Courtyard House: Rebirth of a Shopkeeper in 1937

Back in the main room, I saw my father by the door, sawing wood, clearly making a long table for my eldest brother. My mother was picking vegetables by the door, chatting with Aunt Deng who was passing by: "Yanbang is going to teach at home, so the village children won't have to travel so far anymore." Aunt Deng smiled and replied, "That's right! My two boys have been hoping someone would teach them to read for a long time. I'll have to trouble Yanbang to put in the effort."

Gui Xiang suddenly appeared out of nowhere, holding a rag doll. A few days ago, she saw a little girl passing by with a rag doll in her hand, and the little girl kept pestering her mother for days. Her mother got so annoyed that she sewed one out of old clothes, with eyes sewn on with black buttons. It was actually quite decent. "Xing Bao, look! The new doll Mom made for me!" She held up the doll and skipped over, accidentally bumping into her father's leg.

Dad stopped sawing, bent down and patted her head: "Slow down, don't fall. Dad is making a table here, it's easy for you to hurt yourselves. You take Xingbao inside to play."

As they were talking, Grandpa stepped across the threshold carrying a bamboo basket filled with freshly picked shepherd's purse and a bunch of sweet potatoes covered in mud. "Dawei, where's Yanbang?" He put the basket down against the wall and wiped the sweat from his brow.

"I went to the old gentleman's house to borrow books," Mother greeted him, taking the bamboo basket. "Father, why did you bring so many things again? We already have some at home."

Grandpa waved his hand: "They grow in the ground and aren't worth much. I heard Yanbang is going to teach, so I brought some sweet potatoes for the children to eat when they get hungry."

Xingbao clung to the edge of the basket, looking at the sweet potatoes inside. A thought struck him—he hadn't found any seeds for days, and his space was still empty. He'd even forgotten to save seeds from the red dates his grandmother had given him yesterday! He couldn't miss out on the sweet potatoes. If he planted one in his space and watered it with some spiritual spring water, wouldn't it grow even sweeter? Just as he was about to speak, he heard the sound of horses' hooves. A moment later, someone called out, "Is the innkeeper here? We need two rooms and some food!" His father quickly put down his saw and went out to greet him: "Yes, sir! Please come in, sir. The rooms have just been cleaned and are very tidy."

Two merchants arrived, dressed in silk robes and carrying heavy bundles. The second brother hurried out to lead the horse to the backyard, while Mother rushed to the kitchen to bustle about. Guixiang followed to help, handing over bowls and chopsticks, busy as a bee. Xingbao followed behind, and when Mother wasn't looking, he secretly added two drops of spring water to both the water vat and the teapot—"The guests tasted the water and found it sweet; they'll definitely come again next time."

At dinner, the two merchants tasted the dishes their mother had prepared and praised them highly: "The boss's wife's cooking is truly excellent; these vegetables taste fresher than anywhere else!" The mother smiled and said, "They're all freshly picked from our own garden." Xingbao secretly rejoiced—it was all thanks to the spiritual spring!

That night, after the guests had gone to bed, Mother went to soak soybeans to make tofu. Xingbao sneaked into the house in the dark with a sweet potato in his pocket, planted it in the black soil of his space, and watered it with spiritual spring water before finally going to sleep.

My older brother came home late, carrying several books wrapped in blue cloth.

"Why are you back so late? Don't you know Tiger Slope? Couldn't you have stayed at the master's house for the night?" Dad was a little angry.

"Dad, I'm back just in time. The sun hadn't even set when we passed Tiger Mountain." The eldest brother put down his bundle. "Dad, I heard in the village today that they're conscripting soldiers. They're just waiting for the official documents. Two out of every three able-bodied men over 16 will be drafted, and one out of every two will be drafted! Dad, has Uncle separated the family property yet?"

"They've already separated, but they're still living in the old house. Looks like a big war is brewing!" His early military service made his father keenly aware of the unusual nature of this war. After pondering for a while, he said, "I'm worried that recruitment will be difficult, and someone might use that to their advantage, which would be troublesome. How about this, I'll take you down the mountain from the west tomorrow, over two ravines, and we'll reach the old house. I'll discuss it with your second and third uncles. Xingbao and Guixiang have never been to the old house before! By the way, I haven't heard of any suitable stone slabs today. We can stop by your cousin's house on the way. He's a stonemason; maybe he has some suitable slabs. We can get all three things done at once. I'll talk to your uncle at the shop first thing tomorrow morning and ask them to come and help out."

"Father, is there really no hope for my uncle to come back?" The eldest brother's voice was noticeably lower.

Father was silent for a moment. "If it were a ragtag unit, perhaps some money could be spent to bring him back. But he joined the Central Army, so it's not something that can be solved with a few dollars. Unless..." Father suddenly lowered his voice, "Unless he deserts! Do you think your uncle will desert?"

The eldest brother understood the difficulties involved and shook his head. Father then instructed, "Remember, you mustn't tell anyone about this, especially not your mother, lest she go and cry to your grandmother."

"I know," the eldest brother replied, then turned around and slowly opened the wooden door. "Dad, I'll go grind tofu." He then went to the backyard.

My older brother was sent to bed by my mother after he finished grinding the tofu. My parents worked until late at night before finally finishing all their work, their backs aching from exhaustion. They tidied up a bit and then went to bed!