Courtyard House: Rebirth of a Shopkeeper in 1937

"It's getting late. The path up the mountain is too dangerous. Dad will go first, Second Brother, take Gui Xiang in the middle, and Eldest Brother, you take Xing Bao and watch your step." After giving his instructions, Dad led the way down the mountain along the path they had come from.

Going up the mountain is easy, but coming down is hard. Fortunately, this dangerous path is not long. They arrived at the edge of the woods again without any danger. Dad helped the two children put on their straw hats again, picked up a few handy stones and held them in his hands, muttering to himself, "I hope we can catch a big one. Going back empty-handed will not only be embarrassing, but we won't have the confidence to ask people for favors later."

They ventured into the woods, and Dad led the way, finding a path heading west and searching for animal tracks. The four siblings followed, crouching low, their steps light. After about the time it takes to smoke a pipe, Dad gestured, and the children stopped. Guixiang covered her mouth tightly with her hands, her bright black eyes fixed on Dad's movements. Dad slowly crouched down, watching the swaying bushes, adjusted his position, and suddenly flicked his wrist. A stone flew "whoosh" into the bushes, followed by a muffled "thud," then a heavy "thud" as it hit the ground, and then silence. Dad straightened up, and Second Brother, Xingbao, and Guixiang couldn't contain themselves any longer and rushed forward. "Second Brother, come on, come on, don't pick it up!" Second Brother had no choice but to push aside the waist-high weeds to clear a path for her into the bushes. The little girl plunged into the bushes and quickly emerged carrying a pheasant—its neck drooping, clearly lifeless. Gui Xiang lifted the pheasant high above her head, her rosy cheeks beaming with joy, "Dad, we caught a pheasant!" Xing Bao quickly helped lift it to his father's side.

As they walked, the outline of the old house came into view. The two younger children were so tired they could barely move, and their father carried them, one in each arm. The eldest brother's basket held three spotted pheasants, while the second brother's basket held two grayish-brown rabbits. The siblings' earlier excitement at helping their father gather the game had completely vanished; now they all looked dejected, like eggplants after a frost. Seeing this, their father slowed his pace. "Let's rest on the rocks ahead," he said. The eldest and second brothers walked to the bluestone, put down their baskets, and sat down with their backs against the rock.

"You're already exhausted from walking so much. Anyone who didn't know better would think you'd been walking all day. When you get back, train hard. Be energetic later, don't embarrass your father." Dad helped Xingbao and Guixiang sit down on the rocks. "Later, give each of your uncles a chicken, and also a rabbit for them to share. Leave the wild vegetables you dug for them, and give the rest of the chicken and rabbit to your cousin."

"I know, Father," the eldest and second eldest brothers replied weakly.

"Dad, I want to eat mountain bread." Gui Xiang slid off the stone and pushed and pulled her little hands into the basket.

The father grabbed a handful of purplish-red berries and tossed them into the hands of the two children, then took off the water bottle he was carrying on his back.

"Dad, I want some water." Xingbao's eyes lit up when he saw the water bottle.

Grabbing the spout of the water bottle her father handed her, she secretly let two drops of the spiritual spring water slip into the bottle, pretended to take a few sips, and then handed it back to her father, saying, "Thank you, Dad."

Father and his brothers took turns drinking water, their fatigue vanishing instantly, and they didn't think much of it. But after Gui Xiang finished drinking, she suddenly clapped her hands and jumped up, "Dad, I have energy again!" She grabbed her father's clothes and shook them incessantly, "Let's go, I really want to see our old house." This girl just can't keep secrets!

"Alright, let's go then." Dad straightened his clothes, tidied his luggage, and patted Guixiang and Xingbao off the dirt. "Cheer up, both of you." He took Guixiang's little hand and led the way toward the old house with its rising smoke.

From a distance, they could see a big boy and a little boy weeding in the field next to the house. "Daheng!" "Second Uncle!" "Tian Ding!" the father and brothers shouted loudly.

Hearing someone call out, the two men in the field both looked up at the same time. The older one was in his thirties, with a weathered face, and looked seven or eight parts like his father. The younger one was seven or eight years old. "Brother, what brings you here? It's so hot, and you even brought Xingbao and Guixiang!" The two men put down their hoes, patted the dirt off their hands, and hurriedly came to greet them, picking up the two children in their arms. "Second Uncle will take you back to the old house to have a look."

"Hello, Second Uncle. Hello, Brother Ding." The two little ones greeted each other politely.

"Uncle, hello! Bang-ge and Guo-ge, it's been so long since I've seen you!" Tian Ding turned around. "Xing Bao and Gui Xiang still remember me?"

The group chatted and laughed as they entered the old house. It was a small courtyard house with one entrance, its green tiles and earthen walls exuding the warm atmosphere of time. The two aunts, perhaps having heard the commotion outside, came out from the kitchen to greet them. Behind the third aunt was a five or six-year-old child, Song Tianfu, whose face was rosy and who was curiously looking this way. Upon recognizing the visitors, he quickly greeted them, "Hello, Uncle! Hello, Second Uncle! Hello, Brother! Hello, Brother and Sister!" After a round of warm greetings, the eldest and second brothers distributed the pheasants, rabbits, and wild vegetables they had prepared to the two aunts.

"Brother, you don't need to bring anything every time you come. There's enough food at home," Auntie said politely.

"These are for my nephews to nourish their bodies," Dad waved his hand. "These wild vegetables were dug up by the siblings along the way. If they carried them back, they would be exhausted. You can keep them."

"Big brother, thank you so much. You must be hungry. I'll go cook for you." Second Aunt called Third Aunt into the kitchen.

"Brother, is there something you need this time you've come back?" Second Uncle led Father and several young boys into the main room.

"Xingbao and Guixiang grew up in Jinxian Village, it's unusual for them to come back to the old house so formally." The father's words were barely finished when he walked straight to the ancestral shrine inside. On the camphor wood altar sat faded ancestral tablets. He took three incense sticks from the basket and lit them with a snap using a matchbox. "Come, kowtow to Grandpa and Grandma." He distributed the incense to Xingbao and Guixiang behind him, then bowed to the tablets himself...

After paying respects to their ancestors, the children went off to play together. Guixiang even brought out some wild tofu to share with everyone. Dad and Second Uncle sat at the entrance of the main room, watching the children frolic.

"There's another big matter. We'll discuss it when my third brother, Dayi, comes back later. By the way, do you know if my cousin, Daquan, is home right now?" Dad asked.

"He's been at home polishing a few rough stones these past few days. Brother, is there something you need from him?" Uncle replied.

"It's not a big deal, it's just that your eldest nephew wants to set up a private school in the house, and I just wanted to ask him if he knows where there are thin slates that can be used as teaching boards to teach children to write."

"This matter really requires him to help. If there's one ready-made, that would be best. If not, making one on the spot will take a lot of time!" As soon as Second Uncle finished speaking, he saw Third Uncle carrying a hoe and a basket on his back enter the courtyard. "Dayi, Big Brother is back."

"Brother, why are you back today?" Uncle San said, putting his hoe and basket in the corner and turning to find a stool to sit down.

"Now that everyone's here, I have something to tell you—the government is conscripting soldiers." Father's gaze swept over his two younger brothers. "The conscription rule is two out of three able-bodied men, and one out of two. Although we've already separated the family, you two still live in the old house, and you're both of the right age. I'm worried that if there are any problems with the conscription, someone might use this as an excuse. The government documents haven't been officially issued yet, and the news hasn't spread, so now is the perfect time to prepare." He paused, then said in a deep voice, "This is what I'm thinking: we should just openly separate and go back home, buy land, build houses, and start anew. You two should think about it and see if this plan is feasible."

After a long silence, the second uncle finally made the decision: "Big brother, it's as you said, I'll move out."

"Second brother, uh..." Third Uncle choked up, his eyes reddening.

"Da Yi," the second uncle turned to his third uncle, "For years, I've been thinking about opening a small shop like my eldest brother, but I've never been able to bring myself to do it. Today's the perfect opportunity—just like when we separated the family property, you get all the houses and land. You can help me build the shop." He clenched his fist and turned to his father, "Elder brother, it's just... my meager savings..."

"Alright, as your older brother, how could I not know? Your few copper coins are only enough to buy goods for a few days. I'll cover the cost of the timber for building the shop. Have you decided which plot of land to look for?" Clearly, Dad was getting impatient with his second uncle's stammering.

"Come out and take a look," Uncle said, getting up and walking to the courtyard gate. He pointed to the direction diagonally opposite and said, "Look at that rocky slope south of the main road, those few stone slabs growing diagonally out of the slope. Daquan had considered buying those stone slabs before, but the village headman said he wanted to pay in cash and buy the land as well, so it fell through. Brother, what do you think of that?"

"Sure, second brother, that piece of land itself isn't worth many silver dollars, but if the stone slabs underneath are big enough, you might even make a profit." Father smiled and pulled a small cloth bag from his belt, the silver dollars inside jingling. "I brought all the silver dollars with me, I don't have any more to give you, take this for now, and be careful with it! After dinner, we'll go and finalize the land deed." The three brothers stared wide-eyed at the money bag in their father's hand, their faces full of disbelief. That was all the family's savings! Did Mother know about this?

"Big brother..." Second Uncle's lips trembled slightly.

"Stop dawdling, hurry up and take it." Dad's voice deepened.

Uncle's hands trembled as he took the money bag, his knuckles turning white. Father stood up, patted him on the shoulder, and said, "Show that same bravado you had when you were talking about acquiring the land. From now on, you're the manager of our own business."

Just then, the second and third aunts came out of the kitchen one after another carrying dishes, prompting the younger generation to cheer, "Dinner's ready! Dinner's ready!" and rush to the table like a swarm of bees. The eldest brother, second brother, and Tian Ding brother were busy setting out bowls and chopsticks and serving sweet potato rice. The dishes on the table were simple yet plentiful—the stir-fried rabbit with chili peppers was fragrant and spicy, the stir-fried wild vegetables were crisp and refreshing, and the loofah soup was clear and refreshing. The family sat around the table, their laughter mingling with the aroma of the food, creating a warm and harmonious atmosphere.