Courtyard House: Rebirth of a Shopkeeper in 1937

The eldest brother pondered for a moment, then asked, "How should the harvested grain from the fields be distributed?"

Xingbao answered without hesitation, "Based on the normal yield of that plot of land this year, we'll take 70% of the portion exceeding the normal yield. And if anyone else wants to join in the future, we'll provide seeds and send people to guide them. In the first year, we'll only take 70% of the portion exceeding the normal yield, and in the second year, we'll only take 20% of the total yield." This was a plan he had already devised, just waiting for his elder brother to ask—it wasn't just for the current cultivation, but also for the future benefits when his friends went out to promote rice varieties and new planting methods. After all, without the government's backing, everyone still needed to eat and make a living.

Upon hearing that he would take 70%, the eldest brother hesitated, "Xingbao, isn't that a lot? Won't the villagers object?"

Xingbao patiently explained, "Brother, we cultivated Grandpa's land ourselves. If we divide it this way, the villagers will only feel we're losing out, right?" Seeing his brother nod slightly, he continued, "As for taking 70% from the other villagers, it's because we're short of seeds right now. To expand the planting area, we need sufficient seed reserves. Besides, they can learn techniques from our seeds and get an extra 30% of their harvest for free, so they'll definitely be happy. It's a win-win situation. Taking 70% from outsiders serves two purposes: first, to preserve seeds; second, the people we send to provide guidance need to eat, and the older ones need to support their families. This is just a one-time compensation. By the second year, when they've learned how to plant and have their own seeds, they can even go out and promote the planting themselves. Do you think this share is too much?"

After listening to Xingbao's explanation, the eldest brother pondered for a moment longer before finally nodding in agreement: "Alright, we'll do it your way. We can't let our efforts go to waste. Once this tax matter is over, I'll talk to Grandpa about it. To be honest, Old Wang was really farsighted; experience counts. If he had spoken up the day he received the tax notice, those four families in the village who were holding funerals probably wouldn't have been able to finish theirs smoothly!" As soon as he finished speaking, he shouted loudly towards the vegetable garden, "Guixiang, stop playing! Let's go home for breakfast!"

Xingbao smiled and replied, his tone light and clear: "Brother, there's no need to envy Old Wang. He's been through a lot, and he expected all of this. Otherwise, he wouldn't have specifically urged Dad to harvest the village's grain. As the old folks always say, 'I've eaten more salt than you've eaten rice.'"

"Xingbao, you stole some salt? I'm going to tell Mom!" Gui Xiang's crisp voice suddenly came from behind, with a hint of smugness. She had run over at some point, her little hands clutching a few freshly pulled weeds, her round eyes shining as she stared at Xingbao, looking like she had him in the bag.

Xingbao panicked and quickly grabbed Guixiang's arm, afraid she would really run to her mother and make a fool of herself. He patiently explained the meaning of the proverb to Guixiang in language a child could understand. Seeing her nod as if she understood, he turned to his elder brother and said seriously, "Brother, Old Wang and the others must have expected that those four families wouldn't have peace these days either. I guess the village elders have already figured out how to deal with it, and are just waiting for us to come and invite them."

The second brother scratched his head, looking bewildered, and interjected, "Those four families? That has nothing to do with taxes, what does it have to do with them?"

The eldest brother lightly patted the second brother on the head, his tone tinged with exasperation: "Can't you figure this out? It's all because of that pension. Everyone in the village knows those families received a lot of money. Now that taxes are piling up, the villagers are desperate and will naturally come to them to borrow money to pay their taxes. That's why there's no peace. That's what you call 'having eaten more salt than you've eaten rice.' Old Wang and the others really had foresight."

Xingbao suppressed a laugh and leaned close to his older brother, teasingly saying, "Big brother, from now on you can also say to people, 'I've crossed more bridges than you've walked roads.' That's much more impressive than just saying you're eating salt."

The older brother pursed his lips, then couldn't help but laugh, his tone full of helplessness and doting: "You little rascal, always causing trouble. If I dared to say that, I'd be laughed at by the villagers for bragging, and I might even get a scolding from the elders!"

"How could that be!" Xingbao, caught up in the moment, got so carried away that he almost couldn't stop himself. "Big brother, you've read more books than most people in the village. Books are wonderful things—they're bridges to wisdom, bridges to truth, and they can lead to many places. How is it wrong to describe them as 'crossing a bridge'?"

The eldest and second eldest brothers exchanged a glance. The eldest brother frowned, his tone filled with doubt and inquiry: "Where did you hear these strange things? They sound like the kind of things only scholars would say."

As soon as Xingbao finished speaking, he was stared at by his eldest brother, second brother, and Guixiang, all looking at him with curiosity and confusion. His heart skipped a beat, and he secretly regretted his slip of the tongue. He quickly swallowed and mumbled an excuse: "I... I overheard students from Sanmin Middle School chatting and bragging about it yesterday. I thought it was interesting, so I wrote it down."

Although the eldest and second eldest brothers still had some doubts, seeing that Xingbao was unwilling to say more, they didn't press him further and led the bouncy Guixiang home. Breakfast was a simple sweet potato porridge with leftovers that hadn't been served yet. The family sat around the table, eating slowly and chatting occasionally, which revealed a rare sense of peace.

Not long after breakfast, commotion arose in the village. Just as Xingbao had predicted, the courtyards of the four houses were packed with people. However, unlike the noisy tenants outside Uncle Youcai's house, there was an indescribable oppressive atmosphere in these four courtyards. No one was shouting; only the women, holding their children, were sobbing quietly with their heads down, lamenting their difficulties in collecting taxes. The men sat silently in the corners or on benches, their brows furrowed, their faces filled with helplessness and embarrassment. The homeowners were particularly anxious, pacing back and forth inside and outside the house, sometimes patting the women on the shoulder to offer words of comfort, sometimes pulling the men aside to whisper persuasion. Faced with everyone's requests to borrow money, they couldn't decide who to lend to, how much to lend, or how to repay it. They felt their heads were about to explode.

This stalemate dragged on until the afternoon. Whether it was the villagers who came to borrow money, the host family members who were surrounded, or even the tenants who had blocked Uncle Youcai's house that morning demanding an explanation, no one had time for a hot meal; everyone looked haggard and listless. Finally, with no other option, the host family had to send someone to quickly invite several elders from the village to come and mediate and make a decision.

The messenger, quick on his feet, returned in no time and called out to everyone inside and outside the house, "Everyone, please disperse! The village elders said that everyone should go home and have a hot meal to tide them over, and then gather at the threshing ground later to discuss a solution. It's not good for everyone to crowd into the main house's yard; it won't solve the problem and will only disturb everyone's peace!" Hearing this, although the people still had reservations, they knew that continuing the stalemate was pointless, so they gradually packed up and went home in twos and threes.