Courtyard House: Rebirth of a Shopkeeper in 1937

The next morning, just as the sky was beginning to lighten and the sun had not yet fully risen, a thin layer of mist shrouded the earth, making everything appear somewhat hazy. Xingbao was still sound asleep when he was suddenly awakened by a series of urgent sounds.

"Xingbao, get up!" It was Guixiang's voice. She called out as she forcefully pulled Xingbao out of bed.

Xingbao, still half-asleep, opened his eyes groggily and looked at his anxious sister. He mumbled somewhat reluctantly, "Why are you waking me up so early?"

"Aren't we going to the old site of the Big Banyan Tree today? We need to get there early!" Gui Xiang explained.

Xingbao then remembered the appointment he had made with his sister yesterday. He quickly got out of bed, washed up hastily, and went out with Guixiang.

The morning air was exceptionally fresh, carrying a slight chill that invigorated the senses. The siblings, their feet crunching through the morning dew, hurried towards the old site of the banyan tree. Along the way, birds sang merrily in the branches, as if bidding them farewell.

After walking for a while, Xingbao spotted the familiar open space in the distance. Several groups of children were already playing there, their laughter and cheers echoing in the air.

The most conspicuous group among them were Xingbao and Guixiang's classmates. They were squatting on the ground, each holding a thin wooden stick, earnestly drawing their names on the muddy ground. Xingbao looked closely and realized they were practicing calligraphy!

Some of these classmates wrote neatly, while others wrote with a slightly immature style, but everyone was very focused, writing each stroke carefully. Around them, several teenagers stopped to watch, occasionally letting out exclamations of admiration.

Just then, Xi Wu's gaze suddenly sharpened, as if it could pierce through the crowd. His eyes, like those of a hawk, quickly scanned the surroundings, finally settling on the siblings. Xi Wu's lips curled into a friendly smile, and he raised his hand, warmly greeting them: "Gui Xiang, Xing Bao, come here! Take a look and see if I've written this character correctly."

His voice wasn't loud, but it reached the siblings' ears clearly. Hearing Xi Wu's call, Gui Xiang and Xing Bao exchanged a glance, then quickly walked over. Seeing this, Xi Wu quickly moved aside, making a small space for them.

Gui Xiang was known for her intelligence and quick learning speed at school, and was therefore recognized by everyone as the fastest learner. As the group leader, she was often surrounded by several younger students asking her questions, and Xing Bao was her capable assistant, not only acting as her "strategist" but also taking care of errands and other miscellaneous tasks.

The siblings each picked up a suitable stick, then squeezed into the crowd practicing calligraphy and squatted down. Their eyes simultaneously fell on the character that the martial arts practitioner had written, and they examined it carefully.

It turns out that the character Xi Wu wrote was indeed the character "武" (wu, meaning martial arts). Although his strokes were a bit crooked and looked somewhat immature, the overall structure was correct, showing that he had put in a lot of effort.

Gui Xiang looked at it for a while, then looked up, adopted the air of a young scholar, and said to Xi Wu in a slightly condescending tone, "Hmm, not bad. But, write another one for me to see."

After Xiwu finished writing it a second time, she immediately pointed out, like an experienced teacher, "Look, this slanted hook and dot should be written last. You always get the order wrong. Come on, write it again. I'll watch you write." After saying that, she really imitated how her older brother usually taught them, standing next to Xiwu and patiently guiding him to write each character stroke by stroke.

Seeing this, other students who were also puzzled gathered around, watching with curiosity as Xi Wu practiced writing, and asking her for tips and methods. For a moment, the courtyard in the morning light was filled with a learning atmosphere. Everyone was immersed in this pleasant learning time, and before they knew it, time had slipped away like flowing water.

The tranquility was broken when the eldest brother came looking for Xingbao and Guixiang and called them to dinner. Upon hearing her brother's voice, the little girl, like a joyful bird, flew to his side, tugged at his sleeve, gently shook him, and pleaded, "Big brother, can I skip class today?"

The older brother looked at her with doting eyes and asked with a smile, "What's wrong? Why don't you want to go to class?" The little girl blinked her big eyes and said expectantly, "I want to see Daddy practice fighting wolves, okay?"

Her words were like a pebble thrown into a calm lake, instantly creating ripples. The other students, their eyes blazing with excitement, swarmed around her, chattering excitedly:

"We want to see it too!"

"Yes, we also want to see wolves being hunted!"

"Sir, I also want to see Father practice!"

"My dad's playing against the Wolves too!"

Suddenly, a cacophony of sounds erupted, like a swarm of startled bees buzzing incessantly. This noisy scene shattered the previously tranquil atmosphere.

Just then, Father realized that his eldest brother had taken Guixiang and Xingbao out and hadn't returned for a long time. Worried, he decided to go out and look for them. When he saw the scene from afar, he couldn't help but shake his head helplessly, sighing inwardly, "Ah, these children..."

However, instead of scolding the children directly, Father walked up to them and said gently to Yanbang, "Yanbang, since everyone wants to see the wolf hunt so much, just agree. The wolf hunt is a big event in our village, so it's good for the children to see it. But, only for today." Father's voice wasn't loud, but it carried an undeniable authority.

The children immediately quieted down, all looking at their eldest brother, waiting for him to speak. The eldest brother pondered for a moment, then said solemnly, "Classmates, surrounding the teacher and demanding a holiday was inappropriate. From now on, if you have any questions, you should raise your hands in class and discuss them together. Now, do you know what to do?"

Upon hearing this, everyone bowed to their elder brother and then scattered to their homes.

After breakfast, the children arrived at the school one after another. They had no interest in practicing calligraphy, but were already buzzing with excitement, whispering among themselves about watching the wolf-hunting team practice later. The noisy school suddenly quieted down when the eldest brother appeared at the door.

"Hello, sir!"

Hello, students!

After the teachers and students exchanged greetings, the eldest brother stood silently, his gaze sweeping over the crowd, waiting for the students to raise their hands. The children looked at each other, none daring to speak first. Finally, Guixiang quietly nudged Xingbao beside her and raised his hand.

"Okay, Xingbao, you speak." The eldest brother called on him with a smile.

Xingbao had no choice but to stand up: "Sir, today is the start of the Wolf Team competition, and we would like to go and cheer for our father. Please grant us permission."

Looking at the students below, their eyes gleaming with anticipation, the eldest brother couldn't help but chuckle. "I'll emphasize again, in the future, if there are any holidays, I will inform you in advance. In special circumstances like today, you all still need to come to the school first and await further instructions." After a brief pause, he announced loudly, "Alright, now I announce—you are permitted to attend the ceremony and cheer. However, there will be many spectators today, so you must line up in formation, be sure to pay attention to safety, and look after each other; the older ones should protect the younger ones." Seeing everyone respond in unison, he added, "Now begin lining up, the younger ones in front, the older ones behind."

After a brief flurry of activity, the two groups of students finally stood in place. They all seemed a little nervous, as this was the first time they had stood together so formally. The eldest boy stood at the front of the line, looking at everyone with a serious expression, and then said loudly, "Remember your positions, and line up like this from now on."

The older brother's voice echoed in the classroom, and the students nodded in agreement, indicating that they had remembered. The older brother nodded in satisfaction, then turned and walked out of the classroom first.

As soon as I stepped out of the classroom, the noise from outside surged in like a tidal wave. It turned out that the outside was already bustling with activity. Coming out the gate, I saw a dense crowd of hundreds of people standing along the roadside. These villagers, men, women, and children, were packed shoulder to shoulder, so tightly that there wasn't even room to move.

Fortunately, several village elders recognized the eldest brother and the schoolchildren he was leading. They quickly pulled aside those around them to make way for them in the narrow passage. Seeing this, the eldest brother led the group quickly over and bowed to thank the elders.

Surrounded by the crowd, the eldest brother finally entered the arena. A considerable number of people had already gathered, whispering and discussing amongst themselves. The eldest brother led the children to the edge of the arena, where they stood waiting for the activities to begin.

At this moment, Chief Wang and several young men were maintaining order at the scene. In the center of the field, there were two square tables side by side: one was covered with writing implements, and several elderly villagers with gray hair and beards sat behind the table, registering the young men and women in the village; the other table was occupied by Chief Zhao and several village chiefs from neighboring villages, who were arguing heatedly.

"Our village is deep in the mountains and there are many wolves, so we must send more people!" A village head slammed his hand on the table, stood up, his face flushed red, and roared with wide eyes.

"Why should your family be allowed to bring more people just because you brought your own food?" Another village head retorted, not to be outdone. He stood up as well, put his hands on his hips, stared at the former, and raised his voice eight octaves.

For a moment, the village leaders argued back and forth, each refusing to give in, banging on the table and arguing heatedly. They all wanted to send their able-bodied men to the wolf-hunting team, because everyone knew that this was a rare opportunity—not only to rid the people of this menace, but also to learn some experience in dealing with wolves.

This village is located in a remote area with very poor transportation. It is surrounded by many deep mountains, so there are naturally quite a few wolves. However, fortunately, there are no large predators like tigers, so although there are many wolves, they have not formed a large group and each occupies its own hilltop, so they live in peace.

However, recently it was heard that Jinxian Village was going to form a wolf-hunting team to specifically eradicate these wolf problems. This made people from other villages restless, and they all started to think about how to send more people in so they could learn how to hunt wolves.

So the village chiefs gathered together and began to argue. Each had their own reasons; some boasted of their own men's bravery and skill in battle, while others said the villagers from other villages were all show and no substance. Even the villagers from Pig Mountain joined in the fun. Their mountainous terrain had no wolves, yet they insisted that wild boars were ravaging their crops and demanded that three of their men be brought in. They say three women make a drama, but men aren't much different.

"Are wild boars the same as wolves? That's not learning skills, it's going to your death!" These words were like a spark, instantly igniting the entire scene. Various voices erupted from the crowd: some agreed, some disagreed, some mocked, and some even egged him on. "That's right, wild boars are so fierce, who can beat them?" "I think it's just suicide!" "Haha, look at his cowardly appearance, he wants to go hunt wolves!" For a moment, the old and young men on the sidelines watched the argument with great interest, as if it were a grand spectacle. The bolder ones even joined in the commotion, making the scene even more lively.

"Stop arguing! Stop arguing!" Chief Zhao finally couldn't stand it anymore. He clapped his hands forcefully, trying to quiet everyone down. "How about this, each village will send nine people, and Zhuposhan Village will send three people due to special circumstances. That'll make a total of one hundred and thirty people." Chief Zhao set the rules. This number surprised everyone; they hadn't expected so many people. But thinking about it carefully, it made sense, since this was a matter of great importance concerning everyone's safety and interests. "This is only a portion of the people from the villages that came. If we add those who didn't come, there will probably be two hundred people." Someone sighed. "Yes, it's fortunate that it's the off-season for farming, so everyone has time. In another half month, the early rice will be harvested, and then there won't be so many people able to come." Another person chimed in.

The able-bodied men of the wolf-hunting team stood in the center of the field, and the village headman stepped forward to speak first. He first announced loudly that ten steel forks had been specially borrowed to support the wolf-hunting team from Jinxian Village, and then mentioned that the villages under the jurisdiction of Qingshan Village had responded enthusiastically and sent people to support them, thus expanding the team's size. Finally, he raised his arm and said, "I wish the wolf-hunting team great success and that they will bring fame and prestige to Qingshan Village!" Afterwards, the village elders and the head of the village chief Wang stepped forward one after another. Their words, though brief and simple, were full of determination to "defend their homeland," further boosting morale.

At the end of the ceremony, everyone unanimously elected Song Dawei as the team leader—this veteran who had served under General Cai E was solemnly accepting the roster.

Upon receiving the roster, Dad immediately began making arrangements: first, he had the team members form three-person teams. While everyone was forming teams, Dad gathered his eldest uncle, Uncle Youcai, and Uncle Deng, and the three of them together trained him in shield tactics. Since Dad had never used a shield before, he had to personally hold a large pot lid and have the three of them take turns hitting it. In reality, Dad had oversimplified things; at first, he couldn't grasp the key points, and it wasn't until he broke three large pot lids that he gradually figured out the knack of blocking and using leverage.

Father stopped practicing and said to the village head and elders, "Village head, elders, you all saw our drill just now. I was too simplistic in my thinking. This pot lid is neither sturdy nor convenient to use. It must be improved before it can be used in actual combat."

Zhao Baozhang immediately replied, "It's good that you have a solution! All the village heads are here. Let's invite all the carpenters over right away and make sure the improvements are completed by tomorrow." He looked anxious and was covered in sweat—judging from this, he must have already sent someone to report to the township, and it was estimated that the township would send someone to check on it tomorrow.

Chief Wang immediately called upon the carpenters present and then arranged for others to search for the absent ones. At this point, the atmosphere on the ground began to escalate, with whispers rising and falling outside. Such a major problem occurring before the training had even officially begun was certainly not a good sign.

At this moment, Father was discussing improvements to the wooden shield with several carpenters. He demonstrated a "Iron Mountain Lean" stance, holding a large pot lid in his left hand. The carpenters used this as a reference to discuss how to improve and reinforce the shield, saying it wouldn't be long before it was completed. While waiting for the carpenters to return, Father didn't arrange anything else, but simply sat on the ground with Uncle and the others, talking quietly. A slight silence fell over the room, while murmurs arose from the crowd outside. Gui Xiang and the others looked dejected, like wilted eggplants. Xing Bao, however, understood that the "Iron Mountain Lean" Father had just demonstrated was a move evolved from shield-fighting techniques.

Within the time it takes to eat a meal, several carpenters returned to the arena, carrying two improved wooden shields. The drill continued, and despite several impacts, Dad remained unmoved. In the final exchange, he exerted a little force in his counterattack, sending his eldest uncle flying—luckily, Uncle Cai and Uncle Deng caught him in time, and the wooden shield snapped in two with a crisp "crack".

The entire audience was immediately stunned. After a brief silence, a deafening roar of screams and cheers erupted. The children, in particular, were all dumbfounded, their mouths agape, as if they could fit eggs in them.

After the commotion subsided, Guixiang immediately called out, "Big brother, second brother, do you know this kind of kung fu?"

"Father taught us all of these." The second brother's expression when he answered clearly showed that he hadn't practiced seriously and couldn't unleash the power of the moves.

"Father said that you two are still too young to practice now. He will teach you in a few years." The eldest brother was still in shock, his eyes following his father closely. He was always the least focused on practicing martial arts, his mind always on studying.

The other children were also eager to try, looking at their eldest brother with a mixture of anticipation and hesitation.

Seeing this, the eldest brother immediately understood what was going on: "If you behave well in class, you'll be rewarded with a trick or two." These words caused the children to cheer and jump for joy again.

After the previous setbacks, the wolf-hunting team's training has gotten back on track. The captain first guided the three-person combat teams in coordinated drills. Once the basic coordination was mastered, the training was gradually expanded to multi-team joint exercises. As commands were given one after another, the team members quickly adjusted their positions, with the front-line defensive formation and the rear support echelon unfolding in succession, ultimately forming a well-organized battle formation.

The village head and the village chiefs, standing on high ground to observe, couldn't help but exclaim in amazement at the sight: "Such a well-organized formation, advancing and retreating in perfect order, could it be the ancient battle formations recorded in ancient books?!"

Training continued until nearly noon, the sun growing increasingly scorching, leaving everyone drenched in sweat. The crowd of onlookers had long since dispersed, leaving only a few children stubbornly refusing to leave the shade. The village head sent someone to bring some freshly cooked mung bean soup to help everyone cool down, and even the children who had been watching received a small bowl. Father and the team members agreed to continue training in the evening, and then everyone dispersed.