Rebirth in a Courtyard: I Am a Little Hunter

After seeing Wei Feng off, Wei Chen didn't go home immediately. He rode his bicycle around the nearby streets. With the Lunar New Year approaching, the streets were a bit busier than usual, but supplies remained scarce. Long queues formed outside the supply and marketing cooperative, people buying limited quantities of New Year's goods with coupons: a few melon seeds, peanuts, pastries, and cheap candies. A subtle atmosphere, a mixture of anticipation and scarcity, permeated the air.

Wei Chen didn't join the queue. He turned into a quiet alley, found a secluded corner, and his consciousness sank into the game world's warehouse.

During this period, he traded pork with Tiger and others at the ghost market. Besides acquiring some valuable antiques and curios, he also obtained a lot of coupons commonly used in that era—grain coupons, meat coupons, cloth coupons, industrial coupons, and so on. These things weren't very useful to him, but they were just enough to supplement his apparent New Year's goods and keep his activities a secret.

Wei Chen carefully sorted through the tickets and coupons in his hand, picked out some that were about to expire, and then rode his bicycle to several small and relatively quiet supply and marketing cooperatives and grocery stores nearby.

He didn't buy a lot from one store, but rather spread it out, using different coupons to buy some melon seeds, peanuts, ordinary fruit candies, a few packs of "economy" brand cigarettes, and a few packets of pastries. These things weren't particularly eye-catching, but in those days, they were enough to make ordinary families envious. By buying small amounts from each store and visiting several places, Wei Chen ended up buying quite a lot of things.

After buying these, he took out some homemade, inconspicuous items from his game world inventory: a small cloth bag of plump peanuts, a small cloth bag of walnuts, several crisp cabbages, a few radishes, and a small jar of peanut oil he had pressed himself. He put these items into the basket next to the back seat of his bicycle.

Sure enough, when Wei Chen rode the fully loaded bicycle back to the entrance of the courtyard at No. 95 Nanluoguxiang, he unexpectedly ran into the "door god" Uncle Yan Bugui once again.

Yan Bugui seemed to be waiting at the gate on purpose today, with his hands behind his back, his body slightly leaning forward, and his eyes scanning everyone entering and leaving the compound like a searchlight, especially those carrying things in their hands.

When Wei Chen and the bicycle that had "returned fully loaded" came into view, Yan Bugui's eyes instantly gleamed with a light comparable to a hungry wolf seeing fat meat, and he involuntarily took two steps forward.

"Wei...Wei Chen is back?" Yan Bugui's voice was a half-tone higher than usual, filled with barely concealed eagerness and ingratiation. "This...this is another trip to buy New Year's goods? Oh my, this is truly...a feast!"

His gaze greedily swept over the snacks and candies in the handlebar basket, then over the plump peanuts and walnuts peeking out of the cloth bag. It lingered for a moment on the fresh cabbage and radishes, before finally fixing on the brown earthenware jar wrapped in old cotton cloth. Based on his years of life experience and his craving for oil, he almost instantly concluded that it probably contained oil! Cooking oil that was even more precious than pork!

His Adam's apple bobbed involuntarily, and he felt a surge of saliva in his mouth. The little oil they had at home was so thin it was practically reflecting off the bottom of the pan; they could only use the tip of chopsticks to dip vegetables in, resulting in bland, watery broth that the children complained about. Even the last bit of oil residue had to be carefully considered when making dumplings for the New Year.

Wei Chen stopped the car, a perfectly timed smile of weariness and satisfaction on his face: "Yes, Uncle San. I went to several places and asked friends for help, and finally managed to scrape together some change. It's the New Year, after all; we can't be too shabby."

As he spoke, he seemingly casually but actually precisely blocked Yan Bugui's view as he tried to get closer to examine the pottery jar. He then grabbed a small handful of peanuts from the cloth bag and shoved them into Yan Bugui's hand without saying a word. "Uncle, try this. It was brought from the countryside. We roasted it ourselves. It's quite fragrant."

The peanuts he picked up were still warm from roasting, exceptionally plump, with thin shells and large kernels. Yan Bugui subconsciously cracked one open, popped the red-skinned peanut kernel into his mouth, and instantly, a rich, pure, and slightly roasted nutty flavor filled his mouth, far superior to the dry, rancid peanuts he occasionally bought from the supply and marketing cooperative!

"Mmm! Delicious! So delicious! It's cooked to perfection!" Yan Bugui exclaimed sincerely, his chewing slowing down as if savoring a delicacy. But the satisfaction was fleeting; his mental calculations were already running high: If the peanuts are this good, what about the oil? What about the meat? Wei Chen, that kid, he's got some serious connections! He brought back so much meat for the factory last time, and this year's New Year's supplies are so complete…

His eyes darted around, and a warmer, even slightly obsequious smile spread across his face. He took a step closer and lowered his voice to an almost whispered murmur: "Wei Chen, Third Uncle... there's something I'm not sure if I should say..."

Wei Chen knew perfectly well what was going on, but a hint of doubt appeared on his face: "Third Uncle, why are you being so polite with me? Just tell me what's on your mind."

Yan Bugui rubbed his hands, looking quite embarrassed yet filled with anticipation: "It's just... it's just that before the New Year, I mentioned it to you... It's the New Year, and everyone in the family, young and old, needs some meat. But you know, the supply is limited, meat coupons are precious, and if you go too late, you won't get any good meat..."

"I was thinking, you...you have connections and know a lot of people, could you...could you help Uncle San find some too? Not much, even just half a pound...no, even just a few ounces of fatty meat would do! Render some oil, make some dumplings, and let the kids have a taste..." He spoke pitifully, his eyes full of hope, but his shrewd peripheral vision kept a close eye on Wei Chen's expression.

Wei Chen listened, a thoughtful expression on his face, and did not immediately agree. He knew that Yan Bugui was bringing up the old issue again, and in a very humble manner. Before the New Year, Yan Bugui had indeed mentioned indirectly that he wanted to exchange some meat, but at the time Wei Chen had brushed it off with excuses such as "the channels are blocked" and "it's not easy to get it." Now it seemed that Yan Bugui, seeing that he had plenty of New Year's goods, was still not giving up and had lowered himself to beg again.

Seeing that Wei Chen remained silent, Yan Bugui's heart skipped a beat, and he quickly added, "Don't worry, Third Uncle won't let you help for nothing! I... I'll exchange it for something! Or use coupons! I still have some industrial coupons here, and a soap coupon that I haven't used yet... Is that alright?" He hurriedly pulled out a small cloth bag from his pocket and was about to open it.

While Uncle San was cunning, he didn't morally blackmail others like Yi Zhonghai. In comparison, Wei Chen actually thought Uncle San was quite alright.

Wei Chen raised his hand in a gesture of restraint, his face showing a hint of embarrassment mixed with understanding and sympathy: "Third Uncle, you're being too polite. We're neighbors, and I'll definitely help if I can. It's just... these days, meat is such a difficult thing to get, as you know. My friends are all taking risks..."

He paused deliberately, noticing the mixture of disappointment and urgency on Yan Bugui's face, before changing the subject with a sigh. "However, since you've asked, Uncle, I can't just leave without helping. Here's what I'll do: I have some dried meat that I brought back from Inner Mongolia last time. It might not taste as good as fresh meat, but it's quite fragrant when stewed until tender, and most importantly, it keeps well. I need to keep some for myself for the New Year... Giving you some wouldn't be a bad idea."

Upon hearing this, Yan Bugui's eyes immediately lit up again, as if a drowning man had grasped at a straw: "Dried meat? That's great! That stuff is good! You can stew it or boil it! Wei Chen, you really... thank you so much!" He was so excited that he was incoherent, but he hadn't forgotten the most crucial question, "Then... how do you think we can exchange it? I have some here..." He reached for the small cloth bag again.

Wei Chen waved his hand, signaling him to calm down. He looked around and, seeing no one at the alley entrance, lowered his voice and said, "Third Uncle, this shouldn't be publicized. Here's what we'll do: tonight, after dark when everyone in the courtyard is asleep, you can come over quietly. I'll prepare the things; you can give me whatever you think is appropriate. The main thing is to keep it a secret, otherwise everyone will come looking for me, and I won't be able to explain it." His words were reasonable; he agreed to help, pointed out the risks, and implied that this special treatment was given because Yan Bugui was "sensible."

Yan Bugui nodded repeatedly, like a chicken pecking at rice: "I understand! I understand! Wei Chen, don't worry, Third Uncle isn't the kind of person who doesn't know what's important! Tonight, I'll definitely go over quietly tonight! I won't let anyone see me!"

He patted his chest confidently, his heart already pounding with joy. Dried meat! That's still meat! And it's from Inner Mongolia, it sounds so rare! As for what to exchange it for… he touched the small cloth bag in his arms, his mind already racing, trying to figure out what would satisfy Wei Chen without making him feel too bad.

"Alright, Uncle, it's settled then. I'll go home first; I still need to pack my things." Wei Chen said, pushing his cart into the yard.

"Hey! Alright! Alright! Go back and rest! You've been running around all day!" Yan Bugui obsequiously stepped aside and watched Wei Chen push the "treasure cart" into the courtyard. Only after the gate of the east wing closed did he turn his gaze away, let out a long sigh of relief, and reveal an uncontrollable joy on his face.

There's hope! We'll have meat for the New Year! He could almost smell the aroma of stewed meat and see the children's happy faces. But then, he started to worry about the "price" he was about to pay, his brow furrowing slightly as he pondered what he could bring to exchange for that night to be the most "cost-effective."

Wei Chen pushed the cart into the east courtyard, unloading the New Year's goods one by one and carrying them into the house. Wang Xiulan was busy by the stove in the main room. A large earthenware basin, covered with a thick cotton quilt, contained dough that was fermenting, to be used to steam buns tomorrow. Seeing that her son had brought back so many things again, she wiped her hands and came over to help put them away.

"You bought all this again? Sunflower seeds, peanuts, and candy—just enough for the occasion, don't waste money." Wang Xiulan muttered habitually, but looking at the fresh vegetables and plump nuts, she couldn't help but smile. Life is really good now. In previous years, she had to think twice before buying these snacks for the New Year.

"It didn't cost much, some of the tickets are about to expire. The peanuts and walnuts were a gift from a friend, they're not worth much." Wei Chen put the things away. "Mom, Yan Bugui might be coming tonight."