Rebirth in a Courtyard: I Am a Little Hunter

Wang Xiulan paused, "Third Uncle? What's he doing here? Is it for the meat again?" She still vividly remembered the last time Yan Bugui probed about job openings and New Year's goods.

"Hmm, I still want to change the meat. I promised him I'd give him some dried meat tonight." Wei Chen said calmly.

"Given away for free?" Wang Xiulan frowned slightly. Although she was grateful that Yan Bugui hadn't joined in on some minor matters, she also knew that this man wouldn't act without personal gain.

"We can't just give it away for free." Wei Chen smiled. "Let's trade. He'll give us something, and I'll give him some meat. It's a fair trade, and neither of us owes the other anything. This guy is calculating, but he still has some principles. He didn't go along with Yi Zhonghai and the Jia family to cause trouble. Let's give him a little something to shut him up and stop him from keeping an eye on us. A little meat will give us some peace and quiet, and hopefully he'll have something to say in the courtyard later."

Wang Xiulan listened and felt that her son had considered things thoroughly, so she nodded: "It's good that you know what's going on. Just be careful not to give anyone any reason to say anything."

"Yes, I know. It's dark at night, so he can come and go secretly without anyone seeing him. Besides, it's just bartering in private; as long as it's not reselling, there shouldn't be a problem," Wei Chen reassured his mother.

In those days, resources were extremely scarce, and it was common and to some extent tacitly accepted for neighbors to exchange items to balance the surplus and shortage. As long as it was not publicized and did not involve large-scale speculation of goods or money, no one would usually investigate it.

After dinner, it was completely dark. The courtyard was quiet, with only a few windows still glowing with the dim light of kerosene lamps. Most families had already turned off their lights and gone to bed to save oil, or had gone to bed early to keep warm. The biting wind howled through the alley, further emphasizing the silence of the courtyard.

Judging that it was about time, Wei Chen sat under the kerosene lamp in the main room, holding a book in his hand, but he didn't really read it, listening attentively to the sounds outside. Sure enough, not long after, there was a very light and rhythmic knock on the courtyard gate: three knocks, a pause, then two more.

Wei Chen stood up, walked to the courtyard gate, and asked in a low voice, "Who is it?"

"It's me, Lao Yan." Yan Bugui's voice came from outside the door, low and somewhat tense.

Wei Chen opened the door, and a dark figure quickly slipped in—it was Yan Bugui. He was wrapped in a worn-out cotton overcoat, wearing a hat, and his scarf covered the lower half of his face completely, revealing only a pair of eyes that gleamed in the darkness. His chest was bulging, as if he were carrying something.

"Come in quickly, Third Uncle." Wei Chen stepped aside to let him in and quickly closed the courtyard gate.

Once inside the main room, in the dim light, Yan Bugui relaxed slightly, taking off his scarf to reveal his face, which was red from the cold. He first looked around warily, then his gaze was immediately drawn to an oil paper package on the table. The oil paper package wasn't large, probably only about a pound, but it was bulging.

"Wei Chen, thank you for your trouble." Yan Bugui rubbed his frozen hands, forced a smile, but couldn't help glancing at the oil paper package.

"Sit down, Uncle, and have some hot water." Wei Chen poured him a cup of hot water, then walked to the table, picked up the oil paper package, untied the hemp rope, and unfolded the oil paper layer by layer.

As the oil paper was peeled off, a rich aroma of dried meat, with its unique, air-dried scent, wafted out. Under the light, a dark red piece of dried meat was revealed, with clear muscle and tendon textures and a slight sheen of oil on its surface. The meat looked very firm, with a good balance of lean and fat. Although it only weighed about a pound, it was considered a substantial and substantial serving these days.

Yan Bugui stared intently at the piece of meat, his Adam's apple bobbing violently, his breathing becoming heavy. It really was meat! Air-dried meat! It looked to be of excellent quality! He could almost see the meat stewing in the pot, filling the house with its aroma, and the family sitting around sharing it.

"This is wild donkey meat I brought back from Inner Mongolia last time. It's thoroughly air-dried and well-preserved. It's good for stewing or braising, but it needs to be stewed for a long time," Wei Chen explained, pointing to the meat. "It might have a slightly gamey taste, but it's especially fragrant and chewy when stewed until tender."

"Good! Good! Looks good!" Yan Bugui exclaimed repeatedly, reaching out to carefully touch the dried meat. It was firm to the touch, yet it had a good elasticity inside, confirming that it was indeed top-quality dried meat.

He looked up at Wei Chen, his face showing a mixture of gratitude and trepidation: "Wei Chen, this meat...this meat is really too good! Third Uncle...Third Uncle really doesn't know how to thank you! Tell me, what...what would be suitable to exchange it for?" As he spoke, he hurriedly pulled out the small cloth bag that he had carefully carried all night from his bosom and opened it layer by layer.

The bag contained not much, but it was the most substantial "bargaining chip" Yan Bugui could offer: two nearly new industrial coupons (which could be used to buy scarce industrial products such as thermos flasks and washbasins), an unused soap coupon, several loose grain coupons with small denominations, and a small roll of crumpled bills, totaling about a dollar.

Yan Bugui laid the items out on the table one by one, his face showing reluctance, yet he forced a show of generosity: "Wei Chen, look at these... is this enough? If not, your Uncle will think of something else..." His heart was actually bleeding; the industrial coupons and soap vouchers were things he had saved for a long time, reluctant to use, but for this piece of meat, he was willing to risk it all! What kind of New Year would it be without meat? When Jie Cheng and Jiefang returned and saw meat on the table, he, as their father, would also have face!

Wei Chen glanced at the items on the table. Industrial coupons and soap coupons were indeed considered hard currency in this era, but they were of little significance to him. Grain coupons and that little bit of money were even more insignificant.

What he valued weren't these things in the first place. What he wanted was Yan Bugui's attitude, a title for "exchange," and some possible "favors" in the hospital in the future.

He hesitated for a moment, then, under Yan Bugui's increasingly tense gaze, slowly spoke, "Third Uncle, you're too kind. This little bit of meat is what I saved from my food rations; I didn't intend to exchange it for anything valuable." He saw a look of joy on Yan Bugui's face, but then changed the subject, "However, since it's an exchange, there should be an explanation. How about this: I'll take these two industrial coupons and soap coupons, and you can take the rest. You can take the meat. We're neighbors; we should share what we have and help each other out."

He only accepted industrial coupons, which both made Yan Bugui pay a "price," showing that it wasn't a free gift, and left room for maneuver, making him appear to value relationships rather than profit. More importantly, the industrial coupons were of little use to him, so accepting them wouldn't give him any psychological burden.

Upon hearing this, Yan Bugui was first stunned, then overjoyed! He had only lost two industrial coupons, but in return, he had obtained a full pound of what appeared to be high-quality dried meat! This was simply one of the most "profitable" deals he had ever made in his life! He had kept both his grain coupons and his money! He was so excited that his hands trembled slightly: "This...this is too much! Wei Chen, you...you are really...so generous!" Afraid that Wei Chen would change his mind, he quickly pushed the industrial coupons over, and then, as if protecting a precious treasure, he quickly rewrapped the meat in oil paper and hugged it tightly to his chest.

"Uncle, please don't say that. It's just a little meat; it's good enough if it helps." Wei Chen put away the industrial coupons, his tone calm. "However, this matter..."

"I understand! I understand!" Yan Bugui immediately chimed in, his voice even lower and his expression serious. "Heaven knows, earth knows, you know, and I know! No third person will ever know! Wei Chen, don't worry, Third Uncle isn't the kind of person who doesn't know what's good for him and can't keep his mouth shut!"

He patted his chest and assured them, but in his heart he was thinking, "This is such a good deal, I can't tell anyone! If others find out, they'll all come to Wei Chen to exchange, and then there won't be any left for me. It might even cause trouble for Wei Chen, and then I won't get any benefit either."

"That's good. It's cold and dark, please walk carefully, Uncle." Wei Chen got up to see the guest out.

Yan Bugui thanked him profusely, carefully tucked the meat into his coat, covered it with his cotton overcoat, and put his scarf back on to cover most of his face, reverting to his sneaky demeanor from when he arrived. He nodded to Wei Chen, quietly opened the door, and slipped out like a shadow, quickly disappearing into the dark night.

After seeing Yan Bugui off, Wei Chen bolted the door and returned inside. Wang Xiulan came out from the inner room, her face showing concern: "Gone? What did you change to?"

"Two industrial coupons. One soap coupon." Wei Chen handed the coupons to his mother. "You got about a pound of dried donkey meat in return."

Wang Xiulan took the industrial coupons and looked at them, then sighed, "This old Yan has really gone all out. He's even willing to take out industrial coupons." She knew how stingy Yan Bugui was.

"He won't feel at ease unless he invests something." Wei Chen smiled. "That's fine too, we're even. He gets the benefits, we get peace and quiet, and we even gain a favor."

Wang Xiulan nodded and said nothing more. Her son was becoming more and more mature and thorough in handling things, which made her feel both gratified and a little bittersweet—her child was being forced to grow up by life.

Meanwhile, Yan Bugui, who had slipped back to the front yard, was still pounding with a mix of nervousness about his "underground transaction" and excitement at his unexpected windfall. He carefully pushed open his front door, slipped inside, and quickly closed and bolted the door shut.

Inside the house, the three aunties and the children who were still awake all looked over. Under the kerosene lamp, Yan Bugui's face was flushed with excitement and cold, but his eyes shone with an astonishing light.

"How's her husband?" the third aunt asked anxiously in a low voice. She knew what her husband had been doing secretly at night.

Yan Jiedi and Yan Jiefang also looked at their father with longing eyes.

Yan Bugui didn't say anything, but mysteriously and with a hint of showing off, he slowly took out the oil paper package from his pocket, placed it on the table, and then opened it layer by layer.