Courtyard House: Rebirth of a Shopkeeper in 1937

After helping to feed the horses, Little Tiger and his friends peeked through the door, cautiously looking into the main room. Seeing the crowd of unfamiliar faces, they didn't dare enter and quietly retreated. Gui Xiang also remembered borrowing books, but was intimidated by the commotion and stood in a corner, too afraid to approach. Xing Bao was also troubled, unable to find a reason to approach the guests, so he could only observe from the side. Before long, the guests, having drunk ginger soup and hot tea, gradually improved. Their coughs lessened, many had fine beads of sweat on their foreheads, and their complexions became rosier. Only then did he turn and walk towards his father by the counter.

Xingbao tiptoed up to the bench next to his father. Just as he settled down, the students in school uniforms came over and politely said to his father, "Boss, your menu is a bit limited. The amount of cured meat looks like it's only enough for half of us. Luckily, you have smoked rabbit. We're in a hurry, so we'll just order a few simple dishes: stir-fried smoked rabbit with chili peppers (please cook the chili peppers well, as we don't like them too spicy); stir-fried potato shreds; stir-fried pickled cabbage with dried shrimp; boiled cabbage; an egg drop soup; and 20 jin of rice."

Father readily agreed, secretly relieved. He'd hunted in the mountains for some time, accumulating about thirty rabbits and a few pheasants. He'd also prepared enough cured meat for twenty or thirty people, and plenty of dried vegetables and potatoes. He'd originally thought they'd arrive in batches, but the first and second groups of teachers and students had ended up together. The students weren't pretentious, casually explaining, "Tickets to Nanjing are in high demand; we had to pull some strings to get them. It just so happens that both groups arrived on the same day. The later groups, who couldn't get tickets, actually left Nanjing before us. Even though they left a few days later, we still arrived first."

After the students turned back to their tables, Xingbao quietly nudged his father with his elbow, pointed to the guests who had been listless but were now slightly sweating, and whispered, "Dad, look, they're all sweating. Their colds have subsided for now. But if they catch a chill while traveling, their condition will definitely worsen. Even if they're in a hurry and don't stay at a hotel, they should change into dry clothes before leaving. Please remind them later."

Dad looked in the direction Xingbao pointed and saw that the guests at those tables who had caught a cold were indeed sweating. He nodded and replied, "I understand. I'll talk to the student in charge later." Xingbao was relieved and quickly jumped off the stool. He walked to the front door, gently pushed it open a crack, and waved to Xiaohua, Xiaohu, Xuewen, and Xiwu, who were huddled in the corner to avoid the cold. "Come in quickly, don't get cold outside. We'll eat together later, and then you can go back with your uncles and aunts."

The children quickly held hands, heads bowed, following behind Xingbao, carefully avoiding the guests in the main room, and hurried into the kitchen. Once inside, they busied themselves without waiting for instructions. Some squatted by the water washing vegetables, others added firewood to the stove, all working swiftly and efficiently. Xingbao saw his second brother bending over to scoop rice from the rice bin, so he went over and whispered in his ear, "Second brother, when you cook the rice later, add a few big sweet potatoes. When serving the guests, take out the sweet potatoes and put them aside. If they ask, say it's something we prepared ourselves, and if they want to try it, let them take as much as they want."

The second brother's eyes lit up, and he nodded in delight. He even secretly scooped two more bowls of rice from the pounded rice and put them back in the rice jar—he knew best that the large sweet potatoes Xingbao had brought out were ten times sweeter and more glutinous than ordinary sweet potatoes, with an irresistible aroma. Although these sons of high-ranking officials might seem pampered and might find the sweet potatoes unpalatable, once they smelled the enticing aroma, they would certainly not refuse them after tasting them. In this way, they could have some extra food and save a lot of rice, killing two birds with one stone. Xingbao and Guixiang then stood guard by the tea barrel in the main room, waiting to refill the guests' tea or run errands, while Xingbao was also thinking about how to find an opportunity to strike up a conversation and borrow books.

The noise in the main room never subsided, and soon the guests' teacups were empty. Xingbao, carrying a small teapot, followed Guixiang as they moved between the tables. She would proactively take the empty bowls handed to her by the guests, while Xingbao would steadily pour the teapot into each bowl, deftly refilling them with warm tea. Perhaps it was because they were getting closer to their destination, and the thought of arriving at their new school made the guests chatter even more enthusiastically, their topics ranging from their travel experiences to old stories of Nanjing, going on and on. No one paid any special attention to the two small figures moving between the tables. Xingbao and Guixiang opened their mouths several times to try and join in, but their voices were drowned out by the noise, and they couldn't find a chance to interject. The two could only stand silently by the table, waiting for the guests to finish their drinks before refilling their cups. Xingbao watched the guests chatting animatedly, his eyes filled with anxiety—he was still thinking about borrowing the books, but he didn't even have a reason to approach and speak, which instantly added to his sense of disappointment.

Xingbao listened intently to the guests' casual conversation. The topics ranged from the chaotic situation in Nanjing to the difficulties of buying tickets, the hardships of the crowded and bumpy train ride, and finally, their recounting of their experiences along the way—everything he'd never heard before. But as he listened, he felt something was missing from the scene before him, and he frowned slightly, pondering. Suddenly, his eyes lit up—it was sunflower seeds! How could such a lively conversation be complete without sunflower seeds? His father had gone to the market in Yongfeng Town last time and had specially bought a lot of roasted sunflower seeds, sealing them in lime jars and storing them in the storeroom, intending to entertain distinguished guests. Although no one had ordered any yet, he could offer them some; the guests certainly wouldn't refuse. Besides, these teachers and students from the city weren't short of money for food, and perhaps he could even use the opportunity of offering sunflower seeds to make connections.

Without hesitation, Xingbao tugged at Guixiang's sleeve and whispered, "Sister, let's go get them some melon seeds." Before Guixiang could react, he pulled her quickly toward the storeroom. The siblings brought over small stools, tiptoed, and opened the lime jar. A rich aroma of melon seeds immediately wafted out. They divided the work, carefully dividing the melon seeds into ten rough porcelain plates, even placing one in front of their father's counter—with melon seeds, the atmosphere in the main room would surely be more relaxed, and the siblings could legitimately stay with the guests. Then, with Guixiang's sweet talk, they could use her charm to get closer to the guests, and maybe the matter of borrowing books would come to fruition.

Once everything was arranged, Xingbao carried a tray laden with melon seeds and entered the main room, serving them to each table of guests. Just as Xingbao had expected, the melon seeds immediately drew the guests' attention away from their usual lively conversations; they grabbed handfuls and began cracking them open. The crisp sound of cracking melon seeds mingled with the chatter, making the atmosphere in the main room increasingly lively. Some people, cracking melon seeds, looked around, observing the shop's furnishings, while others occasionally glanced at Xingbao and his sister, their eyes filled with warmth and smiles, no longer completely ignoring them.