Rebirth in a Courtyard: I Am a Little Hunter

Wei Chen lay on the bed in the east room, feeling the solid support of the bed beneath him. Only after his mother and sister's room had completely quieted down did he slowly close his eyes. His first night in his new home was peaceful and tranquil, filled with boundless anticipation for the days to come.

As the first hint of dawn appeared on the horizon, the milkman's clear and resonant bell rang out precisely from the depths of the alley, "Ding-a-ling—ding-a-ling—," breaking the tranquility of the early morning.

Wang Xiulan had already gotten up quietly. A slight noise came from the kitchen. The warm orange flames in the stove were reignited, and the thick, golden corn porridge in the iron pot was bubbling and releasing an enticing aroma of grain.

Wei Chen got up and got out of bed. He opened the window and took a deep breath of the cool, moist air, which carried a faint smell of coal smoke and the fragrance of earth. He felt refreshed.

After drinking two bowls of hot corn porridge with pickled vegetables, Wei Chen said to his mother, "Mom, I'm going to ask Uncle San where to buy coal briquettes. Our coal stove is still empty, and with the weather getting colder, we need to stock up on some coal briquettes for the winter. It will also be convenient for boiling water and heating food."

He passed through the moon gate and came to the front yard. Uncle Yan Bugui was holding his small watering can, meticulously spraying water mist onto several half-dead jasmine plants on the windowsill with wilted leaves. His focused expression was as if he were tending to some rare orchid.

"Good morning, Third Uncle!" Wei Chen greeted him with a smile. Yan Bugui looked up at the sound of his voice, adjusted his glasses which had slipped down to the bridge of his nose, and upon recognizing Wei Chen, his face immediately broke into his usual shrewd smile, tinged with calculation: "Oh, Wei Chen! Up so early? Are you comfortable in your new house?"

"Thanks to you, it's all good, Uncle San." Wei Chen took a few steps closer and lowered his voice. "I have a question for you. Where around here can I buy good coal briquettes? The kind that are heavy and burn thoroughly."

Upon hearing that he was asking about something, Yan Bugui's eyes flashed with a sharp light behind his glasses. His mind raced, calculating the value of the information, and his smile widened: "Coal Ball... You've come to the right person! Go east from the alley entrance, cross two intersections, and on your left, there's a blue cloth sign that says 'Limin Coal Shop'!"

It's a convenient service point set up by the state-owned coal briquette factory here! The shopkeeper's surname is Liu, and I've known him for a long time! His coal briquettes are packed incredibly tightly! They have little yellow clay mixed in, so they burn with a strong flame and produce little smoke, and they last a long time! "Mention my name, Yan Bugui," he puffed out his thin chest, a hint of pride in his voice, "Old Liu might even be able to get you a penny or two off!"

"Alright! Thank you so much, Uncle! You've been a great help!" Wei Chen thanked him repeatedly, turned around and went back to the east wing to push out his old bicycle, stuffed in his coal coupons and a roll of small bills, and rode off in the direction Yan Bugui pointed out.

Sure enough, we found "Limin Coal Shop". The storefront was small and dark, with several large stacks of shiny black coal briquettes stacked high at the entrance. The air was filled with a strong, pungent smell of coal smoke and dirt.

Wei Chen found the shopkeeper, Old Liu, a lean, dark-skinned old man with a pipe in his mouth, and handed him a coal coupon: "Shopkeeper Liu, I'd like to buy two hundred coal briquettes." Old Liu took the coupon, squinted at it carefully, and then looked Wei Chen up and down: "Newly moved in? Living in the east courtyard of No. 95 Luogu Lane?"

"Yes, Wei Chen."

"Oh—!" Old Liu exclaimed, a familiar smile creeping across his face, revealing teeth stained yellow from smoking. "Teacher Yan mentioned it to me yesterday! Okay, two hundred yuan, right? Wait here!"

He turned and yelled towards the back of the shop, "Shuanzi! Count two hundred good coal briquettes! Pack them into baskets!" A boy of about fifteen or sixteen, also dark-skinned, ran out in response and quickly began counting and carrying the coal briquettes. The two hundred briquettes filled two large willow baskets, so heavy that they bent the carrying poles.

"Young man, this is too much for your bicycle to carry," Old Liu said, exhaling a smoke ring. "Could you please find me a cart and make the trip? I'll pay for the ride," Wei Chen replied, already prepared.

Old Liu gestured towards the men squatting by the wall across the alley, waiting for work: "Old Liu! We've got work! 95 Luogu Lane, haul a load of coal briquettes!"

A burly man in a tattered jacket, quiet and reserved, stood up and pushed a flatbed cart over. After agreeing on a price, the man silently loaded two large baskets of coal briquettes onto the cart and secured them with hemp rope.

Wei Chen led the way on his bicycle, with the flatbed cart creaking and groaning behind, as they swaggered back to the south gate of the east courtyard at No. 95 Luogu Lane.

Unloading and paying. Wei Chen and the man worked together to move the heavy coal briquettes one by one to the wall of the east wing kitchen, carefully stacking them neatly.

Even though Wei Chen was quite strong, after moving those two hundred "black lumps," a fine layer of sweat appeared on his forehead. The kitchen was immediately filled with a thick smell of coal smoke, but this smell was strangely comforting—it was the confidence to get through the winter, the foundation of a life filled with the warmth of home.

Just as I was wiping the coal dust off my hands, I heard He Yuzhu's signature, penetrating voice coming from outside the south gate: "Wei Chen! Brother Wei Chen! Open the door! The food is here!" The last syllable was drawn out, exuding the unique boldness of a chef.

Wei Chen hurried to open the door. There stood Sha Zhu, holding a plump duck flapping its wings and squawking loudly in his left hand, and a large carp with its gills strung with wet straw and its tail still stubbornly thrashing in his right hand. Under his arm was a bulging net bag stuffed with tender cucumbers with blossoms and thorns, bright red tomatoes, emerald green water celery, and glossy purple eggplants, as well as a package of cooked food wrapped in thick yellow straw paper, the edges of which were already seeping with tempting oil stains. It looked like braised pig's head meat.

"Wow! Brother Zhu, you're really early! You've worked hard!" Wei Chen quickly took the struggling duck from his hands. The duck flapped its wings and splashed water droplets all over his face.

"Hey! Inviting guests for dinner is the most important thing! How could I not take it seriously?" Sha Zhu wiped the sweat from his forehead, grinned, revealing a set of teeth that weren't perfectly straight but looked exceptionally bold, and strode into the yard, his nose instinctively sniffing hard towards the kitchen first.

"Where's the wild boar meat? Let me see how good it looks!" He rushed into the kitchen impatiently, his eyes immediately locking onto the enormous piece of meat half-covered by an oilcloth on the cutting board. He abruptly ripped off the oilcloth, revealing a dark red, firm, clearly textured wild boar rump covered with tempting snow-white fat, its rugged, wild aura overwhelming him.

Sha Zhu, the gourmand, instantly brightened up. He couldn't resist pressing down on the thick chunk of meat with his thick fingers, feeling its amazing elasticity and firmness: "Good heavens! Truly authentic! Absolutely wild! This meat, once cooked, will smell amazing for miles around, making everyone's mouth water!"

Hearing the commotion, Wang Xiulan came out as well. Seeing the live chickens, ducks, fresh fish, and bags full of crisp vegetables that Sha Zhu had brought, she was both surprised and delighted, repeatedly expressing her gratitude: "Master He, this...this is too much trouble for you! Please come inside and rest a bit, have some water!"

"Auntie, don't be so polite with me!" Sha Zhu waved his hand with boundless generosity, "What Brother Wei Chen entrusted to me is my responsibility! You rest, leave the kitchen work to me! Brother Wei Chen," he turned to call out, instantly switching into "commander" mode, "give me a hand, clean this fish, scale and gut it! The ducks and chickens also need to be plucked and bled quickly, time waits for no one!"

Sha Zhu deftly tied on his own canvas apron, stained with oil and faded from washing, like a general about to go into battle.

He pulled out several gleaming, cleavers of varying sizes and a thick-backed bone-chopping knife from his heavy canvas tool bag.

He first grabbed the heaviest cleaver and, with precise "bang! bang! bang!" cut into the half of the wild boar's rump. The sound of bone separating from flesh was crisp and clean, his movements expansive yet fluid, like a master butcher carving up an ox. The thick rump, the marbled fat, the sturdy leg bones... all found their place under his blade.

"Auntie, look!" Sha Zhu said, breaking down the meat as he went, his face radiating the confident glow of a professional chef in control. "This piece of hindquarters is full of lean meat, so tender! We'll braise it later, and once it's simmered in the soy sauce, it'll melt in your mouth! This piece with marbled fat, sliced ​​thinly, will be stir-fried with garlic chives and chili peppers over high heat—it'll be incredibly fragrant and spicy! And this big bone, blanched first to remove the scum, will make a rich broth base, perfect for cooking cabbage and glass noodles—it'll be so fresh! Not a single bit is wasted!"

Looking at Sha Zhu's efficient work and the dazzling array of meat and vegetables on the cutting board, Wang Xiulan's worries about the expenses were completely dispelled by the upcoming excitement and her joy at her son's "prestige" in the city. As she added firewood to the stove, watching the flames happily lick the bottom of the pot, she planned how to help out later.

Watching Sha Zhu busily working, the steam rising from the wok, Wei Chen realized they were still lacking something to "showcase" for entertaining guests. He wiped his hands and said to his mother, "Mom, I'll go to the supply and marketing cooperative again and buy some candy and cigarettes for the guests, and also get some rare drinks to treat the children."

He hopped on his bicycle and once again entered the slightly noisy streets of the early morning. The supply and marketing cooperative was already bustling with people, filled with the mixed smells of daily necessities.

Wei Chen squeezed to the front of the grocery counter: "Comrade, two jin of assorted fruit candies, the hard kind. And a carton of Daqianmen cigarettes."

The saleswoman was a girl with two thick braids. She deftly weighed out the candy, wrapped it in thick yellow straw paper printed with the red double happiness character into two heavy triangular bags, and then turned around and took out a carton of red and white "Daqianmen" cigarettes from the glass counter.

Wei Chen paid the money and glanced at the several dark green wooden crates in the corner of the counter. The crates were clearly printed with the "Beibingyang" trademark in white on a blue background and a soda bottle pattern.

"Comrade, how much are the sodas?" Wei Chen asked, pointing to the box. "Fifty cents a bottle, ten bottles a box, that's one dollar and fifty cents. There's a fifty-cent deposit for the wooden box, you can get your money back when you return the bottles with the deposit slip," the saleswoman's voice was clear and crisp.

"Two cases, please!" Wei Chen said without hesitation. These days, Arctic Ocean soda is an absolute rarity. It's an orange-yellow, bubbly, sweet drink that's sure to impress guests and will drive kids crazy.

As Wei Chen carried two heavy cases of Arctic Ocean soda, radiating icy steam, into the kitchen, Sha Zhu was wielding a large ladle, sizzling scallions, ginger, and garlic in the hot oil, the rich aroma instantly exploding out.

He glanced at the green box on the ground and his eyes widened in shock. He even forgot to stir the food with his spoon: "Wow! Brother Wei Chen! You're so generous! You even prepared this precious stuff?"

"The Arctic Ocean?! Good heavens! This feast today is quite grand! Your relatives and three uncles are really lucky!" His tone was filled with undisguised admiration and envy, clearly feeling that Wei Chen's generosity was quite generous and kind!