Rebirth in a Courtyard: I Am a Little Hunter

As night falls, the lights are on.

In the courtyard of No. 95 Nanluoguxiang, the residents, who had been summoned for another meeting, gathered in twos and threes in the central courtyard. The atmosphere was even more eerie and oppressive than the night before, with a sense of impending doom permeating the air.

Uncle Yan Bugui stood at the door, looking somewhat uneasy, constantly wiping non-existent sweat from his forehead with his sleeve.

When Yan Bugui saw Director Wang Guifen and a police officer appear, accompanied by two stern-faced street office staff, he quickly jogged forward to greet them, his face plastered with a cautious smile: "Director Wang, hello leader, you've arrived! Please come in, please come in!"

Wang Guifen's face was frosty; she merely nodded slightly to him, her gaze sharp as lightning, sweeping directly into the courtyard. Liu Haizhong, his belly protruding, forced the most enthusiastic and respectful smile onto his face and hurried forward, extending his hands from afar: "Oh! Director Wang! Oh, and Section Chief Jin too, why didn't you two tell us in advance that you were coming? We could have lined up to welcome you..." He tried to shake Wang Guifen's hand.

Wang Guifen walked without stopping, as if she hadn't seen Liu Haizhong's outstretched hand or heard his words. Her eyes were as cold as ice as she walked straight past him. Her disregard made Liu Haizhong's hand freeze in mid-air, his smile instantly turning into embarrassment and awkwardness. He could only sheepishly withdraw his hand and slink away to the side, a layer of oily sweat instantly appearing on his forehead.

Yi Zhonghai also came out of the house. Seeing Wang Guifen and Jin Aiguo's cold faces and the staff following behind them, his heart sank to the bottom. He tried to remain calm and wanted to step forward to explain, "Director Wang, Section Chief Jin, you've arrived. What brings you here...?"

Wang Guifen didn't give him a chance to speak either. Her gaze lingered on his face, and the scrutiny, disappointment, and undisguised coldness in her eyes sent a jolt through Yi Zhonghai's heart, and the rest of his words got stuck in his throat.

Wang Guifen walked directly to the octagonal table in the center of the courtyard, stood still, and two cadres stood behind her on the left and right, like two door gods.

Yan Bugui quickly brought over a chair, but Wang Guifen didn't sit down; she just stood there. The entire courtyard was deathly silent; you could hear a pin drop. Everyone held their breath, feeling as if the air had frozen. Even the most boisterous children clung tightly to their parents' clothes, afraid to make a sound.

"Is everyone here?" Wang Guifen's voice wasn't loud, but it reached everyone's ears clearly, carrying an undeniable authority. "Teacher Yan, thank you for your hard work."

"All here, Director Wang!" Yan Bugui replied hurriedly, his voice a little strained.

"Okay." Wang Guifen glanced around, her gaze like a tangible searchlight, sweeping over Yi Zhonghai, Liu Haizhong, Jia Zhangshi and Xu Damao in the crowd, finally settling on Wei Chen, who stood calmly at his doorstep. Only then did her eyes soften slightly, carrying a barely perceptible hint of apology and affirmation. She took a deep breath, cut to the chase, her voice suddenly rising, filled with thunderous anger and deep self-reproach:

"I've gathered everyone here tonight for one thing! On behalf of the subdistrict office, I want to seriously address the extremely wrong and egregious incident that occurred last night in your courtyard! Section Chief Jin was also a witness to this incident, and he's here to bear witness!"

"At the same time, I also want to apologize to Comrade Wei Chen, his mother and sister, and all the neighbors! This incident shows that there are serious loopholes in the work of our subdistrict office! We have a poor understanding of the situation at the grassroots level, we are not vigilant enough against the erroneous thoughts of some people, and our supervision is inadequate! As the director, I bear an unshirkable leadership responsibility!"

Her self-criticism was like another heavy hammer blow, making everyone's hearts pound! Even the neighborhood director had to make a self-criticism? How serious is this?!

"But!" Wang Guifen's tone shifted abruptly, her voice becoming even sharper, filled with anger and indignation: "The responsibility must be investigated, and the unhealthy practices must be completely eradicated! Someone! Abused their position as the person in charge! Abused the so-called 'collective will'! Openly convened a hospital-wide meeting!"

They are launching unwarranted accusations, slanders, and attacks against Comrade Wei Chen, a young worker and the son of a martyr who has made contributions to the factory, the neighborhood, and the country! They are forcing him to hand over the fruits of his hard work, which he earned even at the risk of his life!

They even insulted his family! As a result, Comrade Wei Chen's mother, a kind and honest widow of a martyr, was so angry she dared not leave the house! His young sister was so frightened she cried at night! What kind of behavior is this?!

Wang Guifen's voice grew louder and louder: "This is typical feudal patriarchal style! It's factionalism! It's moral blackmail! It's a serious bureaucratic error! And it's a blatant trampling on the new social atmosphere and the spirit of collectivism! Who gave you this power?! Yi Zhonghai! Liu Haizhong! You two stand up!"

Yi Zhonghai and Liu Haizhong's faces instantly turned ashen, their bodies trembling involuntarily as if their bones had been removed. Yi Zhonghai's lips trembled as he tried to make a final plea: "Director Wang, please let me explain. We were acting in the public interest, for the sake of unity and harmony within the hospital..."

"Shut up!" Wang Guifen interrupted sharply, her gaze piercing him like a knife. "Public spirit? You try to demonstrate your public spirit by holding a large meeting? You try to demonstrate your harmony by besieging and coercing? Yi Zhonghai, put away your high-sounding rhetoric! What was the real purpose of last night's meeting?"

"It was you two who abused your power and manipulated public opinion to retaliate against an outstanding young person who refused to compromise with you or be 'bleed' by you! Your thinking has become severely corrupt and decadent! It is filled with selfish and outdated ideas! You must be thoroughly eradicated!"

She stopped looking at Yi and Liu, who were pale and swaying, and turned to the crowd, her voice firm and powerful: "Who is Comrade Wei Chen? He is the son of a martyr! His father was a hero who sacrificed his life for the country! He himself is an outstanding worker in the steel rolling mill, a backbone of the security department, and a capable purchasing agent in logistics!"

He uses his own skills to hunt and fish, improving his family's life—that's only right! He takes care of his own family but doesn't forget the greater good, voluntarily delivering wild boar meat to the steel mill canteen with thousands of employees, solving the meat problem for so many workers.

He cares deeply for the elderly living alone, frequently bringing fish and meat to our neighborhood relief station, improving the lives of countless lonely seniors. How can you not respect or learn from such a person, but instead unite to bully and slander him? Where is your conscience? Where is your awareness?!

Wang Guifen's words struck like a heavy hammer against the hearts of everyone in the compound. Many, especially those who had joined in the commotion the night before or had stood by indifferently, lowered their heads in shame.

Xu Damao shrank to the back of the crowd, his back drenched in cold sweat. He wished he could disappear into the ground, his heart filled with lingering fear: "My goodness... thank goodness... thank goodness Director Wang didn't call my name today... thank goodness I didn't stand up for myself last night... that kid Wei Chen has too much backing! Even Director Wang made a self-criticism and came to support him personally... I'll never mess with him again!" He secretly glanced at Wei Chen, who was standing at his doorstep, his expression calm and even somewhat indifferent, and felt that the figure was filled with a suffocating sense of oppression.

"The subdistrict office will absolutely not tolerate such unhealthy practices! The steel mill will also not stand idly by while its heroes are humiliated!" Wang Guifen announced resolutely, "Regarding the main organizers and responsible persons of last night's meeting—Yi Zhonghai and Liu Haizhong! After investigation by the subdistrict office and notification to the steel mill: a severe warning is hereby issued! The supervisor is placed on probation to observe his future conduct! If similar misconduct occurs again, he will be immediately dismissed from his post!"

Furthermore, you two are hereby ordered to attend a two-week ideological education and policy study session at the subdistrict office, starting tomorrow! Deeply reflect on your mistakes! During the study period, submit daily reports on your reflections! Do you understand?!

"Listen...listen clearly..." Yi Zhonghai and Liu Haizhong were pale, their lips trembling as they managed to utter a few words with difficulty, their voices barely audible, as if all their energy had been drained away in an instant.

Suspended from their posts for observation! Sent to a training class at the street office! This is tantamount to publicly sentencing them to a suspended death sentence for their "big brother" life! Especially Yi Zhonghai, whose carefully cultivated image of a "morally perfect person" over the years has completely collapsed and shattered under Wang Guifen's harsh words and public apology.

"Furthermore," Wang Guifen changed the subject, her tone softening slightly, her gaze filled with deep apology and affirmation as she looked at Wei Chen, "Comrade Wei Chen!"

Wei Chen stepped forward at the opportune moment, bowed slightly, and said with a respectful yet composed attitude: "Director Wang."

"The organization deeply apologizes for the injustices suffered by you and your family!" Wang Guifen looked at him, her eyes filled with sincere apology and firm support. "Your dedication and contributions to the collective are evident to the street office and the steel mill! You stood firm on your principles last night, unafraid of powerful figures—you did the right thing! You did well! The street office and the steel mill firmly support you!"

I hope you and your family will not be influenced by these unhealthy trends, and continue to maintain a positive attitude towards life and work! Continue to make greater contributions to the factory, the neighborhood, and the country! Everyone should learn from Comrade Weichen!

Wei Chen remained calm, his expression brimming with just the right amount of gratitude and humility: "Thank you, Director Wang! Thank you for the organization's trust and care! I've only done what I should have done, and I will definitely work harder in the future to live up to the organization's expectations. I will also continue to cooperate with the work of the street and the factory." His statement was composed and appropriate, a stark contrast to the disheveled state of Yi Zhonghai's bangs.

Wang Guifen nodded in satisfaction, her gaze sweeping across the room one last time before lingering on Yan Bugui. Her tone softened slightly as she said, "Comrade Yan Bugui."

Yan Bugui jolted awake, quickly straightened his back, and his heart pounded: "Director Wang, please speak!"

"At last night's meeting, you didn't blindly follow the crowd and maintained a clear head, which is commendable," Wang Guifen said. "As the person in charge, you must distinguish right from wrong and adhere to principles. I hope you can continue to do so, assist the street office in fostering a positive atmosphere in the courtyard and making up for any shortcomings in our work."