Courtyard House: Rebirth of a Shopkeeper in 1937

The two walked along the mountain path towards the side gate. As they walked, the scene he had witnessed a couple of days ago vividly resurfaced in Xingbao's mind: the students coming down the mountain were covered in mud, all barefoot, their soles red from the cold. Several students had mud stains on their buttocks and trouser legs as well. The worst off was one whose face was bruised on one side, and he had lost his brazier somewhere, shivering with cold. When their mother saw them in such a disheveled state, she was almost frightened. She quickly called their older brothers to pour them hot water to wash their feet and even found some of their older brothers' old clothes for them to change into. As for their shoes, they carefully put them in their bags, reluctant to take them out, afraid that the muddy mountain path would wear them out. Looking at these children so determined to learn, Xingbao was filled with mixed emotions. This scene was so similar to his middle school classmates who lived in the mountains in his previous life—while other classmates were still sound asleep in their warm beds, they had already set off in the dark with flashlights, rain or shine, never complaining about the hardships of the journey, nor caring about the strange looks from others. Occasionally, they would even exchange a few self-deprecating jokes with their friends, teasing each other about their embarrassing situations. In their hearts, there was always only one firm purpose: to pursue their studies. As his thoughts drifted away, Xingbao was gently tugged on the arm by Guixiang, who indicated that they had reached the side door of the kitchen. The two of them immediately gathered their thoughts and stepped inside.

As the two entered the kitchen, they saw Li Guangsheng and four female students surrounding their father, asking him something earnestly and urgently. Xingbao and Guixiang quietly approached and listened closely, realizing they were inquiring about renting a carriage for their departure. Li Guangsheng spoke first, his tone polite yet expectant: "Manager Song, we're preparing to set off in a few days. I wonder if we can rent a horse-drawn carriage in the village? If not, a donkey cart or oxcart will do, as long as it gets us there."

Father put down the trinkets he was organizing, pondered for a moment, and said truthfully, "This road was only recently repaired. The villagers who own cattle haven't had time to buy vehicles yet, so renting one in the village is probably impossible. If you want to rent a vehicle, you'll have to go to Yongfeng. There are more vehicles there, and more choices. The drivers who have been stopping at the shop lately are almost all from Xiangxiang County. There are also vehicles from Yaodu, but there are fewer of them. After all, the road further west isn't fully completed yet, so very few drivers go there."

Upon hearing this, Li Guangsheng and the four female students huddled together and whispered for a moment. They exchanged glances and ultimately decided that renting a carriage in Yongfeng was the safest option. At this moment, the gentle Miss He spoke first, her tone still polite: "Shopkeeper, could you please help us rent a carriage from Yongfeng in four days? We'll gather the money as quickly as possible and pay you then."

Dad smiled and waved his hand, readily agreeing: "Four days later? Sure, no problem! I was just planning to go to Yongfeng to buy some goods that day, and I'll help you rent a car on the way, so you won't have to make another unnecessary trip. Don't worry."

Perhaps it was the confirmation of their departure date that finally put their minds at ease, and the five of them felt much better, their worries largely dissipating. Instead of returning to their rooms to rest, they went straight to the kitchen, gathered around the charcoal fire to warm themselves and chat, their voices filled with anticipation for their journey, occasionally mentioning their plans after returning to their unit. Seeing this, Gui Xiang quickly joined them, thinking to herself: they'll be leaving in a few days, I haven't heard enough of their stories about the city, Xingbao hasn't finished reading the books they brought, and my two older brothers haven't copied much. Thinking this, she simply took out a few sweet potatoes she had treasured for a long time, carefully placed them in the charcoal fire, and said with a smile to the girls and Li Guangsheng, "Sisters, and Brother Li, I'll treat you to roasted sweet potatoes! Our sweet potatoes are so delicious, sweet and soft, but there aren't enough, I didn't even give Xiaohua any!"

No one knew that the sweet potatoes Gui Xiang treasured were small ones that occasionally grew in Xing Bao's space. Because they weren't specifically cultivated, the yield was extremely low, and harvesting just a few depended entirely on luck. Gui Xiang herself usually couldn't bear to eat a single bite. Now, she was offering them to them out of genuine reluctance to see them leave, secretly hoping that this gesture would encourage them to stay a few more days, allowing her to hear more interesting stories, and enabling Xing Bao and his two older brothers to borrow and copy more books. Xing Bao stood to the side, observing Gui Xiang's thoughts, shaking his head helplessly, but not revealing her secret intentions.

Miss Qian, who had been keeping a cold face and rarely spoke, finally couldn't help but ask, "Guixiang, are your sweet potatoes as delicious as the vegetables you grow? I think your vegetables taste even better than those famous hotels in Nanjing. And the cabbages piled up in your main room, each one is so big. We've never seen such big cabbages before."

Hearing Miss Qian's praise, Gui Xiang's face immediately lit up with pride. She puffed out her chest and said with a hint of smugness, "Sister Qian, these are all high-yield varieties that we've worked so hard to cultivate! Those cabbages in the main room were given to our family. My uncle took them to the medicine market to sell, and each one could fetch a penny! But my brothers said that the yield of these crops is still unstable right now, and if we plant them again next year, they might not be as big. And these sweet potatoes, we don't have enough seeds, so we have to wait until next year to start seedlings, and then we'll share them with the villagers to plant together."

Miss Qian became increasingly curious, her eyes filled with inquiry. She couldn't help but ask again, "Guixiang, can you tell us how you cultivate such big cabbages? We grew up in the city and have never done any farm work before. We're so curious." The other girls and Li Guangsheng nodded in agreement, their eyes full of curiosity, clearly also very interested in this matter.

Seeing the eager gazes of Li Guangsheng and the four female students, Guixiang felt even more smug. For the past few days, she had been quietly listening to them talk about interesting things in the city and their experiences in various places. Now it was finally her turn to "show off," and she naturally wouldn't refuse. Guixiang cleared her throat, straightened her small body, and began to talk about how the breeding base had just started preparing the land and repairing the dikes. She described in detail the process of digging river mud, separating horse hooves, and burning straw ash for compost, then the subsequent sowing, watering, weeding, and catching insects, all the way to the final harvest. She also interspersed the various hardships of everyone harvesting rice flowers and searching for rice seeds. She spoke vividly, and even she herself was immersed in those busy and fulfilling days.