Courtyard House: Rebirth of a Shopkeeper in 1937

Before long, the first cart of river mud arrived, pushed by five or six boys. Buckets of dark river mud were poured onto the open ground of the breeding field with a "whoosh." The little ones who had been waiting for a long time had their eyes light up and immediately rushed over like a flock of sparrows, squatting down beside the mud piles and digging into the soft mud with their little hands. Soon, their fingernails were filled with mud. A few little ones who ran behind couldn't squeeze into the crowd, and even on tiptoe, they couldn't reach the mud piles. They didn't get a single bit of mud and stamped their feet in frustration, their cries of "Wah!" echoing throughout the area.

Unfortunately, the first load of river mud was from the surface layer and didn't have much mud mixed in. The children rummaged around for a long time, turning the mud pile upside down, but they couldn't find a single hoof. Their excited little faces instantly fell, and they all hung their heads, their eyes full of disappointment, and even their strength to dig through the mud diminished.

Fortunately, before everyone could feel disappointed for long, the second and third truckloads of river mud arrived one after another, with a series of loud splashing sounds. Just then, a little girl with pigtails suddenly raised something high in her hand, her face flushed, and excitedly shouted, "I found it! I found the horseshoe!" Her voice was crisp and bright, instantly attracting everyone's attention.

With that shout, the children's screams and cheers grew louder, echoing across the breeding field. The little ones who found the horseshoe excitedly held up their spoils and ran to the wooden basin of osmanthus, carefully placing the horseshoe inside, afraid of accidentally dropping it. Those who hadn't found one yet were also determined, lowering their heads again and searching more carefully in the mud, not even bothering to wipe the mud off their foreheads.

Later, the second brother and the eldest brother came over carrying a full wooden bucket. When they reached the basin, they lifted their hands and, with a "splash," poured all the water hooves from the bucket into the basin. The plump water hooves rolled around in the basin, and all the little ones exclaimed in unison—it turned out that when the older brothers went into the water to dig river mud, they had already picked out the big, good water hooves first. What the children found in the field were just the ones that had slipped through the net! Seeing that there were more and more water hooves in the basin, Xingbao quickly turned around and ran home. He then brought back a sturdy basket and a small bucket. The basket was used to hold the cleaned water hooves, and the small bucket was used to fetch water from the nearby stream so that everyone could wash the muddy water hooves.

The open space in the breeding field was bustling with activity for the entire afternoon. Truckload after truckload of river mud was brought in and dumped, gradually covering the ground with a thick layer. The children's laughter and shouts never stopped, and even the wind carried a hint of jubilation.

As evening fell, the work of dredging the canal mud was finally finished, and the setting sun cast long shadows. Everyone gathered around the wooden basin, their eyes shining as they stared at the horseshoes inside, waiting to divide their "spoils." The eldest brother stepped forward to uphold fairness, clearing his throat and saying, "The brothers who dug the mud in the water did the most work, so each of them will get about twenty; those who pushed the wheelbarrows to transport the mud will each get ten; and our little radish boys will also get five each!"

The children were overjoyed when the distribution results were announced. The little ones who received the horseshoes carefully held their spoils, some even sniffing them, their faces beaming with smiles, the mud on their cheeks making them look especially adorable. Xingbao looked at the group of children, covered in mud but beaming with happiness, and couldn't help but wonder: what would his uncles and aunts think if he went home looking like this? But then he thought, he probably wouldn't get a beating—all afternoon, he had occasionally glimpsed several adults, either by the riverbank or on the ridges near the breeding field, watching from afar. Sometimes there were two or three, sometimes a group, until just before the horseshoes were distributed, when they quietly turned and walked away, clearly wanting to keep the children quiet.

After dividing the water chestnuts, everyone first moved the buckets of river mud and the wooden basins containing the water chestnuts to the stream and washed them thoroughly until not a trace of mud could be seen. Then, the adults, each carrying a small radish from their own home and holding their spoils, skipped and hopped home, chattering all the way, showing off how big and round the water chestnuts they had found were.

Xingbao and his three siblings, leading Blackie, followed slowly at the back. As they walked, they chatted animatedly about the fun they had that afternoon collecting horse hooves. One said he was quick at finding them, the other complained about how he almost threw mud at someone's face—the laughter never stopped. Unfortunately, they hadn't prepared Blackie beforehand; not only did it not help much this time, but it also secretly stole a few hooves when no one was looking and ate them with relish.

"Xingbao, Guixiang!" An unexpected voice reached my ears as soon as I stepped into the house.