Rebirth in a Courtyard: I Am a Little Hunter

The meal took almost an hour. The aroma of the food still lingered in the room, mixed with a faint smell of alcohol and cheap tobacco. They drank the bulk liquor that Wei Chen had brought. The men sipped a few cups to keep warm. The table on the heated brick bed had already been cleared away, and the diligent women had quickly cleaned up the dishes.

The whole family sat around the warm kang (a heated brick bed), some cross-legged, some leaning against the pile of quilts, their faces glowing with the satisfaction of a full meal and the slight warmth of alcohol.

After finishing their meal, the children were getting sleepy on the warm kang (heated brick bed). Wei Ran leaned against her mother, Wang Xiulan, her eyes almost closed. Wei Guo and Wei Min played inside, while Wei Min also dozed off on the kang. Outside, the cold wind still howled and rattled against the windowpanes, but inside, the warmth and coziness of family affection and a feeling of fullness kept the harsh cold and famine at bay.

The men smoked, savoring the last vestiges of the jasmine tea Wei Chen had brought; the women were busy, using the daylight streaming through the window to sew seemingly endless shoe soles or mend old clothes, chatting quietly about everyday matters. The conversation eventually circled back to Wei Chen.

"Chenzi," Uncle Wei Laishun gently tapped his pipe on the edge of the kang (a heated brick bed), exhaled the last puff of smoke, and said with deep emotion, "Bringing so much food, this time it really... really solved the family's urgent problem. It's not just the food in front of us, it's your heart that warms our hearts."

Uncle San used to adore Wei Chen and was very close to him. "Your grandparents are getting old, their teeth and stomachs aren't what they used to be, so they crave things that are easy to eat and digest. These fine grains are better than any tonic. And this meat... hey, so many families in the village don't even see a speck of oil all year round, the kids' eyes are practically green with envy." He was telling the truth. Today, the way the children carefully and eagerly ate the meat was both heartbreaking and heartwarming to watch.

Uncle Wei Changsheng nodded heavily. He wasn't good with words, but he patted Wei Chen's shoulder forcefully, and everything was understood without saying a word.

After filming, he looked at Wei Chen, the wrinkles on his dark face smoothing out, his eyes filled with gratitude and a hint of barely suppressed curiosity: "Chenzi, tell your uncle something, at the factory...did you do something big? Did you make a great contribution? Otherwise, why would the leaders give such a substantial reward? Also...when you sent that message last time, you vaguely mentioned some 'good news,' were you referring to this?"

He remembered clearly that he received a call from Wei Chen two days ago. In the letter, besides letting him know that he was safe, Wei Chen did mention that "there might be a good thing happening at the factory recently. If it goes well, it might be able to help the family a little." At the time, he just thought it was his nephew's words of comfort and didn't take it to heart.

But today, seeing these two sacks of grain and meat—which are now considered "strategic resources"—and combined with his nephew's calm and confident demeanor, the doubts and expectations in his heart suddenly flared up like flames blown by the wind.

Grandpa Wei Laoshuan didn't say anything, but slowly puffed on his pipe, his cloudy yet clear eyes looking through the wisps of smoke onto his grandson's calm face.

Grandma stopped her nagging with her daughter-in-law, Wang Xiulan, and looked at her grandson. Her wrinkled face showed love and a hint of worry that was hard to detect, as if she was afraid that her grandson would suffer a lot because of these things.

The atmosphere in the room gradually quieted down again, and everyone's attention was once again focused on Wei Chen.

Wei Chen knew that the time had come to release the bombshell news of "job openings".

He sat up straight, his gaze slowly and peacefully sweeping over each elder in the room—his weathered grandfather, his kind grandmother, his honest and simple uncle and aunt, his slightly frail but meticulous third uncle and aunt, and his tired but tender-eyed mother.

Cousin Weifeng also subconsciously straightened his back, his eyes filled with anticipation and curiosity. Even the children at the end of the kang (a heated brick bed), still half asleep, seemed to sense the unusual heaviness in the air and rubbed their eyes as they looked over.

He cleared his throat, his voice not loud, but clear and steady, carrying a power that involuntarily convinced and reassured people: "Grandpa, Grandma, Uncle, Third Uncle, and all the elders. I've come back today not only to see you all and bring some gifts, but also because there's something more important I need to discuss with the family. I'd appreciate your advice."

He paused, giving everyone time to prepare, before speaking clearly and deliberately, word by word: "I recently did something commendable at work. The factory leaders... gave me a reward. Not money, not goods, but a job position. A permanent position at Hongxing Steel Rolling Mill."

"A permanent position?" Uncle Wei Laishun repeated the question subconsciously, then, as if burned, his hand trembled, and his pipe fell with a "thud" onto the kang mat. He didn't bother to pick it up, but leaned forward abruptly, his eyes wide, his voice distorted with extreme astonishment, "Chenzi, you...you explain yourself! It's a position at the steel mill, a...a permanent position? A secure job?"

Meeting his shocked gaze, Wei Chen nodded firmly, emphasizing, "Yes, it's a large state-owned factory with a formal position. Once you get in, you can transfer your household registration to the city, receive government-subsidized grain rations, a monthly salary, and social security. If you perform well, you can even be allocated housing in the future."

"Hiss—" Aunt Zhao Jinhua gasped, covering her mouth tightly with her hand, her eyes instantly turning red. Aunt Li Xiuzhi's needlework fell to her lap with a "thud," but she didn't notice, just staring straight at Wei Chen, her mouth slightly open, as if she had suddenly lost the ability to speak.

Grandpa Wei Laoshuan's hand holding the pipe froze in mid-air, the embers in the pipe flickering, reflecting in his suddenly contracting pupils.

Grandma blinked blankly at first, seemingly not understanding the full meaning of the words "permanent employee quota." But seeing the shocked expressions on her son and daughter-in-law's faces, as if struck by lightning, she suddenly realized something and asked in a trembling voice, "Chenwa...you...you mean, you can get people...to work...as factory workers in your factory?"

"There are two spots, Grandma," Wei Chen added, his voice calm, but like cold water thrown into a pot of boiling oil, it instantly caused an uproar.

"Two...two?!" Uncle Wei Changsheng's voice suddenly rose and then fell sharply, as if afraid of waking him from a beautiful dream. The muscles on his face twitched slightly from extreme excitement, and the veins on his forehead bulged. He stared intently at Wei Chen, his voice dry and tight, "Chenzi, you...you're not joking with your uncle? Two? Full-time jobs? All...all for our family?"

"Absolutely true." Wei Chen's tone was resolute. "I've looked into all the procedures and policies. As long as the basic requirements are met, the age is right, the health is good, and the family background is acceptable, just take the quota I give you to the factory's personnel department to report for duty. This quota was earned through my merits, and the factory has given me the autonomy to decide who gets it. I decide who gets it, and that's who gets the procedures." He specifically emphasized "autonomy" to completely reassure his family and to show that the matter was set in stone and there would be no further changes.

A deathly silence fell over the room. Not a warm tranquility, but a near-vacuum silence, as if everyone had been rendered unresponsive by an overwhelming amount of information. Everyone's expressions froze—shock, bewilderment, disbelief—and then, ecstasy, like molten lava surging from underground, burst through the bedrock and instantly engulfed every face!

State-owned factory! Formal employment! Guaranteed job! Grain supply! Urban residency!

Each of these words carries immense weight; they are the ladder that countless rural youths of this era dream of but can never reach, no matter how hard they try!

A single spot is enough for a family to give up everything they have and sell their possessions to fight for it, enough to completely change the fate of an individual or even an entire family!

Now, Wei Chen casually tells them that it's not one, it's two! Moreover, he's going to give away these two precious spots—spots that could trigger fierce competition or even feuds within any family—to "family members" free of charge and voluntarily!

The immense happiness came so suddenly and so violently that everyone was somewhat dizzy and at a loss.

"My God... May our ancestors protect us... May our ancestors protect us..." Uncle Wei Laishun murmured, bending down and picking up the fallen tobacco pouch with trembling hands. He picked it up twice before he could hold it steady.

He looked up at Wei Chen, his eyes filled with an extremely complex mix of emotions: ecstasy, gratitude, disbelief, and a barely perceptible fear of what might happen in the future.

Third Aunt Li Xiuzhi suddenly grabbed her husband's arm, her nails digging deep into her cotton-padded coat. Her breathing became rapid and heavy, her chest heaving violently, and her eyes shone with an alarming brightness, as if she had been instantly injected with boundless vitality.

Aunt Zhao Jinhua's tears finally welled up, not with sadness, but with overwhelming joy and hope. She grabbed her eldest son Wei Feng's strong arm and shook it violently, her voice choked with emotion: "Fengzi! Fengzi, can you hear me? Your brother Chenzi... your brother Chenzi wants to give you... give you all the worker's spot!"

She spoke incoherently, but her meaning was clear: in her heart, this quota should rightfully belong to her honest and hardworking eldest son, who was of marriageable age but whose marriage had been delayed due to poverty!

Wei Feng was completely stunned. His dark face flushed red, then paled slightly. His lips trembled as he looked at Wei Chen, then at his overjoyed parents. The immense joy and sudden burden left his mind blank, only one thought echoing repeatedly: I can be a worker? Go to Beijing? Get a government-subsidized food ration?...

Grandpa Wei Laoshuan finally found his voice. He put down his pipe, his hands trembling slightly, took a deep breath, and looked at Wei Chen with profound eyes: "Chen boy...you...you've done quite a good job."

He didn't ask directly what the achievement was, but the implication was clear: the achievement that secured two permanent positions was no ordinary feat, and the hardships involved were probably beyond what outsiders could understand.