Rebirth in a Courtyard: I Am a Little Hunter

"We'll go wherever the boss tells us to go. As subordinates, we just have to obey orders and follow instructions." Wei Chen chuckled, his tone relaxed, but he cleverly obscured the specifics. "How long it will take depends on how smoothly things go. Uncle, it's cold outside, please take care of yourself. I'll go back to my room to pack and prepare for my business trip."

"Alright, alright! You go ahead with your work!" Yan Bugui, having received the cigarette and confirmed Wei Chen's "long business trip," was satisfied and didn't linger. He stepped aside, muttering, "Business trips are good; they broaden your horizons! If anything interesting happens later, remember to tell your Third Uncle!"

He was already making plans in his mind: Wei Chen was going on a long trip, leaving only Wang Xiulan and Wei Ran at home, and the small vegetable garden in the east wing... Also, when he came back from his business trip, maybe he could bring back some rare things from other places? Hmm, he had to maintain a good relationship.

After dealing with the "gatekeepers" in the front yard, Wei Chen pushed the cart through the hanging flower gate and into the middle yard. The middle yard had a more chaotic atmosphere of daily life compared to the front yard.

Madam Jia was sitting on a small stool in front of her house, sewing shoe soles in the dim light. When she saw Wei Chen, she rolled her triangular eyes, snorted rudely, and turned her head away. She was clearly still resentful about the previous exposure of the Jia family's secrets.

Qin Huairu was washing clothes at the public tap, her hands, red from the cold, rubbing them in the icy water. When she saw Wei Chen, she looked up, forced a tired and awkward smile, nodded as a greeting, and then immediately lowered her head again to speed up her work.

Banggeng and several other children from the courtyard were chasing and playing in the yard. When they saw Wei Chen, Banggeng glared at him and made a face, but Qin Huairu quietly stopped him.

He Yuzhu's door was closed; it was unclear whether he was sleeping or hadn't returned. Uncle Yi Zhonghai's door was also tightly shut. A somber, oppressive atmosphere, tinged with mutual wariness, permeated the entire courtyard—a stark contrast to the simple warmth of his cousin's house in Xingshou Commune. Wei Chen remained calm, pushing his cart straight through the courtyard to his own small house in the east wing.

As expected, Wang Xiulan, the mother, was at home, busy at work. She was bent over, working in the small vegetable garden that was simply enclosed by broken bricks.

The garden mainly grows cold-resistant spinach, which grows sparsely, its leaves wilting and turning yellow in the cold. Wang Xiulan is carefully tidying up the vegetable plots, putting up insulated plastic sheeting for them—using the old plastic sheeting that Wei Chen found last year. Some parts are torn, and she has carefully sewed them up with thin hemp rope and scraps of cloth. Although it looks simple, it exudes a kind of resilience in trying to make a living in hardship.

Hearing footsteps, Wang Xiulan straightened up, wiping non-existent sweat from her forehead with the back of her hand. When she saw that it was her son returning, a kind and warm smile immediately bloomed on her face, instantly dispelling the fatigue and weariness on her face: "You're back? Are you hungry? There's some leftover porridge in the pot from this morning, let me heat it up for you. How are your grandparents?" A series of the most simple and sincere concerns were like a warm current in winter.

"Mom, I'm not hungry. I ate at my cousin's house. I stopped by her house on my way back!" Wei Chen propped up his bicycle under the eaves and walked over to his mother.

"You should go see her. Your sister used to be so good to you. You haven't visited her since you started working! How is her family?" The mother looked up at Wei Chen when she heard his words.

Wei Chen took the brick his mother was using to hold down the edge of the plastic sheeting. "Let me do it, you take a rest. My older sister's family is doing alright; with Uncle Wei around, they basically don't go hungry. It's just that our hometown..."

"What's wrong back home? How are your grandparents...? How are they doing back home...?" Mentioning her hometown, Wang Xiulan's smile faded slightly, her brows furrowed, and she sighed, "I can only imagine, things must be tough there. Alas, God is unkind; the harvests are getting worse every year. Your grandparents are old; they can't withstand hunger or cold. I'm always so worried about them."

"Mom, don't worry too much." Wei Chen said in a steady voice, deftly smoothing out the plastic sheeting and securing the edges with bricks. "Life back home is tougher than last year. The disaster has affected a wider area and is more severe than we imagined. But the food I left behind should be enough to get through the winter if we plan our consumption carefully. I've also told my uncles to take good care of the elderly. I'll figure something out after spring. When I get back from this business trip, we'll go back together before the Lunar New Year and bring back some more things."

Listening to her son's composed words and watching his strong, reliable back and skillful movements, Wang Xiulan felt a slight tension ease. Her son had truly grown up and become the pillar of the family. She nodded, her voice filled with trust: "It's good that you know what you're doing. Mom was just worried about your business trip! You're so old and haven't traveled far before, and now you're going so far! Sigh… When you're away from home, Mom's biggest worry is your safety. The journey is long, and you're in an unfamiliar place, so you must be extra careful. It's better to go slowly and be cautious."

"I know, Mom." Wei Chen finished pressing down the last brick, straightened up, patted the dirt off his hands, and looked at his mother's face, which was noticeably older than her actual age, and the wrinkles around her eyes. He said earnestly and solemnly, "This business trip is a rather special mission. The place we're going to is far away, and it might take quite a while. It's just you and Xiao Ran at home, and I'm still a little worried. I'm telling you, in case—and I mean just in case—anything happens at home, any emergency or difficulty, or if someone in the neighborhood causes trouble, please don't try to handle it all yourself, and don't be shy about it."

He paused, then continued in a low voice, "You can go to Deputy Chief Liu Fuguo of the police station, the one who came to our compound last time to handle Xu Damao's case. I've worked on cases with him before, and we have a good personal relationship. I've already spoken to him, telling him I'm going on a long trip and I'd like him to look after my family. When you get there, just look for him and mention my name. Or, go to our steel rolling mill and find Section Chief Jin in the purchasing department. He knows about our family's situation and will help."

Listening to her son's thoughtful arrangements, Wang Xiulan felt both warm and reassured, but she said, "Mom knows, Mom isn't stupid. I managed to raise you and Xiaoran through such hard times in the countryside, so I understand what's going on in this city."

"Aren't your Grandma Li and Aunt Liu still here? They usually look after each other. You can go and do your thing without worry. You don't need to worry about things at home. But you, going so far away by yourself, please, please take good care of yourself and come back safe and sound. That's more important than anything else!" His mother's strength and understanding made Wei Chen feel both heartache and relief. He nodded, knowing that his mother had a sense of right and wrong, and that some things were best left unsaid.

In the evening, Wei Ran, the younger sister, came home from school. Seeing her brother, she was as happy as a little bird, chirping incessantly around Wei Chen. Wei Chen patiently answered her questions, and then quietly refilled the water and rice jars in the house. He also left some cornmeal that could be stored for a long time, a small piece of cured meat, and some loose change. He carefully instructed his sister to be obedient at home, study hard, help their mother with housework, and keep an eye on the household.

The next morning, before dawn, the courtyard was still shrouded in quiet slumber. Wei Chen had already packed. An unassuming canvas backpack contained a simple change of clothes, toiletries, a water bottle, dry food, and some necessary tools and medicines.

Of course, the actual "equipment" and most of the supplies were safely stored in the game world or in his personal space. He said goodbye to his mother and sister, and under Wang Xiulan's moist and concerned gaze and Wei Ran's reluctant wave, he pushed his bicycle and quietly left the courtyard.

Instead of riding his bicycle to the train station, he secretly put the bicycle in his backpack in a secluded spot, then carried his luggage and walked to the Beijing Railway Station.

The Beijing Railway Station is always the busiest, most bustling, and most filled with the atmosphere of farewell and hope on this land. In front of the tall but slightly old station building, the square is teeming with people, shoulder to shoulder.

Farmers carrying huge bundles of luggage, cadres with artificial leather suitcases, women holding children, and soldiers in uniforms, all hurrying about, going north and south.

The sounds of hawkers, vendors, announcements, train whistles, and various local dialects and slang, mixed with the smells of coal smoke, sweat, food, and cheap tobacco, create a powerful and unique "station smell" that hits you, instantly making you feel the pulse of the times and the weight of life.

With a formal letter of introduction and a business trip certificate issued by Hongxing Steel Rolling Mill, bearing a bright red official seal and the signature of a leader, Wei Chen successfully purchased a train ticket for the next train bound for Baotou. It was a hard seat, a long journey, but he didn't care.

Standing in the crowded, noisy, and stuffy waiting room, looking through the tall glass windows at the crisscrossing railway tracks on the platform and the rows of green trains spewing white steam and lying in wait like steel behemoths, Wei Chen felt a strange calmness in his heart, and even a faint sense of anticipation and pride rose within him.

Having bid farewell to familiar surroundings, complex interpersonal relationships, and beloved family members, they are about to embark on a completely unfamiliar, vast, and boundless land, brimming with primal power and a spirit of freedom.

In this vast and remote place, with no one recognizing him and no one knowing his background or abilities, this is precisely the best stage for him to completely break free from constraints, relying on his ever-growing strength and the game world's overpowered advantage to frantically accumulate resources, hone his skills, test his knowledge, and truly reveal his brilliance!

"Passengers, boarding has begun for train XXX from Beijing to Baotou. Please proceed to gate three for ticket inspection and boarding..."

A female announcer's clear but slightly static-filled announcement came over the radio.

Wei Chen tightened the straps of his backpack, took one last look at the mottled walls and the throng of people in the waiting room, then turned around and resolutely walked towards the ticket gate with the surging crowd, boarding the westward-bound train.

"Woo—!" The steam whistle blared, its powerful sound drowning out all the noise.

The green train slowly started moving, its wheels clanging rhythmically against the rails. The platforms, buildings, and familiar cityscapes outside the window began to move backward, faster and faster, gradually blurring until they disappeared into the distance.

The hustle and bustle, scheming, warmth, and longing of Beijing were all left behind. Ahead lay the vast, boundless Mongolian grasslands, cold and windswept, yet brimming with boundless vitality and possibilities.