Rebirth in a Courtyard: I Am a Little Hunter

"That's good." Yi Zhonghai glanced in the direction of the ghost market again. "Don't delay, hurry back. We must get into the city before dawn."

The dozen or so people dared not linger. Carrying their own provisions, they lined up and quickly made their way back along the dirt road they had come from. The moonlight was mostly obscured by clouds, and the road was dark; they could only make out directions by the faint outlines.

Everyone walked hurriedly, their footsteps rustling on the dirt road. No one spoke, but everyone was on edge—the area around the ghost market was never peaceful, and leaving with food late at night was the easiest time to be watched.

Wei Chen walked in the middle of the group, then suddenly slowed his pace. His spiritual power, like invisible tentacles, silently spread into the surrounding darkness.

A moment later, his senses picked up on several unusual movements. Behind a clump of withered bushes by the roadside, two people lay motionless, like predatory beasts. In the shadows of the corner of the wall ahead, three people crouched, clutching wooden sticks, peering towards the group. In the darkness of the fork in the road to the left, two more figures were quietly shifting their positions.

Three groups of robbers were lying in ambush on the return route. Wei Chen remained calm and continued walking forward, but slowed his pace slightly to keep himself at the back of the group.

He remained silent and did not warn anyone. He knew that given the current state of the people in the compound, they would panic if they knew there were robbers on the road, making them more likely to get into trouble. He only needed to ensure that they wouldn't make a move.

He walked at the back of the group, his mental energy like an invisible net, firmly locking onto the positions of the three groups of robbers. His steps were steady, his breathing even, and he appeared to be just like the others, simply walking with his head down. But his senses were heightened to their limit—no sound in the wind, no movement in the shadows, could escape his perception.

The first group of robbers, two men, were hiding behind the bushes by the roadside. Upon seeing the twelve-man group, they didn't immediately attack, but instead lay there, seemingly assessing their numbers and strength. Wei Chen's mental power could clearly sense their hesitation.

There were twelve men, all strong, middle-aged, armed with clubs, machetes, and the like. They were all bundled up and cautiously looked around. This kind of group wouldn't be easy to take down. The two men lay in wait for a moment, then ultimately retreated, not making a move.

The second group of robbers, three men, were positioned at the corner ahead, each clutching a wooden stick. They were also observing. As the group approached, Yi Zhonghai seemed to sense something, suddenly stopping and whispering, "There seem to be people up ahead."

The group stopped immediately, everyone held their breath, and gripped their weapons tightly. Liu Haizhong drew a machete from his waist, his eyes warily fixed on the shadowy area ahead. The atmosphere instantly became tense.

The three men in the corner had clearly noticed the commotion. The twelve men stopped, assuming defensive stances, each armed and alert. They remained silent in the darkness for a moment, then slowly retreated. They made no move, nor did they utter a sound.

Yi Zhonghai waited for a while, and after confirming that there was no movement ahead, he whispered, "Go, hurry up."

The group restarted, their pace quickening slightly. Wei Chen remained at the back, his mental energy continuing to envelop the surroundings. The third group of robbers, two men, were lurking in the shadows of the left fork in the road. They too had seen the group and the gleaming weapons in the hands of the twelve men, but ultimately chose to abandon their pursuit. They didn't attack, didn't follow, but simply lay in wait, watching the group pass by and disappear into the night.

This is why Yi Zhonghai gathered everyone in the courtyard together. At this time, most of the robbers were starving ordinary people, and there weren't many of them. With more than a dozen of them, the robbers were scared off!

Wei Chen withdrew his spiritual power, and the corner of his mouth twitched slightly. He said nothing, but continued to follow the group, walking briskly towards the courtyard house.

The night wind blew from behind, carrying the mixed, complex scents from the direction of the ghost market, which were gradually left behind. The road ahead grew darker and quieter, but no one stopped walking.

Twelve people, like twelve ants carrying food, lined up in the darkness, quickly crawling towards their nest. No one knew that along the way, three pairs of eyes, three ambushes, had been watching the food in their hands.

The moon peeked out from behind the clouds, casting a soft shadow on Wei Chen's face. His eyes were calm and deep, revealing no emotion.

The group walked briskly for nearly an hour before finally seeing the familiar alleyway entrance. Yi Zhonghai stopped at the entrance, glanced back at the group, and said in a low voice, "We're here. Everyone's back safely. Go home, don't make a fuss. Tomorrow, just go about your business as usual."

Everyone nodded, carrying their bags, and filed into the alley. When they pushed open the gates of the courtyard houses, the courtyards were completely silent, as if nothing had happened. One by one, the curtains of each house were lifted, and people peeked out. When they saw that their family members had returned, they breathed a sigh of relief and retreated back into their houses.

Wei Chen was the last to enter, gently closing the door behind him. He didn't return to the east wing, but went first to Grandma Li's house in the backyard. Grandma Li was still awake, sitting at the table waiting. Seeing him enter, she stood up, her face anxious: "You're back? Did you buy anything?"

Wei Chen took a small cloth bag out of his pocket, which contained ten catties of corn grits: "Grandma Li, this is for you. It's not much, just enough for now. I'll think of something else in a few days."

Grandma Li took the bag of cornmeal, opened it, and glanced inside. It was high-quality cornmeal, not corn flour! Her eyes reddened. "Okay, okay, that's enough, that's enough. Wei Chen, I'm so sorry to have troubled you."

"You should get some rest, don't stay up too late." After saying that, Wei Chen turned around and went out to Aunt Liu's house in the middle courtyard.

The light was still on in Aunt Liu's house. She sat on the edge of the kang (a heated brick bed), her two children already asleep, but she waited by the light. Wei Chen entered, took out another cloth bag from his pocket, containing ten jin (about 5 kg) of cornmeal: "Aunt Liu, this is for you. Make some porridge for the children tomorrow, don't let them go hungry."

Aunt Liu took the bag of cornmeal, her hands trembling slightly, her voice choked with emotion: "Wei Chen... Auntie really... doesn't know how to thank you enough."

"Please don't be so polite." After saying that, Wei Chen turned around, walked out the door, and returned to the east courtyard.

When Wei Chen pushed open the door to the east courtyard, the light inside was still on. Wang Xiulan was sitting at the table, clutching a rag in her hand, repeatedly wiping the corner of the table as if trying to polish the old paint to a shine. Hearing the door open, she suddenly looked up, and seeing that it was Wei Chen, her tense shoulders relaxed.

"You're back?" She stood up and looked him up and down. "Did something happen?"

"It's alright, Mom." Wei Chen put the cloth bag on the table. "I bought twenty catties of corn grits, and also bought ten catties for Grandma Li and Aunt Liu. I've already delivered them to them."

Wang Xiulan glanced at the bag of cornmeal, but didn't take it. She first checked her son's hand and then his face, making sure he wasn't injured, before sighing, "You silly child, you insisted on going to join that fun. We're not short of food, what were you doing there? I heard that ghost market is chaotic; people get robbed every few days, and last month someone was beaten to death for stealing grain. If anything happens to you, how am I supposed to explain it to your father?"

"Mom, it's alright." Wei Chen sat down on the stool. "You know how skilled I am. Most people can't get close to me. Besides, I don't go there often. I just occasionally go with the people in the yard to take a look. Otherwise, our family would seem too special."

Wang Xiulan's lips moved, as if she wanted to say something more, but she swallowed her words back in the end. She knew her son too well; he had always been stubborn, and once he made up his mind, nothing could sway him. She was silent for a moment, then turned and went to the stove to fetch a bowl of water, placing it in front of him: "Drink some water. Next time you're going, let me know in advance, so I don't have to worry about you at home alone."

"Okay, Mom." Wei Chen picked up the bowl and took a sip.

Wang Xiulan glanced at the bag of cornmeal on the table: "Did you deliver some to Grandma Li and Aunt Liu's houses?"

"Yes, ten catties each," Wei Chen said. "Grandma Li is raising Xiao Shitou alone, and Aunt Liu has two children. It's not easy for them. We should help them out if we can."

Wang Xiulan nodded: "You did the right thing. We're all from the same courtyard, and besides, we're sworn relatives. We should lend a hand whenever we can. But you should keep some for yourself, don't give it all away." She paused, then added, "The vegetable garden in our courtyard is growing really well. These days, it's not easy to grow such good vegetables. It's much better than the ones in our courtyard."

The mother and daughter chatted for a while before returning to their respective rooms.

Wei Chen placed the remaining 20 jin of cornmeal in the corner of the kitchen next to the rice jar.

He returned to his bedroom, closed the door, took off his coat, sat back on the bed, let out a long breath, closed his eyes, and once again sank into the vast world that belonged to him.

Outside the window, the night was deep. The courtyard house, like a weary giant, lay quietly in the heart of the city. A small lamp was lit in every household, its light flickering in the darkness like countless eyes struggling with hunger, refusing to go out. And the heavy bag of cornmeal sat beside the rice jar in the corner of Wei Chen's room, like a silent, solid stone, weighing down the deepest anxieties of the night.