Rebirth in a Courtyard: I Am a Little Hunter

Yi Zhonghai grew increasingly convinced of Wei Chen's lack of manners: "Our courtyard house is all about 'respecting the elderly and caring for the young, helping each other!' He's a newcomer who doesn't understand any of the rules! He only cares about the small favors in the backyard, and can't see the bigger picture that truly needs attention! If this continues, he'll corrupt the atmosphere of the entire courtyard!"

He tapped his finger on the table, making a decision. "I need to have a serious talk with him sometime! I need to make him understand that living in this compound means following its rules! If he has the ability, he should proactively help his neighbors in need! That's the right thing to do!"

The older woman watched her husband's righteous and stern expression, as if he possessed absolute truth. Her lips moved, as if she wanted to say something, but ultimately she remained silent. She knew in her heart that her husband had his own plans; he needed to transform the courtyard into the courtyard he desired! And this newly opened Wei Chen seemed to be a variable…

The Intermediate People's Court, the home of Liu Haizhong, the second uncle.

While sewing Liu Haizhong's work clothes, Aunt Er excitedly recounted the "excitement" of the afternoon to Liu Haizhong, who had just finished get off work and was eating cornbread with pickled vegetables.

"...Oh my, you didn't see it! Qin Huairu's face was as red as a sheet! That kid Wei Chen, he doesn't hold back at all! He told her directly to go to Jia Dongxu if she needed anything, and not to beat around the bush! Tsk tsk, what he said..."

And that little brat from the Li family in the backyard, running around happily with two pheasants in his arms! Wei Chen just gave him five big potatoes! Good heavens! Jia Zhangshi is cursing so horribly inside the house, you can hear it across the yard! ..."

Liu Haizhong chewed on his cornbread, his cheeks puffing out as he listened with great interest. He didn't have any particular opinion of Wei Chen; a newly hired purchasing agent at the factory, in his eyes, a man obsessed with official positions, wasn't important enough. After listening to his wife's account, he chuckled, swallowed the cornbread in his mouth, and dismissively curled his lip.

"Hmph! What's so new about that? Not everyone is as dim-witted as that idiot Zhu!"

He picked up his enamel mug and took a big gulp of hot water. "That idiot Zhu is the real idiot! He's completely controlled by that woman from the Jia family. He sends any good food he can to the Jia family, and he doesn't even care about his own sister! What's the point? Is it to get Qin Huairu to give him a good face?"

"Pah! What a loser! I think Wei Chen is a good kid, he's smart! He helps when he should help, and he doesn't hesitate to help when he shouldn't! The Jia family? They're a bottomless pit! Once you're involved, you can't get rid of them! Wei Chen isn't stupid, he knows to avoid them! Good!" After he finished commenting, he picked up a cornbread and took a big bite, as if he were savoring someone else's excitement.

The Intermediate People's Court, the Jia family.

The low-ceilinged house was filled with an indescribable mixture of smells—the smell of coal smoke, the stale smell of leftover food, and the stale odor unique to the old man.

Under the dim light bulb, Jia Zhangshi sat cross-legged on the kang (a heated brick bed), her mean-looking old face appearing even more sinister and distorted in the shadows. She was sewing shoe soles that seemed never to be finished, but the needlework was just a pretense; her mouth hadn't stopped talking since Qin Huairu returned empty-handed!

"...Useless good-for-nothing! A pretty face wasted! Can't even get a rabbit! That little brat in someone else's backyard managed to snatch two chickens' giblets and potatoes! And you? Huh? Going there with that big belly, and not even a rabbit hair! A disgrace! A piece of trash! A coward!"

Jia Zhangshi's voice was shrill and grating, like a dull knife scraping the bottom of a pot. "That little brat Wei Chen! A heartless bastard! A selfish, short-lived wretch! So many good things, yet he'd rather feed that old man with no family left and that bastard in the backyard than show any respect to his elders! I'm so old, what's wrong with eating some meat? My son is still growing, what's wrong with eating some meat? He has no compassion at all! He doesn't know how to respect his elders! A bastard without any parents to teach him! No wonder his parents died young!..."

Vicious curses, like the saliva of a venomous snake, poured continuously from her mouth. Banggeng huddled beside his grandmother, his small eyes filled with longing for meat and resentment towards Wei Chen, whispering in agreement, "Grandma's right! Wei Chen is bad! He won't give us meat! He's a scoundrel!"

Qin Huairu sat silently on a small stool on the other side of the kang (a heated brick bed), scrubbing the family's dirty clothes vigorously in the dim light. The icy water made her fingers numb, and the cracks in her skin throbbed with pain when soaked in the alkaline soapy water. Her mother-in-law's curses pierced her heart like needles, leaving her feeling utterly humiliated and exhausted.

Wei Chen's merciless words that afternoon were branded into her mind like a brand—"It's bad for Brother Jia's reputation," "It makes people look down on him"... Every word was like a whip lashing at her.

She knew perfectly well how pathetic she looked. But... what could she do? Rely on Jia Dongxu? She secretly glanced at her husband, who was huddled in the corner of the kang (a heated brick bed), seemingly lost in meditation, clutching a tattered book, oblivious to his mother's insults. Her heart was filled with coldness and despair.

This man was neither capable of supporting the family and satisfying the ever-growing demands of his mother and son, nor was he cowardly enough to say "no" to his mother. He could only choose to pretend to be deaf and dumb, pushing all the pressure and embarrassment onto his pregnant wife.

Jia Dongxu was indeed "playing dead." He hadn't turned a single page of the book in his hand for a long time, his ears filled with his mother's curses and his wife's suppressed sobs. Although Qin Huairu tried her best to endure it, the slight trembling of her shoulders betrayed her.

He was also frustrated and resentful of Wei Chen's cold-heartedness. But he was even more afraid that his mother would turn her anger on him, questioning why he couldn't earn meat and why he couldn't be as "capable" as Wei Chen. He also craved meat and wanted to improve his meals, but he was even more afraid of facing his own incompetence.

So he could only bury his head even lower, pretending he didn't exist in this space filled with resentment and deprivation. As for Wei Chen? He dared not hate him, nor did he have the right to hate him; he could only transform that complex emotion into a deeper numbness.

The backyard, the Li family's cottage.

In the cramped space, the fire in the stove flickered weakly, barely dispelling the biting chill. Little Stone carefully placed the five heavy potatoes, which exuded the fresh scent of earth, into a worn but clean earthenware pot in the corner, as if they were rare treasures.

"Grandma! Look! This is from Brother Chen! Such a big potato!" Little Stone's voice was filled with excitement and a hint of barely perceptible pride. "Brother Chen said this is my payment for helping him kill the chicken! He said labor deserves payment! Not paying someone is... is being a capitalist! A bad guy! He can't be a bad guy!"

Grandma Li sat on a small stool, using the dim light of the stove fire to look at the five potatoes in the earthenware pot that seemed exceptionally large in their poverty. She then looked at her grandson's bright, excited face, her wrinkled features displaying a complex expression.

There was surprise at the potatoes; these days, it's rare to see potatoes this big and fresh. There was also relief at the affirmation of his grandson, but more than anything, there was a heavy, indescribable gratitude and... unease.

She stretched out her withered hand, picked up a potato, felt its heavy weight and smooth skin, and after a long while, let out a long sigh.

This sigh contained the hardships of life, but also a deep emotion for Wei Chen's quiet yet profound affection.

She patted her grandson's head, her voice hoarse but gentle: "Good boy... your brother Chen is a good person... a really good person... we... must remember his kindness..." She didn't say anything more, but gently put the potatoes back into the bowl, her cloudy eyes looking out the window towards Wei Chen's hut, where a comforting and warm aroma of food wafted from.

The rich aroma of braised chicken still stubbornly lingered in the air above the courtyard, mingling with the chill of the winter night and seeping into the cracks of every window.

The discussions, curses, analyses, and sighs from each household flowed like countless tiny undercurrents beneath the seemingly peaceful courtyard.

Wei Chen sat in his warm little house, the large bowl in front of him already half empty. He took a satisfied sip of the noodle soup, the fresh, fragrant, spicy, and numbing flavor lingering in his mouth. The chaotic discussions, vicious curses, shrewd calculations, and moral judgments outside seemed to be isolated in another world by the solid walls and the warm fire.

He clearly felt that after what happened this afternoon, the neighbors in the courtyard, whether it was the shrewd Yan Bugui, the Yi Zhonghai who tried to maintain "moral order," the Liu Haizhong who was watching the show, or even the greedy and mean-spirited Jia family, had all clearly realized one thing: he, Wei Chen, was not a fool.

His things are not something that can be easily taken away by someone crying or playing the victim. He has his own principles, clear boundaries, and an inviolable bottom line.

This is good. Wei Chen picked up the last piece of potato, soaked in broth, and put it in his mouth. It was soft, sweet, and fragrant. This was the peace and clear boundaries he needed. He didn't need everyone to like him; he just needed to follow his own heart, protect the people and things he cared about, and live his life well.

The crackling fire illuminated his calm yet resolute eyes. His mother and sister would be arriving in a month. This little home would grow warmer and more vibrant. As for the myriad human emotions within this courtyard? They were merely background colors, some more intense, some less so, in the long scroll of life.

As night deepened, the courtyard fell into complete silence, with only the cold wind whistling through the eaves and bare branches, like a tireless night weeping man. The light from Wei Chen's small house was the only warm and stubborn point of light in this deep darkness.

Inside, the stove fire had been turned down, but the warmth still lingered. Wei Chen carefully wrapped another plump pheasant in oiled paper, placed it in a basket in the corner of the kitchen, and hung it on a hook hanging from the roof beam. There were still quite a few rats in this day and age. Tomorrow he'd make a hot chicken soup, perfect for dispelling the early winter chill.