Rebirth in a Courtyard: I Am a Little Hunter

Liu Erzhuang cleared his throat, his voice booming so everyone in the Central Court could hear: "Our factory brought back a whole truckload this afternoon! A whole truckload! All wild boars! Huge wild boars! Piled up like a small mountain! You didn't see the scene, good heavens, the whole factory was in an uproar! Even Deputy Factory Director Li came out to speak!"

"Wild boars? A whole truckload?" Yan Bugui's eyes widened instantly, his gaze behind his glasses flashing sharply. "How many? Where did you get them?"

"Twenty-eight heads! A full twenty-eight heads!" Liu Erzhuang held up two fingers to indicate the weight, his spittle practically flying out of his mouth. "I heard they weigh over eight thousand jin in total! My God! That's so much meat! I heard it from Sha Zhu himself. Tomorrow at noon, the whole factory will get an extra meal! Everyone will get at least a large spoonful of braised pork, no more!" His last sentence was the key point, instantly igniting everyone's enthusiasm.

"Over 8,000 catties?!" "Twenty-eight wild boars?!" "My God! Is it true?" "A big spoonful of meat for everyone? Enough to go?! This... this must be so much oil and fat!" The front yard immediately erupted in a commotion, with exclamations, doubts, and excited discussions rising and falling.

The third auntie didn't even bother to pour water, and squeezed over to ask, "Erzhuang, do you know who's so capable of bringing in so many wild boars?" This was the question Yan Bugui was most concerned about, and he pricked up his ears.

Liu Erzhuang slapped his thigh, his voice rising even higher: "Hey! You probably won't believe it, but it's from our courtyard! The one in the east wing—Wei Chen! Wei Chen from Purchasing Team Three! I heard he led his team into the deep mountains and forests to hunt them! Eight of those wild boars were killed by Wei Chen himself with his bow and arrow! A master archer!"

"Wei Chen?!" "Is that the young man who just moved in not long ago?" "My God! He has this skill?!" "Shooting wild boars with a bow and arrow? This... how amazing is that?" The discussion in the front yard instantly reached its climax.

Yan Bugui gasped, his glasses nearly falling off, and his mind immediately started calculating: Wei Chen? It was him! Over eight thousand catties of meat… how much would that cost? Even assuming it wasn't all his, those eight heads alone could fetch a good price!

This kid...he's hiding his true strength! He suddenly remembered Wei Chen's empty satchel and calm face when he came back that afternoon, and his heart felt like it was being scratched by a cat—this kid must have gotten a lot of benefits!

The news, like a wild boar with wings, flew at an astonishing speed from the middle courtyard to the backyard, and then back again, exploding in every household.

The Intermediate People's Court, the Jia family.

While stitching endless shoe soles, Jia Zhangshi was grumbling about Qin Huairu's slow cooking. Qin Huairu had just put the family's dinner—a few cornbread buns mixed with cornmeal and a small dish of pickled vegetables—onto the table when she heard a commotion coming from the front yard and Liu Erzhuang's extremely piercing voice.

"Wei Chen... twenty-eight wild boars... more than 8,000 catties... a large spoonful of meat for each person..." The keywords drifted into the room intermittently.

Qin Huairu's chopsticks fell to the table with a "clatter," and she froze.

Madam Jia suddenly raised her head, her triangular eyes flashing with disbelief mixed with extreme jealousy. Her voice trembled: "How much?! Over eight thousand catties of meat?! Did that little brat in the backyard bring it back?!"

She jumped up, rushed to the door, and peered out, clinging to the doorframe. She muttered disbelievingly, "What a load of nonsense! Him? He's barely grown a beard..."

However, the increasingly clear and excited chatter outside felt like countless slaps to her face. When they heard "a big spoonful of braised pork for everyone, all you can eat," Banggeng'er was the first to jump up: "Mom! Grandma! Meat! There's meat! Plenty to eat!"

Qin Huairu's heart pounded wildly. After the initial shock, a complex mix of emotions welled up inside her. Over eight thousand pounds of meat! Wei Chen! He actually had that kind of ability?! She recalled Wei Chen's calm reply that afternoon, "The factory just assigned a purchasing task..."

This wasn't just a "task," it was an incredible achievement! How much bonus would he get? How would the factory reward him? And that meat… over eight thousand pounds! Qin Huairu felt her breathing quicken, her fingers unconsciously tightening around the hem of her clothes. No, she had to find a way… she had to get closer to him…

Jia Zhangshi's face darkened completely, as if it were covered in soot. She whirled around and growled through gritted teeth at Qin Huairu, "Did you hear that?! Over eight thousand catties of meat! How much money is that?! The factory must have given that kid a huge bonus! And meat coupons! Maybe even other coupons! Can he eat that much by himself?"

He's an outsider living in our compound, receiving such a huge benefit, and he doesn't even think about his neighbors? Ungrateful wretch! Heartless scoundrel! How long has it been since Banggeng and the others have had any meat? Doesn't he even offer to bring some over?

Looking at her mother-in-law's face, twisted with jealousy and greed, and then at the children's longing eyes, Qin Huairu's mind was in turmoil, but one thought remained crystal clear: Wei Chen, this "meat" path, no matter what, must be taken!

Yi Zhonghai's home.

An older woman was bringing out warmed cornbread and a small bowl of stir-fried cabbage to the table when Yi Zhonghai took off his cotton hat. He heard the commotion outside. He had a bit of an upset stomach today and had taken the day off.

Upon learning that Wei Chen had performed such a great service, Yi Zhonghai paused, his hand holding the wine glass still. A deep look of surprise crossed his face, followed by praise and satisfaction: "Good lad! A truly good lad! Capable and responsible! He solved such a huge problem for the factory, remarkable!"

He looked at his wife and said, "See? I told you this kid is hardworking and reliable, a real talent! Now he's finally settled in at the factory."

The older woman smiled broadly, "Yes, this child has had a tough time. It's a good thing he has such a promising future! Now the factory workers can finally have a decent meal." She was happy for Wei Chen, and at the same time, she had a feeling that Wei Chen's status in the hospital and the factory would be different after making such a great contribution. Perhaps... She had always wanted Lao Yi to find a suitable person to train... but she didn't dare to think about it too deeply.

The backyard, Liu Haizhong's house.

Uncle Liu Haizhong had barely stepped inside when he was stunned by the vivid description in the courtyard. He'd heard it at the factory too—someone had bought a lot of wild boars that day, and the factory was having a feast. He never expected it to be the young man from their courtyard who had just started his business.

Upon hearing the words "twenty-eight wild boars," "more than eight thousand catties of meat," and "Wei Chen, the divine archer," Liu Haizhong's thick face was first astonished, then a strong sour feeling, mixed with jealousy and resentment, welled up inside him.

He slammed his hand on the table, making the teacup jump. His voice was loud but laced with undisguised sarcasm: "Hmph! Just a lucky break! Hunting? Is that something a proper worker should be doing? Speculation! Neglecting our duties! If you ask me, the factory shouldn't be encouraging this kind of malpractice! With that kind of energy, we should be focusing on improving our technology and increasing production efficiency!"

He grew increasingly agitated as he spoke, as if Wei Chen's success were some kind of offense to his "official-obsessed" second uncle's authority. He paced back and forth in the room, his mind racing: Such a huge achievement! Deputy Factory Director Li must be ecstatic! This kid… he's about to rise to the top! No, I have to think of something…

Xu Damao was pushing his bicycle and carrying a box containing film equipment when he stepped into the backyard and heard this explosive news.

His slick face instantly fell, his small eyes darting around, his mind a jumble of emotions: Wei Chen? It's that kid again! He already made a scene at the factory canteen last time, and this time he's even worse, bringing back a whole truckload of wild boar? Over 8,000 pounds of meat! What kind of dog poop did this kid step in?

Xu Damao had traveled all over the country showing movies, but he had never seen such a grand gesture! Bonuses, praise, and maybe even a promotion... he got all the benefits! Xu Damao felt a surge of anger rush to his head, feeling both sour and jealous, wishing he had brought back that truckload of wild boars himself.

However, she then remembered that she had been the one to get Wei Chen into the factory. Although she had received a lot of benefits, they were still related after all. If she could cultivate a relationship with him, wouldn't they become natural allies? Suppressing a trace of jealousy in her heart, she prepared to work on building a good relationship with Wei Chen.

In the west wing of the central courtyard, Sha Zhu, carrying a lunchbox and humming a tune, had just entered the room when he heard the whole courtyard discussing the wild boar and Wei Chen.

He was taken aback at first, then a big smile spread across his square face, and he slapped his thigh: "Hey! Wei Chen, that kid! Not bad! He's really got some skills! Shooting a wild boar with a bow and arrow? That's manly! That's impressive!" He had always had a good impression of Wei Chen, thinking that this kid was quiet but honest, unlike Xu Damao who was so treacherous.

He wanted to brag a bit, so he joined the chat: "You guys don't know, seven or eight chefs from the factory's restaurants all pitched in, each of them slaughtering three pigs. I was better at it, so I slaughtered five by myself! My arm still hurts!" As he spoke, he swung his arm, which wasn't carrying anything, to prove how tired he was from slaughtering pigs.

He weighed the lunchbox in his hand; inside were two steamed buns and a little meat, specially saved for Qin Huairu today. He thought to himself, "Will the factory provide extra meat tomorrow? That would be great!" But Wei Chen had done such a great service; he'd have to find some time to have a couple of drinks with him and hear his stories of hunting in the deep mountains! He, Sha Zhu, admired people with real skills!

The entire courtyard was in an uproar, like a pond tossed with a boulder. At every dinner table, the focus of conversation had shifted to the twenty-eight wild boars, the more than eight thousand catties of meat, and the usually unassuming young man from the east wing—Wei Chen.

Envy, jealousy, amazement, curiosity, scheming, and fawning... a complex mix of emotions flowed and collided silently in the courtyard as dusk settled. Wei Chen's name had never been mentioned so frequently and so eagerly as it had at this moment.

Meanwhile, at this moment, Wei Chen, at the eye of the storm, was sitting in his finally warm little house. On the stove, the kettle hissed, spewing out white steam.

The aroma of egg drop soup mingled with the smoky scent of toasted buns, filling the small space. He ate his simple dinner slowly and deliberately, seemingly oblivious to the deliberately amplified discussions about "wild boar," "Wei Chen," and "meat" coming from outside the window.