Rebirth in a Courtyard: I Am a Little Hunter

Three familiar, low, yet neat mud-brick houses lay quietly in the night. The dim light of kerosene lamps shone through the window of the main room, pasted with old newspapers, like a warm piece of amber, embedded in the silent, cold night of the mountain village.

Wei Chen parked his car outside the vine-covered wooden gate. Instead of opening the gate immediately, he walked to a dark corner of the courtyard where the moonlight couldn't reach.

With a slight thought, a bulging, heavy, tan canvas travel bag appeared out of thin air in his hand. Then, two pieces of fine pork belly, each weighing at least twenty pounds, were wrapped tightly in thick oiled paper, their marbled fat and lean meat glistening enticingly in the shadows.

Finally, two one-pound brown paper packets—one for fruit candy with a simple fruit pattern and the other for milk candy with red lettering—landed steadily in his palm. He put the meat into his basket and the other into his crossbody bag.

After doing all this, he pushed open the creaking courtyard gate and called out, "Mom! Xiao Ran! I'm home!"

"Brother—!" A clear, childlike cry filled with boundless joy rang out, and a figure with crooked pigtails and wearing a patched floral jacket burst out of the main room like a cannonball. It was Wei Ran, the younger sister. Like a fledgling bird returning to its nest, she crashed into Wei Chen's arms, rubbing her little head against his chest.

"Ouch! Slow down!" Wei Chen chuckled, putting down the heavy object he was carrying. He scooped up his sister's light body and lifted her up, asking, "Did you miss your brother?"

"Yes! I really want it!" Wei Ran nodded vigorously, her little arms tightly wrapped around Wei Chen's neck. Then, she sniffed the meat like a puppy, "Meat! The meat smells so good!"

Its big, dark eyes were immediately drawn to the two large pieces of oil paper wrapped on the ground, and then to the brightly colored candy wrapper. Its eyes widened, "Candy! It's candy! Candy wrapped in cellophane!" Its voice was full of incredulous surprise.

"You little glutton, you have such a keen nose!" Wei Chen affectionately rubbed his chin against her soft hair.

Mother Wang Xiulan walked briskly out of the house, wearing a faded blue apron around her waist, her hands covered in fine cornmeal.

Upon seeing her son, a warm smile instantly bloomed on her face, but when her gaze fell upon the conspicuous pork, sugar bag, and brand-new travel bag on the ground, the smile froze, replaced by deep worry.

"Chenzi!" She rushed forward and grabbed Wei Chen's arm. Her rough hands, calloused from years of hard work, were surprisingly strong.

"Where...where did you get all this?" Her voice was extremely low, trembling with fear. "These two pieces of meat are so big? And this precious candy? This canvas bag...it looks valuable! You can't...you can't make mistakes outside!" The last word was almost squeezed out between her teeth, carrying the mother's deepest fear.

Wei Chen felt a warmth in his heart. He helped his mother's thin shoulders into the house, and casually carried in all the "evidence" that had been lying on the ground. The dim light of the kerosene lamp flickered on the earthen wall, illuminating the concerned faces of his mother and sister.

"Mom, don't worry." Wei Chen let Wei Ran sit on his lap, his voice steady and clear, "She has a good family background and a noble lineage; she comes from a respectable family!"

"The job is settled." Then he recounted the events of the past few days in detail, "...The steel mill bought those two big wild boars. Not only did they pay me in cash, they also gave me a secure job! I'm a ninth-level clerk in the purchasing department of Hongxing Steel Mill, with a monthly salary of 30 yuan, a food ration, and my household registration has been transferred to the city!" He paused deliberately, letting this bombshell news resonate in his mother's heart.

Of course, he wouldn't mention that he gave Li Huaide a deer, otherwise he wouldn't have received such good treatment.

"Clerk? 30 yuan?!" Wang Xiulan gasped, her eyes widening as if she were seeing her son for the first time. 30 yuan! In Baoyuquan, a strong laborer could toil his whole year, and after deducting food rations, that was about the same amount of cash he'd get! Her son earned that in a month? And with a secure, stable job? The immense shock left her speechless, her lips trembling slightly.

"The bicycles were provided by the factory; all the purchasing agents sent out have them." Wei Chen pointed to the dark figure in the courtyard outside the window. "This canvas bag was also issued by the factory. I have clothes for all four seasons, a new set of bedding, a washbasin, towels, a kettle, a lunchbox, and so on... They're all locked in the factory dormitory. We'll move them over once our new house is ready."

"A government employee... a secure job... and even a car..." Wang Xiulan murmured to herself, tears welling up in her eyes without warning and streaming down her cheeks.

Her rough hands gripped Wei Chen's hand tightly, her knuckles white, her voice choked with sobs, "Good...good! Chenzi! You've made something of yourself! You've really made something of yourself! Your father...your father can finally close his eyes in peace under the yellow earth..." The mother, caught up in her excitement, didn't hear Wei Chen mention the house. She was only focused on her deceased husband, overwhelmed with emotion, and tears streamed down her face.

"It's not over yet, Mom." Wei Chen continued, adding an even bigger weight to the bill. "Those five half-grown wild cubs, the factory bought them at a rare, unplanned price—six cents a pound! They sold for a total of three hundred and forty-seven yuan and eighty cents!"

He pulled out a thick wad of banknotes tied with rubber bands from his pocket. The brand-new "big unity" notes gleamed with a reassuring blue light under the oil lamp. He gently placed them on the greasy octagonal table. "I have a hundred yuan of mine, Mom, you take it first. I bought an old house with a big yard at the factory with the rest. The house is quite dilapidated and needs renovation. Some parts need to be repaired. I paid part of the workers for that."

Wei Chen didn't dare to say how much the house cost. Once the house was finished, he would go hunting a few more times and sell the steel mill a few more times, and the money would come out in the open.

"Sold for three hundred... more than three hundred?!" Wang Xiulan's gaze was fixed on the stack of money. She recoiled as if burned, then looked back at her son, too shocked to utter another word.

The two large ones changed their lives, and the five small ones sold for over three hundred? The money came like a torrent, leaving her dizzy. She subconsciously looked at the two large oil paper packages on the table, "And this meat…"

"I traded it for meat coupons." Wei Chen unwrapped the oil paper, revealing the fine pork belly with its distinct layers of fat and lean meat, its red and white colors tempting. The rich aroma of the fat instantly filled the small living room. "The factory has good benefits; we get a fixed amount of meat coupons every month. My wild boar was considered a meritorious service, so the leaders gave me extra coupons. We have plenty of wild boars running in the mountains, but wild boar meat is as tough as old tree bark. How can it compare to the aroma of this plump domestic pork?" He poked the trembling fat with his finger, feeling its oily texture.

Wei Ran swallowed hard, pointing at the meat with her little finger and looking up at her mother: "Mom! Stewed meat! We'll have stewed meat for dinner!"

"Stew! I'll stew a big pot for you tomorrow! Plenty to go!" Wang Xiulan's long-dormant appetite was also whetted by the generous amount of pork, her face showing a mixture of joy and sorrow. But then she remembered the crucial question, her brows furrowing. "Chenzi, you just said... you bought land and built a house in the city? Doesn't the factory provide housing?"

Wei Chen's smile faded, and his tone became calm and resolute: "Mom, there is a housing allocation, but we have to wait in line! There are so many new workers, but there are only a few rooms available. The wait could be years!"

I can't wait. The policy has opened a crack, allowing private individuals to buy those abandoned, dilapidated houses, and I've completed all the paperwork. It's in Nanluoguxiang, just a short bike ride from the factory. The yard is dilapidated now, but I've already hired a master craftsman, and we'll break ground tomorrow. The money I'm spending is from selling wild boar.

I understand now, only when the money is in my pocket can I feel secure! Policies can change in an instant, so while I can still buy, I need to grab the goods and have them in my own hands. That way I'll feel at ease and won't panic!

As Wang Xiulan listened to her son's clear and decisive analysis, and looked at his young yet calm and composed face, the heartache over the money and the fear of the unknown in her heart gradually dissipated like a thin mist under the sun, replaced by a surge of relief and belated pride.

My son has truly become a pillar of the family! He's more insightful than I, someone who's lived half my life! In this world, having a roof over your head to shelter you from the wind and rain, and a piece of land to put your feet on, is more valuable than mountains of gold and silver! Money is inanimate; you can earn it back after you spend it, but once an opportunity slips away, you won't even find a grave to cry over!

"Yes! That's how we should do it!" Wang Xiulan nodded vigorously, a relieved smile spreading across her tear-streaked face. "The money's spent, but the house is our own. We'll feel secure living here! Building a house is a major undertaking. Money... is there really enough? Your father still has what he saved up back then..."

"Mom, there's no need!" Wei Chen interrupted his mother, his tone leaving no room for argument. "I have plenty! I have money on hand, and I've earned quite a bit from hunting. I didn't tell you before because I was afraid you'd worry! You can keep that money; keep it safe. I have a salary in the city, so I won't go hungry or cold."

"Okay... then." Wang Xiulan looked at her son, and the bitterness in her heart was washed away by a huge surge of warmth. Her child was so sensible, so sensible that it made her, as his mother, both proud and heartbroken.

"Come on, little glutton, open your mouth!" Wei Chen picked up the bag of milk candy with red lettering, peeled off a piece of plain wax paper to reveal the milky white and rich candy inside, and stuffed it into his sister's slightly open mouth full of anticipation.

"Mmm—!" Wei Ran trembled with happiness, her eyes instantly narrowing into crescent moons, her little mouth filled with sweetness, and she mumbled indistinctly, "Sweet! Fragrant! Like...like clouds!" The luxurious sweetness of the milk candy was a taste of paradise that she had never experienced in her impoverished childhood.

"Slow down, don't choke." Wang Xiulan looked at her daughter's bubbly expression with loving eyes.

Wei Chen pushed the candy in his hand in front of his mother: "Mom, you can put these in the cupboard. They're good for Xiao Ran to enjoy occasionally, or for when a relative's child comes over." He knew his mother's frugality.

Wang Xiulan looked at the bag of candy, hesitated for a moment, but still accepted it: "Okay, Mom will keep it for you, so that this girl won't steal any." She picked up another bag of milk candy, "This one is precious, you take it with you, you'll need it when you're out and about in the city."

"We don't lack these in the city." Without saying a word, Wei Chen pushed the milk candy back, and at the same time, he quickly peeled off a piece and, taking advantage of his mother's inattention, precisely stuffed it into her slightly open mouth as she spoke.