Rebirth in a Courtyard: I Am a Little Hunter

Before the sense of security brought by the bright red stamp on his household registration booklet had fully settled, a real and pressing problem was placed before Wei Chen.

The household registrations of mother Wang Xiulan and younger sister Wei Ran have been officially transferred to Sijiucheng and are now under his name. This means that, from a legal and supply perspective, the two women are no longer members of Baoyuquan Village, but rather urban residents of Sijiucheng.

The steaming pot in the village canteen, and the two meals a day distributed according to the number of people, which were edible regardless of their consistency, were no longer relevant to them.

"Mom, please keep these food coupons and money safe." On Sunday afternoon, before returning to the city, Wei Chen solemnly stuffed a small cloth bag into his mother Wang Xiulan's hand.

The cloth bag contained ten jin of nationally valid grain coupons and five yuan, which he claimed to have saved at the steel rolling mill.

"This month, when you and Ranran eat at the village canteen, please give these food coupons and money to the canteen manager as a meal fee. Now that our household registration has been transferred, we can no longer eat at the collective canteen. This is the rule, and we can't let people talk behind our backs, and we can't make things difficult for your uncle."

Wang Xiulan clutched the heavy cloth bag, her heart filled with mixed emotions. The grain coupons and money were substantial, and her son's thoughtfulness was even more remarkable.

She understood that her son was worried that even though they had moved their household registration, they would still be eating at the canteen for free, which would cause gossip in the village, making her uncle, Wei Changsheng, the village head, lose face and even give others a handle against them. After all, at this critical juncture when resources were increasingly scarce, every grain of food was extremely precious.

"Sigh, Mom knows, Mom knows." Wang Xiulan sighed and carefully tucked the cloth bag into her bosom. "Your uncle...sigh, it's not easy running this family. Don't worry, Mom will go to the canteen tomorrow to pay the money and food rations, and we'll take care of everything. I won't make things difficult for your uncle."

She looked at her son, her eyes filled with both relief and heartache. "You're in the city, so you need to take good care of yourself. Don't be too frugal; eat when you're hungry..."

"Don't worry, Mom, I know what I'm doing." Wei Chen smiled to reassure his mother, then patted his younger sister Wei Ran's head. "Ranran, study hard and listen to Mom. I'll come pick you up next month when you're on vacation!"

After saying goodbye to his mother and sister, Wei Chen rode his bicycle back to Beijing. The wheels rolled over the frozen, hard dirt roads in the countryside, kicking up fine dust.

The cold wind was still biting, but his heart was more determined than when he arrived. Settling his household registration was like building a dam for his family's survival, but beyond this dam, the small world of the courtyard house was the battlefield where he had to navigate his daily life.

Wei Chen has been living in the three-courtyard communal house at No. 95 Nanluoguxiang for over a month now. Thanks to his identity as a "steel mill purchasing agent" and the "unexpected gains" such as pheasants and rabbits he occasionally brings back, he is no longer a complete stranger. He is at least somewhat familiar with most of the residents in the courtyard, and can nod and greet them when they meet.

Just as he calmly observed and concluded: there are many people in this courtyard, and naturally, many thoughts and concerns. Emotions and desires, daily necessities, every family has its own troubles, and everyone is racking their brains and carefully calculating how to fill their stomachs, raise their children, and cope with life.

This place features the kind of cunning that Yan Bugui is, who would split a penny into eight pieces and pluck feathers from a passing goose; the kind of person who always puts on airs and tries to control the whole situation to maintain his image as a "moral benchmark"; and the kind of complex family ecology like the Jia family, where Jia Zhangshi is greedy and mean, Qin Huairu is scheming, and Jia Dongxu is cowardly and selfish.

But overall, it wasn't like some fanfictions, where everyone was a villain and every turn was a trap. More often, it featured characters like the taciturn fitter Old Wang in the backyard, the honest boiler operator Old Wu in the front yard, and Aunt Liu, the widow struggling to raise two teenagers in the middle yard…

These are ordinary people who toil for a living, with their own little schemes but also adhering to basic principles. Their calculations are more out of necessity for survival than pure malice. Of course, the premise is that you can't flaunt your wealth, and you certainly can't appear weak or easily bullied.

That afternoon, shortly after the steel rolling mill's closing bell rang, Wei Chen rode his old-fashioned bicycle back to the courtyard gate. Hanging prominently on the handlebars were a plump, grayish-brown wild rabbit and two brightly colored, large pheasants!

These three items, in this harsh winter when meat is extremely scarce, are like beacons in the darkness, instantly attracting the attention of everyone passing by or glancing at the doorway, whether intentionally or unintentionally.

Sure enough, just as Wei Chen had set up the car ladder and was about to carry his things inside, a familiar figure strolled out of the gatehouse carrying a broken basin with many chips on the porcelain. The basin was half full of water. It was none other than Uncle Yan Bugui, the Third Uncle. He had an extremely enthusiastic smile on his face, as if he had been waiting for him there specifically.

"Hey! Wei Chen's back! You're off work early today!" Yan Bugui's voice was deliberately cheerful, but his eyes were glued to the game in Wei Chen's hand, especially the fat rabbit, as if he were being attracted by a magnet. His Adam's apple bobbed involuntarily.

Wei Chen stopped and politely replied, "Uncle, are you watering the flowers? It's so cold today." He glanced at Yan Bugui's few pots of unknown flowers and plants shivering in the cold wind, their leaves all wilted.

"Hey, life is about movement, even plants need water, right?" Yan Bugui chuckled, taking two steps forward and scanning the rabbit and pheasant with even more fervent eyes, clicking his tongue in admiration: "Wow! Look at that! Wei Chen, you're really something!" He gave a thumbs up, "Such a big rabbit, and this pheasant is quite plump! Goodness, it must weigh five or six pounds, right?"

He changed the subject, his smile growing even brighter, with an intimate air of "we're good friends": "Wei Chen, look, it's no fun eating all this good stuff by yourself, is it? Perfect, your third aunt, she's an expert at cleaning and cooking wild game!"

Braised, stewed, simmered—it's all so delicious! And I even have a bottle of good liquor hidden away, a real Erguotou, which I usually can't bear to drink! How about it? Tonight, let's get together, you and your auntie show off your cooking skills, and have a couple of good drinks? Let's have some fun!

As he spoke, he looked at Wei Chen with eager eyes, as if he could already smell the aroma of meat and wine. The beads on his abacus clicked loudly—he would provide some wine (probably diluted with water), and his wife would do the work, so he could rightfully take away at least half a rabbit or a chicken.

Wei Chen understood, but his face wore an impeccable, slightly apologetic smile: "Oh, Uncle, I appreciate your kindness! Aunt's cooking is definitely top-notch! But unfortunately, I have some urgent business to attend to today. The factory's purchase order for tomorrow hasn't been finalized yet, so I'll probably have to work overtime tonight."

I'll just give this rabbit and pheasant a quick clean and have a bite; I really don't have time to prepare it properly. You should keep your fine wine for yourself and enjoy it slowly! Another time, another time when I have time.” He sincerely and firmly declined Yan Bugui's “kind invitation.”

Yan Bugui's smile froze for a moment, a hint of disappointment and displeasure flashing in his eyes, but it was quickly masked by his usual "cultured" composure.

He chuckled dryly twice: "Huh? Oh... Work is important, work is important! Okay, then you go ahead and get busy, we'll do it another day, another day!"

He watched Wei Chen carry the game and walk steadily into the gate. His hand, holding the basin of water, unconsciously tightened its grip on the rim. He muttered to himself, "That kid is cunning!" The sense of disappointment at not getting the better deal was particularly clear in the cold wind.

Wei Chen carried the heavy load of game through the front yard, and as soon as he stepped into the middle yard, his eyes fell on the familiar water trough.

In the dead of winter, the water pipes were already frozen solid. To prevent them from cracking, Old Wang from the front yard was only responsible for opening the main valve to let the water run for a short while at a fixed time each day.

At this moment, a thick layer of ice had formed in the large water vat next to the sink. Qin Huairu, with her large pregnant belly, was laboriously using a broken gourd ladle to slowly break the ice and scoop out the cold water with ice shards, pouring it into a large washbasin next to her.

The basin was piled high with dark-colored clothes, clearly belonging to the whole family. Her hands, which had once been quite fair, were now red and swollen from the cold.

Wei Chen carried a heavy rabbit and two pheasants with colorful feathers. As soon as he stepped into the courtyard, his gaze habitually swept over the familiar and lively courtyard.

The cold air was filled with coal smoke and a faint smell of pickled cabbage. His gaze swept over Qin Huairu, who was struggling to break ice and scoop water by the sink to prepare for washing clothes, but did not linger. Instead, it landed directly on several children playing in the center of the yard.

One child stood out in particular—he was incredibly thin, wearing an old, patched, gray-blue cotton-padded jacket that was clearly several sizes too big, with the cuffs rolled up several times to barely reveal his wrists.

He was squatting on the ground, intently scratching something with a small twig, his face red from the cold, and a little snot hanging from the tip of his nose.

This is Xiao Shitou, whose real name is Li Jianjun, but everyone in the courtyard calls him Xiao Shitou, as if this name better reflects his tenacious vitality.

"Little Stone!" Wei Chen smiled gently, his voice not loud, but clear enough to pierce through the chill in the courtyard.

The small figure trembled suddenly, raising its head like a startled yet alert little animal.

When they recognized Wei Chen, their large eyes, which had been filled with confusion and timidity, suddenly shone brightly, like stars suddenly illuminating the cold night.

He quickly threw down the branch, scrambled to his feet, and ran towards Wei Chen with his thin legs. He was running a little too fast, and his worn-out cotton shoes, which didn't fit well, made a clattering sound on the frozen ground.

"Brother Chen!" Little Stone stopped in front of Wei Chen, tilted his little face up, and called out in a clear voice, his voice filled with undisguised affection and joy. His breath condensed into a small cloud of white mist in the cold air.