Rebirth in a Courtyard: I Am a Little Hunter

"Mom, what about you?" Wei Chen didn't touch his chopsticks, but looked up at his mother.

"Me?" Wang Xiulan waved her hand, picked up her bowl of dumpling soup, "It's good to drink some hot soup in the morning. This stuff is too greasy, I don't like it." As she spoke, she lowered her head and blew on the steam in the bowl.

Wei Chen felt a pang of sadness, knowing that this was a habit his mother had developed over decades—always prioritizing her children for the best things.

He picked up the warm egg and, without a word, shoved it into his mother's rough hands: "Mom, from now on, when we eat eggs in our family, it's one for each person! That's the rule! If you don't eat it, Ranran and I won't be able to swallow it either."

His tone was firm, yet tinged with an undeniable affection, "What does your son do? He's a purchasing agent! Do you think we'd be short of eggs? You can rest assured! From now on, every morning you boil three, and we'll each have one, without fail! If you don't boil them," he deliberately put on a stern face, with a touch of childish domineering, "I'll just get up and boil them myself!"

Looking at the warm egg in her hand, then at her son's earnest eyes and her daughter's expectant face, Wang Xiulan's eyes welled up with tears. She opened her mouth, wanting to say something, but in the end, she only let out a soft "sigh," her voice slightly choked.

She carefully cracked the egg open slightly on the edge of the table, her nimble fingers peeling away a small portion of the shell to reveal the delicate, white egg white inside. Reluctant to eat it herself, she offered the small piece to Wei Ran first: "Here, Ranran, take a bite first..."

"Mom!" Wei Chen pressed down on his mother's hand and stuffed the small piece of egg white directly into her mouth. "You eat yours! She has some in her bowl!" He then picked up his own egg, deftly peeled off the shell to reveal the smooth egg white, and then handed it to Wei Ran, who was watching eagerly. "Little glutton, eat up."

Watching her children eat, Wang Xiulan took a small bite of the half-eaten egg in her hand. The rich aroma of the egg filled her mouth, mingling with the warmth of the dumpling soup, soothing her stomach. She felt a warm, yet slightly bittersweet feeling in her heart.

As Wei Chen ate his egg, he was thinking about how he needed to quickly build a decent chicken coop in the corner of the yard to settle the chickens his mother had brought.

During the meal, he began to explain the ins and outs of the courtyard house to his mother. His voice was soft, carrying a relaxed and candid quality unique to this home, and his chopsticks occasionally tapped lightly on the rim of his bowl.

"Mom, there are three old men in charge of this courtyard," Wei Chen gestured with his chopsticks. "The third old man lives in the front yard, Yan Bugui, who is a teacher at Hongxing Elementary School. He has a large family: three old women and four children, Jie Cheng, Jie Fang, Jie Kuang, and Jie Di. This family..."

He paused, seemingly choosing his words carefully, "They're very frugal, counting every penny. Especially Uncle San, he'll think long and hard before buying even a needle or thread. But they only calculate small things like food and snacks; they're not bad people at heart. You saw it yesterday, Aunt San is quite kind. It's just..."

He shook his head slightly. "Even among family members, brothers keep clear accounts, but they're being too meticulous and calculating. It's a bit...unseemly."

Wang Xiulan listened attentively, slowly sipping her noodle soup and nodding. The warmth of the third aunt yesterday and the small handful of sugar at the end had left her with a decent impression of the Yan family. As for scheming, who doesn't scheme in the countryside? How can you survive without careful budgeting for firewood, rice, oil, and salt? As long as it doesn't affect your own family, it's fine.

"The second uncle, Liu Haizhong, lives in the backyard. He's a level six forging worker at the factory. He's skilled and earns a high salary," Wei Chen continued. "This guy has a huge thirst for power. He always thinks he's a leader. He loves to manage things, holds meetings, and listens to flattery. Unfortunately, he's not very knowledgeable and his abilities are limited."

I heard he's particularly biased towards his eldest son, Liu Guangqi, who's in vocational school, but I haven't met him yet. As for his second son, Liu Guangtian, and third son, Liu Guangfu, tsk," Wei Chen curled his lip, his tone somewhat dismissive, "they're really ruthless, beating them every other day, never knowing their own strength. Those two half-grown boys who helped unload the truck yesterday were them."

Wang Xiulan frowned slightly. Even in the countryside, there was favoritism towards boys and parental bias, but it was rare to see someone hit their child like Wei Chen described. Children should be disciplined for being naughty, but to resort to physical violence at the drop of a hat, especially by one's own father… Her opinion of this second uncle plummeted.

"The old man who lives in the middle courtyard, Yi Zhonghai," Wei Chen said, his tone noticeably less enthusiastic. "A level seven fitter, everyone in the factory and the courtyard is like that," he gave a thumbs up. "High status. He and his wife, an older woman, have a good reputation in the courtyard; they're kind-hearted and quite respected. It's just..." He lowered his voice slightly, "They don't have children, so they took Jia Dongxu from the Jia family in the middle courtyard as their apprentice, treating him like a son, and taking special care of the Jia family."

He glanced at his mother, his voice lowering slightly, "Master Yi, on the surface, seems quite upright, always amiable to everyone, and his words and actions are impeccable. But I always feel... there's a layer beneath that amiability, a bit of pretense. I don't really like dealing with him much. As for the Jia family..."

Wei Chen put down his chopsticks, his expression turning serious. "Jia Dongxu seems honest and unassuming, but you have to be careful with his mother, Jia Zhangshi. She's a formidable character. She was widowed young and raised her son alone. She's shrewish, a bit unreasonable, and when she throws a tantrum, she's ruthless and won't hesitate to curse anyone, even the Emperor himself. She's also incredibly protective of her son. Her grandson, Banggeng, is that chubby-faced little boy you gave candy yesterday. He's still young and quite adorable, but I'm afraid his grandmother will spoil him rotten."

Wang Xiulan silently kept it in mind. She had seen shrewish and unreasonable widows before when she was young in the village, and she knew that it was best not to provoke such people, because getting involved with them would only lead to trouble.

"There's also a projectionist in the backyard named Xu Damao, who's glib and quick-witted. And that tall guy in the middle courtyard, named He Yuzhu, nicknamed 'Silly Zhu,' is the head chef in our factory; his cooking skills are top-notch," Wei Chen gave a thumbs up.

"They have foul mouths and are as stubborn as mules. They're mortal enemies with Xu Damao and fight whenever they see each other." Wei Chen briefly mentioned the two of them. "There are more than twenty households and over a hundred people in this courtyard, all sorts of people. You'll get to know them all eventually."

He changed the subject, his tone becoming gentle and sincere: "However, there are also a few particularly good families, honest people who genuinely live their lives to the fullest. Aunt Liu from the middle courtyard, Liu Xiufen, you might have seen her by the pond earlier. Her husband passed away early, and she raised her two sons alone, the older one named Niu Dali, who is thirteen, and the younger one named Niu Xiaocao, who is ten. She doesn't have a formal job; she earns a meager living by pasting matchboxes, doing laundry and mending, and sewing shoe soles. Life is very difficult for her; she is one of the poorest households in the courtyard."

And then there's Grandma Li in the backyard. Her husband and son have both passed away, leaving her and her grandson, Little Stone, who's about ten years old. The two of them depend on each other for survival. Both families are truly good people, warm-hearted and grateful. I've often helped them with food and vegetables before, and they remember it all. They're incredibly kind and honest. If you want someone to chat with to relieve your boredom, or if you need any help, you can't go wrong with Aunt Li or Grandma Li; they're reliable.

He looked at Wei Ran, who was taking small bites of an egg: "Ran must be bored at home. In a little while, I'll take you to meet Xiao Cao and Xiao Shi Tou. They're about your age, so you can play together."

Upon hearing that she could make new friends, Wei Ran's eyes immediately curved into crescents, and she nodded repeatedly, forgetting to chew the egg in her mouth.

After finishing their meal, Wang Xiulan quickly cleared away the dishes. Wei Chen glanced at the sky; there was still a while before work, so he said to his mother, "Mom, let's go. I'll take you and Xiao Ran to the Intermediate People's Court for a look around, to familiarize ourselves with the place, and to say hello to Aunt Li and the others."

The mother and her two children exited through the moon gate. The morning sun had just risen above the roof of the east wing, casting a slanting glow on the cold, blue brick floor, bringing a faint warmth.

At the pool in the middle courtyard, Aunt Liu was still vigorously washing a large basin of clothes. The water in the basin had turned grayish. Fine beads of sweat seeped from her forehead, mixing with the splashing cold water and wetting her graying temples. Her fingers, red from the cold, were repeatedly rubbing in the cold water.

"Aunt Liu, you're busy!" Wei Chen greeted her loudly with a smile, leading his mother and sister over.

Aunt Liu looked up sharply at the sound and saw Wei Chen and the unfamiliar mother and daughter behind him. She immediately wiped her hands vigorously on the wet old apron in front of her and smiled a simple but slightly awkward smile: "Hey, Brother Wei Chen! Have you eaten?" Her gaze fell on Wang Xiulan, filled with curiosity and undisguised goodwill.

"I've already eaten. Auntie, this is my mother, Wang Xiulan. We just picked her up yesterday." Wei Chen stepped aside to introduce her, "Mom, this is Aunt Liu, Liu Xiufen, whom I told you about."

Wang Xiulan quickly stepped forward, her face bearing the slightly reserved yet sincere smile typical of country folk meeting for the first time: "Hello, sister! My name is Wang Xiulan. We'll be neighbors from now on, seeing each other all the time. If there's anything you don't understand, I'll have to trouble you to give me some pointers."

"Oh! Sister-in-law! You flatter me! Just call me Xiufen!" Aunt Liu responded warmly, carefully looking at Wang Xiulan. She noticed that although her clothes were simple, they were clean and dry, her hair was neatly combed, and her eyes were gentle yet resolute. Aunt Liu felt a sense of closeness to her.

"You've finally arrived! Brother Wei Chen has been saying for a long time that he wants to bring you here to enjoy your retirement! Now that's great! If there's anything you need, just say it, don't be shy! We're all people who are raising children and getting by, so we need to help each other out so we can get by!" Her words were simple and unadorned, but they carried a heartwarming warmth.

Two women, both struggling in the grind of life and equally resilient, developed a natural affinity for each other in just a few words.

Wei Chen called out again to the Li family's house next door, whose door was open: "Xiao Cao! Are you home? Come out for a second!"

As soon as he finished speaking, a small, thin figure darted out of the door like a nimble rabbit. It was Niu Xiaocao, wearing an old cotton-padded jacket with several patches on it, the cuffs worn shiny, and her little face red from the cold.

Almost simultaneously, in the passageway leading from the backyard to the middle yard, Little Stone also ran over quickly like a clever little deer, dressed similarly in thin clothes, but with bright eyes.