Rebirth in a Courtyard: I Am a Little Hunter

"Xiao Chen," Wei Zhenzhen said, turning her head to speak to Wei Chen while deftly chopping rabbit meat. Her bangs were slightly damp with sweat. "Auntie and Xiao Ran, are you doing well in the city? How are you doing? Do you have enough food? Is the supply in the city better than here?" She asked carefully, her tone full of genuine concern.

"Everything's fine. Mom and Xiaoran are both in good health. As for food..." Wei Chen hesitated for a moment before choosing a more conservative answer, "The factory has a ration, although it's been reduced a bit since last year, it's still basically enough. My mom is also careful with her money and occasionally manages to trade some other things with others. Overall, it's alright, not the best, but not the worst either." He didn't say anything too positive, lest it seem inappropriate, nor too negative, lest his sister worry.

"That's good, that's good." Wei Zhenzhen seemed relieved, but her hand didn't stop wielding the knife. "You have a lot of expenses and social obligations in the city, so it's good that you can stay stable."

She paused, put the chopped rabbit meat into an earthenware basin, and began washing the cabbage. Her tone carried a hint of her own family's sorrow, "Sigh, it's hard everywhere. Our commune is a bit better than the village, at least we eat government-supplied grain and have a fixed monthly ration, so we don't go hungry."

But those rations were pitifully small, with very little refined grain; it was mostly coarse grain, and we had to be very careful with our food. Your Uncle Wei works at the grain store, so our family is a little better off, but we can barely make ends meet. We're better off than the rest of the village at having a stable source of income, so we don't have to rely entirely on the weather.

She chopped up the blanched and squeezed-dry cabbage, mixed it with the rabbit meat filling, sprinkled in some precious salt and a little homemade ground Sichuan peppercorn powder, and continued speaking while mixing the filling, lowering her voice as if not wanting Tiger, who was playing in the inner room, to hear too much: "But, Xiao Chen, let me tell you, in this commune, everyone seems about the same, but actually, people aren't united. Some people see people in the grain store, supply and marketing cooperative, and credit union who have a fixed monthly grain allowance and can earn wages without having to work in the fields, and they feel unbalanced and envious. There are plenty of people who gossip behind people's backs and try to trip them up."

Your Uncle Wei is an honest and hardworking man. He just keeps to himself, works diligently, and guards the warehouse. He never causes trouble or takes advantage of public resources. But even so, some people still gossip, saying things like, "If you're guarding the granary, you won't go hungry," or "Those near the water get the moon first," and other such nonsense... It's infuriating to hear! But what can you do? In this world, people's hearts can easily turn crooked, especially when everyone is starving.

As she spoke, she looked at Wei Chen, her eyes filled with the concern and advice of someone with experience, her tone particularly earnest: "So, Xiao Chen, when you're out there, especially in the city, there are all sorts of people, so you have to be extra careful. If you have anything good, just use it quietly and don't show it off."

In these difficult times, when jealousy takes hold, some people are capable of anything. We won't harm others, but we can't let our guard down. You're young, and you work in the factory handling purchasing, dealing with all sorts of people, so you need to be extra careful, understand?

These words, though simple and unadorned, are full of insightful observations honed by life's trials, brimming with the most sincere care and protectiveness for her younger brother.

Wei Chen listened, deeply moved, and even more convinced of his cousin's character. He nodded solemnly, responding to her concern: "Sister, don't worry, I've kept everything you said in mind. I'll try to keep a low profile at the factory, not saying things I shouldn't say, and not showing off things I shouldn't show off. You really have to be careful in this purchasing job."

Wei Qiang, who had been quietly peeling garlic and occasionally adding coal to the stove, looked up at Wei Chen upon hearing his wife's words. He smiled honestly and sincerely, adding, "Your sister is right. Peace...peace is a blessing." He spoke slowly, but each word was like a weight, landing firmly on the ground.

Wei Changshuan sat at the table, quietly listening to his son, daughter-in-law, and Wei Chen's conversation. He slowly turned the enamel mug in his hand, a gentle smile always on his face, his eyes calm. After Wei Zhenzhen finished speaking, he slowly opened his mouth, his voice not loud, but with a calm and steady strength that made people listen attentively: "Zhenzhen is right. When you're out and about, it's never a bad thing to be cautious."

However, Xiaochen, you don't need to worry too much. In life, we should value integrity. If we act uprightly, sit honestly, are not greedy or corrupt, and earn our living through our own labor and skills, we can hold our heads high wherever we go. Let others say a few words of gossip; as long as we have a clear conscience, let them be. The key is to have a moral compass, knowing what we should and shouldn't do. You're still young, you have a long road ahead of you, steady progress is better than anything else.”

"Uncle Wei is right, I'll remember that." Wei Chen humbly accepted the instruction. He could clearly sense that although the Wei family was poor, their family traditions were very upright. Wei Changshuan was a principled, reasonable, and peaceful old man; Wei Qiang was down-to-earth, hardworking, and able to endure hardship; and Wei Zhenzhen was diligent, kind, reasonable, and family-oriented.

The family's conversation was filled with harmony and mutual understanding, devoid of petty calculations and internal strife. This simple yet warm family atmosphere made Wei Chen, who was used to the cutthroat competition and petty squabbles in the traditional courtyard houses, feel exceptionally comfortable and cherished, as if his soul had been soothed.

Tiger had finished his sweet potato and snuggled up to Wei Chen's leg, looking up at him curiously. Wei Chen smiled and took out two soft-wrapped hawthorn candies from his pocket (in the telepathic communication space, actually from a corner of the "warehouse" in the game world)—these were prepared to appease his younger sister Xiao Ran and the children Xiao Shitou and Xiao Cao might encounter. He peeled one open and offered it to Tiger. The red hawthorn candy shone enticingly in the light streaming through the window, emitting a sweet hawthorn aroma.

Tiger's eyes widened instantly, his little mouth involuntarily pursed, he turned to look at his mother, then at the fruit leather, rubbed his little hands on his clothes, but didn't dare to take it.

When Wei Zhenzhen saw the candy, she was taken aback at first, then quickly said, "Oh dear, Xiao Chen, keep it for yourself! Why give him such a precious thing!"

"Sis, just give the kid a sweet treat, like a snack! It's fine." Wei Chen smiled and pushed the fruit leather forward a little further. Seeing that she couldn't refuse, Wei Zhenzhen nodded to Hu Zi, "Hu Zi, take it. Remember to thank your uncle, okay?"

Tiger then carefully took the fruit leather from his little hand, clutching it tightly in his palm as if it were a precious treasure. He then looked up at Wei Chen with a shy but incredibly happy smile, his childish voice clearer than before: "Thank you, Chuchu!"

Then, he carefully put the fruit leather into his mouth, took a bite, and his little face immediately lit up with a look of immense satisfaction and happiness. His eyes narrowed into crescent moons as he nestled against his mother's legs, sucking on the sweetness of the fruit leather with his little mouth moving, reluctantly eating it in one bite.

This simple and pure scene brought knowing smiles to the faces of the adults in the room. For children, happiness is that simple. And for adults, seeing such smiles from their children seems to temporarily set aside even the greatest worries.

After the little incident, Wei Zhenzhen's preparations were almost complete. She began rolling out the dough and wrapping the dumplings, her movements swift and skillful, and soon the dumpling-shaped pan was filled with ingot-like dumplings. Wei Qiang also washed his hands and came to help. Although his hands were rough, his dumpling-wrapping skills were surprisingly fast, although the shapes were not as delicate as Wei Zhenzhen's.

"Xiao Chen, don't do anything. Just sit down and rest, and talk to your brother-in-law and the others." Wei Zhenzhen quickly stopped Wei Chen when he was about to get up to help.

"It's okay, sis. I'm not very good at making dumplings, but it'll do." Wei Chen washed his hands and joined in. His dumpling-making skills were indeed average, but he was very diligent.

The three of them were making dumplings around the cutting board, while Hu Zi played with two smooth pebbles that Wei Chen had given him later. The room was filled with a warm and busy atmosphere.

Wei Changshuan didn't participate in making dumplings. He sat at the table, occasionally taking a sip of water, watching the busy young people and children with a peaceful and satisfied smile on his face.

He would occasionally ask Wei Chen a few questions about the situation in Beijing, or listen to Wei Chen give a brief overview of the Red Star Steel Rolling Mill, but his questions were always superficial, more like an elder's ordinary concern for a younger person's work and life, without delving into anything in depth.

With the dumplings almost all wrapped, Wei Zhenzhen started boiling water to cook them, while simultaneously making broth with the pheasant she had brought. The pheasant was chopped into pieces and placed in an earthenware pot along with a few slices of ginger and a section of scallion. It was slowly simmering on the stove. Soon, an aroma mingled with the fresh scent of pheasant and a hint of medicinal herbs filled the air, making one's mouth water. Wei Zhenzhen added two red dates and a few goji berries—precious provisions from her own stash.

As dusk settled, Wei Qiang turned on the 15-watt light bulb in the room. The dim yet warm light illuminated the eight-immortal table laden with dumplings and a bowl of steaming, clear pheasant soup, and also illuminated every face sitting around the table.

"Come on, Xiao Chen, try the dumplings I made! They're filled with wild rabbit and cabbage, look how delicious they are!" Wei Zhenzhen pushed the first plate of steaming dumplings in front of Wei Chen, and then served him a full bowl of pheasant soup, with a few pieces of tenderly stewed chicken in the soup.

"Sister, brother-in-law, Uncle Wei, please eat too," Wei Chen said quickly.

"Eat, eat everything." Wei Changshuan picked up his chopsticks, took a dumpling, blew on it, put it in his mouth, chewed slowly, and nodded. "Hmm, Zhenzhen's cooking is pretty good, the filling is delicious."

Wei Qiang smiled sheepishly, picked up a dumpling for his wife, and then put one in Hu Zi's small bowl, carefully blowing on it to cool it down.

Tiger couldn't wait any longer. He scooped up a dumpling with his little spoon, blew on it, and then took a big bite. His cheeks were bulging from the heat, and he kept sucking in air but didn't want to spit it out. He was so cute.