Courtyard House: Rebirth of a Shopkeeper in 1937

By the time Xingbao came to his senses, his second brother had already moved the ladder that was leaning against the wall and placed it steadily under the eaves of the tofu shop, ready to retrieve the icicles. Sure enough, there were still about twenty icicles hanging under the eaves behind the shop, two of them missing; presumably, his eldest and second brothers had taken and eaten them earlier. Xingbao quickly stepped forward, placing one foot firmly under the ladder and gripping it tightly with both hands, afraid it would wobble. Guixiang also quickly held onto the other side of the ladder, looking up at her second brother with a worried expression, calling out, "Second brother, be careful, don't fall!"

Second Brother was already quite adept at this. He nimbly climbed the ladder, broke off two of the thickest and cleanest icicles, carefully held them in his hand, and slowly climbed down. Xingbao quickly reached out and took the icicles. The moment he touched them, a bone-chilling coldness went straight to his heart. He couldn't help but pull his hand back, then examined the icicles closely—they were crystal clear, without a single impurity. The winter rains had long since washed the roof tiles clean, so these icicles were harmless to eat; at most, they might give someone with a sensitive stomach diarrhea. Xingbao tentatively put one in his mouth, gently biting off a piece. A crisp "crunch" made his front teeth ache a little. The icy sensation spread from his tongue throughout his body, and he couldn't help but shiver, exhaling a puff of white, icy breath—both icy and refreshing, incredibly stimulating.

Gui Xiang eagerly took the icicles her second brother handed her, imitating Xing Bao by taking a bite. She winced in pain, but her face was full of excitement. She breathed out cold air as she crunched the icicle in her mouth, completely ignoring the pain in her teeth. Just as the three of them stepped through the back door, preparing to sneak into the classroom to savor their treats, their mother entered the backyard. Her gaze immediately fell on their hands hidden behind their backs, a hint of displeasure on her face, but no harsh scolding. She simply said softly, "Xing Bao, Gui Xiang, the icicles are too cold. Just try a little, don't eat too many. If you get a stomachache or something, I'll ask your master to prescribe the bitterest medicine for you!"

Seeing that her mother didn't scold her, Guixiang quickly took out the icicles she had hidden behind her back, looked at them, and then reluctantly tossed them to Heitan, who was peeking through the crack in the livestock pen gate. She whispered, "Mother, I don't want to eat them. They're too cold, and my teeth hurt a little."

Seeing his mother's gaze shift to him, Xingbao had no choice but to throw the icicle aside. His mother glanced at the two of them, said nothing more, and turned to go back into the house. Guixiang stuck out her tongue and quickly followed her mother inside. Only his second brother remained, clutching the half-eaten icicle, standing there hesitantly—his mother hadn't even looked at him, clearly angry, but he couldn't bear to throw away the icicle.

Seeing this, Xingbao quickly smoothed things over, saying to his second brother, "Second brother, I'm going to borrow books from the girls who stayed behind. You should also throw away the ice shards quickly, so as not to make Mother angry anymore. The village children will be coming to school soon, and you still need to teach them arithmetic." After saying that, he walked quickly towards his room—the room where the girls who stayed behind to recuperate were housed.

As Xingbao reached the door, he heard several girls talking quietly inside, their voices tinged with weariness and worry. He slowed his pace, gently knocked on the door, and said in a soft, polite voice, "Sister, may I come in?"

The conversation was abruptly interrupted, and the person inside was clearly displeased. A cold voice came from behind the door: "Kid, is there something you need?" It was devoid of any gentleness and full of impatience.

Xingbao was not discouraged and said softly, "Sister, I saw that you brought a lot of books. I would like to borrow a few to read. We also want to learn more."

"No!" A cold, firm refusal came immediately, leaving no room for negotiation.

Xingbao's heart sank slightly, a sense of indignation creeping into his heart. He and Guixiang had been trying to borrow books last night, but hadn't found a suitable opportunity. Now, these older sisters were ill and unable to travel with the group, so their bad mood was understandable. He suddenly realized that his previous success in borrowing books had made him a little complacent, and his haste today had only upset them. Thinking this, Xingbao couldn't help but feel a pang of regret—if he couldn't borrow the books this time, finding another opportunity might not be so easy.

He clenched his sleeve, preparing to turn and leave, when another girl's voice suddenly came from inside the room: "Wait!" Immediately afterward, he heard four girls inside whispering amongst themselves, their voices full of distress. Xingbao, with his sharp ears, vaguely heard them worrying about taking care of a male student in another room—although women's status had improved somewhat, the traditional concept of gender segregation remained deeply ingrained. The cafeteria only provided accommodation and basic conveniences; it wouldn't assign someone specifically to look after a male student. They were at a loss, caught in a dilemma. Xingbao's mind raced; he immediately understood. This was a perfect opportunity to borrow books. Perhaps he could use borrowing books as leverage to help them solve this problem. That way, he could both borrow the books and offer his assistance.

Not long after, the conversation in the room stopped, and the girl who had called out to him earlier said, "Kid, come in."

Xingbao pushed open the door and went inside. He saw two medicine bowls upside down on the table in the room. On his and Guixiang's bed lay two pale-faced girls, resting with their eyes closed. Two other girls sat beside the bed. One girl had her eyes downcast and didn't even glance at him, only focusing on gently comforting her companion on the bed, her expression still indifferent. The other girl's expression softened slightly. She turned to look at Xingbao, her tone a little gentler than before: "Kid, you can borrow books if you want to read them, but we have one condition. You have to agree to it."

Xingbao's eyes lit up, and he nodded quickly, saying without hesitation, "Sister, since you're staying at our inn, you're guests. Just let us know if you need anything, and we'll do our best to help!"

Hearing Xingbao's sensible words, the girl looked a little embarrassed and said softly, "We also have a male classmate who is recovering from an illness. He lives in the next room, and it's not very convenient for us girls to take care of him..."

Xingbao immediately understood and readily took on the responsibility, even subtly implicating his second brother, saying with a smile, "Sisters, don't worry, I'll take care of this! Even if you hadn't mentioned it, we would have looked after him. During the day, I'll read in his room and keep him company; at night, I'll have my second brother stay with him, making sure he's not left unattended."