Courtyard House: Rebirth of a Shopkeeper in 1937

Gui Xiang and Xing Bao, holding their father's hands, walked back with their heads held high and chests puffed out, like two victorious roosters.

"Dad, why did you only teach me the 'Iron Mountain Lean' move? But that move is really powerful! Uncle... he won't get hurt, will he?" Xingbao looked up at his father with his little face, his eyes blinking, his little fists clenched tightly.

"I'm worried your uncle might get hurt, so I'll give him some water later!" Dad smiled, giving Xingbao a meaningful look before continuing on his way. "Don't bite off more than you can chew. 'Iron Mountain Lean' is a killing move; once you've mastered it, that's enough. They've been using hoes and pitchforks for over a decade or two; they're far more skilled than I am. There's no need to teach them the moves. Just show them how to coordinate." Though he spoke casually, his expression betrayed his deep concern.

Xingbao's heart skipped a beat—his father's words had a hidden meaning. The secret of the spirit spring water could no longer be kept hidden. What was bound to happen would happen. He secretly glanced at his father's profile, and seeing that his father didn't continue, he swallowed back the words that were on the tip of his tongue: "I'll just play dumb!" But with his heart pounding, he couldn't help but ask again, "Father, is something wrong?"

"Dad, there are so many of us, we can definitely beat the wolves, right?" Gui Xiang looked at her father with excitement, seemingly unaware of the worry on his face.

"Dad, what happened again?" Just then, the eldest brother came out to find his father and younger siblings to come home for dinner. He overheard Xingbao and Guixiang's conversation and couldn't help but ask curiously.

Father was silent for a moment, then slowly said, "Let's go home first." After saying that, he took Erxiao's hand and stepped into the shop.

Upon entering the main room, the scene before him surprised his father. His second brother, Ding brother, and Dashan brother were busily moving between several square tables, while guests sat around them, eating and enthusiastically discussing the exciting news of the wolf hunt. The atmosphere was filled with clinking glasses and cheerful laughter.

Suddenly, a regular customer spotted the father entering and quickly stood up, bowing respectfully and saying, "Manager, what remarkable skills you have! In just two short hours, you've managed to train these ordinary farmers into a basic battle formation. Truly admirable!"

Father quickly returned the greeting, saying humbly, "Not at all, not at all. This is all thanks to the villagers' sincere dedication to protecting their homeland. Everyone worked together to achieve this result."

After exchanging pleasantries with the guests, Dad finally breathed a sigh of relief and turned to walk into the kitchen.

On the kitchen table, steaming hot food was neatly arranged. Mother, standing to the side, saw Father enter and quickly went to greet him, handing him a cup of warm water she had prepared beforehand. She said gently, "Honey, wipe your sweat first. You've been working hard all morning, take a rest. Let's eat first, and then we'll relieve Yan Guo and the others."

Father took the water, gave Mother a grateful look, and then began wiping the sweat from his brow. At this moment, the eldest brother couldn't help but bring up the earlier topic again: "Dad, can you tell us about it now?"

Father stopped what he was doing, looked up at his eldest brother, and a worried look appeared on his face. He said slowly, "The scale of today's wolf-hunting team formation is just too big! Including the team members and the villagers watching, there are probably close to a thousand people! I'm worried that this will scare the wolves away from coming down the mountain. If it drags on until the busy farming season, then all the villagers' hard work these past few days will be wasted!"

"Sigh, Father, your intentions are good, but you know the actual situation in our village. Look, apart from the hoes which are made of iron, almost all the pitchforks in the village are made of wood. Even if we were to make new ones right now, there wouldn't be enough time. Besides, if we don't get the village head's support, this matter simply can't be accomplished! But once it involves the official level, it's beyond our control—those officials will definitely exaggerate the matter; being ambitious and eager for quick success is their nature!" The eldest brother said thoughtfully, frowning.

"How about this, we practice somewhere else this evening?" The eldest brother suddenly had a brilliant idea and suggested a new approach.

"Yes, that's what I think too." Dad nodded in agreement. "I'm figuring that with such a commotion today, the wolf pack must have been alerted. So, we need to find a way to lure them over. How about this, let's eat first, and after we finish eating, I'll go find a team leader to discuss the specific arrangements."

As he spoke, Dad hung the washcloth to dry. Just then, he saw Xingbao and Guixiang already sitting obediently at the table, waiting for dinner. Dad couldn't help but smile and said, "Oh dear, my precious daughters must be starving."

After quickly finishing his meal, Dad said goodbye to Mom and hurriedly left. Time passed by, and the sun gradually began to set, with nightfall approaching. Finally, as evening drew to a close, Dad dragged his exhausted body back home.

Dad took the tea and gave Xingbao a look that said, "You have a good eye."

"Honey, what happened to you? Didn't you say you were going to discuss something with the head of the household? Why are you so exhausted when you come back?" Mother looked at Father with a worried expression and asked with concern.

"Oh, don't even mention it. We just couldn't find a suitable training ground. The head of the team and I walked around the village several times, and finally found a section of road under construction in the west of the village. It took us a lot of effort to level it." As he spoke, Dad put down his bowl, downed a bowl of tea with added ingredients, and all his fatigue vanished. "You guys eat dinner first, don't wait for me. I have to go and take the team members who have arrived, so they don't gather in the east of the village anymore." After saying that, Dad turned to his eldest brother, who was busy at work, and called out, "Yanbang, you come with me too. You wait there, and if any team members arrive, tell them the training ground has been changed, and tell them to walk along the newly built road to the west of the village."

"Yes, Father." The eldest brother put down his work and quickly followed. Xingbao and Ciguixiang, seeing this, skipped along behind their father and eldest brother, and went out the door together.

At that moment, a crowd had gathered by the washing well at the village entrance: women squatted on the bluestone slabs scrubbing clothes, men chatted in groups, and children splashed around barefoot in the shallow water beside the well. Gui Xiang and Xing Bao couldn't wait any longer and plunged into the group of children, splashing water everywhere. When the team members who had arrived earlier saw their captain, they grabbed the hoes and pitchforks that were lying nearby and greeted him warmly: "The captain's here!"

Dad waved his hand and waited until everyone had gathered before speaking: "Brothers, we've moved our meeting place to the west of the village. Follow me."

"Captain, we were training here so well, why do we suddenly have to go to the west of the village?" someone asked, scratching the back of their head.

"Isn't it because there are too many of us that we make too much noise? Leaving us here will scare the wolves away from entering the village." Then he turned to his elder brother and said, "Yanbang, I'm leaving this place to you." Before his elder brother could respond, he led the way to the west of the village.

As dusk fell, no one else was by the well. In the night, fireflies, carrying their faint lanterns, danced among the grass, and the three siblings returned to the shop under the starlight.

Father didn't return until the moon was just rising. My eldest brother, second brother, and Ding were helping Mother make tofu. Mother casually served Father a bowl of tofu pudding: "Handsome, have some tofu pudding first to fill your stomach. I'll go get you your meal right away."

After Father finished his meal, seeing Mother's hesitant expression, he said, "Third Sister, are you saying that the wolves' unusual behavior tonight was indeed as predicted during the day? Don't worry, tomorrow, after the people sent by the village leave, we'll discuss countermeasures."

The next day, school started as usual. Around noon, the shop gradually became busier. The eldest brother, preoccupied with family matters, left school half an hour earlier than usual. It turned out the village head had come early that morning to instruct that the township head and two neighboring village heads would be entertained at noon. The chicken, duck, and fish had already been delivered, and the meat—a wild rabbit hunted by their father—was laid out in a row on the kitchen counter. As soon as school was over, the brothers rushed into the kitchen to help. Some washed and chopped vegetables, while others tended the fire and added firewood. Everyone had their own task, and they were all busy and happy.

In a corner of the kitchen, Guixiang and Xingbao stood out. Guixiang held Xingbao's hand tightly, their heads huddled together, their four big, dark eyes fixed on the freshly cooked stewed chicken. The chicken skin glistened with oil, gleaming with an amber sheen, steaming hot, its rich aroma wafting into their nostrils. Guixiang and Xingbao's throats bobbed involuntarily, as if the enticing fragrance made them eager to take a bite. Their saliva had already unknowingly trickled down their chins and onto their clothes, forming a small, damp patch.

"Look at how greedy you two are!" Grandma poked her head out from the steam, picked up two small pieces of chicken with her chopsticks, gently blew on them to cool them down, and put them into the mouths of the two little ones. She whispered, "Go into the room quickly, don't let the guests see." The two little ones nodded vigorously and happily slipped into the room and closed the door.

"Mother, just indulge them!" Third Sister stopped wielding the kitchen knife, straightened up, and looked at the closed door, a smile unconsciously appearing on her lips.

Grandma sat to the side, her face beaming with a kind smile, and replied cheerfully, "Oh, Third Aunt, you saw it yourself, those two little ones' eyes are like two black gems, darting around, and their adorable looks are just so endearing! This old woman feels sorry for them, so it's best to send them away as soon as possible."

Hearing their grandmother's words, the older siblings chuckled to themselves, clearly amused by her words.

After the township head and his entourage were seated, the village head, elders, and captains joined them, and my father, as the team leader, also took his seat and drank with them. After several dishes and rounds of drinks, the township head, to show his appreciation for the wolf-hunting team, presented them with ten steel forks and some money and grain to supplement their food supplies. The other village heads also offered to lend ten steel forks each, but they would send people over to learn how to use them, requesting the wolf-hunting team's assistance in training. The meal was enjoyed by all.

After seeing off the township head and his entourage, everyone returned to the shop, their faces showing worry—only the village head, who was not from the village, was unaware of the situation. After his father told him that the wolves had been frightened and dared not leave the mountain, the village head suddenly stood up and paced back and forth in the room.

"Why didn't you tell me about something this important sooner?" The village head asked, his face grim and his tone somewhat accusatory.

The head of the household, standing to the side, forcefully blew away the ash from the mouthpiece of his water pipe and leisurely refilled it with tobacco. "It's not like yesterday afternoon, when Dawei guessed the wolves would be startled, that he changed the training location at the last minute. We only confirmed the situation last night when we didn't hear any wolf howls. This morning, we had to receive the township head, and we were afraid of giving ourselves away, so we didn't have time to say anything!"

The villagers gradually gathered around. Xingbao and his siblings, carrying small stools, sat in a corner, watching with wide eyes as if they were watching a show. A buzz of discussion arose from the crowd: "They've already spread the word. If they really can't catch the wolf, where will our village's reputation be?"

The village headman knew that getting angry at this point would be useless, so he asked, "Do you have any plans?"

"Dawei said we should go into the mountains to lure the wolves out," Wang Jiazhang said, taking a puff of his cigarette.

All eyes turned to Father. Father cleared his throat. "In my opinion, let a few hunters from the wolf-hunting team come with me into the mountains. We'll set a few traps to steal their prey. That'll surely piss off the wolves, and within three days, they'll come looking for us."

"Bloodletting, bloodletting!" A soft child's voice suddenly came from the corner. Xingbao propped his head up with his hands and looked at his father excitedly.

Father turned his head abruptly, frowning as he looked at the siblings sitting in the corner. "Xingbao, are you just making things up?"

"Dad, I'm sorry! I shouldn't have interrupted." Xingbao shrank back, keeping his head down in fear.

"Such a young age and you're spouting nonsense!" Dad said sternly, but his voice softened a little. "Where did you learn to bleed?"

"Dad, I heard it from you!" Xingbao suddenly shouted, his neck stiff. "You said a few days ago that the wolves were chased and bitten because they smelled the postman's blood. I was thinking that when you're all ready, you could bleed the prey to lure them in. If only we could kill a pig..."

"Slaughtering a pig, huh? I think you just want to eat pork!" Dad chuckled, the wrinkles at the corners of his eyes smoothing out. He turned to the village head, cupped his hands in a gesture of respect, and asked, "Village head, head of the village, uncles and elders, what do you think of this method?"

After whispering and discussing for a while, several village elders slowly raised their heads and scanned the crowd. Seeing that several men with a strong voice nodded in agreement, they then raised their voices and said, "Chief Zhao, we will all follow this method."

"Since everyone agrees to let the wolves into the village, we have to change our previous idea of ​​resisting the wolves." Father took half a step forward, his gaze sweeping over everyone. "Now that we have more people, we can wipe out these beasts in one fell swoop." Only after he said this did he reveal his true intention.

Upon hearing this, the village head immediately made a decision: "But it's neither a holiday nor a festival, so whose pig should we kill for bait?"

"Since my grandson is craving pork, let's slaughter one of ours. It's the perfect time for him to be sold anyway." A rough, hoarse voice came from the back of the crowd, and the grandfather pushed his way through. Xingbao and Guixiang rushed forward and affectionately pulled their grandfather to sit on a small stool.

Next, everyone meticulously planned how to hunt the wolf pack. They finally decided to use the road from Huopu to Grandpa's house as the battlefield, and three nights later, they would officially lure the wolves into the village. One team would hide in Huopu's backyard and at the Lü family's house, while another team would ambush at Liu Dazhu's brothers' house to the south. Uncle Cai would lead the main force to guard Grandpa's house, with Song Dawei coordinating the overall command and Wang Jiachang assisting in the command. All the doors and windows along the road were reinforced overnight, lanterns were hung under the eaves, and all debris along the roadside was cleared away to prevent the wolves from using it to climb onto the roofs. Even the hidden ditches were blocked with stones—leaving the wolves absolutely no hiding place.

With everything arranged, the village elder repeated the plan to everyone. Seeing that no one had any further objections, the strategy to annihilate the wolf pack was finally settled.

At this moment, Chief Zhao stepped forward and said in a deep voice, "Fellow villagers, this is not only a major event concerning the peace and tranquility of our village for the next ten years, but also a crucial battle to eradicate wolves from the entire Qingshanbao, the entire township, and even the entire county. From now on, each person in charge must lead their men to perfectly complete their assigned tasks. The township will reward you handsomely if this is accomplished. Enough with the small talk, let's get to work immediately!"

Everyone got excited and started setting off. Dad led a few hunters into the mountains to set traps. The whole afternoon, the area east of the village was filled with the constant clanging and banging of snares.