Rebirth in a Courtyard: I Am a Little Hunter

"Wei Chen, come on, it's warm here! Come sit down!" Hu Songnian greeted him warmly, patting the seat next to him.

Wei Chen smiled and walked over to sit down, feeling the warmth from the stove. His gaze swept over everyone's laughing and chatting faces, then he looked at his own desk against the wall, and a thought flickered in his mind.

"Brother Hu, you guys chat for a bit, I'm going to grab something," Wei Chen said, getting up and returning to his desk.

He pulled open the locked cabinet door under his desk, and using the door and his body as cover, reached his right hand inside. With a slight thought, a heavy, square paper package wrapped in old newspaper instantly appeared in his hand. The package wasn't large, but it felt substantial in his hand and emitted a unique, earthy, dried fruit scent.

Wei Chen closed the cabinet door, took the paper package and walked back to the stove. Under the curious gazes of everyone, he handed the paper package to Lao Qian, who was sitting by the stove and had the most convenient time to operate it.

"Brother Qian, Brother Hu, everyone, I have some peanuts I brought from my hometown, I almost forgot about them in the cupboard. It's cold outside, let's warm ourselves by the fire and roast some peanuts, they'll smell good and warm our stomachs!"

"Peanuts?!" Old Qian's eyes lit up, and he paused for a moment as he took the paper package. Old Qian was from the purchasing team in the next office and had a good relationship with Hu Songnian, often dropping by. Hu Songnian, Xiao Li, and Sister Sun also looked over in surprise. Sister Sun was the only office clerk in team three.

These days, peanuts are a rare treat! Oil is precious, and most peanuts are bought and sold under a state-controlled system for oil extraction. Very few raw or roasted peanuts end up on the market as snacks, and they're not cheap. With the rationed supply, who doesn't save some for special occasions, like holidays, or to treat their children?

Old Qian carefully untied the paper rope binding the peanuts and lifted the old newspaper. Instantly, plump, round, and reddish-brown peanuts were revealed! Each one was plump and uniform in size, clearly top-quality, carefully selected! The unique aroma of dried fruit was even more intense.

"Wow! So many? And so plump! Wei Chen, you've gone to too much trouble, haven't you?" Hu Songnian looked at the peanuts, which weighed about two pounds, and felt a little guilty.

"That's right! I'm so sorry!" Sister Sun quickly added.

"Hey, it was sent from my hometown, it's not worth much!" Wei Chen waved his hand dismissively, picked up the fire tongs, and poked at the red-hot coals in the stove, revealing the slightly cooler but still hot ashes beside them. "Brother Qian, come on, pour some in, it'll taste better roasted!"

Old Qian stopped being coy and grinned from ear to ear: "Alright! Thanks to Brother Wei Chen, we'll have a taste of something different today!" He carefully picked up a small handful of peanuts and sprinkled them evenly on the hot ashes along the edge of the stove.

With a soft "sizzle," the peanuts touched the hot ash, and the color of their skins quickly deepened. A richer, smoky aroma burst forth, instantly overpowering the smell of coal smoke and filling the entire office!

"It smells so good! It smells so good!" Xiao Li sniffed hard, looking completely delighted.

Hu Songnian couldn't help but swallow hard.

Old Qian carefully turned the peanuts on the ashes with tongs to prevent them from burning. Soon, the peanut skins became crispy, and some even cracked slightly, revealing the tender white kernels inside.

"Come on! It's done! Be careful, it's hot!" Old Qian used fire tongs to move the roasted peanuts to a slightly cooler spot by the stove.

Although everyone's appetite was whetted, they all remained respectful. No one scrambled for them; they simply smiled, each reaching out to symbolically pick up a few. They carefully blew off the hot ash clinging to them, then eagerly popped them into their mouths.

"Crunch!" Your teeth break through the crispy shell, revealing a piping hot, soft, and oily peanut inside! The simple roasting process maximizes the natural sweetness of the peanuts, mixed with the unique smoky aroma from the stove ash. On this cold winter morning, by the warm fire, it creates an indescribable sense of satisfaction.

"Mmm! Delicious! So authentic!" "It's been years since I've had such fragrant roasted peanuts!" "Brother Wei Chen, your peanuts are amazing!"

Everyone ate in small bites, praising the food and their faces beaming with simple, pure joy. But everyone was very restrained; after eating a few to satisfy their cravings, they would stop and give their seats to others, or simply chat while enjoying the aroma.

No one was greedy, and no one tried to grab a second handful. The two pounds of peanuts Wei Chen brought were more like a warm gesture of sharing and a touch of friendship than something to fill one's stomach. This tacit restraint reflects the simple politeness and respect for others that people in this era possess.

Wei Chen also picked a few and ate them slowly, enjoying the crispness on his tongue and the sincere smiles of his colleagues, which warmed his heart.

These peanuts weren't sent from his hometown; they were just one of the many items piled up in the hunter's hut's storage room in his virtual space. There were at least a thousand pounds of peanuts like these in there, all grown by him using "planting magic" in the game world. But he knew the saying "possessing a treasure invites trouble," and sharing required discretion and proper methods.

Time flew by amidst the warmth, the fragrance, and the casual conversation. Around 11:30, the clock on the wall in the office struck a sharp "ding-dong".

"Oh, it's time to eat!" Sister Sun was the first to stand up and pick up her aluminum lunchbox.

"Let's go! It looks like the cafeteria has meat dishes and stews today! If we go late, we won't be able to get good seats!" Old Qian quickly took out his lunchbox.

Everyone stood up and grabbed their lunchboxes, food coupons, and vegetable coupons. As logistics staff, they could go to the canteen a few minutes earlier than the front-line factory workers, which was an unwritten perk.

"Wei Chen, shall we go?" Hu Songnian called out.

"Here comes Brother Hu!" Wei Chen also picked up his brand-new double-layered aluminum lunchbox.

The group chatted and laughed as they walked out of the office building, joining the flow of people heading to the canteen in the factory area. The air was filled with the aroma of food mixed with the smells of sweat and machine oil emanating from the workers.

The large canteen was bustling with noise. The huge space was filled with long tables and chairs, and workers in various colored work clothes were packed in, with long queues winding in front of the windows. However, Wei Chen and his group had arrived relatively early, so the queue wasn't too long.

"Today's menu is pork, cabbage, and glass noodles stew! And stir-fried shredded potatoes!" Xiao Li, who was at the front of the line, stood on tiptoe to see the menu on the small blackboard at the window, and excitedly announced as he turned around.

Soon it was Wei Chen's group's turn. Wei Chen hadn't gone out on a mission today, so he naturally received three meat and vegetable coupons. He was behind Hu Songnian in line.

There were several food serving windows. Wei Chen glanced around and saw Sha Zhu wearing a white apron stained with oil, standing behind one of the windows, waving a large iron ladle in his hand, serving food to the workers in front of him.

He didn't have that signature move—the ladle-shaking gesture. Come to think of it, in this era where workers are in charge, if he dared to do that often, he'd be beaten up by the workers long ago. He'd only dare to do that with people like Xu Damao in the compound, whom he didn't get along with!

When it was Wei Chen's turn, he carried his lunchbox to Sha Zhu's window.

"Brother Zhuzi," Wei Chen greeted him with a smile.

Sha Zhu, who had been drooping his eyelids and wearing a "everyone owes me money" expression, looked up at the sound of voices. Seeing it was Wei Chen, a smile instantly formed on his long, narrow face—his ability to change his expression was unparalleled: "Yo! Brother Wei Chen! Eating in the cafeteria today? Wait here!"

He deftly took the meat and vegetable coupons from Wei Chen, then grabbed a large iron ladle, plunged it deep into the large basin filled with stew, and scooped out a huge ladleful!

In the thick, glistening broth, slices of pork with alternating layers of fat and lean meat, cabbage stalks soaked in the broth, and glass noodles were piled high in the spoon, with a noticeable proportion of meat slices compared to the others! With a steady, firm hand, without the slightest tremor this time, she slammed the spoon firmly into Wei Chen's large lunchbox! The broth almost overflowed.

"Here you go! I'll add more if it's not enough!" Sha Zhu said softly, waving his hand generously.

"That's enough! Thank you, Brother Zhu!" Wei Chen quickly thanked him. This portion was definitely equivalent to two portions from other people.

The workers queuing behind Wei Chen looked at the overflowing meat and vegetables in his lunchbox, then at their own, their expressions a mix of envy and helplessness, but no one dared to say anything. After all, he was familiar with the head chef.

Wei Chen ordered two more fluffy, white steamed buns made from a mixture of wheat and water. Carrying the heavy lunchbox and buns, he found Hu Songnian and the others who had already gotten their food and reserved seats.

"Wow! Wei Chen, you... did Sha Zhu give you special treatment?" Old Qian looked at the overflowing, oily meat and vermicelli in Wei Chen's lunchbox, and then at the stew in his own lunchbox, which was obviously "slimmed down" a lot, and couldn't help but tease him sourly.

"Exactly, look at this meat! Sha Zhu's amazing skill of shaking the wok doesn't work when it comes to you?" Xiao Li chimed in with a laugh.

Wei Chen smiled but didn't reply, simply placing the lunchbox on the table. Everyone understood the situation tacitly, and no one took it seriously. Everyone knew Wei Chen was wealthy; the eight wild boars he had openly sold to the factory alone had earned him over a thousand yuan. He could easily afford to eat white flour buns and meat every day. Therefore, Wei Chen never pretended to be poor; he ate whatever he wanted.

He picked up a steamed bun, broke it open, stuffed a large mouthful of glistening, fragrant stew inside, and took a big bite. The bun was soft and fluffy, the stew was savory and rich, the fatty meat melted in his mouth, the lean meat was chewy, the glass noodles were smooth, and the cabbage had soaked up all the broth, making it incredibly flavorful. In this large canteen, this was absolutely a top-notch treat.

Hu Songnian, Lao Qian, and the others ate cornbread with "standard" portions of stew, enjoying their meal immensely. They sat together, eating and chatting in a relaxed and harmonious atmosphere.

The winter sun slanted in through the tall windows, falling on the dining table and on everyone's satisfied faces.

As Wei Chen ate his meal, savoring the food of this era and feeling the solidity and warmth of communal living, a sense of peace settled over him.

As a level eight clerk with a salary of 33 yuan, he integrates into the neighborhood and enjoys a harmonious working environment. His life in this era is progressing steadily along a clear and solid path.