Rebirth in a Courtyard: I Am a Little Hunter

Wang Xiulan looked at the steamer and suddenly sighed, her voice filled with deep concern: "Chenzi, Mom steamed a lot more buns today. First, you're still growing, a big boy like you can eat a lot; second... these white flour buns can't just be enjoyed by the three of us, we have to send some to your grandparents too. Life is hard in the countryside, they're old and their teeth aren't good, we can't let them still be gnawing on those rough, black cornbreads back home, can we? We can't forget our roots." Thinking of her hunched-over in-laws in the countryside, Wang Xiulan's eyes dimmed slightly.

Wei Chen immediately replied, his voice steady, "Mom, don't worry. The factory will be closed for the holidays soon, and I'll go back as soon as I get off work. Besides the steamed buns you made, I'll try to get some flour, and also bring some oil, salt, soy sauce, vinegar, and other substantial food to send to Grandpa and Grandma. I'll make sure they have a good New Year too." He had plenty of supplies in his spatial storage, so sending things to his grandparents was no problem at all.

"Okay! Okay!" Wang Xiulan responded repeatedly. Her son's filial piety and sense of responsibility warmed her heart, and her worries dissipated. "I don't worry about you handling things."

The aroma of the stew in the pot grew stronger, and the millet porridge was warmed to just the right temperature. Seeing that the food was ready, Wei Chen washed his hands, picked up two large coarse porcelain bowls, and ladled out the oily cabbage, vermicelli, and tofu stew from the pot. It was steaming hot and smelled wonderful.

"Xiao Ran! Come back for dinner!" Wei Chen carried the dishes and walked to the moon gate leading from the small courtyard to the middle courtyard, calling out in the direction of Aunt Liu's house.

Upon learning the good news that she could transfer to Hongxing Elementary School, Wei Ran immediately ran to the Intermediate People's Court to share the news with her new best friend, Niu Xiaocao, who was also in the third grade at Hongxing Elementary School. The two girls were about the same age and in the same grade, and they made a promise to go to and from school together and do their homework together. They were at the most inseparable stage of their relationship.

Sure enough, a few seconds later, Wei Ran flew back from the central courtyard like a happy little bird, chirping away, followed by Niu Xiaocao, who was smiling shyly.

"Sister Xiaocao, my brother is calling me for dinner!" Wei Ran said to Niu Xiaocao as she turned around.

"Okay! Go on, Ranran!" Niu Xiaocao stood outside the moon gate, glancing enviously at the warm light shining from the Wei family's small kitchen and the steaming food on the table. She waved her hand sensibly, "My mom is calling me back for dinner too! We'll go together when school starts!" After saying that, she turned and ran back to her own slightly cramped little house.

The family sat down around the small square table in the kitchen. The dim, warm light enveloped them. The table was simple: a large bowl of oily cabbage, vermicelli, and tofu stew; a clay pot of thick, golden millet porridge with a generous layer of rice oil; several steaming hot buns; and a plate of pickled vegetable shreds that Wang Xiulan had specially cut.

But this simple meal, at this moment, is better than any delicacy.

Wang Xiulan placed a large chopstick of stewed tofu, tender and flavorful, and vermicelli soaked in broth on her son and daughter's plates: "Eat quickly, while it's hot. Chenzi must be exhausted today, right? Eat more." Watching her son devour his food, she felt an unprecedented sense of peace and satisfaction. The money notes hidden under the mat on the kang made her feel even more upright.

"Brother, is the third grade at Hongxing Elementary School harder than the one in our village? Sister Xiaocao said they're learning multiplication tables now and have to write compositions!" Wei Ran sipped her millet porridge, blowing on it because it was so hot. Her eyes showed both anticipation for the new school and a hint of anxiety about whether she could keep up with her studies.

Wei Chen swallowed the food in his mouth and smiled reassuringly, "Didn't you learn multiplication tables in the village before? The teachers in the city explain it in more detail, so you'll definitely be able to keep up. As for writing, it's just about writing down what you see and think. You're so observant, you'll definitely be fine."

He put down his bowl and gestured with his fingers, "The school has a library with lots of books. I'll get you a library card later. Read more and practice more, and you'll be able to write well soon."

"Yes! I will definitely study hard! Sister Xiaocao said she can help me!" Wei Ran nodded vigorously, her anxiety replaced by confidence.

Looking at her two children and listening to them discuss their homework and school, Wang Xiulan felt that the small kitchen was filled with a warm and comforting atmosphere.

She picked up a golden-brown roasted potato, carefully peeled it to reveal the golden, juicy flesh inside, and handed it to her daughter: "Here, Ranran, have a roasted potato, it's delicious. When you go to your new school, study hard and make our family proud."

"Okay! I want to get a perfect score!" Wei Ran took the hot potato, took a bite, and squinted her eyes in satisfaction.

At the dinner table, the conversation naturally turned to the upcoming New Year. "Mom, the factory will be closed on the 28th," Wei Chen said. "I'll go to the grocery store then and see if I can get some more meat. For New Year's Eve dumplings, should we make pure meat filling, or mix in more cabbage?"

"Pure meat!" Wang Xiulan said almost without thinking, her face beaming with a sense of extravagance. "Let's splurge this year! Let you and Ranran have a good meal! We'll save the cabbage for stir-fries!" With that sum of money and ration coupons backing her up, she finally dared to say something she wouldn't have dared to dream of in previous years: "pure meat filling."

"Great! Pure meat!" Wei Chen agreed with a smile. "We also need to buy some red paper to write couplets," Wang Xiulan calculated. "And some melon seeds and peanuts for guests. Oh, and we need to buy some firecrackers too, to set them off on New Year's Eve to ward off bad luck and welcome good fortune!"

"Mom, can I set off some firecrackers?" Wei Ran asked expectantly.

"Sure! I'll have your brother buy you a small one, and you can unfold it and store it slowly!" Wang Xiulan said indulgently.

The family chatted animatedly, painting a picture of the New Year. The small kitchen was filled with laughter and the aroma of food. The confidence brought by the three hundred-plus yuan and the thick stack of receipts made every plan for the future seem so concrete and hopeful. This meal was exceptionally delicious and seemed to last forever.

After finishing her meal, Wang Xiulan cleaned up the dishes. She carefully put the last steamed white flour buns she had made that day, along with the ones she had steamed earlier, into a wicker basket, covered them with a thick white cloth, and locked them deep inside the cupboard. The basket of two-ingredient steamed buns, which were quite conspicuous, was placed openly in a bamboo winnowing basket on the cutting board.

"Mom, I'm going back to my room." Wei Ran yawned slightly, feeling a little sleepy from the emotional ups and downs she had experienced today.

"Go on, go to sleep early." Wang Xiulan lovingly patted her daughter's head.

"Mom, you should get some rest too," Wei Chen said.

"Okay, I'll tidy up this mess and then go to sleep," Wang Xiulan replied.

The mother and daughter crossed the small courtyard and returned to the east wing, each going into their own small room to rest. Wei Chen also returned to his small west wing. He carefully bolted the door and checked that the windows were tightly closed.

The room fell silent, save for the faint sound of the north wind whistling through the eaves and bare branches outside the window. Wei Chen walked to the bedside, and without lighting a lamp, sat cross-legged in the darkness. He closed his eyes, regulated his breathing, and focused his mind.

The next moment, his consciousness found himself in that familiar, blurred-border "game world." The outline of the small village shrouded in gray mist remained, and the ten-acre patch of black earth at the village entrance exuded a damp scent. This was his daily "homework."

With a thought, Wei Chen conjured a bow and arrow in his hand. He moved with lightning speed, dodging and weaving rapidly within this space of consciousness. At the same time, his hands slashed, hacked, thrust, and parried with concise and sharp movements, each strike carrying a force that seemed to tear through the air.

Each arrow precisely "hit" the spawned "monsters".

Sweat quickly soaked his temples, his muscles tensing and relaxing with each burst of power. This was the only way for him to increase his "level" and strengthen his physique and mental power. He didn't know how much time had passed, but when the last monster collapsed under the "attack," a familiar warm current instantly surged through his body, as if every cell had been nourished and strengthened, and his spirit was invigorated.

He walked to the center of ten acres of black soil outside the city, slowly squatted down, and gently placed his hands on the warm, moist earth. Concentrating his mind, he activated the [Planting Technique].

This time, he chose peanuts as his seeds. An invisible force seeped into the soil, and the ten acres of land seemed to have been combed by an invisible hand, turning it up evenly and leveling it. Countless plump peanut seeds were "sown" and covered with a thin layer of soil.

The entire process was silent, yet filled with a strange rhythm of life being stimulated. Wei Chen could clearly "perceive" the faint throbbing of life the moment the seed fell into the soil.

Twenty-four hours later, this place will reap a bountiful harvest. These peanuts, when roasted, will be a wonderful snack for my younger sister, Wei Ran, and they'll also be excellent for pressing into oil.

Having finished all this, Wei Chen slowly withdrew his cultivation and emerged from that strange space. In reality, he was still sitting cross-legged on the cold bed, but deep within his body surged a vigorous sense of power and a sense of control over resources.

He opened his eyes. The room was pitch black, with only the cold moonlight filtering through the window paper and casting blurry spots of light on the floor. In the courtyard, a baby cried out, then was quickly soothed. The wind still howled, but it could no longer take away the heavy warmth and quietly growing hope within that little house.

He lay down gently and pulled the cotton quilt, which smelled of soapberry, over himself. He closed his eyes, and in his mind were his mother's relieved and bright eyes after she had hidden the money and tickets, his sister's excited little face as she clutched the transfer certificate, the three chickens gradually settling down in the new henhouse, the aroma of pure meat dumplings simmering in the pot, and the peanuts silently gathering strength under the ten acres of black soil, waiting to break through the soil.

On the night of the 25th of the twelfth lunar month, amidst the biting cold wind of Beijing, Wei Chen's small house was filled with warmth and tranquility. The footsteps of the New Year drew ever closer with the steady beating of his heart and the beautiful anticipation for the future.

Inside the henhouse, the chicken seemed to have settled in a bit and let out a low, tentative "cluck" sound, as if announcing the birth of its new home.