Rebirth in a Courtyard: I Am a Little Hunter

Qin Huairu had only been lying in the six-person ward of the hospital, filled with the smell of disinfectant and the cries of a newborn, for a little over a day. Her physical weakness had not yet subsided, and the dull pain in her abdomen was still a reminder of the hardships of childbirth, but Jia Zhangshi's harsh and anxious face had already hovered around her bedside several times.

"Huai Ru," Jia Zhangshi spoke for the third time, her voice low but carrying an undeniable urgency, "you've been lying in bed for a while now, the baby girl's been born, and the doctor said there's nothing seriously wrong, right? This hospital is burning through money like paper! Bang Geng is causing a ruckus at home; he can't eat or sleep well without his grandma! Besides, this ward is so noisy with people coming and going, it's nowhere near as quiet as home. I think we should just get discharged and go home to recuperate!"

Qin Huairu leaned against the headboard, her face still pale and her lips bloodless. She looked at the gray sky outside the window, then at her little daughter sleeping soundly with her eyes closed on the small bed next to her, and a sense of helplessness welled up in her heart.

She knew her mother-in-law was stingy and disliked the fact that it was a girl. At least in the hospital, with nurses watching over her, her mother-in-law didn't dare to be too unruly, and she could at least get two meals of thin porridge and a boiled egg a day. But at home... she could almost imagine what she and her daughter would have to face.

"Mom, the doctor said I'm still a little weak, it's best to observe for another two days..." Qin Huairu's voice was barely audible, as she tried to make a last-ditch effort.

"Observe what?" Jia Zhangshi's voice suddenly rose, drawing disapproving glances from the family members in the next bed.

She immediately lowered her voice again, but her tone became even sharper, "So what if she gave birth to a girl? What woman doesn't have children? Are you the only one who's precious? When I gave birth to Dongxu, I went back to work in the fields the very next day! This hospital is just a money pit! A little over a dollar a day, how many kilograms of cornmeal could that buy? And then there's the hospitalization fee, the medicine cost... Oh my, just thinking about it makes my heart ache!"

She patted her chest dramatically, as if the money had been ripped from her heart. "Hurry up and pack! I'm going to find the nurse to ask about the discharge procedures. Dongxu! Dongxu! Where the hell have you been? Get ready to pick up your wife and take her home!"

Jia Dongxu was dozing in the corridor with his daughter in his arms when he was woken up by Jia Zhangshi's shout and came in groggily. There was no joy on his face. Looking at his wife on the hospital bed and the small bed next to her, his eyes were more numb and an eagerness to get rid of the burden.

He knew, of course, what going home meant: his mother's endless complaining would begin again, and this unwelcome daughter would bring even more trouble. But he was more afraid of spending money and was used to listening to his mother.

"Oh... I know, Mom." Jia Dongxu responded blankly and began clumsily packing up the meager hospital supplies—an enamel basin with a red double happiness symbol printed on it, two worn-out towels, and a mesh bag for miscellaneous items.

Qin Huairu watched her husband's actions, then looked at her mother-in-law's uncompromising expression, and finally her gaze fell on her sleeping daughter's face, her heart turning cold.

She silently lowered her eyelids and stopped speaking. Resistance was futile; it would only invite more vicious curses and harsher treatment. Resignedly, she began to straighten her faded old cotton-padded coat.

The discharge procedures went exceptionally smoothly. The nurse simply gave a few routine instructions: "Rest well, eat well, and watch out for lochia." Jia Zhangshi responded impatiently with "uh-huhs," her mind already wandering back to the courtyard house, plotting how to save that "unnecessary money."

The handcart creaked and groaned as it reappeared at the hospital entrance. This time, the person pulling the cart made Jia Dongxu feel as if he had swallowed a fly.

He had originally intended to call Liu Guangtian or Yan Jiecheng, but the thought of the two boys' reluctance when pushing the cart in the middle of the night yesterday, and the "hardship fee" or favor they might ask for afterward, gave him a headache.

The other young and strong men in the compound were either like Wei Chen, whom he dared not and did not want to provoke, or he had only a casual relationship with them. After thinking it over, he was left with only one person who disgusted him the most—Sha Zhu.

Jia Dongxu knew perfectly well that Sha Zhu's gaze towards his wife, Qin Huairu, was strange. In that gaze, there was undisguised concern, heartache, and even a hint of... something that made him extremely uncomfortable, as if Qin Huairu was someone he was entitled to have.

Every time Sha Zhu approached Qin Huairu under the guise of helping, Jia Dongxu felt a surge of anger rising to his head, as if his dignity as a husband was being trampled underfoot. He hated Sha Zhu; he loathed him from the bottom of his heart.

But at this moment, he had no other choice. Sha Zhu was a free, readily available, strong laborer who would definitely care about Qin Huairu's affairs. This "usefulness" was like a thorn stuck in Jia Dongxu's pride.

He steeled himself and reluctantly made his way to the door of Sha Zhu's house in the Zhongyuan Courtyard, then knocked. Sha Zhu had just returned from get off work and was pondering what to have for dinner. Hearing the knock, he opened the door and was taken aback to see Jia Dongxu: "Brother Dongxu? What's up?"

Jia Dongxu's eyes darted around, and he coughed lightly, trying to make his voice sound as natural as possible: "Um... Zhuzi, Huairu has been discharged from the hospital. As for the hospital... I'll have to trouble you to help me bring the cart back and pick them up from the hospital." He deliberately emphasized "them" to try and draw a clear line between them.

When Sha Zhu heard that it was to pick up Qin Huairu from the hospital, his eyes lit up instantly! The loneliness and bitterness he felt at the hospital just now vanished in an instant. He didn't even think about why Jia Dongxu had specifically called him; he only felt that Jia Dongxu considered him one of his own! It was a sign of trust! It was a sign of a good relationship! What's more, it was to pick up his beloved Sister Qin and take her home!

"Oh my! Sister Qin is discharged from the hospital? That's great news! The hospital is nowhere near as comfortable as home!" Sha Zhu beamed, patting his chest, his voice so loud that half the yard could hear him.

"No problem! I've got it covered! Dongxu, you wait here, I'll go borrow a car right now! I guarantee I'll bring Sister Qin back safely!" He didn't even bother to take off his apron, and excitedly ran out, his steps so light as if he were about to fly, as if he were going to complete an incredibly glorious mission.

Seeing Sha Zhu's overjoyed expression, especially the astonishing gleam in his eyes when he mentioned "Sister Qin," Jia Dongxu's rage burned even brighter. He spat fiercely and muttered, "You stupid idiot! Dream on!" But he had to maintain a stiff expression and follow behind.

So the cart set off again. Sha Zhu pulled it with great effort, occasionally turning back to shout to Qin Huairu, who was wrapped in a blanket and holding her child, "Sister Qin, hold on tight! Is it bumpy? It's okay if it goes slowly, we're not in a hurry!"

Their attentiveness was more like that of a son than a father's. Jia Dongxu followed beside the car with a gloomy face, occasionally lending a hand to push it, feeling incredibly resentful, like an unnecessary bodyguard. Jia Zhangshi, on the other hand, walked at the back empty-handed, constantly complaining about the uneven road, the slow car, and the hospital's rip-off.

The cart creaked back to the familiar courtyard gate in the afternoon. The winter sun shone weakly on the gray walls. Sha Zhu's loud, energetic shout, "Sister Qin, we're home!" broke the afternoon silence, as if sounding some invisible horn.

Holding her infant daughter, Qin Huairu, with Sha Zhu's careful support and Jia Dongxu's impatient urging, staggered into the house.

Immediately, like a mother hen guarding her food, Jia Zhangshi took the stalk from the older woman's arms and coaxed it with utmost tenderness, without even glancing at her daughter-in-law and granddaughter who had just entered the house.

Although few families in the entire courtyard genuinely liked Jia Zhangshi, her tantrums and petty greed had long made her universally disliked.

But the addition of a new member to the family is a major event in the household. Chinese people value etiquette, especially in the capital city, where neighbors always have to maintain appearances.

In addition, although it is a year of disaster, it is still the first year. Each household still has some savings. By tightening their belts and gritting their teeth, they can squeeze out something to give as a gift and maintain the appearance of "harmony" among neighbors.

The first to arrive was Yi Zhonghai's family. An older woman carrying a small bag wrapped in old newspapers, with her usual gentle smile on her face, though there was a hint of weariness deep in her eyes, entered the Jia family's small house, which was filled with a strange smell.

"Huai Ru, are you feeling any better? Your uncle asked me to come and see you and the child." The old woman said, placing the paper package on the edge of the kang (a heated brick bed), carefully peeling off a corner to reveal the reddish-brown powder inside.

"This is a pound of brown sugar, which is the best for replenishing qi and blood. It's good for both mother and child if you mix it with water and drink it during the postpartum period." In those days of scarcity, brown sugar was a rare commodity, which shows how much importance Yi Zhonghai attached to it.

He figured that this gift would be both presentable and a good thing to the Jia family and Sha Zhu, solidifying his image as a "highly respected elder," and also showing that kid Wei Chen what true "neighborly unity" really meant.

Qin Huairu struggled to sit up, but was pressed down by an older woman: "Lie down, don't move! Oh my, this little girl looks quite pretty." The older woman peeked at the baby in the swaddling clothes and said a few polite auspicious words.

Standing to the side, Jia Zhangshi stared intently at the packet of brown sugar, forcing a fake smile. "Oh dear, Auntie, you and Uncle are too kind! This brown sugar is precious; you've really gone to so much trouble! Huairu, hurry up and thank Auntie!"

Qin Huairu thanked her weakly. The old woman gave her a few more words of advice, "Rest well," and then got up and left. Jia Zhangshi immediately grabbed the packet of brown sugar and held it tightly in her hand, as if afraid it would fly away.

Then, the Xu family, who lived in the backyard, also made a move. Since Xu Wude and his family returned to live in the compound, they had kept a low profile. At this moment, Xu Wude and his wife were discussing something quietly in their house.

"The Jia family has a new member, even if it's a girl, we still have to show our appreciation. Being too stingy will make us a laughing stock, while being too conspicuous will invite gossip." Xu Wude smoked his pipe, his brows slightly furrowed.

Mrs. Xu thought for a moment: "How about we send a few eggs? It's a practical and presentable gift. We'd feel bad if we sent too many, and it wouldn't look good if we sent too few. How about... ten? Put them in a basket and cover them with a cloth."

Xu Wude nodded: "Okay, ten eggs. Take them over there, just say so, don't linger." Xu's mother then took a small bamboo basket covered with a blue cloth and went to the front yard.

After putting down the eggs and saying a few polite words, he hurriedly left amidst Jia Zhangshi's insincere thanks and Qin Huairu's genuine gratitude.

Ten eggs are a significant gift in these times of food shortage, demonstrating that although the Xu family is low-key, they still maintain impeccable social skills.