Rebirth in a Courtyard: I Am a Little Hunter

Looking at the child in front of him, Wei Chen felt a pang of tenderness in his heart.

The eight-year-old boy was only the size of a five or six-year-old. His oversized cotton-padded coat made him look even thinner, as if a gust of wind could blow him away. Long-term malnutrition had made his face somewhat sallow, but his eyes, at this moment, shone with an astonishing light because of his sight of Wei Chen.

"Is your grandma home?" Wei Chen bent down, making his line of sight level with Xiao Shitou, and softened his voice.

"Here I am, Brother Chen!" Little Stone nodded vigorously, his little head pecking at rice like a chick. "Grandma is making matchboxes in the house!" he answered quickly and clearly.

"Okay." Wei Chen's smile deepened. He handed over the two pheasants, still bearing the scent of the wild and with bright, heavy feathers. "Same as always, do me a favor: take these back and have your grandma kill and clean them for me. Okay?"

The moment Little Stone saw the two plump pheasants, his eyes lit up like tiny flames, shining brightly! The light was filled with surprise, longing, and a solemn sense of being trusted. He almost held his breath, his little chest heaving slightly.

"Okay! Great job, Brother Chen!" he replied hastily, his voice rising slightly with excitement. He stretched out his small, red, and slightly chapped hands and carefully, almost reverently, took the two heavy pheasants.

The weight made his small body sway slightly, but he immediately held on tightly with all his might, as if he were holding some rare treasure.

"Thank you, Brother Chen!" Little Stone's voice was full of gratitude. He looked up and promised with utmost seriousness, "Don't worry! I will make sure Grandma kills them all cleanly, leaving not a single stray hair! Just like last time!" He emphasized "just like last time," clearly remembering Wei Chen's request.

Wei Chen nodded and added habitually, "Yeah, it's all cleaned up. Same as always, I don't want the chicken heads, necks, feet, butts, or the gizzards and innards. You can keep them." His tone was calm and natural, as if this was truly the easiest way to deal with these "pieces of trash."

Upon hearing this, Little Stone tightened his grip on the pheasant, his eyes brimming with gratitude. He knew this was what Brother Chen truly meant!

Those chicken giblets were a rare delicacy and a treat for the grandfather and grandson! He pursed his lips hard, suppressing the rising bitterness and deeper gratitude, and loudly promised again, "Yes! Brother Chen, I remember! I'll definitely clean it up neatly for you!"

After saying that, as if he was afraid of delaying Brother Chen's business, and also afraid that something might happen if he kept these precious wild game in his hands for even a second longer, he picked up the two pheasants that were almost half the size of his body, turned around, and took short strides, running towards the moon gate leading to the backyard at a speed that did not match his thin figure.

That eager yet joyful figure resembled a squirrel that had finally found precious food and was eager to bring it back to its nest.

Wei Chen straightened up, his gaze following the small figure carrying the huge "harvest" as he ran away until he disappeared behind the moon gate. His eyes were filled with a complex mix of heartache and helplessness.

Little Stone and his grandmother, Grandma Li, were the family in this courtyard that Wei Chen worried about the most. Grandma Li was old, her back was hunched, her hair was gray and sparse, and her face was etched with the marks of time and hardship.

She had no source of income, and her only means of survival was to get odd jobs from the neighborhood office, such as pasting matchboxes and paper bags. Her fingers were constantly chafed and cracked from the glue and rough paper edges.

With that meager income, in those times of scarcity, it was difficult to even guarantee the most basic food rations for the grandfather and grandson.

Wei Chen noticed them soon after moving in. He saw Little Stone picking up discarded vegetable scraps in the yard because he was hungry, and he saw Grandma Li pasting matchboxes all night under the dim light, her fingers trembling so much that she could barely hold the small box.

Wei Chen wasn't a stingy person; his game world was full of resources. He once tried to give Grandma Li a small bag of cornmeal and a few eggs, but the old woman gently but firmly refused.

Grandma Li's wrinkled face held an almost stubborn dignity. She held Wei Chen's hand, her voice hoarse but clear: "Little Wei, I appreciate your kindness. But these days, no one has it easy. You've just started working, and you have to make a living yourself. I can still move around, so I can't accept your things." Her eyes showed gratitude, but even more so, a firm insistence on not wanting to burden others.

Wei Chen understood and respected this sense of pride. But he couldn't bear to watch the old man and the child struggle in hunger and cold.

So he came up with this idea. When he occasionally "hunted" pheasants or rabbits back, he would use the excuse that he "didn't know how to clean them" or "found it too troublesome" to ask Grandma Li, who was quite nimble, to help him with the task.

The reward was chicken heads, feet, tails, and internal organs, which others considered "scraps," but were precious meat and oil to the Li family.

This gave the grandmother and grandson the opportunity to improve their meals while preserving Grandma Li's dignity to the greatest extent possible—it was the fruit of their labor, not charity.

And Little Stone, this child who tasted the bitterness of life too early, also repaid Wei Chen's quiet kindness in his own unique way.

Ever since he first helped Wei Chen deliver pheasants and received those fragrant offal, he quietly took on a "job"—every morning or evening, whenever he saw some fallen leaves or dust in front of Wei Chen's house, he would take a broom that was almost as tall as him and carefully sweep the small area near the moon gate in front of Wei Chen's courtyard.

He swept very carefully, even sweeping out the dust from the cracks between the bricks. His small figure was hardworking and clumsy. Wei Chen had told him several times that he didn't need to sweep, but each time Xiao Shitou would just smile shyly and whisper, "I'm not tired, Brother Chen," and he would still sweep without fail the next time.

This silent gratitude and reciprocation made Wei Chen's heart ache more than any words could express.

Looking in the direction where the little stone disappeared, Wei Chen sighed softly and looked away.

Just then, out of the corner of his eye, he caught sight of the pregnant woman by the sink—Qin Huairu had stopped breaking the ice and was staring at him, or more accurately, at the only plump wild rabbit left in his hand, her eyes filled with a complex and unreadable expression.

She had clearly witnessed the scene of Little Stone running away with the pheasant.

The gentle expression on Wei Chen's face quickly faded, replaced by his usual calm. He picked up the rabbit and prepared to cross the courtyard back to his room. He knew trouble was coming.

"Brother Wei... Brother Wei Chen! You're off work?" Qin Huairu's voice carried a deliberate enthusiasm and a slight, almost imperceptible tremor. She quickly put down the gourd ladle, wiped her cold, wet hands on her apron, and forced a smile onto her face.

"Oh! This...you went hunting again? Brother Wei Chen, you're really something! This rabbit is so fat, and the pheasant is beautiful too!" Her gaze was fixed on the creatures, and she swallowed involuntarily.

The baby in her belly, the corn in the house, and her gluttonous mother-in-law... how long has it been since she's had any meat? The allure of meat is amplified infinitely in the face of cold laundry water and heavy housework.

Wei Chen didn't stop walking, but simply nodded at her and replied in a flat tone, "Yes, Sister-in-law Jia, are you doing laundry? It's cold, take care of yourself."

His feelings towards Qin Huairu were complex; he sympathized with her hardships but was also wary of her methods. Especially the undisguised longing in her eyes at this moment, which instinctively heightened his vigilance.

However, just as Wei Chen was about to walk straight towards the moon gate, Qin Huairu suddenly stepped forward, intentionally or unintentionally blocking part of his path, her pitiful expression instantly widening: "Brother Wei Chen, wait a minute!"

Her voice lowered, filled with grievance and pleading, "Look at your sister-in-law... so clumsy, even washing clothes is a struggle. This pheasant... it'll be a hassle to clean, won't it? Why don't you... give it to me? I'll clean it for you! I promise I'll clean it spotless, not a single feather left! You see..."

As Qin Huairu spoke, her gaze was fixed intently on the rabbit in Wei Chen's hand. Her intention was all too clear—she wanted to take on the task of cleaning the wild game, her goal being the scraps of offal, and perhaps even… a share of the meat! As she spoke, she unconsciously patted her protruding belly, as if silently emphasizing her "special difficulty."

Wei Chen frowned almost imperceptibly, and stopped completely in his tracks.

He stepped aside to let Qin Huairu's body obstruct his view, looking at her calmly. His voice was not loud, but it carried an undeniable clarity and distance: "Sister-in-law Jia, mind your image. Let's talk things out, don't pull and shove."

These words were like a bucket of cold water poured on Qin Huairu's face, instantly freezing her deliberately pitiful expression. Her cheeks flushed red, and she awkwardly withdrew her hand.

Wei Chen didn't give her a chance to speak again, and continued, his tone carrying a hint of coldness: "As for packing, there's no need to trouble Sister-in-law Jia. Grandma Li in the backyard is very efficient and has been helping me with everything; she's been doing a great job."

Seeing Qin Huairu's face instantly turn ugly, he changed his tone, adding a hint of questioning and warning: "Sister-in-law Jia, you're a smart woman. Why have I been having Grandma Li help me clean the pheasants... can't you see?"

Qin Huairu was speechless at Wei Chen's blunt question, her face flushing red and then pale. Of course she knew! Who in the entire courtyard didn't know the hardships the Li family had endured? Wei Chen had been finding ways to help them, using the pretext of "helping with cleaning" to give them chicken giblets and offal—it was practically an open secret.

Her words just now were a test, a feigned attempt to extract information. Now that Wei Chen had directly exposed her, her face burned with embarrassment. She could only manage a forced, awkward smile as she continued the conversation: "I...I can see it now, Brother Wei Chen, you...you're kind-hearted, you're subtly helping Grandma Li and Little Stone. I...I admire you."

However, that moment of embarrassment and admiration lasted only a moment. The craving for meat, especially the thought of Banggeng's fussing over it at home and his mother-in-law Jia Zhangshi's harsh scolding, instantly overwhelmed that cheap sense of shame.