Besides..." He paused, "Dad's bullets are very precious. Over the years, when hunting, I've used stones or set traps instead of guns, unless there's a life-threatening danger. I've hardly ever fired one in all these years."

"No wonder, Father," the eldest brother nodded thoughtfully, "you don't even fight the wolves that harm livestock."

Everyone sat on the rocks at the top, drank water, ate some dried sweet potatoes, and rested for a while until they regained their strength, then prepared to go down the mountain.