Rebirth in a Courtyard: I Am a Little Hunter

The bicycle chain made a monotonous "click" sound in the quiet night, rolling over the last stretch of bumpy cobblestone road in Beijing. The two empty bamboo baskets on the back seat swayed gently with the bumps.

He glanced up at the familiar outlines of the rows of dormitory buildings in the steel mill's residential area, illuminated by dim yellow lights. Instead of stopping, he pedaled even faster and turned into a quieter, more secluded alleyway without hesitation.

At the end of the alley, several discarded stone slabs and a tattered wicker basket were piled up, emanating a damp, musty smell. Wei Chen neatly parked his bicycle and cautiously looked around. The dim yellow light of the streetlights in the distance blurred the view, and the chirping of insects rose and fell from the base of the walls.

Confirming that no one was around, he took a deep breath and focused his mind. The familiar ripples of light silently spread before his eyes, instantly replacing the cold air thick with the smell of rust and engine oil. A fresh, crisp fragrance, carrying a hint of cool breeze, wafted over him; the hunter's cabin was indeed comfortable.

"Hoo—" Wei Chen exhaled a long, thorough breath, as if a heavy burden had been lifted from his chest. He didn't want to go back to the steel mill dormitory, with its lingering smell of sweat, cheap tobacco, and the murky odor of leftover food, as well as the faint smell of ammonia coming from the public toilet. He was prepared to spend his time here until the house was repaired.

He took off his sweat-soaked work vest, casually draped it over the back of the chair, and walked straight to the sink in the corner—a sink that was completely different from, yet equally magical, a sink in a modern bathroom.

Cool, slightly sweet mountain spring water gushed out from the bronze spout shaped like an animal head. He scooped up the water and washed his face thoroughly, then splashed water on his neck and arms, washing away the stickiness and dirt from his skin, leaving only a refreshing coolness.

As usual, I cleared out the newly spawned monsters in the game world, turning them into experience for my growth. I cooked a simple meal in the kitchen, ate, and then rested peacefully.

In the early morning, the steel rolling mill's massive chimneys, like silent giants, spewed thick smoke into the gray-blue sky. The air was filled with the familiar, heavy smell of rust and coal smoke. Wei Chen pushed his bicycle, laden with supplies, into the factory area, and familiarly arrived at the row of bungalows next to the logistics department—the office of the third purchasing group. He parked his bicycle and went to the office.

Pushing open the door, a stench of cheap tea, sweat, and paper ink hit me. The office was small, with several old desks pushed together, their surfaces worn and cluttered with documents, abacuses, and chipped enamel mugs.

Team leader Liu Yuan, dressed in faded blue overalls, sat at the back of the room, holding a notebook. Most of the team members were already there.

Zhao Dashan and Hu Songnian, two veterans, were leisurely blowing on the floating tea leaves while holding their respective tea mugs and chatting casually, their faces showing the relief of having completed their task.

The other younger faces, such as Liu Guoqing and Wu Xiaojun, seemed somewhat uneasy, their eyes filled with the eagerness and pressure of their impending departure.

"Everyone's here? Okay, let's get straight to the point." Liu Yuan cleared his throat, his voice low and slightly hoarse with a northern accent. His gaze swept over everyone, lingering briefly on Wei Chen, the newcomer. "This week's task is the same as always: fifty yuan per person for purchasing. The items are the same old things: meat, eggs, side dishes, mountain produce, and dried vegetables. Buy whatever you can, based on quality and quantity, and reimburse with receipts. Understand?" He spoke slowly, with a measured, almost formulaic, composure.

"Understood!" the crowd responded, their voices varying in pitch.

"Okay," Liu Yuan nodded, closed his notebook, "Nothing special, everyone can go home now. Get back to work." He waved his hand, indicating that everyone should do as they pleased.

The young men, feeling as if they had been granted a pardon, grabbed their canvas bags and straw hats from the table and hurriedly filed out, eager to run their own networks of connections and "points." The office was suddenly mostly empty, leaving only Liu Yuan, Zhao Dashan, Hu Songnian, and Wei Chen, who had just put down his canvas bag.

Liu Yuan picked up his enamel mug, took a sip, and looked at Wei Chen. His tone was gentler than before: "Little Wei, how was your first solo trip last week? Are you adapting well? Have you encountered any difficulties?" His gaze was scrutinizing, but also carried a hint of routine concern for the newcomer.

Wei Chen straightened up a bit, his face showing just the right amount of humility and a hint of excitement as a "newcomer seeing the world": "Thank you for your concern, Team Leader Liu! It's great! It's just... I was a little lost at first, and I was a bit disoriented. I went to several villages in Changping, Shangyuan, Xiayuan, Qinjiatun, and also my hometown, Baoyuquan Village."

"Oh? You've gone quite a distance." Hu Songnian, who was standing next to him, put down his teacup and interjected, his tone carrying the inquisitive tone typical of a veteran purchasing agent. "How's it going in those villages now? Are they buying anything?"

"Hey, Master Hu," Wei Chen sighed, naturally pulling up a stool to sit down, and began to "complain," "Don't even mention it. Shangyuan and Xiayuan are really not well-off. I ran around for most of the day, talking myself hoarse, and all I got were some dried green beans, radish greens, and a dozen or so eggs. The two villages combined are only worth a little over ten yuan! Qinjiatun is a bit better; I got some half-dried mushrooms and a small jar of wild honey that a villager had saved up." He shook his head as he spoke, looking like he had gotten off to a bad start.

Zhao Dashan took a sip of tea and smacked his lips: "That's normal! It's the lean season, so how much surplus food can the village sell? You've managed to get this much, you're lucky you're so hardworking."

"That's right!" Wei Chen immediately chimed in, a hint of relief appearing on his face. "Luckily, I made a final trip back to our Baoyuquan Village. The villagers, knowing what I do at the factory, were very kind to me. They saved up a lot of eggs and dried vegetables for me, and even some dried pheasants and rabbits that the hunter uncle had hunted—they were really good quality! The villagers are kind; at least the trip wasn't in vain." He didn't mention specific numbers, only emphasizing "his own village" and "the villagers' kindness."

Hu Songnian listened, his eyes flickering slightly, and his fingers unconsciously tapped the table: "Oh? Dried wild game? That's good stuff. If you buy it at the supply and marketing cooperative price, will the villagers be happy?"

"Hey, we're all neighbors, let's make it last," Wei Chen smiled, his tone sincere. "Besides, they gave me the best stuff, we can't let them suffer a loss, can we?"

"Yes, that makes sense." Liu Yuan nodded, acknowledging Wei Chen's "worldly wisdom." "At the beginning, getting things and establishing a foothold is the most important thing. Don't worry too much about immediate gains and losses. Once you get the hang of it, things will get better. You should familiarize yourself with the process first. I have a background in hunting, but I don't rely entirely on that."

"Yes, Team Leader Liu, I've got it." Wei Chen looked like he was humbly accepting instruction. "Then you go ahead with your work, shall I go to logistics and hand over these things?"

"Go ahead, go ahead." Liu Yuan waved his hand.

Wei Chen stood up, picked up his satchel, and nodded to Zhao Dashan and Hu Songnian: "Master Zhao, Master Hu, you two rest, I'll go first."

"Go ahead, go ahead," Zhao Dashan said with a smile. Hu Songnian watched Wei Chen's retreating figure, picked up his teacup, took another sip, and looked thoughtful.

The logistics department's warehouse was located deeper within the factory area, consisting of a row of tall but poorly lit brick buildings. The air was filled with a complex mix of smells from grains, dried goods, grease, pickled vegetables, and years of dust.

Sunlight streamed in obliquely through the tall skylights, forming several beams of light, within which countless dust particles swirled. Several warehouse keepers dressed in dark blue overalls were busy counting the sacks stacked on pallets.

Wei Chen found Wu, the custodian in charge of registration. Wu was an old man with gray hair and a serious face, wearing reading glasses. He was hunched over an old wooden table that had been worn smooth, checking the ledger by the light from the window. His fingers flew across the abacus beads, making a crisp "clattering" sound.

"Hello, Mr. Wu, I'd like to hand over last week's purchases." Wei Chen placed his bag on the table and took out a receipt stamped with three sets of bright red purchase stamps and a wallet.

The warehouse keeper, Wu, looked up at Wei Chen over his reading glasses, then slowly put down his pen. "Oh, you're the new Wei from Group Three, right? Give me the receipt." He took the receipt, then glanced at Wei Chen's empty hands and back. "Where's the stuff?"

"The things... are a bit scattered. I'll go and bring them over. They're on the bicycle by the door." Wei Chen was prepared. He turned and walked out quickly.

As he watched the young man's retreating figure, Wu, the storekeeper, frowned and muttered, "Young man, so clumsy, never brings things in all at once..."

A few minutes later, Wei Chen returned. He was carrying two bulging, heavy-looking burlap sacks with difficulty, and another equally full cloth bag was slung over his shoulder, but there wasn't a drop of sweat on his forehead. He placed the burlap sacks and cloth bag on the cement floor in front of Wu, the storekeeper, with a thud, stirring up a cloud of dust.

"Master Wu, it's all here." Wei Chen took a breath and wiped away his sweat. These "props" were things he had quickly taken out and packaged from his spatial storage in a secluded corner outside the warehouse.

Dried vegetables, eggs, and dried game were all categorized, but deliberately mixed together, making them appear chaotic yet authentic. Spices and seasonings? The valuable Sichuan peppercorns, dried chilies, and that jar of wild honey had already been "pocketed" by him and safely left on the storage shelf in the hunter's cabin.

Looking at the three large bags, Wu, the storekeeper, was a little surprised: "Wow, quite a lot of stuff?" He stood up, walked to the sacks, untied the rope, and began to inspect them.

Rough fingers rummaged through the dried green beans, dried eggplants, and a bundle of tied daylilies inside. Then, they opened the cloth bag and saw layers of eggs carefully separated by wheat straw. Finally, there were several well-preserved, air-dried wild rabbits and pheasants tied with straw rope.

"Hmm..." Warehouse keeper Wu carefully inspected the items, paying particular attention to the wild game. He even pressed the game with his fingers to check its dryness. "They're dried well enough, no mold or insects, and they look good. The eggs are fresh too, none of them are broken." His tone softened as he returned to the table, picked up the receipt and abacus, and said, "Here, weigh them and issue the invoice."

The heavy steelyard was brought out. Storage keeper Wu and another young storage keeper weighed the bags and baskets one by one. Storage keeper Wu called out the numbers while recording them on the receiving slip, his fingers flying across the abacus, the beads clattering like rain.