Rebirth in a Courtyard: I Am a Little Hunter

"Wow!" The worker gasped, standing there watching Wei Chen's bicycle disappear into the distance. It took him a while to recover before he turned and shouted into the workshop, "Old Zhang! Old Zhang! Wei Chen brought back another wild boar! It weighs over 200 jin!"

A commotion erupted in the workshop. Several workers poked their heads out from the doorway, asking all at once, "Really? But he used to bring back seven or eight, so it's not surprising he brought back another one!" "A wild boar weighing over 200 pounds?" "Does that mean we'll have meat in the canteen tomorrow?"

An experienced worker walked out of the workshop, a wrench in his hand. Upon hearing the news, he exclaimed, "Good heavens, these days, getting a pig is harder than getting a cartload of grain. I heard the factory next door got a pig last month, and the whole factory was in an uproar. The day they slaughtered it was like New Year's Day."

Wei Chen didn't stop and continued riding towards the logistics department. Along the way, people kept greeting him, calling his name, giving him a thumbs up, and asking him about the wild boar. He responded to each of them without saying much, but he knew in his heart that the news of the wild boar would probably spread throughout the entire factory in less than half an hour.

He rode to the entrance of the logistics warehouse, stopped his bike, braced it, and untied the rope. He placed the wild boar on the ground in front of the warehouse, and also took out three pheasants, placing them beside it. Just as he was about to move the things into the warehouse, Zhang Guangcai came out of the house to greet him, his face beaming with undisguised joy: "Wei Chen! Long time no see! What good stuff have you brought back this time?"

As he spoke, he strode over to the wild boar, squatted down, touched its skin, pinched its hind leg, weighed it in his hand, and clicked his tongue twice: "Goodness, it must weigh at least 220 or 230 pounds. This wild boar is plump and strong; the meat must be firm. Wei Chen, you're really resourceful; you got it just like that!"

"Lucky me." Wei Chen brought over the pheasant as well. "Three pheasants, I'll hand them over together."

Zhang Guangcai took the pheasant, weighed it in his hand, and said, "Good, good, all good stuff. I'll put it in the warehouse. You wait here, I'll have the finance department settle the bill for you." He carried the goods into the warehouse, then turned back and called out, "Sit down for a while, have some water, I'll go weigh it and put it in the warehouse."

Wei Chen responded but didn't go inside; he just stood at the warehouse door waiting. A short while later, a middle-aged man in gray overalls and arm sleeves came out of the warehouse, holding an account book and a pen. He walked up to Wei Chen: "You're Wei Chen? I'm Old Li from logistics and finance. Old Zhang asked me to settle your accounts. Two hundred and twenty-three catties of wild boar, three pheasants, the total is—wait a moment, let me calculate."

He lowered his head and fiddled with the abacus, clicking away for a while, then looked up: "It's two hundred and seventy-three dollars and sixty cents in total, right?" This price couldn't compare to the ghost market, but it wasn't low either, especially since the money was earned honestly, and there were some subsidies from receipts.

Wei Chen nodded: "Yes."

Old Li took a small cloth bag out of his pocket, counted the contents, and handed it to him: "Count them."

Wei Chen took the money, didn't count it in front of him, and put it directly into his pocket: "No need to count it, Master Li, I trust you." He didn't care about this little bit of money now; helping the factory with meat was also to maintain his image and relationships.

Old Li chuckled, put away the ledger, and then lowered his voice to say, "Wei Chen, if you still have this connection, bring in more in the future. The factory is desperately short of meat right now, and the higher-ups are urging us every day. As long as you have the goods, the logistics department will take them, and the price is negotiable."

"Okay, I'll deliver it as soon as I have the goods," Wei Chen said.

He was about to push his cart away when he heard hurried footsteps behind him. He turned around and saw Liu Yuan jogging from the direction of the office building, panting and with a fine layer of sweat on his forehead. He reached Wei Chen, put his hands on his knees, took a couple of breaths, and then looked up: "Wei Chen! I heard you brought back a wild boar?"

"Yes, we just handed it in." Wei Chen pointed to the warehouse. "The wild boar and pheasant are both in storage."

Liu Yuan slapped his thigh, his face showing a mixture of surprise and delight: "Good lad! I told you yesterday to get some pheasants or rabbits to help our Group Three with our assignment, and you went and brought back a wild boar! You almost scared me to death!"

He lowered his voice, his tone brimming with barely concealed excitement, "You have no idea how tight the purchasing quota is this month. I've been so worried I haven't been able to sleep. If you hadn't brought some supplies back, Group Three wouldn't have met its targets for the month. You, you wild boar, you've saved my life!"

Wei Chen smiled and said, "It was also luck. You mentioned it that day, so I contacted my hunter friends in the mountains. They happened to have hunted a wild boar, as well as some pheasants and rabbits. I begged and pleaded for a long time before I finally got this wild boar and three pheasants."

Upon hearing this, Liu Yuan clicked his tongue twice: "Shameless? Wei Chen, you call that skill! For someone to be able to get a pig, that's a huge favor." He patted Wei Chen on the shoulder, "Anyway, this pig is part of Group Three's procurement task, I've made a note of it for you. The finance department will settle the payment for you later, you won't get a penny less."

"It's already settled," Wei Chen said. "Just settled."

"That's good, that's good." Liu Yuan rubbed his hands together and lowered his voice, "Wei Chen, let me tell you, Director Li already knows about this wild boar. I saw him on the phone with the logistics department when I passed by the office building just now. You wouldn't believe it, Director Li was overjoyed when he heard you brought back a wild boar. He said he'll slaughter it tomorrow to improve the meals for all the factory workers."

Before the words were finished, a man walked out from the office building. He was wearing a clean gray Zhongshan suit and glasses, and his pace was neither fast nor slow, but he exuded an air of authority—it was Li Huaide, the deputy factory director. Behind him was a young man who looked like a secretary, carrying a briefcase.

Li Huaide walked to the warehouse door, his gaze falling on the wild boar. He nodded slightly, then turned to Wei Chen: "Wei Chen, I heard from logistics that you delivered a wild boar, weighing over 200 jin, and three pheasants. The factory is short of meat right now, so it's not easy for you to get all this."

He wasn't speaking loudly, but several workers passing by heard him and stopped to listen intently. Li Huaide seemed to notice as well; he raised his voice slightly, as if speaking to Wei Chen, but also to everyone: "I'm telling you, I'll have the canteen kill this wild boar tomorrow, to improve the meals for all the factory workers! Let everyone have a taste of meat!"

As soon as he said that, a suppressed cheer erupted from the surrounding crowd. Several young workers exchanged glances, their faces beaming with undisguised joy. One worker whispered, "We can eat meat tomorrow..." Another worker nudged him, "Don't make a sound, the boss might hear."

Li Huaide looked around at the workers' reactions with satisfaction, then turned to Wei Chen: "Wei Chen, come to my office with me, I have something to tell you."

Wei Chen responded, pushed his bicycle against the wall and set it up, then followed Li Huaide toward the office building. After taking a few steps, Li Huaide turned back and said to Liu Yuan, "Team Leader Liu, settle the bill for the wild boar later. Make sure you get every penny due."

"Okay, okay." Liu Yuan responded repeatedly, giving Wei Chen a grateful look.

Wei Chen followed Li Huaide into the office building, up to the second floor, and into a room with a sign that read "Deputy Factory Director's Office." Li Huaide pushed open the door. The room was simply furnished: a desk, a chair, a row of bookshelves against the wall, and several documents and a telephone on the desk. Li Huaide walked behind the desk and sat down, gesturing to the chair opposite him: "Sit."

Wei Chen sat down, and Li Huaide took out a pack of cigarettes from the drawer, pulled one out and handed it to him: "Have one."

Wei Chen took the cigarette, lit it, and took a drag. Li Huaide also lit one, took a drag, exhaled a puff of smoke, leaned back in his chair, and casually asked, "Wei Chen, how's your job in the security department?"

"It's alright," Wei Chen said. "The work isn't tiring, it's quite relaxed."

Li Huaide nodded: "It's a leisurely job, but young man, you can't just look for leisure. You're a capable person, it's a bit of a waste for you to stay in the security department." He paused, then changed the subject, "If you're not comfortable in the security department, you're always welcome to come back to the logistics department. You're good at purchasing, you have wide connections, and you can get things, which is something others can't match."

Wei Chen didn't reply immediately. He took a drag of his cigarette before saying, "Director Li, I haven't thought about making any moves yet. The security department is a bit quiet, but they only call me when they need rhubarb, which makes it easier for me to go out and make connections. Procurement requires going out and making friends. If I sit in the office all day, I won't be able to get anything done."

Hearing this, Li Huaide's eyes lit up slightly, and he nodded, "Hmm, you're right. Purchasing really does require running around." He leaned back in his chair, looking at Wei Chen, "To be honest, I didn't agree to your transfer from purchasing to the security department. I spoke with HR, saying that Wei Chen was a good candidate for purchasing and we couldn't let him go. Later, HR said your family situation was special and you were willing, so they approved it. But I deliberately kept a backup plan—I've kept your purchasing agent status for you."

Wei Chen looked at Li Huaide without saying a word.

Li Huaide continued, "Why did I retain your purchasing agent status? It's precisely because of this situation today. You see, even though you're in the security department, you can still get things. The things you get go through the purchasing team's accounts, and are counted towards our factory's purchasing quota. Tell me, if I didn't retain your status, who would own this wild boar? Would it be considered your personal resale? Or the factory's?"

Wei Chen smiled and said, "Director Li has considered everything very carefully."

Li Huaide smiled and said, "I may not have many other skills, but I'm good at judging people. I can tell that you, Wei Chen, are not the kind of person who will settle for mediocrity. You have ability, connections, and brains. Someone like you can make a name for yourself anywhere."

He took a drag of his cigarette and slowly exhaled. "I don't care which department you're in, as long as you can still get things for the factory, your status as a purchasing agent remains. You'll get every penny paid, and you'll receive every courtesy due. Do you understand what I mean?"

"Understood," Wei Chen said.