Courtyard House: Rebirth of a Shopkeeper in 1937

Only a few innocent children in the village, still harboring a sliver of curiosity, peeked out, only to be instantly pulled back by their parents with stern voices and held tightly in their arms. The entire village was gripped by fear; no one could bear to witness this recurring tragedy of parting. Every household closed its doors in silence, a deathly stillness filling the air, everyone secretly grieving and shedding silent tears. The heart-wrenching cries outside the Wang family's door today could be the death farewell of one's own family tomorrow. In this chaotic world, fate is ever-changing, and no one can escape its pull.

This agonizing scene had played out repeatedly in the village. As the village head, a respected elder, Old Wang was caught between the ironclad laws of the government and the bonds of kinship with his neighbors, caught in a dilemma, suffering endless mental torment day and night. In the past two years, he had aged at an alarming rate. His once strong and upright body had become increasingly hunched, his back completely bent, and all the energy in his eyes had been drained away. He still always held that old pipe, but he no longer had the composure and calmness of before. He walked with a faltering gait, his brows furrowed, and he was always preoccupied and depressed.

Every young man in the village about to be conscripted was a child he had watched come into being, a child he had watched grow up, each one vibrant and innocent, untouched by hardship. But this was a war of annihilation to defend their homeland, a war of national destruction, a war where the land was shattered and the nation was in jeopardy, and military orders were never to be leniently obeyed. He was an old man in his twilight years, filled with tenderness and unbearable sorrow, yet powerless to do anything but watch helplessly as one by one, his fellow villagers' sons were forced to go to the perilous battlefield, likely to be buried in the wilderness, never to return home. This guilt and helplessness gnawed at his heart day and night.

The daily chorus of sorrow, the endless lamentations of others, coupled with the overwhelming guilt and helplessness weighing on his heart, piled up layer upon layer of pressure, completely exhausting Old Wang's already frail spirit. He could endure the hardships of time, but not the ruthlessness of a chaotic world. That afternoon, his long-suppressed emotions finally shattered. The exhausted old man couldn't hold on any longer; he suddenly breathed his last, collapsed to the ground, and utterly collapsed.

Renze and Shuangchao were extremely anxious and rushed into their master's house. At that time, their master was sitting in the main room, explaining medical cases and teaching Xingbao and Guixiang the art of diagnosis.

The two men burst through the door, and before they could even catch their breath, they both collapsed to their knees with a thud. Uncle Renze, his face deathly pale and his voice hoarse, pleaded loudly with Old Yang, "Old Yang, please, save my father! Save my father!"

Shuangchao, standing to the side, also had tears in his eyes. He kowtowed heavily, pleading, "Grandpa Yang, please, please save my grandpa!"

Upon seeing this, Old Yang's heart tightened. He immediately stood up and quickly stepped forward to help his father up, his voice urgent yet steady: "Renze, get up! Let's talk this out. What's wrong with your father?" Xingbao, who was standing nearby, also reacted and quickly stepped forward, bent down, and gently helped Shuangchao, who was kneeling on the ground, up, his eyes full of worry for the old man.

Uncle Renze stood up, his voice flustered and choked with sobs, and hurriedly explained what had happened: "Old Yang, these past few days, every household has been crying in front of my house. My father has been tormented by the cries of grief every day, unable to find peace. Just now, without any warning, he suddenly lost his breath and collapsed to the ground!"

Upon hearing this, Old Yang sighed softly, his eyes filled with understanding and pity, his heart heavy with sorrow. He knew all too well Old Wang's suffering, and said in a deep voice, "Old Wang is getting old; he's been exhausted and overwhelmed by worry these past few days, and it's worn him down. By the way, Renze, when your father fainted, did he fall hard to the ground?"

"No!" Uncle Renze quickly shook his head, feeling very fortunate. "I saw that he looked extremely pale and listless today, so I stayed by his side the whole time. That's how I managed to catch him in time and prevent him from falling or getting hurt."

"That's good, that's good." Old Yang breathed a slight sigh of relief and immediately turned to instruct the two children, "Xingbao, carry the medicine box. Guixiang, come with me to the pharmacy to get some emergency medicine. We'll go take a look right away."

After Guixiang and her master retrieved and packed the emergency medicines, Xingbao had already carefully tied the medicine box securely to Heitan's back and was waiting at the door when she came out. Their master was getting old and couldn't withstand the arduous journey along the mountain roads. Whenever they went out to make house calls, the siblings never let him walk and always made sure he rode a donkey.

Uncle Renze rushed forward and carefully helped his master sit safely on the donkey's back. After making sure the master was seated securely, he took the reins and led the way with Heitan. Xingbao and Guixiang waved goodbye to their master's wife and followed closely behind with Shuangchao. The group hurried down the mountain along the path to reach the Wang family and rescue the people.

At this moment, the heart-wrenching cries that had echoed for days were gone from the Wang family's doorstep; replaced by a deathly silence, so oppressive it was hard to breathe. Many worried villagers spontaneously gathered outside the courtyard, everyone silent and still, anxiously trying to find out what was happening inside. Seeing a group of people approaching along the mountain path in the distance, someone in the crowd immediately whispered a reminder: "Old Yang is coming! Everyone, make way! Don't block the way, don't delay the rescue!"

Upon hearing the commotion, the villagers who had been surrounding the donkey quickly stepped aside, making way for a clear path. Two uncles from the Wang family hurried forward, carefully helping their master down from the donkey and guiding him into the Wang family courtyard. Xingbao and Guixiang followed closely behind, their steps light and steady, skillfully untying the medicine box from the donkey's back and casually slinging it over their shoulders.

Shuangchao stepped forward quickly, speaking rapidly but steadily: "Xingbao, Guixiang, you two hurry inside to rescue them. Leave Heitan to me; I'll have someone take good care of him, so don't worry."

"Thank you for your hard work." Xingbao nodded his thanks, picked up the heavy medicine box on his back, and followed closely behind Guixiang, quickly stepping into the house.

Inside the main room, the atmosphere was heavy and solemn, the air seemingly frozen. Four respected village elders sat around the table, their gazes fixed on the direction of the inner bedroom, their brows furrowed, their expressions anxious, silently awaiting the diagnosis. All the village's leading young men were also present, their faces somber, standing silently, their hearts filled with worry. Father stood quietly behind his great-uncle, his posture upright, but his eyes betrayed his deep concern. Xingbao and Guixiang quickly stepped forward, bowing slightly, and respectfully greeted them: "Great-uncle, Grandpa Zhao, Grandpa Li, Grandpa Peng!"

Just as the two were about to turn around and greet their other uncles one by one, their great-uncle raised his hand to interrupt them. His tone was urgent and earnest, disregarding formalities: "Xingbao, Guixiang, no need for formalities or pleasantries. Quickly follow your master inside to help rescue people. This is the most important thing right now."

"Thank you, Uncle." The two replied in unison, nodding in thanks. Without daring to delay for a moment, they turned and quickly walked towards the dimly lit inner bedroom.