Rebirth in a Courtyard: I Am a Little Hunter

Watching her daughter run around wildly, Wang Xiulan smiled with a loving yet helpless expression. She scolded her, "You crazy girl! Calm down! It's a new bed and new bedding, don't roll around and tear it! Mom will make it for you right away!" As she spoke, she untied the bundle, took out the brand-new cotton quilt, shook it out, stretched it out, and carefully laid it out.

Wei Ran, like a happy little bee, buzzed around her mother, handing her a pillow one moment and clamoring to smooth out the blankets even more...

Next, Wei Chen led his mother to the west wing—the converted bathroom. Pushing open the door, Wang Xiulan and Wei Ran were stunned once more. A snow-white ceramic squat toilet sat quietly in a corner, and beneath a gleaming faucet on the wall was a cement-built shower area covered with small white square tiles and equipped with a drain! For the mother and daughter, who had just washed themselves in the village latrine and by the river, this setup was as shocking as seeing a fairyland!

"Chen'er...this...this white porcelain pit...and this place, can you really take a bath here?" Wang Xiulan pointed to the tiled area, so smooth that you could see your reflection in it, her voice filled with disbelief and surprise, her fingers trembling slightly.

"Yes, Mom." Wei Chen walked over, turned on the faucet on the wall, and clear tap water immediately gushed out, falling precisely into the drain hole of the iron grate below. "Usually, a basin of water is enough to wash. When it's cold, I boil some hot water on the stove, add it, and close this door tightly," he pointed to the thick wooden door, "not a breath can get in, it's warm and comfortable to wash in, a hundred times better than washing with a basin inside the house."

Open the small door at the back, and you'll find a toilet. "This is a squat toilet. When you're done, just pull the pull cord next to the tank," he demonstrated, and immediately the tank made a "whoosh" sound as it flushed. "The water goes down clean, smellless, and it's very convenient."

Wang Xiulan took a few steps closer, almost pressing herself against the smooth ceramic surface, examining it carefully. She then reached out and touched the cool yet exceptionally clean tile wall. Finally, a genuine and immense joy bloomed on her face: "Great! Excellent! This really... really saves a lot of trouble! And it's so clean! Chen'er, you've done such a thoughtful job! I never dared to imagine this in my entire life..."

Convenience and hygiene represent a dramatic improvement in the quality of life for a rural housewife who spends her days dealing with stoves, pigsties, and mud.

"Xiao Ran, it's quite warm today, and water is easy to get. Shall we boil some water tonight, wash up properly, and then go to sleep? We don't want to waste this clean place with all this dust on us!" Wang Xiulan couldn't wait to start planning. She turned to Wei Ran and said, her tone filled with eager excitement.

"Mmm! I want to take a shower! I want to smell nice and clean! And sleep in my new blanket!" Wei Ran nodded her little head vigorously, filled with boundless curiosity and a desire to explore the bathroom in her new home. She had already started figuring out how to play with the faucet.

Finally, Wei Chen led them to the east wing—which also served as the kitchen and dining room.

As soon as she entered, Wang Xiulan's eyes lit up even more. Against the east wall stood a sturdy and neat earthen stove, its firebox clean and tidy.

Beside the stove, a brand-new cast-iron coal stove jingled steadily, with a gleaming tin kettle even sitting on the stove opening, ready to be used at any time. Against the wall was a row of sturdy, light-colored wooden cupboards and cabinets.

In the center of the room, a large, light-colored wooden dining table, big enough to seat seven or eight people, and several matching chairs with backrests, exude a sense of homey solidity.

What surprised Wang Xiulan the most was that there was a low table against the north wall, the perfect height, specifically for rolling out noodles and making dumplings! This was her "battlefield" for showcasing her noodle-making skills!

"This kitchen... is so spacious! So tidy! So... so convenient!" Wang Xiulan couldn't help but walk around the kitchen again and again, her rough hands lovingly stroking the cold surface of the stove, tapping on the thick cast iron shell of the coal stove, and then opening the door of the cupboard.

Inside the cupboard, bowls, plates, spoons, and chopsticks were neatly arranged and categorized; small jars of oil, salt, soy sauce, vinegar, and sugar, each labeled with a red paper label, were all in their proper places; pots, pans, ladles, steamers, and strainers were all available! This setup was even more complete and convenient than she had imagined for a kitchen!

Her gaze finally settled on several large vats and cabinets in the corner. She walked over and lifted the cedar lid of one of the vats, revealing it filled with perfectly separated, golden cornmeal! Then she lifted the lid of an even larger vat next to it, revealing a mixture of wheat flour and cornmeal, exuding the rich aroma of grain!

She crouched down again and pulled open the sturdy cabinet door at the bottom of the cupboard—whoosh! Two bulging flour sacks lay there quietly! She untied the hemp rope at the opening of one of the sacks, reached inside and twisted it, her fingertips experiencing a wonderfully smooth, snow-white texture, without a single grain—it was top-quality white flour! Looking at the other sack, she saw grains of rice, each one glistening and plump, like pearls!

"Chen'er! This...this much grain? And it's all refined grain?" Wang Xiulan sat up straight in surprise, looking at her son, her voice rising slightly. The corn grits looked to be around ten jin, and the mixed flour probably weighed twenty or thirty jin! The two bags of wheat flour and rice each looked to be twenty jin!

With such a large grain reserve, they were considered one of the wealthiest households in the village! Moreover, wheat flour and rice were precious commodities that were only eaten during festivals in the countryside!

Wei Chen had already prepared his explanation and smiled calmly, "Mom, I've saved this up little by little over this period of time. The factory has a ration system, and I don't need much for myself, so I save on my food rations."

Some of them were small favors I'd done for my colleagues at the factory, and they felt bad about it, so they insisted on giving them to me as a thank you gift. Don't worry, it's enough to eat. From now on, we'll have enough to eat at home." He explained casually, cleverly concealing the "space backpack" and "ghost market transactions" under the ordinary reasons of "saving food" and "favors."

Looking at her son's confident and composed expression, and then at the full jars and cupboards overflowing with real grain, Wang Xiulan's initial worry was instantly replaced by a tremendous, weighty sense of reassurance. Her son had truly made a name for himself in the city!

Not only did he manage to buy such a nice house, but he even managed to save up so much food for his family! Her eyes welled up again, and she nodded vigorously, her voice choked with relief: "Good, good, Mom understands. My son... is truly capable!"

After touring the place inside and out, a great sense of satisfaction and anticipation for a new life filled the hearts of the mother and daughter like a warm spring.

Wang Xiulan immediately took Wei Ran and began setting up their new home in a flurry of activity. The two carried brand-new bedding, which smelled of sunshine and cotton, and moved through the four rooms, shaking it out, stretching it out, and pressing the corners down.

Brand new indigo floral cotton quilt covers were quickly spread across the three beds, giving the cold, hard mattresses a soft, homey feel. Wei Ran was especially excited, rolling around on her small bed, burying her face deep in the soft new quilt, greedily inhaling the pleasant scent, and making satisfied humming sounds like a kitten.

As Wei Chen watched his mother and sister busy and happy, and listened to their discussion about whether "the pillow looks better this way" or "the blanket is folded neater this way," a smile never left his lips.

He quietly left the main room, which was filled with laughter and chatter, gently closed the door, and walked through the moon gate connecting to the front yard into the middle courtyard.

It was just past the peak of the steel rolling mill's closing time, and the courtyard was filled with the most lively and bustling atmosphere of the day.

The kitchens wafted with the aromas of frying, stir-frying, and cooking, the spatulas clanging against the iron pots, the shouts of adults calling their children home for dinner, and the banter between neighbors across the courtyards—all these sounds blended into a lively symphony of life.

As Wei Chen approached the water trough in the central courtyard, his gaze was immediately drawn to two people standing by it. Qin Huairu was holding two aluminum lunchboxes, which she was taking from Sha Zhu and He Yuzhu. Sha Zhu's usually somewhat arrogant face was now plastered with an almost fawning smile, his eyes shining brightly, practically glued to Qin Huairu.

"Zhu Zi, thank you so much!" Qin Huairu's voice was soft and gentle, like water mixed with honey, carrying just the right amount of gratitude and a hint of dependence, with a slight upward slant at the end, making people's hearts itch.

"Banggeng was talking about it when he came home from school today, saying, 'Mom, I want to eat meat,' and what a coincidence that you brought it back! Your cooking skills are so good, even the factory leaders gave it a thumbs up. The dishes you bring back are just different, so delicious!"

As she spoke, she leaned slightly forward, a wisp of dark hair falling unintentionally against her fair cheek, adding to her pitiful charm. Her other hand casually brushed against the back of Sha Zhu's hand as he handed her the lunchbox.

"Hey! Sister Qin, why are you being so polite with me!" Sha Zhu seemed to be shocked by the faint touch, quickly withdrew his hand, scratched the back of his head to cover up his embarrassment, and chuckled foolishly, his voice becoming softer.

"That kid Banggeng is at the age where he's growing taller, so he needs to eat some good food to nourish himself! Tell me what you want to eat in the future! We may not have much else, but we can still get some good food from under this spoon!" Wei Chen saw the infatuated look on Banggeng's face, as if he wanted to rip out his heart, and he understood.

It seems that this "helping out" drama had already quietly begun while Jia Dongxu was still alive, and was not a unique occurrence after the plot started.

Qin Huairu's eyes sparkled, and she naturally noticed Wei Chen approaching. Her smile remained unchanged, instead becoming even more gentle, and her voice rose slightly, becoming clearer: "Oh, Brother Wei Chen is back! I heard from an older woman that your little courtyard is all tidy up! Congratulations! From now on, we're truly neighbors!"

As she spoke, she naturally shifted her body slightly, creating a more intimate distance between herself and Sha Zhu, as if the intimacy from before was just an illusion.