Courtyard House: Rebirth of a Shopkeeper in 1937

In the past two years, the country has become increasingly turbulent. The Japanese invaders have already reached our doorstep. Many young men from the village and surrounding townships have resolutely left their homeland and rushed to the battlefield. They are all passionate sons of Hunan, knowing full well that the road ahead is filled with gunfire and death, yet none of them have retreated or been afraid to fight. Before leaving, each of them carefully sewed a small "湘" (Hunan) character onto the inside of their sleeves, the stitches fine and the characters simple. This small mark, without elaborate decorations, contains the fierceness and courage in the bones of the Hunan people. It is a mark of leaving home for the country, a testament to their unwavering resolve, and the sincere conviction of countless Hunan sons and daughters to defend every inch of their land and sacrifice their lives for their country. Even though they are on the battlefield thousands of miles away, their hearts are with their homeland. Born Hunanese, they will die as Hunanese souls. With this fearless tenacity, they fight to the death on the front lines to defend their homeland and protect their country, silently maintaining a semblance of peace in this chaotic world.

My elder brother graduated from Shuangfeng Academy last year and originally planned to continue his studies in Changsha. However, given the current dire situation, Changsha, the provincial capital, was devastated by the Changsha fire and is still in a long period of reconstruction and recovery. In addition, this place is strategically located in central Hunan and is a vital logistical supply hub for the front lines. It has long been designated as a war zone and is under strict military control. Schools have long since closed, so his path to further his studies in Changsha has been completely cut off. Sanmin Middle School is also not accepting local students.

Left with no other choice, the eldest brother had to find another way out. The New Year had barely passed, and the festive spirit hadn't yet dissipated, when he packed his simple belongings, bid farewell to his family, and set off alone for Shaoyang. His purpose was twofold: first, to inquire about the admission regulations and examination information for high schools throughout Shaoyang, striving to secure a place so as not to waste his studies and time; second, to visit his second brother, who was working in the county town, and to take advantage of the opportunity to seek education there, and to see his younger brother whom he hadn't seen in a long time, so the two brothers could catch up. Separated by the chaos of war and the vast distances, even a simple meeting felt exceptionally precious.

In the past two years, the new rice varieties that have been trialed on a small scale in the village have gradually shown differences in quality. These rice varieties are still in the stage of successive generations of breeding and their traits are not yet stable. They have not been fully finalized. After being introduced by farmers in different villages, the yield per mu (unit of land area) varies greatly due to differences in farming experience, field management, watering frequency, and fertilizer application. Even so, even the farmers with the most extensive management and the worst harvest have steadily achieved a yield of more than 500 jin (unit of weight) per mu, which is a very obvious advantage in increasing production compared to traditional old rice varieties. Such impressive yields quickly attracted the attention of surrounding villages and towns. Many villages and towns heard about the miraculous effects of the Song family's excellent rice varieties and began to consider introducing and promoting them, planning to introduce new varieties, increase grain production, and stabilize their livelihoods.

However, when the township sent people to inquire further, they learned that these high-yield rice varieties were not yet fully mature, their genetic traits were unstable, and they were still in the experimental generation stage. Unable to achieve consistent yields or save seeds annually, everyone suppressed their desire to introduce the varieties and adopted a wait-and-see attitude, hesitant to promote large-scale planting. Because of the haphazard planting methods, inconsistent fertilizer ratios, and lack of a refined and standardized management system, the already unstable new rice varieties degenerated even more rapidly under the extensive cultivation in other villages. The rice ears became sparser year by year, the grains drier, and the stable yield advantage was quickly lost. Left with no other option, farmers who wanted to continue growing high-yield rice could no longer save seeds themselves and had to purchase new rice seeds every year just to barely survive.

In turbulent times, grain prices soared. The market price of rice had already reached twenty silver dollars per shi (a unit of dry measure), making life increasingly difficult for ordinary families. However, thanks to the superior yield of the new rice variety, my maternal grandfather, my third uncle, and several other villagers who had signed contracts with the Song family early on to cultivate it had profited handsomely each year from selling the high-quality rice seeds and increasing their surplus grain. Their families grew more prosperous year by year. The team members who diligently managed the breeding experiments at the base also benefited greatly, receiving substantial dividends annually, providing a stable source of income amidst the chaos.

Today, the breeding base's reputation has spread far and wide, enjoying a high reputation in the surrounding villages and becoming the most respectable and reliable livelihood in the eyes of the villagers. Even when matchmakers from the countryside come to propose marriage, they will specifically ask whether any of the family's children work at the Song family's breeding base. In everyone's eyes, any child who can enter the base is hardworking, skilled in farming, and knowledgeable in scientific farming; they are truly skilled farmers, and their character and abilities can withstand scrutiny—rare and outstanding young men in the village. Earlier, Liu Anping, relying on the base's reputation for diligence and consistently ranking first in performance evaluations, successfully married a hardworking and capable girl from a neighboring village, establishing a stable family and career, which was the envy of many.

Seeing everyone at the base profiting year after year, those families in the village who had no connection to the base and received no dividends were filled with envy. Watching others prosper while they themselves could only barely make ends meet with their meager land, they were filled with resentment and bitterness. Suddenly, the entire village's atmosphere changed drastically, with every household vying to send their children to the base. Any family with a child over six years old, regardless of gender or ability, would actively send them to the Song family's breeding base, hoping to get a foothold in this stable livelihood, learn skills, and earn dividends.

Even Uncle Bu and his brothers, who had a long-standing grudge against the Song family, took the initiative to put aside their differences and send their school-aged children to the base. The two families had a long history of animosity and frequent conflicts, and the Bu family knew that the Song family wouldn't easily accept their children just because they were being offered a ride. Therefore, they prepared generous gifts to apologize in person and even invited several respected village elders to mediate and resolve the conflict, demonstrating their sincere desire for reconciliation. The Song family considered the matter carefully, realizing that the adults' grievances shouldn't involve innocent children. They understood that they were all from the same village and would see each other frequently, and that years of neighborly friendship shouldn't be burdened by old grudges. Ultimately, the family put aside their past grievances and agreed, thus resolving the long-standing conflict between the two families and allowing the children to smoothly enter the base to learn farming.

The high-yield sweet potatoes, potatoes, and cabbages cultivated at the base have long been known throughout the surrounding villages. Their exceptionally high yields and delicious flavors have made them highly sought after by the villagers, and their reputation has spread rapidly, benefiting people in the surrounding area. Thanks to these high-yield grains and vegetables, the village children's diets have improved significantly. They all have rosy complexions and robust physiques, their faces now plump and chubby, shedding their former thin and weak appearance. The villagers jokingly call this "sweet potato body." However, sweet potatoes and potatoes are soft and produce gas, and the children, who eat a lot of them year-round, fart frequently, causing all sorts of amusing and endearing incidents every day, becoming the most heartwarming daily anecdotes for the villagers.