Courtyard House: Rebirth of a Shopkeeper in 1937

As soon as they reached the kitchen door, a rich aroma of medicine filled the air, accompanied by the crackling of firewood. Lifting the curtain, they saw their master's wife standing by the stove, carefully stirring the medicinal soup in the pot with a spatula, her expression focused. Beside the stove, a young boy squatted in front of the firewood pile, diligently adding fuel, his cheeks flushed red from the heat. Gui Xiang, the most impatient of them all, immediately rushed into the kitchen, calling out in her clear voice, "Master's wife, Master's wife, we've come to see you!"

Upon hearing this, the master's wife quickly turned around and saw Xingbao and the other two at the door. A delighted smile instantly appeared on her face. She quickly put down the medicine shovel in her hand, wiped the water off her hands, and stepped forward, saying, "Oh dear, Xingbao, Guixiang, Yanguo, it's so cold, and the mountain road is difficult to walk on. How did you manage to come all this way? Come in and warm yourself by the fire."

Gui Xiang quickly stepped forward, tightly grasped her teacher's wife's hand, and began to chatter on and on, recounting the lively scene of harvesting cabbages yesterday. After explaining the rules for dividing the cabbages, she pouted and complained pitifully, "Teacher's wife, but my older brother was so mean! Yesterday, when they were choosing the cabbages for the prizes, everyone chose me. I even hugged the biggest cabbage that weighed twelve pounds, but he wouldn't let me take it. He made me put it back, saying that we had too many cabbages and we had to leave them for the other kids. I almost cried!"

Hearing this, the teacher's wife couldn't help but smile and gently patted Gui Xiang's head, softly comforting her, "Our Gui Xiang is the most sensible. Your eldest brother was just thinking of everyone. We do have a lot of cabbages at home. It would be more meaningful to leave that cabbage, which was a reward, for the child who needs it more." Seeing this, the second brother stepped forward and took the firewood stick from the boy's hand, smiling as he said, "Teacher's wife, you're busy brewing the medicine. Leave the work of adding firewood to me, and you can save some energy." As he spoke, he squatted down in front of the firewood pile and skillfully added firewood. The flames crackled and leaped higher, making the kitchen even warmer.

A short while later, the master led the four couples and their children from the main room to the kitchen. He carried a handkerchief for taking pulses, and although his face showed some fatigue, it remained gentle. Xingbao and Guixiang quickly went to greet him, softly calling out "Master," and then obediently followed to the side, quietly observing and ready to assist at any time. While checking the heat of the medicine in the pot on the stove, the master said softly, "These young children all have fevers caused by wind-cold. They are too young, crying and moving around, so we can't use acupuncture. The hot towels on their foreheads are always snatched off by them, so they don't help lower their fevers at all."

As he spoke, the master turned to Xingbao and instructed, "Xingbao, go and get a wooden basin, pour some warm water and place it by the wood-burning stove. Wash the hands and feet of these children to help them cool down. Children love playing in water, and their crying will subside, which will be beneficial to their condition and make it easier for us to give them their medicine later."

Xingbao quickly responded, turned around to find a wooden basin, poured in warm water, and soon placed a basin of lukewarm water on the ground beside the wood-fired stove. He even tested the temperature with his hand to make sure it wasn't too hot or too cold. Seeing this, several parents quickly came over, holding their crying children, and carefully placed their little feet into the warm water. Before long, the warm spring water attracted the children's attention, and the sharp cries gradually subsided. Only a few soft sobs remained in the kitchen, accompanied by the splashing sounds of little hands playing in the water, and occasionally a few childish giggles. The noise finally calmed down considerably.

Seeing this, Xingbao turned to Guixiang and said, "Sister, why don't you play in the water with your younger siblings for a while, and check the water temperature every now and then? Tell me if it gets too cold." Guixiang immediately nodded in agreement, squatted down by the wooden basin, and gently splashed the water with the children, her little face full of seriousness. Xingbao stood by, holding a kettle, carefully adding hot water from time to time to maintain a steady temperature, ensuring the children didn't get cold or get burned.

After about fifteen minutes, the master stepped forward, touched the foreheads of several children, and looked at their little faces. He noticed that the children's faces were slightly sweaty, so he gently instructed, "That's about enough. Take off two layers of clothing for the children so they can breathe. This will help them cool down faster." The parents quickly agreed and carefully removed the outer layers of thick clothing from their children, moving gently so as not to let them catch a cold.

After the clothes were removed, it was time for the most dreaded part: feeding the medicine. The master's wife had already prepared four bowls of warm herbal medicine on the table, each with a spoonful of sugar, gently stirred to dilute the taste. Xingbao and Guixiang quickly stepped forward, each carrying two bowls, carefully offering them to the parents. The mothers were clearly experienced; after receiving the bowls, they first scooped a spoonful of medicine, blew on it to check the temperature, and then, taking advantage of the child's inattention, fed it directly into their mouth, gently tilting the child's head back to force them to swallow.

As soon as the spoons were removed, the children's cries erupted again, so loud they almost blew the roof off. But the mothers remained unmoved, scooping up another spoonful of medicine and, seizing the moment when a child opened their mouth to cry, pouring it down their throat. Immediately afterwards, the kitchen echoed with the gurgling sound of medicine being swallowed, followed by the heart-wrenching screams of the toddlers. This cycle repeated itself, a scene both chaotic and heart-wrenching.

Only one toddler, presumably having taken medicine before, tightly shut his mouth upon seeing the herbal medicine being brought to him, shaking his head vigorously and waving his little hands, almost knocking over the porcelain spoon in his mother's hand. The other three children, having learned their lesson after being tricked twice, gradually became more obedient and began to resist their mother, twisting their bodies and kicking their little legs, refusing to open their mouths again.

After a struggle, two children were the first to give in to their mother, obediently drinking the entire bowl of medicine. They were now being teased and played with by their older siblings, and their crying gradually subsided. The remaining two children continued to resist stubbornly. The fathers, who had been standing by, grew impatient. One father gritted his teeth, stepped forward, gently held the toddler's head, and carefully pinched the child's nose. The older siblings quickly grabbed the child's waving hands. The poor little one couldn't breathe and was forced to open his mouth. The mother seized the opportunity to spoon-feed him the medicine, and soon the entire bowl was finished. Seeing this, the other family followed suit, and the whole family joined in, finally managing to feed him the medicine. The "medicine-feeding battle" was finally over. Seeing the adults' "heartless" actions, Guixiang huddled closer to her teacher's wife, her face still showing lingering fear.