Rebirth in a Courtyard: I Am a Little Hunter

A group of women gathered around, bombarding him with questions: "Wei Chen, what happened?...You went hunting?" "With so many pigs, how long will it take to eat them all?" "What's this tree for? Why did you bring it back to the yard?"

Wei Chen patted the dust off his clothes, a gentle smile on his face, and patiently explained, "Auntie, ladies, these wild boars were a task assigned by the factory to purchase as emergency supplies for the canteen. They're not mine. How could I possibly have the ability to hunt so many?"

He pointed to the truck, "This is a driver from the transportation department of our steel rolling mill, this is Liu Yuan, the team leader of our purchasing group three, and there are two other colleagues who are here to help with the transport."

Liu Yuan and Wang Aiguo smiled and nodded to the group of middle-aged women.

Wei Chen then pointed to the two large trees and said clearly to the three aunts, "These two trees, a jujube tree and a peach tree, I bought them myself. My east wing has been tidied up, and the space was just sitting empty, so I thought I'd plant a couple of fruit trees to add some shade. When they bear fruit, it'll be something to look forward to. Thanks to Master Wang, he brought them back to me from the village on his way." He pointed to the brand-new, tightly closed south gate of the east wing.

"Oh—planting trees!" The third aunt suddenly realized, drawing out her words, and a "I see" expression appeared on her face, but deep in her eyes there was still a hint of disdain that "all this effort just to plant two trees."

She looked at the two big trees, especially the huge mounds of earth: "Tsk tsk, these trees are quite large! They must have cost a lot of money, right? This... will these trees survive if planted in this season? Wei Chen, it's not that I'm criticizing you, but what's the use of planting trees? It's more practical to plant a couple more rows of scallions and garlic!" Her words represented the simple and practical thoughts of many women around her.

"Auntie is right," Wei Chen didn't argue, but just smiled and continued, "I was just thinking that there's some life in the yard. Whether it survives or not, we'll see if God is kind to us. We have to give it a try."

"Alright, alright, everyone lend a hand!" Liu Yuan said, seeing that the pleasantries were over. "Let's get Wei Chen's two precious trees down and into his yard first! Master Wang needs to get back to the factory to report back!"

Liu Guoqing and Wu Xiaojun responded immediately. Wei Chen also stepped forward to help. The four men worked together again, carefully removing the jujube tree from the truck bed. The heavy clump of earth and roots hit the ground with a dull thud.

The bluestone path of the courtyard seemed to groan under the weight of the weight. The women stepped back to make room, but their eyes remained fixed on the path.

Wei Chen took out the brass key and opened the brand-new south gate of the east courtyard. The door hinges turned, making a slight "creak" sound, revealing a neat blue brick corridor and a spacious courtyard inside.

"Come on, slow down, this way!" Wei Chen led the way, directing the direction. Liu Guoqing and Wu Xiaojun carried one end of the tree root, while Wei Chen and Liu Yuan carried the middle and rear of the trunk. The four of them shouted in unison, taking one slow and careful step at a time, carrying the huge jujube tree through the south gate and into the east courtyard. The heavy clod of earth dragged across the smooth blue brick floor, making a rustling sound. Then came the equally heavy peach tree.

The women in the courtyard craned their necks curiously, peering through the gate. They saw two large trees temporarily placed next to the two tree pits that had been prepared when the house was built.

A huge mound of earth leaned against the edge of the pit, and the pruned branches cast long, sparse shadows on the brand-new blue brick ground in the afterglow of the setting sun.

This once empty and somewhat desolate new courtyard was instantly filled with these two patches of green from the mountains, carrying the scent of earth, adding an indescribable vitality and anticipation.

"Alright! Let's put them here! Thanks for your hard work, guys!" Wei Chen looked at the two trees that had been placed, breathed a long sigh of relief, and thanked them repeatedly.

Liu Yuan was also exhausted, wiping his sweat: "Alright, your 'treasure' is settled. We need to hurry back to the factory; this truckload of 'hard cargo' is waiting to be weighed and put into storage! Factory Director Li must be getting impatient!"

"Yes, yes, business comes first!" Wei Chen quickly replied. "Team Leader Liu, Master Wang, Guoqing, Xiaojun, thank you all so much for your hard work today! I'll definitely thank you properly once I'm settled here!"

"Don't mention it! I'm off!" Wang Aiguo waved his hand and turned to walk towards the driver's seat first.

Wei Chen escorted them to the truck and thanked them again sincerely. "Team Leader Liu, you go back and hand in your mission first. I'll lock the door and ride my bike over; it's not far anyway."

Watching Liu Guoqing and Wu Xiaojun climb into the back of the truck, Liu Yuan and Wang Aiguo crawled into the driver's seat. The truck engine roared back to life, carrying the awe-inspiring mountain of wild boar meat, and slowly drove away from Nanluoguxiang, heading towards the steel mill, leaving behind the lingering smell of blood, dust, and the women's still-unfinished chatter in the alley.

Wei Chen stood at the south gate of the east courtyard, the golden rays of the setting sun shining on him and on the two large trees that stood quietly in the courtyard.

He turned around and gently closed the brand-new courtyard gate, temporarily shutting out the noise from the outside world. In the courtyard, only he and the two "giants" from his hometown, carrying the hope of future fruitful fruits and lush greenery, remained. He let out a long, satisfied breath, his gaze sweeping over the prepared tree pits and the mound of earth leaning against them.

"When I get back tonight, I'll have someone plant you down there," he whispered to the two trees, as if they could understand him. His voice was exceptionally clear in the empty courtyard.

The Jiefang truck carrying the terrifying mountain of wild boar meat drove away from Nanluoguxiang, but Wei Chen's name, along with the shocking scene, spread rapidly throughout the courtyard like a boulder thrown into a calm pond.

The women's chatter hummed, a mixture of amazement, speculation, envy, and bewilderment that lingered for a long time.

After locking the gate, Wei Chen pushed the old bicycle parked under the porch, mounted it again, and sped off towards the steel mill. He knew that the truck carrying the ten wild boars would cause an even bigger stir at the steel mill.

When Wei Chen rode his bicycle to the warehouse area of ​​the steel rolling mill's logistics department, the scene before him confirmed his guess.

The familiar Liberation truck was parked next to the weighbridge, its back bed empty, but the pungent smell of blood and wild boar lingered in the air, even more concentrated and acrid than at the village outpost. A group of people were gathered around the warehouse entrance, excitedly discussing the situation, their voices noisy.

"My God! Ten! A whole ten! And two of them look like little calves!"

"Wow! That's a lot of meat! Our cafeteria has been loaded with oil this month!"

"Did that new guy Wei Chen get them again? Seven last time, ten this time! That kid's amazing!"

"Once is luck, twice... that takes real skill! I heard you did it all by yourself in the mountains?"

At the center of the crowd was Liu Yuan, the radiant leader of the third purchasing group, who was directing the warehouse keeper and several strong laborers to move the cut-up wild boar pieces into the cold storage.

Deputy Factory Director Li was also present. He had his hands behind his back, his face showing undisguised admiration and joy. He was talking to Wang Aiguo, a driver from the Transportation Department. Wang Aiguo nodded and gestured, clearly describing the shocking scene when he received the goods.

Wei Chen's appearance was like a drop of water being poured into a boiling oil pan.

"Wei Chen is back!" someone shouted. Instantly, almost all eyes turned to him. Those eyes held surprise, admiration, curiosity, and even a hint of barely perceptible awe.

If the seven wild boars last time made Wei Chen stand out in the purchasing department, then this time, the ten even more astonishingly large wild boars have completely solidified his reputation as a "capable person" and pushed him to the forefront of attention throughout the entire factory area.

"Wei Chen! Good lad!" Deputy Factory Director Li was the first to greet him with a smile, patting his shoulder hard with such force that it showed his excitement. "Well done! Absolutely excellent! You've solved our factory's urgent problem! Team Leader Liu has already reported to me, over two thousand jin! Great! Excellent!" He used "great" several times, his joy overflowing.

Liu Yuan quickly came over, a proud smile on his face: "Factory Director, you see, I told you Comrade Wei Chen was reliable! The efficiency and the quality are impeccable!"

"You flatter me, Director Li, Team Leader Liu." Wei Chen maintained a humble smile and bowed slightly. "It's all thanks to the trust of the factory leaders that I was given this opportunity, and I was also lucky. It's my duty to contribute to the factory."

"Good! Calm and composed! That's how young people should be!" Deputy Factory Director Li was increasingly satisfied with Wei Chen's attitude. "Let's go! The weighbridge slip should be ready by now, let's go take a look!"

Warehouse keeper Lao Zhang trotted over with several documents, his face flushed with excitement: "Factory manager, Team Leader Liu, Comrade Wei Chen, the weighing results are in! Ten wild boars, total gross weight 2,175 jin!"

Two thousand one hundred and seventy-five jin! This number once again elicited a low gasp from the surrounding crowd. Although they had a rough estimate, hearing the exact number was still incredibly impactful.

"Good! Excellent!" Deputy Factory Director Li took the weighing slip, examined it carefully, and his smile widened. He turned to Wei Chen, his voice booming, "Comrade Wei Chen, the factory will never mistreat a meritorious employee! According to the previous purchase price, six cents per pound, 2,175 pounds, totaling 1,305 yuan! Old Zhang, settle the account with Comrade Wei Chen immediately!"

"Yes, Factory Manager!" Old Zhang, the storekeeper, quickly replied and handed a receipt to Wei Chen a moment later.

Under the gazes of the crowd, some envious and some with mixed feelings, Wei Chen took the documents to the finance department, where Sister Liu was on duty again today.

Wei Chen handed over the receipt, and Sister Liu praised him profusely, having also heard about what happened today. Sister Liu took out a thick kraft paper envelope, then retrieved several stacks of crisp new banknotes and a small pile of receipts from the safe, carefully counting them in front of Wei Chen.

"Comrade Wei Chen, this is a receipt for 1,305 yuan and the factory subsidy. Please count it." Sister Liu pushed a stack of ten-yuan notes and a few loose bills in front of Wei Chen. The brand-new banknotes exuded the unique smell of ink, a thick stack, and quite heavy.