Rebirth in a Courtyard: I Am a Little Hunter

Wei Chen didn't pretend to be aloof. In front of everyone, his fingers deftly and quickly twirled each banknote, his movements skilled and steady, showing no excitement or nervousness in the face of a large sum of money, as if he were just counting a pile of ordinary papers.

After counting the money, he picked up the stack of receipts and looked at them. There were grain coupons, cloth coupons, industrial coupons, and even a few rare sugar coupons and soap coupons. The variety and quantity were much richer than last time, which was obviously an extra subsidy from the factory.

"The amount is correct, and the receipts are also accurate." Wei Chen carefully put the money and receipts into a slightly worn canvas shoulder bag he had brought. With a slight thought, he quietly placed them into his spatial backpack, then nodded to Old Zhang, "Thank you, Sister Liu, you've worked hard."

"It's not hard work at all!" Sister Liu waved her hands repeatedly.

Li's office.

After receiving the money, Wei Chen went to Deputy Factory Director Li's office as instructed. Deputy Factory Director Li took a pale yellow cardboard piece from his pocket, beautifully printed with the words "Radio Purchase Ticket," and solemnly handed it to Wei Chen: "Comrade Wei Chen, you've solved a significant problem for the factory this time. This is a special reward for you! A radio ticket! Take it! Young man, keep up the good work; the factory won't forget your contribution! If you encounter any difficulties in the future, feel free to come to me!"

Radio tickets! In this era of scarce entertainment and limited information, owning a radio was an unattainable dream for countless families, a symbol of status and prestige! This reward was truly immense!

Wei Chen's face lit up with surprise and gratitude as he accepted the light yet substantial voucher with both hands: "Thank you, Director Li! Thank you for the factory's trust and reward! I will definitely continue to work hard and live up to the leaders' expectations!"

Deputy Factory Director Li smiled with satisfaction, offered a few more words of encouragement, and then let Wei Chen leave.

Night fell, and the streetlights began to twinkle. The dim streetlight at the entrance of the courtyard house in Nanluoguxiang was already lit, casting a hazy glow on the bluestone pavement. Wei Chen had just turned into the alleyway with his bicycle when a familiar figure came into view.

Uncle Yan Bugui, like a dutiful "door god," was slowly pacing in front of his precious little purple clay teapot, carrying it. Mainly, there were a few half-dead garlic sprouts and two drooping rose bushes. He would occasionally bend down to take a closer look, as if studying some profound subject.

Hearing the sound of bicycle wheels rolling over the stone slabs, he immediately looked up. In the dim light, the lenses of his glasses reflected the light, obscuring his eyes, but his raised voice conveyed fervor:

"Hey! Wei Chen's back! I've been waiting for you!" He put down the teapot and came up to greet him in a few steps, his face full of smiles. Three parts of that smile were his usual calculations, and seven parts were his undisguised curiosity. "That scene this afternoon! Good heavens! The truck brought back so many wild boars! And those two big trees! It's all over the yard! Everyone's saying that you, Wei Chen, are the one!" He gave a thumbs up.

Wei Chen stopped, propped up his bicycle, and smiled gently. "Uncle, you're still up? This afternoon's tasks were all from the factory. The wild boars belong to the company; I was just running errands. I bought the trees myself; I wanted to plant them in the yard."

"I know, I know!" Yan Bugui nodded repeatedly, leaning closer and lowering his voice, which sounded a bit mysterious. "But Wei Chen, let me tell you something, you... you're really something! Bringing back so much good stuff twice in a row! The factory must have given you a lot of rewards, right?" His eyes, hidden behind his glasses, gleamed with shrewdness, clearly trying to find out some "insider information."

Wei Chen understood perfectly, but didn't say anything. He casually pulled out a pack of "Da Qianmen" cigarettes from his pocket, skillfully flicked one out, and handed it to him: "Third Uncle, have a smoke. Perfect timing, I also have something I'd like to trouble you with."

When Yan Bugui saw that it was "Daqianmen" cigarette, his eyes lit up even more, and his smile deepened. He quickly took it and said politely, "Oh, look at you, child, you're too kind! Just tell me what you need, and I'll help without hesitation if it's something I can do!" He lit a cigarette with a famous match, took a satisfying puff, and waited for Wei Chen to continue.

"That's how it is," Wei Chen lit a cigarette and pointed towards the east courtyard, "those two trees, the jujube tree and the peach tree, were just brought back this afternoon and are still leaning against the tree pit. As you can see, they're quite large; I can't move them by myself."

"I'd like to ask for your help. See if any young man in the yard is free this evening and could lend a hand to plant the trees. This season waits for no one; the sooner they're planted, the better their chances of survival." He paused, then added, "Of course, I can't let everyone help for nothing. I have some cigarettes and candy here, just a small token."

"Hey! What's the big deal?" Yan Bugui immediately thumped his chest, puffing out smoke rings, looking like he was taking full responsibility. "This little thing, leave it to me! We're all neighbors, it's just a matter of lending a hand! You wait here!" He immediately turned around and shouted loudly towards his open door, "Jie Cheng! Jie Cheng! Come out!"

His eldest son, Yan Jiecheng, poked his head out of the house upon hearing the noise: "Dad, what's wrong?"

"Hurry up! Go to the middle courtyard and call Sha Zhu over! Then go to the backyard and call Xu Damao and Guang Tian from Old Liu's family! Tell them that Wei Chen asked them to help plant trees! Go and come back quickly!" Yan Bugui commanded, displaying a rather "strategic" demeanor.

"Okay! Got it!" Yan Jiecheng replied, then nimbly darted out of the house and ran off.

Yan Bugui turned to Wei Chen and smiled, "Second Uncle's son, Guangqi, is at vocational school and living on campus; he's not home. Guangtian is fifteen, and he's strong enough for us! Jiecheng counts too!"

Wei Chen smiled and thanked him, "Thank you for your trouble, Third Uncle, and thank you for running errands, Jie Cheng."

Soon, the sounds of hurried footsteps and voices grew louder as they approached. Yan Jiecheng ran ahead, followed by several people: Sha Zhu from the middle courtyard was wearing a faded tank top and cloth shoes, carrying an enamel mug. He had clearly been called away from the dining table, and his face showed a hint of impatience at being disturbed.

But seeing Wei Chen, he still managed a smile: "Brother Wei Chen, planting trees? Sure, Brother Zhu will lend you a hand!"

Xu Damao from the backyard also arrived. He was quite well-groomed, with his short hair neatly combed and wearing a half-new blue work uniform. However, his eyes were wandering, with a hint of wanting to watch the show. He replied, "Since Brother Wei Chen summoned me, I had to come!" But his eyes were fixed on the cigarette case in Wei Chen's hand.

Liu Guangtian followed behind. The fifteen-year-old boy was already starting to grow taller, and his face showed the excitement and eagerness unique to adolescence.

Surprisingly, Jia Dongxu from the Intermediate People's Court also came over. He looked somewhat listless, and his clothes were stained with oil, indicating that he had just returned from work and had come after hearing the commotion.

Behind him followed an even smaller figure, Liu Guangtian's younger brother Liu Guangfu, who was only thirteen years old and had simply come along with his brother to watch the excitement.

"Brother Wei Chen, I heard we're going to plant trees? Count me in!" Jia Dongxu said, his voice a little weak.

"Thank you! Thank you all for coming!" Wei Chen's face was full of sincere smiles as he hurried forward, first taking out cigarettes from his pack and handing them out to everyone, "Brother Zhu, Brother Da Mao, Brother Dong Xu, Guang Tian, ​​Jie Cheng, thank you all for making this trip! Here, have a smoke!"

Sha Zhu took the cigarette, grinned, and tucked it behind his ear. Xu Damao immediately took out a match, lit it, and took a satisfying puff. Jia Dongxu also silently took his and lit it. Yan Jiecheng took his somewhat shyly.

When it was Liu Guangtian's turn, the boy's eyes lit up instantly! At fifteen, he was at the age where he longed to be treated like an adult. He took the "Daqianmen" cigarette with a mix of excitement and nervousness, and clumsily put it in his mouth like an adult. Xu Damao chuckled and leaned over to light it for him.

Liu Guangtian took a deep breath and was immediately choked, coughing repeatedly and tears welling up in his eyes, which caused a burst of laughter from the crowd. He himself, however, blushed and tried hard to hold it in, feeling extremely honored.

Wei Chen's gaze fell on Liu Guangfu, who was watching his older brother smoke with envy. He smiled, took out a few fruit-shaped hard candies wrapped in colored cellophane from his pocket, walked over, and stuffed them into Liu Guangfu's hand: "Guangfu is still young, he can't smoke. Here, your brother Wei Chen will give you some candy!"

Liu Guangfu stared wide-eyed at the glistening candy in his hand, grinning foolishly, "Thank you, Brother Wei Chen!" his voice booming.

At this moment, at the door of Yan Bugui's house, his two youngest children—six-year-old Yan Jiekuang and five-year-old Yan Jiedi—were also attracted by the commotion in the yard. They timidly peered out from the door frame, their little eyes fixed on the candy in Liu Guangfu's hand.

Wei Chen saw this, smiled, walked over, squatted down, took out a few more candies, and put two in each of Yan Jiekuang and Yan Jiedi's hands: "Jiekuang, Jiedi, here, sweeten your mouths."

The two little ones clutched the candy, their faces immediately lighting up with bright smiles, and they exclaimed in their sweet, childish voices, "Thank you, Brother Wei Chen!"

This scene caused a rare hint of embarrassment and emotion to flash across Yan Bugui's face, a man who was usually shrewd and calculating, even splitting every penny in half.

He looked at Wei Chen with a complicated expression, then cleared his throat: "Wei Chen, this... is too much of a waste. The children are too young to understand..."

"Uncle, it's just a few candies. As long as the kids are happy." Wei Chen stood up and waved his hand dismissively. "Come on, guys, the tree's right in the yard. Shall we get to work?"

"Let's go!" Sha Zhu took the lead. "Let's see what kind of treasure tree Brother Wei Chen has brought!" Xu Damao followed.