Courtyard House: Rebirth of a Shopkeeper in 1937

About half an hour later, the villagers gradually arrived at the threshing ground, and the previously empty space quickly filled with people again. Several tables of varying sizes were set up in the center of the threshing ground, and the five village elders took their seats at the main table, solemnly surveying the crowd. Before everyone could quiet down, Grandpa Zhao spoke first, his tone authoritative: "Li Youcai, Zhang Tuozi, you've raised the rent to 60%! Do you really want to drive the tenants to their deaths? The old rules remain the same: the increased taxes will be borne by you landowners, and the tenants will at most work a few extra days during the off-season to compensate. This has already caused trouble several times; from now on, you're not allowed to use rent as an excuse to cause trouble again. We old bones want to live a few more years! If you don't want to, then argue with the tenants yourselves. Anyway, the gang of 'Gunpricks' isn't far from here; if things escalate, no one will benefit!"

This outcome was actually expected by everyone. But if the tenants hadn't made a fuss, and the township officials had come to collect taxes, those who couldn't pay would eventually be forced to work on the railway and never return. This was the way of survival for ordinary people; without fighting or making a fuss, they could only be manipulated. Moreover, if things really escalated to the point where the landlord insisted on raising the rent, there were only two options: either the landlord would hire bandits to maintain order, or the tenants, driven to desperation, would rob the landlord and become outlaws. Neither of these options was a consequence that ordinary families could bear. After all, no single family in the surrounding villages could dominate; there were more than twenty different surnames in the village alone. Take Xingbao's family, for example. Although they had no relatives with the same surname in their own village, in their ancestral home, while not a prominent surname, they had a considerable number of relatives who could support each other and maintain a foothold in the village.

After the rent was settled, the problem of borrowing money arose. Wang Jiazhang turned and called over all the village's skilled accountants, assigning each person to manage a table. Xingbao's family, except for his pregnant mother who couldn't travel, included his father, eldest brother, second brother, and even Xingbao and Guixiang. It turned out that Guixiang and Xingbao had inadvertently displayed their accounting skills while helping the family, and their friends had already spread the word, so they were conveniently "conscripted" this time. Guixiang was young, and although she had helped her parents with accounting before, she lacked experience; seeing this, Xingbao simply made an excuse that he wasn't very good at it either and wanted to help his sister. The two of them sat next to their father at the smallest table.

After the village's accounting experts were seated, Chief Wang turned to confirm the amount of silver dollars that could be lent to the four households. Then, he addressed the crowd loudly, "Those who want to borrow money, first have someone who can write down your situation, submit it to the corresponding table to calculate the accounts, and finally submit them all to me for tallying. Then we'll discuss the rules for borrowing and repaying the money. As for the rest of the households, this year's taxes also need to be recalculated. You should also have someone write down your household population, land harvest, and other information, calculate it, and submit it to me for registration. Then, you'll pay taxes according to the calculated amount." Originally, calculating taxes was the chief's duty, but he took this opportunity to delegate the work, truly becoming more and more shrewd.

At the beginning, Guixiang showed signs of inexperience. Faced with a pile of data from the villagers, including population, land, and harvest, she would pause at the paper, pen in hand, frequently encountering parts she didn't understand. She would put down her pen and paper, taking small steps to her father for a quiet consultation. After returning, she would furrow her round little brows and repeatedly check the accounts, afraid of making even the slightest mistake. Xingbao stayed by her side the whole time, consciously cooperating with her. When no one was looking, he would quietly point out key parts of the accounts with his fingertip to remind her, and he would break down the complicated calculation steps into simple, plain language to explain them to her. After finishing the calculations, he would silently help her check the numbers again, ensuring they were correct for her.

Before long, Guixiang gradually got the hang of it, calculating the accounts much faster than before, without making a single mistake. She no longer frequently ran to ask her father for help, sitting steadily at the small table, her little hand gripping the pen, diligently taking notes and rapidly calculating, her expression focused and composed. When she encountered something unclear, she would first lower her eyes and ponder it for a moment, only whispering a question to Xingbao if she still couldn't figure it out. The way she calculated the accounts methodically and skillfully revealed a hint of the capable demeanor of a powerful woman from later generations, attracting frequent glances and secret admiration from her friends at the next table who were helping out.

Other children in the village who were good at studying also took the opportunity to show off, helping out at each table and recording data from various households with quick and diligent movements. This scene filled the children who knew few characters or had not yet started learning to read with envy, and they all crowded around to watch, hoping that they could start reading and writing soon and be able to use their skills like them in the future.

They worked tirelessly like this, until dusk, before the first round of accounts was finally settled. Fortunately, Chief Wang had a conscience; he had arranged for dinner to be ordered at the kitchen early on, to treat everyone who had done the accounting and helped. This was much more economical than hiring outsiders to do the accounting, and it also put the villagers at ease. Dinner was a simple meal of mixed grains with vegetables, tofu, and a small dish of cured meat. Everyone was starving after a long day's work, and they wolfed it down as soon as they sat down.

After a short rest following the meal, everyone lit the lamps and resumed their recalculation work. After all, taxes and loans couldn't be taken lightly; the accounts had to be meticulously recorded. Xingbao noticed Guixiang rubbing her eyes, her face showing obvious fatigue, indicating she was running out of energy. He took the pen from Guixiang's hand and said with a smile, "Sister, you rest for a bit, I'll do the calculations. You keep an eye on things for me, don't let me make a mistake."

To appease Guixiang, Xingbao deliberately slowed down his calculations and intentionally made several obvious mistakes. Guixiang noticed immediately, frowning and pointing out, "Xingbao, this is wrong! The number is wrong!" She then pointed to the accounts and patiently explained the correct calculation. Each time she corrected something, a smug look appeared on Guixiang's face, revealing her obvious sense of superiority as the older sister. Xingbao, seeing her gradually regaining her spirits, chuckled inwardly and nodded repeatedly in agreement, letting her "guide" him through the calculations.

This meticulous recalculation continued late into the night until all the accounts were finally confirmed to be correct. Only then did everyone drag their weary bodies home. Fortunately, Grandpa's family helped clean up the mess at the shop, saving them a lot of trouble. As soon as he stepped inside, Dad couldn't help but sigh, his tone tinged with helplessness: "Today, we were tricked by Chief Wang's words. Not only us, but even Guixiang and Xingbao were dragged into it. Next time, we can't have the whole family involved like this; it's too passive and too exhausting."