Rebirth in a Courtyard: I Am a Little Hunter

His Adam's apple bobbed almost imperceptibly, but his face remained expressionless as he simply nodded. "Thank you for your thoughtfulness." He picked up the piece of meat and weighed it in his hand, then squeezed the bag of flour. A faint hint of satisfaction seemed to flicker across his thin face. "Work and housing settled?"

"Yes, everything's taken care of. I'm a purchasing agent at the steel mill, a level nine clerk. The house is a small courtyard, and they're having someone tidy it up." Wei Chen replied simply.

"Mm." Zhao Gensheng uttered a single, simple word, but a hint of relief flashed deep in his eyes. He didn't ask any more questions, pointing to a rock beside him. "Sit down. We'll have lunch here; I just stewed some wolf meat."

As he spoke, he got up and walked to a simple earthen stove supported by three stones, and lifted the lid of a blackened iron pot placed on top of it.

Suddenly, a strange aroma, a mixture of strong meaty fragrance, wild odor, and some kind of spicy seasoning (like wild Sichuan peppercorns unique to the mountains), wafted over. Large chunks of dark brown wolf meat were bubbling in the pot, the broth thick and simmering.

The master and apprentice sat around a simple stone "dining table." Zhao Gensheng used a chipped iron ladle to serve Wei Chen and himself a large bowl of stewed wolf meat with broth, and then broke off two hard coarse grain cakes and handed them to him.

Wolf meat has coarse fibers and an indescribable earthy and wild smell, far less tender and delicious than domestic pork. However, when stewed until extremely tender and flavorful with the help of spicy seasonings, it develops a unique, rugged taste. Wei Chen ate heartily, savoring the enjoyment the food brought him.

There wasn't much conversation during the meal. Zhao Gensheng would ask a few questions about things in the city, and Wei Chen would give brief answers. Silence was the most common form of communication between the master and apprentice, but it wasn't awkward at all; instead, it conveyed a tacit understanding that didn't need to be spoken.

After finishing his meal, Zhao Gensheng casually wiped his mouth with his hands, which were big enough to tear tigers and leopards apart, got up and walked to the pile of processed wolf pelts, bending down to pick through them.

His rough fingers ran over the tanned, tough, and slightly cool hides, finally selecting two of the finest wolf pelts, which had the shiniest fur, the thickest hides, and were almost undamaged.

One of the photos shows several deep and sharp claw marks near the hind legs, clearly evidence of the fierce battles this wolf experienced before its death.

"Take this." Zhao Gensheng rolled up two heavy wolf pelts, which smelled of saltpeter and wild beasts, and stuffed them into Wei Chen's arms without saying a word. "Go back and have your mother make you a fur coat and trousers. The wind is strong in the mountains, and it's bone-chilling in the city in winter. These pelts are well-tanned and will keep out the wind." His tone remained calm, as if he were instructing someone on the most ordinary little matter.

Wei Chen hugged the wolf pelt, still warm from his master's body and smelling of tanning, a warm current flowing from his palms to his heart. This was more than just warm clothing; it was his master's silent yet profound concern. He nodded vigorously, "Thank you, Master!"

"Go on." Zhao Gensheng waved his hand, sat back down beside the boulder, and picked up his skinning knife again, as if nothing had happened. The scraping sound of skinning began again, monotonous and lingering in the silent mountain forest.

Wei Chen carefully placed the wolf pelt into his basket and turned to descend the mountain. The setting sun cast a long shadow of him along the mountain path. He looked back and saw his master's hunched yet rock-solid figure, silhouetted against the twilight and pine forest, seemingly blending into the vast, ancient mountains.

Inside the basket, the tough feel of the wolf skin seeped through the fabric, mingled with the increasingly strong aroma of cooking smoke drifting from the village below. It was heavy, yet it gave him a strange sense of peace.

The mountain wind swept through the treetops, whistling as if whispering ancient secrets of the forest, or playing a desolate and unknown prelude to the coming changes of the times.

As the setting sun casts its golden rays, it paints the earthen walls and thatched roofs of Baoyuquan Village with a warm orange hue. Smoke, thick or thin, rises from the chimneys of every household, mingling with the acrid smell of burning firewood and the simple aroma of steaming grains, creating a tranquil scene unique to the countryside at dusk.

When Wei Chen returned to his courtyard with a shovel on his back, bathed in the last rays of the setting sun, this was the scene he saw.

The mother, Wang Xiulan, was hunched over, busy at the sturdy clothesline in the middle of the yard. She carried a thick cotton quilt out of the house; the quilt cover was old cotton cloth that had been washed until it was faded and printed with faded red double happiness symbols.

She carefully spread the quilt out on the line, and with her calloused hands, her knuckles slightly deformed from years of labor, she meticulously patted the edges of the quilt, one stroke at a time. The cotton fluffed up as she patted it, and tiny dust particles danced in the slanting sunlight.

Each pat was imbued with an almost devout focus, as if she wanted to slap away all the accumulated cold and dampness, along with her worries about her son's departure. Sweat dampened her graying temples and clung to her slightly wrinkled skin.

Her younger sister, Wei Ran, was helping out, struggling to carry a pillowcase that was bigger than her. She stood on tiptoe, trying to hang the pillowcase on another, slightly higher rope, her face flushed red. Seeing her brother return, she immediately beamed and called out in a clear voice, "Brother! You're back! Is the ditch finished?"

"It's dug up, the water can flow freely now." Wei Chen leaned the shovel against the earthen wall, walked over, and naturally took the pillowcase from his sister's hand, easily hanging it on the rope hook. He reached out and ruffled his sister's dry but energetic little head: "Have you almost finished your summer homework? School's starting soon, right?"

"Yes! Almost there!" Wei Ran nodded vigorously, her eyes sparkling.

Wang Xiulan finished patting the ditch one last time, straightened up, wiped the sweat from her forehead with the back of her hand, looked at her son, and smiled with a tired but satisfied expression: "You're back? I'm relieved to see the ditch is done. Last year, during that heavy rain, the water in the backyard almost flooded the house. There wasn't much work to do in the team today, so I took a day off to tidy up for you."

She pointed to the cotton quilts and mattresses that had just been hung on the rope, and the sheets and blankets that had been taken down and were soaking in a basin next to them. "The city is different from our countryside. The quilts and blankets need to be thicker. This cotton is all from last year's new filling, it's warm! It's fine in the summer, but it's better to have thicker ones in the winter."

Looking at his mother's temples soaked with sweat and her hands, with their knuckles large and skin cracked from years of washing clothes in cold water, a bittersweet feeling welled up in Wei Chen's heart.

He swallowed hard, suppressed his emotions, walked over, picked up a ladle and scooped half a ladle of cool well water from the water vat, handing it to his mother: "Mother, rest for a while, have some water."

Wang Xiulan took the water ladle, gulped down a few mouthfuls, and let out a long sigh. Wei Chen helped her sit on a small stool in the yard, and then moved a stool over to sit beside her. Wei Ran obediently sat on a small stool at her mother's feet, picked up a palm-leaf fan, and gently fanned her mother.

"Mother," Wei Chen said carefully, looking at his younger sister's somewhat frail figure nestled on their mother's lap, "I think Ranran is getting older. The conditions at the commune primary school... are ultimately a bit lacking. The teachers and books are inadequate. I've inquired around in the place I've settled in Beijing, and there's a pretty good primary school nearby. The third uncle in our courtyard teaches there, and it's only a ten-minute walk away. The teaching quality is definitely a hundred times better than our commune's."

He paused, observing his mother's expression. "This semester is a bit rushed; we don't have time for the paperwork. I was thinking, after the New Year, once spring arrives, we can transfer Ranran to a school in the city. What do you think...?"

Upon hearing this, Wang Xiulan stopped stroking her daughter's hair. She looked at her son, then down at her little daughter nestled against her, her eyes filled with complex emotions.

As a rural woman, she deeply understood the importance of knowledge and how difficult it was for her son to establish himself in the city. The temptation to send her daughter to the city for a better education was too great.

But the thought of her daughter leaving her side for that unfamiliar and "strict" place filled her with a deep sense of reluctance and worry. She remained silent for a while, her gaze shifting between her son's earnest eyes and her daughter's innocent yet longing little face.

Finally, Wang Xiulan sighed deeply, a sigh filled with a mother's unique mix of heartache and the helplessness of having to let go: "...Alright. You've thought it through. For Ranran's future... she should go to a better place to study." She hugged her daughter tightly, "It's just... she's so young, going alone, it breaks my heart..." Her voice choked with emotion.

"Mom, what are you thinking!" Wei Chen immediately replied, his tone firm and unwavering. "Ranran is going, how can you not go? You can come and live in the city with her! The house is all set up, big enough for her! You can cook and do laundry for Ranran, and take her to and from school, isn't that perfect? ​​I'm busy with work, and the family can't be without someone to take charge."

Wang Xiulan opened her mouth, as if she wanted to say something. Wei Chen didn't give her a chance to refuse, quickly changing the subject: "It's settled then! I'll come back to pick you and the baby after the New Year!"

He stood up, brushed the dust off his pants, and said, "By the way, Mom, I have to leave tomorrow afternoon. I'll be reporting to the factory on Monday to officially start work. The house in the city is under construction, and I need to go check on the progress beforehand and give the foremen some final instructions."

"Leaving tomorrow?" Wang Xiulan's attention was indeed diverted, and a deep reluctance immediately appeared on her face. "So soon? The bedding hasn't even been properly dried yet..." She subconsciously reached out and touched the cotton quilt on the rope, as if trying to speed up the process of sunlight penetration.

"It's alright, Mom, a day in the sun should be enough," Wei Chen reassured her. "You can buy anything in the city, don't worry."

The next day at noon, a more lavish meal than usual was laid out on the small square table. There was a plate of bright yellow scrambled eggs, a plate of finely chopped pickled mustard tubers made from their own pickled vegetables, and a small bowl of pork cracklings that Wei Chen had brought back the day before, all mixed into the corn porridge, emitting a wonderful aroma.

Wang Xiulan kept putting food on her son's plate, nagging him about how to stay warm in the city, how to work hard, and how to get along well with his colleagues. Wei Ran also thoughtfully transferred some of the fried pork cracklings from her bowl to her brother, whispering, "Brother, eat more, you'll have strength."