Rebirth in a Courtyard: I Am a Little Hunter

The so-called "ghost market" is not a fixed location, but a black market trading point that spontaneously forms in certain conventional, secluded streets and alleys in the early morning hours. It disperses before dawn, like ghosts, hence the name "ghost market".

This place circulates all sorts of goods of dubious origin or difficult to trade openly, from antiques and paintings to grains, oils, and cloth, from industrial parts to rare overseas commodities. As long as you have money and connections, you can find almost anything. Of course, the risks are also extremely high.

Wei Chen's transaction with Brother Hu did not take place at the public stalls in the ghost market, but in a secluded, inconspicuous courtyard on the edge of the market. This place was originally a secret hideout for Brother Hu to store his "goods." Because the pork Wei Chen provided was of excellent quality, the supply was stable, and he never asked any questions, Brother Hu made it his regular trading location.

Having skillfully avoided several hidden sentries (arranged by Tiger, whom Wei Chen had already figured out), Wei Chen landed like a feather outside the back wall of the courtyard.

His mental energy seeped in like mercury. The courtyard was empty; the main house and side rooms were deserted, save for the rustling of mice. But in the basement of the side room where he stored pork, his mental energy sensed a pile of things, and what appeared to be a piece of paper on the table.

Having confirmed it was safe, Wei Chen scaled the wall like a cat, landing silently. He went straight to the door of the side room, which had an old-fashioned brass lock.

He pulled out a key, the one Tiger had given him, and with a soft click, the lock opened. Pushing open the door, a musty, stale smell mixed with dust wafted out. The room was filled with old, worn furniture, seemingly chaotic, but actually arranged in a certain order.

He walked to the corner, lifted an inconspicuous piece of linoleum, revealing a wooden staircase leading downwards. Below lay the hidden basement. Wei Chen didn't go down immediately, but instead carefully scanned the area again with his mental energy to confirm there were no traps or ambushes before descending the stairs.

The basement wasn't large, only about ten square meters. It used to be a cellar for storing cabbage and potatoes, but Tiger had done some simple renovations. The walls were reinforced with wooden boards, and the floor was relatively dry.

At this moment, one corner of the basement was empty—it was where Wei Chen had stored a month's worth of pork, which had long since been taken away by Tiger's men. On the other side, dozens of wooden boxes, brocade boxes, cloth bags, and even some rolls tied with straw rope were neatly stacked.

On the simple wooden table in the middle, a paperweight held down a piece of rough-edged paper with a few lines of writing on it, the handwriting somewhat messy but still legible:

"Brother Wei: The goods have been picked up on time. The payment will be settled according to the old rules. Any extra is a New Year's bonus, so please don't refuse. Also, with the New Year approaching, the market is tight. If it's convenient for you, could you supply some more pork? The price will be increased by 10%. I've also collected a new batch of old items; the list is attached. Please take them as needed. Looking forward to your reply. Tiger."

Sure enough, there was a list next to it, listing the names and quantities of the antiques. Although the descriptions were simple (such as "a pair of blue and white lotus pattern plates", "a gilt bronze seated Shakyamuni statue", "a Ming dynasty huanghuali brush pot", etc.), Wei Chen didn't understand these things, but as long as they were received in the game world, they all had names and brief descriptions, making it clear whether they were antiques or not! Tiger Brother had a sharp eye; the items he gave him were basically genuine, and in good condition.

On the other side of the table, there was a small cloth bag. Opening it, one found a thick wad of cash, mainly ten-yuan notes, but also a considerable number of five-yuan, two-yuan, and one-yuan notes, totaling over a thousand yuan. In addition, there was a stack of various coupons and certificates, including grain coupons, cloth coupons, meat coupons, and industrial coupons, in a substantial quantity.

This is clearly the money left over from selling pork after deducting the antiques, plus the "lucky money" that Tiger mentioned.

Wei Chen didn't bother to count them; he simply stored the money and the list into his spatial storage. Then, he walked to the pile of antiques, and with a thought, dozens of items vanished instantly, transferred to his private underground storage room in the Hunter's Lodge in the game world. The environment there was constant temperature and humidity, absolutely safe—the perfect place for him to store these "future treasures."

After doing all this, he pondered for a moment. Tiger asked for more quantity and offered a price increase, indicating that with the end of the year approaching, hard currency like pork was indeed in high demand, and the black market price had probably risen again.

The amount of pork stockpiled in his own space was enormous, and supplying more would be no problem at all. The cooperation with Brother Tiger had always gone smoothly; he was trustworthy, offered fair prices, and his antique sources were reliable, making it worthwhile to maintain. Moreover, he also needed to use this channel to exchange the continuous supply of meat in his space for money and antiques, while simultaneously establishing a hidden supply route.

With that in mind, he decided to agree to Tiger's request. With a thought, he took out ten plump, healthy pigs, each weighing about 200 pounds and ready for slaughter, from his game inventory and neatly stacked them in the previously empty corner of the basement.

Ten pigs were piled up into a mountain of meat, almost taking up half of the basement space, and the strong, fresh smell of pork filled the air. This was more than double the supply from the previous month (five pigs).

He then took out a piece of paper and a pencil from his storage space, and using his left hand to write his reply by the light of the kerosene lamp on the table:

"Brother Tiger: The goods are ready, ten heads, please check. Payment received, thank you. It's been a pleasure doing business with you. Take care, things are busy at the end of the year."

The handwriting was deliberately crooked, as if it were written by someone with little education. Wei Chen placed the note under a paperweight, then turned and left the basement. He carefully restored the entrance to its original state, locked the room door, and once again climbed over the wall, disappearing into the vast night.

He traveled swiftly, yet remained completely silent. By the time he returned to the east wing of the courtyard house, it was already late at night. The courtyard was utterly still, save for the faint whistling of the cold wind whistling through the eaves. Just as he had left, he climbed through the back window into the storage room, carefully closed the window, and made sure his mother and sister were asleep before taking off his coat and finally lying back down on the kang (heated brick bed).

After a night of tension and activity, I can finally relax and feel a wave of weariness wash over me.

Just as Wei Chen was drifting off to sleep, in another corner of the courtyard, in a small east wing room in the middle courtyard, someone was still awake, unable to fall asleep.

Sha Zhu, He Yuzhu, stared at the ceiling covered with old newspapers, tossing and turning, the hard bed beneath him creaking from his movements. The room was cold, like an icebox, with no stove lit, and his breath turned into white mist. But he felt even colder and emptier inside than in the room.

By the dim moonlight streaming in through the window, he could see the mess inside the room. Dirty clothes were piled haphazardly on the only wooden chair, some so worn they were unrecognizable; pots and pans were scattered on the small stove in the corner, the remaining grease congealing into greasy patches in the cold; the floor hadn't been cleaned properly in a long time, dust and shoe prints mixed together; the air was filled with the unique stench of a bachelor's dwelling, a mixture of cooking fumes, sweat, and mildew.

Calculating his age, he'll be twenty-five after the New Year. In the late 1950s, especially in Beijing, being twenty-five and still unmarried was considered a "major problem."

Among the people in the courtyard who were about his age, Jia Dongxu had long since married Qin Huairu and had two children; Xu Damao, that grandson, although not married, had at least pursued Lou Bancheng's daughter; even Wei Chen, who moved in later, although a few years younger than him, was now... a level three clerk, earning sixty-two yuan a month! His mother and sister at home were living a prosperous life.

The thought of Wei Chen made Sha Zhu feel even worse. He had heard the announcement in the cafeteria during the day, and later overheard Yan Laoxi and the others discussing it back at the compound. They said that the kid was now enjoying both fame and fortune, living a life of great success.

Thinking about myself, I'm still just a cook, not starving and with a decent salary. But returning to this cold, empty house with no one to talk to, the loneliness and sense of loss are like the chill of a winter night, seeping into my bones.

"Why?" he couldn't help but mutter, his voice sounding particularly abrupt in the empty, cold room. "Isn't Wei Chen just lucky enough to get some meat? In terms of skill and years in the factory, how am I, Sha Zhu, inferior to him? How come he's..." How come he's doing better than him? He didn't say these words out loud, but he felt a tightness in his chest.

Especially today, when I came home from get off work and passed by the front yard, I saw the warm light shining from Wei Chen's window, and I could vaguely hear Wei Ran's cheerful laughter and Wang Xiulan's gentle voice. As for himself, he could only face the cold walls and a pile of dirty clothes.

Although Jia Dongxu's family was chaotic, at least he had a hot meal, a wife and children, and a warm, homey atmosphere when he came home. Even though Xu Damao's grandson is more low-key now, he used to dress smartly and show off everywhere. Only he, Shazhu, seemed to have been forgotten by everyone, alone in this dilapidated house, growing old day by day.

"This can't go on!" Sha Zhu sat up abruptly, pulling the tattered quilt around himself tighter. A fierce glint flashed in his eyes, followed by a resolute determination born of confusion. "I have to get married! I absolutely must! I need to get married right now!"

Once this thought became clear, it grew wildly in his heart like weeds. He needed a woman, a woman who cared for him, who could do his laundry and cook for him, and who could keep this shabby house looking presentable! Coming home to a hot meal, a light waiting for him, and perhaps a child or two… that was what life was all about!

As for who to marry? The first person that flashed through his mind was Qin Huairu. Sister Qin was so wonderful—beautiful, with a great figure, gentle temperament, and caring… Unfortunately, she was Jia Dongxu's wife. This thought filled him with a sense of unease.

"Pah! What am I thinking!" He spat at himself, banishing the unrealistic thought from his mind. Sister Qin was nice, but she was someone else's wife. He needed to find a young, unmarried woman.

But who can I turn to? With my own qualifications, I'm a full-time cook at the steel mill, I have skills, and my monthly salary is 31.5 yuan (not as high as the 37.5 yuan at the beginning of the story). My family also owns the best house in the courtyard—the main house in the middle courtyard!

I wouldn't say our conditions are great, but they're not bad either. We're one of the best in the courtyard house, right? We should at least have a city household registration, like Sister Qin... Wait, I'm getting the wrong idea again!