Rebirth in a Courtyard: I Am a Little Hunter

Li Huaide nodded in satisfaction, then changed the subject: "However, speaking of which, Wei Chen, I have something to tell you. Just keep it in mind."

He lowered his voice, "The Lunar New Year is just a few months away. This year's harvest is not good, and the higher-ups have set targets for all factories to ensure basic supplies for workers during the New Year. Other factories are trying to find solutions, and our factory can't fall behind. Could you contact your friends in the mountains and get some good stuff? We'll take any meat, price is not a problem! Also, that... deer from previous years, if you can get some, I'll personally give you a big credit."

Wei Chen remained silent for a moment, as if considering, before speaking: "Director Li, deer are not easy to obtain. Pheasants, rabbits, and wild boars can occasionally be hunted in the mountains. Deer are fast and highly alert, so hunters don't easily encounter them. However, I know a few friends in Inner Mongolia, where there are deer on the grasslands. I'll contact them and ask if they can get some. If they can, that would be best; if not, I'll think of other ways."

Li Huaide listened and a satisfied look appeared on his face: "Good, just do your best. It would be best if you could get it, but it's not your fault if you can't. Anyway, remember, in the period before the New Year, if you have a way, bring back as much stuff as possible. It doesn't matter what it is, wild boar, pheasant, rabbit, or even grain. Our factory has thousands of people waiting to eat."

Wei Chen nodded: "Okay, I'll do my best."

He paused, as if remembering something, and stood up: "Director Li, besides the wild boar and the three pheasants, I left two more pheasants for you today."

Li Huaide was taken aback: "For me?"

"Okay," Wei Chen said. "It's in the car downstairs. A lady wanted to buy it on the way here, but I didn't sell it to her. I thought you might need it too, so I kept it. Please wait, I'll go get it."

Li Huaide paused for a moment, then laughed: "You lad, you know how to get things done." He didn't refuse, and sat behind the table watching Wei Chen push the door open and leave.

Wei Chen walked out of the office, closed the door, and went down the stairs. He walked to the old locust tree in front of the office building, where his bicycle was still propped up against the wall.

He looked around and, seeing no one was nearby, a thought flashed through his mind, and two plump pheasants appeared out of thin air in the bicycle basket. He then took out a gray coarse cloth bag from his backpack—he had prepared hundreds of these bags, keeping them in his game world backpack for easy access—squatted down, put the two pheasants into the bag, tied it up, and carried it towards the office building.

He went back upstairs, knocked on the door, pushed it open, and placed the bag on Li Huaide's desk: "Director Li, take these two pheasants back and have a taste."

Li Huaide glanced down at the pocket, then at Wei Chen, his smile widening. He didn't open the pocket immediately, but instead squeezed it in his hand, weighing it in his hand, and nodded with satisfaction: "Good, good. Wei Chen, you know how to handle things. I'll remember you."

He paused for a moment, then said, "Don't worry, I'll keep your purchasing agent status. You'll continue working in the security department, and your salary will continue to be paid. You'll still receive bonuses for any good items you procure. As long as you keep getting things for the factory, you'll be well rewarded."

Wei Chen smiled and said, "Then, Director Li, I'll head back now."

"Go ahead." Li Huaide waved his hand, then added, "The cafeteria is slaughtering a pig tomorrow, remember to come and have a taste. You got the pig yourself, so you have to eat a bite first."

Wei Chen responded, turned and walked out of the office, closing the door behind him. The corridor was quiet, sunlight streaming in through the windows and illuminating the floor. He went down the stairs, picked up his bicycle, and headed towards the security office.

Behind him, Li Huaide stood by the office window, watching Wei Chen's departing figure on his bicycle. He then looked down at the bag on the table, opened it, and two plump pheasants were revealed, their feathers glossy and substantial. He picked one up and weighed it in his hand, his smile deepening.

He put down the pheasant, picked up the phone, and dialed a number: "Logistics? We're slaughtering a pig tomorrow. Call a few more people to help. Clean up that wild boar properly and make it a better meal for the workers."

Wei Chen pushed his bicycle back to the security office. Before he even entered, he was surrounded by several colleagues. Five people were on duty that day; one was on duty at the factory gate, and the rest were on standby inside the office. Seeing him come in, Old Zhou, who was sitting at the table drinking tea, immediately put down his enamel mug and stood up: "Wei Chen, I heard you brought a wild boar?"

"Okay, I've handed over the logistics." Wei Chen parked the car at the door and went inside.

Old Zhou patted him on the shoulder: "Good lad, you've got some skills! You know, these days, getting any meat is harder than anything else. You brought back a whole one, and even the factory leaders were alarmed."

Another colleague, Xiao Liu, leaned over and whispered, "Brother Wei Chen, you're so resourceful, could you help me ask around and get some wild rabbit? My wife is in postpartum confinement and wants some meat soup, but I've searched the whole market and can't find any."

Wei Chen glanced at him: "Okay, I'll ask around for you. I'll let you know when I get news."

Xiao Liu thanked him repeatedly, then exclaimed, "You're really capable. We guys guard the factory gate every day, and we can't even catch a chicken."

Wei Chen didn't reply. He walked to his desk, sat down, and took a sip of water from his enamel mug. His gaze swept over a stack of documents on the desk—today's duty roster. He flipped through it, confirmed he had nothing to do that afternoon, then leaned back in his chair, closed his eyes, and rested for a while.

But in his mind, he was already planning his next move—Li Huaide said he wanted deer, so he had to find a way to get two. His inventory in the game world was full of deer, 999 deer, so he could just take out two at random.

The problem was that he needed to find a plausible explanation for the origin of the deer. The "hunter friend from the mountains" excuse had already been used, and using it again would seem insincere. He needed a different explanation, such as that they were transported from Inner Mongolia. Fortunately, he had mentioned Inner Mongolia to Li Huaide, which conveniently made the connection.

Just then, footsteps sounded at the door. A worker came running in, panting, "Wei Chen! Wei Chen! They've slaughtered a pig in logistics, and they need you to go help!"

Wei Chen opened his eyes: "Slaughter a pig? Wasn't it supposed to be tomorrow?"

"Factory Manager Li said he slaughtered it today, and while it's fresh, he'll make it an extra dish for the workers working overtime tonight!" the worker said anxiously. "You brought the pig, aren't you going to lend a hand?"

They said they asked him for help, but it was really just for fun. The steel mill never lacked people, let alone pig slaughtering, there were plenty of people willing to help!

Wei Chen stood up and followed the worker toward the logistics area. The pig slaughtering site was set up in the open space behind the canteen, with a large iron pot placed on a makeshift stove, the water in the pot boiling and steaming.

The wild boar had been dragged out of the warehouse, its limbs bound with rope, and lay on the ground. Several logistics workers surrounded it, some carrying knives, others holding basins, discussing where to begin.

An experienced cook bent over, brandishing a knife at the pig's neck for a long time, seemingly unsure: "This wild boar has thick skin and tough flesh, much harder to handle than a domestic pig. I've worked in the canteen my whole life, slaughtering countless domestic pigs, but this is the first time I've ever handled a wild boar. Wei Chen, you have a lot of ideas, what do you suggest we do?"

Wei Chen walked over and looked down at the wild boar: "This boar has already been bled. Just scald it with boiling water and scrape off the hair. Wild boar skin is thick, so scald it for a longer time, otherwise the hair won't be scraped off cleanly."

Slaughtering pigs was nothing new to him; he'd seen it all before and wasn't like people these days who enjoyed watching the spectacle. He didn't linger at the slaughterhouse and turned to head towards the canteen.

Inside the canteen, several chefs were busy at the stoves, some washing vegetables, others chopping them. The head chef, surnamed Zhou, was in his fifties, his apron stained with grease. Seeing Wei Chen enter, he greeted him warmly, "Wei Chen! Wild boar meat, how would you like it?"

"You decide," Wei Chen said. "Director Li said to improve the workers' meals; you can make the decision."

Master Zhou rubbed his hands together: "That's easy! Pork stew with vermicelli, with cabbage, a big bowl for each person! In this day and age, how happy the workers would be to be able to eat a meal like this!" As he spoke, he lowered his voice, "Wei Chen, you have connections. If you ever get any more pork, just come to me. I'll save you the best portion to take home."

Wei Chen smiled and said, "Alright, Master Zhou, it's settled then."

He walked out of the cafeteria, the sunlight warming him. Standing at the cafeteria entrance, he glanced at his watch; it was almost lunchtime.

He thought for a moment and decided to go back to the security office to rest for a while, grab his lunchbox, eat, and then ride his bike out for a ride in the afternoon.

After finishing his meal, Wei Chen pushed his bicycle, ready to leave, when he heard shouts behind him again: "Wei Chen! Wei Chen!"

He turned around and saw Liu Yuan. Liu Yuan was carrying a cloth bag and jogged over: "Wei Chen, your tickets! Over 220 jin of wild boar, plus three pheasants. There are quite a few tickets from this purchase bonus too," he held up two fingers to count, "Here, please count them."

This is a disguised subsidy that the factory came up with to boost the enthusiasm of its purchasing staff. After all, the prices at the factory are much lower than at the ghost market, and if they don't give some kind of reward, even fewer people will come back empty-handed.

Wei Chen took the paper package, weighed it in his hand, and didn't open it: "No need to open it. I trust Team Leader Liu to handle things."

Liu Yuan rubbed his hands together and said with a smile, "Wei Chen, you've been a huge help to me. You took care of half of Group Three's task this month with just one wild boar. If you have any more to sell, just contact me directly; we can discuss the price."

"Okay." Wei Chen packed the cloth bag into the bicycle basket, got on the bike, and said, "Brother Liu, I'm off now. Contact me later."

He got on his bike, left the factory gate, and headed towards the courtyard house. The autumn wind whistled past his ears, carrying the acrid smell of burning straw from the fields and the scent of earth. As he pedaled, he planned his evening—he had so many pheasants in his backpack; he'd take one out today, enough for a good meal for the whole family.