Rebirth in a Courtyard: I Am a Little Hunter

"Keep your voice down." Wang Xiulan quickly pulled her daughter back, her heart pounding. She felt a mix of elation at seeing so many wonderful things and nervousness at the thought of being discovered.

These days, if a family suddenly had so much meat and oil, it would be a huge deal! "Chen'er, this...this is too conspicuous! What if..."

"Mom, don't worry," Wei Chen said calmly, his eyes clear. "Just tell everyone it's meat we got from Inner Mongolia a few days ago, which we traded with a good friend, or that it was an extra bonus from the factory. Anyway, it has a provenance. As for the oil, just say it's homemade oil that someone brought from the countryside. We'll keep it to ourselves and not make a fuss. It's almost Chinese New Year, so we need to keep the festive atmosphere at home."

Looking into her son's calm eyes, Wang Xiulan's panicked heart gradually calmed down. Yes, her son was capable; he could get these things, which meant he had connections and influence outside. As his mother, she should be happy.

She nodded vigorously and began carefully sorting the meat: "This piece with thick fat will be used to render lard; the cracklings will make delicious steamed buns. This piece of pork belly will be used for dumplings during the New Year, and we can also chop some for stir-fries. The beef... can be stewed with potatoes, or made into braised beef. This oil... we have to use it sparingly..." She was already planning how to maximize the use of these precious ingredients.

In the following days, some more "rare items" appeared in the east courtyard. Several large, red apples with smooth, waxy skin, and several bright yellow oranges that emitted a sweet fragrance.

When these things appeared, not only the children, but even Wang Xiulan couldn't take her eyes off them. These days, finding a frozen pear in the northern winter is considered a luxury; such juicy and fresh apples and oranges are practically legendary.

That afternoon, Wei Ran was playing hopscotch in the east courtyard with her two friends—her godparents, Xiao Cao and Xiao Shi Tou. The three children's faces were red from the cold, but they were sweating profusely and laughing heartily.

Wei Chen pushed his bicycle in, smiled when he saw them, parked it, and carried two bags into the house. The children's eyes were all on Wei Chen's bags; they knew that whenever Wei Chen came back with bulging bags, they usually got something good to eat.

As expected, Wei Chen went into the house for a short while and came out with three red apples and three yellow oranges in his hand.

"Here you go, Ranran, Xiaocao, Shitou, take this." Wei Chen walked over and distributed the fruit to the three children.

The three children froze instantly, their eyes wide as they stared at the bright red, fragrant fruit in their hands, as if they were holding some fragile treasure, too afraid to move.

"Brother...this...this is too precious, I...I can't accept it..." Xiaocao was the first to react, as if she had been burned, she tried to stuff the apple and orange back to Wei Chen, but her little hands were tightly clenched, unwilling to let go.

She remembered that last year during the Spring Festival, her uncle came to pay his respects and brought a wrinkled apple. Her mother cut it into thin slices, and the whole family shared it. She remembered that little bit of sweetness for a long, long time.

Little Stone swallowed hard, shaking his head like a rattle: "Brother Wei Chen, you...you and Sister Ranran eat it, I...I don't want to..." He said that, but his eyes were fixed on the round orange.

Only Wei Ran happily accepted her share, brought it to her nose, and took a deep breath of the refreshing orange scent, her eyes crinkling with joy: "Thank you, brother! It smells so good!"

Wei Chen squatted down, gently but firmly pushing back the grass and pebbles that were trying to pull their hands away, and patted their little heads: "These are for you, they're for you to eat. But remember to wash them clean before you eat them. The apples are crisp and sweet, the oranges are sweet and sour, try them and see which one you like."

Xiaocao and Shitou held the fruit, their faces a mixture of surprise, fear, and a touch of bewildered happiness. Xiaocao hesitated for a moment, her eyes suddenly reddening, and she murmured softly, "Brother Weichen... I... can I take it home for my mom and brother to try? They've only had apples once, during Chinese New Year..." Shitou nodded immediately, gazing at Weichen expectantly.

Children from poor families always think of their families first.

Wei Chen's heart softened. One of the children was so sensible it was heartbreaking, and the other was honest and simple. As if by magic, he produced two small net bags lined with old newspapers from behind him. Each net bag contained four apples and four oranges.

"Here, this is for your little grass. And this is for your little stone. When you're done playing, take them home and say they're from Brother Wei Chen. It's New Year's, so bring some sweetness to your family."

"Really?!" The two children's eyes lit up instantly as they stared incredulously at the neatly arranged, red and yellow fruits in the net bag.

Four apples! Four oranges! To them, this was an astronomical fortune! Little Grass hugged the net tightly, tears finally falling, not from sadness, but from the overwhelming joy and gratitude that surged through her young heart. "Thank you... thank you, Brother Wei Chen! My... my brother must be so happy!" she choked out.

Little Stone grinned, revealing a toothless smile, and awkwardly bowed, saying, "Thank you, Brother Wei Chen! Thank you! I'll take it back to show my grandma!"

The two children had gotten used to Wei Chen frequently feeding them. They used to refuse to take things, but in the end, Wei Chen would still have to deliver them! Later, the two children understood that their godmother and brother Wei Chen were genuinely good to them, so they would usually accept things from Wei Chen to save him the trouble of making another trip!

The two children are very well-behaved and know how to be grateful. They take good care of Wei Ran, both at home and at school! Whenever they have free time, they go to Wei Chen's house to do whatever chores they can. For example, the two children practically take over cleaning Wei Chen's yard, not even Wang Xiulan has a chance to lift a finger; they take turns cleaning it spotless every day! Wei Chen has spoken to Wang Xiulan about it a few times, but the two children insist, so Wei Chen hasn't said anything. He can only save some of the good food for them!

"Alright, no need to thank me. Go wash up and eat with Ranran." Wei Chen smiled, stood up, patted their shoulders, and turned to go back into the house. Some kindness doesn't need many words.

Soon, the sound of children's barely suppressed cheers and the careful chewing sounds drifted in from outside the window, along with their hushed but excited conversations: "So sweet! So juicy!" "I've never eaten such a sweet apple!" "The orange is a little sour, but it's delicious!" "This big piece is for you, Sister Grass." "Brother Stone, you have some too!"

Wang Xiulan stood by the window inside the house, lifting a corner of the curtain to look at the three children sharing simple joys in the yard, and at her son's tall, straight back as he walked into the house. A peaceful and contented smile appeared on her face.

The children's innocent smiles, her son's ability to support the family, and their prosperous and worry-free life... Isn't this her greatest hope after all these years of guarding this family?

The aromas of meat and oil wafting from the house, the rare fruit on the table, and the laughter of children outside the window mingled together, creating a warm and fulfilling scene that only appeared in her dreams. The ice that had accumulated in her heart due to years of hardship seemed to be slowly melting.

However, the "abundance" of the east courtyard was like a pebble thrown into a calm pond, inevitably stirring up ripples in the hearts of the other residents of the courtyard at this sensitive time of year.

Envy, jealousy, curiosity, scheming... all sorts of emotions were silently brewing. But having learned from the previous job quota incident, most people only dared to murmur behind people's backs, not daring to easily step forward and test the waters. But there were always some who couldn't resist.

The first one to get restless was naturally the "master of scheming," Uncle Yan Bugui. He had personally witnessed Wei Chen carrying back a bulging sack, and "coincidentally" heard that the children of the Niu and Li families (Xiao Cao and Xiao Shi Tou's families) had received rare fruit from Wei Chen. Immediately, his mind began to rumble with calculations.

That evening, Yan Bugui strolled casually towards the vicinity of the east courtyard, his hands tucked into his sleeves. He happened to see Wei Chen pushing a cart out, seemingly on his way to work.

"Hey, Wei Chen, off to work?" Yan Bugui immediately put on a smile and greeted him.

"Uncle, taking a stroll?" Wei Chen stopped and replied politely.

"Ah, just stretching my muscles." Yan Bugui took two steps closer, his nose subtly sniffing the air, seemingly trying to catch a whiff of meat or oil, but unfortunately, he smelled nothing. He rubbed his hands together, a shrewd and ingratiating smile spreading across his face: "Wei Chen, you've been quite busy lately. Have you almost finished preparing for the New Year? This year, supplies are scarce, and every household is worried."

Wei Chen smiled slightly: "It's alright, the factory gave us some, it's barely enough."

"The factory gave out some money?" Yan Bugui's eyes lit up, and he immediately seized the opportunity to exaggerate. "Oh, that's great! Your steel rolling mill is really profitable and has great benefits! Unlike our school, which is so poor. We only get two bath tickets and a pound of fruit candy for the New Year. It's so stingy!"

He first feigned poverty, then changed the subject, "Well... Wei Chen, your third uncle has a favor to ask... You see, this year for the New Year, Jie Cheng and Jie Fang are both grown up, and with so many people in the family, the supplies we have are really not enough. I heard... you know some people with connections, could you... help your third uncle find a little something? Not much, just some fat to render into lard! The price is negotiable, or... or I can exchange it with you using other coupons?" He stared intently at Wei Chen, his eyes filled with hope.

Wei Chen understood immediately; Yan Bugui was trying to take advantage of him again. His smile remained unchanged, but his tone carried just the right amount of regret: "Third Uncle, what are you saying? If I had connections, would I not help you? Last time, it was just a coincidence; I got the last bit of stock my friend had in exchange."

"Things are tight right now, there's a shortage of pigeons at the market, and the prices are outrageously high. I'm really worried about that; the little meat we have at home is barely enough to make a meal of dumplings." He spoke so tactfully, denying that he had any "connections," implying that his family wasn't well-off, and pointing out the high prices and risks at the pigeon market, completely dashing Yan Bugui's hopes.

Yan Bugui's smile froze. He sensed Wei Chen's reluctance and cursed the sly little devil inwardly, but he still had to maintain a facade: "Ah... is that so? Well... never mind then, I'll think of another way. Sigh, these days, celebrating the New Year is tough... But you can't forget what you promised Third Uncle!" He then rambled on about the poor harvest for a few more minutes, and couldn't help but remind him that Wei Chen had promised to share some wild game with him.

"As long as Third Uncle doesn't make it public knowledge, I definitely won't forget it! But Third Uncle, you know I hate trouble. If others find out, I won't admit it!" Wei Chen emphasized again.

"Of course, of course..." the third uncle chuckled.