Courtyard House: Rebirth of a Shopkeeper in 1937

Perhaps even the heavens sensed Xingbao's sorrow and helplessness, for a light drizzle mixed with a few snowflakes began to fall. "Oh, it's snowing, Xingbao. Are you just standing here watching the snow? Hurry back and eat, or that girl Guixiang will steal all the smoked meat in the kitchen!" Xingbao hadn't returned home for a long time, and his older brother, worried about him, followed the direction of the door and came out, his tone full of doting urging.

The elder brother's voice was like a thin thread, gently pulling Xingbao's wandering soul back. He suddenly came to his senses, rubbed his small face, which was red and stiff from the cold, suppressed the despair and bitterness surging in his heart, and forced out a faint smile. He turned around and said to his elder brother in a still somewhat hoarse voice, "Yes, elder brother, it started snowing right after Brother Jinqian left. But this rain and snow will easily get our clothes wet. Brother Jinqian didn't bring an umbrella or a straw hat. Do you want me to go with you to bring him one? And Mr. Wang and the others, with such a heavy snow, will their carriage be able to move steadily?" Half of the worry in his words was genuine concern for Brother Jinqian and Mr. Wang, and the other half was an attempt to use this concern to cover up the panic in his heart.

Looking at the rain and snow, the elder brother frowned, his voice filled with worry: "Go back to the kitchen and eat first, don't catch a cold. I'll go to the backyard to get Black Charcoal, and ride it to deliver the straw hat to Brother Qianjin; it'll be quick. You don't need to worry about Mr. Wang and the others. When I saw them off to the carriage just now, I noticed everyone was carrying an oil-paper umbrella, and the carriage was well-covered; they'll definitely make it safely." As he spoke, he reached out and ruffled Xingbao's hair, his fingertips feeling the coolness of his scalp, and urged, "Go inside quickly, don't dawdle."

Xingbao nodded and turned to walk into the kitchen. As soon as he entered, warmth enveloped him, a mixture of the aroma of smoked meat, the sweet scent of sweet potatoes, and the smoky smell of firewood, instantly dispelling some of the chill, but not the gloom in his heart. He looked up and saw that the bowls of smoked meat on the table had already been completely devoured. If his mother hadn't placed two of the largest pieces in his bowl beforehand, he would have only been able to taste the meat on the chili peppers! His second brother was sitting by the stove, talking animatedly with Xiaohu and the other teenagers about their uncle's fight against the Japanese in Shanghai. When he got excited, he patted his chest, looking particularly proud—especially when talking about the defensive tactics mentioned in their father's letter, his face beaming. After all, he had helped come up with some of those ideas, and his pride was impossible to hide.

Mother sat to one side, leaning against the stove, surrounded by her eldest uncle and aunt, and several other uncles and aunts, their faces adorned with gentle smiles, quietly listening to her second brother's "speech," occasionally nodding in agreement. Several younger children, their round eyes wide, raised their hands to ask questions, chattering excitedly. The kitchen was filled with lively laughter and chatter; this ordinary, everyday scene was so tender it brought tears to one's eyes. Xingbao settled into his seat, picked up his chopsticks, and slowly rummaged through his rice. He chewed on the fragrant smoked meat, but couldn't taste any flavor. The words "December 13th" kept echoing in his mind, and the image of Nanjing, littered with corpses, still lingered in his mind.

Snowball was unusually well-behaved today, not running around. It stayed by the kitchen door, its head resting on its paws, its big black eyes fixed on the food on the table. Its little body was curled up as if guarding the family's food. Xingbao felt sorry for it and quietly picked up a piece of smoked meat and held it to its mouth. Snowball immediately perked up, chewing it little by little, its tail wagging gently. But this scene was seen by their mother. She smiled and scolded him, "You child, you don't even have enough to eat yourself, and you're feeding it. Be careful it cries for food again later." Her tone was full of reproach, but her eyes held a hint of affection. Xingbao lowered his head and softly hummed in agreement, without arguing. But the bitterness in his heart grew even heavier—even a little dog could be so carefree, while he had to bear a burden far beyond his years.

As everyone gradually finished eating, Father got up, took out the pre-prepared wages from the counter, and handed them to the uncles and aunts who had helped, thanking them profusely. The uncles and aunts declined a few times, but then accepted with smiles. After sitting for a while longer, they got up to leave. Father instructed his two older brothers to return the borrowed tables and chairs, which the brothers readily agreed to, carrying them out the door. Finally, the kitchen quieted down, and Father had a moment to sit at the counter, tallying up the day's earnings. When he counted the tips from the students, a rare smile appeared on his face: "I didn't expect these young masters and ladies to be so generous! Five silver dollars just for tips!"

Upon hearing this, the eldest and second brothers, who had just returned from delivering tables and chairs, immediately gathered around, their faces beaming with delight. Normally, customers who came to the shop were either generous enough to not give change, or stingy enough to haggle for ages; a single copper coin tip was considered quite generous. The brothers chatted amongst themselves, increasingly eager for the arrival of the following groups of teachers and students from Sanmin Middle School, their voices filled with anticipation.

At this moment, the eldest and second eldest brothers praised Xingbao and Guixiang for serving melon seeds to the guests earlier that day. Father smiled and nodded, "You two did a great job today. Serving melon seeds not only livens up the atmosphere but also helps to build rapport with the guests." But as soon as he finished speaking, the second eldest brother frowned, "Dad, we don't have many melon seeds left at home. Usually, we only buy a little for guests staying at the inn to pass the time in the evenings. We don't have many at home to begin with; not many families in the village have any either. People only buy some melon seeds to entertain guests when it's almost New Year's. Now that it's starting to snow, the roads are slippery and difficult to walk on. It's not worth it for you to make a special trip to Yongfeng Town just for these melon seeds."

Upon hearing this, Gui Xiang's eyes lit up immediately. She raised her little hand and exclaimed, "Dad, big brother, second brother, we can fry soybeans! Grandma's family often frys soybeans for us as a snack. They're fragrant and crispy, and guests will definitely love them! We can get eggs and dried shrimp from the village, and we have plenty of cabbage in our own field, so we don't have to worry about that!" Gui Xiang spoke eloquently, her little face full of pride, as if she had accomplished a great feat. Everyone nodded in agreement, thinking it was a good idea. Dad smiled and ruffled Gui Xiang's hair, "Our Gui Xiang is so clever. We'll do as you say. Tomorrow, Dad will go to the village to collect some eggs, dried fish, and dried shrimp."

After taking stock of his finds, Xingbao finally came to his senses. Remembering the poems he had memorized, he looked up at his two older brothers and said, "Big brother, second brother, I've memorized all of Mr. Wang's handwritten copybook of poems. Go cut some white paper, and I'll recite the poems from memory. It's best to cut a lot, as there will be several more groups of teachers and students coming later, and we might need them then." He thought that since he couldn't do much else for the time being, he should focus on the task at hand and copy the poems well, both to show his older brothers and to distract himself.