Rebirth in a Courtyard: I Am a Little Hunter

While everyone was chatting and laughing, Wei Chen had already carried the bucket to the gate of the east courtyard. He didn't go inside; instead, he turned a corner and went to Grandma Li's house in the backyard. Grandma Li was sitting inside, sewing a tattered garment for Xiao Shitou by the light of a kerosene lamp. Hearing the knock, she looked up and, seeing Wei Chen carrying a fish, froze: "Wei Chen, what's this…?"

"Grandma Li, I went fishing by the river today and caught a few fish. I'm bringing you one." Wei Chen handed over the grass carp that weighed more than three pounds. "Clean it up and make soup for Xiao Shitou to help him recover."

Grandma Li stared at the fish for a long while, then her eyes welled up with tears. "Wei Chen...you child...how can I ever thank you enough..." She put down her needlework, stood up, and took the fish, her hands trembling slightly. "Little Stone, quickly thank Brother Wei Chen."

Little Stone jumped off the kang (a heated brick bed), stood beside his grandmother, looked up at Wei Chen, and softly said, "Thank you, Brother Wei Chen." His voice was not loud, but it conveyed an indescribable seriousness.

"You're welcome." Wei Chen patted his head. "Eat well and grow strong."

After leaving Grandma Li's house, he went to Aunt Liu's. Aunt Liu was busy at the stove when she heard the knock on the door. She opened it and was surprised to see Wei Chen carrying a bream weighing over two pounds. Wei Chen placed the fish on her cutting board: "Aunt Liu, I caught this today. It'll help Dali get some nourishment."

Aunt Liu opened her mouth, wanting to refuse, but looking at the fish, the words of refusal circled on her lips, and she swallowed them back. She was silent for a moment, then said softly, "Wei Chen, you child... Auntie will remember your kindness." She paused, then added, "Tell Dali to thank Brother Wei Chen."

Wei Chen waved his hand: "We're family, no need for formalities. Auntie, you're busy, I'll head back now."

When he returned to the east courtyard, Wang Xiulan had already lit the lamps and was waiting in front of the stove. Seeing Wei Chen carry in a bucket with two fish left in it—a carp weighing over five pounds and a crucian carp weighing about four pounds—she took it, looked at it, and nodded: "This crucian carp is plump; it'll be perfect for soup. The carp will be braised, and with the braised meat you made last time, we'll make two dishes tonight."

"Okay," Wei Chen replied. "Mom, you can arrange it as you see fit."

He turned and went into the yard, turning over the two mats of dates that were drying to ensure they were heated evenly. He then looked up at the sky. Dusk was falling, and in the distance came the sounds of dogs barking and children crying. The aroma of food wafted from the yard, mingled with the sweet scent of dates that had been drying all day, creating a particularly comforting atmosphere in the late autumn evening.

He stood quietly under the jujube tree for a while. Most of the leaves had fallen, leaving the branches bare and looking somewhat desolate in the twilight. But the two mats of red dates spread out like a heavy harvest, laid out in the center of the yard, gleamed a dark red under the dim lamplight. He looked at them for a moment, then turned and went inside to wash his hands and prepare to eat.

The next morning, just as dawn was breaking, Wei Chen woke up. He didn't linger in bed; he sat up, put on an old cotton shirt, and opened the door. A thin layer of morning mist still shrouded the courtyard; the air was crisp, carrying the astringent scent of fallen jujube leaves and the damp smell of earth. He walked to the open space in the center of the courtyard, stretched his shoulders, and began practicing his boxing.

He practices traditional Bajiquan and Taijiquan, but driven by his inner energy, his moves are simple and unadorned, his movements steady and powerful, each punch and kick carrying real force. There are no fancy moves or empty gestures; every stance emphasizes the unity of waist and stance, and every punch lands squarely.

His movements weren't fast, but with each punch, the wind whistled through the air, and his feet pounded the earth, leaving deep footprints with each step. Towards the end, a fine layer of sweat appeared on his forehead, yet his breathing remained steady, like a tireless machine.

Wang Xiulan was already busy in the kitchen. She tied on an apron, first scooping two ladles of cornmeal into a pot, adding water, and bringing it to a boil. Then she peeled two sweet potatoes, cut them into small pieces, and threw them in. Next, she grabbed a handful of dates that had been drying yesterday, washed them, and added them to the pot as well. She brought it to a boil over high heat, then turned it down to a simmer. The aroma of the cornmeal, mixed with the sweetness of the sweet potatoes and the rich fragrance of the dates, gradually permeated the air, filling the entire courtyard.

Wei Chen finished his movements, let out a long breath, wiped the sweat from his brow with his sleeve, and went into the kitchen. The cornmeal soup in the pot was bubbling away, thick and golden in color, with sweet potato chunks and red dates bobbing in the broth—it looked so comforting. He couldn't help but sniff, "Mom, this soup smells so good."

"Doesn't it smell good?" Wang Xiulan stirred the soup in the pot with a spoon. "The sweet potatoes were brought over by your grandpa and uncle from our hometown, and the dates were picked yesterday. They're all from our own land, of course they smell good!" She turned around, took an autumn cucumber from the vegetable basket, washed it in the basin, placed it on the cutting board, smashed it with a knife, chopped a few cloves of garlic, sprinkled salt, added two drops of vinegar, and made a dish of crisp and refreshing smashed cucumber. She then heated up the steamed buns from yesterday, lifted the lid, and white steam billowed out. The buns were soft and fluffy, steaming hot.

"Go and wake Wei Ran up," Wang Xiulan instructed.

Wei Chen responded, turned around and walked to the door of the west room, knocking on the door: "Wei Ran, get up and eat."

A rustling sound came from inside the house. A moment later, the door opened, and Wei Ran came out rubbing her eyes, her hair disheveled, still not fully awake. She sniffed, smelling the aroma of cornmeal porridge, and immediately perked up: "Mom, did you make jujube soup?"

"Okay, I've added red dates. Go wash your face and eat." Wang Xiulan had already set the bowl on the table. It was a large bowl of cornmeal soup with a few red dates and sweet potato chunks floating in it. Next to it were steaming hot steamed buns and a plate of smashed cucumber. She looked at Wei Ran. "Go wash your face first, with hot water."

Wei Ran ran to the water vat in the yard, scooped out half a ladle of water, washed her face, combed her hair with her fingers, and ran back into the house to sit down. She picked up the bowl, took a sip of corn porridge, and gasped because it was so hot, but she couldn't help but swallow it down, smacking her lips: "So sweet! These dates are really delicious when cooked in soup."

The family ate breakfast quietly, put down their bowls, cleared the table, and pushed open the gate to the east courtyard. Nowadays, they usually eat with the door closed, and since Wei Chen's family has a separate courtyard, they only open the door after finishing their meal.

People were already moving around in the courtyard. One household after another opened their doors, and workers, carrying lunchboxes and pushing bicycles, hurried out to work.

From the Yan family's house in the front yard came the voice of the third aunt, urging the children to wash their faces and get dressed. The door to Liu Haizhong's house in the back yard also opened, and Liu Haizhong, wearing an old work uniform and with a cigarette in his mouth, was bending over tying his shoelaces.

Wei Ran ran out of the house with her schoolbag on her back, stood at the gate of the courtyard, and looked around. A little while later, Xiao Cao and Xiao Shi Tou ran out of their respective houses. The three of them huddled together, chattering excitedly, and walked towards the alley entrance. Xiao Cao had her hair in two braids today, tied with red ribbons—Aunt Liu had done it for her yesterday. Xiao Shi Tou was still wearing his old, patched cotton-padded jacket, but it was clean. His schoolbag strap had broken, but he had tied a knot and was still using it.

Wei Chen pushed his bicycle out of the yard and ran into Uncle Yan Fugui, who was squatting at the door, holding a bowl of thin porridge and eating it with pickled vegetables. Seeing Wei Chen, Uncle Yan quickly swallowed the porridge in his mouth and called out, "Wei Chen, going to work?"

"Okay, off to work," Wei Chen replied.

"Well," the third uncle put down his bowl, rubbed his hands, "are you going fishing again next Sunday? I thought about it again yesterday, and there's another spot, even better than yesterday's. The water's deeper, and there's more vegetation at the bottom—there's bound to be big fish there!"

Wei Chen smiled and said, "Okay, I'll go next Sunday if I'm free. I'll let you know then."

"Alright!" The third uncle slapped his thigh happily. "It's a deal then! I'll prepare properly this week, sharpen the hooks again, and get a thicker line!"

Wei Chen nodded and pushed his bike out of the courtyard gate. In the alley, an old man named Yi Zhonghai was carrying a lunchbox and walking out. Jia Dongxu and Sha Zhu were also pushing their bicycles, and the three of them walked side by side, chatting idly. When they saw Wei Chen riding over, Jia Dongxu glanced at him sideways, but didn't greet him. A vague, unreadable expression played on his lips.

Wei Chen didn't pay any attention. As he rode past, he nodded to Yi Zhonghai and said, "Good morning, Uncle Yi." He then greeted Sha Zhu, "Good morning, Sha Zhu." He didn't stop his bike and had already passed by while he was talking.

Yi Zhonghai responded with a faint "Good morning," his voice indifferent, revealing no emotion.

Sha Zhu replied enthusiastically, "Brother Wei Chen, going to work? Ride your bike carefully!"

Watching Wei Chen ride away on his bicycle, Jia Dongxu suddenly snorted, "Look at his arrogant attitude. He rides a bicycle and nods to everyone he sees, as if he's the only one in the whole compound who owns a bike." He paused, then added, "He doesn't even know how to give an old man a ride. The old man is so old, he walks to and from get off work every day. He's so young, he can get there in no time. What's wrong with giving him a ride along the way? He has no respect for the elderly."

Yi Zhonghai didn't speak, his face expressionless, just carrying his lunchbox and walking without stopping. But he had clearly taken Jia Dongxu's words to heart. His silence itself was an attitude.

Sha Zhu was a little unhappy. He glanced at Jia Dongxu and said, "Dongxu, you're wrong about that. I know Wei Chen. He's not the kind of person who's all show off. That bicycle of his was provided by his factory; he didn't steal it."

Besides, everyone knows how he treats the people in the courtyard. Yesterday, when they were picking dates, all the children in the courtyard went to collect them, and he didn't say a word. In the afternoon, after returning from fishing, he even gave a fish to Grandma Li's family and Aunt Liu's family. Have you ever seen anyone share their food with the whole courtyard? Have you ever seen anyone give away their fish? If he were really the kind of show-off you describe, would he have done these things?

Jia Dongxu pursed his lips and remained silent, but his expression still carried a hint of disapproval. Seeing this, Sha Zhu didn't say anything more, but his goodwill towards Wei Chen increased even more.

He recalled the time he and Xu Damao were detained by the security department, and how Wei Chen had gone to bail them out without hesitation. He had always remembered that kindness. He felt that Jia Dongxu was just a sour grapes, someone who couldn't have what he wanted but couldn't stand seeing others do well.

Wei Chen was naturally unaware of the gossip behind him. He rode his bicycle out of the city, along a secluded dirt road for a while, and after confirming that no one was around, he stopped his bicycle, closed his eyes, concentrated, and with a thought, his entire body vanished from the spot.