Courtyard House: Rebirth of a Shopkeeper in 1937

After hearing Uncle Yang Jiachong's words, Xingbao's family was stunned, their faces showing varying degrees of disbelief. They looked at each other, wondering: yesterday they had only promised to send two boys from each hilltop to help at the breeding base in the spring, but how come just one night later, four more seven-year-olds had joined, and they even wanted to learn to read early? This was clearly pushing their luck!

By now it was broad daylight, and the warm winter sun shone through the courtyard wall into the yard. Many neighbors were already up and busy. Seeing so many people blocking the entrance to the Song family's house, whispering among themselves, they curiously peeked out from their own doors to see what was going on. A few nosy folks even brought small stools and gathered around a corner, whispering amongst themselves, their eyes full of curiosity. Seeing this, Dad felt a growing anxiety. He knew he couldn't let things drag on any longer, lest he become a laughingstock among the villagers and be branded as someone who "didn't keep his word." He quickly stood up, stepped aside to clear the doorway, and said with a helpless smile, "Oh, so that's what happened. Why didn't you say so sooner! It's freezing cold standing at the door. Come in and warm up, and we can talk inside."

Seeing that their father had relented, Uncle Lü Jialing and Uncle Yang Jiachong both breathed a long sigh of relief, their unease fading considerably. They quickly beckoned the boys and children behind them to come inside. Unexpectedly, the boys were already prepared. Upon hearing they could enter, they excitedly turned around, carrying wooden planks and benches hidden in the corner of the shop. A few of the older boys, carrying wooden boxes filled with fine sand, followed the way to the small classroom in the backyard with practiced ease. Their movements were swift and efficient, clearly indicating they had planned this in advance, just waiting for this day to arrive.

Seeing a group of strangers carrying things into the yard, Snowball immediately became alert. It crouched low, barking and preparing to rush forward, striking a guard's pose, its fur standing on end. Xingbao reacted quickly, stepping forward and pressing Snowball down, whispering, "Snowball, don't bark! They're all family!" Snowball reluctantly stopped, its tail drooping, but still whimpered at the backs of the boys, its little head occasionally turning towards Xingbao, as if complaining about failing to "fulfill its duty," looking both angry and aggrieved.

Watching the group walk away into the backyard, Xingbao's family was speechless, standing there dumbfounded, unsure what to say. These villagers' "pushing their luck" was so subtle and insidious that it was impossible to find a reason to object—from yesterday afternoon's complaints and persistent pleading, to securing a spot at the base, and then this morning bringing their child to "borrow" a place—it was all a carefully orchestrated scheme, a plan devised by some cunning old fox in the village! Especially seeing the sandboxes in the children's hands, Xingbao knew even more clearly that they had planned this all along; yesterday's visit was merely waiting for the right opportunity.

Xingbao frowned inwardly, his mind growing increasingly troubled. His elder brother had started this small class because he felt hopeless about attending middle school. Later, he encountered modern learning and was about to attend Shuangfeng Academy, so he decided to incorporate modern knowledge into the curriculum. This was partly to help the village children learn to read and understand basic principles, and partly to solidify his own modern knowledge in preparation for next year's entrance exams. However, the children who had initially planned to drop out after a month and learn a few characters, upon learning this was a rare opportunity to learn modern learning, persevered, except for Ding, who had to leave early due to family ties. This resulted in many villagers wanting to send their children to the class, but there were no available spots. Now, with twelve more to be added, the small classroom was bound to be overcrowded, and his brother simply couldn't teach them all by himself! What worried him even more was that once word got out, other villagers would surely plead for their children's attendance, making the situation even more difficult to manage! Xingbao's head ached more and more as he thought about it, and he dared not think any further.

Just as feared, the commotion grew louder, attracting more neighbors to investigate. It was clear the matter couldn't be kept secret any longer. Father, his face grim, recounted the events to the surrounding neighbors. Uncle Deng, Uncle Long, and several other villagers who were on good terms with the Song family naturally sided with them, quietly criticizing the villagers from the mountains for being so greedy. However, Xingbao caught a glimpse of several people quietly slipping away from the back of the crowd. It was obvious they were going to find someone to help stir things up, hoping to use the opportunity to get their own children enrolled for a few days—after all, everyone knew that once their eldest brother went to Shuangfeng Academy next year, the small classes would stop, making it difficult to send their children to school!

Before long, the main room of the workshop was filled with people again, all villagers who had come after hearing the news. They surrounded Xingbao's family, each trying to appeal to their emotions. Someone grasped the elder brother's hand and said earnestly, "Yanbang, these past six months, the children have been working with you at the breeding base. They already consider you a respectable teacher. You teach well, and the children trust you. You're going to school next year, but our children haven't even really started learning to read yet. Please, please help them, teach them for a few more days!"

By this time, Mother was eight months pregnant. Her round belly stretched her clothes bulging. The noisy voices and arguments in the main room made her pale and uncomfortable. Her brows were tightly furrowed, and she clutched her belly, her breathing becoming rapid. The baby inside her, whether a brother or a sister, also started to move around, and the slight fetal movements made Mother even more restless.

Seeing this, Father's face instantly darkened, and his tone became serious. He raised his hand to signal everyone to be quiet: "Everyone, stop for a moment, we'll talk later!" After saying that, he quickly went to Mother's side, gently comforted her, carefully supported her arm, and slowly helped her back to her room to lie down and rest. He repeatedly told her to take good care of herself. The villagers in the main room watched this scene, their faces showing some shame, and they kept muttering "I'm sorry, I'm sorry," but not one of them voluntarily left. They remained in the main room, their eyes full of expectation, clearly unwilling to give up easily.

When Father returned to the main room and sat down at the table, the villagers crowded around him again, about to continue pleading. Father quickly raised his hand to stop them, saying, "We understand what you mean. There's no need to repeat yourself. If this continues, my third aunt's health won't be able to take it. You can't bear to see her suffer, can you? Please calm down and let me discuss it with Yanbang before giving you an answer."