Rebirth in a Courtyard: I Am a Little Hunter

"How about we go over and take a look at your yard now?" Officer Liu suggested. "I'm going to that area anyway. With someone from the neighborhood committee showing us around, we can talk to the people in the yard and avoid any trouble later." He clearly knew how complicated the interpersonal relationships were in these kinds of tenement courtyards.

"That's wonderful! Thank you so much, Officer Liu! I was just worried about not knowing where to go alone!" Wei Chen quickly thanked him. This was exactly what he wanted.

The two left the street office; Wei Chen pushed the cart while Liu, the clerk, walked, and together they headed towards No. 95 Nanluoguxiang.

On the way, Officer Liu gave a brief introduction to the courtyard: "Courtyard No. 95 is a typical large, converted courtyard. Originally, it was a proper three-courtyard siheyuan (traditional courtyard house), but after the founding of the People's Republic of China, more than twenty families moved in. There are three old men in charge: Teacher Yan Bugui in the front courtyard, Master Yi Zhonghai in the middle courtyard, and Master Liu Haizhong in the back courtyard. The east wing you bought used to be a garden with a few servants' rooms. It was badly damaged by the Japanese. After your factory took it back, it has been abandoned ever since. There is a moon gate in the courtyard, but it has long been boarded up to prevent children from playing there and getting into trouble."

Wei Chen listened attentively, understanding dawning on him. Yan Bugui (Third Uncle), Yi Zhonghai (First Uncle), Liu Haizhong (Second Uncle)—these names matched the characters from the "plot" in his memory. He calmly asked, "Officer Liu, are these gentlemen...easy to deal with?"

Officer Liu smiled, with a hint of experience in his voice: "Teacher Yan is an elementary school teacher, an educated man, who likes to take advantage of small things, but he's generally acceptable. Master Yi is a level seven fitter at the steel rolling mill, a highly skilled and respected expert, who values ​​'fairness' and is concerned about his reputation. Master Liu is also from the steel rolling mill, a level six forger, I think? You have all the necessary paperwork and have done favors for the factory before, so they shouldn't give you any trouble. However, you'll see once you've lived here a while; there are many trivial matters and complicated interpersonal relationships in this place."

As we spoke, the bright gate of courtyard number 95 came into view. It was early morning, and the men who had gone to work had all left. The courtyard was now the domain of women and teenagers; it was summer vacation, and the children were running around wildly. By the pond in the front yard, several women were washing and rinsing things while chatting about everyday matters. In the courtyard, several teenagers were chasing a broken iron hoop, their foreheads covered in sweat.

As soon as Officer Liu entered the courtyard, he immediately became the center of attention.

"Oh, Officer Liu! What brings you here today?"

"Officer Liu, have you eaten yet?" Several women immediately stopped talking and greeted him warmly, but their eyes curiously glanced at Wei Chen, the unfamiliar young man pushing a bicycle next to Officer Liu.

With a businesslike yet slightly friendly smile on his face, Officer Liu glanced around and his gaze settled on the closest woman, a middle-aged woman in her forties who looked shrewd and capable. She was wearing a blue apron, her hair was neatly combed, and she was wearing a blue apron.

"Comrade Yang Ruihua, it's good to see you here." Officer Liu waved.

The woman quickly wiped her wet hands on her apron and hurried over, her face beaming with a smile: "Officer Liu, what are your orders?" Her eyes darted quickly over Wei Chen and his new car, her mind racing.

"This is Comrade Wei Chen," Officer Liu pointed to Wei Chen, his voice neither too loud nor too soft, just loud enough for the women nearby who were listening intently to hear clearly, "He's the new purchasing agent from Hongxing Steel Rolling Mill. Responding to the call from the city and the factory, he purchased this east wing of our compound."

He pointed in the direction of the moon gate, "The formalities have all been completed at the street office and the factory. From now on, Comrade Wei Chen will be our new neighbor in courtyard number 95! He plans to rebuild that place and live there himself."

"Oh—" A murmur of surprise and realization rippled through the crowd. The women's eyes all turned to Wei Chen, filled with curiosity, inquiry, and even a barely perceptible hint of... scrutiny and weighing. Buy that piece of wasteland and build his own house?

This young man looks young, but he's got some big spending power! And he's a purchasing agent? Those five wild boars that were all the rage at the factory yesterday—wasn't it that one of those young purchasing agents got them? Could it be him?

The third aunt, Yang Ruihua, reacted the fastest, her face immediately breaking into an extremely enthusiastic smile. She stepped forward and said, "Oh! Comrade Wei Chen! Welcome, welcome! Welcome to settle down in our No. 95 courtyard! This is a great joy!" She extended her hand.

Wei Chen smiled politely and shook her hand, saying, "Hello, Aunt Yang! We'll be neighbors from now on. Please take good care of me and the other men in the courtyard!"

"Sure, sure!" The three women smiled even more broadly, quickly calculating in their minds: a new neighbor, a purchasing agent, rich, capable, and young! This is definitely a "big fish" worth befriending!

She immediately patted her chest and assured Officer Liu, "Officer Liu, don't worry! I'll take care of this! When Lao Yan, Master Yi, and Master Liu get back from get off work, I'll definitely explain it to them! It's a good thing that our institute is adding more people, and everyone will definitely welcome it! If there's anything we can help with, Comrade Wei Chen, just let me know!" Her words were perfectly tactful, giving Officer Liu face while also showing goodwill towards Wei Chen.

Officer Liu nodded in satisfaction: "Alright, Comrade Yang Ruihua, I'm relieved to hear you say that. Comrade Wei Chen has all the necessary paperwork and is a legal and compliant resident. The three elderly men in the courtyard and all the neighbors should actively cooperate to create a harmonious living environment." He then turned to Wei Chen: "Comrade Wei Chen, come on, I'll take you to see your place."

"Oh, thank you for your trouble, Officer Liu!" Wei Chen replied, then nodded to the third aunt and the women around him, "Aunt Yang, ladies, see you later!"

Under the watchful eyes of many, Officer Liu led Wei Chen through the front yard to the moon gate leading to the east courtyard. Just as Officer Liu had predicted, the gate was haphazardly blocked by several old wooden planks of varying lengths, nailed crookedly, and a few wooden strips, covered in dust and draped with tattered cobwebs. Wildly growing weeds could be seen through the gaps in the planks.

"Come on, lend a hand," Officer Liu called to Wei Chen.

The two men worked together to move several heavy wooden planks, revealing a round moon gate. A cool breeze carrying a strong, damp, musty smell and the fresh scent of wild grass rushed out from the gate.

Wei Chen squeezed in first, followed closely by Officer Liu.

The scene before him was even more dilapidated and desolate than Wei Chen had imagined, or as Officer Liu had described it yesterday.

This is an independent courtyard covering an area of ​​over 800 square meters, surrounded by high walls. Rather than a courtyard, it is more like a forgotten ruin. Underfoot is uneven, muddy ground, with wild grass growing almost up to the calves, and withered yellow grass stems swaying in the autumn wind, making a rustling sound.

In the center of the courtyard lay a huge, deep pit filled with murky sewage, likely formed by the collapse after being blasted by artillery shells, emitting a faint, putrid odor. Several remaining house foundations were exposed, with bricks and stones scattered about.

The only building still barely standing was a low, dilapidated gray-tiled house in the western corner. The walls were severely leaning and riddled with huge cracks; most of the roof tiles had fallen off, revealing rotten rafters; and several broken window frames creaked in the wind, as if they might collapse completely at any moment. The entire space was permeated with an atmosphere of deathly stillness, desolation, and utter abandonment by time.

"Wow! This... is even worse than I thought!" Officer Liu was also shocked by the scene before him. He kicked aside a loose brick at his feet, looked around, and shook his head repeatedly. "This isn't a house, it's just a field! Comrade Wei Chen, this... this is quite a project! This huge pit needs to be filled, the weeds need to be cleared, the old foundation needs to be dug up, and that dilapidated house can't be saved either, it'll definitely have to be completely demolished and rebuilt! How much will this cost? It must cost at least several hundred yuan, right?" He looked at Wei Chen, his eyes filled with undisguised sympathy and a hint of doubt—does this young man really have the ability?

Wei Chen's gaze, however, was unusually calm, even carrying the focused attention of a hunter surveying a new hunting ground and... a faint excitement. He carefully measured the size of the ruins, observed the direction and sturdiness of the surrounding high walls. "Fortunately, the main body is made of blue bricks, so it's quite solid," he thought, estimating how much earth would be needed to fill the large pit. His gaze finally settled on the dilapidated house.

"We have to tear everything down and rebuild it from scratch." Wei Chen nodded, his tone calm, as if he were talking about something very ordinary. "We'll figure out the money later. We need a place to stay, right?" He avoided specific figures, but his composure lessened Liu's suspicions a bit—this young man didn't seem like someone who would exaggerate.

"Good, that's got guts!" Officer Liu patted Wei Chen on the shoulder, his tone filled with genuine admiration. "Here's Master Wu's address. Go find him directly later. He's an expert. Have him come and take a look at the site, come up with a plan, and calculate the materials and labor. If you need any coordination from the neighborhood committee, come find me." He also gave a few safety instructions, such as not letting children play in there for the time being, and being careful that the dilapidated house doesn't collapse and injure people.

"Understood, thank you, Officer Liu! You've really gone to a lot of trouble today!" Wei Chen thanked him sincerely again.

After seeing Officer Liu off, Wei Chen remained alone on this ruin that belonged to him. He walked to the center of the yard, stood at the edge of the large pit, squatted down, grabbed a handful of damp soil from the edge of the pit, and rubbed it between his fingertips.

The soil wasn't too bad. He walked to the dilapidated house again, but didn't go in rashly. He just looked inside through the broken window. The house was empty, the floor was uneven, the roof let in light, and it was covered with a thick layer of dust and bird droppings.

An indescribable feeling welled up inside him. Desolate and dilapidated, yet it also meant limitless possibilities. This would be his true home in the future, an independent space entirely under his control, untouched by the complex relationships within the compound. The secrets of the hunter's cabin and the spatial backpack could only be truly and safely revealed here.

He walked around the courtyard wall, carefully inspecting every corner, measuring the dimensions, and sketching out the layout of the house and the plan for the courtyard in his mind. Sunlight filtered through the remaining tree canopy, casting dappled light on his young yet resolute face.