Rebirth in a Courtyard: I Am a Little Hunter

Is no one home?

Wei Chen frowned and pushed his bicycle to the gate. The gate was ajar and unlocked. He pushed open the creaking wooden gate and pushed the bicycle into the small yard. The yard was quiet, with only a few hens clucking softly in their coops. He figured something must have happened in the village, probably at the village office.

Wei Chen propped up his bicycle and unloaded the "goods" covered with straw from the basket on the back of the bicycle, carrying them to the main room. Just then, he heard light footsteps and a girl's clear, excited voice coming from outside the courtyard gate.

"Mom, do you think the stewed cabbage in the cafeteria today had too much oil? And the meat, I ate three pieces, it was so delicious! And those steamed buns, they were so much better than the ones we make at home, I ate three!"

Then came the mother, Wang Xiulan, responding with a smile and a hint of relaxation in her voice: "It's better than what we usually eat at home. It's a bit oily, but we can't bear to eat plain white steamed buns."

The courtyard gate opened, and Wang Xiulan and Wei Ran appeared in the doorway. Wei Ran, with her sharp eyes, immediately spotted Wei Chen and the bicycle in the yard and rushed over like a cheerful little bird: "Brother! You're back!" As she got closer, she noticed the two large baskets at Wei Chen's feet and the last bag he was carrying. Curious, she peeked inside, "Brother, what good stuff did you bring back this time?"

Wang Xiulan hurried over, her face showing concern: "Chenzi, why are you back at this hour? Have you eaten? Today in the village..." Before she could finish speaking, Wei Ran excitedly interrupted her.

"Brother! Brother! Did you know? Our village has a communal canteen now! It just opened today!" Wei Ran's face flushed with excitement as she gestured excitedly. "It's right there at the old ancestral hall on the east side of the village! Huge pots! Lots of people! For lunch, we had pork stew with cabbage and vermicelli, all so oily! And big steamed buns made from a mixture of wheat flour and cornmeal, so fluffy! There's plenty to eat! For dinner, we had radish soup and cornbread, so delicious!" She licked her lips as she spoke, looking like she wanted more.

Seeing her daughter's excited expression, Wang Xiulan added with a smile, "Yes, Chenzi. It was just announced this afternoon that, in response to the call, the collective canteen in our Baoyuquan Village has been set up. It's right in the courtyard of the ancestral hall; they've built a big stove and set up a big pot. We eat lunch and dinner there. I must say, the collective canteen has plenty of food; they're generous with oil and salt, and the noodles are finely fermented. It's definitely better than what we make at home, and it's much less troublesome."

Her tone carried a hint of approval and relief. Not having to cook herself saved her the trouble of firewood, oil, and salt, and the quality of the meals even improved—this was undoubtedly a good thing for a housewife who had been managing household chores and being meticulous with money for years.

Upon hearing this, Wei Chen understood. He remembered his uncle, Wei Shoutian, mentioning it the last time he came back, saying that there were instructions from above to set up a canteen, and the village was still discussing it. He didn't expect things to move so quickly. As he untied the rope from the back of his bicycle, he replied, "Oh? It's already set up so quickly? When my uncle mentioned it last time, it wasn't even decided yet."

"That's right!" Wang Xiulan stepped forward to help her son hold the handlebars. "This morning, the team leader was banging a gong and shouting all over the village, saying that starting at noon, no one would need to cook anymore and would all go to the ancestral hall to eat in the canteen. Everyone was so excited and brought their families."

Wei Chen brushed aside the withered and green grass covering the basket, revealing bags stuffed full of cloth and cotton underneath. "It's good to get it done," he said.

"Other villages have already done it, so it wouldn't make sense for our village not to. It's normal for conditions to be better at the beginning." His words carried the calm of someone who had been through it all.

He knew what this brief "honeymoon period" of "all-you-can-eat" meant—enormous waste and subsequent unsustainable difficulties. The three years of hardship that began in 56 would quickly corrupt these canteens that had just tasted the benefits, reducing their meals from three to two, then to a single meal of thin porridge, and eventually leading to their dissolution.

But at this moment, seeing the rare ease on his mother's face and the pure joy in his sister's eyes, he couldn't say these words, nor should he. The torrent of history rolls ever onward, and individual clarity is often accompanied by the bitterness of powerlessness.

"Oh my! Brother! What's this?" Wei Ran's attention was immediately drawn to what Wei Chen was holding. The light blue cotton fabric with small floral patterns still looked fresh and elegant in the dim light. She exclaimed in surprise.

Wang Xiulan was also attracted by the floral fabric in Wei Chen's hand.

Wei Chen handed the package of the pale yellow dress he'd bought from the department store to his younger sister, Wei Ran. "Here, Ranran, this is for you." He then gave his mother the floral fabric scraps. "I bought these at the department store. I made dresses for you and your sister!"

Wei Ran eagerly took the package, opened the kraft paper, and the brand-new, light yellow children's dress was revealed.

"Wow! A new dress!" she squealed with delight, clutching the dress tightly to her chest, her face glowing with excitement. "It's so pretty! Brother! You're so kind!" She twirled around in the yard, clutching the dress, wishing she could put it on right away.

Looking at the ready-made dress she'd bought from the store and the pretty floral fabric in her hand, Wang Xiulan felt both heartache and gratitude for the money she'd spent: "You child... why waste money like this... we can manage at home... it's fine if you buy it for your sister, what do I need..."

"Mother, we've been wearing these clothes for years. Now that we can afford it, it's time to change them. Come on, let's go back inside. I have something to tell you." Wei Chen's tone was gentle but firm.

Wang Xiulan pushed open the creaking wooden door to the main room, revealing a dimly lit interior. Wei Ran followed behind her mother, eager to light the tiny kerosene lamp.

"Mother, light the lamp quickly! What good things did my brother bring back? The basket is stuffed full..." Wei Ran's voice, filled with barely suppressed excitement and curiosity, sounded particularly clear in the darkness.

"Don't rush, don't rush, be careful not to trip." Wang Xiulan groped her way to the windowsill and touched the cold glass kerosene lamp and a small box of matches.

With a soft snap, an orange flame leaped up and was carefully placed inside the lampshade. The dim yellow light, like a startled firefly, struggled to spread outwards, dispelling the small patch of darkness at the doorway.

Their village also got electricity, but the electricity was unstable at that time, and the supply was insufficient, with power outages every few days. Everyone got used to it, so every household kept kerosene lamps.

When the light touched the "small hill" on the floor in the center of the main room, Wang Xiulan's hand, which was bending down to put down the matchbox, suddenly stopped. Wei Ran gasped, her mouth forming a round "O" shape, her eyes wide open, as if she had seen a treasure bowl from a myth.

Under the dim light, two large, bulging burlap sacks, almost half a person tall, stood heavily. The sacks were tightly tied with rough hemp ropes, but their fullness, almost bursting open, silently proclaimed that they contained an extremely heavy item—cotton!

Beside it, two neatly folded bolts of cloth lay quietly. Both were thick, dark blue work clothes, thick enough to block the wind, exuding a sense of stability and reliability even in the dim light. Next to the cloth was a small, square package wrapped in the kind of kraft paper typical of department stores.

The sudden appearance of this pile of things in the bare main room, where even a decent table was missing a corner, was as visually striking as a thunderclap from a clear sky.

Wang Xiulan's heart pounded. She subconsciously rubbed her eyes, thinking she was seeing things, or perhaps it was a hallucination caused by the smoke from the stove. Even in the wealthiest years of their lives, they had never seen so much, such fine cotton and cloth at once!

"Chen...Chenzi?" Wang Xiulan's voice trembled with disbelief as she turned sharply to look at her son who had just closed the courtyard gate and entered. "What...what are all these things? Where...where did you get so much stuff?" Her gaze was fixed on the two bags of cotton, as if they would sprout wings and fly away at any moment.

Wei Chen closed the door to the main room, shutting out the deepening night and the faint noise from the canteen. He walked to the pile of supplies, his tall figure casting a long shadow under the kerosene lamp, enveloping the "treasure."

"Mother, don't panic, let me explain slowly." Wei Chen's voice was calm and clear, carrying a soothing power. He first pointed to the two bags of cotton and cloth, "These are what I got while working in the city." He paused, looking at his mother and sister's tense yet expectant eyes, and began to explain, selectively revealing information that would reassure them without causing them excessive worry.

"I work as a purchasing agent at a steel rolling mill, as you know. The factory's quota for purchasing is fifty yuan per week." Wei Chen's tone was calm, as if he were talking about an ordinary job.

"To complete the task, a couple of days ago, when I went into the mountains, I was lucky enough to hunt a wild boar and a roe deer." He gestured with his hands to indicate their size. "They were both quite big. According to the factory's regulations, these unplanned catches can be sold directly to the factory canteen, which can offset the purchase quota and also earn a cash reward."

"Wild boar? Roe deer?" Wang Xiulan gasped, her hands instinctively gripping her clothes tightly. "Chenzi, you...you're alone? That's so dangerous!" She knew how ferocious wild animals in the mountains could be. Wei Ran also nervously grabbed her brother's arm.

"Mom, it's alright." Wei Chen patted his sister's hand, his tone filled with unquestionable confidence. "Your son isn't like he used to be. He's much stronger now, and his eyesight is sharper. Besides, hunting is all about timing and luck; if you come across an opportunity, you can't let it slip by. Selling these two animals to the factory not only completed this week's quota but also earned us some extra money." He cleverly avoided mentioning the specific amount, emphasizing that it was "legal" and "according to factory regulations."