Rebirth in a Courtyard: I Am a Little Hunter

When she saw the outline of the long bundle in Wei Chen's arms, and then recalled the words "hunting" and "gun" that had just come from the front yard, her sallow old face turned deathly pale, and her cloudy old eyes were filled with horror.

She recoiled as if burned, her heart pounding, a cold sweat instantly beading on her back. The vicious curses from a few days ago still seemed to echo in her ears, now appearing as a death knell!

She covered her mouth tightly, afraid of making the slightest sound, her body trembling uncontrollably, and she dared not look out the window again.

Inside the room, only her heavy, suppressed breathing and a deep-seated fear remained—this kid actually managed to get a gun! And it was specially approved by the factory's security department! What if he holds a grudge against her… Jia Zhangshi dared not think any further.

Wei Chen keenly caught the disappearance of that venomous gaze and the instantaneous silence behind the window. A barely perceptible, cold smile curved his lips.

Sometimes, the silent deterrent effect of absolute force is far more direct and effective than any verbal retaliation. He ignored the whispers and complicated gazes in the courtyard, took out his key, unlocked the door to his small courtyard, slipped inside, and slammed the bolt shut with a "click."

The courtyard was quiet and tidy. He carefully placed the heavy oilcloth wrapping on the octagonal table in the main room.

Uncover the tarpaulin, and there lay the well-maintained Type 56 semi-automatic rifle, its dark blue sheen gleaming, its cold metal barrel and dark brown wooden stock exuding a chilling aura.

Wei Chen's fingers brushed over the smooth stock and cold barrel, feeling the fine line between the hardness of steel and the fragility of life.

He expertly checked the bolt and safety, and after confirming everything was in order, a thought flashed through his mind. The rifle on the table, along with the oilcloth covering it, vanished without a trace in an instant, as if it had never been there.

Only a faint trace of gun oil remained in the air, a testament to its existence. Only after storing the gun in the absolutely secure storage space did Wei Chen truly breathe a sigh of relief.

He walked to the window, looking at the gloomy sky outside and the nearly empty pile of coal in the corner of the yard. His mother and sister would soon be coming to the city for the New Year, and the fireplace in this small courtyard was the main source of warmth; the coal absolutely could not be used up. With that in mind, he didn't delay any longer, put his cotton-padded coat back on, pushed his bicycle, and went out again.

Braving the cold wind, Wei Chen rode all the way to the state-owned coal mine near Dongbuya Bridge. In the huge coal yard, black coal mountains stretched endlessly, and the air was filled with a strong smell of coal dust.

The line of people buying coal wasn't long, most of them pushing carts or borrowed tricycles, their hands and feet shivering from the cold. When it was Wei Chen's turn, he propped up his bicycle and walked to the ticket window.

"Buy coal." Wei Chen handed over his own coal ration book.

Sitting at the window was a middle-aged man wrapped in a thick cotton coat, his face smeared with coal dust. He took the coal ration book and lazily flipped through it: "Wei Chen... Wang Xiulan... Wei Ran... three people, winter heating ration... um, a total of 180 jin." He picked up a pen to prepare to issue the invoice.

"Wait a minute," Wei Chen said, "Comrade, in addition to the ration, I'd like to buy an extra 300 jin." As he spoke, he took out several coal coupons stamped with red seals from different units from his pocket and placed them on the windowsill.

Some of these coupons were labor protection coal coupons issued by the factory, while the other part was "hard currency" he obtained from Tiger, a well-connected person in the black market, by exchanging his weekly "excessive" pork quota. In this era of planned supply, being able to produce coupons outside the plan was a silent declaration of ability and status.

The ticket clerk picked up the extra coal tickets, carefully examined the stamps and quantities on them, and the laziness on his face vanished instantly, replaced by a hint of surprise and barely perceptible politeness.

He looked up and re-examined the calm-looking young man in front of him, dressed in steel mill work clothes. Anyone who could get so many unplanned coal coupons was no ordinary person.

"Okay...no problem." The clerk's tone became noticeably warmer, and he quickly recalculated. "The fixed quantity is 180 jin, plus 300 jin, for a total of 480 jin. Invoice issued, go pick up the goods from coal pile number three over there." He handed the completed delivery slip, the change, and the coal booklet to Wei Chen, and added, "Coal pile number three contains lump coal, which burns easily and produces less smoke."

"Thank you." Wei Chen took the receipt and pushed his bicycle to the huge No. 3 coal pile. Several coal mine workers, wearing dirty cotton-padded coats and tattered gloves, were leaning against their shovels, smoking and chatting. Wei Chen handed over the delivery order.

One of the foremen looked at the quantity on the list, then glanced at Wei Chen's bicycle, and grinned: "Four hundred and eighty pounds? Comrade, your little cart can't handle it. We'll have to find a handcart or a tricycle."

"Can you deliver it? Deliver it to the courtyard house at No. 95 Nanluoguxiang." Wei Chen asked directly, "Unloading included, I'll pay an extra two cents." He didn't want to waste time looking for a car.

Two cents! The workers' eyes lit up. These days, two cents was enough to buy several kilograms of cornmeal! And it was just one delivery and unloading; this job was a good deal!

"Okay! No problem!" The foreman immediately perked up, tossed aside his cigarette butt, and shouted, "Xiao Liu, go and push our rubber-wheeled cart over here! Fill it up! Pick the big, good pieces of coal!" Several workers immediately sprang into action, wielding shovels and shoveling the shiny black, evenly shaped, high-quality coal onto the cart, quickly piling it into a small mountain. The foreman even stomped the coal pile down a bit more firmly.

Wei Chen watched them load the coal onto the cart, confirming it was all good quality coal, then hopped on his bicycle and led the way. The cart, laden with coal, creaked and groaned as several workers pushed it along, heading towards Nanluoguxiang. The heavy wheels left deep ruts on the frozen road.

Back at the courtyard gate, there was quite a commotion. The cart stopped, and several coal miners, without hesitation, grabbed the large baskets and shovels they had brought, and under Wei Chen's guidance, unloaded the shiny black coal basket by basket, piling it directly into the coal pit that had been specially reserved at the entrance of Wei Chen's courtyard, which was lined with wooden planks. The movements were swift, raising clouds of dust.

Many people in the courtyard were drawn out by the commotion. Looking at the pile of high-quality coal like a small mountain, and then at Wei Chen's calm figure directing the operation, their expressions became even more complicated.

These days, who doesn't carefully calculate and ration when buying coal? You won't find another family in the entire courtyard who can buy so much at once and still have the coal mine workers deliver it to their door and unload it so readily!

The third uncle in the front yard, Yan Bugui, peered enviously from the door frame, his mind racing with calculations: "This kid, with guns and coal, he's got some serious connections!"

After the coal was unloaded, Wei Chen readily paid an extra two cents. The workers, pocketing the money, happily pushed their empty carts away.

Wei Chen closed the courtyard gate and looked at the pile of coal in the coal pit—enough to keep his mother and sister warm through the winter—and felt much more at ease. He filled a basin with water, washed the coal dust off his hands and face, and tidied up the house a bit.

As dusk fell, smoke began to rise from the chimneys of each household in the courtyard, and the air was filled with the mixed, not particularly abundant, aromas of various meals.

Wei Chen made himself a bowl of vegetarian noodles and ate them with pickled vegetables. Just as he finished clearing the dishes, he heard the distinctive, slightly affected voice of Third Uncle Yan Bugui coming from the front yard: "Attention everyone! After dinner, at 7:30, at the usual place in the middle courtyard, there will be a general meeting for the whole courtyard! To discuss the winter storage of Chinese cabbage! At least one person from each household must come, and everyone must be on time!"

Storing cabbages for winter? Wei Chen suddenly realized. This was indeed a top priority for residents of Beijing and even other northern cities during the winter.

In the days before refrigerators, Chinese cabbage, potatoes, and radishes, which are easy to store, were the main vegetables for ordinary people throughout the winter. Buying winter vegetables was almost a "battle" that affected the entire winter's dining table.

At 7:30, it was completely dark. In the central courtyard of the siheyuan (traditional courtyard house), a dusty, low-wattage light bulb lit up, its dim yellow light barely illuminating the center of the courtyard.

An old eight-immortal table was placed in the middle, and the three stewards—the dignified eldest uncle Yi Zhonghai, the shrewd second uncle Liu Haizhong, and the always calculating third uncle Yan Bugui—had already sat around the table, each with an enamel mug in front of them.

The heads of each household brought out small stools and folding chairs and gathered around. The men smoked cheap cigarettes, the women held hot water bottles or sewed shoe soles, and the children crawled around the adults' legs, only to fall silent after being scolded a few times. The air was filled with the smell of cheap tobacco, leftover food, and the chill of a winter night.

Wei Chen also moved a small stool and found a corner at the back to sit down, silently watching this scene full of the atmosphere of everyday life. He was like a calm bystander, temporarily detached from the human relationships and social interactions in this courtyard.

The meeting began, and as usual, it was Uncle Yi Zhonghai who spoke first. He cleared his throat and emphasized the importance of storing vegetables for winter in a loud voice: "...Comrades, neighbors, storing cabbages for winter is related to the vegetable supply for dozens of households in our compound throughout the winter! We can't be careless!"

This year, the distribution point for the vegetables is at the western vegetable market. Supply will begin this Sunday at 6:00 AM, and will be rationed per person based on a passbook! Everyone, please tell me, how will our office organize this? How will we get the supplies?

As soon as he finished speaking, the courtyard became lively. Borrowing a vehicle was the most important thing. Who had a handcart? Who could borrow a tricycle? Uncle Liu Haizhong, who had a loud voice, was the first to speak up: "I can borrow one from next door. They won't be able to make a haul until the day after tomorrow! I can get one! I'll take care of one trip!" His family had a large number of people and a large ration, so having a vehicle would be convenient.

"Old Yan, don't you know Old Wang from the street transport team? See if you can borrow a tricycle? There are a lot of people in our compound, and one cart might not be enough!" someone shouted to Yan Bugui.

Yan Bugui adjusted his glasses and said slowly, "I'll try my best to ask, but the transport team is busy and can't guarantee anything. If all else fails, we can make a few more trips, or several families can pool their money to rent a vehicle and split the cost..."