Courtyard House: Rebirth of a Shopkeeper in 1937

Wei Bao, the youngest in the family, is the central protagonist of these amusing stories. Ever since he learned to walk, the little guy has been exceptionally clever and mischievous. He often takes advantage of the gaps when his parents are busy and unable to look after him, toddling and half-crawling to his grandmother's house, just to eat a bite of the roasted sweet potato he's been longing for. Actually, there's never a shortage of sweet treats at home. His mother makes him sweet honey water every day, and Xing Bao's space is always stocked with fresh fruit, making his diet far more refined and varied than roasted sweet potatoes. His mother is also very careful, knowing that eating too many sweet potatoes can cause bloating, and afraid that the little guy will frequently fart and soil his clothes, so she only dares to add a small amount of cooked sweet potato to his porridge, making it light, palatable, and less likely to cause bloating.

But Wei Bao has a particular fondness for sweet potatoes slowly roasted over charcoal. Compared to the bland boiled sweet potatoes, those repeatedly roasted over charcoal slowly lose moisture, allowing the sugar to fully concentrate. The outer skin is slightly charred, while the inside is soft and glutinous, resulting in a uniquely delicious and sweet flavor. This delicacy, enjoyed by young and old alike, has already captured the taste buds of the entire village. Toothless elders can easily chew and swallow them, and villagers working in the fields always carry one with them to eat during breaks and replenish their energy. Even Xing Bao and Gui Xiang, who travel daily to their master's house to learn medicine, get up early every day to take one as breakfast on the way and as a daytime snack.

As her older siblings grew up and went their separate ways, Xingbao and Guixiang were away studying medicine, only returning home in the evenings. The once bustling and lively shop gradually became quiet and desolate. Grandma always missed her younger brother, who had collapsed at Fujinshan. With each passing year, her longing deepened, and she was often filled with loneliness and sorrow when alone. The lively, innocent, and adorable Weibao became her only solace and comfort. Mother understood this tenderness and knew that what the elderly woman longed for most in her later years was the joy of children around her. Therefore, she stopped restricting Weibao, allowing him to visit Grandma's house daily, playfully teasing and keeping her company. She only reminded Xueqiu (the dog) to stay close to the little guy, ensuring his safe arrival and departure. Because Wei Bao spends his days running around and playing, and going from one neighbor to another, the little guy’s love for roasted sweet potatoes and his frequent farting can no longer be kept secret. All of this has fallen into the eyes of the villagers and become a lively source of amusement for the whole village.

Xingbao's previously cultivated superior wheat varieties have been gradually planted on a small scale for trial planting. He specially allocated some seeds to Fugui, and also had his maternal grandfather's family cultivate a small plot of land to try planting it, carefully exploring the wheat's growth habits and field management methods. Apart from these two places, almost no other family in the village introduced wheat cultivation, and wheat planting has never been able to spread in the mountain village. The reason for this is that the remote mountain village is isolated and backward, and the villagers have limited knowledge. For generations, they have relied on rice, sweet potatoes, and potatoes as their staple food, and have long been accustomed to the traditional mode of growing grains in the mountains. They are particularly unfamiliar with wheat, a northern crop.

More importantly, there are no flour mills in the mountain village, and no one is skilled in flour milling. Even if wheat ears are grown, they cannot be processed into fine white flour. Ordinary farmers simply do not know how to manage or utilize it, so naturally they are unwilling to rashly try planting it and waste their efforts. The villagers' daily demand for wheat is also extremely low. Every household makes chili sauce every year, and only needs to add a small amount of wheat flour to enhance the aroma and flavor. The amount used is very small, so there is no need for them to grow it themselves. Whenever they need it, they can just ask a nearby family that grows wheat for a small amount, which is enough for their needs.

The limited wheat harvest is mostly made into black wheat cakes, one of the few ways wheat is eaten in the mountains. Xingbao had tasted this coarse grain cake at his grandmother's house before and knew that its texture was extremely dependent on temperature. When eaten hot, the cake is soft, slightly fragrant, and filling, with a unique flavor. However, once it cools down completely, the cake quickly hardens and dries out, becoming difficult to swallow and losing its appeal. It becomes too coarse to eat and doesn't offer much of a flavor. This cumbersome processing method, the monotonous taste, and the lack of practical use for wheat cultivation explain why no one in the mountain village is enthusiastic about growing it.

Day after day, Xingbao studied medical principles, identified acupoints, and became familiar with meridians under his master's guidance. Coupled with years of nourishing his body with spiritual spring water, Xingbao's body now possessed wisps of pure internal energy, allowing him to smoothly circulate it through the Ren and Du meridians in the Small Heavenly Circuit. He had memorized the pathways of all the meridians and acupoints throughout his body during his acupuncture training with his master, knowing them by heart. Yet, even with this complete understanding of the human body's meridians, Xingbao remained extremely cautious, never daring to attempt to initiate the Great Heavenly Circuit.

He was acutely aware that his understanding of cultivation came entirely from books he had read in his previous life, without any personal guidance or correction. Before he truly cultivated internal energy, relying solely on mental contemplation only resulted in a slight warm sensation in his dantian; even if the circulation deviated, it was harmless. But now, however, he possessed a solid, condensed energy within him. It was unclear whether it was worldly internal force, a body-strengthening technique, or transcendent spiritual power, but it already possessed real power. The smooth and stable circulation of the Small Heavenly Circuit was already a great stroke of luck. Forcing himself to advance to the Great Heavenly Circuit could easily lead to qi deviation and demonic possession, a serious matter. Therefore, Xingbao always adhered to his principles, avoiding quick results and relentless pursuit of advancement. He only wished to let things take their natural course, steadily solidifying his foundation and patiently awaiting his own breakthrough.

Xingbao had also taught his family his own cultivation method: guiding the warm current generated by the spiritual spring water into the body to slowly gather in the dantian and nourish oneself. However, the family members all had only worldly understanding and had never been exposed to the path of cultivation. Their mindsets were different, and their progress in cultivation varied greatly. His mother, busy with housework and running around, had many worries and had never deliberately focused on cultivation. Only now had she barely managed to generate a faint sense of energy. She couldn't even distinguish whether it was the sensation generated by focusing her mind on the dantian or the effect of the warm current of the spiritual spring water settling in the dantian.

In contrast, her father and eldest brother, with their calm demeanor and strong focus, had long been adept at guiding the warm current steadily back into their dantian, nurturing it daily and making steady progress. Among the family members, Gui Xiang had the fastest progress and the most obvious results in her cultivation. The young girl was pure of heart and had very few distracting thoughts. She persisted in her daily practice and made rapid progress. Now, her body was full of yang energy, and she was no longer as afraid of the cold as before. A warm feeling lingered in her abdomen all year round. Lively by nature, she often ran to Xing Bao with pride to show off her changes, her eyes sparkling with joy, regarding this rare blessing of cultivation as her own little pride.