Courtyard House: Rebirth of a Shopkeeper in 1937

Upon hearing this, Township Head Liu immediately had someone find a hoe from the corner of the shop and then had his father lead the way to the vegetable garden. Hiding in the tofu shop, the eldest brother, second brother, and Xingbao saw through the window that the group was digging up the tea tree in the garden, and they were all trembling with rage—that was the key to their family's secret of the spiritual spring water! Guixiang was even more anxious, her eyes reddening. Seeing that someone was even digging up the small tea seedlings she and Xingbao had planted together, she was about to rush out to stop them, but luckily her mother reacted quickly, covering her mouth and pulling her tightly into her arms, whispering comforting words in her ear to prevent her from making a scene.

Before long, Father returned to the hall with Township Head Liu and his entourage. The tea tree, still covered in soil, was tied with straw rope by Township Head Liu's men and placed at the courtyard gate. Township Head Liu patted Father on the shoulder with satisfaction: "Dawei is indeed sensible. Don't worry, I'll have your family's conscription cancelled. We'll cooperate again when the opportunity arises." With that, he led his entourage and the tea tree away from the shop in a grand procession.

Only after the figures of Township Chief Liu and the others disappeared at the intersection did Mother loosen her grip on Guixiang. Her eldest and second eldest brothers also came out of the room. The family looked at the empty ground at the entrance of the courtyard, their faces full of anger and helplessness, yet also revealing a trace of relief at surviving a disaster—at least, the secrets of the spiritual spring water and the space had not been discovered.

Seeing that the siblings were still holding their anger, their faces flushed red, and even Gui Xiang was still muttering "bad township head" under her breath, the father stepped forward, gently patted the shoulders of the eldest and second eldest brothers, and said in a tone that was somewhat tired but very firm: "Alright, stop being angry, just consider it a loss to avoid a bigger disaster."

The words had barely left his lips when a murmur of discussion arose outside the courtyard gate. The second brother instinctively went to the side gate and peeked through the crack. He saw that a small crowd of villagers had quietly gathered outside—some were craning their necks to look into the courtyard, their eyes filled with curious anticipation; others wore faint smiles, unable to hide their schadenfreude; some, whose families had previously received help from Xingbao's family, watched the commotion with envy and helplessness, envying their exemption from conscription thanks to the tea tree, yet also heartbroken that their precious tea tree had been taken away; and many more were ordinary farmers like his own, frowning and whispering amongst themselves, their eyes filled with sadness and sympathy—everyone understood that what Xingbao's family suffered today might be their fate tomorrow. A tapestry of emotions mingled together, a vivid portrayal of the myriad facets of human life unfolding outside the courtyard gate.

The second brother whispered what he had seen to the family. The father silently shook his head, saying nothing more, but continued to instruct the children. He paused for a moment, his gaze slowly sweeping over the children, taking in their resentment and anger, before continuing, his voice deeper, carrying an indescribable heaviness: "You must understand, Township Head Liu came prepared this time. He's long been eyeing our family's 'special qualities,' and he won't stop until he gets what he wants. If we don't hand over these tea trees, just consider this conscription order—our family can't afford exemption, so I'll have to apply. Once I go, the time and place will be decided by them, and my life will be in their hands. Whether I come back alive will be entirely in their hands!"

At this point, the father's tone grew heavier, each word revealing a clear understanding of reality and a deep concern for his family: "There's an old saying, 'A prefect can wipe out an entire family, a magistrate can ruin a household.' Although Township Head Liu is just a township head, if he wanted to use some underhanded tactics against our family, it would be incredibly easy for him. We're just an ordinary family, without power or influence; how could we possibly stand up to him? If we really push him too far, our family could fall apart in an instant!"

His gaze fell on Xingbao, his eyes filled with a serious admonition and expectations for this special son: "From now on, things in the house, especially those 'special' items, should not be taken out easily, and no one should be allowed to notice anything amiss. The tea tree being taken away this time serves as a reminder to us—'The tallest tree in the forest is the first to be felled by the wind.' Only by acting discreetly can we protect our family's safety."

These words were like a bucket of cold water, extinguishing the anger in the siblings' hearts, but also making them acutely aware of the cruelty of reality. The eldest brother frowned, his fingers unconsciously clenching the hem of his clothes, and slowly nodded: "Dad, I understand. From now on, I will pay closer attention to any disturbances at home, and I will never let our family fall into such danger again." The second brother clenched his fists, his knuckles turning slightly white, and said in a deep voice: "From now on, all the heavy and tiring work at home will be done by me. The more I carry, the less risk you will face, and I will never let you face such a dilemma again." Xingbao stood aside, his heart churning, secretly making a resolution: From now on, he must be more cautious, think things through carefully, and never let his family be exposed to danger because of his negligence again.

Standing to the side, her mother gently wiped away Gui Xiang's tears, pulled her into her arms, and softly echoed her father's words, her voice full of comfort for the family: "Your father is right, safety is more important than anything else. As long as we, as a family, stick together, think in the same direction, and work together, we can always get through even the hardest days."

"Dawei, Third Aunt!" Just then, Grandma's anxious shouts suddenly came from the direction of the main room, breaking the silence in the courtyard.

"Mom, we're here!" Mother responded quickly, comforting Guixiang in her arms as she led the whole family towards the main room. Just as they reached the door, they saw the eldest uncle and maternal grandfather supporting the maternal grandmother on either side, hurrying towards the backyard, followed by Sister Shanshan and Brother Dashan, all with anxious expressions on their faces.

Seeing that Xingbao's family was all standing safely in front of her, Grandma stopped and gently scanned each person's face. Only after confirming that everyone was alright did her tense expression relax slightly. Guixiang could no longer hold back. She broke free from her mother's embrace, ran over, and hugged her grandmother's leg, bursting into tears—the scene of Township Chief Liu leading people to forcibly dig up the tea trees had truly terrified the little girl.

Grandma stroked Guixiang's head tenderly, comforting her repeatedly, "Don't cry, sweetie, it's good that you're alright, it's good that you're alright! Why did they target you again out of nowhere!"

Father quickly invited Grandpa's family to sit in the main room, where the faint fragrance of tea still lingered. He picked up the cool tea on the table, took a sip, and suppressed his frustration. He then recounted to Grandpa's family the whole story of how Township Head Liu had come to demand tea and how he had been forced to hand over the tea trees to avoid requisition. After finishing, he instructed his second brother, "Go brew some more tea for Grandpa and the others to cool off." Mother, supporting Grandma, led Guixiang and Xingbao into the kitchen, wanting the elderly and children to rest first.

As soon as they entered the kitchen, Mother immediately lowered her voice and earnestly said to Grandma, "Mom, those bottles of medicine I gave you before, you, Dad, and Uncle's family should use them yourselves. Don't let anyone else know. Dawei went through a lot of trouble to get them. If they find out, the tea tree theft we did today might happen again!"

Grandma held Mother's hand tightly, her eyes reddening, her voice choked with emotion: "Mother knows you are all filial children, Mother remembers it all, and will never let outsiders see."

"Oh, right, and this too." The mother suddenly remembered something, reaching for a cloth bag on the stove. Inside was the last remaining tea leaves. "Now that the tea trees have been dug up, this is all the tea left. Let's divide it among our families, keeping it for ourselves, so that no one else will covet it and cause trouble." With that, she carefully divided the tea leaves in half, wrapped them in clean oil paper, and solemnly handed them to her grandmother. Her grandmother took the tea leaves, clutching them tightly in her palm, and nodded gently, her heart filled with heartache and concern for her daughter's family.