Courtyard House: Rebirth of a Shopkeeper in 1937

The words had barely left his lips when Father deflated like a punctured balloon. The fierceness in his eyes vanished instantly, replaced by endless sorrow and helplessness. After all, the general was gone, and those past hopes were ultimately just wishful thinking. Even if the general were still alive, with the devastation of the war and the collapse of morale, no one could say how much hope there was left. Before he finished speaking, his aura suddenly collapsed, as if all his strength had been drained away. His legs went weak, and he slumped heavily back onto the stool, his shoulders trembling uncontrollably. His calloused hands, accustomed to holding spatulas and abacuses, now hung limply at his sides, even his fingertips trembling slightly. A long, heavy sigh escaped his throat, mingling with the aroma of Laba porridge wafting from the kitchen, slowly dissipating into the air of the kitchen, filled with resentment and despair. The eldest brother, the second brother, and Brother Dashan all lowered their heads, their brows furrowed, their eyes brimming with undisguised grief and helplessness. Their hands clenched into fists, knuckles white, yet they couldn't utter a single word—they possessed boundless passion, but were too small and weak to even protect their homeland, forced to watch helplessly as their land crumbled and their people perished. Brother Qianjin silently put down his bowl of porridge, his fingertips gently tracing the cold rim. He sighed softly, swallowing back the accusations and lamentations that were on the tip of his tongue. Any words he could utter seemed utterly pale and powerless in the face of such a devastated land and such profound suffering. A deathly silence fell over the entire kitchen; even breathing became extremely soft. Only the cold wind outside the window, carrying the chill of winter, howled and whistled, as if softly weeping for this long-suffering land, recounting its endless suffering and desolation.

Just as the deathly silence began to spread, an anxious voice broke the heavy atmosphere from the passageway behind the main room: "What's wrong with you all? Why are you all so dejected? Husband, you were shouting so loudly just now, I heard you feeding the chickens in the backyard! Didn't you say that Qianjin brought a letter? Could it be that something happened to Youming?" Everyone turned around at the sound of the voice and saw Mother, with her round belly, carefully holding two warm eggs in her hands, walking slowly from the passageway. Her brows were tightly furrowed, and her face was full of undisguised anxiety. Even her steps were slower than usual, as if she was afraid of disturbing the child in her womb.

Mother's voice was like a wake-up call, instantly breaking the oppressive atmosphere in the main room and startling everyone from their grief and anger. Father was the first to react. He immediately suppressed his sorrow and anger, quickly replacing them with a gentle expression. He stood up hastily, a smile of apology on his face, and hurried to meet her. He reached out and carefully took Mother's arm, his voice soft and reassuring: "Third Mother, don't panic, Youming is alright. Please don't rush on your way, watch your step. This letter wasn't sent by Youming, it was sent by Meiyao in Shaoyang. I'm currently talking to Qianjin about the war at the front, I haven't had time to open it yet." As he spoke, he gently helped Mother move to a stool, afraid that she would get tired from standing for too long.

Hearing that it wasn't her uncle Youming who was in trouble, Mother's heart instantly calmed down, and her tense shoulders relaxed a bit. She let Father help her sit down slowly, gently patting her chest, her voice still tinged with lingering urgency: "It's good it wasn't Youming, you scared me so much. Which Meiyao? I don't remember her at all!" As she spoke, she looked down at the eggs in her hand, carefully placing them in an empty bowl on the table, afraid of breaking them.

Sitting beside my mother, Dad softened his tone and explained carefully, "It's the family next to our old house, Mei-guang's younger brother. When I was in the army, after my father passed away, there was no one to take care of Da-heng and Da-yi. It was Mei-yao's family who helped us a lot. After I came back from the army, I knew that Mei-yao was a lively boy who wanted to go to the city to see the world, so I wrote a letter asking my old friends in Shaoyang to look after him. More than ten years have passed in the blink of an eye, and he suddenly sent a letter. I was wondering what he wanted." Speaking of the past, Dad's tone was filled with gratitude, and a warmth appeared in his eyes when he thought of the difficulties of those years.

Upon hearing this, Mother's eyes lit up slightly, and she suddenly realized, patting her forehead and saying with a smile, "Oh, it's Meiguang's brother! I remember now, you mentioned this to me back in the old house. But when I married into this family, he had already gone to Shaoyang, and I haven't seen him in all these years. Speaking of which, during the two years I gave birth to Yanbang and Yanguo, I was weak, and I was so grateful to Sister-in-law Meiguang for taking care of me, bringing me tea and water, brewing medicine and cooking for me. She went to great lengths. Later, we moved here to open a food shop, and we were so busy that we didn't have time to rest. It's been several years since I went back to the old house to see Sister-in-law Meiguang. I wonder how she is doing, and if things are alright at home." Her tone was full of nostalgia and concern, and a gentle smile appeared on her face as she recalled the kindness shown to her in the past.

Father smiled and nodded, reassuringly saying, "Don't worry, my brother and sister-in-law are both in good health. When I went back to the old house last time, I heard from the villagers that Brother Meiguang is busy finding someone to matchmake his son, and we expect to have good news soon. When you're feeling better next year, we'll go back to the old house, and maybe we can even go to the wedding banquet and catch up with Sister-in-law Meiguang."

"That's wonderful!" Mother's face broke into a genuine smile, her brows and eyes relaxing. "Then I can have a good chat with my sister-in-law, reminiscing about the past few years, and properly thanking her for her help back then." She then turned to her brother, Qianjin, her voice gentle and warm: "Qianjin, drink less porridge, don't eat too much. Today is Yanguo's tenth birthday, stay until after lunch, have a red egg, and share in the child's joy." Before Qianjin could respond, she turned to Xingbao and Guixiang standing to the side, her tone slightly reproachful yet full of affection: "Xingbao, Guixiang, you two have been nowhere to be seen all morning, running around everywhere. Today is your second brother's tenth birthday, and you haven't even come to help your mother with the chores. If you do, there will be one less egg for me, let's see if you dare run around again!"

Upon hearing that she would have to eat one less egg, Guixiang immediately panicked. She rushed forward, tugging at her mother's clothes, and said obediently, "Mom, I was wrong! I won't run away again! I'll help you take the egg to the kitchen, and I'll help you start the fire and prepare the vegetables. Please don't let me eat fewer eggs, okay?" As she spoke, she reached for the egg on the table. Her obedient and eager appearance finally brought a smile to everyone's tense faces, and the oppressive atmosphere in the main room completely dissipated. Xingbao also stepped forward and said softly, "Mom, I'll go help in the kitchen too."