Courtyard House: Rebirth of a Shopkeeper in 1937

That morning, just as dawn was breaking, Xingbao and Guixiang, along with their older brothers and a group of partners from the base, went to the fields to inspect the crop growth. After days of drying the fields, the soil had cracked and reached the standard for flooding. However, after walking around the irrigation ditches, they found them completely dry. Upon seeing this, Brother Dashan immediately led several strong men to the upstream riverbank to check if the water outlet had been blocked by people from a neighboring village, cutting off the downstream water supply.

Not long after, a loud commotion erupted upstream, followed by shouts and screams of fighting, growing increasingly intense. The eldest brother's heart tightened; worried that Brother Dashan and his group, outnumbered, would be at a disadvantage. He quickly called out to everyone, "Quick, let's go check it out!" He immediately led the group upstream, their steps hurried, their hearts filled with anxiety.

Just around a bend in the mountain path, they saw Brother Dashan and his friends surrounded by seven or eight teenagers from a neighboring village in the shallow riverbank. Outnumbered and outmatched, Brother Dashan and his companions were being beaten mercilessly, their clothes covered in mud and water, constantly being pushed into the water, soaking wet. Even so, Brother Dashan and his friends didn't back down. A fierce, indomitable spirit surged within them. They got up, roaring, and charged at their enemies again, their eyes filled with unwavering determination.

Seeing this, the eldest brother was enraged and charged forward, easily knocking down the oldest and most arrogant young man. Immediately afterward, the second brother, Liu Anping, and Wang Shuangchao joined the fray, fiercely counterattacking the opposing team, gradually turning the tide with their punches and kicks. Xingbao followed closely behind, seizing the opportunity during the chaos to swiftly take down two more young men. Guixiang was not to be outdone; following behind Xingbao, she kicked one of the men twice in the confusion, her face taut, showing no fear.

Seeing that the opposing team was being overwhelmed and gradually losing ground, the adults from the neighboring village who were working in the fields nearby became anxious. They quickly put down their farm tools and rushed over to stop them: "Enough! Stop! You've won! Stop fighting! Stop now!"

Seeing the adults on the other side quickly approaching, their faces full of anxiety and anger, the boys immediately lost their previous arrogance. Their fists went limp, their steps slowed, and their resistance weakened. Some even subconsciously shrank back, no longer daring to rush forward.

Seeing this, the eldest brother quickly reached out and pressed down on his companion who was still trying to rush forward, shouting to everyone, "That's enough for today! Everyone stop! Know when to stop, don't cause any more trouble!" He then took two steps back, his gaze sweeping across the crowd. He immediately spotted Gui Xiang clenching her small fists, still trying to push her way into the crowd. He quickly stepped forward, grabbed her arm, and pulled her back, his voice urgent, "Gui Xiang, don't rush forward, you'll get hurt!"

Gui Xiang stumbled as she was pulled, muttering, "I haven't had enough yet," her face full of resentment. Xing Bao also retreated with the others to the rocks by the riverbank, his tense nerves finally relaxing slightly. His chest heaved as he gasped for breath. He looked down at himself; he was soaking wet, mud dripping from the hem of his clothes. His hands were still trembling slightly from the excitement and force of the fight, and his fingertips were scraped, oozing a little blood.

Seeing that the two sides had separated and had no intention of fighting again, the adults from the neighboring village did not go any further, lest they be accused of bullying the weak. They simply called out to their children, "Go back now!" Their tone was full of helplessness.

As the boys turned and left, their eyes filled with resentment and unwillingness, the team members at the base cheered, raising their hands and shouting, "Oh! We won! We won!" The clamor echoed through the empty riverbank, lingering for a long time. Brother Dashan wiped the mud from his face, walked over to the group, patted Xingbao and his older brother on the shoulder, his eyes filled with gratitude. This battle, in the end, had saved the downstream water source. The group gathered together, chattering excitedly about how exhilarating the fight had been, each recounting their heroic deeds with pride in their voices.

Just as everyone was chatting animatedly, Xingbao was the first to calm down. He glanced at the group and saw that everyone was covered in mud, their hair and faces splattered with mud, and several of his friends had lost their straw sandals and their clothes were torn, looking utterly disheveled. Looking at Guixiang, she was even more soaking wet, mud dripping from her clothes, one of her cloth shoes nowhere to be seen. She was barefoot, gesturing excitedly to her friends about her heroic deeds, her little face full of pride. Xingbao's heart sank. How was he going to explain this when they got home! The others were wearing straw sandals, so losing or tearing them wasn't a big deal, but Guixiang's cloth shoes were precious, sewn stitch by stitch by her mother over several nights. Thinking of this, Xingbao didn't say anything more, turned around and walked towards the muddy riverbank where the fight had taken place, bending down to carefully search.

Seeing Xingbao's actions, the others gradually realized what was happening, remembering their parents' instructions. They stopped laughing and quickly came over, joining in the search for the lost shoes in the mud and sand. While searching, someone splashed water at their friends, and soon everyone was playing and having a fun water fight. The fatigue and tension from the earlier fight dissipated in the laughter. As shoes were found one by one, the sun rose higher, almost high in the sky. The eldest brother glanced at the sky and urged, "Stop playing! Stop playing! It's getting late. Quickly wash the mud off your clothes in the river, put on your shoes, and let's head back quickly, or Mom and Dad will worry!"

The group stopped playing and squatted by the river, splashing water to wash off the mud. After quickly drying themselves, they put on the shoes they had found and headed back to the village in a large group. On the riverbank, a few straw sandals left behind by the boys from the neighboring village remained, trophies of their victory in the fight, lying there quietly.

The closer they got to the village, the slower they walked. Normally, the road from the riverbank to the village seemed long and difficult, but today it felt incredibly short. The sun overhead was scorching, but everyone wished it were even stronger and hotter so they could dry their wet clothes quickly and avoid being caught by their parents when they got home.

Even at their slowest pace, they eventually reached the small bridge at the village entrance. Looking into the distance, they saw their mother holding Wei Bao, standing at the door of the bamboo house, surrounded by several aunties who were talking and glancing anxiously towards the bridge every now and then. When they saw Xing Bao and the others appear on the other side of the bridge, the anxiety on their mother's and the aunties' faces instantly vanished, and they visibly breathed a sigh of relief.