Rebirth in a Courtyard: I Am a Little Hunter

Gradually, Li Zhijun no longer regarded Wei Chen merely as a hardworking and quiet young junior, but as a close friend and nephew-like figure with whom he could confide and impart some "survival" or "survival" experience.

When no one was around, he would whisper to Wei Chen: the head of a certain department in the factory and the deputy factory director in charge of logistics are brothers-in-law, so be careful when submitting expense reports; he would also say that the director of a certain workshop may seem cheerful on the surface, but is actually narrow-minded and vengeful, so don't easily offend his subordinates.

When the conversation gets lively, he might even shakily pull out a small cloth bag wrapped in red cloth from the bottom of his locked drawer. Inside are several old photos with worn edges and yellowed colors. Pointing to the faces in the photos, who are just as young but have been frozen in a moment of history, he would tell the stories of his comrades-in-arms that might not even be recorded in the archives, his voice deep and resonant.

Wei Chen, like a sponge absorbing water and a patient jigsaw puzzle player, pieced together, corrected, and perfected his cognitive map of the vast and complex steel rolling mill system little by little through these fragmented, vivid, and even gunpowder-scented and oily pieces of information.

He knows which boundaries can be cautiously tested, which rules must be strictly followed, which people are worth befriending to a limited extent, which things need to be wisely avoided, which conflicts can be cleverly exploited, and which bottom lines must never be crossed.

These insights may not immediately translate into direct power or benefits, but they gave him a greater sense of understanding, composure, and confidence as he walked through this large state-owned factory with thousands of employees and intricate relationships. He gradually realized that to survive and thrive here, ability and diligence alone were not enough; one also needed to understand the "rules," see the "trend," and comprehend "human relationships."

The days, like a never-ending steel rolling mill assembly line, rolled forward steadily and regularly amidst the sweat and shouts on the training ground, the aroma of tea and stories in the equipment depot, and the tacit cooperation with Da Huang during training.

Wei Chen's roots at the steel rolling mill have quietly grown deeper and stronger. He holds two positions, yet he manages them with ease and even enjoys them.

On the training field, he was the "affiliated personnel" whose physical abilities were unfathomable and amazing, yet he never boasted or showed off; in the equipment depot, he was Li Zhijun's trusted right-hand man and an excellent custodian with meticulous attention to detail; in the eyes of the leaders, he was a capable and promising talent who had made many contributions and possessed the rare skill of "dog training"; in the eyes of ordinary team members, he was a young colleague who didn't talk much but was quite capable, low-key and amiable, with a seemingly mysterious background but was easy to get along with.

He successfully constructed a near-perfect position for himself: a seemingly peripheral but actually core "idle" job that allowed him to observe the core dynamics, possess specific skills and a certain degree of freedom, and cleverly avoided the vortex of the main contradictions.

They don't have to work day and night like frontline patrol officers, exposed to wind and rain, nor are they trapped in trivial matters like office clerks; they can come into contact with all sorts of people and internal information in the factory, but they don't have to bear too much direct management responsibility or get caught up in complicated personnel entanglements.

As the sound of the steam whistle echoed through the factory area once again after the shift ended, Wei Chen took off his faded navy blue work clothes, changed into his everyday dark cotton clothes, and led his relaxed, slightly wagging big yellow dog out of the tall, rusty, and slogan-strewn factory gate. It was as if he had switched channels and returned to another world full of life—Wei Chen, the ordinary young worker in the courtyard who was capable, filial to his mother, and loved his younger sister.

Pushing open that familiar, peeling gate, the scent of home immediately greets you. Usually, the air is filled with the aroma of food—the rich, creamy corn porridge, the sweet fragrance of steamed buns, or the occasional tempting aroma of eggs or cured meat that he "brings back."

His mother, Wang Xiulan, always seemed to have perfect timing. Soon after he stepped into the courtyard, she had set out a steaming meal on the small square table. Life was simple, but his mother managed it all meticulously, filling it with a sense of comforting warmth and security.

Wei Ran has been in school for a while now. Fifth grade has kept her much busier than before, and her little face often shows a thoughtful expression, but it's also full of thirst for new knowledge and energy. After this semester, she'll be going to junior high school in the second half of the year!

At the dinner table, it was her time for a chattering "report": which new text the Chinese teacher taught today, and how interesting the story was; the math equations were a bit difficult, but her deskmate helped her understand them; who in the class had a conflict with whom, and who got praised... Wang Xiulan always listened with a smile, occasionally putting a piece of food on her daughter's plate and urging her to eat more, as studying requires brainpower.

Wei Chen plays the role of a gentle and knowledgeable older brother, offering guidance when she encounters confusion, encouraging her when she makes progress, and occasionally telling her a couple of trivial anecdotes from the steel rolling mill to make his sister laugh.

After dinner, if it was still early and the weather was alright, Wei Chen would help his mother clear the dishes, or more often, he would tend to the small but vibrant "vegetable garden" in the corner of the east courtyard.

Wei Chen bought a large courtyard, but he only built the main house on the north side and the west wing. He turned the entire southern half into a vegetable garden. He also brought in some soil fertilizer from outside to improve the soil. Now, there are several rows of scallions, several rows of garlic, and a small patch of chives and coriander planted neatly inside.

These seeds, naturally, were all varieties "optimized" by the game world, possessing tenacious vitality, short growth cycles, and rich flavors. Under Wei Chen's subtle "care" with his "planting techniques," they grew exceptionally well. The scallions were tall and verdant, the garlic sprouts were glossy and thick, the chives quickly sprouted tender new leaves after being harvested, and the coriander emitted its unique aroma.

At first, Wang Xiulan was puzzled by her son's occasional enthusiasm for tending to the land, but seeing how well the crops were growing and how much more convenient it was for her family to have vegetables, she let him do as he pleased, thinking that her son was just diligent and had a talent for tending crops.

That evening, the setting sun painted the roof tiles of the courtyard house with a golden hue. Wei Chen squatted by the vegetable patch, a small shovel in his hand, carefully loosening the soil and weeding the chives. His movements were gentle and practiced, as if he had done it a thousand times.

Dahuang lay quietly under the eaves, chin resting on its front paws, ears slightly twitching, amber eyes half-closed, both resting and remaining vigilant, guarding the peace of this small courtyard.

"Chen'er, these chives are growing really well, much better than the ones Uncle San in the front yard grows in pots." Wang Xiulan brought out a basin of water from washing vegetables and carefully poured it around the edge of the scallion ridge. Looking at the lush green seedlings, she had a satisfied smile on her face.

"Fertile soil, sunny location, and diligent care will naturally result in good growth." Wei Chen didn't even look up, his hands still busy. "Mom, tomorrow I'll pick some chives, shall we make some dumplings? I'll also go buy some meat."

"You're wasting money again!" Wang Xiulan scolded playfully, but her eyes were full of laughter. "You always think about food as soon as you have a little money. But... steamed buns are fine too. Ranran is growing, so you should eat more. Cut a little less and mix in some cabbage."

"Okay, I got it." Wei Chen replied, mentally planning how to reasonably "conjure" some meat out of the "game world" tomorrow.

In this courtyard filled with the mundane details of daily life and the warmth of everyday living, Wei Chen sometimes experiences a strange blend of detachment and immersion. He watches, listens, and participates, like an actor who is both performing on stage and watching from the audience.

Uncle Yan Bugui, the third uncle in the front yard, was still one of the earliest risers in the yard. He took his broom, which had been worn down, and swept it around the public area. His eyes, like searchlights, scanned the front and back of each household, calculating which family had dumped too much coal ash last night and which family seemed to have a few fewer dried radishes.

Seeing Wei Chen tending his vegetable garden, he would stroll over, adjust his glasses, and greet him with a smile, "Wei Chen, tidying up your little vegetable garden again? Tsk tsk, these chives are growing really well! Much better than the ones in my yard! What kind of fertilizer are you using? Any secrets?"

Wei Chen straightened up, patted the dirt off his hands, and smiled politely: "Good morning, Uncle San. There's no secret, just be diligent, loosen the soil often, and water it with rice water and leftover tea water. Maybe this land used to be used to store miscellaneous items, so the soil was fertile." He deliberately downplayed the situation, attributing the credit to "fertile soil" and "diligence."

Yan Bugui was skeptical. He squatted down to examine the soil closely, then sniffed it. "Hmm, it's quite fertile... but the color of this soil seems a bit different. You kid, did you get some good fertilizer from the factory?" His words were tinged with suspicion.

"How could that be, Uncle? We're a steel mill, not a fertilizer plant. We can't just water the ground with iron ore! Besides, you can't bring anything from the factory home. It's just ordinary soil, maybe the sunlight is good." Wei Chen, without mincing words, casually plucked a few overly dense scallions and handed them to Yan Bugui. "Uncle, take these scallions home and try them, they're very tender."

Yan Bugui's face immediately lit up with a smile as he took the scallions: "Oh, how could I accept this... I won't stand on ceremony then. You young people really know how to take care of things!" He left satisfied, perhaps still pondering Wei Chen's "secret recipe" for growing vegetables, but at least he was temporarily appeased by the small favor.

He Yuzhu, the simple-minded man at the Intermediate People's Court, was a completely different story. If he got off work early and had a few drinks, his voice would be exceptionally loud. Seeing Wei Chen in the courtyard, he would often call out from afar, "Wei Chen! You're back? Come on, look what goodies I brought from the cafeteria today!"

Sometimes it was half a lunchbox of greasy braised pork, sometimes a few large steamed buns. He was simple-minded, with strong likes and dislikes. He scorned the likes of Xu Damao, but was quite generous to those he felt a connection with, displaying a chef's unique desire to share food. For example, he felt that Wei Chen wasn't as cunning as the others in the compound, spoke frankly, and, as long as Qin Huairu wasn't involved, Sha Zhu was actually quite easy to get along with!