Courtyard House: Rebirth of a Shopkeeper in 1937

Xingbao pondered for a moment, then looked up at his grandfather and said, "Grandpa, if anyone comes to discuss cooperation in the next couple of days, we'll have to trouble you to give us your opinion. After all, we're young and don't know the actual conditions of the fields in the village. We won't choose fields that are too far away or severely lacking in water; also, we can't cooperate with landowners who aren't of good character, to avoid any trouble later."

Upon hearing this, Grandpa nodded approvingly and said with satisfaction, "Xingbao, you've thought things through carefully and have a long-term perspective! Your eldest brother will be going to Shuangfeng Academy for further studies this spring. Your second brother and Dashan might not be able to handle things then. People's hearts are unpredictable; we'd rather plant less and be more cautious. If we do things well the first time, even if someone tries to cause trouble, they won't be able to stir up any waves. There's no work in the fields in this cold weather, so I'll stay at your house for the next couple of days. I'll help you turn down any unsuitable collaborations, so you kids won't be too shy to refuse and end up causing trouble for yourselves!"

Hearing their grandfather's praise and careful instructions, the siblings felt a little embarrassed, their cheeks flushed slightly. They could only lower their heads, exchange glances, and chuckle to themselves. Even the usually composed eldest brother had a faint smile on his lips.

Just then, the eldest uncle stood up and said, "It's good that Mom and Dad are staying here; they can help take care of them. I plan to have Dashan come with me tomorrow to take some of the cabbages we grow to the medicine market to see how much we can get for them, and also to find out the market prices there."

Upon hearing this, Father nodded and agreed, "Brother's idea is good. When we go tomorrow, let's take Black Charcoal with us. Let it help carry some cabbages; it will save us a lot of effort."

"Dad, let's modify the wheelbarrow at home!" Xingbao quickly interjected, his eyes sparkling with anticipation. "Let Heitan pull the wheelbarrow; that would be much easier!" He had already been planning to put the wheelbarrow on Heitan. If Heitan hadn't been too young and lacked stamina, and if the current carts weren't all made of heavy wooden wheels, he would have already asked his father to get one so Heitan could help haul goods. After all, the space couldn't be exposed; they had to make a good impression on outsiders.

Upon hearing this, the eldest uncle quickly waved his hand and declined with a smile, saying, "No need, no need. We'll just bring two loads of cabbage in the cart; it's not heavy. We won't bring the charcoal. It'll be crowded and chaotic in Yaodu, and we'll have to take care of it instead, which would only cause trouble."

Seeing his uncle's resolute attitude, Dad didn't say anything more, just nodded in agreement. Everyone chatted for a few more minutes around the yard before getting up and getting busy. Only Guixiang remembered Xingbao's earlier words about having Heitan pull the wheelbarrow. Impatient as she was, she grabbed her father's sleeve and headed for the backyard, muttering, "Dad, let's hurry and modify the wheelbarrow!" Seeing this, Xingbao quickly followed, his eyes full of anticipation.

Actually, modifying the wheelbarrow to be pullable by Hei Tan wasn't too difficult. Dad squatted on the ground, carefully examining the wheelbarrow and Hei Tan beside him, fiddling with it while muttering, "The most crucial thing is these two handles. They must be securely fixed, otherwise it'll easily tip over when pulled, and that would hurt you both." Besides, the family didn't have any ropes specifically for harnessing livestock, only thick, stiff hemp rope. Dad was worried that the hemp rope would rub against Hei Tan's skin, so he found a few dried rabbit skins and carefully placed them where the hemp rope would touch, just to make do for now. He also told the two siblings that they could slowly improve the design later when they had time.

Before long, Dad had finished modifying the wheelbarrow. He carefully harnessed it to Blackie, then bent down to thoroughly check the knots and frame, making sure it was secure before nodding gently to Guixiang and Xingbao. Guixiang, unable to contain her excitement, grabbed Xingbao's hand and quickly climbed onto the wheelbarrow. The two sat on opposite sides, swaying gently before settling in. Guixiang, who usually scolded Blackie gently, was unusually tender today, not wanting to touch him at all. She simply picked up a thin stick and lightly brushed it across Blackie's rump, smiling and calling out, "Blackie, let's go!" Blackie seemed to understand, obediently swishing his fluffy tail and slowly starting to pull the wheelbarrow around the yard. When Dad left, he tidied up all the clutter in the yard. The siblings sat in the car, and Guixiang would occasionally use a stick to shoo away the roosters that approached. Facing the warm sun in the yard, they smiled with their eyes crinkling, and their clear laughter filled the whole yard, full of carefree joy.

In the afternoon, as expected, several groups of villagers arrived at the shop. They had all heard that Xingbao's family wanted to expand their rice experimental fields and were seeking cooperation, and they came specifically to discuss the cooperation. Grandpa had already arranged with Xingbao's family to help select suitable partners, so he moved a small stool to the front door, holding a cup of hot tea, and patiently received each group of villagers. While inviting everyone to sit down and rest, he carefully inquired about the specific location of each family's fields, the fertility of the soil, and their usual water shortages. Grandpa, being from the same village, naturally knew the landowners' character and wouldn't choose the wrong partners, thus avoiding trouble for the subsequent operation of the breeding base. After careful questioning and selection, Grandpa finally chose the owners of the lower-grade fields at the foot of the two hills opposite the bamboo house. He pulled them aside to sit down, explained the general terms of cooperation in detail, and initially finalized the cooperation agreement with them. Both sides showed satisfied expressions. During this time, the two hooligans from the village went to the home of the security team and also sent someone to discuss cooperation. The person spoke arrogantly and took it all for granted. My grandfather knew that those two hooligans were usually idle and of bad character. If he cooperated with them, it would definitely cause a lot of trouble in the future. So he calmly found a reason that "the experimental field quota has been filled" and refused them decisively without showing any mercy.

As evening approached, villagers from the four hilltops arrived in groups. These hilltops were inhabited by families surnamed Liu, Lü, Yang, and Peng. As soon as they entered, they surrounded Grandpa and Dad, pouring out their grievances. They recounted how, from the time their eldest brother started the primary school to the current breeding base run by Xingbao and his sister, they, the mountain families, had never received anything. They argued that they were all fellow villagers and shouldn't be treated unfairly, especially since taxes had increased this year, the mountain land was barren, and the harvests were meager; life was becoming unbearable. Several young men from the village had been forced to join the army, just to earn a living.