Courtyard House: Rebirth of a Shopkeeper in 1937

Two days passed in the blink of an eye, and the day to depart for Yongfeng City finally arrived. Before dawn, with the night still shrouded in darkness outside the window, Xingbao was gently shaken awake. He groggily opened his eyes and saw Guixiang nestled beside the bed, her eyes shining like stars. Before he could react, he heard Guixiang's voice: "Xingbao, wake up!"

Xingbao rubbed his eyes, his mind still not fully awake, and mumbled, "Sister, I'm not going to Yongfeng City, let me sleep a little longer..." After saying that, he turned over, pulled the quilt over his head, and tried to keep out this early "disturbance"—after all, only his father, eldest brother, and Guixiang were going this time, while his second brother and Ding were at home helping their mother manage the kitchen and take care of the experimental fields, so he naturally didn't need to get up early.

But Gui Xiang wouldn't give up. She reached out and pulled his blanket down a little more, then placed a small bamboo basket in front of Xing Bao. The basket was lined with clean coarse cloth, clearly prepared beforehand. "No, take out some fruit before you sleep! I need to take it with me to eat on the road, otherwise Dad and my older brother will have to spend money to buy food if they get hungry on the road." Gui Xiang didn't mention that she was just being greedy. Her tone was assertive and urgent, leaving no room for refusal, but her eyes were fixed on Xing Bao, full of expectation.

Xingbao sighed helplessly, knowing his sister had been waiting for this for days, and wouldn't let him sleep peacefully if he didn't give in to her desires. He quietly lifted the blanket slightly to make sure no one else was in the room before taking out several plump oranges, a handful of bright red dates, and a bunch of translucent grapes from his spiritual spring space—these were all freshly ripened fruits from his space, much larger and sweeter than those outside. He carefully placed the fruits into a bamboo basket, then specifically instructed, "Sister, you have to hide these fruits well. Don't let anyone see them when you eat them on the road, especially the grapes. We don't have any in our village. If someone finds them, I won't be able to bring them to you anymore."

Looking at the fresh and tempting fruit in the bamboo basket, Gui Xiang's face immediately lit up with a smile. She nodded repeatedly, "I know! I'll put the basket inside Dad's wheelbarrow, cover it with a cloth, and only take it out to eat when it's just the three of us!" She carefully covered the basket with the cloth and lifted it, afraid the fruit would fall out. Having obtained this "treasure," she didn't disturb Xing Bao's sleep any longer. She turned and tiptoed out of the room, her steps light as she headed towards the backyard. In his drowsy state, Xing Bao only heard, "Dad, help me put the basket in the sack." "Dad, carry me upstairs." "Honey, this is Gui Xiang's first time out, and she's very lively, so you have to keep a close eye on her and make sure she doesn't run around in the city. Don't be too stressed about Yan Bang's exam; just do your best." Finally, there was the sound of the wheels turning and the creak of the door closing...

Today, without having to attend class with his older brother and without Gui Xiang's early morning "disturbance," Xingbao slept until he naturally woke up. The sunlight outside the window had already streamed into the room, warmly falling on the edge of the bed. He stretched and sat up. Just as he reached the courtyard gate, he saw his mother and Aunt Long sitting on small stools, sewing shoe soles with needles and thread, chatting quietly about everyday matters.

The soles of the shoes were small and delicate, the stitches fine and tight. Xingbao knew without guessing that they must be new shoes his mother had made for Guixiang. He looked down at his bare feet. It was still hot, so he didn't need to wear shoes. However, he had grown quickly recently, and the old shoes his second brother had passed down under the bed were already a bit too small. They could only be left to his unborn brother. He could only hope that when the weather turned cool in the fall, his second brother would leave him a pair of old shoes that were still intact and fit well, so that he could keep warm. Life in the countryside was always like this. Clothes and shoes were passed down from the eldest son to the second son, and then from the second son to the third son. Sometimes, the clothes worn by the eldest son might even be old things that his father had worn when he was young. With some mending, they could last for a few more years. Among the sisters in the family, Guixiang was the luckiest. The few relatively decent clothes and well-fitting shoes and socks that her mother had worn when she was young were all left to Guixiang. Most of her mother's old things from her early years were given to her sister Shanshan. Xingbao couldn't help but sigh in his heart: Poor little fifth child, still in his mother's womb, what kind of old shoes and clothes he will wear in the future depends on his fate!

The mother looked up and saw Xingbao standing there in a daze. She smiled and greeted him, "Xingbao, you're awake? I left your breakfast on the kitchen table. It's still warm. Go and eat it yourself."

Xingbao replied with an "okay," then turned and went to the kitchen to wash up and eat, completing the task in one swift motion. After the meal, he began his daily routine: first, he went to the water vat and quietly added a little spiritual spring water. Diluting it too much would only improve the taste, and no one would notice. Next, he carried a small wooden bucket to the experimental field in front of the door to check on the growth of the seedlings, and even took out a small notebook to record the leaf color and stem height.

The experimental field was already bustling with activity: Second Brother and Ding Brother, along with their brothers Xuewen and Xiwu, were weeding and catching insects, deftly pulling up the weeds by the roots and carefully checking the undersides of the rice seedlings for pests; on the makeshift stove under the bamboo shed, several boys were boiling water and brewing tea, the firewood crackling and the rising steam carrying the aroma of tea. Once the tea had cooled down enough, Xingbao and his friends, wearing straw hats, went to deliver it to the uncles who were repairing the road.

After serving the tea, Xingbao returned to his room and took out the medical book given to him by Physician Yang. The book was filled with densely packed herbal illustrations, and as he read, he silently recited the properties and effects of the herbs. Before he knew it, it was noon. The kitchen began preparing to receive guests who had come for a meal, and Sister Shanshan and Brother Dashan came to help—Sister Shanshan quickly washed and chopped the vegetables, while Brother Dashan helped his mother chop firewood and start the fire, and the kitchen was soon filled with the aroma of cooking.

Just then, a cheerful shout came from outside the door: "Xingbao, Guixiang, look what good things your great-grandfather brought you!"

Xingbao quickly put down his medical book and ran to the main room. He saw his great-uncle standing in front of the counter, talking to his mother. On the counter was a small bamboo basket lined with dry straw. Although he couldn't see what was inside, he could faintly hear the whimpering of a small animal. Xingbao's eyes lit up, and he instantly realized what was happening, excitedly shouting, "It's a puppy!" He immediately rushed to his great-uncle, tilting his head back and asking, "Great-Grandpa, did you bring me a puppy?"

The mother smiled and said to her great-uncle, "Grandpa, it's kind of you to remember such a small thing from your child. It's almost mealtime, you must stay and have a bowl of rice before you leave." With that, she got up to go to the kitchen to prepare the meal.

Uncle quickly waved his hand: "Third Aunt, let's skip dinner today. When Dawei comes back from Yongfeng City next time, he can have a couple of drinks with me. I think Xingbao is a bright child; he'll definitely amount to something in the future—the safety rope he made with you a few days ago helped the road construction team a lot; this experimental field has only been planted for a short time, but the rice seedlings are already much stronger than others. I've checked on them several times. Once the rice seeds are cultivated properly, you must send me some to try first." As he spoke, he took the bamboo basket off the counter and gently placed it on the ground. "I've had my eye on this puppy for a while now. The female dog on Yangjialing in our village is pregnant, and I was thinking of picking one out for Xingbao after it was weaned. And today, as soon as it was weaned, I quickly brought this white puppy over."

Xingbao squatted beside the bamboo basket, gently parting the dry grass covering it with his fingertips. Inside, a snow-white puppy curled up at the bottom, its fur fluffy and soft, except for a faint pink blush on its nose, like a tiny speck of rouge. Perhaps due to the heat and the long journey, it drooped its ears listlessly, its eyelids half-closed, and soft whimpers escaping its throat, looking utterly endearing. Xingbao carefully reached out, his palm against the puppy's warm belly, and gently lifted it out. The little creature seemed to sense the kindness, immediately raising its head and sticking out its pink tongue to gently lick his palm—the wet, warm touch, with a slight tickle, made Xingbao chuckle softly, his eyes filled with joy.

Second Brother and Ding Brother rushed over upon hearing the noise, crowding around to examine the puppy curiously. Xuewen and Xiwu squeezed next to Xingbao, their eyes fixed on the puppy, afraid of missing a single sound, and whispered, "Xingbao, what's this puppy's name? Can we come and play with it sometime?"

Just as Xingbao was about to reply, footsteps sounded at the door, and several travelers carrying bundles pushed open the door and called out, "Innkeeper, give us a few bowls of porridge and some pickled vegetables to tide us over!" His mother quickly responded, warmly inviting the guests to sit down; his second brother and Ding brother also hurried forward, busily serving porridge, pickled vegetables, and chopsticks. Seeing this, Xingbao had no choice but to gently put the puppy back in the bamboo basket, temporarily setting aside his joy, and turn to help serve the guests. Taking advantage of this moment, his great-uncle quietly said goodbye to his mother and then left the shop.

In the midst of the commotion, the mother noticed the puppy still whimpering in the bamboo basket and instructed Xingbao, "Xingbao, we can handle things here. You take the puppy back to your room. It's new to our house and might not be used to all the people and noise."

Upon hearing this, Xingbao immediately replied, "Okay, Mother!" He then turned to Xuewen and said, "Brother Xuewen, I'll take it back to its room to get used to it first. After a few days, once it's familiar with the house, you can bring Xiwu over to play with it." With that, he carefully carried the bamboo basket and walked briskly towards his room.