Courtyard House: Rebirth of a Shopkeeper in 1937

Just moments before, as enemy planes circled low and onlookers stared in bewilderment, Old Wang, knowing the danger, frantically ran through the streets, repeatedly calling out to the adults and children watching, urging them to quickly return home to avoid the air raid. He hurried along, shouting as he passed Youcai's house, when two deafening explosions suddenly rang out. The unexpected roar and flashes completely shattered the old man's mind. Overwhelmed with shock, Old Wang froze and collapsed to the ground. Renze, who was right behind him, was caught off guard and unable to catch the old man in time. He could only desperately shield him from flying planks, tiles, and debris. Renyou, who arrived shortly after, rushed forward, and the two of them together carried the unconscious Old Wang home. But in just moments, Old Wang, who had been rushing to save others, had already passed away.

This elderly village head, who had served for over ten years and had just stepped down, bravely ran through the streets and alleys during the critical moment of the enemy plane attack, despite his advanced age and frail health, calling on villagers to evacuate and seek safety, his heart filled with concern for the safety of everyone in the village. He wholeheartedly protected his neighbors, but ultimately could not escape this unexpected disaster. Xingbao stood quietly to the side, listening to the soft sobs around him, looking at the sorrowful scene inside the house, his heart filled with sorrow. He clearly remembered that after two serious illnesses, Old Wang's body was already depleted and weak. He was usually slow in his movements, always resting and rarely exerting himself. But in the face of danger, this retired old man put aside his own illness and frailty, taking the initiative to warn and reassure people, using his remaining strength to protect the peace of the village and to buy precious time for his fellow villagers to escape danger. In turbulent times, ordinary people may not have extraordinary abilities to protect the world, but they can still step forward with their sincere hearts. This simple and selfless sense of responsibility is particularly moving.

Surrounded by relatives and neighbors, the Wang family home was filled with grief and solemnity; no outside help was needed for the aftermath. There were still injured villagers ahead who urgently needed treatment; their conditions were urgent and could not be delayed. Suppressing his regret, the master solemnly bowed to the house in mourning, whispering in a low voice, "Old Wang, may you rest in peace. We'll come back to see you off after we've finished rescuing people." Xingbao and Guixiang bowed respectfully in unison. The three dared not linger, turning and hurrying through the lingering dust towards the epicenter of the explosion to rescue those in need.

The closer one gets to the core disaster area, the more shocking the devastation becomes. Thick dust accumulates on the roads, and each step kicks up clouds of white mist, mixed with dry straw and broken branches blown down by the blast wave, densely covering the entire street. Further on, there are more and more wood chips, cracked bamboo pieces, and scattered pieces of tile, layered upon layered along the way, all fragments of houses destroyed by the shockwave.

Concerned for his family's safety, Xingbao quickly took Guixiang and ran straight into his grandmother's house. They immediately saw his grandmother silently sweeping up the tiles that had fallen from the roof. The two rushed forward, their voices filled with anxious concern: "Grandma, were you frightened? Is anything wrong at home?"

Grandma stopped what she was doing upon hearing the sound. Seeing that the two children were safe and sound, her heart, which had been hanging in suspense, instantly settled. The panic in her eyes disappeared, and she replied gently, "Xingbao, Guixiang, I'm so glad you're alright. I've been worried about you the whole time. Your grandpa and I are both fine. There's nothing wrong with the house, except that a corner of the roof of the pigsty in the backyard collapsed. Your grandpa, uncle, and aunt are all there cleaning up and repairing it."

Upon learning that his family was safe, Xingbao breathed a slight sigh of relief, but immediately remembered the important matter of saving lives and hurriedly instructed, "Grandma, it's good that everyone at home is alright. I'm going to go ahead with Master to save people."

Grandma nodded repeatedly, her eyes full of approval and understanding: "Good, good. Learning medical skills is meant to save lives in times of crisis. You all go and get busy, don't worry about home."

After saying goodbye to their grandmother, the three continued on their way. The road ahead was littered with large pieces of debris, including broken bricks, heavy wooden beams, and shattered roof planks. The force of the explosion swept in from the road behind the house. Most of the houses in the village suffered relatively minor damage, but the few closest to the epicenter were the most severely damaged. Walls collapsed, roofs crumbled, and rubble littered the ground, a scene of utter devastation and destruction, clearly demonstrating the terrifying destructive power of the bombing. The Long family's old house, located on the edge of the disaster zone, was also severely damaged by the powerful shockwave.

The embers of the fire had not yet been completely extinguished, and wisps of black smoke continued to billow. Many villagers were busy carrying buckets of water, fetching water to extinguish the fire and search for the injured. The streets were completely blocked by debris from the blast, with crowds jostling about, making it impossible to pass. Seeing this, the three men and their apprentices had no choice but to change their route, passing through Uncle Youcai's courtyard and taking a detour through the back door towards the workshop.

Taking a detour to the hillside, the group looked towards their shop and breathed a sigh of relief. The anticipated collapse and damage hadn't occurred. Although the roof had several holes of varying sizes from the impact, the walls and roof frame remained intact, and the shop as a whole suffered no major damage—a rare stroke of luck in this bombing. Seeing their shop safe and sound, Xingbao and Guixiang finally felt relieved and both breathed a sigh of relief.

The side door of the shop was ajar, clearly opened beforehand by Father, who had deliberately left a passage so that Uncle Lü's family could easily enter and exit the backyard or take refuge in the air-raid shelter—a thoughtful gesture. Gui Xiang felt reassured and could no longer contain herself. She rushed into the courtyard, calling out, "Father, Mother, Big Brother, Wei Bao, we're back!"

The large backyard was deathly silent. The usual lively scene of roosters crowing and pacing was nowhere to be seen. The chickens and ducks kept at home must have been frightened away by the loud bombing and had disappeared without a trace. Xingbao quickly stepped forward, took the medicine box off Heitan's back and carried it on his own back, and carefully locked Heitan away. Then, he followed his master closely and hurried towards the main room.

"Master, be careful!" Gui Xiang's voice suddenly rang out.

The two had just stepped into the main room when they were instantly startled by the sight before them. The once intact roof of the main room had been blasted open with several large holes, and through the holes, a heavy wooden plank hung precariously in front of their master, swaying gently with the residual air currents. It was extremely dangerous and could fall at any moment.

In the nick of time, Xingbao reacted swiftly, immediately moving a solid wooden table to the side and placing it in front of the danger zone, isolating the potential hazard. Just then, footsteps came from the inner room. His mother, carrying a trembling, terrified Weibao, rushed out. Seeing her master, her voice still trembling, she hurriedly said, "Old Yang, Dawei anticipated your arrival and has already taken several people to carry the injured to the bamboo house in front. Please go and see, the injured have lost a lot of blood, and...and..."