Rebirth in a Courtyard: I Am a Little Hunter

Eight hundred and fifty yuan! In an era when the average worker's monthly salary was only thirty or forty yuan, this amount was nothing short of a huge sum of money.

The two young apprentices who were moving wood nearby paused when they heard the amount. They secretly glanced at Wei Chen, their eyes filled with shock and undisguised envy. That would be two years' worth of their income if they didn't eat or drink!

Wei Chen's face remained calm. He was prepared; considering the cost of building the house for Master Wu and the scarcity of good timber these days, the price was reasonable, and Master Liu wasn't asking for an exorbitant price.

He readily nodded: "Alright! I trust Master Liu's character and I'm confident in his skills. Here's the deal: I'll pay you a deposit of five hundred yuan first. You can use the materials as you like, and you and your apprentices can work carefully. The rest, once the work is all done and I'm satisfied with the inspection, I'll settle the rest with you immediately! Is that acceptable?"

As he spoke, he reached into his worn military satchel, and with a slight thought, pulled out a thick wad of fifty black ten-yuan bills tied with rubber bands, and handed them over. The movement was natural and fluid, as if he were pulling out not several years' worth of savings for an ordinary person, but just a regular allowance.

Looking at the fifty crisp banknotes, even the seasoned Liu Changming couldn't help but show a hint of surprise. This Wei Chen, so young, was incredibly generous! The thickness of the deposit and his quick action surpassed that of many of his "big clients"!

He quickly wiped his hands on his clothes, solemnly accepted the money with both hands, carefully counted it, and only after confirming that there was nothing wrong with it did he carefully put it into a thick cloth bag sewn into the lining of his clothes and press it down hard.

"Comrade Wei Chen is straightforward! No doubt about it!" Liu Changming's smile became even more sincere and enthusiastic. "Don't worry! I, Old Liu, and my apprentices will set up camp right here in your yard. If we don't do a good job, I'll change my mind! The materials are right under your nose, and we've finalized the dimensions and style. I guarantee we'll get it all right for you!" He patted his chest, full of confidence.

Wei Chen smiled and said, "With your words, I'm completely relieved! I'll leave you a key to the south gate of the courtyard." He took a brass key from his keychain and handed it to Liu Changming. "I have some business at the factory and need to go there first. I'll leave this to you in your care!"

"Alright, alright, you go ahead with your work! Leave this to me, you can't go wrong!" Liu Changming took the keys and assured him repeatedly.

Wei Chen nodded to his two young apprentices again before pushing his bicycle away from the courtyard, which was filled with the fresh scent of wood and the imminent sound of axes and chisels. Behind him, Liu Changming's booming voice rang out: "Dazhuang! Erkui! Don't just stand there! Set up the big saw frame! First, bring over those hardwood planks and start cutting!"

Wei Chen pedaled his bicycle, the wheels rustling softly over the factory roads covered in cinders and gravel. The steel rolling mill was already awake in the early morning; the massive workshops, like slumbering steel behemoths, emitted muffled, rhythmic roars. Towering chimneys billowed thick smoke, turning the sky a hazy gray. The air was thick with the unique smell of rust, machine oil, coal smoke, and sweat.

He parked his car in the shed outside the purchasing department office and locked it. Just as he reached the office door, before he could even push it open, a slightly anxious voice called out to him.

"Wei Chen! Wei Chen! Over here!"

Wei Chen looked in the direction of the sound and saw his superior, Liu Yuan, the leader of the third group, standing under the window on the side of the office, with a half-burnt cigarette between his fingers, his brows furrowed, pacing back and forth.

Upon seeing Wei Chen, he immediately rushed over as if he had seen a savior, grabbed Wei Chen's arm, and dragged him to a quiet corner where miscellaneous items were piled up.

"My comrade Wei Chen! You're finally back!" Liu Yuan's voice was extremely low, filled with a sense of urgency, his breath reeking of tobacco. "Something's happened! Something terrible has happened!"

Wei Chen's heart tightened slightly, but he remained calm on the surface. He gently pressed Liu Yuan's trembling arm with his other hand and said, "Team Leader Liu, don't rush, tell me slowly. What's wrong? The sky isn't falling down."

"The sky won't fall, but the canteen's pot lid is about to be ripped off!" Liu Yuan took a deep drag on his cigarette, the butt instantly glowing red and burning a long streak of ash. He irritably threw the cigarette butt on the ground and stomped it out. "Deputy Factory Director Li! He just came to our department in person! His face was as long as the bottom of a pot! He immediately launched into a tirade!"

Liu Yuan mimicked Deputy Factory Director Li's tone, raising his voice slightly: "'Liu Yuan! What are you Purchasing Section Three doing?! Thousands of people throughout the factory are working day and night, shedding blood and sweat for the Great Leap Forward's steel production! Everyone's practically unrecognizable from exhaustion! But what about the canteen? It's just watery soup, not even a speck of oil! Meat! Where's the meat?! The meat processing plant won't deliver this month's meat until the 10th! What are we going to do these next few days? Are we going to let the workers starve while they work on the steel mill?'"

He caught his breath, beads of sweat forming on his forehead: "Director Li said this is a political task! It concerns the production schedule, the workers' health, and their revolutionary spirit! He told our purchasing department to immediately, right now, find a way to get meat! Any kind of meat! Pheasants, rabbits, wild boars, roe deer! Even a few wild dogs will do! As long as it adds some oil to the workers' bowls!"

He specifically called you out! He said the wild boar last time was prepared beautifully, and this time it's up to you! He even gave a death order: by tomorrow! By tomorrow night at the latest, you must have meat in the canteen warehouse! Otherwise... otherwise I'll be fired as the team leader!" Liu Yuan's voice trembled with despair as he looked at Wei Chen with pleading eyes, like a drowning person clutching at a last straw.

Upon hearing this, Wei Chen felt a sense of relief. As long as they weren't investigating his "unexplained" supplies, this "finding meat" task was a godsend for him.

His face immediately showed an "I see" expression, even with a hint of "it's nothing" ease, and he patted Liu Yuan's shoulder forcefully, as if trying to brush away all his anxiety:

"Hey! Team Leader Liu, I thought it was some earth-shattering event! Is this all? You should have said so earlier! Look how anxious you were!" Wei Chen's voice was also lowered, carrying a confident air and a perfectly appropriate hint of mystery. "Have you forgotten where I'm from? I'm a genuine mountain boy! We live off the land! Factory Director Li really has a keen eye; you've really come to the right person for this!"

He paused, leaned closer to Liu Yuan's ear, and whispered, "To tell you the truth, I went back to my hometown a while ago on business. I was scouting somewhere deep in the Yanshan Mountains, in a ravine called Eagle's Beak, and guess what? I actually stumbled upon a litter of wild boars! Two big ones and four little ones! That place is deep in the old forest; you usually don't see a soul there!"

I figured I wouldn't lack tasks for a while, and I was originally planning to wait a bit longer, until the younger ones got a bit more meat on their bones... But given the current situation, it's urgent, so what am I waiting for? Let's take them down! I haven't even submitted my purchasing quota for this month yet; taking this whole bunch will more than cover next month's targets!"

Liu Yuan's eyes, following Wei Chen's words, instantly shone with an astonishing light, like a light bulb being switched on! The gloom on his face vanished at a visible speed, replaced by ecstatic joy and disbelief! He grabbed Wei Chen's hand and shook it vigorously, his voice trembling with excitement:

"Really?! Oh my! My comrade Wei Chen! My good brother! You're a lifesaver for our group three! You're the savior of our steel rolling mill!" He was so excited he was almost incoherent. "Director Li didn't misjudge you! I knew you had connections! Great! Excellent! There's always a way out! That wild boar den... where exactly is it? How much meat can we get? We need to arrange a truck to pick it up right away! Director Li is waiting!" A barrage of questions came out of his mouth like a machine gun.

Wei Chen already had a plan in mind, but his face showed a look of "needs estimation". He counted on his fingers as if he was recalling and calculating: "Two big and four small... That boar is as strong as a calf, with long tusks. Judging from its frame and condition, it must weigh at least 350 pounds! The sow is also fat. It must weigh at least 270 or 280 pounds!"

Add in the smaller ones, and the total gross weight will be close to a thousand jin! Even after removing the hair, offal, and large bones—the inedible parts—the clean meat…” He paused deliberately, looking at Liu Yuan's eager eyes, “it'll be at least five hundred jin, almost six hundred jin!”

"Six hundred catties of lean meat!" Liu Yuan gasped, his voice cracking with shock! The immense surprise almost made him jump for joy! Six hundred catties of meat! What did that mean? It could last for several days when meat was scarce, and even provide the workers with a few decent meals!

This achievement was like a gift from heaven falling right onto his head! He was so excited his face flushed red, and he slapped his thigh vigorously: "Great! Excellent! Wei Chen! You've done a tremendous service! Absolutely a tremendous service! I'll go to the transport team right now! I'll personally arrange the truck! Tell me, where to pick up the goods? When? The sooner the better!"

Wei Chen had already thought of a perfect location: "Team Leader Liu, the same place as before, it's safe! Tomorrow at 2 PM, have the car drive directly to the outside of our village, on the hillside at the east end of Baoyuquan Village, right next to that dilapidated outpost where we took the wild boar last time."

The place is quite desolate. The road is a bit bumpy, but trucks can drive up, and the area is spacious, making loading and unloading easy. I'll head back to the village tonight, and head into the mountains before dawn tomorrow. I'll try to get everything there and stacked up before noon. We'll hand over the goods at 2 PM sharp! I promise it won't delay the canteen starting its meal tonight!

"Alright! Break through the Yuquan outpost! Tomorrow at 2 PM! I'll personally escort the truck there!" Liu Yuan agreed without hesitation. He could almost see the scene of the workers cheering and the leaders patting him on the shoulder in approval as the heavy, bloody wild boar meat was brought back to the factory.