Courtyard House: Rebirth of a Shopkeeper in 1937

As dusk fell, the afterglow of the setting sun, like a warm veil, bathed the stone path of Jinxianpu in a soft, warm yellow light, even the roadside weeds seemed to be wrapped in a faint golden glow. Suddenly, the sound of footsteps, familiar yet light and quick, came from the courtyard gate. Xingbao was squatting in the yard, grooming Xueqiu's fluffy fur. The small wooden comb gently brushed against the snow-white hair, scattering fine downy fluff. Hearing the footsteps, he looked up and saw Ding Ge returning with a basket on his back—the basket was bulging, with a coarse cloth bag underneath, the edges of the exposed rice ears glistening with oil, clearly indicating its weight.

"Brother Ding, you're back!" Xingbao quickly put down the comb, got up, and ran over to help. Xueqiu wagged its tail and came over, nuzzling Brother Ding's trouser leg with its nose. Brother Ding smiled as he took the basket off his shoulder, wiped the thin layer of sweat from his forehead, and said in a relaxed tone, "Yeah, the journey was smooth, no trouble, and nothing was delayed." He reached into the basket, picked up the coarse cloth bag, turned around, and handed it to his mother who came to greet him, a simple smile on his face: "Auntie, this is a bag of rice that my father asked me to bring. It's new rice grown in our own field, the grains are plump, so you can try some."

Mother took the cloth bag with both hands, her fingertips touching its rough texture. She weighed it in her hand and smiled, playfully scolding, "Your father is too kind. You carried such heavy rice all the way back. You must be exhausted. Come inside and rest for a while. I'll go to the kitchen and get you a bowl of cool tea to relieve the heat." Ding Ge replied, "It's alright," and followed his father into the main room. Xing Bao, on the other hand, curiously approached the basket and lifted the cloth covering it. Inside, there were still a few orange peels that his family had sent—the peels had a dry, shriveled sheen, clearly indicating that his second and third uncles had already tasted the sweetness of the oranges.

Father sat down at the octagonal table in the main room and poured Ding a bowl of cool tea. The tea in the celadon bowl was a pale brown, with a few mint leaves floating in it. After Ding took a few sips, the coolness dispelling the heat of the journey, Father slowly asked, "Tian Ding, has your family's kitchen started construction yet?"

Ding swallowed his tea, placed the bowl on the table, and sighed softly, his tone tinged with helplessness: "Uncle, not yet. My father said the land has been leveled long ago, and the timber and bricks for building the house are almost ready, but right now the craftsmen in the village and township are busy repairing the Xiangqian Road or building the school buildings for Sanmin Middle School. Every household is scrambling to hire people, and it's impossible to find craftsmen to help build the house. I told my father about your idea of ​​building a bamboo shed by the roadside, and he thought it was feasible. He's thinking of building a bamboo shed as a temporary measure, taking advantage of the large number of road workers and travelers to build up the reputation of the workshop and earn some capital; later, when the craftsmen have time, they can slowly build a brick house, which is more secure."

The father nodded slightly, his eyes full of approval: "That's a good idea. It won't delay the opening and it allows for flexibility. There are many road construction workers now, and they're all tired and want to find a place to rest and have a hot meal. Your family can seize this opportunity to set up a bamboo tent and make some capital. If you lack bamboo or tools for setting up the tent, or need help with the scaffolding, just tell me, and I'll have Yan Guo and Xing Bao lend a hand. More people means faster service."

"Thank you so much, Uncle!" Brother Ding bowed quickly, his voice full of gratitude. "My father also said that once the bamboo materials are ready in a couple of days, he will come to ask you for advice on how to build a bamboo canopy. The bamboo canopy you built is sturdy and can keep out the wind and rain. Workers and travelers are willing to rest here. We feel at ease following your example."

Just then, Xingbao, carrying a snowball, walked into the main room and overheard the two talking about their business. He couldn't help but chime in, "Brother Ding, after you set up the bamboo shed, why don't you try making and selling safety ropes? Now all the workers on the Xiangqian Road know that the safety ropes we make are good and can ensure safety, but no one is selling them specifically yet. It all relies on word of mouth and hands-on teaching from the villagers who are building the road, which is slow to spread, and the rope-making method is easy to make mistakes. If you turn safety ropes into a business, more people can use reliable safety ropes, the word will spread wider, and more people will be helped. You can also earn more money to subsidize the shop, killing two birds with one stone. Moreover, I can improve the rope-making method to make the safety ropes stronger and more convenient and reliable to use."

Ding Ge's eyes lit up instantly, and he clapped his hands excitedly, "That's it! How come I didn't think of that! My dad was worried about what to sell after the shop opened to attract customers. If we could sell safety ropes, they would definitely be popular—after all, road construction workers need them, safety comes first! I'll tell my dad about this idea when I get back. I'll also need Xingbao's guidance on how to weave them more securely. By the way, Xingbao, why didn't you tell your uncle to sell them yourselves?"

Xingbao held Xueqiu, gently scratching the soft fur on the puppy's chin with his fingertips. Xueqiu squinted its eyes in comfort, making soft "woof" sounds. Seeing Ding Ge's puzzled look, he smiled and explained, "Our family already has quite a reputation on the Xiangqian Road because of safety ropes. If we were to make money solely from this, it would easily attract envy and jealousy, and people might even gossip behind our backs about 'making money to save lives,' which would only give us a bad reputation. Your family is different. You just opened your shop, and by selling safety ropes, you've opened up a market. This won't attract criticism, and it will let everyone know that your shop is honest and considerate, while also building your reputation. It's called 'keeping the profits within the family'! In a couple of days, I'll teach you my improved rope-making method. The new method produces stronger ropes, saves materials, and guarantees they'll work well."

No sooner had she finished speaking than footsteps sounded at the doorway of the main room, and her mother entered carrying a plate of roasted peanuts. The peanuts in the rough porcelain plate were sprinkled with fine salt, their shells gleaming with an amber sheen. The steam from the roasting carried a sweet aroma that filled the room as soon as she entered. She placed the plate on the octagonal table and smiled at the two of them: "You young people are quick-witted and know how to help each other. Your lives will definitely get better and better. Tianding, if your family sets up a bamboo shed and opens a small shop, it probably won't be long before it's open. You don't have much time left to learn how to do business here, so you need to hurry up and learn from your uncle how to serve customers and keep accounts. That way, you can help your father manage the shop when you go back."

After hearing this, Brother Ding lowered his head and thought for a moment, then looked up at his father and said, "Uncle, I'll go home again tomorrow and explain the matter of selling safety ropes to my father so that he can prepare some ropes in advance, so that we won't be caught off guard later."

Father put down his bowl of cold tea, tapped the table lightly with his fingertips, and after a moment of contemplation, said, "You don't need to run around tomorrow. Just have Yan Guo go. Starting tomorrow, you won't be going to the small classroom with Xing Bao and the others anymore. During the day, you'll learn from me how to greet customers and keep accounts, how to deal with customers, and how to calculate income and expenses. In the evenings, Yan Bang will teach you how to use an abacus. Doing business is inseparable from accounting, so you need to practice using the abacus. Next time I go to Yongfeng City to buy goods, you'll come with me to see the prices there and know how to choose goods at a good price. But there's something I need to make clear to you. Since your family runs a shop, you'll probably need to go to Yaodu Town in the district to buy goods. It's closer than Yongfeng City, so it's more convenient to travel there, but the prices are a bit higher. You'll need to figure out how to buy goods more cost-effectively."

Ding was taken aback for a moment, then realized that his father wanted him to learn more business skills. He quickly nodded, "Thank you, Uncle! I'll follow your arrangements and learn bookkeeping from you tomorrow." As he spoke, he reached out and picked up a roasted peanut, put it in his mouth, and the sweet taste spread in his mouth, warming his heart—knowing that he could learn real skills, he would be more confident in helping the family manage the shop in the future.