Courtyard House: Rebirth of a Shopkeeper in 1937

As soon as their father finished speaking, the three brothers stopped their discussion, their faces showing thoughtful expressions and their brows furrowing slightly. If the township really wanted to distribute 10% of the cabbage, then the family's share, as well as the village's and the neighborhood's shares, would have to be recalculated. They just hoped that things would go smoothly and that there wouldn't be any more mishaps. Gui Xiang also stopped her chattering and looked at her father and older brothers with a mixture of understanding and confusion, still clutching half a sweet potato in her hand, taking small bites.

After a moment of silence, Xingbao put down his chopsticks, looked up at his father, and said seriously, "Dad, we've harvested so many cabbages, we definitely can't eat them all, and they're taking up too much space at home. Why don't we sell some of them? That way, we can keep others from eyeing them, and we can also exchange them for some grain or silver dollars to supplement our household income."

Upon hearing this, Dad picked up the teacup on the table, took a sip, and pondered for a while before slowly speaking: "Let's wait a few days until the public land use permit is approved. If the township really wants to allocate 10% of the cabbages, we can't refuse. If we can't produce cabbages, it will cause trouble. Besides, everyone is buying cabbages now, and the market price is very low. Only in Yaodu might we be able to sell them for a little price. But even if we can sell them, it's hard to say whether we can sell them all. It takes a whole day to go from here to Yaodu and back, which is time-consuming and laborious, and not worth it. Let's see if there are any people in the village who want them and sell them to the villagers at a lower price. That way, we can help everyone out. By the way, Yanguo, tomorrow you take Xingbao and Guixiang and pick out a few of the biggest and strongest cabbages to send to Grandpa's house and Doctor Yang's house as a small token of our appreciation."

Upon hearing this, Gui Xiang's eyes immediately lit up. She forgot about the sweet potato in her mouth and quickly put it down. She grabbed Xing Bao's arm and urged, "Xing Bao, Xing Bao, hurry up and eat. After you finish, we'll go pick out some cabbages! Pick the biggest and greenest ones to give to Master and Grandpa. Master will definitely like them!" Her lively spirit returned instantly, and she completely forgot her grievance of not getting the biggest cabbage that afternoon.

Xingbao, both exasperated and amused by Guixiang's urging, gently pried her hand away and turned to his father, his tone earnest and sincere. He added, echoing his earlier suggestion about selling cabbages, "Father, I know there are plenty of cabbages on the market right now, and the price is low, so selling them now isn't worthwhile. But we run a small inn, and we often have guests from the Medicine Capital stopping by for meals or lodging. Isn't this a perfect opportunity? Next time guests from the Medicine Capital come, you could ask them if they think our cabbages are robust and delicious." "They smell so sweet. Would you be interested in buying a few to take home for your family to try? Our cabbages are superior to ordinary cabbages in both size and flavor. If we spread the word, we'll have a better chance of finding them in the medicinal herb market later. However, we can't set the price too low. After all, from tilling the soil and watering to harvesting, it's time-consuming and laborious. Besides, the quality of these cabbages speaks for itself; scarcity drives up the price. If we set the price too low, we won't make much money after all our hard work, which would be counterproductive."

After hearing Xingbao's words, Dad's eyes lit up slightly, and he nodded repeatedly: "This idea is feasible! I almost forgot, there was a guest from Yaodu who was staying at the inn just now. He saw the cabbages piled up in our main room and even asked me where such big cabbages came from. His eyes were full of curiosity. He might actually be interested in buying a few."

Since Xingbao had finally let go of his burdens, he had been sleeping much more soundly these past few nights. Early this morning, just as dawn was breaking, Xingbao was still asleep when Guixiang's clear and urgent voice woke him. The little girl was lying by the bedside, tugging at his sleeve and gently shaking him: "Xingbao, get up! Get up! We need to hurry and pack the cabbage to take to Grandpa and Master. If we're late, Master might have to go see another doctor!"

Urged on by Guixiang, Xingbao, rubbing his sleepy eyes, slowly got dressed and followed her to the main room. Twenty large cabbages that the siblings had specially chosen last night were neatly piled in the corner, ready to be delivered to their maternal grandfather's and Doctor Yang's houses this morning. But upon closer inspection, they both froze—three cabbages were missing from the corner. Guixiang immediately panicked, hands on her hips, shouting loudly, "Dad! Dad! Come quick! Someone stole our cabbages! Three are missing!"

The second brother, who was sweeping the corner of the main room, couldn't help but laugh when he heard this. He put down his broom, walked over, and ruffled Gui Xiang's hair, teasingly saying, "Don't shout, don't shout, Gui Xiang, don't disturb Mother sleeping in the inner room. No one stole the cabbages. It was the guests from Yaodu who stayed at the inn this morning. When they went out, they saw the cabbages you picked out. They were big and strong, and they liked them very much. They each bought one to take back, and they bought three in total. They weren't stolen."

Upon hearing this, Gui Xiang's anxious expression vanished instantly, her eyes lighting up. She rushed to her second brother's side, tightly gripping his sleeve, and tilting her head back, asking expectantly, "Second brother, second brother, tell me quickly, how many copper coins did they exchange for the cabbage? Did they get a lot of money?"

Second Brother patted her hand with a smile and said proudly, "Hehe, one cabbage is worth one fen, three cabbages can be exchanged for three fen! Don't underestimate this one fen. The uncles in the neighboring village take their cabbages to the medicine market to sell, and they only get one copper coin per jin. Our cabbages weigh about ten jin, so we can sell them for four fen more than they do! You know, one fen can be exchanged for fourteen copper coins, which is a considerable income."

Upon hearing this, Xingbao and Guixiang's eyes lit up, their faces beaming with surprise and delight—they hadn't expected Xingbao's suggestion to actually work; their cabbages could indeed fetch such a high price, even better than anticipated. Without further delay, the two happily went to the pile of cabbages and carefully selected three of the largest and strongest, making a total of twenty. However, these ten-pound cabbages were simply too large; neither their baskets nor their carrying baskets were easy to fit them in—just two would fill the basket, and they were difficult to move. The siblings were at a loss, and finally had to run to their second brother for help. He used a sturdy rope to tie the cabbages together in groups of five, so they could hang them on Heitan's body later—a secure and convenient solution.

Soon it was breakfast time. The family ate a simple meal of porridge, sweet potatoes, and pickled vegetables before preparing to leave. Xingbao was the first to put down his chopsticks and get up to lead the charcoal to the shop door from the backyard, carefully tying it to the wooden post beside the door. His second brother followed, carrying several sturdy hemp ropes. At this moment, Shanshan and Dashan, who were on their way to school, also stopped and offered to help: "Yanguo, Xingbao, let us help you hang the cabbage on the donkey."