Rebirth in a Courtyard: I Am a Little Hunter

In the yard, an old hen and her brood of fluffy chicks were leisurely pecking at the ground, and sunlight filtered through the branches and leaves of the jujube tree, casting dappled shadows.

The tranquility and warmth of this moment formed a stark contrast to the pervasive heat, noise, and slogans in the city.

Wei Chen's tense nerves finally relaxed in this familiar farmhouse courtyard, amidst his mother's concerned gaze and his sister's carefree laughter.

The immense shock and subsequent emptiness brought about by those cold, buried treasures seemed to be quietly soothed by the warm, human warmth before my eyes.

It's all about mindset. Even with his incredible cheat-like abilities and advanced cultivation, his mindset hasn't kept up. He still has the same ordinary person's mentality as before his rebirth.

Come to think of it, it makes sense. I've only been in this world for a little over six months, and habits and mindsets formed over decades in my previous life can't be changed overnight. That's why my first thought when I saw someone following me in the ghost market was to hide, and that's why I was so fascinated by all this gold and silver, grabbing and taking...

Take your time, don't rush, gradually strengthen yourself, and enjoy life in this era while ensuring your own safety.

For the next two days, Wei Chen completely shed his "treasure hunter" mentality and stayed home peacefully. During the day, he helped his mother weed and water the garden plot, and helped tidy up the dried vegetables. When his mother came home from work, she sewed quilts, and had already finished two sets. As Wei Chen helped his mother spread the quilt covers on the mat, he listened to her chat about everyday things; these were his mother's happiest moments.

Listening to my mother rambling on about the trivial matters of the village: whose son is getting married, whose mother-in-law and daughter-in-law are arguing again, the production team has been busy lately, but the work points are also more... Her words were filled with pride for her son working in the city, but also with a hint of barely perceptible worry about the food supply.

When the neighbors, especially the older women, knew he was back, they would come over for a visit. They would sit under the shade of the trees in the yard, fanning themselves with palm-leaf fans, and ask him about his job at the steel mill in the city, their words full of envy.

Wei Chen picked out some lighthearted things to talk about, such as the food in the canteen and how big and loud the machines in the factory were, which drew a chorus of exclamations of amazement.

The younger sister, Wei Ran, became the happiest little gossip. Although her brother had told her to "keep it a secret," the immense happiness brought by the two bottles of Arctic Ocean soda still made her unable to resist showing off the taste of the "sweet water" to her playmates, making her the envy of her friends.

However, this brief period of tranquility was soon overshadowed by a grander backdrop of the times. The village loudspeaker began to broadcast rousing marches and announcements about "national steelmaking," "using rudimentary methods to build equipment," and "launching satellites" on a regular schedule.

Yes, this trend has finally reached the countryside and will soon spread throughout the country.

At the hunter's cabin, Wei Chen dismantled the rusty iron chains he had received there. He didn't know what the original owner of these chains did, but they were exceptionally thick, with each handle weighing half a pound.

During the days he collected the gold and silver, Wei Chen also collected some scrap metal he saw, waiting for this day. He kept about a hundred pounds of inconspicuous scrap metal mixed with some chain handles for his family.

Tell my mother that whatever the weather brings, we should pay a little bit of iron ore; just follow the crowd and pay the same amount as everyone else. Finally, we can hand over that broken pot too; we'll hide the good pot, we'll need it sooner or later.

At the village entrance and beside the threshing ground, several small earthen stoves made of red bricks and mud were also erected, billowing thick smoke. The able-bodied men in the village were organized to search for scrap iron everywhere, and even some old iron pots and hoes were collected.

The air began to fill with that familiar, pungent smell of sulfur and cheap coke that Wei Chen recognized. His mother, Wang Xiulan, had also been assigned a task by the production team: to boil and deliver water to the steelworkers.

Wei Chen watched all of this silently. He looked at the still-usable ironware being thrown into the earthen furnace, at the villagers' faces, blackened by smoke but full of energy, and at his mother's figure carrying heavy buckets of water as she moved between the furnaces.

That complex feeling welled up inside him again. This era, like a massive machine running at full speed, swept everyone along, roaring forward in a predetermined direction, leaving no room for doubt or resistance.

Individual desires and peace seem so insignificant in the face of this immense torrent. He realized more and more clearly that his hunter's hut and enormous wealth were a hidden ark in the chaotic torrent of the world, but only an ark.

He could not change the direction of the tide, but he could only try to find a small, relatively safe place for himself and his loved ones in this torrent.

After lunch on Tuesday, Wei Chen packed his things and prepared to return to the city. Wang Xiulan carefully wrapped the remaining meat buns in a clean cloth and stuffed them into her son's backpack: "Take these with you, have a bite if you get hungry tonight. Don't work too hard, be careful." Her eyes were filled with deep reluctance and worry.

"Okay, Mom, don't worry." Wei Chen replied, and then secretly slipped his younger sister Wei Ran a small packet of hard fruit candies wrapped in colored cellophane that he had bought at the supply and marketing cooperative. "Eat them sparingly, don't let Mom see too many." This made the little girl cover her mouth and giggle, her eyes curving into crescents.

He pushed his bicycle out the door, and his mother and sister saw him off to the old locust tree at the village entrance. Wei Chen mounted his bicycle, turned back, and waved, "Mom, Xiao Ran, go back now! I'll come back when I have time!"

The wheels turned, rolling over the dirt road and raising a light cloud of dust. Behind me, the figures of my mother and sister gradually shrank in my sight, eventually being replaced by a green canopy of crops and the outlines of a few earthen stoves belching black smoke at the village entrance.

The afternoon sun cast his shadow long and thin, and the road ahead wound its way toward the city of Beijing, shrouded in steely resolve and the dust of the times.

Tuesday night's "dirt basket" work awaited him there. The coolness and tranquility of the hunter's cabin were certainly tempting, but at this moment, he felt more clearly that he was being drawn into this fiery and complex era.

He took a deep breath, pushed off with his feet, and sped off towards the city.

The afterglow of the setting sun stretched the silhouette of Beijing into a long, slanted line, and the familiar smell in the air, a mixture of coal smoke, dust, and a faint sulfurous odor, grew stronger.

As Wei Chen cycled into Nanluoguxiang, a loudspeaker on a utility pole at the alley entrance was blaring a stirring tenor voice at full volume: "...Go all out! Strive for excellence! Build socialism quickly, efficiently, and economically! Every revolutionary mass must contribute all their strength to the great goal of 1070 million tons of steel!..."

The alley was much emptier and quieter than usual. At this time of day, housewives would be busy preparing dinner and children would be chasing and playing, filling the entire alley with the sounds of pots and pans clattering and laughter.

Today was different. Many courtyard gates were ajar, and the courtyards were quiet, with only the same rousing voice from the loudspeaker faintly echoing through the cracks in the windows and doors of each household.

Wei Chen pushed the cart through the familiar, brightly lit, faded gate of the courtyard house.

The front yard was deserted; most people had gone to the steel furnace. Aunt Yan Bugui's wife, the third aunt, lifted the curtain and came out, carrying a dustpan, as if she were going to take out the trash.

The moment she saw Wei Chen, a warm smile spread across her face, and her voice rose a few decibels: "Oh! Wei Chen! You've finally shown your face! You're such a big shot!"

Wei Chen parked the car and greeted her with a smile, "Hello, Third Auntie."

The old woman walked over in a few steps, not even bothering to empty the dustpan. She looked Wei Chen up and down as if he were some rare treasure: "Look at you! You paid for this house yourself! Such a big thing, and you just dumped it on Master Wu and disappeared for ten days or half a month? It's all finished! Master Wu even said he'd come looking for you tomorrow! You're really more carefree than Shichahai!" Her words carried the exaggerated and familiar tone typical of old Beijingers, but also revealed a hint of genuine bewilderment.

Wei Chen could only explain with a smile, "The factory is busy with tasks, and I went to several places to purchase supplies last week. I just couldn't find the time. So, I rushed back as soon as I had some free time."

"Alright, alright, I know you're busy. That's how it is for government employees." The third aunt waved her hand, saying as she followed Wei Chen to the central courtyard. Then she lowered her voice, sounding a little mysterious, "But let me tell you, the Wu Master you're looking for is truly impeccable! His work is top-notch! Even Old Yan praised him! You haven't seen it, the east wing, wow, it's really changed a lot! Compared to its dilapidated state before, it's like heaven and earth!" As she spoke, she gestured towards the east wing, her face full of undisguised envy.

The door to the Jia family's house in the middle courtyard was open, and Qin Huairu, heavily pregnant, could be seen sitting on a small stool by the door, laboriously washing a large basin of clothes. Her face was somewhat pale, and fine beads of sweat glistened on her forehead; her movements were particularly slow due to the weight of her body.

Beside the basin lay several dirty coats, clearly belonging to Jia Zhangshi, stained with black ash—obviously just changed from at the "dirt basket" (a place for cleaning). Hearing the bicycle, Qin Huairu looked up, saw Wei Chen, and forced a tired smile: "Brother Wei Chen's back?"

"Sister-in-law Jia, you're busy." Wei Chen nodded, his gaze sweeping over her protruding belly and the basin of dirty clothes. "Did Aunt Jia go to... the east side of the Drum Tower?" He asked knowingly.

"Hmm," Qin Huairu sighed, her voice tinged with helplessness and a barely perceptible complaint, "The rules set by the neighborhood and the courtyard require each household to send someone. With my health... an old man and the neighborhood officials pleaded on my behalf, and that's how I got to stay home. My mother-in-law, she..." She didn't finish, only gesturing with her chin to the pile of dirty clothes, the meaning clear—Jia Zhangshi had gone, but the extra burden of housework still fell on her, the pregnant woman.

If it weren't for the political task from above, and if it weren't for the joint pressure from the three old men, Jia Zhangshi definitely wouldn't have gone. She threw a tantrum and, seeing that it had no effect, finally gave in.

Qin Huairu listened silently to Wei Chen and the Third Aunt's conversation. She slowed down her washing of clothes, and a complex emotion appeared in her eyes. There was envy, as well as a hint of sadness about her own cramped and cramped home.