Rebirth in a Courtyard: I Am a Little Hunter

A dim light shone from the west wing of the backyard. Grandma Li was sitting at the table, with a bowl of rice porridge so thin you could see your reflection in it in front of her, and half a cornbread in her hand, which she was nibbling on.

Her husband passed away early, and her son and daughter-in-law are also gone. She lives alone with her young grandson. Although life is tough, the old woman never complains and always greets people with a smile.

Wei Chen and her family were godparents—when Wei Chen's family first moved in, Grandma Li and Aunt Liu from the middle courtyard were among the few who genuinely treated Wei Chen well. Plus, Little Stone was so sensible, and Wei Chen especially liked him, wanting to help him as much as he could! Little Grass from Aunt Liu's family became good friends with Wei Ran! Wei Chen sometimes helped them too, and both families were quite grateful, so over time, the two families and the Wei family grew closer and closer. Wei Chen's mother particularly liked the two children, feeling they were destined to be together, and later adopted a godson and a goddaughter!

Wei Chen knocked on the door, and Grandma Li's voice came from inside: "Who is it?"

"Grandma Li, it's me, Wei Chen."

The door opened, and Grandma Li stood behind it, leaning on a cane, a kind smile on her face. "Oh, Wei Chen's here. Come in and sit down." She stepped aside to let Wei Chen in, then glanced outside again, lowering her voice, "Have you eaten? There's still some rice porridge in the pot, shall I get you a bowl?"

"No need, I've already eaten." Wei Chen entered the room and sat down at the table. Grandma Li poured him a glass of water. The water in the kettle wasn't very hot anymore, but Wei Chen still took it and drank a sip.

He didn't beat around the bush and got straight to the point: "Grandma Li, have you heard about the trip the neighborhood organized to buy grain in the south of the city these past few days?"

Grandma Li nodded and sighed, "I heard about it. Old Yan mentioned it to me a couple of days ago, saying it's voluntary. I'm an old woman, and there's no strong laborer in my family, so I can't go even if I wanted to. I'm really worried about it—the cornmeal at home is almost gone." As she spoke, her brows furrowed slightly.

"Grandma Li, don't worry." Wei Chen lowered his voice. "I'm going with them this time. If you trust me, give me the money, and I'll bring some back for you."

Grandma Li paused for a moment, then a flicker of emotion crossed her eyes. Without hesitation, she stood up shakily, went into the inner room, and pulled an old tin box from under the bed. She opened it and took out a neatly folded stack of banknotes—a few small bills and a few coins, wrapped tightly in an old handkerchief. She handed the bundle to Wei Chen: "Wei Chen, this is some money Grandma has saved. It's not much, but you can buy whatever you want. Buy as much as you can, Grandma trusts you."

Wei Chen took the handkerchief bag, didn't look at the amount inside, and stuffed it directly into his pocket: "Grandma Li, don't worry. I will definitely bring you back food. I can't promise you much, but at least enough to get you through this month."

Grandma Li's eyes were a little red, but she still smiled and said, "Good, good. You're a good-hearted child, Grandma has always known that. Be careful yourself, don't be reckless. If something really happens, it's okay if you lose your things, but you have to come back safe and sound."

"Okay, I got it." Wei Chen stood up. "I'll be going now. You should get some rest. I'll bring it over to you when I get back."

He then went to Aunt Liu's house in the middle courtyard. Aunt Liu was a widow in her forties. Her husband had passed away from illness a few years ago, leaving behind a son and a daughter, whom she raised alone. She was in poor health and did odd jobs at a cardboard box factory in the neighborhood, earning very little money. Her life was more difficult than most families in the courtyard. But she was honest and never cheated or swindled, so everyone in the courtyard was willing to help her.

A dim light shone from Aunt Liu's small house. When Wei Chen knocked and entered, she was sitting on the edge of the kang (a heated brick bed), mending a child's garment by the light. The two children were already asleep, huddled together on the kang, covered by a thin quilt with several patches. The room was filled with a faint smell of food scarcity—the lingering aroma of porridge mixed with too many wild vegetables and bran after cooking.

"Aunt Liu, are you busy?" Wei Chen sat down on the stool.

Aunt Liu put down her needlework, rubbed her eyes, and said, "Wei Chen, what's wrong? Have you eaten? There's some hot porridge in the pot, want me to get you a bowl?"

"No need, I've already eaten." Wei Chen waved his hand, not beating around the bush. "You know about buying grain at the ghost market in the courtyard, right?"

Aunt Liu sighed and nodded: "I know. Old Yan came to ask. But you know our family's situation—I'm a widow, how dare I go out in the middle of the night? Besides, the little savings we have are only enough to buy a few pounds of cornmeal. I was thinking, well, let's just wait it out."

As she spoke, her gaze unconsciously drifted to the two children sleeping soundly on the kang (a heated brick bed), and her voice lowered, "It's okay for the adults to go hungry for a meal or two, it's just that the children suffer... But I still have to thank your mother. Xiaocao told me the other day that his godmother often calls him to eat delicious food."

"It's nothing, we just ran into them!" Wei Chen was silent for a moment before speaking, "Aunt Liu, I'm going with them this time. If you trust me, give me the money, and I'll bring you some. I can't guarantee anything else, but at least it'll ensure the children have a few decent meals."

Aunt Liu froze, her eyes instantly reddening. She opened her mouth, her voice choked with emotion, "Wei Chen... this... how can I accept this? You're such a child, you're struggling to make ends meet yourself, yet you still think of us three..."

"Aunt Liu, we're godparents, why are you being so polite with me?" Wei Chen's tone was calm and sincere. "It's not easy for you to raise two children alone, so I'll help you out if I can. Don't worry, I'm reliable, and I'll make sure the grain I buy is delivered to your doorstep."

Aunt Liu lowered her head, wiped her eyes with the back of her hand, and after a while raised her head, her voice trembling slightly: "Then...then I...entrust this to you."

She got up, walked to the cabinet, opened the door, and pulled a cloth bag from under a pile of old clothes. Inside were several neatly folded banknotes and a few food coupons. She counted them several times, as if making a final check, before solemnly handing them to Wei Chen. "That's all. Buy what you need. Don't buy anything expensive, just enough to fill your stomach."

Wei Chen took the money, didn't count it, and put it directly into his pocket: "Aunt Liu, don't worry. I'll bring it to you as soon as I've finished buying it."

He walked out of Aunt Liu's house and stood in the courtyard, the night deep in the darkness. A few distant barks of dogs could be heard, then quickly faded into silence. He touched the two packets of money in his pocket; they weren't heavy, but they weighed heavily on his heart.

In this day and age, how much trust does it take to entrust money to another person? Grandma Li and Aunt Liu, one an elderly woman living alone, the other a single mother, have no able-bodied men to rely on, no connections to turn to, and can only place all their hopes on him. He cannot betray that trust.

As he was thinking, he heard soft footsteps behind him. He turned around and saw Yan Bugui walking from the front yard, carrying an enamel mug, as if he were going to fetch water from the pool. But Wei Chen noticed that his steps were noticeably slower than usual, and he kept glancing in his direction as he walked.

"Third Uncle," Wei Chen called out.

Yan Bugui stopped and smiled, "Oh, Wei Chen. Why aren't you resting so late?"

"I just went to the backyard to check on Grandma Li," Wei Chen said. "She's running low on food, so I was thinking that if I can bring her some back from the ghost market this time, I should."

Yan Bugui nodded, took two steps closer, and lowered his voice: "Wei Chen, you're a thoughtful person. But I have to remind you—there are many people going this time, and they're a big target. Don't tell anyone about you bringing grain for Grandma Li. There are too many people in the courtyard, and it won't be good if word gets out."

"I know," Wei Chen nodded. "I told Aunt Liu. You know her family's situation; there's really nothing they can do."

Yan Bugui sighed, "Yes. Aunt Liu is a widow raising two children; her life is harder than anyone else's. Uncle Yi also said he'd help her out if he could." He paused, "You're reliable and steady; I feel more at ease with you in the team."

After he finished speaking, he picked up the enamel mug and left. Wei Chen watched his figure disappear into the darkness, then turned and went back to the east courtyard.

Wei Chen returned to the east courtyard, closed the door, put the two bags of money away, and then took out the grain bags he had prepared—two sturdy and durable coarse cloth bags that could hold a lot of grain. After thinking for a moment, he stuffed a folding knife into the bags and placed them where he could easily reach them.

The next few days went by as usual. Wei Chen went to work at the factory every morning, did firearms maintenance in the security department, ate lunch at the canteen, and occasionally went to the purchasing group three to sit and chat with Hu Songnian and the others about the factory's situation.

When I get home in the evening, sometimes I go to the backyard to visit Grandma Li, and sometimes I go to the middle yard to visit Aunt Liu's two children.

Several days later, one evening, as dusk was falling, Wei Chen had just finished eating and was tidying up the dishes inside the house when there was a gentle knock on the courtyard gate.

"Wei Chen, are you home?" It was Yan Bugui's voice.

Wei Chen opened the door and saw Yan Bugui standing outside, wearing a worn gray cloth jacket and holding a short pencil. His expression was more serious than usual. He didn't go in, but whispered from outside the threshold, "Meet at the door at midnight. Bring your food bags and weapons for self-defense, but don't bring anything unnecessary. When you get there, follow Lao Yi's instructions and don't wander off."

When Wei Chen received the notification, he was wiping an iron rod in the east courtyard. He was just putting on an act; with his skills, he didn't need it at all!

Yan Bugui stood at the courtyard gate, lowered his voice and finished speaking, then added, "Wei Chen, you're going alone, so stick with the group and don't get separated from the group. In a place like that, if you're alone and something happens, you won't even have anyone to help you."

"Third Uncle, I know." Wei Chen put away the iron rod. "I'll go with you then."

Yan Bugui glanced at him, nodded, and turned to disappear into the night.

As night deepened, the lights in the courtyard house went out one by one. But going out didn't mean they were asleep—in the darkness, people in each room were quietly packing their things, giving instructions to their family members, and checking their pockets.