Rebirth in a Courtyard: I Am a Little Hunter

After the meal, Wang Xiulan carefully pulled out a small cloth bag wrapped in layers of handkerchiefs from under the mat on the kang (heated brick bed) in the inner room. She walked to her son, peeled back the handkerchiefs layer by layer, revealing neatly stacked piles of banknotes inside.

There are both whole and small denominations, mostly old versions of the second set of RMB banknotes. The largest denomination is a stack of "Big Black Ten" notes, as well as the eye-catching five-yuan "Yellow Five" notes, and a lot of one-yuan red notes, jiao notes, and fen notes, all stacked together in a thick stack.

"Chen'er, take this." Wang Xiulan stuffed the cloth bag into Wei Chen's hand. The bag was heavy, carrying the warmth of the kang mat and the sweat from her mother's palm.

"Here's three hundred yuan. It's the compensation your father received from the organization when he passed away, and it's what your mother saved up little by little over the years. You can use it to build a house. Living expenses are high in the city, and building a house is especially expensive. You've just started working, so you're short on money..."

Wei Chen felt the cloth bag in his hand was incredibly hot, as if it weighed a ton. Three hundred yuan! In an era when the average worker's monthly salary was only twenty or thirty yuan, this was an absolute fortune!

It embodies the compensation that the father paid with his life, and is also soaked in the countless days and nights that the mother saved by scrimping and saving, mending and patching!

His nose suddenly stung, and his eyes welled up with tears. Without thinking, he tried to push the money back: "Mother! I can't take this money! Keep it! I have enough money to build a house! Really!"

"Take it!" Wang Xiulan's voice suddenly rose, carrying an unquestionable sternness, but her eyes instantly reddened, and a layer of moisture quickly filled her eyes. "Do you think this money is too little... or do you think I don't need it? I have work points and food rations in this village, what do I need so much money for?"

"You're in the city... you don't know anyone here, and you'll need money everywhere! Building a house is a big deal, and I can't help you with anything else... I'll only feel at ease if you take this money!" Her voice trembled, and tears were about to spill from her eyes.

Wei Chen's heart felt like it was being gripped tightly by an invisible hand, aching and sore. Seeing his mother struggling to hold back her tears, he dared not refuse any longer. He quickly clutched the cloth bundle tightly in his hand, his throat tightening: "Mother, please don't... I'll take it! I'll take it! Don't worry, I will definitely build a sturdy and bright house! We'll wait for you and Ranran to come and live here!"

Wang Xiulan sniffed, barely suppressing her tears, turned around, and discreetly picked up a cloth bag containing two boiled eggs from the table, stuffing it into Wei Chen's coarse cloth bundle filled with bedding: "Have something to eat on the way... if you get hungry."

In the afternoon, the sun was blazing. Wei Chen pushed his bicycle, carrying a bundle filled with his mother's heavy love and instructions, and said goodbye to his mother and sister at the village entrance.

Wang Xiulan stood under the old locust tree at the entrance of the village, waving her hand vigorously until her son's figure disappeared at the end of the winding dirt road, becoming a small black dot that could no longer be seen.

Wei Ran chased after her until she reached the bend in the path, where her mother called her back. Her small figure stood there motionless for a long time.

Leaving the village out of sight and stepping onto a side path leading into the deep mountains, you are immediately surrounded by dense forests and rugged rocks.

With a slight thought, Wei Chen's bicycle and the heavy bag on his shoulder vanished instantly, stored in the magical backpack within the game space. He let out a long sigh of relief, as if an invisible burden had been lifted, but the lingering warmth and bittersweet feeling in his heart lingered for a long time.

He needs to do something, he needs a stronger sense of power to dilute the sorrow of parting, and he needs to accumulate more confidence for the possibly difficult years to come.

Their objective was clear—prey! Especially wild boar!

Although the chickens, ducks, geese, pigs, cattle, and sheep in the space were constantly arriving, their status as "domesticated livestock" was the biggest flaw. He couldn't explain the source of these non-wild meats, and therefore couldn't openly sell them to the steel mill for the much-needed cash.

He was still short of money for building the house. He needed to sell more steel to the rolling mill for subsequent carpentry and decoration work. Wei Chen wanted to make sure he got the money. That three hundred yuan was his mother's hard-earned money, and it was also a huge weight on his heart. He had to hunt more wild animals, and he needed to find legal and explainable ways to make money for building the house.

Wei Chen took a deep breath of the crisp mountain air, temporarily suppressing his sorrow. His eyes flashed like lightning as he scanned his surroundings, and he channeled the true essence of the "Nine Heavens Sun-Shooting Technique" into his legs, causing his body to accelerate suddenly!

Like an arrow released from a bow, he sped along the rugged mountain path, stirring up a gust of wind and swirling up a few withered leaves. Towering ancient trees rushed past on either side of him, and the loose stones and dry branches under his feet crackled and sputtered, startling a few wild birds foraging in the forest.

This time, his goal was clear: he wouldn't linger on those ordinary pheasants and rabbits. In the space, these two "monsters" already exceeded their 999+ limit, and were still being replenished daily.

These small game animals should be left to the villagers nearby who need to rely on wild game for a treat or to exchange for oil and salt.

He concentrated his mind, channeling his inner energy into his ears. He climbed the steep ridge, plunged into the dark valley, and waded through the icy, bone-chilling stream.

My keen senses were heightened to the extreme. I could hear the rustling of the wind and smell the complex odors in the air—the earthy smell of decaying leaves, the fragrance of wildflowers, the stench of animal droppings… but I couldn’t find that familiar, strong, fishy smell that belonged to the wild boar herd.

Time passed in focused searching. The sun gradually slanted westward, and golden sunlight filtered through layers of branches and leaves, casting dappled light on the ground. The forest began to be enveloped in a tranquil twilight.

Just as Wei Chen was about to give up on today's hunt and consider coming back another day, a very faint but rhythmic rustling sound reached his ears.

He immediately held his breath, and like a rock blending into its surroundings, silently crept towards the source of the sound. After rounding a massive rock covered in vines, a breathtaking view suddenly opened up before him.

This is a clearing in the woods surrounded by tall trees, with lush green grass and a clear stream flowing gently by. By the stream, a herd of deer is leisurely drinking water and grazing on tender grass leaves.

The herd of deer was quite large, numbering about twenty. Several graceful male deer with forked antlers stood warily on the perimeter, occasionally turning their long necks, pricking up their ears, and flaring their moist nostrils.

The doe and several half-grown fawns frolicked relatively relaxed by the stream. The afterglow of the setting sun shone on their smooth, glossy fur, gilding their dark brown bodies with a pale gold, creating a tranquil yet vibrant natural scene.

Wei Chen's sharp gaze swept over the deer herd. Wild boar was delicious, but deer was also an extremely valuable source of meat! Deer meat was lean and flavorful, and it was a hot commodity in the city, commanding a high price.

Deer hides and antlers are also good things. He quickly calculated in his mind, his eyes locking onto his targets—those robust, prime-age male deer and several equally plump female deer.

Like the most skilled hunter, he silently approached within range, using the shadows of bushes and rocks. The homemade hard bow was slowly drawn back, the sturdy bowstring creaking slightly under the immense tension.

A specially made, sharpened, three-edged iron-tipped arrow was steadily nocked on the bowstring. The bow was taut, the arrow swift as a shooting star!

"Whoosh—Pfft!" "Whoosh—Pfft!" ...

Wei Chen's firing rate was astonishing. Each draw of the bow was accompanied by a fluid, rhythmic flow, and each release of the string was followed by a short, sharp whistling sound as the arrow pierced the air and the dull thud of the arrow sinking deep into flesh. His movements were precise, calm, and even ruthlessly efficient.

A robust stag, head bowed to drink, collapsed instantly as an iron arrow pierced its neck with pinpoint accuracy; a doe, grazing, bucked as an arrow sank deep into its heart; another stag, startled and attempting to leap, was struck from the side by an arrow that pierced its chest just as it took flight…

After a brief moment of deathly silence, the deer herd erupted in terrified screams, instantly creating chaos! The fawns, led by their mothers, fled in panic, while the other deer scattered in all directions.

Wei Chen didn't stop; his arrows calmly followed the adult, robust figures. Each draw of the bow was accompanied by the loss of a life. Only when the twelfth arrow, whistling through the air, pinned a doe trying to rush into the dense forest to the ground, causing it to struggle a few times before becoming still, did he slowly lower his bow.

The forest clearing returned to silence, with only the stream still flowing gently, as if nothing had happened. The crimson glow of the setting sun illuminated the twelve deer carcasses lying on the grass, and a strong stench of blood began to permeate the air, mingling with the fresh scent of grass and stream water to create a chilling contrast.

Wei Chen walked forward expressionlessly, his mind sweeping over the twelve still-warm adult deer carcasses, storing them one by one into his spatial backpack. He didn't touch the fawns or smaller deer that had fled into the dense forest in panic. As long as the green hills remain, there's always hope.

As darkness completely enveloped the sky, the deep indigo swallowed the last glimmer of light, shrouding the mountains and forests in profound darkness. The cooing of owls and the chirping of unknown insects rose and fell. Confirming there was no further danger, Wei Chen, with a thought, vanished from his spot and entered the brightly lit game world that was his alone.

Today, all the "monsters" in the space have been refreshed. Wei Chen's gaze swept over the backpack list, and the icons of the pheasants, rabbits, and wild dogs that had already reached the 999 limit were still lit up, indicating that the quantity was full.

Lin Yutao hunted down all the newly spawned animals today, and sold all the ones that had reached the one-slot limit in his inventory.

"Ding! Sold 'Chicken, Duck, and Goose', earned 100 copper coins!"

The mountain of redundant "monsters" in my backpack was instantly cleared, replaced by numbers flashing in the system's copper coin bar. The space suddenly felt much cleaner.

After finishing these tasks, Wei Chen's gaze fell upon the shimmering pond. Fishing! He hadn't really made good use of this life skill since it was unlocked.

He walked to the edge of the pond, and a simple yet sturdy bamboo fishing rod appeared out of thin air in his hand. He baited the hook with a lure (also a type of bait that emitted a faint glow, automatically provided by the space), flicked his wrist, and the fishing line drew a graceful arc, silently sinking into the clear pond water with the hook.