Rebirth in a Courtyard: I Am a Little Hunter

Looking into her son's steady and resolute eyes, and then at her youngest daughter nestled beside her, her eyes filled with anticipation, Wang Xiulan's lingering attachment to her homeland was ultimately suppressed by her concern for her children's future. She sighed deeply, as if making a decision, and nodded.

"Alright... Mom will listen to you. Chen'er, you've grown up and you're very thoughtful. It's all for Mom and your sister's good... So... let's do it!"

"Mom!" Wei Ran nestled into her mother's arms obediently.

Wei Chen felt a huge weight lifted from his heart: "Okay! Mom, let's not delay, I'll go find Uncle right now!"

Wei Chen went straight to his uncle Wei Changsheng's house. Pushing open the familiar, cracked wooden door, a smell mixed with cheap tobacco leaves and damp mud walls hit him.

Wei Changsheng sat hunched over on the edge of the kang (a heated brick bed), lost in thought. He held a well-worn, shiny pipe in his hand, the tobacco in the bowl long since extinguished, but he was oblivious to it. His brows were furrowed, and his deeply lined face was etched with sorrow.

"Uncle," Wei Chen called softly. Wei Changsheng snapped out of his daze, and seeing it was Wei Chen, a hint of surprise flashed in his cloudy eyes, quickly replaced by deeper worry: "Chenzi? So early? Quickly get on the kang and warm up!"

Wei Chen took off his shoes and climbed onto the kang (a heated brick bed), sitting cross-legged. The kang mat was warm, but the room wasn't very warm. He noticed that his uncle looked much more haggard than the last time he saw him, with puffy eye bags.

"Uncle, what's wrong?" Wei Chen asked with concern. "Sigh!" Wei Changsheng sighed heavily, as if trying to expel all the pent-up frustration from his chest. He refilled his pipe with some shredded tobacco, struck several matches to light it, took a deep drag, and let the pungent smoke billow out. "What a worry! Chenzi, you're a city worker now, you've seen a lot, tell me, what's going on here?"

He pointed out the window: "They went all out to make steel, cutting down most of the trees in the village for firewood. All the able-bodied men were busy building furnaces and transporting ore. Who was taking care of the crops in the fields? Well, they didn't even produce a few pounds of decent steel. Once the furnaces were dismantled, the people came back, and the land was left barren! The higher-ups say they want to restore production, but look at this weather!" Wei Changsheng's voice was filled with suppressed anger and helplessness.

"Not a single decent drop of rain has fallen since late summer!" He walked to the window, forcefully pushing open the wooden lattice window covered with old newspapers, letting in an even colder gust of air. He pointed to the gray, lifeless fields in the distance, "Look at that land! It's cracked and parched, like a tortoise shell! The winter wheat has been planted, but the seedlings... drooping, yellowish, and sparse! In previous years, the wheat seedlings would have been a lush green, a beautiful sight! This year? It's uncertain how many will survive! Sigh..."

Wei Changsheng took another deep drag of his cigarette, coughing a few times before continuing, "You know the village canteen. A few months ago, in order to 'launch a satellite' (a metaphor for achieving economic goals), we copied others and served white flour buns and big slices of fatty meat every meal, almost emptying our savings of many years! And now? Forget meat, even a speck of oil is rare! We're lucky if we can fill our stomachs with cornmeal porridge, and even then, the warehouse is almost empty! I'm constantly counting the days on the abacus, figuring out how many more days we can last, and my hair is turning white from worry! Some families have even started secretly mixing in wild vegetables and bran..."

He turned around, his bloodshot eyes fixed on Wei Chen: "Chenzi, you just said... there's a severe drought in the south too? No rain for half a year? Is the news... accurate?" His voice trembled slightly, a fear of an even greater disaster.

During meetings at the commune, although the leaders above continued to emphasize that the situation was excellent, the solemnity in their tone and the increasingly strict allocation of supplies could not escape his notice. Although the village canteen was still open, the quality of the food had visibly declined; refined grains were almost nowhere to be seen, and oil was becoming increasingly scarce.

"Uncle," Wei Chen lowered his voice, his expression extremely serious, "the source of this information is absolutely reliable. It's something my factory's experienced long-distance couriers who drive to the south saw with their own eyes! Several provinces are suffering from severe drought! This is definitely not a small matter! I'm worried that the impact will spread quickly. 'With grain in hand, one has nothing to fear,' you understand this better than I do. You know more about the village's affairs than I do, so just keep it to yourself and don't tell anyone else. That's why I want to transfer my mother and Ranran's household registration to the city as soon as possible, so they can at least have a government ration, which is the safest way out! It will also ease the burden on the village a little."

Wei Changsheng silently smoked, his expression shifting through the swirling smoke. He understood, of course, the importance of household registration to city dwellers. He also knew that if Wei Chen's assessment was true, or worse, having two more people in the village receiving government-subsidized grain rations might not be a bad thing in the long run for Baoyuquan Village. At least, it would mean two fewer mouths that the village would have to find ways to feed.

After a long while, he slammed his pipe on the edge of the kang (a heated brick bed), and ashes fell in a flurry. "Sigh!" he sighed, "It's better to be safe than sorry! Our village, although we don't indulge in extravagant feasts like some other places, is still poor... We should be prepared." He stood up, walked to the cabinet against the wall, unlocked it, and took out the village's official seal and letterhead.

"Just do as you said, transfer Xiulan and Ranran's household registration to Sijiu City as soon as possible." Wei Changsheng spread out the letter paper, picked up the fountain pen, and the nib made a scratching sound on the rough paper. He wrote in neat handwriting a certificate agreeing to Wang Xiulan and her daughter Wei Ran's household registration being transferred to Sijiu City to join Wei Chen, and solemnly stamped the bright red seal of "Baoyuquan Production Brigade, XX Commune" at the end.

"Let's go!" Wei Changsheng put away the official seal, carefully folded the certificate, and handed it to Wei Chen. "I'll go to the commune with you! The village seal alone isn't enough. I'll talk to Old Zhang, the commune's household registration officer, and get the commune's seal for you too! Your father is a martyr; the commune will still give you this much face!"

With village chief Wei Changsheng personally leading the way, things went surprisingly smoothly. In the commune's somewhat dimly lit office, Wei Changsheng patted his chest and vouched for the character and family situation of Wang Xiulan and her daughter, while also emphasizing Wei Chen's status as a martyr's family member and his stable job in the city.

Old Zhang, the commune officer in charge of household registration, clearly respected Wei Changsheng, the old village chief. He carefully examined the village's certificate and a copy of Wei Chen's steel mill work permit (which Wei Chen had prepared in advance). Without saying much, he readily stamped the certificate with the red seal of "XX People's Commune Management Committee," which symbolized a higher level of administrative authority.

Two thin sheets of paper, carrying heavy hopes, were carefully tucked away by Wei Chen.

Upon returning to Beijing, Wei Chen didn't delay at all and immediately took all the materials to the street office.

When Director Wang saw Wei Chen return so quickly with the certificate bearing the official seals of both levels, a hint of surprise flashed in her eyes, quickly turning into deep appreciation. She carefully examined all the original documents, verified Wei Chen's work ID and household registration book, and after confirming everything was in order, she swiftly began processing the paperwork.

Filling out forms, registering, stamping—Director Wang handled everything personally, his movements swift and efficient. When the steel stamp bearing the inscription "XX District XX Street Office of Sijiu City" landed steadily on the new household registration page with a crisp "click," Wei Chen's heart, which had been hanging in suspense, finally settled completely.

"Alright!" Director Wang handed the brand-new household registration booklet to Wei Chen with a smile. "Wang Xiulan, Wei Ran, your household registration has been officially transferred and is now under your name, Wei Chen! Here's the new household registration booklet, keep it safe!"

Then, she took out two more brand-new booklets, each bearing the national emblem and the words "Urban Residents' Grain and Oil Supply Certificate" and "Non-staple Food Purchase Certificate".

"Your food ration book and non-staple food ration book have been replaced. The food rations will take effect next month, supplied according to the standard rate for residents. The items in your non-staple food ration book will also be purchased monthly with coupons. Keep them safe; these are your means of livelihood, and it's a hassle to replace them if you lose them!"

Wei Chen took the three heavy booklets, feeling the texture of the paper, and a sense of peace welled up in his heart.

From then on, my mother and sister were closely connected with Beijing in terms of law and basic living security. They were no longer rootless duckweed in the storm, but had a foundation to settle down and make a living in this difficult era.

"Director Wang, I really don't know how to thank you enough!" Wei Chen said from the bottom of his heart.

"No need to thank me, it's all done according to policy." Director Wang waved his hand with a smile, then casually added, "By the way, Xiao Wei, about that meat thing I mentioned to you last time... You see, with the end of the year approaching, the neighborhood committee should start making plans early..."

Wei Chen understood immediately and made a firm decision: "Director Wang, rest assured! I, Wei Chen, keep my word! One hundred catties of top-quality wild boar meat! I guarantee it will be delivered to your neighborhood office before the 25th of the twelfth lunar month!"

"One hundred catties? Wild boar meat?!" Director Wang's eyes lit up instantly, his joy overflowing! These days, being able to get that much meat is an incredible feat! Who cares what kind of meat it is!

"Great! Great! Xiao Wei, you've done the neighborhood committee and those struggling households a tremendous favor! Don't worry about the price, you definitely won't lose money! On behalf of the neighborhood committee, thank you in advance!"

Stepping out of the neighborhood office, the winter sun seemed to carry a hint of warmth. Wei Chen carefully placed the brand-new household registration booklet, grain and oil booklet, and non-staple food booklet close to his body, feeling the heavy sense of security they brought. The bottom line for his mother and sister's future survival was finally firmly in his hands.

He looked up at the gray sky and took a deep breath of the cold, dry air. Winter had arrived, and the road ahead was difficult. But at least, his most important family members had been placed in a relatively safe haven.

Next, it's about how to make good use of the game world's incredible advantage to create a small, warm space for yourself and those who deserve help during this upcoming long winter.

For him, fifty catties of pork belly on the twenty-fifth day of the twelfth lunar month was a small matter. Now that wild boars have also spawned in the game world, Wei Chen has basically achieved freedom in obtaining wild boar meat.

The real test was yet to come. He hopped on his bicycle and rode towards the steel mill, his figure standing firm and steady against the bleak winter street.