Courtyard House: Rebirth of a Shopkeeper in 1937

Meanwhile, the repairs to the family kitchen were also completely finished. With the help of my maternal grandfather's family, all the previously thin, old beams were replaced, and the damaged roof tiles were neatly replaced, making the house sturdy and eliminating the previous safety hazards. The old timber that was replaced was not wasted; my father sold it at a discounted price to several neighbors whose houses were damaged and who urgently needed timber for repairs, making the best use of resources and helping the neighbors rebuild their homes.

With his home repaired, the villagers' injuries stabilized, and the dust of the war settled, Xingbao finally had some free time. He took out the tire scrap that the old soldier had secretly given him that day. Everyone in his family knew when he accepted the scrap. Guixiang was overjoyed when she first saw it, her heart filled with the pure thoughts of a child. She excitedly asked Xingbao, "Xingbao, with this scrap, can we make a slingshot to hunt birds?"

Xingbao explained with a helpless smile, "Sister, this is car tire lining. It's too thick and not elastic enough to make a slingshot. What can be used to make a slingshot is a thin and resilient inner tube lining. Didn't Brother Qianjin say that if their post office has any scrapped bicycle inner tubes, they'll save some for us? Don't worry, it's been several years already, and the roads in the countryside are so bad, I'm sure we won't have to wait too long."

Years later, Guixiang still vividly remembered the Yang brothers' boastful display of their exquisite slingshots in front of her and her sister. Hearing that her dream slingshot couldn't be made, the joy in her eyes vanished instantly, replaced by disappointment. She dejectedly asked, "Then what use is this piece of leather?"

Xingbao hadn't figured out the purpose yet, so he just gave a perfunctory answer: "I can put it under my body when I'm in a car to absorb the shock and make it less painful to sit."

Gui Xiang didn't think much of it after hearing this, but young Wei Bao always remembered the piece of leather. He would often secretly take it out when Xing Bao wasn't looking and use it as a cushion on the ground. It wasn't until today that Xing Bao suddenly realized its wonderful use.

His master frequently traveled to make house calls, rain or shine. Whenever it rained or snowed, the mountain roads became muddy and slippery, and his cloth shoes would easily get soaked. His feet would be constantly soaked in the cold, wet shoes, causing him to suffer from chronic cold and dampness. He had an idea: he would cut this thick, durable tire leather into soles and ask his master's wife to sew them onto his master's cloth shoes as a Mid-Autumn Festival gift. From then on, his master would be able to travel in the rain without slipping or being afraid of mud.

The tire leather had a natural curve, with a slightly raised surface, uneven and hard yet tough, making it impossible to shape directly by cutting. Xingbao took the leather into the tofu shop, placed the thick tire leather into a huge cast iron pot, added water to completely submerge it, and tightened the lid. Then he took out his homemade tinderbox, blew on it to light it, and squatted in front of the stove to boil water, intending to use the high temperature of the boiling water to soften the stiff rubber leather before taking it out and flattening it.

The stove fire had just been lit when hurried footsteps sounded outside the door. Wei Bao dashed into the tofu room, gathered around the large pot, wrinkled his little nose, and sniffed hard. With a look of curiosity mixed with disgust, he shouted at the top of his lungs, "Brother Xing, this skin smells awful! You're going to put it in the pot to cook? How can we eat it?"

Xingbao glanced down at the little guy's shifty eyes and instantly understood. These past few days, Weibao had been secretly using this piece of leather as a cushion, running around and messing with it—no wonder it smelled strange. He chuckled inwardly and teased him, "That's right, it won't smell bad if you boil it clean, then you can eat it. Once it's cooked, I'll save the whole piece for you."

Wei Bao's eyes darted around, his little face immediately fell, and he hurriedly waved his hands to refuse, his little mouth quickly finding an excuse: "No, no, no, Xing-ge, save it for Big Brother! Big Brother stands and teaches every day, he works the hardest, he should take good care of himself!"

Xingbao wasn't going to let him off the hook, so he pretended to be serious and continued teasing, "You're the youngest in the family, and your parents and we all love you the most, so we should give you some supplements. This good thing will definitely be saved for you."

The little guy was speechless after being teased, his brows furrowed tightly, his face drooped, and his eyes instantly reddened, on the verge of tears. Just then, Gui Xiang lifted the curtain and walked into the tofu room. Seeing the two of them bickering, she asked in confusion, "Xing Bao, why are you cooking this piece of skin? It smells so awful."

Xingbao stopped joking and explained seriously, "Sister, I plan to use this durable tire leather to make a pair of shoe soles for Master. In the future, when he goes out to make house calls in rainy or snowy weather, the mountain roads will be muddy, and Master's cloth shoes won't get wet or slippery as easily."

Gui Xiang leaned closer to smell the faint rubbery odor emanating from the pot, and frowned slightly: "So it's for making shoe soles. Why can't you just use perfectly good leather directly instead of boiling it and making the whole house smell weird?"

Wei Bao, who was standing nearby, immediately perked up, instantly forgetting his grievances, and hurriedly went to Gui Xiang to complain, his tone full of grievance: "That's right! That's right! It smells awful! Sister Xiang Xiang, Xing Ge just lied to me, saying he would cook it for me!"

Xingbao smiled helplessly and patiently explained the reason: "This leather is hard and warped, with a natural curve, so it can't be flattened at all. I first boiled it in hot water to soften and make it pliable before I could flatten it and cut it into a shoe sole that fits well."

Gui Xiang immediately understood upon hearing this and nodded, saying, "Oh, I see. You keep cooking, I'll go to Mother's trunk to find shoe patterns for you. I often help my master's wife organize shoes and socks, so I know my master's shoe size and there won't be any mistakes."

"Don't rush, sister. After the leather is softened by boiling, it needs to be pressed for two days until it's completely flat and smooth before it can be cut to make shoe soles."

Gui Xiang nodded in agreement, "Then I'll find the shoe pattern first. Just let me know whenever you need it. The smell here is pungent and unpleasant, so I'll head out now. Make sure you wash the iron pot thoroughly after you're done cooking. We also have a tofu-making business, and if this pot has any lingering odor, the tofu will have a strange taste, and no one will buy it. That would definitely ruin our reputation." After saying that, she reached out and took Wei Bao's hand, coaxing him softly, "Wei Bao, the smell here is unpleasant. Let's go to the backyard to pick some grapes."

Watching Gui Xiang lead Wei Bao away quickly from the tofu shop, Xing Bao's heart sank, and his face instantly fell. He was filled with regret; he had been so focused on polishing the shoe soles for his master that he had completely forgotten the stubborn odor left by the boiled rubber, and had inadvertently caused a disaster. The water in the pot was already boiling, and the rubber was being cooked; it was too late to change pots and start over. He secretly regretted that if he had known it would be this troublesome, he should have taken it to his grandmother's pig feed pot. Livestock feed wasn't picky about smells, and it wouldn't have interfered with his family's livelihood. But it was too late for regrets now.

Once the tire skin was completely softened and thoroughly boiled, Xingbao found a long stick and carefully scooped the skin out of the boiling water, draining it. He took two flat wooden planks, sandwiched the softened tire skin between them, laid it flat in the backyard, and placed a heavy stone on top, waiting for the skin to flatten and set. After finishing, he immediately returned to the tofu shop to clean the iron pot.

In the countryside, resources were scarce, and there were no special items for removing odors. Xingbao could only use what was available, mixing the strongest cleaning agents from farmyards—wood ash and soap pods—to repeatedly scrub and wipe the iron pot until the walls shone brightly. Even so, by noon, a faint rubbery smell still lingered on the inside of the pot, which he couldn't completely eliminate.