Rebirth in a Courtyard: I Am a Little Hunter

Wei Chen hung the wild rabbit and pheasant, which still carried some of the mountain and forest atmosphere of the game world, on the handlebars of his bicycle. He covered them slightly with a half-worn gray cloth that he carried with him, so that they were not too conspicuous, but a discerning person could tell what they were by paying a little attention.

Then, he got back on his bike, left the grove, returned to the main road, and slowly made his way towards Xingshou Commune.

The closer we got to the commune's location, the more distinct the scenery became from the rural villages deep in the mountains. The dirt road underfoot had clearly been repaired, becoming much wider and smoother. Although it was frozen solid in the winter, the tire tracks were neat and orderly.

Simple signs began to appear on both sides of the road, with words such as "Xingshou Commune Supply and Marketing Cooperative", "Xingshou Commune Health Center" and "Xingshou Commune Central Primary School".

The houses gradually became more densely packed, mostly single-story houses with courtyards. Some were made of adobe, while others were built of blue or red bricks, making them appear much more "respectable" than the earthen houses in Baoyuquan Village.

Occasionally you can see cadres riding bicycles, wearing blue or gray uniforms and hurrying around, or farmers pulling carts loaded with farm tools or miscellaneous items and wearing dog-skin hats.

The air was filled with a mixture of coal smoke, dust, animal manure, and faint cooking smoke—a typical scent of rural towns in northern China.

Although the faces of the pedestrians generally lacked the rosy glow of good nutrition and bore the weariness of a difficult era, their eyes lacked the despair and numbness of the villagers of Baoyuquan. Instead, they showed more anxiety about making a living, a lingering dependence on the commune as a collective unit, and a subtle envy or alienation towards "public servants" or "urban residents".

Wei Chen didn't look around. He maintained a calm demeanor that was neither arrogant nor timid. Based on the vague information about his cousin's address in the original owner's memories—it seemed to be the family compound behind the commune's grain station—and the inquiries he made along the way, he headed towards his destination.

"Excuse me, could you tell me how to get to the grain station?"

"Oh, just keep going straight, see that big whitewashed wall? Turn in there."

"Thank you. Just one more question, is there a residential compound behind the grain station? Is there a family compound where a man named Wei Qiang lives, and his wife is from Shangyuan Commune who married into the family?"

"There is a family compound. Wei Qiang? Oh, I know him, the eldest son of the Wei family. It's the second row behind the grain station, the third or fourth house from the east, the one with the small locust tree in front of the door. It has no leaves in winter, you can tell by looking at the branches."

With the help of kind passersby and Wei Chen's own observation and judgment, it wasn't long before he found the residential area behind the high wall of the grain station.

This is a relatively neat and quiet cluster of courtyards, with about twenty households. The courtyards are not large, but they have similar layouts, mostly facing south, with low walls and small gatehouses. Compared to the crowded tenements in the city, they appear spacious and private, while compared to purely rural houses, they appear orderly and compact.

Most of the people who could live here were employees of units such as the commune's grain station, supply and marketing cooperative, credit union, and health center, who were entitled to "commodity grain." This area was considered the "respectable" residential area in Xingshou Commune. Although they were not wealthy, they at least had a stable job and a relatively reliable food supply, making them the envy of countless farmers who toiled in the fields.

Wei Chen pushed his bicycle, slowing down as he carefully searched through the rows of courtyard gates. Finally, he stopped in front of the third gate from the east in the second row.

The courtyard wall is a low wall made of blue bricks. Although it is quite old and there is withered grass growing in the cracks between the bricks, it is still relatively neat overall.

The courtyard gate consisted of two old wooden doors that opened outwards, painted with faded and peeling blue paint. A small wooden plaque was nailed to the lintel, bearing the character "Wei" written in a somewhat messy but clear brushstroke. Beside the gate stood a locust tree, about the thickness of a wrist, its leaves long since fallen, its bare branches swaying gently in the cold wind.

This is it. It's my cousin-in-law Wei Qiang's house, and also my cousin Wei Zhenzhen's current home.

Standing in front of the door, Wei Chen could faintly hear the innocent babbling of children and the gentle, smiling whispers of a woman coming from inside the courtyard.

Wei Chen took a deep breath, suppressing the slight ripples in his heart—a mixture of anticipation at seeing long-lost relatives, a concern about whether his "presumptuous" visit would disturb them, and a thought about how to explain his recent situation and purpose.

He raised his hand and gently straightened his collar and hair, which were slightly disheveled by the mountain wind. Then, he bent his fingers and knocked on the courtyard gate with a light but firm touch.

"Knock, knock, knock."

The wooden door made a dull, solid sound.

The children's voices in the courtyard fell silent, and the woman's whispers ceased. After a moment of quiet, a gentle yet slightly puzzled young woman's voice rang out through the door: "Who is it?" The voice... was vaguely familiar, gradually merging with the voice deep in my memory that always carried a concerned tone.

Wei Chen cleared his throat, trying to make his voice clear and steady: "Excuse me, is this Brother Wei Qiang's house? I'm looking for Wei Zhenzhen." He didn't call her "sister" directly, worried that if it wasn't her, or if there were other people present, it might cause unnecessary misunderstandings.

The courtyard fell silent again. Then, a series of slightly hurried but not panicked footsteps approached from afar and quickly reached the door. With a soft "click" as the latch was pulled open, one of the wooden doors creaked open a crack.

A young face, delicate and gentle yet bearing the obvious marks of a life's hardships, appeared behind the crack in the door. Her skin was slightly yellow, with faint sunspots on her cheekbones, long, thin eyebrows, and almond-shaped eyes, which were now peering out with a mixture of doubt and wariness.

She was wearing a faded navy blue cotton-padded jacket with patches of the same color at the elbows, and a worn dark apron tied around her waist. Her hands seemed to have some white powder on them, as if she had just finished kneading dough or making some kind of noodle dish.

When her questioning almond-shaped eyes finally caught sight of the travel-worn yet upright young man standing outside the door, with a gentle smile on his face, her pupils dilated abruptly. The doubt on her face vanished like a thin mist blown away by the wind, instantly replaced by immense astonishment and disbelief. She instinctively covered her mouth with her hand, blinking rapidly as if to confirm that she wasn't seeing things.

"Xiao...Xiao Chen?!" Her voice suddenly rose, trembling noticeably—an instinctive reaction born from a mixture of extreme surprise and delight. She flung the door open wide, stepping across the threshold in one swift motion. Almost instinctively, she reached out and grabbed Wei Chen's arm, looking him up and down. From his dusty canvas shoes to his patched but clean cotton trousers, to his thick cotton-padded coat, and his face, though reddened by the cold wind, bright with clear eyes and a genuine smile.

"Is it really you?! Wei Chen?! You... how did you get here? How did you find this place? Oh my god, you child! Come in quickly! It's freezing outside, why didn't you wear a hat and scarf!" Wei Zhenzhen asked in rapid succession, the tremor in her voice gradually replaced by pure joy and heartache. Her eyes quickly welled up with an excited blush, and her knuckles turned slightly white from gripping Wei Chen's arm so tightly, as if she was afraid that if she let go, this little brother who had suddenly appeared in front of her would disappear.

"Sister Zhenzhen, it's me." Wei Chen let her hold him, feeling the roughness and warmth of her hands, the kind that belong to a laborer. The last trace of alienation in his heart dissipated, and his smile became more genuine. "I went home for a couple of days because I had nothing to do, and I happened to pass by here, so I thought I'd come and see you. It's been so long, sister."

"On the way? That's great, that's great!" Wei Zhenzhen seemed to recover from her huge surprise and quickly stepped aside to make way for the doorway, but she still held onto Wei Chen's arm as if afraid he would run away. "You, you didn't even give me a heads-up before you came! It's such a long way, the road must be so difficult! Oh, come in, come in and warm up!" As she spoke, she habitually reached out to help Wei Chen push his bicycle, her gaze naturally falling on the bulging gray cloth covering something on the handlebars.

"Sis, I can do it myself." Wei Chen moved even faster, pushing the bicycle into the not-so-spacious but neatly tidied yard. He casually untied the two wild rabbits and one pheasant hanging from the handlebars and handed them to Wei Zhenzhen, his tone relaxed and natural. "I drove around in the mountains on the way and got some good mountain produce. I'll add some dishes for you, brother-in-law, and the kids, so they can have a taste."

Wei Zhenzhen's gaze fell on what Wei Chen handed over. The two plump gray rabbits and the brightly colored pheasant, even though they were tied with straw rope, exuded a fresh, wild vitality and... a heavy weight.

Her breath hitched slightly. This was hardly "a little bit of wild game"! In these days, when even coarse grains are carefully considered and every household lacks oil and meat, the value of three plump wild game animals like these is immeasurable! This is not just "adding a dish to the menu," but could very well be a "hard-hitting" meal that can give the whole family more oil and improve their complexion!

She looked up at her younger brother's travel-worn but cheerful and clear-eyed face, and her heart was filled with a mix of emotions. Gratitude, heartache, relief, and a touch of indescribable bitterness all welled up within her.

Her younger brother had grown up and become successful. He still remembered her, his married cousin, and the affection they shared from childhood. He had come all this way with such a generous gift… She could no longer hold back her tears, which streamed down her slightly yellow cheeks.

"You...you child!" Her voice choked with emotion as she took the heavy wild animal. The cool yet substantial touch sent a shiver down her spine. "You're here! I'm so happy to see you! Why did you bring such valuable things? It's not easy for you living alone in the city. I heard there's a food shortage there...you must have taken so much risk and gone through so much trouble to get this! Come on, come inside, it'll be warmer inside. Tell me all about it!"