Courtyard House: Rebirth of a Shopkeeper in 1937

Half a month passed in the blink of an eye, and the road construction project that the village had been looking forward to for a long time finally started in full. According to the plan, our village and the villagers who were conscripted from the mountains on both sides were only responsible for the construction of the section of road in our village. This section of road is not long, but it has many problems: we need to build a stone bridge over the small river at the entrance of the village, and we also need to open up and widen the road through three steep bends. The workload is much heavier than expected.

My eldest uncle was also on the conscription list. Every day at the crack of dawn, he would rush to the construction site with a hoe, only returning exhausted in the evening, his shoulders red from the hoe handle. Seeing that the adults were so busy they didn't even have time to drink water, Xingbao and Guixiang joined the village children, carrying buckets of water to the construction site every day. When the sun was at its strongest, the children's faces would turn red from the sun, and beads of sweat would stream down their cheeks, but no one complained of being tired—perhaps once the road was built, it would be easier for the villagers to travel, or perhaps supplies could be transported to the front lines faster. They didn't understand these grand principles; they only knew that their fathers, brothers, and other relatives were working hard and sweating.

The shouts from the construction site and the clanging of hoes digging stones have become the most frequent sounds in the village these past few days. But besides the road construction, news of "wolf hunting" also keeps coming from neighboring villages, like a stone weighing on everyone's hearts. Some villages organized villagers to work together to hunt wolves, and although several people were injured, they managed to drive away the wolves and protect their livestock; but other villages were not so lucky. The wolves attacked at night, killing several pigs and sheep and injuring two villagers, one of whom did not survive and died.

In contrast, the district's wolf-hunting operation was reporting a series of successes. A couple of days ago, Captain Li even brought home thirty silver dollars, saying it was a reward from the district for Coach Song's training of the wolf-hunting team. During a casual chat, Captain Li also revealed some information: once the district's wolf-hunting mission was completed, the team members who participated would be incorporated into the security force, issued weapons, and responsible for maintaining local order. Everyone understood the implication; this wasn't just forming a security force, it was clearly a disguised form of conscription, though it wasn't explicitly stated yet. The father didn't respond, but carefully put the silver dollars away, a hint of worry in his eyes—he knew that once incorporated into the force, he would likely have to deal with the Japanese frequently.

While everyone was busy repairing roads and worrying about wolf hunting and conscription news, Xingbao discovered that the watermelons in his space had finally ripened. These past few days, whenever he went into his space to tend to them when no one was around, he would pat the watermelons and listen to their sounds. This afternoon, while his family was resting in the main room, Xingbao quietly took a watermelon out of his space—this watermelon weighed a good twenty pounds, was larger than the ceramic pot in their home, and had a bright green rind with clear, dark stripes.

When Xingbao placed the watermelon on the octagonal table in the main room, his father, mother, eldest brother, second brother, and eldest uncle, who had just returned from the construction site, all stood up in astonishment, their eyes wide, exclaiming, "Unbelievable!" His mother reached out and touched the watermelon, then weighed it in her hand, her face full of doubt: "How can this watermelon grow so big? The biggest watermelons on the market these days don't even weigh ten pounds, about the size of a basketball. How come this looks like a small winter melon?"

The eldest brother also came over, carefully examining the watermelon's rind: "We can't give away such a big watermelon, not even to Grandma's house. It's too conspicuous. Let's invite Grandpa and Grandma to the shop to eat. If word gets out even slightly, people from the village might come knocking on our door this afternoon—just like the tea tree incident. In this world, without power, the best things from ordinary people are the easiest targets for robbery."

The father nodded, his expression serious as he instructed, "Xingbao, this melon is for our family only; we must never let outsiders know. From now on, you must be even more careful when taking things out of the space, especially unusual items like this. You can't give yourself away in the slightest."

Xingbao nodded quickly; he had already thought of this, which was why he deliberately chose to bring out the watermelon when the family was all home at noon. Guixiang stood by the table, her little hands gripping the edge, her eyes fixed on the watermelon, and asked softly, "Dad, is this watermelon sweet? I've never seen such a big watermelon before."

Her mother smiled and ruffled her hair: "It'll definitely be sweet. Look how bright and fresh the melon rind is." With that, she turned and went to the kitchen to get a cleaver.

The moment the cleaver touched the watermelon rind, a soft "snap" rang out, and the watermelon split open along the cut, revealing its bright red flesh and a sweet, refreshing aroma that instantly filled the entire main room. Black seeds were embedded in the red flesh, making it look incredibly juicy. Guixiang couldn't help but swallow, reaching out to grab a piece, but her mother gently patted her hand: "Give some to your uncle and father first; they're the ones who are most tired."

The eldest uncle took the watermelon from his mother, took a big bite, and the sweet juice spread in his mouth, making his fatigue disappear a bit. He couldn't help but exclaim, "This watermelon is so sweet! Sweeter than any watermelon I've ever eaten before."

The father also tried a piece and nodded: "It's really good, but it's too big. It will take our family several meals to finish it. From now on, we'll have to keep the door closed when we eat it so the aroma doesn't waft out."

The family sat around the table, eating slices of watermelon one after another. The sudden sweetness brought a rare sense of relaxation to the sweltering afternoon.

The remaining watermelon was put into the cupboard, and the rind was also collected, ready to be chopped up, dried, and used for cooking. Gui Xiang's belly was already round, but she still wanted to eat, and she kept following behind her mother. Her second brother was sent to invite her maternal grandparents again.

Seeing that the family was enjoying a rare moment of relaxation while eating watermelon, the eldest brother seized the opportunity to bring up the more important matter: "Dad, the villagers at the construction site are working under the scorching sun every day. Should we set up the awnings along the roadside now? That way, when they get tired, they'll have a place to shade themselves, drink water, and rest. It'll be our way of showing our care. Also, the carpenter sent word this morning that the tung oil we ordered has arrived. He told us to pick it up as soon as possible if it's convenient for us, otherwise we'll have to wait for the next shipment."

The father, still holding a half-eaten watermelon, stopped upon hearing this, unconsciously wiping the juice from his fingertips. After a moment of contemplation, he spoke: "The tung oil isn't urgent. I'll go buy it this afternoon, lest something unexpected happens. As for setting up the tent, let's talk about that later. Last time, we almost used up all our silver dollars to buy grain and build the corridor. We can't even afford the silver dollars exempted from requisition this time. We've finally managed to save this little bit of money, and we need to keep it for emergencies—in case we need to apply for road repairs or need to spend money again, we'll feel more secure with cash on hand. Besides, outsiders don't know we have this much money; we don't want to reveal it by setting up a tent."

Listening to the conversation between the father and son, Xingbao started to make plans in his mind. Seeing that his father was worried about spending money, he quickly asked, "Dad, is bamboo expensive? If it is, we can buy less and build a frame, and just cover the top with some straw, which will be enough to provide shade and shelter from the rain. If it is not expensive, we can use bamboo on the top, which is stronger and more durable than straw and can last longer."

Upon hearing the word "bamboo," Father's eyes lit up. He put down the watermelon rind he was holding, and his tone became lighter: "Bamboo is very cheap. You can buy dozens of bamboo stalks for a dollar, and it's easy to make. A simple awning can be set up in a morning. Then you can slowly fill it in. You can tie it up with thin bamboo strips, lay down some wide bamboo strips, and paste mud on it to block the wind. It won't be afraid of winter. It's just that bamboo awnings aren't durable. They'll be exposed to wind and sun for many years and then you'll have to replace them."

Upon hearing this, Xingbao's eyes widened in disbelief, his voice filled with childlike certainty: "Dad, you'll be building a brick house in just a few years! Are you really going to wait until the bamboo canopy wears out before replacing it with a new one? By the time the brick house is built, you can probably dismantle the bamboo canopy and use it for something else!"

Everyone in the room laughed at these words. The mother wiped her mouth and teased with a smile, "You child, you're even more eager than your father to build a brick house."

The father couldn't help but laugh, reaching out to pat Xingbao's head: "Okay, I'll listen to you. After I buy the tung oil this afternoon, we'll discuss buying bamboo to build a shed—both to provide a place for the villagers to rest, and also to practice beforehand, so they'll have a better idea of ​​what to do when building brick houses in the future."

My uncle sat to the side, watching the lively scene, and nodded in agreement: "Setting up a tent is a good thing. The villagers at the construction site will definitely be happy. When I go to work tomorrow, I can lend a hand. I'm good at cutting bamboo and tying up frames."

The eldest brother added, "Dad, once you've settled the matter of buying bamboo with Uncle Youcai, I'll go with you to the bamboo mountain to pick out some sturdy old bamboo, cut it down, and carry it back."

The family chatted amongst themselves, and the matter that had initially caused them to hesitate because of saving money was suddenly settled. Gui Xiang didn't understand what a brick house was, but she knew that a shed would be a place to play, and she clapped her hands, saying, "I want to help pass bamboo too!"

Her mother smiled and tapped her forehead: "You're still young, just don't cause any trouble. Once the tent is set up, you won't have to go out in the sun to deliver water to the villagers anymore. You and Xingbao can stay in the tent, and your older siblings can deliver the water to the farther ones."