Courtyard House: Rebirth of a Shopkeeper in 1937

Over the next three days, passersby who heard about the incident praised the villagers, saying, "The people of this village are truly united!" Some travelers with leisure time even stayed for a few days, hoping to witness the wolf-hunting operation and learn from the experience. Since the village's housing was limited, the villagers dispersed and stayed in various households, which ironically brought them a small income.

Just past noon, Postman Brother Wang burst in like a whirlwind, shouting even before he reached the door, "Yanbang! Yanguo! I heard your village is going to hunt wolves tonight?"

The eldest and second eldest brothers hurried out to greet him, joking with smiles, "Brother Wang, how did this news get all the way to the district level?"

"It's not just in the district! Even the postmen in the county are talking about it!" Brother Wang got excited, sitting down at the table, grabbing a rough porcelain bowl, pouring himself a bowl of cold tea, gulping it down, and smacking his lips, saying, "Your tea is the best thirst quencher!" Seeing his siblings all settled around the table, he pulled a letter from his worn canvas bag and handed it to his eldest brother: "This is the only letter from your village this time, please pass it on." He then took out a few fruit candies, giving each of his siblings two, grinning, "These are what I promised you last time."

The eldest brother took the letter and saw that the recipient was Uncle Deng, thinking that he wouldn't have to go far. Just then, Brother Wang offered him some candy, which he quickly declined, and none of the siblings dared to accept it—this candy was far too precious; it wasn't sold in town at all, and only Uncle Cai's family in the village had been fortunate enough to taste it once or twice. Brother Wang must have spent a lot of money to get this candy!

Brother Wang smiled and waved his hand: "This candy isn't expensive, it's just that there's a limited supply, and it sold out as soon as it arrived. I got it through a colleague in the county, and it just arrived yesterday. I heard about what happened here, so I told the station chief, and I made a special trip to your township today. If you don't take it, wouldn't I be breaking my promise?"

"Well... okay! Thank you, Brother Wang!" The eldest brother finally relented, and the siblings thanked him as well, carefully putting the candy into their pockets, their hearts filled with joy—this was a rare treat they could show off to their friends for a long time!

"Let me tell you, I learned about your village's wolf-hunting from the county! The day before yesterday, some merchants from the county passed through your area and were stopped by Gunma. According to the rules, they should have handed over half of their money and goods, but as they were talking, the conversation turned to your village forming a wolf-hunting team—Gunma's eyes lit up immediately, and he pressed for details about the wolf-hunting team. In the end, he released them without taking a single penny and even declared: 'Once your business is done, I'll personally visit the village to learn from you!' Just like that, those merchants returned to the county town and started talking about it like it was a rare treat! I heard from my colleagues in the county that everyone in the county knows about it now, and many people are craning their necks to see what's going on! I've come here on a mission this time, hehe!" After saying this, Brother Wang smiled smugly.

"How did hunting wolves attract gunmen like that?!" Mother exclaimed in alarm. "Those are bandits with over twenty guns and dozens of men!"

The brothers, who had been listening with great interest, realized that bandits were coming when their mother slammed her fist on their hands. Their smiles instantly froze. The eldest brother jumped to his feet: "I'm going to find Father."

"Wait a minute." Brother Wang grabbed his older brother. "Don't panic, this isn't going to be a disaster."

"Brother Wang! The bandits are coming to our door, isn't that a disaster?" The second brother had already rushed out the door.

"Hey, let me finish what I have to say, this whole thing is a mess..." Before Brother Wang could finish speaking, he deflated like a punctured balloon, and the hand that was gripping his older brother's arm loosened weakly.

Not long after, a series of chaotic footsteps came from outside the door: "Go forward! Explain yourself clearly, what's going on with these bandits trying to enter our village?" Father practically burst into the shop, his voice filled with anxiety, followed by a large group of villagers.

"Uncle Song, don't be hasty! It's all my fault for not explaining properly earlier!" Brother Wang quickly stood up and explained, "It's like this—Gunprick and his gang aren't here to rob us; they want to learn how to hunt wolves from us. Please don't misunderstand!" He paused, then continued, "I've heard some rumors about Gunprick. He's not exactly a villain; at most, he leads a group to collect tolls on mountain roads. In his younger days, his family had many brothers, and they couldn't support them all. So, from a young age, he'd travel around with others to earn a living and help support his family." "I don't know how we ended up on this path. I've never been to their village, but the township officials went once. They said to get to their village you have to cross several mountains, and there are a lot of wolves in the mountains. Every year, they bite or even injure one or two people. You have to be armed and in a group to cross the mountain roads. Now, there are about twenty of them in their generation, and most of them are still unmarried. The girls in the village try to marry out whenever they have the chance, and the girls outside don't want to marry into the village. Now that they've heard we have a way to get rid of the wolves, they've rushed over to ask for help!"

After hearing Wang Qianjin's explanation of the whole story, everyone breathed a sigh of relief, and immediately some gossipy people started to boast!

After listening, Dad thought for a moment with a stern face and said, "Qianjin, regardless of whether they are really hunting wolves or have other plans, when you go back this time, please pass on a message—we appreciate his intentions, but our village is too small to accommodate such a big shot. If their village really has ideas, feel free to send someone over to learn from us; we will not hold back." After saying that, he turned his head and glared at the crowd who were still making a ruckus: "Brothers, now is not the time to brag! Go back and rest this afternoon; tonight is when we'll get serious. Everyone, be on your guard; the slightest carelessness could cost you your life." This bucket of cold water immediately extinguished most of the crowd's restlessness.

Just then, Wang Jiazhang and several village elders arrived late. Father hurriedly led everyone to get up and greet them, saying apologetically, "It was my son who was ignorant and believed everything he heard, causing you all unnecessary trouble."

Wang Jiazhang ignored this comment and waved to the villagers directly: "Dawei is right. When faced with important matters, the worst thing is to be impetuous. Everyone, calm down and put everything else aside. We'll see tonight whether you're a mule or a horse. Now, those who need to rest, go back to rest; those who need to get ready, hurry up and get ready. Everyone, disperse."

Grandpa spoke up then, "Dawei, tell us, what happened?"

Dad silently recounted the whole story, and at the end added that he was afraid they would learn it and cause trouble, so he also told them exactly what he wanted to tell Gunplazi.

Grandpa Zhao stroked his beard and said slowly, "Dawei, you did the right thing, kid. Those guys like Qiangmazi, whether it's good or bad, once we common folk get involved, we can't shake them off. Dawei, we old bones aren't good enough anymore. With you leading the village from now on, the villagers won't suffer. You should get some rest too; we'll need your advice for that tough battle tonight." With that, he patted his father's arm and walked away with several other village elders, their backs hunched.

After seeing the village elders off, Brother Wang was in a hurry to deliver the letter to the township before returning to the shop. Father led the group in making final arrangements: where to put the blood, where to put the offal, where to put the scraps of meat...