Courtyard House: Rebirth of a Shopkeeper in 1937

Just then, Li Youcai and his farmhand Uncle Wang carried over several sturdy wooden planks, each carrying two stools. The wood grain clearly indicated they were newly made. Seeing his second brother with Xingbao and Guixiang, Li Youcai greeted them with a smile, "Yanguo, you're taking your younger siblings to bathe? Look at them, full of energy, they've been causing quite a ruckus!"

"Uncle Youcai, Uncle Wang, hello." The siblings hurriedly greeted each other.

"Go ahead and play, you guys, Uncle's still busy." Uncle Youcai's eyes narrowed into slits with a smile as he replied, quickly carrying the planks through the door with Uncle Wang. As soon as he entered, he greeted his father and the uncles who had come to help. "Brother Dawei, everyone, I've brought the planks and stools!"

Father and several uncles all put down what they were doing and came over to help put the planks down. Father pointed to the planks and stools on the ground, "Youcai, who are you...?"

"Hey, yesterday I came to your house to ask about Fugui's schooling. I noticed that the classroom was missing two rows of desks. Luckily, I had some wood at home, so I made a few stools with Kaijie. It's a small token of my appreciation for the children." Uncle Youcai said with a simple smile. "I also had Fugui move two more over later."

"Since it's for the children, then I'll let Yanbang accept it." Father turned to his eldest brother and said solemnly, "Yanbang, as their teacher, please accept this gift on their behalf."

The eldest brother straightened his clothes, stepped forward, and bowed to Uncle Youcai.

"No, no!" Uncle Youcai quickly helped his elder brother up. "It's already a good deed for the children to have a school to attend, and I'm just doing my part."

Father squatted down and tapped the wooden board. "Alright, stop refusing. The children will remember your kindness! Eldest son, don't stand there. Come with the second son and help Fugui move the stool over. Now that there are many people, we can all help you set up the classroom. Teach the children diligently in the future, and that will be your way of repaying them."

"Okay, Dad." After saying that, he turned around and ran with his second brother to move a stool.

Not long after, the eldest brother, second brother, and Fugui returned carrying stools. Everyone busied themselves again. Several uncles even brought out the wooden planks and stools that had been laid out the day before, re-trimming and polishing them, repeatedly feeling their surfaces to ensure there were no sharp edges or splinters. Xingbao was ashamed of his own lack of meticulousness—in his past life, he had such focus when making molds. Even if Xingbao's fitter skill level wasn't quite at level eight, it would at least be at least advanced!

Xingbao, Guixiang, and Fugui, along with a few other children, helped by pouring water, handing out cloths, and fanning them. The uncles and elders were very unceremonious, ordering the children around like crazy. Their father and older brothers also joined in, and they seemed to enjoy it immensely!

Many hands make light work, and after a flurry of activity, the stone slab and table were finished. Moving stools, carrying planks, and lifting the table, the group chatted and laughed as they moved everything into the small classroom next door. In no time, the table was neatly arranged. The ground was a bit uneven, so several people worked together to smooth it out and stabilize the table. Dad brought a ladder and hung a homemade wooden pulley on the roof beam. He threaded a thick hemp rope through it and hoisted the stone slab against the wall, placing it diagonally on the table. The other end of the rope was tied to a wooden stake about a person's height off the ground. The pulley made it easy to lay the stone slab flat so the children could practice calligraphy. Dad even had my eldest son try it a few times; putting it down and pulling it up was very easy. Dad cut off the excess rope to fit my eldest son's wrist, making a loop to wear around his wrist.

"These pulleys are a great installation. The children won't have to struggle to move the slates when they write, and the design is safe too," Uncle Deng couldn't help but praise, and the other uncles nodded in agreement. Looking at the empty room, which had been transformed into a real classroom by the arrangement of these pieces of furniture, everyone felt a sense of longing.

"Now that the house is all tidied up, let's take this opportunity to announce the names of all the children in our family and relatives!" Dad clapped his hands and said to everyone. As soon as he said this, the uncles and aunts gathered around, each taking turns announcing the names. The eldest brother took out a piece of paper he had prepared beforehand and wrote them down. After everyone had finished announcing, Dad counted on the paper; adding his own five, there were exactly twenty. "Exactly twenty! The table is a bit cramped, but we can still sit down!" Dad said with a smile. "But since we're not practicing calligraphy yet, we don't need that much space. Even if there are a few more children, we can still accommodate them."

The eldest brother stepped forward and earnestly instructed his uncles, "Uncles, classes officially begin the day after tomorrow. Each child should bring a small stool. If you have extra stools at home, you can bring one as a spare." Father took out a small box for practicing writing and handed it to the uncles, saying, "This is a small box for practicing writing. Have the children bring it. Fill it with fine sand so they can practice writing on it. Don't worry about the sand; I'll go to Yongfeng to buy some tomorrow and bring back a bag to distribute to the children."

"Brother Dawei is so thoughtful!" Uncle Deng took the wooden box and looked at it over and over. "With this box, it will be much easier for the children to practice calligraphy!" The other uncles nodded in agreement, their faces full of satisfaction.

"Also, uncles and elders, you should all prepare your brushes. If you can, buy some paper and ink; if you can't, use water to write on stone or wooden boards. We farm kids have always had this habit," the eldest brother added.

Xingbao listened with a heart full of joy; literacy was the foundation for changing everything. The opportunity was right in front of him! "Sister can go to school the day after tomorrow, and we can all play together again, and I can practice writing at home!" Guixiang nodded vigorously, her little face full of anticipation, her eyes sparkling, as if she could already see herself sitting in the classroom with her friends the day after tomorrow.

Everyone inquired and discussed the matter of going to school again. Afterwards, Dad and the eldest brother thanked everyone and went home.