Rebirth in a Courtyard: I Am a Little Hunter

"I'm doing great! I've been saying I'd like to play chess with you sometime!" Wei Chen said, making small talk while deftly pulling a brand-new pack of "Daqianmen" cigarettes from his bag.

These cigarettes were a rarity even in the city; he had prepared them especially for this occasion. He skillfully unwrapped the foil, pulled out a cigarette, and offered it to him with both hands, "Uncle Zhao, please have a smoke!"

Zhao Changhe's eyes lit up! Daqianmen cigarettes! These are not easy to get! He felt very pleased with Wei Chen's respectful yet friendly demeanor.

He took the cigarette, sniffed it, and exclaimed, "Good cigarette!" He then lit it with a match, took a satisfying drag, and exhaled a wisp of smoke. His attitude was noticeably warmer. "Chenzi, what brings you here? Did your uncle send you?"

Wei Chen lit a cigarette for himself before explaining his purpose: "Uncle Zhao, it's like this. I'm now a purchasing agent at the Hongxing Steel Rolling Mill in the city. The mill has assigned me a task to collect some local mountain products and other produce from the surrounding area every week to supply the canteen."

He pulled out his work ID and handed it over. "Well, I just took over, so I need to get familiar with things. I thought I'd come and check out a few neighboring villages first. My uncle said that Shangyuan Village is thriving under your leadership, Uncle Zhao, so there must be a lot of good things here. He suggested I try it out here first!"

His words not only revealed his identity and flattered the other party, but also hinted at the information that "purchasing" would benefit the villagers.

Zhao Changhe took the work permit and looked at it. Hearing Wei Chen mention "lots of good stuff" and "supplying the canteen," his mind immediately started racing. The factory coming to collect goods—this was a great opportunity for the commune members to generate income!

His smile widened: "Oh! Comrade purchasing agent! Welcome, welcome! This is great news! It solves the sales problem for our commune members! Don't worry, I'll definitely support your work!" He paused, then asked, "What kind of things do you buy? How much do you charge?"

Wei Chen held the cigarette between his fingers and said, "Mainly things that can be eaten in the cafeteria: dried mushrooms, dried green beans, dried eggplant, dried radish, daylily and other dried vegetables; fresh seasonal vegetables like autumn cucumbers, winter melons and pumpkins are also fine; eggs and duck eggs; and seasonings like Sichuan peppercorns and dried chili peppers."

"Don't worry about the price. We'll go with the supply and marketing cooperative's purchase price, or even slightly higher. We absolutely won't let the villagers lose out! We'll weigh it on the spot and count the money right there!" He emphasized "counting the money on the spot," which was the most attractive offer to the villagers. As he spoke, he put two new Daqianmen cigarettes into Zhao Changhe's pocket.

"Hey, Chenzi, no need, no need for this. Nephew and I don't need this." Zhao Changhe said as he prepared to take it out.

Wei Chen went up the mountain and held her hand down. "Uncle Zhao, please take this and smoke it. I'll need your help a lot in the future. Consider this a token of my respect for you."

Hearing Wei Chen's words, he didn't insist. He said, "You little rascal, wait here. I'll go and shout it out over the loudspeaker! Tell everyone who has something to sell to bring it to the brigade headquarters! Let's face it head-on and make things clear!" He carefully stubbed out the half-smoked "Daqianmen" cigarette on the sole of his shoe, tucked it behind his ear, and turned to walk quickly into the brigade headquarters' broadcasting room.

A moment later, the loudspeaker hanging on the old locust tree in the center of the village started crackling loudly, and Zhao Changhe's strong, resonant voice, thick with local accent, instantly echoed throughout Shangyuan Village in the early morning:

"Hey! Hey! Attention, comrades of Shangyuan Village! This is Brigade Leader Zhao Changhe! I'm broadcasting an important announcement! Purchasing agents from the Hongxing Steel Rolling Mill in the city are coming to our village! The factory canteen needs to buy things! Dried vegetables, fresh vegetables, eggs, duck eggs, peppercorns, and chili peppers! The prices are fair, according to the supply and marketing cooperative's rates. Weighing will be done on the spot, and payment will be made immediately! If you have anything you want to sell, hurry up and bring it to the brigade headquarters! Hurry up! You won't be able to wait!"

The sound of the horn echoed through the quiet village, like a pebble thrown into a calm lake, quickly creating ripples.

Wei Chen stood at the entrance of the brigade office, waiting with Zhao Changhe. Soon, they saw groups of villagers coming out of their homes. There were women carrying small baskets covered with blue cloth, old men carrying bundles of dried vegetables tied with straw ropes, and teenagers carefully carrying a few eggs.

Everyone's faces were filled with curiosity, anticipation, and a hint of caution, their eyes all focused on Wei Chen, this unfamiliar "city shopper," and his gleaming bicycle.

The first person to approach was a thin, dark-skinned woman in her forties, with an old bamboo basket slung over her arm. Inside, lined with clean wheat straw, were about twenty eggs of varying sizes, some still covered in chicken feathers and bits of straw. She somewhat awkwardly handed the basket to Wei Chen: "Comrade... do you buy eggs? They're freshly laid by my old hen!"

"Yes, ma'am, of course I'll take it!" Wei Chen immediately put on a warm smile and gestured for her to place the basket on the small square table that had already been set up at the entrance of the brigade office. He picked up an egg, checked its translucency against the sunlight, and then weighed it in his hand. "Hmm, not bad, quite fresh. The supply and marketing cooperative buys them by the piece, one cent and fifty cents each. I'll go with that price too, is that alright?"

Upon hearing that the price was the same as the supply and marketing cooperative's and that she could get the money on the spot, the woman's face immediately lit up with a smile: "Okay! Okay! I'll do as you say, comrade!"

Wei Chen picked up the notebook and pencil next to the scale: "Ma'am, what's your surname? I'll write it down." "My surname is Zhang, Zhang Guihua." "Alright, Comrade Zhang Guihua, the eggs are twenty... one, two, three... twenty-three. Twenty-three, one cent and fifty cents each, that's thirty-four cents and fifty cents in total. Here's your thirty-five cents!" Wei Chen counted out three one-cent bills and one five-cent bill and handed them over.

Zhang Guihua took the money, counted it carefully, and then checked it against the sunlight to make sure it was correct before carefully tucking it into her pocket, thanking everyone profusely, and leaving. This successful first sale put the villagers who were watching behind at a great reassurance.

Immediately afterward, a hunchbacked old man came over carrying a string of dried eggplants, strung together with hemp rope and sun-dried to a glossy black: "Comrade, do you need dried eggplants? They're from my own garden, completely dried!"

Wei Chen took it, squeezed it with his hands, and then stretched it to check its dryness and pliability: "Hmm, dried well! The supply and marketing cooperative buys dried vegetables, and dried eggplant is six cents a pound. Let me see this string of yours..." He picked up the scale and hung the dried eggplant on the hook, "Three pounds and two ounces. At six cents a pound, that's 19.2 cents. I'll give you 20 cents, okay?" He deliberately rounded down the price to appear generous.

The old man readily accepted the money, saying with a smile, "The purchasing agent is very kind."

Then, a young woman brought out a winnowing basket filled with golden-brown, fragrant dried mushrooms that looked very good. "Comrade, these dried mushrooms, would you like to take a look?"

Wei Chen examined it carefully, then picked up a little and smelled it: "Hmm, well dried, no mold or mildew, and the aroma is just right! First-grade dried mushrooms are 12 cents a pound. This... is about four and a half pounds. Let's say 12 cents a pound, that's 54 cents. Here's your 54 cents!" He counted the money readily.

And so, the area in front of the brigade headquarters gradually became lively. Villagers formed small queues. The items were varied, but each household didn't buy much.

A teenager was carrying a small bundle of wilted autumn beans, weighing 1.3 jin (approximately 0.65 kg) for 7 cents. An old woman was carrying a small cloth bag containing 2 jin (approximately 1 kg) of dried radish strips for 12 cents.

There was also a man carrying two speckled chickens whose feet were tied with straw rope and which were still flapping their wings! This was the best thing they had received in the village.

Throughout the process, Zhao Changhe helped maintain order, occasionally chiming in with, "The purchasing staff is honest, everyone can rest assured." Wei Chen, on the other hand, maintained a constant smile and worked efficiently: inspecting the goods, quoting prices, weighing, recording, and paying. His notebook quickly filled half a page.

The burlap sack gradually swelled up, revealing wrapped eggs, bundled dried vegetables, and tied-up spice packets. He estimated that he had collected from about seven or eight households in Shangyuan Village, spending a total of a little over one yuan and thirty cents.

Seeing that the sun was rising higher and there were only a few people left, Wei Chen thanked Zhao Changhe: "Uncle Zhao, thank you so much! You've been a great help! I'll come over regularly from now on, and I'll need your continued support!"

Zhao Changhe patted his chest and said, "Don't worry! Your uncle's nephew is one of us! Let me know in advance next time he comes, and I'll have the villagers prepare everything!"

After bidding farewell to Zhao Changhe and the enthusiastic villagers, Wei Chen got on his bike and headed towards his next destination—Xiayuan Village. The bamboo basket fixed to the back seat of the bike now had some weight on it.

Xiayuan Village is situated beside a dry riverbed. The houses appear low and dilapidated, and the village roads are uneven and full of potholes. Wei Chen asked an old shepherd at the village entrance and found a courtyard that also had a sign that read "Xiayuan Village Production Brigade," but was clearly more dilapidated.

The courtyard gate was half-open, and a thin, old man wearing a patched jacket and a worried expression was squatting on the threshold smoking a pipe. In the swirling smoke, his face was covered with deep wrinkles etched by the heavy burdens of life. He was Li, the village chief of Xiayuan Village.

Wei Chen parked his car and walked over, his face still bearing that warm and humble smile: "Village Chief Li? Hello, hello! I'm Wei Chen from Baoyuquan Village. My uncle, Wei Changsheng, often talks about you, saying that Uncle Li Youtian from Xiayuan Village is the kindest and most hardworking village chief in this area!"

Li Youtian raised his head, his cloudy eyes filled with weariness and a hint of doubt. Looking at Wei Chen's brand-new bicycle and the bulging burlap sack, and hearing the name "Wei Changsheng," the wrinkles on his face relaxed slightly: "Oh... Old Nian's nephew... I've heard of him... He's gone to the city, right? How's your uncle...?"

"I'm fine! I was just thinking about you, telling you how hard you've worked for the village!" Wei Chen said, quickly pulling out a pack of cigarettes and offering one with both hands, "Uncle Li, please have a smoke!"

When Li Youtian saw "Da Qianmen," his eyes lit up noticeably. He tapped his pipe bowl on the sole of his shoe somewhat awkwardly, took the cigarette, lit it with the light Wei Chen offered, took a deep drag, and a rare look of enjoyment appeared on his face, which was then covered by worry. "Sigh, what's the big deal... the village is poor..." he sighed.

Wei Chen lit a cigarette and explained his purpose: "Uncle Li, I'm currently working as a purchasing agent at the Hongxing Steel Rolling Mill in the city. The mill asked me to collect some local mountain products from the surrounding area. I came here today to see if the villagers of Xiayuan Village have any surplus items that they can sell to the mill's canteen for some money. The price will be the same as the supply and marketing cooperative's, and we'll weigh and pay on the spot." He took out his work ID.

Li Youtian glanced at his work ID, then at Wei Chen, his expression complex. There was expectation, but mostly helplessness. "Collecting things... is a good thing..." he said in a low voice, "but our village... sigh, this year's harvest is bad, the fields yield little, and there's nothing good to see on the mountains either. The villagers... are having a tough time..." He stood up and went into the broadcasting room, turning on the older, noisier loudspeaker.

"Hey... Hey! Members of Xiayuan Village... Listen up... The purchasing agent from Hongxing Steel Rolling Mill in the city... is here to collect things from our village... dried vegetables, eggs... the price is the same as the supply and marketing cooperative... pay on the spot... if you have anything to sell... bring it to the brigade headquarters..." Li Youtian's voice came through the loudspeaker, carrying fatigue and a hint of barely perceptible hope, far less loud and powerful than Zhao Changhe's.