Courtyard House: Rebirth of a Shopkeeper in 1937

An opportunity to strike up a conversation soon arose. At a table by the window, several simply dressed young girls finally noticed Xingbao and Guixiang standing to the side. Looking at the two adorable little girls, they immediately became interested. The girls huddled together, whispering to each other for a few moments, and then one of them, a girl with short, ear-length hair and gentle features, waved lightly at the siblings with a smile on her face.

Gui Xiang's eyes lit up, and she instantly perked up. She grabbed Xing Bao's hand and ran over quickly. When she reached the girl, she deliberately stopped and rubbed her clothes against the girl's clothes. She tilted her round little head, her eyelashes fluttering gently, and her voice was as soft and sweet as honey: "Sister, do you want more tea? Or is there something else you need my help with?" Her little face was very endearing.

The girl smiled and ruffled Gui Xiang's hair, her voice gentle: "Little sister, you're so good. How old are you and your brother?"

Gui Xiang tilted her little face up and answered in a clear, crisp voice, "Sister, my brother and I are four years old!"

Another girl with braided pigtails came closer, her eyes full of smiles, and asked softly, "So, what are your names?"

Gui Xiang immediately straightened her small body and answered in a clear voice, "Sister, my name is Song Gui Xiang, you can call me Gui Xiang! My brother's name is Song Yanxing, you can call him Xing Bao." As she spoke, she reached out and tugged at Xing Bao's sleeve, pushing him towards the girls.

The group gathered around the siblings, chatting about village gossip, daily life at the canteen, and the thriving cabbages in the fields. Seeing this, Gui Xiang became even more eager to charm, snuggling close to the girl, her elbow lightly resting on her sleeve. Whenever asked a question, she would blink her big, watery eyes and answer in a clear voice, occasionally puffing out her cheeks into round little dumplings, her body swaying slightly with the rhythm of her words, eagerly awaiting praise. But as the conversation went on, the focus gradually shifted to Xing Bao—compared to the lively and clingy Gui Xiang, they were clearly more interested in the composed, mature, bright-eyed, and articulate Xing Bao. They could only manage a few smiles and pinch Gui Xiang's cheeks at her cute antics, offering a few perfunctory replies, their gazes constantly drifting to the quietly answering Xing Bao, their curiosity undisguised. Although Xingbao didn't talk much, he could accurately answer their questions about farming and the village's conditions. His calm demeanor made him seem like a child who was only four years old, which subtly put the girls at ease.

Just then, a girl wearing a light blue cotton-padded jacket, who was looking around at the shop's furnishings, suddenly pointed to two thick ropes hanging on the wall in the corner and asked curiously, "Guixiang, what are those two ropes hanging on the wall for? They look strange. Are they for tying people up?"

Gui Xiang looked in the direction she was pointing and immediately nodded vigorously, her little face full of excitement. She gestured with her hands moving up and down while giggling, "Sister, that's a safety rope! Xing Bao came up with the idea, and Mom tied and wove it herself. Last time Xing Bao tied it to himself, Dad held the end of the rope and hoisted him up. It was so funny, like a big turtle being hoisted up, wiggling its body!" As she spoke, she imitated Xing Bao's posture, hugging her arms to her chest and curling her body up slightly, which made the other girls laugh along with her.

Xingbao stood to the side, listening to Guixiang teasing him, feeling helpless but not angry at all, simply watching Guixiang's performance. This only made the girls find the siblings even more adorable. Several gentlemen at the next table, however, became interested overhearing the conversation. They exchanged glances, nodded, and stood up, walking to the wall to take down two safety ropes hanging there. They noticed that the ropes had been embroidered with "Jinxianpu Song Family Safety Rope" in red thread by Xingbao's mother. Both ropes had several loops at the ends; one was a simple board, the other much more complex and flexible. The simple one was easy to understand, but the more complex one was beyond the gentlemen's skill, and since it was made to fit Xingbao's small frame, some parts were difficult to figure out. One of the gentlemen beckoned to Xingbao: "Little boy, could you come over and demonstrate for uncle?"

Xingbao immediately became excited. This was a great opportunity to get the safety rope noticed by the higher-ups. Don't underestimate these gentlemen just because they don't have much power. They have extensive connections, and some can even speak directly with high-ranking officials. As long as they casually mention it, the safety rope can be quickly promoted and no longer be limited to one place. What's more, there are so many children of high-ranking officials here! Without hesitation, Xingbao immediately ran over.

First, he bowed to the teacher and said, "Hello, sir." Then he took the safety rope from the teacher's hand and, while putting it on, explained his design concept and the function of each part. After Xingbao was tied up, two older students immediately stepped forward and worked together to lift Xingbao up. Xingbao rolled and crawled around and said, "Sir, you see, no matter how I move, I won't fall out or hurt my bones."

The surrounding students also stood up to watch, some deep in thought, others dismissive. Then Gui Xiang's clear voice rang out again: "Sisters, look! Last time, Father hung Xingbao up like that. Doesn't he look like a big turtle?"

Everyone saw that it really did look like it, and then the room was filled with laughter. Even the gentlemen in front of Xingbao couldn't resist joining in.

A bespectacled man, suppressing a laugh, saw the swaying rope and said, "You two, quickly put the person down. Don't let the child fall while you're laughing like that. But this safety rope is definitely a good thing for working at heights!"

After everyone finished laughing and sat down again, the bespectacled gentleman pulled Xingbao to his side. Afraid that Xingbao wouldn't understand, he asked in plain language, "Little friend, your sister told you your name is Song Yanxing, right?"

Xingbao tried his best to act like a child who liked to imitate adults, and replied, "Yes, sir, you can also call me Xingbao, that's what everyone calls me."

The bespectacled gentleman said gently, "Alright, then I'll call you Xingbao. Xingbao, my surname is Wang, you can call me Mr. Wang. Can you tell me how you came up with this safety rope?"

Xingbao nodded and replied crisply, "Okay, Mr. Wang." He didn't dare to say too much, but spoke slowly from a child's perspective, pointing to the corridor outside the door: "Before, Dad and Uncle had to stand on the swaying wooden stakes to build the roof of the corridor. I stood below watching, and I was really afraid they would fall. Later, when the family was building a bamboo house, I thought about whether I could make a rope to protect myself. I told Mom my idea, and she helped me weave the first simple one. After that, I slowly modified it, and after several modifications, it became what it is now. I even asked my second uncle to promote it. The words embroidered on the rope are the names given to it by the uncles who were building the road on the Xiangqian Road." Guixiang also came over and occasionally added a few words: "I know, I know! The first time Xingbao spent a long time weaving the rope, he couldn't finish it. It was Mom who couldn't stand it anymore and helped him finish it!" She chattered on and on, making the details even more complete.