Rebirth in a Courtyard: I Am a Little Hunter

"Go, take this bowl of meat to your brother Wei Chen in the backyard. Hold it steady, don't spill it." Grandma Li handed the heavy wooden bowl filled with the cleaned meat to Xiao Shitou, then pointed to the small earthenware bowl, a rare, warm smile appearing on her face. "These are good things. Tonight, Grandma will use the radishes your brother Wei Chen gave you at noon to make you a pot of hot offal soup! It'll be delicious! Plenty!"

"Oh! There's meat soup! There's meat soup!" Little Stone cheered excitedly, carefully holding the heavy wooden basin with both hands, his little arms taut as if holding a fragile glass cup. He moved slowly and deliberately, holding his breath, towards Wei Chen's room in the backyard.

After delivering the meat, he rushed into the small house, skipping and jumping. He immediately squatted by the stove like a little glutton, his little nose twitching as he greedily inhaled the aroma of offal that gradually filled the air—a faint, fishy, ​​yet incredibly tempting smell. He swallowed his saliva again and again, his throat bobbing incessantly.

Grandma Li looked at her grandson's adorable, drooling expression, feeling both heartache and amusement, and her hands moved even faster. Soon, in the small iron pot, boiling water was bubbling, and the green and white radishes cut into chunks, along with the washed and chopped chicken and rabbit offal, floated up and down in the clear water.

As the firewood crackled and burned in the stove, a warm and rich aroma, a blend of the sweetness of radishes, the mellowness of offal, and a hint of wildness, rose and permeated the low, simple house, a house filled with the warmth of grandparents and grandchildren.

The fragrance dispelled the winter chill, temporarily smoothed out the wrinkles of life, and in this small world, it sketched a warm picture that, though poor, was full of hope.

The pale sun, finally succumbing to the winter chill, sank early into the western sky, leaving only a few dim orange-red streaks on the edges of the hazy clouds. The temperature inside the courtyard plummeted along with the sunlight, the blue brick floor gleaming with a cold, hard sheen, and the acrid smell of coal smoke and the faint aroma of cooking food began to waft from the cracks in the tightly closed doors and windows of every household.

Just as dusk settled and the chill deepened, a loud, impatient shout, like a pebble thrown into still water, abruptly shattered the silence of the courtyard's backyard:

"Wei Chen! Wei Chen! Open the door! Brother Zhu has arrived!"

That hoarse voice, with its penetrating power, shook so loudly that dust fell from the moon gate of the east courtyard. The newcomer was none other than Sha Zhu. He had slipped away a full hour and a half before the factory's normal closing time, carrying a bulging old canvas satchel in his arms, his face glowing with the excited red light of someone about to show off their skills. He strode across the central courtyard and rushed straight to the tightly closed moon gate of the east courtyard, slamming his large, fan-like hand against the door with a loud "bang."

Wei Chen had just taken out a piece of high-quality pork belly weighing five pounds, with distinct layers of fat and lean meat, from the room, wrapped it in oil paper, and placed it on a corner of the cutting board when he heard this signature knocking sound. He shook his head and chuckled, quickly crossed the small courtyard, and pulled open the small wooden bolt of the moon gate.

"Brother Zhu, with a voice like that, it's a waste of your talent not to broadcast over the factory loudspeaker." Wei Chen stepped aside.

"Hehe, I was just afraid you'd be getting impatient!" Sha Zhu grinned and strode in, bringing with him the smell of cooking oil and the chill from the factory canteen. He instinctively reached out to close the moon door behind him.

"Brother Zhu, don't close the door," Wei Chen quickly stopped him. "Jie Cheng, Da Mao, and the others will all need to come in through here later, so we won't have to open it repeatedly."

"Oh, right, right, right!" Sha Zhu slapped his forehead and withdrew his outstretched hand, but his gaze was already drawn to the side room next to the main house—that was Wei Chen's kitchen and dining room.

Bright light shone through the window, standing out starkly in the dim courtyard. "Wow! This room is so bright! Much better than my 15-watt bulb!" he exclaimed in amazement, then headed towards the kitchen, peeking around curiously as he went. "Let me see what kind of amazing stove you've hidden in this 'golden house'!"

Pushing open the kitchen door, a warm scent mixed with the faint smell of lime powder unique to new houses wafted out. Sha Zhu stepped inside and froze instantly, his eyes wide and mouth slightly agape, like a country bumpkin entering a grand garden.

This kitchen was completely different from the makeshift kitchen he had imagined for a bachelor!

The floor was a smooth cement floor, swept clean, unlike his room which was always covered in stubborn grease. A brand-new cement stove stood against the wall, its surface wide and flat, covered with a layer of smooth white tiles that gleamed under the bright incandescent light.

Beside the stove, a gleaming tin coal stove, its opening covered with an iron ring, was radiating a steady stream of heat. What caught his eye most was the brand-new, large, double-handled iron pot resting on the stove burner; its dark, heavy body exuded a solid texture, clearly made of high-quality steel.

A waist-high wooden cupboard stood against the wall, its doors closed, releasing the fresh scent of wood. Next to it, a brand-new, varnished wooden square table, paired with four sturdy benches, sat securely in the center of the kitchen, creating the illusion of a small dining area!

"I... my goodness!" Sha Zhu finally found his voice, his voice filled with disbelief and amazement. He circled the square table, his rough fingers carefully tracing the smooth surface. "Wei Chen... your kitchen... it's so damn comfortable! It even has a dining table! This style... it's like a small restaurant! It looks much neater than our cafeteria's kitchen!" His tone was full of envy and a hint of barely perceptible sourness. The cleanliness and layout of this kitchen was simply the "battlefield" that he, a chef with a face full of grease and grime, had always dreamed of.

His gaze quickly fell on the large wooden basin next to the stove. In the basin, two clean, plump, white pheasants and a skinned rabbit with pink, lean muscles were neatly arranged. Next to them was a small basin of water, which had obviously been rinsed clean and was ready to be cooked.

"Oh my! It's all done?" Sha Zhu's eyes lit up even more. He walked over quickly, stretched out his thick fingers and poked the pheasant's plump breast meat, which was very elastic. "Tsk tsk, this technique is clean and efficient! It must be Grandma Li from the backyard's doing again, right?" He turned to look at Wei Chen, who had followed him in.

Wei Chen nodded: "Yes, thank you for helping Grandma Li tidy up."

"Hey!" Sha Zhu suddenly gave Wei Chen a thumbs up, his admiration undisguised. "That's impressive! What a man! He's willing to help those in need!"

Sha Zhu clearly understood that Wei Chen had asked Grandma Li to clean up because he had given her a real benefit, and he wholeheartedly approved of this act of helping others. He thought Wei Chen, like himself, was a good person willing to help others. If Wei Chen knew what Sha Zhu was thinking, he would really spit on him! "I don't want to be like you!"

Sha Zhu then proudly waved his old canvas satchel, "But you know, when it comes to cooking wild game, just cleaning it isn't enough! The key is this!"

He unzipped his satchel and, as if by magic, pulled out several small packets tightly wrapped in old newspapers. A complex and rich aroma of spices, including Sichuan peppercorns, star anise, cinnamon, bay leaves, and fennel, instantly filled the air.

"Look!" Sha Zhu spread out the small packages one by one on the clean cement stove, showing off with the air of an expert. "Sichuan peppercorns, star anise, cinnamon, bay leaves, fennel seeds, cardamom, angelica root, galangal... and this chili powder I ground myself! All set!"

He glanced sideways at Wei Chen's seemingly empty spice jar. "I knew you wouldn't have everything here! I was prepared! These things are the treasures that remove the fishy smell and enhance the aroma of wild game, turning the rotten into something magical! If you're missing even one, the flavor will be completely different!"

Seeing Sha Zhu's smug "I can't do without you" attitude, Wei Chen couldn't help but laugh: "Brother Zhu, you're the expert! Tonight, the stove is entirely in your hands! Just roll up your sleeves and get to work!"

"Alright! Get ready!" Sha Zhu waved his hand with a hearty laugh and immediately got to work. He deftly untied his apron and tied it around his waist, rolled up his sleeves to reveal his muscular forearms. He first inspected the large iron pot on the stove, nodded in satisfaction, then grabbed an enamel basin, filled it halfway with water, and carefully rinsed the two white-feathered chickens and the wild rabbit again, his movements practiced and powerful.

Just as Sha Zhu put the cleaned pheasants and rabbits back into the large wooden basin, preparing to start chopping them, Wei Chen turned and left the kitchen, returning to the main room. He casually walked to an inconspicuous low cabinet in the corner, opened the cabinet door, and, using his body as cover, his mind stirred slightly.

The next second, a heavy object wrapped tightly in oil paper appeared in his hand. He weighed it in his hand; it was quite substantial, easily over five pounds. He took the oil paper package and quickly walked back to the kitchen.

"Brother Zhu, take another look at this." Wei Chen placed the oil paper package in an empty space on the stove.

Sha Zhu was sharpening his precious meat cleaver with a whetstone when he heard this and turned his head curiously: "What good stuff? Why are you being so mysterious..." He put down the knife, wiped it on his apron, and untied the hemp rope tied to the oil paper package.

The layers of oil paper were peeled away, revealing the true face of the meat inside—an exceptionally beautiful piece of pork belly! The fat was at least two fingers thick, snow-white and delicate, like the finest mutton fat jade; the lean meat was bright red, with clear marbling, the alternating layers of fat and lean resembling a meticulously painted landscape painting, the proportions breathtakingly perfect. This piece of meat lay quietly on the oil paper, exuding the unique, faint, and enticing sweet and pungent aroma of fresh meat.

"Whoa—!" Sha Zhu gasped, his eyes widening instantly. He couldn't help but press his fingers against the fat, finding it firm and bouncy. "My God! Wei Chen, where did you get such a treasure? The quality... the texture... even the special supply of meat for leaders from the supply and marketing cooperative is like this, right?"

He looked up at Wei Chen, his eyes filled with shock and disbelief. These days, it was a luxury for ordinary families to be able to afford two pounds of fatty pork for rendering lard during the Lunar New Year; such a large piece of perfectly shaped pork belly was practically legendary!

"I asked a friend to get it from the countryside. It's been frozen, just waiting for you to show off your skills, Brother Zhu," Wei Chen explained vaguely, smiling as he pushed the meat towards Sha Zhu. "You can cook it however you like, whatever tastes good. Don't worry about the ingredients or the effort."