Rebirth in a Courtyard: I Am a Little Hunter

Zhao Dashan slowly turned off the transistor radio and continued in a drawn-out tone, "Strange? That's real skill! You didn't see how Xiao Wei spent days running around in the mountains to get those wild boars. Our team leader almost thought he was missing. This 'leisure' is something he earned by running around and talking!" These words were both a compliment to Wei Chen and a message to Lao Zhang.

Upon hearing himself mentioned, Wei Chen closed his book, looked up, smiled, but didn't respond. Instead, he picked up the thermos on the table and refilled the water for Zhao Dashan and himself. This humility and composure made Old Zhang feel even more uncomfortable, and he awkwardly took his teacup and left.

The relaxed work at the factory didn't allow Wang Xiulan to relax at home in the slightest. Early in the morning of the 25th of the twelfth lunar month, she began planning how much dough to make for frying meatballs and steaming buns, and whether the dumpling filling for New Year's Eve should be pure cabbage or mixed with some radish. Preparations for the New Year had entered a busy stage.

Around 2 PM, Wei Chen had spent enough time in the office, so he got up and greeted his team leader, Liu Yuan: "Team leader, I'm going out to take care of some things this afternoon."

Liu Yuan was dozing off against the back of his chair. Hearing this, he didn't even lift his eyelids, just waved his hand and said, "Go on, go on. Anyway, there's not much work here. Be careful on the road." He now trusted and indulged Wei Chen completely.

Wei Chen wrapped his cotton-padded coat tighter and braved the biting wind as he stepped out of the factory gate, his steps firm as he turned toward the street office. He had two important things on his mind: fulfilling his promise to Director Wang, and taking the crucial step of getting his younger sister, Wei Ran, back into school after the New Year.

The neighborhood office was more crowded and noisy than usual. With the Lunar New Year approaching, residents crowded the small office to obtain various certificates, inquire about hardship subsidies, and ask about the distribution of New Year's goods.

Director Wang was surrounded by several anxious middle-aged women, loudly explaining the difficulties in allocating supplies, sweat beading on his forehead. Wei Chen waited quietly in a corner until Director Wang finally managed to escape the crowd and picked up his cup to drink some water.

"Director Wang." Wei Chen stepped forward at the opportune moment, his voice low but clear. Director Wang looked up and saw it was Wei Chen. Her tired eyes instantly lit up with a spark, filled with undisguised urgency and a hint of barely perceptible unease: "Oh! Wei Chen! Quick! Come in and talk!" As if grasping at a lifeline, she pulled Wei Chen into her director's office, which was piled high with documents, and closed the door behind her, shutting out the noise from outside.

"Director Wang, I've taken care of what I promised you a couple of days ago." Wei Chen got straight to the point, lowering his voice even further. "The wild boar is kept somewhere outside the city. It's just that it's too heavy, so I'll borrow one of the tricycles from our neighborhood office. I'll go and bring it back right now."

Director Wang's eyes instantly lit up with immense joy. She slammed her hand on the table and jumped to her feet, her voice trembling slightly with excitement and relief: "Oh my! My dear Wei Chen! You really...you really saved my life! These past few days, my heart has been in my throat! With the end of the year approaching, and still no meat in sight, I...I thought...I thought you were having some trouble and couldn't get it!"

Overwhelmed with emotion, she stammered, went around the table, grabbed Wei Chen's hand tightly, and shook it vigorously. "Thank you! Thank you so much! Now I can finally put my mind at ease! Those dozen or so families of martyrs in our neighborhood, and those few impoverished households who couldn't even afford to eat, will finally be able to see some oil for the New Year and have a decent holiday!"

As she spoke, she rushed to the door, flung it open, and shouted, "Xiao Zhang! Xiao Zhang! Quick! Run to the backyard and push our 'big iron donkey' out! The key's in the second drawer on the left!"

After giving the instructions, she immediately turned back, as if remembering something, and hurriedly added, "Wait! Just leaving it bare won't do! This meat is more eye-catching than gold! Xiao Zhang! Get another big piece of thick canvas to cover the truck! The thickest, most inconspicuous kind! Quick!" She was experienced and knew what transporting two such large pieces of meat in broad daylight meant in those days. Better safe than sorry.

A moment later, the young officer, Xiao Zhang, came panting and pushing a worn-out, heavily-fitting tricycle with faded blue paint. A large roll of thick, dark green waterproof tarpaulin was in the cargo bed. The tricycle looked sturdy, but the tires were clearly low on air, and the axles were rusted.

"Director Wang, the truck is here." Xiao Zhang handed the keys to Director Wang, glancing curiously at Wei Chen. Director Wang took the keys, put them directly into Wei Chen's hand, and then personally helped Xiao Zhang spread out and flatten the heavy canvas in the empty truck bed, carefully inspecting it over.

Then she solemnly instructed Wei Chen: "Wei Chen, be careful on the road! Safety first! Don't be greedy, ride steadily! When you get there, make sure to cover it up tightly with the cloth and tie it securely before you head back! If anyone asks you on the road, just say you're carrying old furniture!" Her eyes were full of trust and entrustment, even with a hint of earnestness.

"Don't worry, Director Wang, I understand." Wei Chen nodded steadily and took the cold handlebars. It felt heavy in his hands; this "big iron donkey" was quite substantial.

He pushed his tricycle out of the gate, under the curious, expectant, and somewhat awe-inspiring gazes of the street office staff. He straddled the hard seat, pushed off with his foot, and the chain made a rough "click" sound. The tricycle creaked and wobbled as it headed out of the city.

The cold wind felt like countless icy needles, pricking his face and piercing his collar. Wei Chen deliberately chose to walk along secluded paths and back alleys. The further out of the city he went, the bumpier and more potholed the roads became, and the houses on both sides grew sparser and lower, eventually being replaced by withered fields and bare forests.

After driving for nearly an hour, his legs were starting to ache, and he finally turned onto a side road leading to a deserted riverbank. The area was overgrown with weeds, and a few old locust trees shivered in the cold wind, their bare branches exposed. All around was deathly still, save for the howling wind.

Wei Chen stopped the vehicle and carefully checked the surroundings several times, but there wasn't a single living creature in sight. He walked to the side of the tricycle, took a deep breath of the cold air, and focused his mind into the space. The next moment, with two muffled thuds like boulders hitting the ground—"Thump! Thump!"—two enormous creatures appeared out of thin air and slammed heavily into the side of the vehicle!

Those were two true overlords of the mountains! Their bodies were covered in thick, black, and glossy bristles like steel needles, and their massive heads bared their fangs menacingly. Even though they were long dead, their mountain-like bodies still exuded a chilling, savage aura. There were no small wild boars produced in this space.

Each one weighed more than 300 pounds! The heavy bodies crashed down, instantly crushing the tricycle's cargo bed, causing the already low tires to groan as they deflated completely.

The entire vehicle suddenly sank downwards, and the flimsy frame and load-bearing axle emitted a teeth-grinding groan, as if it were about to collapse under the weight at any moment.

Wei Chen was prepared. He immediately grabbed the thick, dark green canvas, shook it with both arms, and the canvas unfurled with a "whoosh," like a huge curtain, completely covering the two wild boars and the entire truck bed.

He moved swiftly, weaving the thick hemp rope he had brought back and forth between the vehicle and the canvas, tightening it, and tying a tight knot to ensure that not a single hair or fang would be exposed. From a distance, it looked like an ordinary tricycle carrying heavy old furniture or odds and ends.

After doing all this, he finally climbed back onto the seat. This time, the resistance under his feet felt like wading through mud! Every pedal stroke was extremely difficult, the chain was taut and made a worrying "crunching" sound.

The heavily loaded vehicle lurched and swayed violently on the bumpy road. Only Wei Chen's superhuman arm strength, waist strength, and internal energy, channeled into his legs, allowed him to maintain his balance and prevent the vehicle from tipping over. Sweat quickly soaked through his cotton underwear, which became icy cold in the biting wind.

The return journey was several times more difficult than the way there. Every step felt like a struggle against gravity. Fortunately, Wei Chen was physically strong and possessed internal energy, so it didn't bother him. He would even put on a show of struggling when the opportunity arose. When he finally managed to stop the tricycle in front of the street office, "drenched in sweat and steaming from his body," the sky had already darkened considerably.

"Director Wang! Director Wang! He's back! Comrade Wei Chen is back!" Xiao Zhang, who had been waiting at the door, was the first to see him. He was so excited that his voice changed, and he turned around and rushed inside.

Director Wang practically staggered out, followed by several street office staff members. When Wei Chen untied the knot and, under the tense gaze of everyone, with a "whoosh," lifted the heavy canvas—

"Good heavens!" "My God!" "This...this is so big?!"

A chorus of gasps and gasps erupted instantly! Two wild boars, as large as small mountains, were exposed in the twilight. Their thick, dagger-like tusks, their glossy, bristly manes, and their enormous, breathtaking size created a visually stunning spectacle that left everyone present speechless! In this era of extreme meat scarcity, two complete, plump wild boars like these were nothing short of a mythical gift!

Director Wang was so excited her face turned red, and her lips trembled. She rushed forward and tightly grasped Wei Chen's cold, stiff, and slightly trembling hand, thanking him repeatedly incoherently, "Good boy! Good Wei Chen! You...you've done a great service! You've helped the neighborhood a lot! Quick! Come inside and warm up! Look how frozen your hands are! Look how sweaty you are!"

Without a word, she dragged Wei Chen into her office, her voice trembling as she urgently ordered the people behind her, "Quick! Call Old Liu from logistics and bring some men! Bring out the big scale! Be careful! Handle it gently! This is our neighborhood's lifeline for the New Year! It's a gold mine!"

Director Wang practically forced Wei Chen into the only cushioned chair in the office, and immediately shoved a cup of boiling water, so hot it was almost impossible to hold, into his hand.

Director Wang rubbed his hands together, pacing excitedly back and forth in the cramped office like an ant on a hot pan: "Great! Great! Now we finally have a solution! Wei Chen, you have no idea how worried I've been these past few days, I've even turned several hairs white!"

Lying down at night, the first thing I see when I close my eyes are the anxious faces of the elderly and children in the families of martyrs… and those families that are so poor they’re practically bankrupt, their children so thin and pale from hunger… My heart is breaking! But now it’s all right! Now it’s all right! We can finally have a peaceful New Year!” As she spoke, her voice choked with emotion, her eyes reddening, a genuine expression of heartfelt excitement and the relief of having a heavy burden lifted.