Rebirth in a Courtyard: I Am a Little Hunter

Wei Chen was at the end of the line. His tall stature made him quite conspicuous in the crowd, and many familiar villagers greeted him.

"Hey, Chenzi's back? Even the city's top purchasing agent is eating at our cafeteria?"

"Brother Chenzi, I heard you went to the city to work as a laborer? That's really something!"

Wei Chen responded with a smile, but his eyes were observing the operation of the cafeteria. He saw the woman in charge of serving food stirring the soup in the bucket with an iron ladle as she served the people in front of her. He could see that there wasn't much shredded radish at the bottom; the soup made up the majority of the container.

Distributing the pancakes was done quickly, two per person, no problem. But those who received the food, whether soup or pancakes, ate very fast, as if afraid that if they were slow they would miss out on the freshly cooked "delicious taste".

In the corner, several teenagers were playing and scrambling over some leftover bits of cornbread, still covered in dough.

It was Wei Chen's turn. The lady serving the food recognized him as Wei Shoutian's nephew and was very enthusiastic: "Chenzi, you're back? Haven't eaten yet? Here, two big flatbreads, help yourself to the soup, all you can eat!" As she spoke, two heavy, cool and hard cornbreads were placed into his big bowl.

"Thank you, Auntie. Here are the food coupons. Please give them to the accountant." Wei Chen thanked her, handed over the food coupons, and then used a long-handled ladle to scoop out more than half a bowl of lukewarm radish soup from the large wooden bucket. A few shreds of radish and a few specks of oil floated in the soup.

"Hey...hey...Chenzi, you silly child, why are you taking out food coupons for a meal at home?" The aunt called out to Wei Chen and handed the food coupons back to him.

"Auntie, I've already transferred my household registration. The factory gave me grain coupons, so of course I have to use them to eat when I come back. Otherwise, our village collective will suffer a loss. I can't take advantage of the collective."

"Alright, you've grown up, and you know quite a lot. There are more and more temples here! I'll pass it on to the accountant." Seeing that Wei Chen was certain, the aunt took back the grain coupons and said.

She did it on purpose. She saw Wei Chen take out his food coupons, but others didn't know. To avoid gossip, she deliberately made a loud noise.

Wei Chen carried his bowl to a less crowded area by the courtyard wall, leaned against the earthen wall, and ate large bites of the cooled cornbread with the simple soup. The cornbread was firm and chewy, with the unique roughness of cornmeal and the aroma of grain. Although the soup was bland, it was salty enough.

The air was filled with the excited chatter of villagers, their praise for the food, the laughter of children chasing and playing, and the exclamations of several elderly people: "The new society is so much better! Food is free now!" "This life has hope!"

Wei Chen ate silently, sensing the restlessness hidden beneath the noise. He knew perfectly well that this brief moment of "eat-all-you-can-eat" was as fragile and illusory as a soap bubble.

The shredded radish at the bottom, the scraps of pancakes being fought over—all silently speak of a hidden unease. The wheels of history have already turned; this seemingly abundant "communal meal" is nothing more than a brief and hazy neon light before the storm arrives.

He could do nothing to change anything, and could only silently swallow this mouthful of food bearing the mark of the times in the noisy twilight of the canteen.

Dusk had fallen, and a few early stars dotted the deep blue sky. The village roads were much quieter, with scattered lights in the distance accompanied by the occasional bark of a dog. The evening breeze carried the coolness of the fields, dispelling the lingering smoke from the canteen.

As soon as Wei Chen pushed open the gate to his own courtyard, he heard his uncle Wei Changsheng's familiar, hoarse voice, tinged with the smell of smoke, coming from the main room.

"Chenzi isn't back yet? Is the soup in the cafeteria even enough to fill his teeth? He went too late; all the good stuff is gone."

"Uncle, I'm back." Wei Chen responded and walked into the main room with a bowl in his hand.

Under the dim light of a kerosene lamp, Wang Xiulan was mending something by the light of the lamp, while Wei Ran had already fallen into a sweet dream, holding her new pale yellow dress, a smile still on her lips.

Uncle Wei Changsheng sat on the creaking old stool, an empty pipe in his hand, tapping his knee idly. When he saw Wei Chen enter, a look of concern immediately appeared on his weathered face.

"Chenzi! Come, come, sit down!" Wei Changsheng patted the empty seat next to him. "How are you? Are you getting used to life in the city? That steel mill... a big place, are there many rules? Nobody's bullying us country folk, is anyone?"

Wang Xiulan also stopped her needlework and looked over with concern.

Wei Chen put down his bowl and sat down in the old chair, feeling the familiar curve of the backrest. "Uncle, Mom, it's all good. The factory is big, but in our purchasing department, as long as we complete the quota on time, the management isn't that rigid. We don't have to sign in every day, so we have plenty of time." His tone was relaxed, with just the right amount of confidence.

"Oh? So, how well did you manage to complete this purchasing task?" This was what Wei Changsheng was most concerned about. He leaned forward involuntarily and put down his pipe.

"Easy to complete." Wei Chen said confidently, "Fifty yuan a week may seem like a lot, but as long as you find the right channels and can collect the goods, it's not difficult."

He paused, then dropped a bombshell that made Wei Changsheng's eyes light up: "The other day, I went into the mountains to familiarize myself with the area, right? I was lucky enough to find a wild boar and a roe deer, and I managed to bring them both back. I sold them directly to the factory canteen; it counted as part of my task, and I even got an extra bonus. That's it, I've completed two weeks' worth of tasks!"

"What?!" Wei Changsheng was so shocked he almost jumped off the stool, his pipe clattering to the ground. "Wild boar? Roe deer? You alone? My God, you rascal..."

He looked Wei Chen up and down, as if he were seeing his nephew for the first time. Then came a huge surge of joy. "Great! Excellent! This job is practically tailor-made for you!"

"That's right, Uncle," Wei Chen nodded with a smile, "So you see, this job is really suitable for me. I don't have to stay in the factory all the time, and I can go to the countryside to collect some things. If all else fails, I can go hunting. You know how good I am, so completing the task won't be difficult."

"Then what are we waiting for!" Wei Changsheng slapped his thigh and stood up excitedly. "From now on, all the eggs, mountain produce, and dried vegetables from our village will be reserved for you! We shouldn't let the good stuff go to outsiders! Tomorrow morning, I'll go to the brigade headquarters and shout through the loudspeaker! Tell everyone who has anything to keep for you, don't rush to sell it to others!"

"Uncle, don't worry." Wei Chen quickly waved his hand. "I plan to visit a few surrounding villages tomorrow."

"Oh?" Wei Changsheng was taken aback. "Not collecting them in our village?"

"Hmm," Wei Chen explained, "Firstly, I'm new to purchasing, and I'm not familiar with the process yet. I need to do more legwork, get to know the market, and establish connections. Secondly, I'll definitely buy the goods from our village, but I'm thinking of starting to buy them on Saturday, the day after tomorrow. The day after that, Sunday, I can rest at home for a day, ride my bike back to the city in the afternoon, and go to the factory to hand in the task on Monday. That way, I'll have plenty of time. We can buy the village goods anytime, so I'll leave it for last." He explained his planned schedule clearly and logically.

After listening, Wei Changsheng nodded repeatedly, his wrinkles smoothing out: "Okay! Okay! You've really thought things through since you're working in the city! We'll do it your way! The day after tomorrow, Saturday, our village will start harvesting! I'll use the loudspeaker tomorrow to let everyone get everything ready!" He was clearly very satisfied with Wei Chen's arrangement.

Wei Chen then remembered something else: "By the way, Uncle, I've been eating at the village canteen these past few days. Each meal costs ration coupons, which I'll just hand over to the accountant. After all, my household registration has been transferred to the city, so I should just pay what I'm owed to avoid anyone gossiping behind my back."

"Yes! That makes sense!" Wei Changsheng gave Wei Chen an approving look. "Using grain coupons is good; it's clear and transparent, and no one can complain. You can just go directly to the accountant, Wei Laogen."

After finishing his business, Wei Changsheng gave a few more instructions on safety, then got up contentedly and went home under the moonlight.

The next morning, just as dawn was breaking, the crowing of roosters filled the air. Wei Chen ate a hearty, hot breakfast at home and, full of energy, pushed his bicycle out the door.

On the back seat of the vehicle were an empty burlap sack and a canvas shoulder bag containing a wallet, a small hardcover notebook, a pencil, and an old scale. The dirt road was slightly damp, and the wheels left shallow ruts. Destination: Shangyuan Village, Xiayuan Village, Qinjiatun.

The wheels creaked, and Wei Chen's mind raced. This was his first real "journey to the countryside" as a purchasing agent. He needed to familiarize himself with the process: how to deal with unfamiliar village officials, how to mobilize villagers, how to estimate prices, how to weigh goods, and how to keep accounts. The prey in the open world was his confidence, but this "purchasing" act had to be performed convincingly.

After riding for about half an hour, the sun climbed above the treetops, dispelling the thin mist. The enormous old locust tree at the entrance of Shangyuan Village came into view. On both sides of the village road were typical northern farmhouses, with mud walls and thatched or tiled roofs.

Wei Chen pushed his cart into the village and went straight to the gate of the courtyard next to the threshing ground in the center of the village, where a wooden sign that read "Shangyuan Village Production Brigade" was hanging. The gate was open, and a lean man in his fifties, wearing a worn cadre uniform, was squatting under the eaves, puffing on his pipe.

Wei Chen parked his car, a warm yet polite smile on his face, and walked over: "Hello, sir! Is the captain here?"

The lean man looked up, squinting as he sized up Wei Chen and his brand-new bicycle. His gaze swept over the large sack and satchel on the back of the bike, a hint of scrutiny in his eyes. "I am Wei Chen. And you are...?"

"Oh, it's the brigade leader! Hello, hello!" Wei Chen's smile widened, with the humility of a junior from a neighboring village. "I'm Wei Chen, the nephew of Wei Changsheng from Baoyuquan Village! My uncle often mentions you to me, talking about Uncle Zhao Changhe from Shangyuan Village." He directly pointed out his uncle's name and the other person's identity, quickly establishing a closer relationship.

"Wei Changsheng?" Zhao Changhe's scrutinizing expression faded, replaced by a familiar smile. "Oh! Old Nian's nephew! I've heard of him, he's quite successful, he went to work at a big factory in the city! How has your uncle been these past few days? I haven't seen him for a while."