Courtyard House: Rebirth of a Shopkeeper in 1937

The evening glow painted the western sky with layers of color, and the creaking sound of a wheelbarrow drifted from afar. Xingbao and Guixiang were sitting on a small stool reading the "Great Physician's Sincerity" that their uncle had given them that day. Hearing the sound, he looked up and saw his father pushing the wheelbarrow over. In the back of the wheelbarrow was a piece of coarse cloth that had been washed until it was almost white. In the center of the cloth was a blue cloth bag tied with a red rope, which shimmered brightly in the orange glow of the evening glow.

"Dad's back!" Xingbao jumped up, almost twisting his shoe, and shouted towards the shop. Before he finished speaking, his older brothers, Yanbang and Yanguo, rushed out of the shop. The eldest brother quickly took the handlebars; Guixiang, tugging at her second brother's clothes, tiptoed towards the cloth bag, her little head peeking in with curiosity. Dad wiped the sweat from his brow, smiled, and took the cloth bag from his forehead: "It's Mid-Autumn Festival today. Your second uncle specially sent some osmanthus cakes back for you as snacks."

Today is a holiday, and there are no customers in the shop, so we closed early for dinner. Mother stacked the last blue-and-white porcelain bowl into a wooden basin, and my eldest and second eldest brothers carried the square table to the backyard. The moon had quietly climbed over the wall sometime during the day, initially just a faint silver glow, but gradually its light grew brighter and brighter, coating the blue brick ground of the yard with a thin layer of frost, and even the leaves of the evergreen clump in the corner looked like they had been sprinkled with silver. While everyone was serving mooncakes and osmanthus cakes, Xingbao quietly took out fruits from his spatial storage—a bright green watermelon cut into crescent shapes, its flesh a translucent red, oozing sweet juice; bunches of bright red grapes, glistening with dewdrops, appeared even more translucent under the moonlight; the skin of the blood peaches glowed pink, each bite revealing a honey-like sweetness; the orange segments, peeled open like small crescent moons, were wrapped in glistening pith; and bright red dates were piled on a white porcelain plate, a delightful sight. In no time, the square table was filled with the aroma of fruits.

"Wow, this watermelon looks so sweet!" Mother picked up a slice, took a bite, and the sweet juice dripped down her chin. She quickly wiped it with the back of her hand, her eyes full of smiles. Gui Xiang had been eyeing the bunch of grapes for a while. Her little hands quickly grabbed a bunch, stuffing them into her mouth one after another, her cheeks puffed out like a little squirrel, with a little red juice still stuck to the corners of her mouth.

Dad picked up his wine bowl and took a sip of rice wine. The liquid swirled in the bowl as he slowly said, "Today was the opening of your second uncle's general store. I went to help out early this morning. There weren't many people at first, but luckily Tian Ding was attentive. He walked around the wooden frame outside the store carrying a safety rope, and even pretended to slip, which attracted a crowd of onlookers. Several villagers who were repairing the road immediately tried it on, and some even clapped and cheered. It suddenly became lively. Your second uncle even said that it was an improved version of the 'Jin Xian Pu Song Family Safety Rope,' which was safer and more reliable. Everyone could come to the store to learn how to make both types of safety ropes, or if they found it troublesome, they could buy ready-made ones directly here. Dozens were sold on the spot!" Dad paused, then picked up his wine bowl again and took a sip, his voice softening. "Jian Jin also went. He said that the wolf-hunting team has now officially become a security team, and Li Liangjie has become the district captain, but for now, he still has to manage the wolf-hunting business."

The brothers remained silent after hearing this. Xingbao looked at the watermelon on the table, but his mind was racing: If the road hadn't been built, if the wolf-hunting team hadn't been formed, the village might have already started conscripting soldiers and requisitioning grain. Would the newly established security team also have to go to the battlefield someday? Were they indirectly sent there by our family? How is my second uncle in Shanghai doing now? The eldest brother, Yanbang, unconsciously rubbed the edge of the table with his fingers, his brows slightly furrowed; the second brother, Yanguo, was kicking a clod of earth on the ground, his eyes somewhat somber.

Seeing that the atmosphere had calmed down, Mother quickly pulled Guixiang over, sat her on her lap, and said with a smile, "Guixiang, be good, Mother will tell you the story of Chang'e flying to the moon. Once upon a time, there was a hero named Hou Yi..." Guixiang immediately perked up, wrapped her little arms around her mother's neck, and pressed her head against her mother's chest, listening intently without blinking. In the yard, Snowball chased after a small twig that had fallen to the ground, jumping around and making a "crunch" sound as it stepped on it; then it ran to Father's feet, rubbing its head against his trouser leg, its tail wagging like a blooming flower. Black Charcoal stood obediently by the table, its eyes fixed on the melon rinds in everyone's hands, its tail gently swishing as it occasionally made a "hmm" sound, reminding everyone to feed it; it looked extremely docile and cute.

"Oh, right, Father," the eldest brother Yanbang suddenly remembered something, raised his head and said, "Today I took Xingbao and Guixiang to deliver festival gifts to Master. It just so happened that Uncle Shi brought his two grandsons all the way from the prefectural city to deliver a handwritten copy of 'Essential Prescriptions Worth a Thousand Pieces of Gold' passed down by their two great masters, as well as a handwritten copy of 'The Great Physician's Sincerity' by Master and Uncle Shi."

Upon hearing this, Father's eyes lit up instantly. He put down his wine bowl, tapping it lightly on the table, and leaned close to Xingbao and Guixiang, saying solemnly, "Your master and uncle are grooming you as the successors of this lineage. You must take good care of it, not folding pages or soiling the words, and study it diligently so that you can help the villagers treat illnesses in the future, thus living up to their expectations, understand?"

Xingbao nodded vigorously, feeling both excited and solemn: "I understand, Dad! I'll definitely study hard!"

"Mom," Xingbao looked up at his mother and said, "These books are so precious, I'm afraid I'll damage them. Could you sew me a bag to carry them?"

Not to be outdone, Guixiang slid off her mother's lap, ran to her side, tugged at her mother's clothes, and said in a soft, low voice, "Mom, I want a handbag too! I want one embroidered with little flowers, preferably pink ones!"

The mother chuckled, reached out and ruffled Gui Xiang's hair, and agreed with a smile, "Okay, I'll make them for you all! Yan Bang, Yang Guo, and Xing Bao, you're boys, so I'll make your satchels in a plain color, they won't get dirty easily; and for Gui Xiang's, I'll use your favorite pink fabric and embroider it with your favorite little peonies, I guarantee it'll look beautiful!"

That night, Gui Xiang laughed the most. Usually, if she wanted something nice to eat, she had to beg Xing Bao, and sometimes he wouldn't even give her anything. Tonight, she could eat whatever she wanted from the table. She'd nibble on a watermelon, peel an orange, and stuff a few red dates into her mouth, her little tummy round and full, like she was carrying a small ball. The moon rose higher and higher, hanging in the dark blue sky like a large, round silver plate, its light shining even brighter, illuminating the entire courtyard. The family sat around the square table, chatting and laughing, their voices occasionally drifting out of the yard, mingling with the sweet fragrance of osmanthus blossoms in the air, creating the warmest atmosphere on this Mid-Autumn Festival night.