Rebirth in a Courtyard: I Am a Little Hunter

The setting sun cast a sickly orange hue on the gray walls of the courtyard house, but it couldn't dispel the oppressive heat. In the front yard, Qin Huairu was hunched over, washing a small handful of wilted wild vegetables under the tap, water splashing onto her patched trouser legs.

Sha Zhu sat on a small stool, his chest exposed, rubbing hemp rope in frustration. His thick, dark eyebrows were furrowed, and he kept stealing glances at Qin Huairu, who was washing clothes. He felt that Jia Zhangshi was bullying her too much. Qin Huairu was about to give birth, yet she was still being made to work non-stop.

Madam Jia sat on a small stool in front of her house, idly fanning herself with a palm-leaf fan. Her triangular eyes scanned the yard warily, and she habitually muttered curses under her breath, such as "jinx" and "debt collector."

The heavy footsteps of the three old men and the almost solidified low pressure were like a boulder crashing into the seemingly peaceful courtyard.

Qin Huairu was the first to raise her head, wiping her wet hands on her apron. Seeing the unprecedentedly solemn expressions on the faces of the three old men, her heart skipped a beat, and an ominous premonition instantly gripped her.

Sha Zhu also stopped what he was doing, his brows furrowing even more, his eyes filled with inquiry. Even Jia Zhangshi temporarily stopped cursing, her cloudy old eyes suspiciously scanning the three of them, especially when she saw Yan Bugui's distraught appearance, as if he had lost his parents, she became even more uneasy.

"Old Yi, Old Liu, Old Yan, what... what happened? What went wrong at the neighborhood meeting?" Old Zhang, an elderly worker in the backyard, put down his pipe and couldn't help but ask, his voice tinged with anxiety. His wife also stopped sewing and looked over with concern.

Yi Zhonghai stopped and stood under the hanging flower gate, letting out a deep sigh. The sigh seemed to come from the depths of the earth, carrying a thousand pounds of weight, instantly silencing the entire courtyard. His gaze swept over the faces, some filled with doubt, others with unease, finally settling on Liu Haizhong and Yan Bugui, his eyes filled with complex emotions.

"Men, young and old, put down what you're doing." Yi Zhonghai's voice was dry and hoarse, each word uttered with great difficulty. "There's something important, a matter of life and death for everyone in our hospital. We need to hold a hospital-wide meeting to discuss it."

He paused, his gaze lingering for a moment on the pale, sweaty, chubby face hidden in Liu Hai's hair and on Yan Bugui's withered appearance, a hint of barely perceptible pressure and helplessness in his eyes: "Old Liu, Old Yan, this notice... is of utmost importance. Who... who will deliver it?" He threw this hot potato back at him once again.

Liu Haizhong shuddered and subconsciously puffed out his signature potbelly, as if trying to regain some of his "leadership" authority.

His lips trembled as he made a few gurgling sounds, his eyes darting around like a startled rabbit, not daring to meet the inquiring and anxious gazes that suddenly focused on him in the yard.

Finally, as if burned, he abruptly flung his hand away, his voice muffled and gruff, with a hint of despair: "Old Yi! You're the backbone of the compound, you have high prestige! This matter... this matter is too big! You... you should handle it! I... I'm really confused!"

He hurriedly turned his head to the side, as if looking at Yi Zhonghai for even a second would cause the "two-pound" knife to cut him.

Yan Bugui was struck dumb, his thin body swaying as if struck by lightning, almost losing his balance. His face, etched with sorrow, was almost crumpled into a rag. He instinctively reached for his glasses, but halfway there, he realized he'd forgotten them. He could only helplessly rub his withered hands, his voice like sandpaper scraping, tinged with sobs and utter escapism: "Yes, Lao Yi...you...you tell me. My...my heart is like it's being fried in oil...my mind is a complete mess...I really...I really can't say anything..." He lowered his head, as if that would allow him to escape the impending catastrophe.

Seeing his two partners so useless, Yi Zhonghai's last glimmer of hope vanished, leaving only a heavy sense of helplessness and indescribable exhaustion.

He took a deep breath of the sweltering air, which stung his lungs like knives. He turned to the growing number of anxious neighbors in the courtyard, his voice low but striking a chord in everyone's hearts: "Everyone, the head of the household, the person in charge, bring a stool and gather in the middle courtyard. This matter concerns everyone's livelihood; it's a matter of utmost importance."

A dim, yellow incandescent light bulb, tethered by a long wire, hung from the drooping branches of the old locust tree in the middle courtyard. It became the only light source in this small space, and the focal point of dozens of anxious, fearful, and desperate eyes.

Almost everyone in the hospital was there, a dark mass filling the small central courtyard. Most of the men were squatting or smoking silently, the pungent smell of cheap tobacco mixed with the smell of sweat, permeating the stagnant air.

The women held their children, soothing them softly, their faces betraying their worry and fear. The toddlers, sensing the impending storm, dared not play, shrinking behind the adults with innocent and frightened eyes.

Yi Zhonghai stood in the center of the dim, yellowish light. The bulb's glow accentuated the sharp angles of his already serious face, revealing the deep furrows between his brows and the undisguised heaviness in his expression. He cleared his throat, his voice deliberately steady, yet unable to conceal the underlying difficulty and helplessness:

"Neighbors, young and old!" His gaze slowly swept across the room, every face, familiar or unfamiliar, now filled with the most primal worry for survival. "Today's meeting...it feels like a huge rock is pressing on my heart, making me feel suffocated and very uncomfortable! But there's no other way. Director Wang of the neighborhood committee personally conveyed the instructions from higher authorities, which concern the overall situation of the country, and the livelihood of every one of us here! No matter how difficult it is, I have to make it clear to everyone!"

He paused, his voice suddenly dropping to a low, mournful tone, as if announcing a catastrophe: "Heavens...have no eyes! This year, Henan, Hebei, Shandong, Shanxi...many of our country's granaries, our major provinces! Drought! A terrible drought! The ground is cracking like a tortoise shell! In many places, the wheat, before it was even fully ripe,...has withered and died on the stalks! The summer grain...I'm afraid...will be a total loss!"

"Buzz—!" Like cold water being poured into a pot of boiling oil! Suppressed gasps and desperate gasps instantly erupted from the crowd! Although there had been rumors before, hearing it confirmed from the steward made all the difference! A complete crop failure? What did this mean? It meant all hope was extinguished!

"The nation is in dire straits! It's so incredibly difficult!" Yi Zhonghai raised his voice, trying to suppress the surging cries of grief. His voice carried a heavy, almost hoarse tone. "Millions of mouths in the city are waiting for rice to cook every day! And tens of thousands of disaster-stricken villagers, with their families in tow, are desperately rushing into the city, waiting for the last bit of life-saving food we've saved! Our capital city is our pride! We must take the lead! Tighten our belts! Together with the people of the whole country, we must overcome this...this deadly crisis!"

By this point, the atmosphere had become as heavy as solidified lead, suffocating everyone. All eyes were fixed on Yi Zhonghai's moving lips, anticipating the most brutal blow that was about to fall; the air itself seemed to have stopped flowing.

Yi Zhonghai's voice finally trembled slightly, almost uncontrollably. He used every last bit of strength to utter the decision that terrified everyone, word by word, as if delivering a verdict:

"The higher-ups have decided...starting this month! The food rations for all urban residents...regardless of age or gender, will be reduced by two jin per person per month!"

Dead silence! Absolute, suffocating dead silence! It was as if even the annoying chirping of cicadas and the creaking of the ceiling fan had been instantly sucked away!

The next second— "What?!?!" "Reduced by two pounds?!?!" "My God! I'm going to die!!"

"Two jin?! Yi Zhonghai! Say it again? Two jin?!" Jia Zhangshi was the first to burst out of the dead silence with a shrill scream! Her bloated body sprang up from the stool as if it were springy, trembling violently from extreme shock and anger. Her fingers, carrying a gust of wind, almost poked Yi Zhonghai's nose, spittle flying in the dim light. "Our family is counting on Dongxu's meager grain supply, and you've lowered it for us! You old bastard, are you trying to force us, a widow and her children, to our deaths?! I'll fight you to the death!!" She was like a mad tiger, baring her teeth and claws as she lunged forward, but Qin Huairu, who was already prepared, grabbed her tightly around the waist.

Qin Huairu's face was ashen, her lips trembling like leaves in the wind. She wanted to comfort her crazed mother-in-law, but she couldn't utter a single word. Large tears rolled down her cheeks silently, falling onto the muddy ground at her feet.

"Grandpa! You can't just say things like that!" Sha Zhu jumped to his feet, his burly frame like an iron tower suddenly rising, instantly drawing everyone's attention. His large, bell-like eyes widened, burning with rage. "I am He Yuzhu! The head chef of the canteen at Hongxing Steel Rolling Mill! I do heavy manual labor! I'm barely surviving on that ration! Another two pounds off? How am I supposed to wield the spatula? How can I cook for thousands of workers on an empty stomach? How can the factory meet its production targets? You're trying to kill me! You're trying to kill the steel rolling mill's lifeline!"

His voice was loud and clear, carrying a fierce determination that instantly ignited the panic and anger of all the manual laborers in the courtyard.

"Shazhu is right! Uncle, we loaders carry real heavy loads! We work like oxen! If we don't have at least two pounds of dry rations to eat, our legs will cramp and we can't even stand up! Give us two pounds less? Isn't that taking our lives?!" A dark-faced man with bulging muscles on his arms slammed his fist on his thigh and roared hoarsely, veins bulging on his neck.

"There are six people in my family! Six! That's twelve catties of grain gone in a month! Twelve catties!" Uncle Yan Bugui could no longer hold back. The pent-up fear and despair, like a flood bursting its banks, overwhelmed his last shred of reason.

He pounded his chest and stamped his feet, his voice shrill and distorted, filled with heavy sobs and utter despair, "This...this life is unbearable! It's truly unbearable! We can't even get enough cornmeal porridge to fill our stomachs! The children are growing, what will we do if they starve? This...this is a path to extinction! Heavens! Open your eyes!"

His wife and aunt were already sobbing uncontrollably, covering their faces, their shoulders shaking violently, silently attesting to this catastrophic disaster.