Rebirth in a Courtyard: I Am a Little Hunter

Wei Chen locked his bike and joined the queue. The queue moved slowly, and from time to time, low complaints or sighs could be heard from ahead: "Sigh, the high-gluten flour is limited again..." "The minced meat doesn't look as plump as it did last week..."

An anxiety about "eating" permeated the sweltering air silently. Finally, it was Wei Chen's turn. Through the glass counter, he saw the steaming white steamed buns that had just come out of the steamer. Each one was plump and white, with fairly finely pinched pleats.

"Comrade, how much are the meat buns?" Wei Chen asked.

The saleswoman in a white apron behind the counter didn't even look up: "Meat buns are one mao each, you need meat coupons. Vegetarian buns are eight fen, you can use grain coupons."

"Give me twenty meat buns." Wei Chen deftly counted out one or two yuan and the corresponding meat coupons and handed them over.

The sales clerk deftly wrapped twenty hot buns in rough straw paper, tied them securely with paper twine, and handed them out.

A heavy, steaming bag of steaming buns filled the air with a rich aroma of meat. Wei Chen carefully carried it out of the grocery store and hung it on the handlebars of his bicycle. The heat seeped through the paper, making it scalding to the touch.

He didn't leave immediately, but pushed the cart a few dozen meters further until he arrived at the storefront with a large sign that read "Red Star Supply and Marketing Cooperative." There were quite a few people there, and the shelves seemed more stocked than those in a food store, with a dazzling array of daily necessities, fabrics, stationery, and hardware. The air was thick with the smells of kerosene, soap, new fabric, and paper.

Wei Chen went straight to the counter selling needles and thread. A female sales clerk wearing arm sleeves was organizing spools of thread. Wei Chen remembered his mother's instructions: "Comrade, could you please get a pack of sewing needles, and two spools each of black, white, blue, and gray thread?"

"A pack of sewing needles is five cents, and a spool of yarn is fifty cents." The saleswoman quickly took out the items. "That'll be sixty-five cents in total."

After paying, Wei Chen put the sewing kit in his pocket. Turning to leave, his gaze was drawn to a green wooden box piled next to the grocery counter! Three large characters were painted in striking red on the box: "Beibingyang" (Arctic Ocean Soda). Next to it stood a small blackboard that read: "Beibingyang Soda, 0.15 yuan/bottle, empty bottle deposit 0.05 yuan, deposit refundable upon presentation of bottle."

A long-lost, sweet, and refreshing scent seemed to instantly fill his mind. Wei Chen's eyes lit up. This stuff was a real rarity these days, an absolute "luxury" drink!

He immediately thought of his younger sister Wei Ran's bright, longing eyes. Last time he went back home, the little girl mentioned that her deskmate had drunk it, saying it was sweet, fizzy, and delicious.

"Comrade, do you have any soft drinks in stock right now?" Wei Chen walked over quickly and asked.

"Yes! Just arrived." The sales clerk, a young man, enthusiastically patted the wooden crate covered with a thick quilt next to him. "How many bottles would you like?"

"Wait a minute!" Wei Chen's mind raced. He quickly turned around and walked out of the supply and marketing cooperative's gate to his bicycle. He glanced around quickly. The street was relatively quiet, with few pedestrians, and no one seemed to pay much attention to him, a customer who had just bought something.

He quickly turned to the side, using his bicycle and basket as cover. With a slight thought, ten clean glass bottles labeled "Arctic Ocean" instantly moved from his backpack to his basket, where they were covered with a few pieces of old burlap.

He went back into the supply and marketing cooperative, came to the soft drink counter, and pointed to his basket: "Comrade, I have ten empty bottles here. Please return the deposit first." As he spoke, he deftly took out the ten empty bottles from the basket and neatly stacked them on the counter.

The young man was taken aback for a moment, then laughed and said, "Wow, you've collected quite a few! Okay!" He checked each bottle one by one, making sure they were intact and without any chips or cracks, then readily counted out fifty cents and handed them to Wei Chen: "Fifty cents deposit, keep it safe."

"No need, I want more." Wei Chen waved his hand and immediately said, "Give me twenty more bottles!"

"Twenty bottles?" The young man was a little surprised. It was rare to buy so many sodas at once these days, especially with the bottle deposit, which was three yuan! "Three yuan, comrade. You can give me another two yuan and fifty cents," he reminded him.

"No problem." Wei Chen took out two yuan and fifty cents without hesitation. Adding the fifty cents he was about to return, it was exactly three yuan. Seeing that he was so straightforward, the young man didn't ask any more questions. He lifted the thick quilt, and a blast of cool air with a sweet orange scent rushed out.

He deftly pulled twenty bottles of chilled Arctic Ocean soda from the refrigerated wooden box. The orange liquid swayed slightly in the thick glass bottles, and a fine layer of water droplets quickly condensed on the bottle walls.

"Here you go!" The young man divided the twenty bottles of soda into two heavy net bags.

Wei Chen picked up a net bag in each hand, walked out of the supply and marketing cooperative, and carefully placed the soda into the half-person-high willow basket on the back of his bicycle. He quickly scanned his surroundings again to make sure it was safe, and with a thought, the two bags of icy soda in the basket vanished instantly, safely transferred to the temperature-controlled backpack. After doing all this, he mounted his bicycle, hot buns hanging from the handlebars, and rode towards his home outside the city.

The bicycle bumped along the dirt road leading to the suburbs, with endless green fields on both sides. The lush green leaves rippled in the afternoon breeze, making a rustling sound.

The air was filled with the smells of earth, crops, and the sweltering heat of the sun. Far from the ubiquitous dust and noise of the city, Wei Chen's mood also brightened.

More than an hour later, the familiar outline of the village came into view. Low mud-brick houses were scattered around, with beans, eggplants and cucumbers planted in front of and behind the houses, and chickens and ducks leisurely strolling and foraging under the shade of the trees.

Under the crooked old locust tree at the village entrance, several naked children were playing in the mud. When they saw Wei Chen riding his bicycle, they looked at him curiously.

I rode my bike home. Pushing open the creaking wooden gate, I found the yard clean and lush, with rows of scallions and chives growing against the wall.

"Mom! Xiao Ran! I'm back!" Wei Chen called out.

"Brother!" A clear, bell-like voice rang out, and Wei Ran, the younger sister, leaped out of the main room like a joyful little deer. She wore a faded floral blouse, her two braids tied with red ribbons, her face flushed from running, her eyes sparkling brightly. She pounced on Wei Chen's legs, looking up at him with her little face, "Brother, you're finally back! Mom's been talking about you for days!"

At this moment, her mother, Wang Xiulan, also came out of the kitchen upon hearing the noise. She was wearing a dark blue diagonally buttoned cloth shirt, an apron tied around her waist, and her hands were still covered in flour.

Seeing her son, a relieved smile immediately bloomed on her face, the wrinkles at the corners of her eyes smoothing out, radiating the simple warmth unique to farmers: "Chenzi's back! Come in and rest, it's so hot! Have you eaten? There's still some mung bean soup I made this morning in the pot, it's cooling down!"

"Mom, I haven't eaten yet, I'm starving." Wei Chen smiled as he pushed his bicycle into the yard, propped it up, and took down the bag of meat buns hanging on the handlebars—they were no longer too hot to handle, but still warm. "These are for you, freshly steamed meat buns from the state-run store!"

"Oh dear! You child! You're wasting money again!" Wang Xiulan scolded, but her hand had already taken the paper package. The heavy feel of the package and the aroma of meat made her smile even wider, but then she felt a little heartache.

"How much money and food coupons must this have cost! It's not easy for you in the city..." She carefully lifted a corner of the straw paper, looked at the plump white buns inside, and couldn't help but swallow. But she immediately wrapped the paper tightly again. "Leave it for now, we'll heat it up and eat it tonight." She knew her son probably wouldn't want to eat it either.

"Mom, it's alright, you and Xiaoran should try them while they're hot! I bought twenty!" Wei Chen said, then took out the bag of needles and several thread strands from his pocket. "Here, the needles and thread you asked me to bring last time, I've bought them all."

"Okay, okay!" Wang Xiulan took the needle and thread, looked at it carefully, and put it into her apron pocket with satisfaction. She was still muttering about steamed buns. "Then...then Mom will get you a bowl of mung bean soup! Xiao Ran, don't bother your brother. Let him sit down and rest his feet!" She turned around and walked quickly towards the kitchen.

Wei Chen grabbed his bouncy little sister and magically produced two bottles of Arctic Ocean soda from behind his back! The orange liquid swayed slightly in the glass bottles. Wei Chen had taken these two bottles out and put them in his basket earlier, otherwise they would have gotten cold.

"Wow—!!!" Wei Ran's eyes widened instantly, her mouth formed an "O" shape, and she let out an incredulous exclamation, followed by immense joy, "Arctic—Ocean! Brother! It's soda! It really is soda!!" Her face flushed with excitement, and she jumped up and down several times, wanting to catch it but still a little incredulous.

"Shh—keep your voice down!" Wei Chen chuckled, putting his index finger to his lips and lowering his voice. "There are only two bottles. You and Mom can share them. Don't tell anyone, okay?"

He skillfully used a screwdriver to pry open the tin bottle cap with a "pop," and a white mist with a sweet orange scent instantly gushed out.

Wei Ran eagerly took the bottle, holding it carefully in her hands as if it were a priceless treasure. Her eyes were fixed on the bubbling bubbles rising merrily inside. Then she brought the bottle to her lips and took a small, precious sip.

The cool, sweet, and bubbly sensation dancing on her tongue instantly won her over.

"Mmm...so sweet! So delicious! And fizzy!" She squinted her eyes, feeling as if she owned the whole world, and quickly held the bottle to her mother's lips as she brought out a bowl of mung bean soup. "Mom! You have to try it! It's so good!"

Looking at her daughter's excited face and the "luxury" bottle of soda, and then at her son's smiling face, Wang Xiulan's eyes welled up with tears.

She symbolically took a small sip from the bottle opening. The unfamiliar sweetness and bubbles made her feel a little uncomfortable, but more than that, she felt heartache and warmth for her son's thoughtfulness.

"Mmm, it's delicious." She smiled and patted her daughter's head. "Drink slowly, don't choke. Chenzi, come on, finish this bowl of mung bean soup first, it'll cool you down."

Wei Chen took the large, rough porcelain bowl. Inside was a dark green mung bean soup, cooked until it was slightly grainy and had a faint aroma of beans. He took a sip, and the soup was cool, refreshing, and sweet, instantly relieving the heat from cycling.

He watched his mother and sister huddled around a bottle of soda, taking small sips and sharing them with simple, contented smiles. He listened to his sister chattering about the sensation of the soda "exploding" in her mouth, while his mother occasionally wiped away a few sweet stains from the corner of her lips with a smile.