Rebirth in a Courtyard: I Am a Little Hunter

Tiger opened another drawer, inside were several thick stacks of brand-new black ten-yuan bills. He counted out one stack, a hundred bills in each stack, a thousand yuan! He then counted out forty-eight ten-yuan bills and eight one-yuan bills, and pushed them to Wei Chen: "Count them."

Wei Chen took the banknote, his fingers gliding quickly along the edge of the note like playing a zither, making a soft rustling sound. He then weighed it in his hand, his technique practiced and skillful. "No rush, I'll get some more tickets."

"Where are the coupons?" Tiger asked his subordinate, then turned to Wei Chen and said, "The usual? Plenty of grain coupons, oil coupons, and cloth coupons; also some industrial coupons, sugar coupons, and cigarette coupons?"

"Hmm, let's pick something substantial," Wei Chen added. "This time the quantity is quite large, I'll take more tickets to offset the cost."

Tiger nodded and ordered one of his men guarding the door, "Go and bring me the camphor wood box that holds the tickets."

Soon, a heavy, flat box exuding the fragrance of camphor wood was brought over. Tiger opened the lid, and inside were various receipts neatly arranged and bound with rubber bands, thick and sturdy, like a small receipt vault.

Wei Chen didn't stand on ceremony and carefully looked through the documents. He specifically picked out the hard currencies: national grain coupons, local grain coupons for Beijing, cooking oil coupons, high-quality cloth coupons, industrial coupons, sugar coupons, cigarette coupons, etc. He was very meticulous in his selection, estimating market prices and demand.

Tiger didn't urge him, but instead drank the hot water from his enamel mug, squinting as he watched Wei Chen make his selection. This kid has a sharp eye and a steady hand; he's got the work.

After a while, Wei Chen finished selecting the receipts, organized them, and pushed them to Brother Hu: "Brother Hu, take a look and calculate the value at the black market price."

Tiger took it, his fingers flying across the paper as he mentally calculated. He'd been in this business for years, intimately familiar with the black market prices of various coupons. "One hundred jin of national grain coupons… eighty jin of local grain coupons from Beijing… twenty jin of cooking oil coupons… thirty feet of cloth coupons… fifteen industrial coupons… five jin of sugar coupons… ten cartons of Daqianmen cigarette coupons…" He counted as he calculated, "Hmm… all together, according to the current market price, it's worth about… five hundred and thirty or forty yuan. I'll give you five hundred and thirty, no more, no less. How about it?"

"Okay, let's do as Brother Tiger says." Wei Chen readily agreed.

"Alright, the ticket will be worth 530. The remaining amount is 1418.80 yuan." Tiger took out some more money that he had just counted for Wei Chen. "Count it, 1418.80 yuan. Keep the money and tickets safe." He was referring to the remaining amount after deducting the offset portion from the pile of money he had just given.

Wei Chen counted the money and carefully put it and the thick stack of receipts deep into the inner pocket of his cotton-padded jacket, then instantly put them into his backpack. The transaction was complete, and the atmosphere seemed to relax a bit.

Wei Chen picked up the hot water on the table and took a sip. He then casually said, "Brother Tiger, there's something I'd like to ask you to help me find out."

"Speak." Tiger put down the enamel mug.

"I want to get two machines," Wei Chen gestured, "one flour mill and one corn flour mill. They need to be electric, not too powerful, just a small model. The key is that they have to work, be sturdy and durable. Old ones, even discarded ones, are fine."

"An electric flour mill? A machine for grinding cornmeal?" Tiger's brows furrowed for the first time, the scar on his forehead twisting into a knot.

This thing is much rarer and more sensitive than a stone mill, after all, it's a machine. "This thing... isn't a stone mill. It's a proper factory piece of equipment, even a small one, and it's extremely valuable. The regulations are strict now; forget about getting a new one—you need permits, licenses, and connections in the industrial sector. As for the old ones..."

He pondered, his fingers tapping unconsciously on the table. "It's not entirely hopeless, though. Some small flour mills and grain processing plants in counties and communes have outdated equipment or have closed down due to poor management. The machines might be left idle, or even sold as scrap metal... Or, in places with lax management, you can find a way to 'scrap' a couple of machines..."

He looked up at Wei Chen, his gaze becoming profound: "But this thing is a big target, and it causes a lot of noise, so it's not as easy to sell as pork. The risks... are not small." He emphasized the risks, also weighing Wei Chen's weight and determination.

"I understand the risks." Wei Chen's tone remained calm, but carried an undeniable firmness. "So I'd like to ask Brother Hu for help. As long as the item is usable, a bit old is fine. The price is negotiable." He once again offered that extremely tempting bargaining chip, "Or, in exchange for meat. Good meat, plenty of good meat."

"Trade it for meat?" Tiger's eyes narrowed again, like a predator eyeing its prey. This offer was too tempting. The electric flour mill, though sensitive, was ultimately an inanimate object, while Wei Chen's pork was real, readily convertible currency that could be used to smooth things over! His mind raced, calculating the potential profits and the possibility of bribing officials.

"These things are indeed difficult to obtain," Tiger said slowly, his voice low. "Don't even think about it in the city. We'll have to look in the far suburbs, or even the most remote corners of other counties. And we'll have to find the right connections, people who actually have access to the equipment and the guts to 'handle' it." He held up two fingers. "It will take at least two weeks. The networking and transportation will all require effort."

"Name your price," Wei Chen said crisply.

"Come back in a week," Tiger said. "I'll tell you if I have any definite news, what model it is, its condition, and roughly how much 'meat' or money it will cost. If it works out, we'll meet here in two weeks, and we'll exchange the 'machine' for the 'meat.' Let me be clear, this is a risky business, and the price will definitely be much higher than what you'd pay for a quick transaction."

"Understood. Thanks for your hard work, Tiger." Wei Chen stood up. "See you in a week."

"Hmm." Tiger nodded, picked up the dagger again and began to wipe it clean, saying nothing more.

Wei Chen didn't linger. He nodded slightly to Brother Hu, lifted the curtain, and his figure silently disappeared into the deeper darkness outside.

As the first faint rays of dawn struggled to pierce the thick clouds, casting a bleak gray-white hue over the cold courtyard, Wei Chen finally awoke from his deep sleep.

The fire in the stove had long since gone out, and the temperature inside had dropped considerably, but compared to the biting cold wind outside, it was paradise. He slept until he naturally woke up, a rare occurrence, and most of his fatigue had dissipated.

After a quick wash, I took two eggs from my storage space and fried them in a small iron pan on the stove until they were soft-boiled. I ate them with hot water for breakfast. The warmth dispelled the last trace of chill.

The morning sunlight was still scarce, but it at least brought a sliver of light. Wei Chen pushed open the moon gate of the east courtyard and went first to Aunt Liu's low-ceilinged back room in the middle courtyard.

"Aunt Liu, are you home?" Wei Chen knocked on the door.

The door opened, revealing Aunt Liu's weathered face, tinged with her usual sorrow and a hint of surprise: "Wei Chen? Come in quickly, have you eaten?" She instinctively tried to be polite.

"I've already eaten, Aunt Liu." Wei Chen stood at the door without going in. "Well, you were right to remind me yesterday that those cabbages and radishes in my yard can't be left unharvested any longer. They need to be harvested today. I can't manage it all by myself, so I was wondering if you and Grandma Li could lend a hand? Would that be convenient for you?" He stated his purpose directly.

Aunt Liu's cloudy eyes lit up instantly, and she said repeatedly, "Convenient! Convenient! What's inconvenient about it! Harvesting vegetables isn't tiring! You wait here, I'll go to the backyard to call Grandma Li!" As if afraid that Wei Chen would change his mind, she immediately took off her apron, her steps became lighter, and she ran to the backyard.

A short while later, Aunt Liu led over Grandma Li, who was also dressed in worn clothes, had gray hair, but still had relatively bright eyes. Grandma Li was carrying two small, well-polished shovels, clearly indicating that she had come prepared.

"Little Wei, thank you for your trouble. You still think of an old woman like me." Grandma Li looked at Wei Chen with a kind and grateful smile.

"Grandma Li, you're too kind. It's me who's troubling you both," Wei Chen said with a smile, welcoming them into the east courtyard.

When they saw the lush, vibrant, and incredibly thriving vegetables in the small garden, Aunt Liu and Grandma Li couldn't help but let out soft exclamations of amazement.

"Oh my! Xiao Wei, how did you manage to grow these vegetables so well?" Aunt Liu squatted down, stroking the plump white radishes, each as thick as a forearm, then looked at the large Chinese cabbages next to them, their leaves thick and tightly packed like white jade, and the rows of glossy red radishes with thick stems. She could hardly believe her eyes. "This...this is even better than what our old-timers in the countryside do! Each cabbage must weigh seven or eight pounds, right? And the radishes are even heavier!"

Grandma Li also clicked her tongue in amazement: "Yes, I've lived to such an old age and I've never seen vegetables grow so vigorously in the garden in winter! Xiao Wei, you're a very capable person!" Her gaze towards Wei Chen was full of admiration.

Wei Chen smiled and didn't explain further: "It's probably because the land is fertile, and it's warmer in the city this year. Shall we get started?"

"Alright!" The two women immediately got to work with renewed vigor. Aunt Liu was in charge of pulling up the radishes. She was stronger, so she gripped the radish tops, flicked her wrist, and pulled hard, easily bringing up plump, large white and red radishes, which carried the fresh scent of the soil.

Grandma Li carefully chopped the cabbage. She used a sharp old kitchen knife to precisely cut along the root, then carefully carried the heavy cabbage out and stacked it on the open ground next to her.

Wei Chen was responsible for cleaning the soil off the vegetable roots, peeling off the slightly wilted outer leaves of the chopped cabbages, and then neatly arranging them.

The three worked together seamlessly and swiftly. In the quiet courtyard, only the sounds of shoveling soil, pulling up radishes, chopping vegetables, and the occasional hushed conversation about the vegetables' growth could be heard.