Courtyard House: Rebirth of a Shopkeeper in 1937

Upon hearing this, Old Yang's expression also turned solemn. He slowly nodded in agreement: "I understand your concerns. I'm aware of the situation. I'll go check on the two elders later, take their pulses, and prepare emergency medicine. Don't panic too much. First, make proper arrangements for the funeral at home and calm your family members, especially the children. Don't let their grief overwhelm them."

"With your words of comfort, we feel much more at ease." Dad nodded slightly, his tone full of gratitude. "It's snowing heavily outside, so please rest for a while and warm yourself up. I'll go and arrange the follow-up matters now. Please let me know if you need anything."

Old Yang waved his hand, indicating that they didn't need to be so polite, and sat back down by the brazier. His gaze swept across the room, and he softly instructed, "You all go ahead and get busy. I'll look after things here. By the way, have you invited everyone in?"

Upon hearing this, the eldest uncle frowned, sighed helplessly, and replied in a deep voice, "The chief officiant and the person who writes the eulogy have already been invited. They are just waiting for the village to send over the memorial document, and then they will come to help with the funeral arrangements. However, in these chaotic times, all the monks and Taoist priests in the surrounding area have been invited to perform rituals. I heard that the least experienced ones have been gone for more than a month and have not returned. It seems that the ritual for opening the road and sealing the seventh day will have to be held at a later time."

Everyone fell silent upon hearing this, their hearts growing even heavier. In the afternoon, the wind and snow not only failed to stop but intensified, the swirling snowflakes and biting wind seeming to guide the spirits of those who had sacrificed their lives for their country back home. Calculating the time, the people from the village delivering the memorial service would arrive soon. Father carefully took two letters from the room and turned to Xingbao and Guixiang, softly instructing them: "Xingbao, Guixiang, you two stay home and keep Old Yang company. Once the people from the village arrive, you can go to your maternal grandparents' house. Your eldest uncle and I will go first to keep your grandparents company, so they won't be lonely."

After saying that, Dad turned to look at Old Yang, his tone full of apology and respect: "Old Yang, you've spent a lot of time writing this morning. Take a break and warm yourself up. I'll have to trouble you to do more work later."

Old Yang waved his hand, his expression gentle and calm, and said with a smile, "You two can go ahead and do your work without worrying about me. I'll take this opportunity to test Xingbao and Guixiang's medical skills, so as not to waste this leisure time."

The three, master and apprentice, sat around the brazier, answering questions and chatting away, time slipping away unnoticed as the wind and snow outside intensified. Suddenly, a commotion of footsteps and voices broke the silence inside. Xingbao's heart tightened, and he quickly got up and pushed open the door to see what was happening. He saw the township head and his entourage walking through the snow, with the village head, the head of the village committee, and Brother Qianjin following behind, their expressions solemn.

"Xingbao, is it the township head and the others?" Master asked softly upon seeing this.

"Master, it is indeed the township head and the others." Xingbao quickly turned around and replied, his tone somewhat solemn.

"Then let's go too, and take the medicine box with us." The master immediately stood up, slung the medicine box over his shoulder, and calmly instructed him.

The three of them went out together, closing the door behind them, and silently followed the township head and his entourage, trudging through the thick snow towards their grandfather's house. Soon they arrived at the door. Wang Jiazhang stepped forward and respectfully said to the township head and village head, "Township head, village head, this is Liu Youming's house." Then he turned and called out loudly into the house, "Is Liu Laogen home? The township head and village head are here!"

As soon as the words were spoken, the door creaked open slowly, and Grandpa's wrinkled and aged face appeared before everyone. Behind him stood Dad, Uncle, and Brother Dashan. Grandma, accompanied by Mom and Aunt, slowly walked towards the door, her expression full of trepidation and unease.

The township head stepped forward, his tone solemn yet tinged with compassion, and asked softly, "Sir, you must be Liu Youming's father?"

Upon hearing this, Grandpa's hands trembled slightly, tears welled up in his eyes, and he swayed. Seeing this, Dad and Uncle quickly stepped forward to support him on either side. Grandpa then replied in a trembling voice, "It is I, the old man. I wonder what brings the village head here today..."

By this time, a large number of villagers who had come after hearing the news had gathered at the entrance. All of them stood silently in the wind and snow, their expressions solemn. The village head, without any further pleasantries, directly took the white certificate of honor handed to him by his attendant, slowly unfolded it, and read aloud in a solemn tone: "This is to commemorate Liu Youming, Captain of the Artillery Battalion directly under the 36th Division of the 71st Army, who died in the War of Resistance against Japan at Fujinshan on September 11th, 1938. His loyalty to the country is truly exemplary, and this certificate is hereby issued to forever commemorate his passing. This certificate is issued by Chiang Kai-shek, Chairman of the National Government of the Republic of China, 1938." After reading it, he gently closed the certificate of honor and solemnly handed it to his grandfather, saying with a heavy heart, "Old man, please accept my deepest condolences."

With tears streaming down his face, Grandpa, supported by Dad and his eldest uncle, received the memorial tablet with trembling hands. He gazed at it deeply, as if trying to etch this object, which carried the loyal spirit of his son, into his heart. Then, reluctantly, he handed it to Grandma beside him, his voice choked with emotion yet solemn: "Old woman, this is the glory of our family's future. Please keep it safe!"

By this time, Grandma had long since lost all strength; her body was limp and powerless. With the support of my mother, my aunt, and several neighboring women, she could barely stand. Her cloudy eyes were fixed on the memorial tablet, and she tremblingly reached out her withered hands to take it and hug it tightly to her chest, as if she were holding a son far away. She kept murmuring, "My son, my son..." Her soft murmurs were filled with heart-wrenching longing and grief.

At this moment, the township head stepped forward again, handed over two remittance slips, and said in a somber tone, "Old man, this is Liu Lianchang's 300 yuan pension and the back pay. Please keep it; it's a comfort."

After the grandfather received the remittance slip with both hands and carefully tucked it into his inner garment, as if protecting his son's last wish, he asked in a trembling voice, "Township head, did my son, Ming... leave any last words?"

As soon as he finished speaking, his father rushed forward and carefully took out a letter from his pocket. His tone was full of grief and guilt: "Father-in-law, Youming's will was sent from Shanghai last year, but I was afraid that you and mother-in-law would worry too much and not be able to bear it, so I didn't dare to take it out."

"Did he finish writing it last year?" Upon hearing this, Grandpa was momentarily lost in thought, his eyes filled with even more sorrow, and his body swayed slightly.

Seeing this, the township head's expression grew even more solemn. He slowly said, "Grandpa and Grandma, if there's nothing else, we'll take our leave now. We're on our way to deliver the condolence message to the next family. Please take good care of yourselves." After saying this, he and his entourage bowed deeply to the grandparents and turned to leave.

Just then, Grandma suddenly struggled to raise her head, her voice hoarse and urgent, and asked the village head's retreating figure, "Village head, I wonder if my son... my son was brave?"

Upon hearing this, the township head stopped and turned around, his expression solemn and respectful. He replied loudly, "Company Commander Liu and his men held their ground to the death, killing many Japanese soldiers. Even when trapped in dire straits, they fought to the bitter end without retreating, displaying extreme bravery. The Chairman even sent a telegram to the entire nation and the entire army to commend them, calling on the entire army to learn from the spirit of the 36th Division, to 'fight bravely' and kill the enemy to serve the country. They are truly deserving martyrs."

With tears in her eyes, the grandmother asked in a trembling voice, "Then...can you tell this old woman how my son passed away?"

At the township head's signal, the accompanying personnel flipped through the files they carried and replied in a somber tone, "Sir, according to the records, Company Commander Liu was among the soldiers who fought to the very end. He was covered in countless wounds and ultimately died from poisoning. Of the more than 10,000 men in the 36th Division in this battle, only eight or nine hundred survived."

"They couldn't do anything to my son, so they resorted to poison... My poor son, my son..." After hearing this, the grandmother closed her eyes and fell backward, almost dropping the memorial tablet in her hand.