Rebirth in a Courtyard: I Am a Little Hunter

Sunlight bathed them, casting several warm, huddled shadows on the blue brick floor. They chatted as they worked, their conversation clearly having moved beyond everyday family matters to their respective crafts.

"...Xiulan, you've stitched these soles so tightly! Look at the stitches, it's like they were measured with a ruler!" Liu Xiufen exclaimed sincerely, looking at the soles in Wang Xiulan's hands. "The hemp thread is also twisted very well! You can tell you've put in a lot of hard work."

Wang Xiulan smiled sheepishly: "I'm just a country bumpkin, I don't know how to do much else, just this kind of heavy manual labor. You can't walk on shoes without a sturdy base. This hemp thread is made from hemp I grew myself, soaked it, and twisted it myself, so it's a bit more durable than store-bought."

"Aunt Li, your mending skills are truly amazing!" Wang Xiulan looked at the sock in Grandma Li's hand, which was almost without a hole. "It's mended so well that it looks brand new, and it's so soft that it doesn't hurt your feet at all. Wei Chen and the others used to just mess with their socks when they got torn, and he always said that my mending made them rub against his feet. You have to teach me."

Grandma Li chuckled and pushed up her reading glasses: "This old woman doesn't have any other skills, but I'm good at needlework. I've been mending and patching for decades, so I've gotten skilled through practice. That's how we have to live, every little bit counts."

The third aunt chimed in, "Xiulan's vegetable garden is so well-maintained! Look at that shed, it's much better than what my husband does! She's clearly an expert at farming!" Her tone was deliberately affectionate. "You'll have to teach me when spring comes, my chives never seem to grow well."

"Sure, little sister, as long as you don't mind my old-fashioned method." Wang Xiulan readily agreed, a smile of approval on her face.

Wei Chen's gaze swept across the yard, but he didn't see Wei Ran. He could only faintly hear the laughter and running footsteps of children coming from the direction of Aunt Liu's house. They must be playing with Xiao Cao and Shi Tou.

The harmonious and heartwarming scene before him finally put Wei Chen's mind at ease, which had been hanging in suspense all day. He deliberately quickened his pace, pushing his bicycle through the moon gate and making a sound.

"Oh, Wei Chen is back!" The third aunt was the first to look up and greet him with a smile.

"Chenzi's off work?" Grandma Li looked up and asked kindly.

Aunt Liu and Wang Xiulan also stopped what they were doing and looked over.

"Yes, Grandma Li, Aunt Liu, Third Aunt, Mom, I'm back." Wei Chen responded with a smile, leaning his bicycle against the wall. "Chatting? It's warm in the sun, isn't it?"

"Absolutely! Your courtyard is so sunny this afternoon, there's not a breath of wind, it's even more comfortable than inside! There's still some light in it now," Aunt Liu said with a smile.

The third aunt glanced at the sky, then at the work in her hands, and quickly tidied up: "Oh dear, I've been so busy talking that it's getting late. I need to go back and prepare dinner! Xiulan, Aunt Li, Xiufen, I'm going back now!" she said, standing up.

Aunt Liu and Grandma Li also realized what was happening and quickly packed their things: "We have to go back now, the kids at home must be hungry." "Xiulan, the sun is shining tomorrow, let's come back here to work! It'll be lively!" Grandma Li said to Wang Xiulan.

"Oh, great! You're all welcome!" Wang Xiulan replied with a smile, and also got up to see them off.

After seeing off the three neighbors, the courtyard fell silent, leaving only the mother and son. The setting sun cast a warm orange glow on the courtyard walls.

Wei Chen walked to his mother's side, noticing her face was noticeably more relaxed than in the morning, and asked softly, "Mom, how are you feeling today? Are you adjusting well? Are you getting used to the yard...?"

Wang Xiulan patted the loose threads off her clothes, looked at the neatly tidied courtyard she had made, and a contented and satisfied smile appeared on her face, a smile that carried a sense of peace and belonging.

"It's great! It's really great!" Her voice was light and cheerful. "I didn't have much to do this morning, so I tidied up the yard and stretched my muscles. In the afternoon," she pointed to where everyone had been sitting, "Grandma Li and Xiufen were worried I'd be bored since I just arrived, so after lunch they came over with their chores to keep me company and talk. Later, Auntie San also came. We all worked and chatted, laughing and talking, and time flew by. I didn't feel tired at all."

She paused, looking at the reinforced plastic greenhouse in the corner, then at the neatly manicured vegetable patch, her eyes shining: "This place is great, bright, sheltered from the wind, and sunny. With spring coming, if we take good care of this little patch, we can grow a lot of things. Onions, garlic, bok choy, green beans, cucumbers… enough for our own consumption. It'll save us a lot of money."

The golden rays of the setting sun shone on her face, which was etched with fine wrinkles yet brimming with hope. Wei Chen looked into his mother's eyes, at the unwavering determination and planning that belonged to a cultivator of the land, at the renewed vitality in the small courtyard, and at the faint sounds of his sister and friends laughing in the distance. An indescribable warmth and sense of peace, like water warming on a stove, slowly and thoroughly soothed his entire being.

This small courtyard, this little world where the mother gave birth to new life, finally felt the warmth of home at this moment.

Though the winter is cold, the warmth of cooking fires brings comfort. My mother, like a resilient reed, has firmly taken root in this unfamiliar soil and begun to stretch her branches and leaves.

The warmth of the setting sun hadn't completely faded. Wang Xiulan rolled up her sleeves and headed to the kitchen: "Chenzi, are you hungry? Mom will cook right away." She deftly lifted the pot lid, revealing steaming hot steaming buns made from a mixture of wheat and water. She then picked up a ladle, scooped water from the water vat, and prepared to wash the vegetables.

"Mom, no rush." ​​Wei Chen watched his mother's busy figure, then glanced at the corner of the yard, thinking to himself, "Before it gets completely dark, I'll go get something."

"What are you doing?" Wang Xiulan stopped what she was doing and looked at her son in confusion.

"Bricks." Wei Chen pointed to the open space under the courtyard wall, which was a bit dark but still quite spacious. "I think that place is pretty good. It's sheltered from the wind and far away from the house. Let's build a chicken coop and raise the chickens you brought. Just tying them up isn't enough. You and Ranran will have eggs to eat more often from now on."

Wang Xiulan's eyes lit up—raising chickens! This was the most familiar and profitable sideline for farmers. But then she hesitated: "Bricks? We'd have to spend money to buy them, right? Or... how about we just make do with adobe bricks for now?" Her habit of being frugal was deeply ingrained.

Wei Chen laughed: "Mom, no need to spend money. I know a place, under the broken city wall, there are a lot of old bricks scattered around, nobody cares. My third uncle mentioned it to me, saying that a lot of people go there to collect them, to build a small coal pit, a chicken coop or something, that's enough." As he spoke, he walked to the eaves and pushed out the brand-new 28-inch motorcycle.

Upon hearing that it wouldn't cost any money, Wang Xiulan immediately nodded: "That's great! Be careful, don't be greedy, just enough is fine, it's getting dark."

"Don't worry, Mom, I'll be right back," Wei Chen replied, rummaging through the storage shed and pulling out two sturdy bamboo baskets he usually used for carrying vegetables. He carefully secured them to both sides of the bicycle seat with hemp rope, making sure the baskets wouldn't wobble. He then found an even thicker rope, intending to use it to tie bricks later. With everything prepared, he pushed the bicycle out the south gate.

Wang Xiulan watched her son leave, feeling much more at ease. Building chicken coops, raising chickens, eating eggs... these tangible hopes made her feel that life in the city was gradually taking on a familiar, tangible quality.

She turned and went back to the kitchen, humming an off-key tune, and began to wash and chop vegetables efficiently, the clattering of pots and pans echoing again in the courtyard.

Wei Chen rode his bicycle, familiar with the routes, through the alleys gradually shrouded in twilight, heading straight out of the city. The winter wind stung his face, and there were few pedestrians on the road.

After riding for about half an hour, a cluster of ruins came into view. This was said to be an old city wall left over from a previous dynasty, long abandoned and collapsed, with huge stone blocks and bricks scattered everywhere, overgrown with weeds.

In the last bit of daylight, it was clear that some areas had been disturbed, with scattered red and blue bricks picked out and piled to one side.

Wei Chen parked his car in a secluded corner, looked around to make sure no one was watching, and then immediately got to work. He specifically picked up the bricks that were still relatively intact and of uniform size. His hands moved quickly, lifting the cold bricks one by one and tossing them into the bamboo basket.

The rough surface of the bricks rubbed against his palms, quickly covering them with dust. Heavy bricks fell continuously into the basket, the bottom of the bamboo basket creaking under the weight. He tried to stack them neatly, layer upon layer.

The bamboo basket was quickly filled to more than half full. Wei Chen tried to lift it; it was heavy, probably weighing over a hundred pounds. He gently lifted it, steadily raising the basket of bricks, carefully placing it on the back of the bicycle and securing it tightly. He then used the prepared thick hemp rope to wrap around the basket several times between it and the bicycle, tightening it securely.

Then, he quickly filled another basket to about half full and tied it to the other side in the same way.

The bicycle suddenly felt incredibly heavy. Wei Chen straddled the seat and felt the bike sag sharply. He pedaled hard, the wheels grinding against the uneven ground with a labored creaking sound. Carrying a heavy load, the speed slowed considerably, making the return journey seem exceptionally long.

By the time he finally pushed the car back to his small courtyard, it was completely dark, with only the dim yellow light from the windows of each house illuminating the outline of the courtyard.

Hearing the commotion, Wang Xiulan quickly came out of the house, still holding a spatula in her hand: "Oh my, so much! Come on, let's eat first, the food is all ready!" She looked at her son's disheveled appearance and the two large bamboo baskets in the back of the car, which were crammed full and almost overflowing, and felt both heartache and joy.

"It's okay, Mom, I'm not tired." Wei Chen unloaded the bricks and carried them one by one to the base of the wall, stacking them neatly. Looking at the pile of bricks that looked like a small mountain, he patted the dust off his hands. "A few more trips and that should be enough. Tomorrow I'll dig up some yellow soil, mix some mud, and build a sturdy chicken coop, guaranteed the wind won't blow it down!"

After quickly finishing the hot meal his mother had prepared—cabbage stew with glass noodles, steamed buns, and a small dish of pickled vegetable shreds—Wei Chen felt warm all over. His mother's cooking had a rustic simplicity, yet it was the most comforting thing to do for his stomach.