Courtyard House: Rebirth of a Shopkeeper in 1937

Today is the Mid-Autumn Festival. Just as dawn was breaking, the courtyard began to bustle with activity—Uncle's food stall was opening at noon, and Dad had brought out all the prepared items from the storeroom early in the morning: a bundle of newly made bamboo chairs, four smoked rabbits, various seasonings, and several wooden boxes filled with bowls and plates, all arranged on a wheelbarrow. The most eye-catching item was a simplified version of the five-point safety rope that Xingbao had recently redesigned, made by Mom and Brother Ding, woven from sturdy, thick hemp rope.

"This rope is really sturdy, and the style is different from last time. It looks more reliable. Xingbao is really quick-witted." Dad picked up the safety rope, looked at it, and said to Brother Ding with a smile, "Let's take the things back to the old house first, and help your dad tidy up the shop. We can catch the grand opening at noon." Brother Ding nodded, and the two of them secured the things together. They pushed the wheelbarrow towards the old house, and the wheels rolled over the stone slabs, making a "gurgling" sound that was particularly clear in the alley in the early morning.

The four siblings first went to deliver holiday gifts to their maternal grandmother. The bamboo basket contained mooncakes their father had brought back the day before, two pounds of brown sugar, and a bag of dried red dates and oranges from their space. When they arrived at their grandmother's house, she was already waiting at the door. Taking the basket, she pulled Gui Xiang's hand and led her inside, saying, "Come in and sit down, there's still some sweet soup warming on the stove." Gui Xiang followed her grandmother inside, while Xing Bao helped his older brother set out the gifts. After exchanging a few pleasantries with his grandmother, he got up to say goodbye—he still had to deliver gifts to his master's house.

Master lived in Yangjialing, which was on a small hillside west of Jinxianling. Before leaving, the eldest brother took the gift bundle from his mother, which contained three things: two packets of tea that had been specially left behind last time, a piece of fine cotton cloth for making clothes, and mooncakes that his father had brought back.

Gui Xiang clutched the cloth bag tightly to her chest. Inside were the original medical books her master had borrowed, and the handwritten copies she and Xing Bao had finished transcribing over the past few days. She had carefully bound the edges of the pages with cloth to prevent them from getting damaged. Xing Bao carried a bamboo basket filled with oranges. He had specially selected these oranges from his spatial storage; they were small, with rough skin, and a darker color, mixed with a few ordinary oranges, just to avoid giving himself away. On the way, he silently prayed, "Just say Dad bought them at the Yongfeng street stall; no one will check."

Walking up the mountain along the stone path, you see villagers visiting relatives and friends, some carrying festival gifts, others holding children, chatting and laughing, creating a lively festive atmosphere. As you approach your master's house, you can smell the fragrance of osmanthus blossoms wafting from the courtyard. The old osmanthus tree in front of your master's house is in full bloom, with golden petals scattered all over the ground.

Pushing open the door, they saw their master sitting at the octagonal table in the main hall, chatting with an elderly man with gray hair and two young men. Xingbao and Guixiang's eyes lit up, and they shouted, "Master, we've come to see you!" They broke free from their older brother's hand and rushed into the house.

The master was amused by the two children's enthusiasm and quickly got up and waved: "Slow down, don't fall! Come, Xingbao, Guixiang, let me introduce you. This is Uncle Wang, your grandmaster's son. He opened the Ji'an Hall in the prefectural city. I learned medicine from your grandmaster at Ji'an Hall back then. These two are Uncle Wang's grandchildren. You are young, so just call them senior brothers."

Xingbao and Guixiang immediately bowed obediently and greeted each other in unison, "Greetings, Uncle-Master! Greetings, Senior Brother!" Uncle-Master Wang smiled and nodded, reaching out to pat Xingbao's head. His voice was gentle and soft: "I've heard from your master that he's taken on two clever little apprentices. I was invited to witness the apprenticeship ceremony on the day of the ceremony, but I happened to be busy treating some critically ill patients and couldn't get away. So the matter was put off. Seeing them today, they are indeed very clever, truly prodigies!" As he spoke, he turned around and took out several yellowed sheets of paper and an old book from his bundle, handing them to the two children. He continued, "These sheets of paper are from when your master and I made a mistake, and your grandmaster punished us by making us copy 'The Great Physician's Sincerity.' You two each have one as a gift. This is 'Essential Prescriptions Worth a Thousand Pieces of Gold,' which was personally copied by your great-grandmaster. It contains his insights into the use of medicine. You must keep it safe and study it carefully."

Upon seeing this display, the master jumped to his feet and hurriedly waved his hand, saying, "Junior brother, this gift is too precious, you can't accept it..."

Uncle Wang quickly raised his hand to interrupt him, his face earnest: "Senior brother, there's an old saying, 'One should not refuse a gift from one's elders.' I didn't bring anything decent this time, and if you don't accept this small token of my appreciation, people will laugh at me! Besides, this book, 'Essential Prescriptions Worth a Thousand Pieces of Gold,' was something my father wanted to give you back then, but you refused. Now that I'm giving it to your disciple, it fulfills one of my father's wishes!"

Gui Xiang might not understand the significance, but how could Xing Bao not? The moment he heard "a copy of the *Essential Prescriptions Worth a Thousand Pieces of Gold* personally transcribed by his grandmaster," his eyes widened, and his hands clenched tightly around the hem of his clothes until his knuckles turned white. Now, Uncle Wang was handing over the book, saying it "fulfilled his grandmaster's wish"—this was no ordinary gift! It was a genuine handover of the medical skills of his grandmaster, master, and Uncle Wang's lineage to them!

He held the old thread-bound book and a few pages of paper, his fingertips trembling slightly. When turning the pages, he deliberately rubbed the paper with his fingertips, afraid that his nails would scratch it. He knew perfectly well that this represented the medical principles and inheritance of a lineage. He and Guixiang had to study hard in the future, so as not to let down their master’s hard work and not to let this lineage be broken.

As soon as Uncle Wang finished speaking, Xingbao immediately and respectfully hugged the book and paper to his chest, bowing even lower than when he had bowed earlier, and said in a clear voice, "Thank you, Uncle Wang! We will definitely live up to your high expectations, strive to memorize them as soon as possible, so that we can learn skills from Master, uphold the spirit of a great physician, and carry forward the art of medicine!" Seeing his appearance, the master couldn't help but smile and patted his head, "It seems you are quite clever; you already know the weight of this."

The two senior brothers then came over, smiling and greeting Xingbao and Guixiang. They even took out two fruit candies from their pockets and stuffed them into their hands.

At this moment, the master's wife came out from the inner room, carrying a plate of freshly washed pears: "You've arrived? Please sit down, you must be tired from the journey?" The eldest brother quickly handed over the gifts in his hands: "Master's wife, these are holiday gifts we brought for Master and you, just a small token of our appreciation." The master's wife smiled and accepted them, inviting everyone to sit down.

Gui Xiang then carefully opened the cloth bag and handed the original medical book and the handwritten copy to her master: "Master, Xing Bao and I have finished copying the medical book you lent me. Please take a look." The master took the book, opened it, and saw that the handwriting was neat and tidy, with important points highlighted in red. He couldn't help but nod in praise: "You two are really diligent, even more so than when I copied books!" Her uncle leaned over for a look and smiled, saying, "It's so rare to see such patience in such young children."

Xingbao seized the opportunity to hand over the bamboo basket he was carrying: "Master, Uncle-Master, these are oranges my father bought at a street stall in Yongfeng. Please try them." The master picked up an orange, peeled it, and a sweet aroma wafted out; the flesh was plump and juicy. He first gave a segment to his Uncle-Master, then to his two senior brothers, and finally left a segment each for Xingbao and Guixiang. After tasting them, the two senior brothers couldn't help but praise, "Mmm, these oranges are really sweet, much better than those bought in the market." Guixiang took a bite, her eyes immediately lighting up, but remembering Xingbao's instructions, she didn't dare say much. Xingbao secretly breathed a sigh of relief; thankfully, no one noticed anything amiss. He knew that the oranges in this space were more than just tastier than ordinary oranges.

Everyone sat around the eight-immortal table, eating fruit, chatting, and testing their apprentices. As the sun gradually rose higher and it was almost noon, the eldest brother remembered that his second uncle's shop was opening soon, and only his mother and Yan Guo were busy at home. So he got up to say goodbye: "Master, Uncle, I'm really sorry, it's getting late. My second uncle's shop is opening today, and only my mother and Yan Guo are at home. We need to go back and lend a hand, so we'll take our leave now."

The master nodded quickly and patted the eldest brother's arm, "Go on, go on. Your mother is pregnant, we can't let her overwork herself." With that, he turned and walked to the coffee table in the corner, took two thread-bound medical books from the drawer, and handed them to Xingbao. "Take these two books back with you. You two have been studying diligently these past few days, and your handwriting is neat. Next time you come, I'll test you on the new material, so don't disappoint me."

Xingbao quickly stretched out both hands, palms up, and steadily caught the medical book. The pages were heavy, carrying a faint scent of ink and old paper. He bowed slightly and said softly but earnestly, "Thank you, Master! We will definitely study it carefully and won't let you down next time!" Guixiang nodded as well, her small hands tightly gripping the hem of her clothes, her eyes full of seriousness.

At this moment, Master's wife came out from the inner room, carrying two packages wrapped in oiled paper, the edges of which were tied with thin red hemp rope. She walked to Guixiang's side, put the packages in Guixiang's hands, and gently pinched her cheek with her fingertips: "This is freshly baked osmanthus cake, made with this year's newly picked osmanthus flowers. It's sweet but not cloying. Take it and eat it on the way. Come visit Master's house often when you have time, and Master's wife will make you more delicious food." Guixiang held the oiled paper packages in both hands, brought her nose close to smell them, and immediately smiled, revealing her dimples: "Thank you, Master's wife! The osmanthus cake smells so good!" Xingbao and Guixiang thanked Master's wife, said goodbye to their uncles and brothers, and then followed their eldest brother down the mountain.