Courtyard House: Rebirth of a Shopkeeper in 1937

As evening fell and the sun gradually sank, the sky turned orange-red. Xingbao and Guixiang, with their second brother's help, carefully stored away the three types of mosquito coils that had been dried. The three siblings planned to light one in each room to test which one was most effective at repelling mosquitoes. Guixiang looked at the mosquito coils she had made herself, feeling a little uneasy. These coils didn't look very appealing; they were rows of black, unevenly thick coils, bearing obvious fingerprints. She couldn't help but feel a little disgusted by these ugly black sticks and asked hesitantly, "Xingbao, will this incense really kill those nasty mosquitoes?"

"This is something we made, it's sure to work." Xingbao said confidently. "Have you forgotten that Dad burns mugwort every evening to repel mosquitoes? Although the thick smoke from mugwort is effective, the smoke from this one is less, so it can be lit at night while we sleep. It helps us drive away mosquitoes without being choking."

Xingbao led the way, carrying a bamboo basket; his second brother followed with their father's tinderbox; and Guixiang trailed behind, fanning herself with a palm-leaf fan just like the one used by Ji Gong, her expression a mixture of anticipation and nervousness. The three of them started their work in their parents' room. Xingbao squatted by the bedside, carefully picking up a thick, black mosquito coil. Using the tinderbox his second brother had blown on, he lit it. A spark crackled, and he quickly placed the burning end inwards, flat against the brick at the foot of the bed, securing it with a small stone. Orange-red sparks slowly crept along the coil, and a faint scent of woody smoke quickly filled the air. "Let's light it first, then we'll go to the next room and check on it later," their parents and eldest brother said, amusedly watching their children's antics while busy entertaining their guests.

Next, we went to Xingbao and Guixiang's room. This time, Guixiang insisted on doing it herself. Her fingers were white as she gripped the mosquito coil, afraid she might accidentally break her "treasure." She followed Xingbao's method step by step, while Xingbao patiently explained the benefits of doing it this way. He was afraid the little girl might be careless while playing with fire and accidentally set something on fire. Fortunately, Guixiang was quick-witted and remembered the key points after hearing it only once.

Only the second brother squatted on the threshold, wondering how Xingbao suddenly knew so much. Could it be that his parents had secretly memorized the tips when they warned them that "playing with fire is dangerous"?

Finally, it was the eldest and second eldest brothers' rooms. This time, the second eldest brother lit and placed the incense himself. For the next half hour, the three of them checked and compared the incense in these rooms. Suddenly, Guixiang found two dying mosquitoes on the floor of her room. She carefully picked them up and held them in her palm, then excitedly ran to her mother to announce the good news: "Mother, it really works! The incense we made is even more powerful than Father's mugwort!"

Mother gently stroked her hair and smiled, "In that case, make more tomorrow, and we'll use this incense from now on." She then raised an eyebrow, glanced in Father's direction, and said to the children, "Grandma usually dotes on you the most. Now that you've made something nice yourselves, shouldn't you send some to Grandma as well?"

Gui Xiang nodded emphatically, "Yes, Xing Bao and I will go to Grandma's house later." Her voice was full of joy and anticipation.

After comparative observation: the cigarette smoke in the parents' room was denser and burned faster, driving away all the mosquitoes; the incense in the second brother's room burned too slowly, leaving a few mosquitoes lingering; in contrast, the incense in Xingbao and Guixiang's rooms produced just the right amount of smoke and burned steadily, eliminating the mosquitoes completely. After discussion, everyone unanimously decided that the formula with denser smoke was more suitable for larger spaces such as the main room. These two formulas were ultimately selected to see how effective they were in actual use, with further improvements to be made based on the results. Overall, this mosquito coil trial was a great success.

Seeing the remarkable success of the experiment, the father was also pleased and instructed, "Yan Guo, go and light mosquito coils in the main room and guest rooms as well."

Amidst the rising steam, the overnight guests inquired with curiosity, and the father, beaming with excitement, recounted the amusing story of two "coal miners." During the gathering, a middle-aged merchant, a seasoned traveler, exclaimed, "These mosquito coils are sold in the city, but they're more elaborate, and a small box costs several copper coins! I never imagined they were made so simply!" Several other quick-thinking guests, after hearing this, seemed thoughtful, perhaps also considering returning home to replicate and sell them.

Just as everyone was chatting and laughing, a strange voice called out from outside the door: "Song Dawei, is Mr. Song Dawei home?"

Xingbao and Guixiang, hearing the commotion outside, curiously ran to the door to investigate. When they opened it, they saw a young man of about eighteen or nineteen standing under the lantern. He was tall, with a handsome face, and exuded youthful energy. He wore a brand-new black Zhongshan suit, a black octagonal cap, and black cloth shoes, though dusty, that couldn't hide his neat and tidy appearance. Biao Nian had a slightly worn cloth bag slung across his shoulder and a letter in his hand. He was using the dim light of the lantern above the door to make out the shop sign, "Jin Xian Song Ji Huo Pu"—it turned out to be the district postman, who had come to deliver mail to them. Judging from his slightly awkward appearance, he wasn't familiar with the area yet, so he must have just started his job today.

"Dad, the postman has come to deliver the letter!" Xingbao shouted.

Gui Xiang obediently stepped forward, tilting her little face up to the postman and saying, "Uncle, are you looking for my dad? He's inside, please come in and sit down!"

Xingbao dashed off to make tea. Just then, his father walked out, past the ebony sedan chair parked in the main room, and bowed, saying, "I am Song Dawei. May I ask if you were looking for me?"

"That's right." The postman stood up and handed over a brown paper envelope. "This is your letter."

Father took the heavy letter, his knuckles tightening slightly: "Thank you for your hard work, brother. It's getting late, and the road isn't safe. Why don't you stay here for the night so I can express my gratitude? You can set off again tomorrow."

"Please have some tea to moisten your mouth." Xingbao handed over a bowl of tea at the right time.

The postman took the teacup, drank it all in one gulp, and handed it back to Xingbao: "Thank you for your kindness, innkeeper. The village isn't far from here. I can stay there and won't disturb your rest any longer."

"Absolutely not!" Father hurriedly waved his hand. "It's too dangerous to cross Tiger Slope at this time. Listen to me, you must stay here tonight!" After saying that, he called Mother to make the bed.

"No need for you to bother, shopkeeper. I'm in a hurry, so I'll be going now. I'll come again when I have the chance," the postman said, turning and leaving.

"Sigh!" Father sighed deeply. He then slowly opened the letter in his hand. It was from his younger brother, and the postmark on the envelope indicated that it had been sent from Xi'an.

"Dad, who sent this letter?" Xingbao asked, his big, round eyes full of curiosity. He pondered to himself, "Our relatives all live nearby, and even the farthest relative is only a half-day's walk away. So who could have sent this letter?" Suddenly, a thought flashed through his mind, "Could it be my uncle?"

Before he could even figure it out, a gasp escaped his lips involuntarily: "Uncle!"

This shout was like a lightning bolt ripped through the peaceful night sky, instantly attracting everyone's attention. His eldest brother, second brother, and mother all rushed over upon hearing Xingbao's cry.

Father held the envelope, examining it closely, muttering to himself, "It really is your uncle. This letter came from Xi'an." His brow furrowed slightly, seemingly puzzled by his uncle's whereabouts. "How did this kid end up in Xi'an? Didn't he say he was in Changsha when he joined the army?"

The mother seemed a little anxious, and she kept urging the father, "Husband, quickly open it and see what the postcard says."

After responding, Father slowly reached out his hand, as if the envelope were some precious treasure, afraid of accidentally damaging it. His movements were gentle and careful as he slowly tore open the seal of the envelope, afraid of making the slightest sound.

When the envelope was opened, Dad was surprised to find that besides the letter, there were three other letters inside! He carefully took out the three letters and set them aside before pulling out the letter.

The handwriting on the letter was rather messy, clearly written in a hurry. Dad squinted, carefully deciphering the words. The letter mainly reported that he was safe and sound, saying that since leaving Changsha, he had traveled through Jiangxi and Jiangsu provinces, participating in training, and had never had the chance to send the letter he had written before.

Until last year, the unit was suddenly and urgently transferred from Jiangsu to Xi'an for garrison duty. Due to the urgency, there was no time to write letters. Today, the squad leader happened to be in the city on business, so he asked the squad leader to take this letter home along with the other letters that had been piling up.

Looking at the three old letters, Father was filled with emotion. One of them was written to Li Youcai, and the other two were written earlier: one to his parents and the other to his brother-in-law.

Father opened the letter to himself again: first, it was filled with greetings, followed by a note of remorse, saying he hadn't been able to fulfill his filial duties and asked his sister and brother-in-law to take care of their parents. The letter continued, recounting the hardships of training when he first joined the army, and how, based on the experience he'd heard from his brother-in-law, he and Li Youde had been selected for the artillery platoon, quickly mastering their skills. The squad leader treated them well, but the army's discipline was strict and the training rigorous. The letter also mentioned that occasionally, they would see tall foreigners in the camp—blonde hair, blue eyes, high noses, wearing crisp uniforms and shiny leather shoes—and whenever they appeared, the atmosphere in the entire camp would suddenly tense. At the end, he inquired about the recent situation of Xingbao and Guixiang, the siblings.

"It's good that he's safe, it's good that he's safe... This heartless man, wouldn't it be better if he stayed home and found a job? He must have suffered a lot in the army this time! Quick, quick, take the letter to your parents—your parents have been worried sick about him every day, now we can finally rest easy." As she spoke, Mother snatched the letter from Father's hand, then turned and ordered, "Yanbang, take your younger siblings to Grandma's house." Before she finished speaking, she quickly walked out of the house.

The siblings, who had been discussing the foreigners' appearances, quickly greeted their father and followed their mother. Xingbao even grabbed a few mosquito coils as he left.

It was only the 17th of the night, and the clear moonlight shone like water over the stone-paved road. From afar, Guixiang shouted towards her maternal grandparents' house, "Grandpa, Grandma and Uncle have sent a letter!" Her clear, childlike voice broke the silence of the night, and heads immediately popped out of the windows of several houses around—especially Uncle Youcai, who practically sprang out of his house, slamming the door open with a "bang," nearly falling over, with Aunt Bai's scolding behind him.

Grandpa, Grandma, Uncle, Aunt, Sister Shanshan, and Brother Dashan all came to greet us at the door. Grandpa gripped the doorframe tightly with his wrinkled hands, his voice trembling slightly: "Third Aunt, is there really news from Ming?"

"Father, it's news from Youming! Everything is alright!" Knowing that the old man was worried, Mother raised her voice first to report that everything was fine.

Grandma's tense body relaxed, and she wiped away the tears from the corners of her eyes with her apron: "What did the letter say?"

Mother rushed forward, taking three steps at a time, and tightly stuffed the thick stack of letters into Grandpa's hands. Then, she carefully helped Grandma, turning and walking towards the house. As they walked, Mother comforted her, saying, "They're in Xi'an now, everything's fine!"

Just then, as if remembering something, Mother suddenly turned around and her gaze fell on Uncle Youcai, who was nervously following behind and constantly wringing his hands. She quickly slapped her forehead and said in annoyance, "Oh dear, what a forgetful thing I am! Brother Youcai, there's a letter Youde wrote to you here. I'll get it for you in a bit."

Upon hearing this, Uncle Youcai finally felt relieved. He quickly waved his hand and said with a smile, "No rush, no rush." ​​After saying that, he followed the others into the house.

After settling into his chair, Grandpa first picked out Uncle Youcai's letter from the stack of letters and gently handed it to him. Just as Grandpa was about to open the letter in his hand, he was surprised to find Grandma staring intently at the envelope in his hand, her gaze as if she wanted to see right through it.

Seeing this, Grandpa shook his head helplessly and had no choice but to push all the letters in his hand in front of Grandma. Grandma's withered fingers caressed the envelopes as if they were rare treasures, as if she couldn't bear to move them away.

Grandpa was extremely anxious watching from the side. He kept rubbing his hands together, and finally couldn't bear it any longer. He complained, "Old woman, if you keep touching it like that, you'll crumple up the words on the letter!"

Grandma slowly took the slender needle from the sewing box beside her, as if it were a precious treasure. She carefully aimed the tip of the needle at the seal of the envelope and gently pried open the thin layer of paper, afraid that she might accidentally damage the envelope.

When the envelope was opened, Grandma slowly pulled out the letter inside and unfolded it. However, due to the dim light of the oil lamp and the eye injury caused by years of needlework, she found that she could not see the words on the letter clearly at all.

Despite this, Grandma ignored Grandpa's expectant gaze and resolutely handed the letter to her eldest brother, saying, "Yanbang, you're well-educated, why don't you read it to everyone?" Grandma gripped the envelope tightly, as if it carried some important meaning.

Upon hearing his grandmother's words, the eldest brother cleared his throat, took the letter, and prepared to read it aloud. Just then, Xingbao quickly lit a mosquito coil and placed it in the corner of the wall.

Meanwhile, many neighbors entered the house. Adults carried children, while the little ones clung to the doorframe, peering out curiously. The whole house fell silent; everyone held their breath, eagerly awaiting the contents of the letter.

This was a letter that only reported good news, not bad. It began with greetings to the parents, revealing a deep longing for family. The letter then recounted anecdotes from military life, various sights encountered on the march, and the local customs and traditions of several garrisons. Finally, the writer sent home all the silver dollars he had painstakingly saved, along with a detailed inventory list.

While everyone was in high spirits, Li Youcai also took out his letter and had his older brother read it aloud. The contents of the letter were similar, except that he added the experience he had heard from his uncle. The two of them had been selected for the artillery platoon together so that they could look after each other in the future.

After hearing the letter, the room immediately became lively, with everyone chattering away. The topic inevitably turned to foreigners. Some said they were tall and imposing, others said their clothes were strange, and still others said their speech was as incomprehensible as gibberish. Everyone had their own opinions and viewpoints, and the room was filled with a cacophony of voices, making for quite a lively scene.

In this quiet mountain valley, such a discussion undoubtedly brought a unique freshness and warmth to the people. Everyone spoke at once, sharing their insights, seemingly forgetting the passage of time. After a while, the group gradually dispersed, each returning to their own lives.

Only then did Guixiang seem to remember something. She suddenly ran to her grandmother, proudly presented a mosquito coil she had made herself, and chattered on and on, recounting her process and experience in making the mosquito coil, completely forgetting the unpleasantness of being called a "coal miner" earlier.

"Good, good, good! Our Guixiang has really grown up. She can even make mosquito repellent incense now!" Grandma hugged the little girl happily, her face full of a gratified smile.

"Grandma, my siblings and I didn't make much today, so please use these few. We'll make more mosquito coils for you tomorrow and bring them over!" Xingbao stepped forward at the right moment, holding a few mosquito coils in his hand, and said to his grandmother with a smile.

When Xingbao finally returned home and lay on his familiar bed, the contents of his uncle's letter kept flashing through his mind like a movie. The letter mentioned that there were foreigners in the army, which made me think of those well-equipped German-trained divisions.

After some thought, I suddenly realized that the only unit that seemed to fit the description of first being in Jiangsu and then going to Xi'an was the 36th Division of the National Revolutionary Army. However, the 36th Division also participated in the Battle of Shanghai and suffered heavy losses. My heart sank, and I couldn't help but worry about my uncle.