Rebirth in a Courtyard: I Am a Little Hunter

"Oh dear, I've been so busy talking, you must be starving! Wait here, Mom will make you some food right away!" Wang Xiulan suddenly remembered that her son had been traveling all day and had just gotten angry, so he must be starving. She quickly got up, lifted the curtain, and went into the small kitchen next door.

"Mom, don't worry, I'll help you..."

"No need, no need, sit down and rest for a while. You must be exhausted after the long journey." Wang Xiulan's voice came from the kitchen, followed by the sounds of scooping water, washing pots, and lighting a fire, all conveying a light and busy atmosphere.

Wang Xiulan was busy in the kitchen. The water in the pot was boiling, and she carefully tossed in the evenly rolled and cut noodles she had made herself, then deftly cracked two eggs. The aroma, mixed with the warmth of home, wafted through the air.

Wei Chen sat at the old eight-immortal table in the main room, holding the hot water his mother had just poured for him. The rising steam blurred his young but angular face.

He listened to his mother's light footsteps and the clatter of pots and pans in the kitchen, and listened to her rambling on about how his sister Xiaowei had gotten another red flower at school, how Grandma Li had secretly slipped him a few eggs, and how someone in the front yard had quarreled again... These trivial but real sounds gradually soothed the remaining anger and chill in his heart.

But beneath the calm surface, undercurrents were already surging. This matter was far from over. The Jia family's apology was imperative. This was not only for the injustice suffered by his mother, but also to establish rules within this courtyard and make his stance clear—he, Wei Chen, was no longer a helpless orphan who could be bullied and manipulated at will.

He blew away the tea stems floating on the water and took a sip of warm water. His gaze, clear and resolute, met the deep night outside the window through the rising steam.

Wei Chen felt a warm glow in his heart and didn't insist any further. His gaze swept over the familiar main room, and he remembered the things he had specially prepared for his family in his spatial storage.

While his mother was busy in the kitchen, he got up, went behind the door, and picked up the bulging, heavy-looking old canvas bag. Most of the things inside had been moved out of his spatial dimension before he moved into the courtyard house. He unzipped it and began taking things out one by one.

Strips of dried beef and mutton, tightly wrapped in oiled paper, exuded a rich, salty aroma; several large pieces of hard, glistening milk curd; mushrooms and wood ear fungus tied with hemp rope and thoroughly dried; a small cloth bag of golden millet; and even several packets of grassland tea wrapped in straw paper, emitting a unique fragrance…

All sorts of things were quickly piled up on the square table, forming a small mountain. These items might not have been much in years of abundance, but in these times of nationwide hardship, especially in Beijing, each one was precious and a rare commodity that money could hardly buy.

Wang Xiulan brought out the bowl of kneaded dough, intending to roll out noodles on the cutting board in the main room. She immediately noticed the pile of things on the table and exclaimed in surprise, "Chenzi, this...you brought all of this back?"

"Yes," Wei Chen nodded with a smile, "These are specialties from Inner Mongolia. Some were gifts from local friends, and some I traded with villagers using the national food coupons I brought. Mom, this milk tofu, soaked in hot water, chopped up and mixed into the dough to make pancakes, is so fragrant. This dried meat, add a little to the porridge, it enhances the flavor and is filling. We'll save the mushrooms and wood ear fungus for the New Year..."

Wang Xiulan looked at the table full of things, then at her son's tanned but energetic face, her eyes reddening slightly, but this time with joy. "You silly child, it's not easy being away from home, yet you're still thinking about bringing things home… How much money and ration coupons must this have cost!"

"It didn't cost much, Mom, so please keep it. I didn't suffer outside; the factory even gives me subsidies," Wei Chen casually made up a reason to reassure his mother.

Just then, a series of hurried and cheerful footsteps came from outside the courtyard gate, followed by a creaking sound as a little girl with two pigtails and rosy cheeks from the cold rushed in like a gust of wind. Before she even arrived, her clear, bell-like voice preceded her:

"Brother! Brother! You're really back!"

It was Wei Chen's younger sister, Wei Ran. The girl had been in Beijing for a year and was currently on winter vacation. In the afternoon, she went to a classmate's house to borrow books with Xiao Cao. Just as they returned to the alley entrance, they heard that her brother had come back and had argued with Granny Jia. She immediately flew back like a little swallow.

Wei Ran spotted her brother standing in the main room at a glance. Her eyes lit up instantly, and with a cheer, she rushed over, hugging Wei Chen's waist tightly and refusing to let go: "Brother! You're finally back! I missed you so much! Mom talks about you every day, and I've dreamt about you several times!"

Wei Chen smiled and ruffled his younger sister's hair, noticing that she had grown taller again. "I missed you too. Were you listening to Mom at home? How were your studies?"

"I was so good! I got third in the class on the final exam!" Wei Ran announced proudly, her little face tilted up. Then, noticing the table full of food, she exclaimed in surprise, "Wow! So much delicious food! Brother, did you bring all this back? Is it all from Inner Mongolia?"

"Yes, they're all for you," Wei Chen said with a doting smile.

"Brother, you're the best!" Wei Ran cheered, carefully touching the milk tofu and smelling the dried meat, her little face full of excitement and curiosity.

Looking at her son and daughter, Wang Xiulan felt that her son had returned safely with so many rare things, and her daughter was lively, lovely, and did well in her studies. She felt that all the anxiety and worry she had experienced over the past month, as well as the grievances she had suffered in the front yard, had been worth it.

She wiped her eyes, a relieved smile spreading across her face. "Alright, Xiaoran, stop bothering your brother. Let him rest. Mom will make you noodles and use the good mutton he brought back to make the stir-fry!"

"Oh! We have mutton noodles!" Wei Ran clapped her hands happily and ran to help her mother start a fire.

In the small east courtyard, the stove fire was lit, illuminating the busy figures of the mother and daughter; the rolling pin made a rhythmic rolling sound on the cutting board; the mutton went into the pot and sizzled, and the rich aroma instantly spread, mixed with the smell of scallions and soy sauce, forming the warmest and most ordinary atmosphere of human life.

Wei Chen leaned against the doorframe, watching this scene. He felt all the weariness from the journey and the anger and argument from just now soothed by this warm atmosphere. This was home.

Meanwhile, the bell for the end of the workday at the steel rolling mill had long since rung. Workers poured out of the various workshops like a tide, some on bicycles, some on foot, carrying the fatigue of the day and the eagerness to go home, flooding into the streets and alleys of Beijing.

The news that Hongxing Steel Rolling Mill had stored 20,000 jin of wild game and that young purchasing agent Wei Chen had made a remarkable contribution by traveling alone to Inner Mongolia spread like wildfire among the off-duty workers, reaching the residential areas and alleyways around the mill at an astonishing speed.

"Have you heard? That young man from our factory, Wei Chen, brought back 20,000 jin (10,000 kg) of meat from Inner Mongolia! Wild donkeys! Gazelles! It's piled up like a small mountain!"

"Really? 20,000 jin? My God! He brought that all by himself?"

"Absolutely true! I'm from Workshop Two. I saw the trucks bring the goods into the factory this afternoon, and Deputy Factory Director Li personally led the unloading team! Those wild donkeys were all incredibly fat! And the gazelles were golden yellow!"

"This is amazing! Now our factory is set for the New Year! We might even get some scraps of meat!"

"Wei Chen? Is he the one who lives near Nanluoguxiang? The one who's not very old?"

"Yes, yes, yes! That's him! Wow, he's always so unassuming, I never expected him to be so capable!"

"This is a tremendous achievement! Won't the factory reward you handsomely?"

The news snowballed, growing bigger and bigger, becoming increasingly exaggerated. As it spread, it evolved into exaggerated versions such as "Wei Chen single-handedly killed a pack of wolves and snatched tens of thousands of kilograms of meat from their mouths" and "The factory is going to give Wei Chen a big award and promote him."

The news spread instantly to everyone in the front, middle, and back yards—anyone with a family member working at the steel mill, or a relative or friend working there. The entire courtyard was in an uproar, like boiling water!

"Two...two hundred thousand catties of meat?" The third auntie, Yan Bugui's wife, who was washing vegetables by the sink in the front yard, nearly dropped the cabbage in her hands. Her eyes widened in disbelief. "Old Yan, Old Yan! Come out quickly! Something terrible has happened!"

Yan Bugui, wearing glasses and holding a yellowed book, strolled out of the house: "What's all the fuss about? Is the sky falling?"

"It's more incredible than the sky falling down! Our Wei Chen brought back over 20,000 jin of meat from Inner Mongolia! It's all wild game! The whole factory is buzzing!" The third aunt's voice trembled with excitement.

The book in Yan Bugui's hand fell to the ground with a "thud," and his eyes behind his glasses widened instantly: "How...how much? More than 20,000 jin? Wei Chen? Really?"

His mind raced, calculating: 20,000 jin of meat, at the black market price… Good heavens! He gasped, then felt a surge of immense regret and relief.

He regretted that although he hadn't spoken up for Jia Zhangshi when she spread rumors, he had his doubts. Fortunately, his family and the Wei family had always had a decent relationship and he hadn't offended anyone. Moreover, he had always believed in maintaining good relations with capable people. It seems that this move was the right one!

He immediately began to consider how to take this opportunity to get closer to Wei Chen's family. Maybe... He glanced at the bland corn porridge on the table for dinner and his throat bobbed involuntarily.

The Intermediate People's Court, the Jia family.

As Jia Dongxu entered the house with a gloomy face, before he had even taken off his coat, Jia Zhangshi rushed towards him, covering her face and wailing with snot and tears streaming down her face: "Dongxu! You're finally back! Mom was beaten! This is outrageous! That heartless little beast Wei Chen, he... he dared to hit me! You have to stand up for Mom!"

Qin Huairu held Xiao Dang in her arms, tears streaming down her face, looking as if she had suffered a great injustice.

Upon hearing the name "Wei Chen," Jia Dongxu's brows furrowed. Seeing the clear five-finger mark on his mother's face and her swollen cheek, a surge of anger welled up inside him: "Wei Chen? He's back? He dared to hit you? He's gone too far!" He'd heard in the workshop earlier that day that Wei Chen had returned, brought in a large amount of meat, and made a big splash at the factory! Already feeling jealous, Jia Dongxu was in a bad mood, and hearing that his mother had been bullied made him feel obligated to stand up for her.