Rebirth in a Courtyard: I Am a Little Hunter

On the morning of the 26th of the twelfth lunar month, the light in Beijing was still stingy with the winter sun, casting hazy shadows through the windowpanes covered with Korean paper.

Like a precise clock, Wei Chen opened his eyes precisely on time, awakened by his biological clock. The previous night's efforts and gains, like secrets sunk to the deep sea, were carefully sealed deep within his consciousness.

He got up briskly and began his unwavering morning exercise in the courtyard—push-ups, squats, stretches. Each set of movements was standard and rhythmic. His muscles tightened and relaxed under his thin cotton clothes, dispelling the warmth left in the quilt and awakening the strength that had been dormant all night. Then came a set of traditional boxing techniques.

In the kitchen, Wang Xiulan, the mother, was already busy at the stove. The firewood crackled in the stove, illuminating her smiling face.

Steam rose from the pot; the freshly steamed buns from yesterday exuded a simple yet enticing aroma of grains. Beside it, in a small pot, golden millet porridge bubbled and simmered, releasing tiny, fine bubbles.

My younger sister, Wei Ran, also got up and was using a gourd ladle to scoop up the cold water from the water vat to wash her face. Her little face was red from the cold, but she was full of energy and was humming a tuneless song.

"Good morning, brother!" Wei Ran called out cheerfully when she saw Wei Chen come in, her eyes sparkling with anticipation for her new school and new life.

"Good morning, Mom, Xiao Ran," Wei Chen replied, walking to the stove to help bring the steaming hot steamed buns and porridge to the table. There was also a small dish of pickled mustard greens that Wang Xiulan had made herself, finely chopped and drizzled with a few drops of sesame oil, a rare "luxury".

"Eat it while it's hot," Wang Xiulan urged, looking at her son and daughter with undisguised satisfaction in her eyes. "The factory should be paying wages and giving out New Year's goods today, right? I heard the steel rolling mill has good benefits; I wonder what good stuff they'll give out this year." Her tone carried a hint of barely perceptible anticipation and nervousness. After all, this was Wei Chen's first New Year after starting work, and also their family's first real New Year spent in the city.

"Yeah, I heard from Lao Zhao and the others that according to past practice, it should be in the next few days. Our department should be getting our turn this afternoon." Wei Chen took a bite of the cornbread; the texture was solid, the coarseness of the cornmeal mixed with the fineness of the wheat flour, carrying the true flavor of grain. He drank a sip of hot porridge, the warmth soothing from his throat all the way to his stomach. "Mom, don't worry, whatever it is, it's the thought that counts. Our family is much better off now."

"That's right, that's right," Wang Xiulan nodded repeatedly, her face beaming with joy. "With you working at the factory, I feel much more at ease. Xiao Ran's schooling is also settled. This year, I can spend it however I want!" As she spoke, she put a piece of pickled vegetable into Wei Chen's bowl. "Eat more, you're tired from work."

A simple breakfast, yet filled with the warmth of home. Looking at the fine lines around his mother's eyes and his sister's carefree smile, Wei Chen felt as if last night's harrowing experience and enormous transaction were merely a dream from a distant time. This steaming, homey atmosphere before him was the foundation he was determined to protect with all his might.

After finishing his meal, Wei Chen put on his thick blue work jacket and the same faded cotton hat, then pushed his old, heavy-duty bicycle out the door.

The cold wind in the alley was still biting, but compared to the chill of midnight, it seemed to have a touch more warmth from the everyday life of the people. White smoke billowed from the chimneys of every household, and the air was filled with the smell of coal smoke and a faint aroma of food.

Not far from the gate of the courtyard house, I heard familiar, heated shouting coming from ahead.

"Silly Zhu! You're asking for a beating again this early in the morning, aren't you? Look at you, you look like a sick chicken that hasn't woken up yet!" This was Xu Damao's sharp and sarcastic voice.

"Pah! You son of a bitch Xu Damao! You're the scoundrel! Your whole family is scoundrels! I'm as energetic as can be! As for you, which widow's door did you sneak under last night to eavesdrop? Look at your dark circles, you look like you've been punched twice!" Sha Zhu He Yuzhu's loud voice retorted without backing down, his voice booming and carrying a reckless spirit.

Wei Chen pushed the cart closer and saw the two standing at the entrance of the alley, pointing at each other and spitting on each other's faces.

Sha Zhu was wearing his greasy, twisted cotton-padded jacket, the sleeves rolled up to his elbows, revealing his muscular forearms; Xu Damao was wearing a relatively decent dark blue woolen coat, a gray scarf, and his hair was neatly combed, but his eye bags were indeed a bit bluish. Sha Zhu had hit a nerve, and his face looked even more sinister.

This is their daily routine; they can't even exchange three words before they start arguing. The people in the courtyard are used to it and don't even bother to watch anymore.

"Good morning, Brother Zhuzi and Brother Damao." Wei Chen pushed the cart forward and greeted them calmly, thus interrupting the endless verbal battle.

"Hey, Wei Chen, good morning!" Sha Zhu turned his head and saw Wei Chen. The anger on his face instantly subsided, and he grinned. He had a good impression of this capable and quiet young neighbor.

Xu Damao also glanced at Wei Chen and snorted in response, clearly still angry, but he didn't continue to criticize Wei Chen.

"Going to work?" Sha Zhu asked casually.

"Yeah, Brother Zhu, you should head to the cafeteria early too. You'll probably have a lot to do today." Wei Chen nodded and hopped on his bicycle.

"Alright, let's go!" Sha Zhu replied.

Seeing that Wei Chen was about to leave, Xu Damao quickly hopped onto his well-maintained Phoenix 28 motorcycle. Before leaving, he turned back and glared at Sha Zhu, saying, "Sha Zhu! You can go on your own! I'm leaving now!" With that, he pushed off with his foot, and the motorcycle sped away.

"You little brat! Just you wait! After the New Year, Grandpa will buy a new one too! A Phoenix! A hundred times better than your crappy bike! As if anyone can't afford one!" Sha Zhu was so angry that he jumped up and down behind him, cursing and swearing as he struggled to walk forward. Unfortunately, his two legs couldn't keep up with the wheels, and he could only watch helplessly as Xu Damao's figure got further and further away. He was so angry that he kept hitting the handlebars.

As Wei Chen listened to the fading shouts behind him, a barely perceptible smile curved his lips. This everyday bickering, so full of street-smart vibes, felt real and vibrant to him. He pedaled harder, his bicycle smoothly merging into the morning rush hour traffic.

The massive gates of the steel rolling mill, like the entrance to a behemoth, swallowed and expelled workers in various colored overalls. Wei Chen locked his bike in the shed and walked into the familiar office building. The Purchasing Department's office was on the third floor. Pushing open the door, a familiar smell, a mixture of coal smoke, paper, old furniture, and years of tea stains, hit him.

"Wei Chen is here! Quick, make the stove burn brighter, it's freezing!" Zhao Dashan was rubbing his hands and stamping his feet as he paced around the room. He was the oldest and the most afraid of the cold.

"Master Zhao is here." Wei Chen responded, put down his satchel, and walked familiarly to the tin stove in the corner of the room. The coal in the stove was already half-burnt, covered with a layer of white ash.

He picked up the stove hook, skillfully poked through the ash layer, added a few pieces of fresh coal, and stirred it a few times with the hook to allow air circulation.

Soon, the orange flames rose again, licking the black coal and crackling merrily, and a warmth began to dispel the chill in the room.

He picked up the tin bucket from the corner, went to the water room at the end of the corridor, filled it with more than half a bucket of cold water, filled the large aluminum kettle on the stove, and sat steadily back down by the stove. Only after doing all this did he take off his cotton-padded coat and hang it on the back of his chair by the window.

Colleagues arrived one after another. Wu Xiaojun and Liu Guoqing, two young men who had only been promoted to full-time employees last year, immediately huddled by the stove to warm themselves, breathing out warm air and complaining about the weather. Team leader Liu Yuan was the last to enter, carrying a notebook and looking much more relaxed than usual.

"Wow, Wei Chen's stove is burning brightly! Good lad, you're so diligent!" Old Zhao sat comfortably in a chair by the stove, warming his back and squinting his eyes contentedly.

"Of course, Master Zhao." Wei Chen smiled, sat back in his seat, picked up yesterday's purchase order from the table, and casually flipped through it, but he was paying attention to everyone's conversation.

"Hey, what do you guys think we'll get for the New Year this year?" Wu Xiaojun rubbed his hands together, looking expectant. "Last year it was just half a pound of meat, a bag of fruit candy, and a bar of soap. That was a bit meager."

"Be grateful!" Liu Guoqing rolled his eyes at him. "What kind of situation is this now? It's good enough if you can get anything at all! I heard that some small factories can't even give out half a pound of meat, they just give out some melon seeds and peanuts to make do."

"Things should be better this year, right?" Old Zhao chimed in, picking up his enamel mug and blowing away the tea dust floating on top. "The factory's doing alright this year, and the key thing is, Wei Chen did a fantastic job for the factory!"

He gestured towards Wei Chen with his chin, a smile of admiration on his face. "Those twenty-eight wild boars have really saved the canteen and the leaders' special meals a lot! I heard from Old Li in logistics that this batch of wild boar meat has saved us more than half a month's worth of pork rations! Add to that the New Year's meat allocated by the higher-ups, hey, this year's meat supply looks promising!"

As soon as he said this, everyone's eyes turned to Wei Chen. Wei Chen put down the document and waved his hand modestly: "Master Zhao, please don't say that. It was just a lucky coincidence. It was mainly due to the factory leaders' effective scheduling and the hard work of the logistics staff."

"Look at him, how eloquent he is!" Team Leader Liu Yuan laughed, closing his notebook. "Old Zhao is right, the factory leaders know Wei Chen's contribution. I just went to a meeting in the department, and the department head mentioned it too, saying that this year's benefits, especially meat, are much better than in previous years, which should make everyone happy."