Courtyard House: Rebirth of a Shopkeeper in 1937

As soon as he entered the room, Xingbao closed the door behind him. He eagerly took the puppy out of the bamboo basket, placed it on his lap, and focused his mind to retrieve a drop of spiritual spring water from his spiritual spring space. He dripped it onto his fingertip and gently brought it to the puppy's mouth. The puppy sniffed it, licked it clean with its tongue, and in no time, it visibly regained its spirit—its droopy ears perked up, its eyes brightened considerably, and it stopped whimpering. Instead, it rubbed its little head against Xingbao's palm, its tongue licking his fingers affectionately.

As Xingbao gently stroked the fluffy little guy in his arms, feeling its soft fur and warm body temperature with his fingertips, he pondered in his heart: This little white dog looks so adorable, what should I name it? I need to find a clean and comfortable little nest for it to settle down, and then go to the kitchen to get some warm rice porridge. I can't let this new companion who just arrived suffer.

After lunch, the five siblings did nothing but gather around the counter and play with the snow-white puppy. Xingbao held the puppy on his lap, gently stroking its fur against the counter; his second brother and Ding brother squatted beside it, pinching small blades of grass and carefully rubbing the puppy's nose—the little guy shook its head, occasionally sticking out its pink tongue to lick it, making the two brothers laugh out loud; Dashan brother moved a small stool and sat opposite, watching intently as the puppy bounced in Xingbao's arms, and whenever the puppy reached out its paw to tug at his trouser leg, he couldn't help but let out bursts of joyful laughter.

The discussion about the name continued from the afternoon until evening, with everyone chiming in and arguing, but no conclusion was reached. Second Brother slapped his thigh and shouted, "Let's call it 'Howling Celestial Dog'! How majestic! It can help watch the shop later!" Brother Ding immediately shook his head, "No, no, too fierce. The puppy is so well-behaved, 'Great Sage' would be better, it sounds clever!" Xingbao stroked the puppy's fur and said softly, "Let's call it 'Little White,' it matches its fur perfectly." Sister Shanshan laughed and retorted, "'Little White' is too ordinary, 'Snowball' is so cute, look at its round and chubby appearance, doesn't it look like a little ball that has just rolled in the snow?" The group argued back and forth, until they were hoarse, until they heard footsteps from the shop door and their mother called from the main room, "Come and help greet the guests!" Only then did they reluctantly stop their discussion and rush off to serve tea and water, the puppy's name still undecided.

As darkness completely fell, the night outside as thick as ink, a faint shout suddenly rang out. Xingbao, who was sitting by the counter playing with the puppy, immediately recognized Guixiang's voice: "Second Brother, open the door!" "We're back!"

He jumped to his feet and said to his second brother, who was clearing away the dishes, "Second brother, I think I heard Guixiang knocking on the door!"

The mother came out of the kitchen, still holding a dishcloth in her hand. She looked up at the dark night outside the window and nodded, saying, "It's time to get home. Yanguo, go to the backyard and open the side gate so your father can push the wheelbarrow in."

Xingbao quickly picked up the puppy from the ground, his voice filled with urgency: "Mom, I'm going to pick up Dad and the others!" After saying that, he carried the fluffy little guy and ran lightly out the door. The night breeze carried a slightly cool air, but it couldn't dampen his joy at all.

In the darkness, a figure gradually emerged at the end of the stone path in the distance. Xingbao squinted to see, and there was his father, pushing a wheelbarrow slowly towards them. The creaking of the wheels was particularly clear in the quiet night, like a slow humming tune. Guixiang, sitting on the wooden plank in front of the wheelbarrow, craned her neck, her two little braids swaying with the wheelbarrow, excitedly shouting, her voice full of the joy of the journey. Her older brother, walking behind the wheelbarrow, was holding a small, dark thing by the hand—it wasn't big, its body covered in fine fur, and it moved slowly, occasionally stopping to shake its head. Its little tail wagged weakly, clearly tired from the journey, and its listless appearance was particularly cute.

Seeing Xingbao run out of the gate, Guixiang's shouts immediately became louder, almost breaking through the night: "Xingbao! Xingbao! I'm back!" As she shouted, she waved her little hands vigorously and leaned forward. If her father hadn't been holding the handlebars, she would have almost jumped off the wheelbarrow.

The father saw Xingbao and quickly slowed down the stroller, calling out with a smile, "Xingbao, slow down! The roads are slippery at night, don't fall!"

The older brother also raised his hand to greet them. The little black creature he was holding seemed to sense someone approaching, and suddenly raised its head, making a soft "humming" sound in Xingbao's direction.

Xingbao ran closer and saw clearly that what his older brother was leading wasn't some little black thing at all, but a little black donkey! Its fur was smooth and shiny, as if it had been coated with oil. At that moment, it was lowering its head and staggering along with its older brother, occasionally swishing its short tail. Even its ears were drooping, making it look adorably clumsy.

"Big brother, is this a little donkey?" Xingbao was both surprised and delighted. He ran to his older brother's side and couldn't help but reach out to touch the little donkey's head. The puppy in his arms also poked its head out and gently barked at the little donkey. Its voice was soft and not fierce at all.

"Be careful, it's only walked a few dozen miles and is a little shy around strangers. Don't scare it." The older brother said with a smile, gently stroking the little donkey's neck. The little guy immediately moved closer to the older brother, clearly trusting him.

Gui Xiang, already impatient, jumped off the wheelbarrow, grabbed Xing Bao's arm, and shook it vigorously, her eyes shining with excitement: "Xing Bao, Xing Bao, Yongfeng City is so lively! There are vendors selling candied hawthorns in the East Market, the sugar coating is so thick it reflects light! I took a bite, and it was so sweet it melted on my tongue! There are also sugar paintings; the old shopkeeper pours a spoonful of sugar syrup onto a stone slab, and in the blink of an eye, he draws little rabbits and tigers. I stared at them for ages! I'll definitely take you next time, and we'll buy a skewer of candied hawthorns too!"

She was talking non-stop when her eyes suddenly fell on the puppy in Xingbao's arms. Her eyes widened instantly, and her voice rose several decibels: "Wow! Is this the puppy that Great-Uncle gave us? It's so cute! So white! What's its name?"

Xingbao then remembered that they hadn't decided on a name yet. He scratched his head and said with a smile, "We haven't decided on one yet. We discussed it for a long time this afternoon. Second Brother said 'Howling Celestial Dog,' Brother Ding wanted 'Great Sage,' I thought 'Little White' was good, but Sister Shanshan liked 'Snowball.' We couldn't reach a decision. It's good that you're back, let's think about it together!"

Gui Xiang immediately perked up, went close to the puppy, and carefully poked its little paw with her finger. The puppy obediently licked her fingertip. Her eyes lit up, and she exclaimed, "Name it 'Snowball'! 'Snowball' is the best name! Look at it, so soft and fluffy in my arms, isn't it just like a little snowball?"

"I already said 'Snowball'!" Sister Shanshan's voice came from behind. She had seen Xingbao run out to greet someone and followed him out, carrying a kerosene lamp. The dim light illuminated her smile. "Guixiang and I thought the same thing. This name is so fitting, let's call him 'Snowball'!"

The second brother also came over, scratched his head and laughed, "Alright, alright, 'Snowball' it is. It does sound gentler than 'Howling Celestial Dog,' and it matches the little dog's temperament."

Xingbao looked down at the little guy in his arms, gently stroking its snow-white fur with his fingertips, and softly called out "Snowball". Unexpectedly, the puppy seemed to understand, immediately raising its little head and rubbing its wet nose against his palm. The soft touch made Xingbao unable to help but smile.

Gui Xiang, who had been unable to contain herself any longer, reached out her hands to hug Snowball, but was afraid of hurting the puppy if she grabbed it too quickly, so she stood on tiptoe in her haste: "Xing Bao, let me hug him! You go hug 'Black Charcoal,' you've never hugged one before!"

Xingbao was stunned for a moment before he realized—Guixiang had given the little donkey the nickname "Black Charcoal" because she thought it was too small to carry her like a big donkey. He couldn't help but laugh, gently handing Snowball to Guixiang and instructing, "Hold it carefully, don't drop it." Guixiang quickly took it with both hands, like holding a precious treasure, and carefully carried Snowball towards the shop's door, whispering to Snowball, "Snowball, be good, sister will show you something delicious."

Xingbao turned and followed his father and elder brother towards the side gate of the backyard—the family's livestock pen had always been used to store livestock for travelers, but today they finally welcomed their first of their own. Xingbao didn't discriminate; he fed Blackie a drop of spiritual spring water as well. Seeing it regain its spirit, its previously listless energy indeed improved considerably, its ears perked up, and it began to curiously observe its surroundings. Xingbao then took out a few fresh sweet potato vines from the thatched hut in his spatial dimension, cut them into small sections, and placed them in the food bowl. Watching Blackie chew on them heartily, Xingbao felt reassured.