Rebirth in a Courtyard: I Am a Little Hunter

Wei Chen's icy "Get out!" was like a boulder thrown into a calm pond in a courtyard.

The news that Yi Zhonghai and Jia Zhangshi had failed at the gate of the east courtyard spread like wildfire to every corner of No. 95 Nanluoguxiang.

For the first time, Wei Chen ripped a crack in Yi Zhonghai's image as a "highly respected elder" in front of everyone; Wei Chen also ruthlessly exposed Jia Zhangshi's usual tantrums and whining about poverty, especially the sarcastic remarks about her being a "parasite" and "eating better than anyone else," which made many neighbors who were already dissatisfied with the Jia family secretly applaud.

However, how could Yi Zhonghai accept this? His carefully cultivated "moral high ground" and retirement plan, built up over many years, had been completely disrupted by Wei Chen, this "troublemaker." The shame and anger of being publicly refuted and the panic of being seen through and schemed against burned repeatedly in his heart. He locked himself in his room, his face so gloomy it could wring water out of it.

"This is outrageous! This is utterly outrageous!" He paced anxiously in the cramped room, his hands behind his back. The teacup on the octagonal table had long since gone cold, but he was completely oblivious.

"A mere brat, barely out of his teens, thinks he can look down on me just because he knows how to catch a few fish and hunt some game? He even dared to talk back to me in public, making me lose face! If word gets out, how am I supposed to manage this place? Who will listen to me then?"

An older woman cautiously advised, "Hey Zhonghai, calm down... Wei Chen is a bit hot-tempered, but... but what he said... isn't entirely unreasonable..." She thought of Jia Zhangshi's plump and healthy figure and her round face, and then thought of Wang Xiulan's haggard appearance and Wei family's daughter's thinness when she first arrived, and couldn't help but feel uneasy.

"What do you know!" Yi Zhonghai whirled around, interrupting her sharply, his eyes frighteningly piercing. "Woman's perspective! This isn't about being reasonable! It's about rules! It's about hierarchy! No matter how capable Wei Chen is, he's still a junior in this courtyard! He has no respect for elders, no neighborly affection, only knowing how to enjoy himself behind closed doors. How can this be tolerated? If this continues, the atmosphere in this courtyard will be completely ruined! It must be suppressed! Suppressed ruthlessly!"

He realized that he alone, or even with the Jia family's meager ability to throw tantrums, was no longer enough to control Wei Chen. This kid had grown too big for his britches and was unyielding. He needed an ally, someone equally dissatisfied with Wei Chen and of sufficient influence to act as a "gun."

Yi Zhonghai's gaze fell upon the backyard. There lived Liu Haizhong, the second uncle, a level seven blacksmith who was equally envious and resentful of Wei Chen's "luxurious" life.

In the evening, Yi Zhonghai, with an air of superiority, strolled casually to the backyard. Liu Haizhong was sitting in his prized armchair, drinking alone with a small dish of peanuts. A newspaper lay open on the table, but his mind was clearly elsewhere; his thick ears were perked up, as if trying to detect any lingering aroma of meat in the air.

"Old Liu, having a drink?" Yi Zhonghai forced a smile and sat down on the bench opposite Liu Haizhong.

Liu Haizhong raised his eyelids and gave a nonchalant "Hmm": "Old Yi, what's up?"

Yi Zhonghai sighed, feigning concern: "Sigh, it's all because of the atmosphere in our courtyard! Old Liu, have you noticed? Ever since Wei Chen started fishing and hunting, our courtyard has really changed!"

These words immediately struck a nerve with Liu Haizhong. He slammed his wine glass on the table, his voice rising: "Absolutely! Lawless! Fish and meat at every meal, and last night's braised pork, good heavens, the aroma could be smelled throughout half of Beijing! What makes this young punk stand out? Huh? His lucky break? I bet there's something fishy going on! He's definitely up to some kind of shady business!"

"Right, right, right! Old Liu, you hit the nail on the head!" Yi Zhonghai quickly chimed in, flattering Liu Haizhong. "The key isn't what he eats, it's his behavior! Does he have any respect for us elders? Does he have any regard for the rules of the courtyard or neighborly relations? Yesterday I went to the east wing, kindly advising him to consider the difficulties of his neighbors and share some of his food to help the widow and orphan Jia family. And guess what happened?"

"He dares to talk back to you?" Liu Haizhong glared with his triangular eyes.

"It's more than just talking back!" Yi Zhonghai said with a pained expression, embellishing the story of how Wei Chen was "arrogant and domineering," how he "insulted his elders," and how he was "selfish and self-serving." He especially emphasized Wei Chen's words "parasite" and "get out," but deliberately omitted the fact that he had morally blackmailed the Jia family and that their pretense of poverty had been exposed.

"Old Liu, tell me, this is outrageous! If we don't discipline him, won't this kid start to act like he's above everyone else? He won't even respect you as his uncle anymore!"

"He's gone too far!" Liu Haizhong was indeed enraged, slamming his fist on the table, making peanuts jump. He felt his dignity as a "leader" had been severely challenged. "A mere security guard who just joined the factory dares to be so arrogant? No way! We must hold a general meeting! A company-wide meeting! We must teach him a lesson! Let him know who's in charge in this courtyard!"

Yi Zhonghai was secretly delighted, but his face remained serious: "Old Liu, you're right! We need to hold a meeting! Private lectures won't do; we need to let all the neighbors see and judge! Wei Chen hunted so much game, how much of it can his family eat? It's just sitting there, what a waste if it spoils?"

There are quite a few families in need in our compound, like the Jia family, Old Li's family in the backyard, and the Sun family in the frontyard... Since Wei Chen has the ability to get some, isn't it a good example of unity and mutual assistance, reflecting the warm tradition of our compound?

It's also helping him accumulate good karma! This principle must be explained to him clearly and thoroughly in front of everyone in the courtyard! He wouldn't stop talking to me, and yesterday he even retorted, "You're the second uncle, you have to stand up for justice when it comes to holding meetings and setting rules!"

Yi Zhonghai's plan was ingenious. He used Liu Haizhong, his hot-tempered and ambitious second uncle, as a pawn, while he himself would step in at crucial moments as the "eldest uncle" who "put the overall situation first" to "mediate" or "uphold justice."

This would allow them to achieve their goal of getting something for nothing and forcing Wei Chen to bleed money, while also suppressing Wei Chen's arrogance and rebuilding their own prestige. If things didn't go well, they could shift the main responsibility onto Liu Haizhong.

Upon hearing Yi Zhonghai ask him to "uphold justice," Liu Haizhong immediately felt his leadership authority had been validated, and he thumped his chest loudly: "Don't worry, Lao Yi! Leave this to me! We'll hold a big meeting tomorrow! We'll make that brat Wei Chen admit his mistake in public and distribute the extra game! If he dares to deny it, humph, see how I deal with him!"

Under the dim light, the two old foxes reached a tacit alliance. A "trap" targeting Wei Chen was thus decided.

The following evening, shortly after the steel mill's closing bell rang, a square table and several long benches were set up in front of Sha Zhu's house in the central courtyard. A dim light bulb was pulled out, barely illuminating the gradually gathering crowd.

Yi Zhonghai and Liu Haizhong sat upright behind the octagonal table, one with a solemn expression and the other with his chest puffed out and belly bulging, trying their best to maintain the dignity of the "manager".

Yan Bugui huddled in a corner a little further away, holding a newspaper with curled edges, pretending to be engrossed in reading it, but his eyes kept glancing at the crowd, especially towards the east courtyard, revealing a shrewd and cautious nature.

He had heard about Yi Zhonghai's setback with Wei Chen last night, and seeing Yi Zhonghai and Liu Haizhong whispering together today, he guessed the truth pretty accurately. This conference was probably aimed at Wei Chen!

"Hmph, are Lao Yi and Lao Liu just jealous and trying to get their hands on Wei Chen's game?" Yan Bugui thought to himself, his mind racing.

"I can't get involved! Wei Chen may seem amiable, but he's tough on the inside and has some really wild ways to get ahead! There are many benefits to fishing with him, but if I offend him, all the opportunities to benefit from him in the future will be cut off!"

The Jia family? That's a bottomless pit; once you're hooked, you can't get rid of them! Old Yi's foolish! For his retirement plans, he's jumping into that fire pit of the Jia family... No way! No matter how much they cause trouble, this time my third uncle will just be a silent spectator!

Having made up his mind, Yan Bugui raised the newspaper even higher, almost obscuring half of his face.

The neighbors gradually arrived. Sha Zhu leaned against a pillar with his hands in his pockets, a sneer of watching a show playing on his lips; Jia Zhangshi, pulling her plump, white son, had squeezed to the front early, her face filled with undisguised greed and schadenfreude, as if she could already see large chunks of wild boar meat flying into her own pot.

Qin Huairu held Jia Dang, who was still thin and weak after giving birth, and stood behind her mother-in-law with her head down, her expression unreadable; Xu Damao, on the other hand, looked like he was enjoying the show, his eyes darting around, and when he saw Wei Chen's family appear, a hint of undisguised jealousy flashed across his face.

Wei Chen pushed his bicycle, leading his mother Wang Xiulan and two younger sisters into the central courtyard. Wang Xiulan looked nervous, tightly gripping Wei Ran and Xiao Cao's hands.

Wei Chen, however, remained calm, even somewhat nonchalant. He found a seat on the side for his mother and sister to sit down, while he leaned against the wall, calmly scanning the crowd before finally settling on the two old men behind the octagonal table. A faint hint of mockery seemed to linger on his lips.

Yi Zhonghai felt a pang of unease under Wei Chen's gaze, but there was no turning back now. He cleared his throat, stood up, and tried to make his voice sound steady and persuasive:

"Ahem, everyone, young and old, neighbors! The main reason I've gathered you all here today for this courtyard meeting is... for the unity and good atmosphere of our courtyard!"

He looked around, paused deliberately, and said, "Our courtyard houses have been here since the founding of New China, some even earlier. We've always valued neighborly harmony and mutual assistance! When one family is in trouble, help comes from all sides! This is our old tradition, and the foundation of our peaceful and stable lives!"

The opening remarks were grand and impressive, winning nods of agreement from some long-time residents.