Courtyard House: Rebirth of a Shopkeeper in 1937

Just as he finished tidying up and pondered how to improve the prescription, a small figure skipped over. "Brother Xing, are you eating something delicious? I want some too!" Wei Bao, full of curiosity, ran over and immediately noticed the dark, murky medicine in the bowl on the ground, but no food in sight. He leaned against Xing Bao's shoulder, stretched out his dirty little hands, and tried to pry open Xing Bao's mouth to see if his brother was secretly eating something delicious.

Xingbao helplessly dodged the little guy's mischievous hands, then gently pushed them away, affectionately pulled him into his arms, and opened his mouth to coax him softly, "Ah...see? My mouth is empty, there's nothing in it. What do you want to eat? I'll get it for you later."

Wei Bao's eyes lit up instantly, his big, dark eyes filled with anticipation, and he said in a clear voice, "Brother, I want to eat grapes!"

Xingbao pretended to rummage through his bag, then, under cover of this, quietly took out a small bunch of plump, bright grapes and slipped them into Weibao's hand, whispering, "Do you know how to eat them?"

The little one immediately understood, nodding happily. He held the grapes tightly in both hands, bent down to shield them carefully, and quickly hid behind the bamboo house door. He even peeked out half his head and whispered, "Sister Xiangxiang, come quickly and help me block them!"

Gui Xiang, who was not far away, came over upon hearing the noise and silently stood by the door to shield Wei Bao from outsiders' view. She then looked at Xing Bao with a hint of expectation in her eyes and asked softly, "Xing Bao, how is the medicine we prepared this time? Was the experiment a success?"

"It's not entirely a failure," Xingbao said slowly, speaking truthfully. "This time the herbal medicine is much better than the previous ones. At least it can stimulate seed germination and greatly increase the germination rate. It just can't unleash the seed's potential. There's still one last step. Let me think about what else I haven't thought of. By the way, sister, is Dad busy right now? I have something I want to discuss with him."

"Dad's busy in the backyard." Gui Xiang had barely finished speaking when the soft sounds of Wei Bao sucking on grapes and chewing the flesh drifted from the corner behind the door, the sweet aroma of the fruit wafting through the air. She couldn't resist reaching out, her eyes crinkling with a smile, and said coquettishly, "Xing Bao, I want some too."

Xingbao looked around to make sure no one was nearby before quietly taking out a small bunch of grapes and handing it to Guixiang. The two siblings, working in perfect harmony, like two little mice stealing food, hid in the corner behind the door, quickly finished the grapes, wiped their mouths clean with satisfaction, and carefully cleaned up the peels and crumbs, leaving no trace. Afterwards, Xingbao asked the two to watch over the bamboo house, then turned and walked out. As he passed under the eaves, he politely greeted his mother, who was doing handicrafts, and a few aunties chatting, before heading straight to the backyard.

From afar, he saw his father tidying up the grape trellis. The four small trees in the backyard that served as the trellis posts had now grown strong enough to barely support the framework of the entire trellis. However, the grapevines were becoming increasingly lush, with their branches extending wildly. If they weren't properly tidied up now, it would be much more troublesome to repair the trellis later, once the vines had fully spread out, becoming tangled and intertwined.

Dad stood on the wooden ladder, bending slightly and using his strength to lift the loose frame steadily, about to secure the other end to a branch of a jujube tree. Seeing this, Xingbao quickly stepped forward, firmly holding the ladder, and said softly, looking up, "Dad, let me hold the ladder for you. Be careful and exert force slowly."

With Xingbao firmly holding the ladder and maintaining his balance, Dad had no more worries and his movements became much more agile and fluid. He quickly adjusted the angle and secured one end of the frame. Then he slowly walked down the ladder, moved it to the other side, and looked at Xingbao beside him, asking, "Xingbao, has the medicine you prescribed come back in good condition? How was the effect?"

Upon hearing the question, Xingbao immediately stepped forward to steady the ladder again, looked up and replied earnestly, "Dad, this time the medicine is much more effective than the previous ones. It can effectively promote seed germination and greatly increase the germination rate. It can be used directly when cultivating rice seeds in the spring and promoting their germination. It is very practical."

After a moment's thought, he frankly pointed out the shortcomings: "The only problem is that the ingredients for this decoction are complicated and the cost is relatively high. For ordinary farmers with scattered and small plots of land, using one dose of this medicine is really not cost-effective. Moreover, I need to slowly and repeatedly experiment and make fine adjustments to the specific and precise dosage ratio before I can calculate the most suitable and cost-effective solution."

While adjusting the frame and securing the rattan, Father replied calmly, "These intricacies of pharmacology and breeding are for you two siblings to study. Father doesn't understand these details. If there's anything Father can help with or procure, just ask."

Xingbao looked up at his father on the ladder, a hint of shyness in his eyes, and said softly, "Dad, there is something I really want to discuss with you."

Upon hearing Xingbao's words, Dad's hands suddenly stopped moving, and he stiffened slightly. He then recovered and slowly lowered the ropes from the frame, saying, "Oh, you need something from me so soon? Tell me about it."

Xingbao looked directly at his father and clearly explained his entire plan: "Dad, it's like this. I plan to officially distribute and promote the first-generation high-yield rice varieties that have been successfully cultivated this year. However, according to the contract, most of the mature rice seeds will be in the hands of my maternal grandfather, my third uncle, and a few villagers who signed cooperation agreements with us earlier. If we let everyone spread them around freely, it's fine in our village, as every household has learned new farming, fertilization, and management methods from the base, and can fully utilize the high-yield advantages of the rice varieties. But it's different in other villages. In the past two years, people from other villages have come to cause trouble from time to time, claiming that the seeds sold in our village are not as high-yielding as rumored. Every time, it's only thanks to their relatives in the village testifying and mediating that the turmoil has been quelled; otherwise, who knows how far it would have gone. To completely solve this problem, I want the children from the breeding base to form teams and take the seeds to the surrounding villages to teach the people from other villages proper farming methods."

Upon hearing this, the father nodded slowly, his eyes full of approval, instantly understanding his son's deeper intentions: "So you're planning to use the previous contract model? That's a safer approach. It won't waste the excellent rice seeds, and it will allow the children at the base to earn a living with their skills, providing them with a stable income. All those years of hard work and training with you and your siblings haven't been in vain; they finally have a legitimate path. Tell me, what do you need my help with?"