Rebirth in a Courtyard: I Am a Little Hunter

The backyard, the Jia family's residence.

The atmosphere became even more complicated. Jia Dongxu ate with a gloomy face, while Banggeng and Xiaodang made a ruckus beside him. Jia Zhangshi had droopy eyelids and muttered something to herself. Qin Huairu ate her meal silently, her mind already wandering far away.

"Dongxu, have you heard? Wei Chen might have another job opening." Qin Huairu picked up a piece of pickled vegetables with her chopsticks and said casually, but her eyes were secretly observing her husband and mother-in-law's reactions.

Jia Dongxu paused with his chopsticks, then said in a muffled voice, "So what if I heard about it? What does it have to do with our family?" His tone was filled with resentment and bitterness.

He has a job, but it's just a low-level position with a meager salary, barely enough to support his large family. If... if his wife, Qin Huairu, could also have a job, even just a temporary one, their lives would be much easier.

But why should Wei Chen give the spot to Qin Huairu? The Jia family and the Wei family don't have a good relationship. In the past, Madam Jia Zhang often talked behind Wang Xiulan's back, saying that she was a widow who had lost her job and was a jinx to her husband, and she herself, along with her mother, hadn't given Wei Chen's family a friendly look.

"How can it be alright?" Jia Zhangshi suddenly raised her eyelids, a shrewd and greedy glint in her triangular eyes. "That Wei Chen, a mere greenhorn, got such a good job opportunity, and instead of helping the neighbors in the courtyard, he only cares about his own relatives. Is that reasonable? Our family is so poor, it's not easy for his father to support five people on his salary alone! Everyone in the neighborhood talks about mutual assistance, is Wei Chen's awareness that low?"

Qin Huairu smiled bitterly to herself. Her mother-in-law's words were only meant to be said behind closed doors; they would have no effect on Wei Chen in person. But she still held onto a sliver of hope.

What if? What if Wei Chen softens his heart when he sees his family's difficult situation? Or... what other methods could be used?

She thought of Wei Chen's face, young yet increasingly composed and resolute, and of his lukewarm and distant attitude towards his family, and felt her hope was fading. But he was a permanent employee at the steel mill! As long as there was a glimmer of hope, she wanted to try.

"Mom, stop talking." Jia Dongxu interrupted his mother irritably. "They have a spot, they can give it to whomever they want. Our family... our family doesn't have any connection with them." Although he said that, his hand holding the chopsticks turned a little white.

"Friendship? Won't it develop over time?" Madam Jia Zhang was unconvinced. "Tomorrow I'll swallow my pride and have a chat with Wang Xiulan. She's a mother too, surely she understands our family's difficulties?" She was determined to start with Wang Xiulan and appeal to her emotions.

Other households, like Xu Damao in the backyard, though childless themselves, were pondering whether they could use this news to gain some other benefits or to curry favor with those in need. The deaf old lady, though uninvolved, was happy to watch the spectacle, and even some families with young adults of marriageable age were entertaining various thoughts. The entire courtyard was abuzz with activity and restless spirits because of a job opening whose allocation was yet to be determined.

Starting the next day, Wei Chen's house in the east courtyard suddenly became "lively".

The first to arrive was indeed the scheming master Yan Bugui.

That evening, Wei Chen had just returned home from get off work and was chatting with his mother about things at the factory when he heard Yan Bugui's distinctive, slightly deliberately enthusiastic voice coming from outside the gate: "Is Wei Chen home?"

Wang Xiulan glanced at her son, and Wei Chen nodded slightly. Wang Xiulan got up to open the door: "Oh, yes, Uncle, please come in."

The curtain was lifted, and Yan Bugui walked in with a smile, carrying a small basket. The basket contained two not-so-plump cabbages and a few crooked radishes, clearly grown in his own private plot, and of average quality.

"Hey, Wei Chen, you're off work? Work must have been tough!" As soon as Yan Bugui entered, his eyes quickly scanned the room before settling on Wei Chen. His face broke into a wide smile. "Your third aunt was cleaning the cellar today, and these cabbages and radishes couldn't keep any longer. They're homegrown, so they're not worth much. I'll give you some to try. You have a small family, so you'll consume them slowly. Don't be picky."

Wang Xiulan quickly took the basket: "Oh, Uncle, you're too kind, I can't accept this..."

"No need for formalities, we're neighbors!" Yan Bugui waved his hand, then sat down on the edge of the kang (a heated brick bed), looking at Wei Chen with "kind" eyes. "Wei Chen, you've been quite busy with work lately, haven't you? I see you leaving early and coming home late every day. Young man, you're energetic, good! Much better than those good-for-nothing boys in my family!"

Wei Chen understood immediately, knowing the real show was about to begin. He remained outwardly calm, poured Yan Bugui a glass of water, and said, "Uncle, you flatter me. I'm just trying to make a living. Jiefang and the others aren't young anymore; they should find something to do, right?"

"Sigh! That's right!" Yan Bugui had been waiting for these words, and immediately let out a heavy sigh, his smile turning into a look of distress. "You know my son Jiefang, right? He started doing odd jobs on the street after graduating from junior high school. One day he'd help people move things, the next he'd go to a construction site to mix mud. He didn't have any proper work, he was always on the go, not earning much money and not learning anything! Your third aunt and I were so worried about him!" As he spoke, he secretly observed Wei Chen's expression.

"It's not easy to find a job these days." Wei Chen responded casually, following his lead, without taking any further action.

Seeing that Wei Chen wasn't taking the bait, Yan Bugui had no choice but to go a step further. He leaned forward slightly, lowered his voice, and adopted a sincere tone: "Wei Chen, the Third Uncle is here today, firstly to deliver some vegetables, and secondly, to ask you about something."

He paused, seemingly choosing his words carefully, "There have been some rumors circulating in the factory lately, saying that... you did something good at the factory, and they rewarded you with a job? Is that true?"

He finally revealed his true intentions.

Wang Xiulan listened from the side, her expression changing slightly, and she glanced at her son with some worry. Wei Chen, however, remained calm, even smiling: "Third Uncle is quite well-informed. It's true, the factory leaders were considerate and gave us a spot."

Seeing Wei Chen's quick admission, Yan Bugui was delighted, but then tensed up – he immediately pressed his advantage, "Oh my! This is fantastic news! Incredibly good news! Wei Chen, you've really brought honor to our compound!" He started with flattery, then abruptly changed the subject, "But, what do you plan to do with this spot? Will you give it to a relative, or…?"

"It's already been arranged," Wei Chen said casually.

"Arranged to go?!" Yan Bugui's heart skipped a beat, and the smile on his face froze. "This...so fast? To...to whom?"

"Give it to my cousin. The formalities were just completed yesterday. You saw him yesterday, didn't you? I was just taking him to report for duty!" Wei Chen picked up his teacup, blew on non-existent tea leaves, and spoke calmly, effectively shutting down any further arguments Yan Bugui might have.

Yan Bugui was struck dumb, his mouth agape, speechless for a long time. Arranged to go? And to his cousin back home? All done yesterday? He'd spent the whole day planning, even rehearsing his lines on how to plead poverty, how to appeal to neighborly affection, how to hint at future "mutual assistance," and in the end… just one casual remark from that person, and his path was blocked?

"This...this..." Yan Bugui was speechless for a moment, his expression shifting between disappointment, resentment, and a hint of annoyance at being "beaten to the punch." He forced a smile and said, "Ah, it's been arranged...it's good that it's been arranged, it's good that it's been arranged...your cousin is lucky!" The sourness in his tone could be smelled from a distance.

He probed again, unwilling to give up: "Then... there's only one spot? The factory only awarded one?" He still clung to the hope that maybe Wei Chen had another one? Or... he had one hidden away?

"The factory gave out a few as rewards, that's the factory's business. As for me, this is the only one I can arrange." Wei Chen's answer was watertight, neither denying that there might be more than one (in fact there were two, but the other one had already been replaced), nor explicitly stating that he had no more "arrangements" available.

Yan Bugui's heart sank completely. He knew there was no point in asking any further. Wei Chen's words were clearly telling him: stop thinking about it, it's over.

After a few more awkward words, Yan Bugui couldn't sit still any longer. He got up dejectedly to leave, even forgetting to take the basket of cabbages and radishes. Wang Xiulan chased after him and shoved the basket back at him. He mumbled a thank you, then picked up the basket and walked away unsteadily. His retreating figure looked utterly desolate.

After seeing Yan Bugui off, Wang Xiulan closed the door and said to Wei Chen with some worry, "Chen'er, the whole courtyard probably knows about this quota. Third Uncle was being quite polite; who knows who else might come knocking later."

Wei Chen sneered: "Mom, don't worry, the spots have already been given out, it's no use for anyone to say anything. Let them covet them if they want."

He had long anticipated this turn of events. The people in the courtyard couldn't stand seeing others do well, much less enjoy the benefits they couldn't obtain. Envy and scheming were commonplace. However, he was no longer the helpless, helpless boy who could be manipulated at will.

Sure enough, not long after Yan Bugui left, Second Uncle Liu Haizhong arrived with an air of superiority, hands behind his back, pacing back and forth.

Unlike Yan Bugui, who brought some cheap vegetables, Liu Haizhong came empty-handed, adopting the posture of a "leader on an inspection tour." Upon entering, he coughed, cleared his throat, and scanned the room with what he thought was an authoritative gaze before finally settling on Wei Chen.

"Wei Chen, are you off work?" Liu Haizhong asked in an official tone, sitting down on a chair in the room (as if it were his personal throne), crossing his legs.

"Second Uncle, you've arrived." Wei Chen stood up, his tone flat, neither warm nor cold, "What is it?"