Courtyard House: Rebirth of a Shopkeeper in 1937

Upon hearing this, Gui Xiang's eyes lit up even more. She quickly and gently placed the ceramic jar she was carrying in the corner, afraid of spilling the medicine inside. Then, she hurriedly climbed onto a stool and approached the table, bending down to examine the paper packets labeled with the names of the medicinal herbs and the scales. Her face was full of excitement: "Thank you, Master! We'll definitely weigh them carefully and won't make a mistake!" Xing Bao also stepped forward, respectfully nodded to his master, then climbed onto a stool and leaned over the table, opening each paper packet one by one. He carefully examined each herb, confirming that they were all the types recorded in the medical books for preparing frostbite medicine, without the slightest error. The master looked at the siblings' solemn expressions, smiled again, and turned to continue packing his medicine box, but his eyes kept glancing at the two of them, secretly observing their actions. Several female students and Li Guangsheng, who were watching this scene, also showed faint smiles on their faces. The sorrow that had been hanging over them due to the unclear news from Nanjing dissipated somewhat. Such a heartwarming scene was especially rare in these chaotic years of war.

After the two finished identifying the medicinal herbs, Guixiang quickly took two sheets of brown paper from her master's medicine box, carefully giving one to Xingbao. She then picked up a steelyard balance, her brow furrowed, and began to slowly weigh the herbs, recalling the dosages recorded in the medical books and imitating the method her master's wife had taught her. Her technique was still somewhat clumsy; her hand holding the steelyard balance trembled slightly. She had to add or subtract ingredients from each herb several times to barely achieve the right amount, but her expression was extremely focused and serious, even her breathing was very soft. Her master stood behind her with a smile, occasionally gently correcting her mistakes, reminding her to "hold the steelyard balance steadily" and "add the herbs slowly." Guixiang listened very carefully, memorizing everything, and after quite a bit of effort, she finally prepared her own prescription.

As soon as she put down the scales, without even catching her breath, she rushed to her room, found the medical book she usually copied, quickly flipped to the page with the prescription for treating frostbite, carefully checked the quantities of the herbs she had prepared, and only after confirming that they were exactly correct did she skip and hop to her master to hand in her report, her tone full of pride: "Master, my medicine is ready, the quantities are exactly the same as in the book, now it's Xingbao's turn!"

Master picked up the medicine prepared by Guixiang. Looking at the perfectly clean medicine without a single speck of dust, his lips twitched slightly, but he still nodded in satisfaction, his tone gentle and approving: "Hmm, Guixiang's medicine preparation is flawless, it's just that her technique isn't quite there yet. With a few more practices, she'll be able to weigh medicine for your mistress." He then turned to Xingbao, who was waiting nearby, and said with a smile, "Xingbao, you've seen how your sister prepares the medicine, why don't you try it too?"

Xingbao responded and stepped forward to pick up the steelyard. Like Guixiang, he was still young and his hands were small, so he couldn't quite control the small steelyard at first. He imitated how his master had instructed Guixiang earlier, first moving the weight on the balance bar to the desired index, then firmly gripping the bar with his left hand, lifting the balance knob, and gently placing the medicine into the pan with his right hand. He weighed the first two medicines rather slowly, carefully adjusting the amount; but because Xingbao's senses and mental strength far surpassed those of ordinary people, he gradually became familiar with the feel of the steelyard, and soon he could handle the remaining medicines faster and faster, his movements becoming more and more skillful. Before long, he had prepared his prescription. If he could practice regularly, it wouldn't be long before he could accurately measure the required amount of medicine even without the steelyard.

Gui Xiang stood behind Xing Bao the whole time, her hands tightly gripping the hem of her clothes. She was even more nervous than when she was weighing the herbs herself. Her eyes were fixed on the herbs on the scale, and she kept muttering, "A little less," "Add a little more." Every now and then, she would tug at Xing Bao's clothes and say anxiously, "Xing Bao, slow down, don't rush. Don't weigh them wrong and Master will scold you!" Xing Bao adjusted the weight of the herbs while gently reassuring her, "Sister, don't worry, I won't make a mistake. Relax." As soon as he finished speaking, he accurately adjusted the weight of the last herb and gently put down the scale.

The master was naturally very knowledgeable about scales. He could tell whether the weights were correct just by watching Xingbao's movements and the herbs being weighed. Seeing that Xingbao had dispensed the herbs perfectly, a gratified smile immediately appeared on his face. He patted Xingbao's shoulder and then rubbed Guixiang's head, praising her gently, "You two siblings are both very diligent, especially Xingbao, who picked it up very quickly. Guixiang is also very serious. With more practice, you will be able to help your master's wife in the future." Afterward, the master encouraged them to continue to study medicine identification and dispensing diligently, and not to slack off. After giving them his instructions, he shouldered his medicine box, bid farewell to Xingbao's family and several students, and hurried off to make house calls elsewhere.

After seeing her master off, Gui Xiang's long-suppressed excitement erupted instantly. She immediately grabbed Xing Bao's arm and shook it vigorously, her eyes filled with eagerness. She said impatiently, "Xing Bao, Xing Bao, let's go call our friends over! I want to show them that my medicine works! I really can make medicine now!" Gui Xiang was never one to hide her feelings, and now she couldn't wait to take everyone home immediately, brew the medicine on the spot, and give them a proper bath to prove her skills. She couldn't wait a moment longer. But Xing Bao gently shook his head, pointed towards the main room, and patiently persuaded her, "Sister, listen, Big Brother is teaching the children to read in the main room. It's already noisy enough in there, and the older brothers and sisters in the rooms are still recovering and need quiet. If we call our friends over now, it will be too noisy and disturb them."

Upon hearing this, Gui Xiang's excited little face immediately fell, revealing a hint of reluctance. Her lips pouted slightly, and she muttered softly, too embarrassed to argue further. Seeing this, Xing Bao softened his tone and added, "How about we postpone preparing the medicine until after lunch? By then, Big Brother's class will be over, and the older brothers and sisters will have rested. Then we can all come over, and we can properly prepare the medicine to treat their frostbite. You can also 'show off' your skills then, okay?"

"Alright then!" Gui Xiang reluctantly agreed, her tone tinged with disappointment, but she knew Xing Bao was right, so she didn't insist any further and obediently let Xing Bao take her hand, quietly making her way back home through the side door. Xing Bao chose the side door because he knew that his older brothers were teaching the children in the main room, which was already noisy. If he went in through the main door, he would inevitably disturb them, so he never went through the main room unless absolutely necessary.