Courtyard House: Rebirth of a Shopkeeper in 1937

After everyone finished eating the watermelon, the father remembered that the family's brown sugar and salt were almost gone, and that they needed to prepare new vegetable seeds for Xingbao's space. So he went to Uncle Zhang's general store and carefully selected a few items: two catties of bright brown sugar, a bag of plump red dates, a bag of salt, and some good vegetable seeds. After packing them carefully, he stuffed them all into the burlap sack of the wheelbarrow.

With everything settled, Brother Jiande led the father and son towards Shuangfeng Academy. Leaving the town entrance and heading east, the stone path gradually transitioned into a smooth dirt road. The rice paddies beside the road grew denser, the golden ears of rice hanging heavy, rustling softly in the wind like nature's whisper. Brother Jiande, familiar with the area, led them to three nearby farmhouses, immediately explaining his purpose: "This is my Uncle Song. He wants to buy ten shi of grain, at two yuan per dan. Is that acceptable?" The farmers, seeing that it was Brother Jiande who had recommended them, hearing the fair price, and knowing he was willing to carry it to the town entrance, agreed without hesitation. Before long, the ten shi of grain were settled smoothly. The farmers busied themselves carrying sacks from the granary and weighing them on wooden scales, while the father counted the grain one by one, occasionally lending a hand to help with the process.

Seeing that everything was going smoothly, Jian De said to his father, "Uncle Song, some farmers are delivering grain here, so I'll go back to the shop to keep an eye on things. If you have anything else to do later, you can find me at the shop." His father nodded in agreement and watched Jian De turn and leave. Just as everyone was busy moving and weighing the grain, Xing Bao's gaze fell on the academy with its green tiles and bricks not far away. Unable to contain his curiosity, he gently tugged at his father's sleeve and said, "Dad, I want to go to the academy and take a look, just one look and then I'll come back."

The father looked up and saw the academy so close at hand, its ancient walls weathered and hidden between golden rice paddies and the Mekong River, exuding a sense of tranquility and remoteness. He gently instructed, "Go ahead, but be careful not to make any noise in the courtyard and disturb the teacher's lesson. Return immediately after you've finished."

"Okay!" Before Xingbao finished speaking, he had already run out like a little sparrow, his steps light and quick as he ran towards the academy.

Reaching the entrance of the academy, Xingbao slowed his pace. Looking up, he saw that the academy's blue bricks and tiles, weathered by time, bore faint, mottled marks, as if time had imbued them with a warm, gentle hue. On the grass in front of the gate stood two gray-blue incinerators, a few specks of ash remaining at their openings, presumably used for burning waste paper. On either side of the gate sat a stone lion, not particularly large, yet exuding an air of authority, its paws gripping a stone ball, its eyes piercing and dignified. Above the lintel hung a black plaque with gold lettering: "Shuangfeng Academy"—four large characters, upright and powerful, reflecting the academy's profound history. On either side of the plaque, a couplet is engraved: "Two schools of thought exchange ideas, so seek fresh water here; Two peaks stand facing each other, where else can we look up to the high mountains?" Although Xingbao could not recognize all the characters, he felt that the couplet was easy to read aloud and exuded an elegant and refined air between the lines.

The old wooden door of the academy was tightly closed. Xingbao tiptoed, trying to peek through the crack, but the gap was too narrow, and he couldn't see anything. He climbed onto the threshold, pressed his cheek against the cold wooden door, and strained to see inside. But just as his cheek touched the door, he heard a soft creak, and the door slowly opened a crack—it had been ajar all along! Xingbao was overjoyed. He gently pushed the door open just enough for him to pass through, then carefully squeezed in sideways, holding his breath the entire time, afraid of making the slightest sound and disturbing those inside.

Entering through the gate was a passageway paved with bluestone slabs. Above the passageway hung a rectangular wooden plaque, densely covered with small characters detailing the academy's origins. Xingbao leaned closer, using the sunlight overhead to carefully read it. Although he didn't recognize some of the characters, he could roughly make out the gist: the academy was first built in the tenth year of the Qianlong Emperor's reign in the Qing Dynasty. At that time, the county magistrate, Zhang Nianzhai, borrowed a house in Yongfeng Town to set up a free school for children. In the twenty-fifth year of Qianlong's reign, County Magistrate Zhang Dongda and Vice Magistrate Shen Tiaoxi donated their salaries to initiate the construction of a dedicated school building. Construction began that autumn and was completed the following spring. Because two mountain peaks stood opposite the school building, it was named "Shuangfeng Academy" (Twin Peaks Academy).

Xingbao looked at the uneven characters on the plaque and sighed inwardly: So this academy has a history of nearly two hundred years; no wonder it looks so ancient. He slowly walked along the passageway, and could faintly hear the sound of children reading aloud in the distance, clear and orderly, like birds singing…

As Xingbao listened, a growing sense of doubt arose in his heart. His elder brother, used to recite at home, would sway his head and chant phrases from the Four Books and Five Classics, such as "The Master said: 'To learn and at due times practice what one has learned,'" and "Mencius said: 'Those who attain the Way receive much help.'" The words were imbued with the profound and resolute spirit of the classics. But the sentences these students were reading were soft and gentle, lacking any of the strength and vigor of the scriptures. He had never heard a single one of them before. They were neither classic chapters from the *Analects* nor famous passages from the *Mencius*; they resembled what he knew of as "prose" in his previous life, yet were more concise and elegant. But the academy had always prioritized the teaching of sages; why would it teach such unconventional content?

This question, like a pebble thrown into calm water, stirred his curiosity and made him eager to find out more. He moved even lighter, like a kitten, slowly inching along the corridor between the houses, peeking through the cracks in the windows one by one. In the first room, the teacher held a yellowed piece of paper covered with winding lines and squares enclosing words. He pointed to the lines and said, "This is the Meishui River," then to the squares and said, "This is Yongfeng Town," constantly muttering "mountains and rivers," "prefectures, counties, and towns." Xingbao immediately understood; this was about "geography," something his older brother had never learned in his books. The second room was even stranger. The teacher drew several square boxes on the blackboard and used chalk to calculate, "Three feet long, two feet wide, what is the area?" The children repeated, "Six square feet." It turned out this was "arithmetic," something his older brother only knew the multiplication table of "one times one equals one," and had never learned anything like this. What surprised him most was the last room, where the teacher was leading the children in saying "Hello" and "Bye-bye," the strange pronunciation of which startled him. In his past life, he didn't study English well, which dragged down his score in the college entrance exam. He never expected that he would hear these familiar words again after being reborn in this era! Although he was only teaching some daily expressions and his pronunciation still had a strong Yongfeng accent, saying "Hello" like "Ha Lou," in a place where everyone only taught classical Chinese, this was a very novel thing!

"New learning... This is actually new learning!" Xingbao's heart skipped a beat, as if he had been hit hard by something. His previous curiosity was instantly replaced by a surge of suppressed anger. He suddenly remembered his older brother: his brother would get up before dawn every day to memorize his lessons, burning the midnight oil lamp again and again. His writing was neat and tidy, even better than the official documents written by the township clerk. He had wanted to ask Township Head Liu to write a letter of recommendation to apply for the county middle school, but the township head always made excuses to delay, saying either "wait a little longer" or "your knowledge is not enough," and dragged it out for a long time. So that's the problem! The township primary school was just to appease the higher-ups, teaching some outdated classics and not teaching any of this new learning at all, but the county middle school would definitely be testing these things! Township Chief Liu had long known that even if his elder brother took the recommendation letter to take the exam, he wouldn't pass. He was just deliberately delaying. Later, he gave his father the recommendation letter so that his father would help him train the wolf-fighting team. He probably wanted to see his brother make a fool of himself. He imagined his elder brother going to Shaoyang with high hopes and going through all sorts of hardships to take the exam, only to find that he knew nothing but how to write essays and could only slink back home. What a blow that would be to him!

Thinking of this, Xingbao felt as if a burning hot stone was lodged in his chest, making it hard to breathe, and he no longer had the will to stay in the academy. He quietly retreated to the door, glancing back at the plaque of "Shuangfeng Academy." The black background and gold characters shone brightly in the sunlight. He bit his lip hard—why did his elder brother have to go to such lengths to take the middle school entrance exam? Shuangfeng Academy teaches modern learning; not to mention, Mr. Cai Hesen graduated from here! This is clearly a good place!

Having made up his mind, Xingbao turned and ran towards the door, his steps hurried and fast. He didn't even notice when the hem of his clothes was caught on the door frame; he only wanted to find his father as soon as possible and tell him everything about what he had discovered at the academy and his worries about his older brother. In the distance, he heard the creaking sound of a wooden scale swaying from a farmer's house. He ran towards the sound, his small figure moving swiftly along the edge of the golden rice paddies.

Running to the farmer's yard, he saw his father and several uncles busy around a wooden scale—the scale beam was slightly weighed down by the sacks, his father was squinting as he adjusted the scale, and the uncles were loading the weighed sacks of grain onto a wheelbarrow. Xingbao clenched his fists, suppressing his anger, and slowly strolled around the yard.

Turning the corner, his eyes suddenly lit up: under the eaves of the farmer's house, a bamboo trellis half a person's height stood, and in the vegetable patch beside it, many crops grew neatly—the thick-leaved, pungent ginger, with plump rhizomes just peeking out from the soil, perfect for planting; nearby, several garlic plants had sprouted tender green scapes, the garlic shoots reaching waist height, and a clump of vibrant green scallions swayed gently in the breeze. Xingbao's eyes lit up, and he quietly squatted down to touch the ginger leaves, making up his mind: these crops were rare in the village, he must ask his father to buy some later, they would definitely grow well in his space.

"Uncle Song, take a break and have a bite to eat before you get back to work!" A familiar sound of footsteps came, and Brother Jiande returned, carrying a wicker lunchbox in his hand, with beads of sweat still on his forehead. "Knowing you have a long way to go, my mother specially made brown rice and stir-fried meat with pickled vegetables. You can eat while keeping an eye on the scale, so it won't delay your journey."

The father quickly put down what he was doing, took the lunchbox with both hands, and said with gratitude, "Your family is too kind. It's always a hassle for you when you come. Next time, I'll definitely treat you and Brother Zhang to a couple of drinks!" As he spoke, he lifted the lid of the lunchbox, and the fragrant aroma of the food immediately wafted out. He called out to Xingbao, "Xingbao, your brother Jiande has brought the food. Come and eat."

Xingbao stepped out from the shade by the vegetable patch, swallowed hard as he looked at the food in the lunchbox, and called out in a clear voice, "Thank you, brother-in-law!" Although he tried to hide his emotions, the child's body after his rebirth couldn't conceal his feelings, and his brows were still slightly furrowed.

As expected, her father noticed. He paused in scooping rice and asked with concern, "What's wrong? You were so happy when you went to the academy. Did you make a scene and get kicked out by the teacher?"

Xingbao's heart tightened, and he quickly changed the subject, pointing towards the vegetable patch and saying, "Dad, I didn't cause any trouble. I just saw ginger, garlic, garlic sprouts, and scallions over there, and they're growing really well. Let's ask the uncles to buy some to take back as seeds; very few people in our village grow these."

Hearing this, the uncle who was carrying sacks next to him laughed, straightened up and said, "Hey, it won't cost much to make seeds! These are all grown by ourselves for our own consumption. After we weigh them, I'll give you two of each kind. Freshly planted seeds have a higher survival rate."

Xingbao quickly thanked them, his appetite growing stronger. After the meal, everyone sped up, and soon all ten bushels of grain were weighed and packed. The uncle who delivered the crops kept his promise, digging up two ginger plants with soil still attached, two garlic plants, and also picking a handful of garlic sprouts and scallions, which he tied together with straw and handed over. Feeling bad, the father insisted on taking a copper coin from his pocket and giving it to the uncle—the coin wasn't worth much, but it was a token of his appreciation.

The group pushed the wheelbarrow toward the town entrance. When they reached the agreed meeting point, the father said to the farmers who were delivering the grain, "Thank you all for your trouble. Brother Jiande will go and find someone to transport the grain for me. You can go back now. I'll have him send the rest of the money over later." The farmers smiled and agreed, then turned and left.

Once everyone was completely out of sight, the father cautiously looked around and whispered to Xingbao, "Put the grains into your spatial storage, but leave one bag in the cart as a mere formality, so it won't be too strenuous on the road." Xingbao nodded quickly, reached out and touched the grain bags, and in the blink of an eye, all nine bags of grain disappeared without a trace, instantly making the wheelbarrow much lighter.

Father pushed the cart, Xingbao still sitting on the sack, towards town. Passing a porcelain shop, Father remembered the matter of using medicinal herbs to mask the effects of the spiritual spring water, so he stopped and went inside to choose some. The shop's porcelain jars and bottles were neatly arranged. Father chose a large-bellied, narrow-necked celadon jar—this kind of jar had good sealing properties and could be used to soak medicinal herbs. He also picked out five thumb-sized white porcelain bottles, thinking they would be perfect for storing the spiritual spring water later. The shopkeeper tied the jar securely with straw rope, then put the small porcelain bottles into a bamboo basket, smiling and saying, "This celadon jar is from a local kiln; it's very durable."

Leaving the porcelain shop, the pharmacy was not far away. Father pushed open the door, and a faint aroma of herbs wafted towards them. The shopkeeper, wearing reading glasses, was cutting herbs. Seeing someone enter, he looked up and asked, "What medicine would you like, sir?" Father pondered for a moment, then said, "The elderly in my family are weak, and I'd like two herbs to nourish their blood and qi." The shopkeeper thought for a moment, then brought out two packets of herbs: "This is Rehmannia glutinosa, to nourish blood and replenish marrow; that's Astragalus membranaceus, to replenish qi and strengthen the exterior. They're perfect together, both are authentic herbs." Father took the packets, smelled them, and paid with satisfaction. Xingbao, standing on tiptoe, peered around, still thinking about the seeds. He whispered to the shopkeeper, "Uncle, do you sell herb seeds here?" The shopkeeper smiled and shook his head: "This is a pharmacy; you'll have to go to Yaodu Town to find seeds." Xingbao was inevitably disappointed, regretting that he couldn't find any new seeds.

Arriving at the town's market again, the sun was past noon, and the place was even more bustling than in the morning. A peddler carrying a load on his shoulder pole shook a rattle drum and called out his wares, a woman selling needles and thread haggled with customers, and several children jumped and skipped around a sugar painting stall. Xingbao immediately spotted a fruit stall; the blood peaches in the bamboo baskets were bright red and translucent, with water droplets still clinging to their fuzz—they looked incredibly sweet. His father picked out ten uniformly sized peaches, wrapped them in coarse cloth, and bought a few fresh potatoes from a nearby stall—these were grown in the village, but it wasn't harvest time yet; the town was already selling them. Once cooked, they were soft, sweet, and delicious, a good staple food to fill an empty stomach; he'd plant those in his space later too.

It was a pity the honey seller wasn't there today; if they could have bought a hive of bees, Xingbao wouldn't have needed to pollinate them manually. Besides that, there wasn't anything else they urgently needed, so the father and son turned the car around and started their journey home.