Rebirth in a Courtyard: I Am a Little Hunter

Other neighbors also came one after another. Even the stingy third uncle, Yan Bugui, brought a small half-scoop of flour, the second uncle, Liu Haizhong, brought five eggs, and Aunt Wu from the next courtyard brought a small bag of red dates... The gifts were not many, but in those days, each one carried great significance.

With each gift handed to her, Jia Zhangshi accepted it with a smile, saying "It's too much trouble" and "Thank you for your thoughtfulness," before turning around and putting the gifts away in her locked cabinet.

Qin Huairu lay on the kang (a heated brick bed), watching her mother-in-law's practiced movements and greedy eyes, then looking at her thin daughter beside her, her heart filled with bitterness. How much of this stuff would ultimately end up in her and her child's mouths?

Just as everyone had finished delivering their "gifts" and the courtyard had returned to calm, a loud, triumphant voice, tinged with smugness and boastfulness, suddenly rang out from the central courtyard:

"Hey! Look! Look what this is!"

Sha Zhu was carrying a plump old hen with its feet bound, still struggling and flapping its wings. He strode proudly from the middle yard to the front yard! He deliberately held the hen high, making its glossy feathers stand out in the setting sun.

"Just got this through an old connection! A genuine old hen! Super nourishing!" Sha Zhu walked to the Jia family's door, his voice so loud it seemed the whole courtyard could hear him. "Sister Qin just gave birth, and her body is severely weakened, so she needs this! It's the best for replenishing qi and blood! Better than any brown sugar or eggs!" His face radiated a kind of "look how capable and generous I am" arrogance, as if this wasn't just a chicken, but a priceless treasure he was offering to his goddess.

Hearing the noise, some neighbors leaned out of their windows, while others peered out from their doorways. Seeing the indeed plump chicken in Sha Zhu's hand, and his smug, self-satisfied expression, many wore knowing yet slightly mocking smiles.

That silly Zhu has been used as a pawn by the Jia family again, and he's doing it all with a smug grin. Some people shook their heads and whispered to their families, "That silly Zhu is really stupid; he's throwing all the good stuff into a bottomless pit." Others were just watching the show, saying, "Oh, old woman Jia is going to make some money again."

Hearing the commotion, Jia Zhangshi darted out like a cat smelling fish. Seeing the lively hen in Sha Zhu's hand, a greedy glint instantly flashed in her triangular eyes, and her mouth nearly watered. But she quickly put on a troubled expression:

"Oh my! Zhu Zi! You child! You are really... really capable! This old hen is a real treasure!" Jia Zhangshi rubbed her hands together, circled the chicken, and praised it. Then, she changed the subject and showed a perfectly timed "worried" expression.

"But Zhu Zi, you know my cooking skills... are really nothing special. If I stew this good stuff, and I don't control the heat well, all the nutrients will be lost! What a waste! Zhu Zi, you're the head chef at our steel mill, your skills are top-notch!" She gave a thumbs up. "How about... you do me the trouble and stew this chicken for me? Your soup will definitely be different, all the nutrients are in the broth, and Huai Ru will recover quickly if she drinks it! What do you think?"

Upon hearing this, the neighbors who had been eavesdropping in the courtyard nearly collapsed in disbelief! Delivering something and then expecting the food to be cooked beforehand? This Jia Zhangshi's skin was thick enough to build a city wall! Her scheme was so cunning, it could be heard from two miles away! The crowd's contempt for Jia Zhangshi deepened, while their sympathy for Sha Zhu grew even stronger—this silly boy, being sold out and still having to count the money for the seller!

Sure enough, when Sha Zhu heard Jia Zhangshi praise his cooking skills and say that it was for Sister Qin's quick recovery, his vanity of being needed and his satisfaction of doing things for "Sister Qin" instantly exploded! He didn't feel like he was being schemed against at all; on the contrary, he thought Jia Zhangshi was "wise and righteous" and "good at handling things"!

"Hey! Aunt Jia! You've hit the nail on the head!" Sha Zhu slapped his thigh, his voice even louder, as if he had received a great compliment. "This chicken soup is all about technique! The heat and the ingredients, you can't be off by even a little bit! Don't worry! Leave it to me! I guarantee the soup will be thick and the meat tender, and not a single nutrient will be wasted! It'll all be good for Sister Qin!" He patted his chest, looking very confident, and carrying the chicken, he happily headed to his kitchen.

The neighbors looked at each other, shook their heads, and didn't even bother to discuss it anymore. Sha Zhu's "foolishness" was beyond their comprehension.

Sha Zhu returned to his slightly messy little kitchen and immediately got to work. He boiled water, killed the chicken, plucked its feathers, and gutted it, all with lightning speed.

Humming a tuneless little tune, he took out a few pieces of his treasured old ginger from his cupboard, along with two potatoes, a white radish, and a small spoonful of Shaoxing wine that he himself rarely used. He was determined to make this chicken soup perfect, so that Sister Qin would feel completely satisfied!

Soon, the rich aroma of chicken soup wafted from Sha Zhu's small kitchen, filling the entire middle and front yards, causing many neighbors to secretly swallow their saliva.

Sha Zhu tended the stove, watching the golden, glistening broth bubbling in the clay pot, inhaling its enticing aroma. He felt a surge of satisfaction and accomplishment. He could almost picture Sister Qin's face glowing with gratitude as she drank the soup he had prepared.

After simmering for over an hour, Sha Zhu felt it was ready. He carefully carried a large, steaming pot of fragrant chicken soup to the Jia family's doorstep. Golden chicken fat floated on the surface of the soup, which contained tender, fall-off-the-bone chicken pieces, soft and glutinous potatoes, and radish chunks soaked in the broth—it looked incredibly appetizing.

"Aunt Jia! The chicken soup is ready! Eat it while it's hot!" Sha Zhu's voice was filled with excitement.

Madam Jia was already waiting at the door. She took the heavy, hot casserole from him and thanked him repeatedly, "Oh my! Zhu Zi! Thank you so much! This soup smells so good! Huai Ru is so lucky!" As she spoke, she turned around and went into the house with the pot in her hand, slamming the door shut without even inviting Sha Zhu to come in and sit down.

Sha Zhu stood outside the door, smelling the even richer aroma wafting from the crack, rubbing his hands together with a satisfied, silly grin on his face. He felt that he had done another great thing for Sister Qin! He imagined Sister Qin drinking hot soup and eating chicken, and his heart warmed. The ginger, wine, potatoes, and radishes he had just given away were completely insignificant.

The clay pot was brought into the house and placed on the greasy little dining table. The moment the lid was lifted, a rich aroma immediately filled the cramped space. Banggeng pounced on the table like a little wolf cub, his eyes fixed on the two plump chicken legs in the pot, drooling: "Grandma! Chicken legs! I want chicken legs!"

"Alright, alright! Don't be impatient, my dear grandson! They're all yours!" Jia Zhangshi's smile was as bright as a blooming chrysanthemum. She completely ignored Qin Huairu, who was staring at her expectantly from the kang (a heated brick bed), picked up her chopsticks, and deftly took out the two largest chicken legs, putting one into the bowl with the stalk and the other into her own bowl.

"Eat up! While it's hot! Sha Zhu's stew is so delicious! All the nutrients are in the meat!" she said, as she ladled a large bowl of soup, piled high with chicken, potatoes, and radishes, for herself and Bang Geng.

The grandmother and grandson immediately buried themselves in their food. Banggeng grabbed a chicken leg, gnawing away with gusto, his mouth dripping with oil, making satisfied humming noises. Jia Zhangshi also ate with gusto, chicken soup dripping from the corners of her mouth, not bothering to wipe it away, praising between bites, "Mmm! Delicious! Shazhu's cooking is pretty good! This chicken is stewed until it's really tender!"

Qin Huairu lay on the kang (a heated brick bed), smelling the tempting aroma and listening to her mother-in-law and son's hearty smacking sounds as they ate, when her stomach began to rumble uncontrollably.

Her labor had taken a heavy toll on her health; she hadn't eaten well in the hospital, and at home, she had only been eating bland, watery food. The aroma of meat so close at hand was a tremendous temptation for her weakened body. Holding her daughter, she stared longingly at the table, her throat moving with difficulty.

Jia Zhangshi and Bang Geng devoured the chicken leg in a flash, then each finished a large bowl of dried meat, burping contentedly. Jia Zhangshi patted her round belly, glanced at the remaining half-pot of soup and the few remaining pieces of chicken, potatoes, and radishes in the casserole, then looked at the longing-eyed Qin Huairu, and snorted.

She slowly picked up a chipped bowl, walked to the casserole, stirred it with a spoon, avoiding the few remaining small bones and bits of meat, and ladled out most of the clear broth. Then she stirred the broth a few more times with her chopsticks, managing to pick up a few pieces of stewed, mushy potato and radish chunks and put them into the bowl.

He scooped out another large bowl of the remaining chicken, radish, and potatoes and put it in the cupboard; this was for his son, Jia Dongxu.

"Here," she slammed the bowl down on the edge of the kang (heated brick bed), splashing some soup, "drink it. You gave birth to a worthless child, and you still have the nerve to be picky? You're lucky you even have a bowl of hot soup! You want meat? Dream on!" Jia Zhangshi's tone was full of contempt and self-righteousness. "This soup is very nutritious, enough to help you produce milk! Don't be ungrateful!"

Looking at the bowl of "chicken soup" that was almost entirely soup with a few drops of oil floating on top and a few pieces of soft, mushy potatoes and radishes lying on it, and then at her mother-in-law and son's oily mouths and satisfied expressions, a huge sense of grievance and sorrow instantly overwhelmed her.

Tears could no longer be held back, and large drops rolled down her cheeks, dripping onto the swaddled baby in her arms. The daughter in her arms seemed to sense her mother's sorrow and began to wail loudly as well.

Qin Huairu quickly lowered her head, hastily wiping away her tears with her sleeve, afraid her mother-in-law would see and scold her again. Her hands trembled as she picked up the bowl of warm soup and sipped it slowly. The soup was indeed salty, oily, and had the aroma of chicken broth, but it tasted bitter and was difficult to swallow. The pitiful potatoes and radishes were mushy and tasteless, just like her current mood.

That evening, at the dinner table in Wei Chen's family, Wang Xiulan looked at her son Wei Chen and hesitated before speaking, "Chen'er, Jia's wife gave birth to a girl. Everyone in the courtyard has given a small gift, so what do you think we should bring? Although that old woman from Jia's family... sigh, Qin Huairu's child just gave birth, it wasn't easy for her either. It's about saving face..."