Rebirth in a Courtyard: I Am a Little Hunter

In the afternoon, the stove in the east courtyard was burning brightly.

Instantly, an even richer, more intense aroma of meat mixed with steam exploded through the kitchen, even penetrating the door cracks and reaching the yard more clearly. The children watching exclaimed "Wow!" in unison, craning their necks forward to see what was happening.

The braised pork in the pot had now turned an enticing deep amber color, glistening with oil, trembling slightly, soaking in a thick, oily sauce. The fatty parts were almost translucent, the lean parts were tender and flavorful, and the skin was soft, chewy, and sticky.

With a gentle poke of chopsticks, it could be easily pierced. Wei Chen picked up a piece, blew on it, and carefully took a bite. Instantly, a wonderful taste—sweet and salty, fatty yet not greasy, lean yet not dry, and melting in the mouth—bloomed on his tongue, and the rich aroma of meat and sauce filled his mouth.

"Hmm, the cooking time is just right." Wei Chen nodded in satisfaction and finished the piece of meat. The taste was even better than he had expected. His mother's cooking skills, combined with high-quality ingredients and seasonings, made this pot of braised pork a perfect dish.

"Mom, Ranran, come and try it!" Wei Chen called out.

Wei Ran couldn't wait any longer and immediately came over. Wei Chen picked up a piece of meat with more lean than fat for his mother and a piece with a good mix of lean and fat, with the skin still attached, for his younger sister. The mother and daughter carefully blew on it, put it in their mouths, and chewed it slowly, their faces showing expressions of immense satisfaction and happiness.

"Delicious! Brother, it's so delicious!" Wei Ran's eyes narrowed into crescent moons as she ate, her little mouth glistening with oil.

"Yes, it tastes just like it, even better than in previous years." Wang Xiulan nodded with a smile, looking at the pot of bright red and tempting braised pork, feeling a great sense of accomplishment.

Seeing his mother and sister so happy, Wei Chen felt a warmth in his heart. He picked up a few more pieces of meat, put them in a bowl, let them cool slightly, then took out a small bowl, scooped some thick sauce from the pot, peeled a few cloves of garlic, mashed them into garlic paste, added a little soy sauce and vinegar, and made a simple garlic sauce.

"Those kids outside must be drooling with envy." Wei Chen looked towards the door. Although it was closed, he could imagine the hungry little ones looking on. He wasn't a pushover, but they were all kids from the compound, and seeing their longing eyes during the New Year made him feel a little bad. Besides, a small favor could sometimes resolve a lot of unnecessary trouble and resentment.

He cut about a dozen strips of braised pork, each about the thickness and length of an adult's finger, with alternating layers of fat and lean meat, and a bright red color. He neatly arranged them in a clean white porcelain bowl. Although each strip wasn't much, the dozen or so together weighed about half a pound, which in those days was definitely a considerable favor.

"Chen'er, you..." Wang Xiulan hesitated as she looked at the bowl of meat her son was holding. It wasn't that she was reluctant to part with it, but she was used to being frugal and felt it was unnecessary.

"Mom, just a little bit, let the kids have a taste, and shut some people up," Wei Chen explained. "If we eat it all ourselves, the aroma will fill the yard, which will inevitably arouse jealousy. Sharing a little makes us seem generous, and they won't be able to say anything. We can afford this much meat."

Wang Xiulan thought about it and agreed with her son. A tall tree catches the wind; sharing some of the spoils would save a lot of gossip and trouble. She nodded: "You handle it, but be careful and don't cause any trouble."

"Hmm." Wei Chen carried the bowl of meat, took a few pairs of clean chopsticks, walked to the courtyard gate, and opened the door.

The door creaked open, like a signal, instantly drawing the attention of all the children. Wei Chen emerged carrying a white porcelain bowl piled high with glistening, oily strips of meat; the aroma seemed to materialize, wafting towards them!

The children's eyes lit up instantly, and they instinctively moved forward, but then stopped timidly, staring longingly at Wei Chen and the bowl in his hand, swallowing hard.

Uncle Yan Bugui was also stunned, not expecting Wei Chen to actually bring out the meat. He quickly forced a smile: "Wei Chen, what are you doing...?"

Wei Chen nodded to him, then looked at the group of children with a gentle smile on his face: "Are you all craving it? Line up, go home and get a small bowl or plate, one for each of you, and have a taste."

The children were stunned for a moment, then burst into huge cheers! "Really? Brother Wei Chen?" "We get meat!" "Thank you, Brother Wei Chen!"

The children scattered like birds in an instant, scrambling to get home and their bowls. They were faster than ever before.

Soon, the children ran back, holding all sorts of small bowls and plates, some even with half a cornbread in their hands, and lined up eagerly. Although the line was crooked and uneven, it at least looked organized. Every child's face was filled with anticipation and excitement.

Wei Chen picked up his chopsticks and placed a piece of meat in the first child's small bowl. "Thank you, Brother Wei Chen!" the child said loudly, eagerly grabbing the meat strip with his hands. He first carefully licked the sauce off the meat with his tongue before taking small bites, his face beaming with happiness.

"You're welcome, take your time." Wei Chen smiled and continued serving the next child.

"Thank you, Brother Wei Chen!" "Brother Wei Chen, you're so kind!" The children's voices of thanks made the atmosphere at the courtyard gate lively and warm.

Some adults at home came out when they heard the commotion. Seeing their children receive meat, smiles appeared on their faces. They nodded to Wei Chen from afar or said, "Wei Chen, thank you for your generosity," or "Thank you." Although it was just a small piece of meat, this gesture was especially precious during the Lunar New Year season.

Yan Bugui watched from the side, nodding inwardly. Wei Chen, that kid, knows how to handle things! He's generous without being foolish. Distributing that little bit of meat silenced so many mouths and earned so many favors! He's even more thoughtful than this "Third Uncle."

However, not everyone is satisfied.

Banggeng also ran over with a bowl, but his bowl... was a bit different. It was two large bowls, one stacked on top of the other, clearly the kind of large bowls used for eating at home. He squeezed to the front of the line, staring longingly at the meat bowl in Wei Chen's hand, his mouth practically watering.

Wei Chen glanced at him, said nothing, picked up a piece of meat, and placed it in the large bowl above him.

Banggeng looked at the lone piece of meat in his bowl, then at the other people's small bowls which also had a piece of meat. His eyes darted around, and suddenly he shouted, "Brother Weichen, what about my little sister Xiaodang? She wants some too!"

Wei Chen paused. He knew Jia's little Dang; he was still a baby in his arms, at most a year old, and couldn't possibly eat this kind of braised pork.

A child nearby whispered, "Bang Geng, your little sister is too small to eat meat." "Exactly, she doesn't have any teeth yet!"

Banggeng ignored them, saying matter-of-factly, "My grandma said Xiaodang is also a member of the compound, so she should get a share too! Brother Weichen, give me another one, I'll take it back to my sister!"

Looking at Banggeng's greedy eyes and self-righteous expression, Wei Chen knew perfectly well what was going on. It was definitely Jia Zhangshi instigating this again. He didn't want to argue with a child, but he also didn't want to indulge this kind of unreasonable behavior.

He hesitated for a moment, then, considering he was still a child, picked up another piece of meat and placed it in Banggeng's other empty bowl. His tone was calm but undeniable: "Banggeng, this one is for your sister. Take it back to your mother and have her chop it up or make some soup for Xiaodang. The one for you is yours."

Bang Geng beamed with joy as soon as he got the two pieces of meat, nodding repeatedly, "Mmm! Thank you, Brother Wei Chen!" After saying that, he picked up the bowl, turned around and ran away, afraid that Wei Chen would change his mind.

However, Banggeng didn't run home. Instead, he ran to a secluded corner, looked around, and seeing that no one was paying attention, quickly grabbed the meat strips from the bowl and stuffed both strips into his mouth in no time! He ate very fast, swallowing them whole with almost no chewing, and choked so much that he stretched his neck out.

After finishing his meal, he licked his fingers and the sauce on the rim of his bowl with lingering relish, then ran back to the back of the line, held up his empty bowl, and looked at Wei Chen expectantly: "Brother Wei Chen, I'm done eating, is there any more? Can I have another one?"

This scene was witnessed by many adults and children who hadn't yet dispersed. Wei Chen naturally saw it too, and his expression darkened.

"Bang Geng, as I just said, one for each person. You've already finished, there aren't any left." Wei Chen's voice turned colder.

"I still have my sister's! I ate the one you gave her! You have to give her another one!" Bang Geng argued indignantly, even starting to act like a brat, "I want more! I want more meat! If you don't give me some, I'll... I'll lie on the ground!"

As he spoke, he actually sat down on the ground, pretending to roll over.

Just then, a shrill voice rang out like a broken gong, and Jia Zhangshi rushed out of the house like a gust of wind. Her triangular eyes bulged, and she pointed at Wei Chen and began to curse: "You, Wei Chen! Are you bullying my grandson? Everyone come and see! Wei Chen, a grown man, is bullying our little Banggeng! He only gives us a tiny bit of meat, not even enough to fill a tooth gap! What's wrong with my grandson having a little more? You heartless, selfish bastard! So what if you have a little meat? You're bullying us orphans and widows like this!"

As she cursed, she reached out to grab Banggeng. Seeing his grandmother arrive, Banggeng grew even bolder and actually started rolling around on the ground, crying and shouting, "I want meat! I want braised pork! Grandma, he won't give it to me! Waaah—"

The scene immediately descended into chaos. The other children scurried to the side in fright, while the adults frowned, watching Jia Zhangshi's tantrum.

Wei Chen, holding the bowl with a few pieces of meat left, coldly watched this scene, his heart completely unmoved, even feeling a slight urge to laugh. Sure enough, what was bound to happen had finally arrived.

Qin Huairu also rushed out of the house, her face showing her usual timidity and anxiety. She tried to pull Jia Zhangshi away, saying, "Mom, don't be like this, get up quickly, what kind of behavior is this..." Then she tried to pull Banggeng, saying, "Banggeng, get up quickly, the ground is cold..."

Madam Jia flung Qin Huairu's hand away and began to berate her even more fiercely: "What do you mean, 'what am I'm doing'? My grandson was bullied, and I can't even speak up? Qin Huairu, you useless thing, you watch your own son being bullied and don't dare utter a sound! Wei Chen, if you don't give my grandson some meat today, I'm sitting right here and not leaving! I'll let everyone in the courtyard see how you, the rich and heartless, bully the Jia family!"