Courtyard House: Rebirth of a Shopkeeper in 1937

Mother had already placed a steaming hot breakfast on the small square table in the main room. The aroma of sweet potato porridge filled the air, as if telling everyone how delicious it was. The porridge was no longer hot; the temperature was just right, making it easy to enjoy. The pickled radish on the side added a unique flavor to this breakfast.

As usual, the two little ones sat on the stool, each with a pockmarked face from mosquito bites. Their faces were covered in red bumps, which looked somewhat comical, but also evoked pity.

While eating breakfast, Guixiang couldn't help but touch the bumps on her face with her fingers, as if that would relieve some of the itching. She moved very carefully, afraid of breaking the little bumps. Xingbao, on the other hand, completely disregarded his image, gripping his bowl tightly with both hands and gulping down his sweet potato porridge like water. His mind was clearly not on the breakfast; he was preoccupied with figuring out how to punish those pesky mosquitoes, so much so that he didn't even hear his mother urging him to "eat slowly."

After the meal, the two were a little reserved. After all, the pockmarks on their faces were quite noticeable, and they worried that if they went out, the village children would see them and laugh at them. After thinking it over, the two finally decided not to take the risk and went to the backyard together.

As soon as we entered the backyard, Dad and my eldest brother were busy around a pile of wood. The frame of the long table was almost finished. My second brother was squatting next to him, holding a file in his hand, polishing and trimming the stone slab that we had brought back yesterday.

"The tables will be set up today, and the blackboard is ready too. School can start as soon as the kids arrive." The older brother's face was full of joy. Dad nodded: "Good! Tomorrow I'll go to the village again and ask how many more kids want to come to school."

Just then, the side door creaked open, and Uncle Deng walked in from outside. "Dawei, Yanbang, Yanguo, are you busy?" The wrinkles at the corners of his eyes were gathered together, making him look very kind.

"Chunsheng, is there something you need?" Father stopped what he was doing and stood up.

"I came here to see if there's anything I can do to help you." After saying that, he picked up a stone and started polishing the slab.

"Chunsheng, the private school will start teaching the day after tomorrow. Why don't you let Xuewen and Xiwu come too? The younger ones always play together, so they'll have some company." Knowing Uncle Deng's purpose, the father and son chatted about the village children while working, their words full of expectations for the children.

On the other side, Xingbao tightly gripped Guixiang's clothes, saying with a face full of resentment, "Sister, I'm going to be a mosquito for cigarettes!" His heart was filled with resentment towards mosquitoes, especially when he thought of his pockmarked face, which made him hate these hateful mosquitoes to the bone.

Upon hearing this, little Guixiang's eyes immediately lit up, as if she had discovered something new and interesting. Her little head pecking at rice like a chick, she nodded earnestly, indicating that she completely agreed with Xingbao's idea, "I'm going to kill all the mosquitoes!" Her voice was clear and loud, revealing a firmness and determination.

The two found a small bundle of dried mugwort leaves they had cut for the Dragon Boat Festival in the woodshed. The leaves were so dry and brittle that they crumbled at the slightest touch. They then took out some leftover charcoal from the jar beside the stove, grabbed a small wooden board, and a small shovel, and went to the vegetable garden. The two little black boys cleared a small, relatively flat area and placed the board in the middle as a worktable. They first laid the charcoal on the board, and Xingbao, holding the small shovel with both hands, pressed it down. He looked up at Guixiang and said, "Sister, stomp on it to break it up, be careful not to step on it crookedly." Guixiang immediately became excited and very satisfied with this task. She supported Xingbao's head with both hands, lifted her foot, and stomped on the charcoal wildly, not caring that her little shoes were covered in charcoal. She then instructed Xingbao to move on to the next piece.

They crushed the charcoal and then rubbed mugwort leaves together. This was easy; the mugwort leaves crumbled easily, and their little black hands were soon covered in green and white dust. After rubbing the mugwort leaves, Xing shoveled some dry soil, and the two of them crushed it together. Then they mixed the mugwort leaves, charcoal, and dry soil in three different proportions that they had figured out, stirred them together, and finally, Xing secretly took the water from the chicken's water bowl and mixed it into a dark, muddy dough.

The porcelain bowl was casually placed aside, but unexpectedly, not long after it was placed there, it seemed to attract the hens in the yard as if they had discovered some treasure, and they all came running over.

The hens circled the porcelain bowl, pecking incessantly at its rim with their sharp beaks, seemingly filled with curiosity about what was inside. They not only pecked at the bowl but also frequently moved closer to the two people, as if trying to nibble on the mixture on the ground.

Seeing this, Guixiang immediately picked up a small shovel and waved it at the chickens, shouting, "Go away, go away, don't make trouble, you naughty things!" Her voice echoed in the vegetable garden, hoping to drive the mischievous chickens away.

However, the chickens didn't seem afraid of Guixiang's attempts to shoo them away. A short while later, they returned as if nothing had happened. Their chirping echoed throughout the vegetable garden, as if mocking Guixiang's incompetence.

Meanwhile, on the other side of the backyard, Dad and his brothers were busy assembling a table. Several neighboring uncles were helping them, and everyone was working together in a lively and enthusiastic atmosphere.

Suddenly, the squawking of chickens and Gui Xiang's shouts coming from the vegetable garden caught their attention. Father shook his head helplessly and said to his second brother, "Second brother, go see what's going on this time. Don't let them ruin the vegetable garden."

"Okay!" The second brother put down the file in his hand and hurriedly ran to the vegetable garden. As soon as he stepped out of the back door, he saw two small figures by the vegetable garden—Xingbao and Guixiang were squatting on the ground, their faces, hands, clothes and pants covered with black coal ash and black mud. The "little black people" were bending down and rolling the black mud into long strips. "Dad, eldest brother, come quickly, two coal miners have come to the house."

Gui Xiang heard her second brother's voice and looked up. Her face was covered in black charcoal ash and mud, and beads of sweat trickled down her cheeks. She wiped them with her mud-caked sleeve, and now, her already mottled face was covered in even more black marks, making her look like a kitten that had just crawled out of a coal pile. She was clearly unaware of her appearance and frowned as she began to direct, "Second brother, quickly chase the chickens away. They keep coming and causing trouble, and they're going to peck at my mosquito repellent."

Xingbao nodded, diligently rubbing the black mud strips, his little face turning red and his forehead covered in sweat. He looked at the mischievous chicken and the unfinished black mud, and pleaded with his second brother, "Second brother, chase the chicken away and come help me rub it. I'm so tired."

Hearing his second brother's words, Dad put down his work and came over, followed by several uncles. As soon as they turned to the vegetable garden, they saw two little black boys squatting on the ground, surrounded by chickens. The uncles burst into laughter, and Uncle Deng slapped his thigh with laughter: "Dawei, are your two kids out digging coal?"

The father didn't know whether to be angry or amused; he was losing face and said with a dark expression, "Eldest son, second son, take them both to wash up."

Xingbao kept his head down the whole time, not daring to look up at his father's face, but his mind was racing like a little monkey, already plotting something.

This little brat, seeing his clean face, didn't even realize that his own face was as dirty as a little kitten's! What to do? If he didn't quickly smudge his face, once this little girl realized what was happening, she would definitely keep nagging him!

Just as Xingbao was having some doubts, he suddenly heard his father speak. His heart skipped a beat, and he knew he couldn't avoid it. He had no choice but to grit his teeth, rub his little face back and forth between his dirty arms a few times, and then pretend to wipe away his sweat before slowly raising his head.

Well, when he looked up, it was quite a sight! His little face was covered with several dark marks, making him look like a complete clown!

However, Xingbao didn't care about any of that. He looked at his father earnestly, blinked his big eyes, and said in his childish voice, "Dad, I'm making mosquito-repelling incense. When I light it at night, lots and lots of mosquitoes will come out! Can you let my second brother help me finish it? I'll wash my face right away after I'm done, and I promise I'll wash it all clean!"

Looking at the little black mud left on the ground and then at Xingbao's pitiful little black face, Dad sighed helplessly, "Second son, help them finish quickly, then take them to wash up." He turned around and continued to work.

The little girl was still squatting on the ground, curiously watching Xingbao's freshly made black face. She reached out her mud-covered hand and touched it, looking at the obvious black fingerprints, then down at her equally black little hand. Suddenly, as if realizing something, she froze. Her eyes widened, and her mouth opened slightly, as if she was frightened by her own appearance. Guixiang, finally understanding what she looked like, refused to make incense anymore. She quietly placed the mud strip in her hand on the ground and slowly retreated to the side, her eyes full of grievance, making one feel pity for her.

With the help of my second brother, the remaining mud strips were finally all rolled up. I don't know where my second brother found a tattered bamboo mat, but he carefully placed it on the shelf in the backyard, and then neatly arranged the rolled "mosquito coils" one by one. The sun was very strong, and the light made people's skin feel hot. In this kind of weather, it wouldn't be long before they dried and they could be used tonight.

Xingbao and Guixiang, carrying small buckets and a piece of coarse cloth, skipped and hopped to the well to wash themselves. Under the guise of washing, they stood on the stone slab used for washing clothes, splashing and playing in the water. The "splashing" sound of their footsteps mingled with their laughter, and the splashing water soaked their brother's trouser legs. Children's happiness is so simple and pure. It took a long time to clean the two little ones completely dry. After washing, Guixiang lingered on the stone slab, reluctantly following her brother home.