Rebirth in a Courtyard: I Am a Little Hunter

Yan Bugui reacted quickly, rushing forward without caring that the lake water had soaked his trousers and cloth shoes, and reached out to grab the slippery big fish.

He gripped the fish's gills tightly with both hands, using all his strength to lift the heavy creature out of the water. His face flushed with excitement, he exclaimed repeatedly, "Good heavens! It's really heavy! It must weigh over ten pounds! Section Chief Wei, you're amazing! You're truly amazing!"

Wei Chen reeled in the fishing line, his face remaining expressionless, as if he had merely caught an ordinary small fish. He pointed to the large fish still struggling in vain in Yan Bugui's arms: "Third Uncle, you like it? Then this one is yours."

"Oh dear! This...this is too much!" Yan Bugui said, feeling embarrassed, but he tightened his grip on the fish, afraid that Wei Chen would change his mind. His face beamed with joy, his wrinkles crinkling together. "Wei Chen, you're too kind! You're too generous! What...what can I, Old Yan, say? I'm truly...truly benefiting from your kindness, truly benefiting from your great kindness!"

"It's just a fish," Wei Chen said casually, bending down to pick up the sack and gesturing for Yan Bugui to put the fish inside.

Yan Bugui hurriedly stuffed the big fish into the burlap sack, his heart pounding with joy as he looked at the bulging opening. But that wasn't all. In less than half an hour, Wei Chen had another stroke of luck, catching two slightly smaller grass carp, each weighing seven or eight pounds, and a large, plump crucian carp.

Yan Bugui set up his fishing rod next to Wei Chen. Wei Chen would catch three or five fish, and Yan Bugui would occasionally catch one as well. Yan Bugui would hurriedly grab the fish by the gills and carefully put it into a sack, while constantly praising and thanking Wei Chen.

The sack quickly became heavy in my hand, and the four large fish inside were full of energy, making the sack thump loudly.

Seeing that it was getting late, Wei Chen neatly packed up his fishing rod: "Alright, that's enough for today."

"Okay!" Yan Bugui immediately responded, diligently helping Wei Chen tie the sack tightly, and then rushing to push Wei Chen's bicycle. "Wei Chen, let me push it for you! This fish is heavy, don't tire yourself out!" His thin body seemed to struggle a bit as he pushed the bicycle loaded with the heavy sack, but the smile on his face was incredibly bright, as if he were pushing not a fish, but a bag of gold ingots.

The two walked silently, one after the other, along the dirt road back to the city. The setting sun cast long shadows of them.

Yan Bugui's mind was already racing with calculations: today he caught four big fish with Wei Chen, probably weighing over thirty pounds in total! The largest golden carp was of excellent quality and would definitely be a hot commodity in the ghost market! It could fetch a good price! The remaining fish could also be exchanged for a lot of grain coupons and oil coupons... The more he thought about it, the happier he became, and he felt as if he had wings on his feet.

As they entered the city, dusk was falling. At a quiet street corner, Wei Chen stopped and took the bicycle from Yan Bugui. Yan Bugui also picked up his bag of fish and said, "Thank you, Wei Chen. Uncle San knows you took care of me and didn't chase me away. I won't say anything more; see you when you need something in the future."

Wei Chen nodded, said no more, pushed the cart loaded with a large bag of fish, and his figure quickly disappeared into the deepening twilight, heading towards the courtyard house.

Holding the fish, Yan Bugui stared in the direction where Wei Chen had disappeared. The smile on his face slowly faded, and his small eyes gleamed.

He went home and raised the fish; live fish are much more expensive than dead fish! After dinner, around midnight, Yan Bugui quietly went out, cautiously looking around before carrying the fish and skillfully making his way into a narrow, secluded alleyway filled with a complex array of smells.

This is a hidden corner of Beijing—the Ghost Market. At this moment, the Ghost Market is at its liveliest. Shadowy figures sway in the dim, flickering light of kerosene lamps or flashlights, their hushed conversations and haggling as inaudible as the buzzing of mosquitoes.

The stalls were filled with all sorts of goods of dubious origin or those that were hard to come by with tickets: old clothes, old furniture, bulk grains, crumpled cigarettes, and even letters of introduction stamped with red seals... The air was filled with the musty smell of old items, the smell of cheap tobacco, and a faint sense of tension.

Yan Bugui found a corner against the wall and placed the large fish from the bucket on the ground. The golden carp still reflected an enticing luster in the dim light, and its gills were still opening and closing vigorously, showing its absolute freshness.

"Wow! What a huge carp!" Someone was immediately drawn over and exclaimed in a low voice.

"Wild carp just out of the water! Lively and jumping around! Look at these scales, these gills! Genuine quality goods!" Yan Bugui immediately got into the mood, calling out in the same low but inflammatory voice.

Skillfully demonstrating the fish's vitality, she moved the gills with her hand to show potential buyers, "What's the situation these days? People are practically wearing out the door to the meat processing plant, and you still can't buy even two ounces of fat! This big fish, perfect for making soup or braising, is rich in oil and flavorful! It's the perfect way to nourish children and the elderly!"

He was well aware of the psychology of the ghost market, knowing that the scarcer the goods, the stronger people's desire for these "hard goods" would be, and the higher their willingness to pay. Sure enough, more and more people gathered around, with whispered inquiries and tentative bids rising and falling.

"How much?" "How much per pound?" "Make it cheaper, I'll take them all!"

Yan Bugui's sharp eyes, behind his glasses, scanned the people asking about prices, judging their purchasing power and sincerity from their clothing, tone of voice, and eye contact. He quoted an astonishing price, several times higher than that of the state-run vegetable market.

A brief silence followed, punctuated by gasps of breath. Some shook their heads and left, cursing him for being heartless. Others hesitated, their gazes lingering on the plump, large fish.

Soon, a middle-aged man dressed in a slightly worn Zhongshan suit, who looked like a junior cadre, squeezed forward, squatted down to examine the fish carefully, squeezed its body to feel its elasticity and plumpness, and finally gritted his teeth: "Okay! I'll take this one! Wrap it up for me!" He seemed to have an urgent need at home, or wanted to use it to grease palms.

Yan Bugui was secretly delighted, but his face remained impassive. He deftly threaded the straw rope he had brought through the fish's gills, tied a tight knot, and handed it over, quickly announcing the total price. The other party didn't haggle much, counting out a thick stack of small bills and some grain coupons, stuffing them into Yan Bugui's hand, then carrying the fish, quickly disappeared into the crowd.

"Great success!" Yan Bugui was in high spirits. He prepared the remaining fish in the same way. Taking advantage of people's eagerness and extreme desire for "meat," he used his silver tongue to exaggerate the quality and rarity of the fish.

Although some people haggled, all four big fish were successfully sold within a little over an hour. His once-empty pocket was now bulging and heavy, stuffed with banknotes of various denominations and colorful grain and oil coupons.

Yan Bugui's heart pounded like a drum. He suppressed his excitement, looked around warily again to make sure no one was watching him, and then, like a slippery eel, quickly slipped out of the ghost market and slithered into the crowds of the city at night.

Only when he walked into the familiar alley and saw the dark gate of the courtyard house did he let out a long, silent sigh of relief.

His fingers traced the substantial contents of the canvas bag, and a tremendous, indescribable sense of satisfaction and security welled up within him. This was far better than standing on a podium for a month, earning a meager, fixed salary!

The next morning, just as dawn was breaking, Wei Chen pushed open his front door, preparing to go to the factory, when a familiar aroma, a mixture of sweet caramel and wood ash, wafted towards him.

Yan Bugui was already rubbing his hands together, his breath steaming in the cold wind outside the door. He had an almost fawning smile on his face and was holding a roasted sweet potato, carefully wrapped in old newspaper and still steaming.

"Wei Chen! Good morning!" Yan Bugui's voice was full of enthusiasm, with a deliberately ingratiating sweetness. Without waiting for a reply, he shoved a steaming hot roasted sweet potato into Wei Chen's hands. "Fresh out of the oven! It's still piping hot! I know you're rushing to the factory this morning, have something to eat to warm up!"

The roasted sweet potatoes were perfectly roasted, their skin charred black, and the cracks revealing a golden, oily, almost oozing flesh. The steam seeped through the newspaper, warming Wei Chen's slightly cool fingers. The aroma wafted straight into his nose.

How strange! Even the most stingy person can be generous for a while now!

Wei Chen looked down at the unexpected "breakfast" in his hand, then looked up at Yan Bugui's face, which was all smiles, with every wrinkle radiating gratitude and fawning.

The smile was so fervent and forceful that Wei Chen could clearly smell the intense, almost undisguised scheming within it—like the sweet aroma of roasted sweet potatoes, it hit him hard and wouldn't go away.

Yan Bugui also had his own calculations, and these were long-term plans! Always following Wei Chen around might not be a problem in the short term, but in the long term, it would become annoying!

This is called investment! How many grain coupons can a big fish be exchanged for, how many cents is a roasted sweet potato worth, how many opportunities to go fishing can this "investment" bring... The precise calculations are probably more meticulous than the security department documents he reviews.

"Third Uncle, you're too kind." Wei Chen's tone was flat and emotionless, revealing neither joy nor anger. He weighed the heavy, warm roasted sweet potato in his hand, but even that warmth couldn't dispel the mercenary coldness emanating from Yan Bugui's smile.

Yan Bugui, however, seemed encouraged. He leaned forward again, his small eyes gleaming with eagerness. He lowered his voice, his tone slightly mysterious and ingratiating: "Wei Chen, look... the weather's nice today, not too windy. This afternoon... shall we go to our usual spot again?" He rubbed his hands together, looking at Wei Chen with anticipation, his expression like that of a cunning, eagerly waiting to be fed... well, a calculating one.

Looking at his expression, Wei Chen glanced down at the roasted sweet potato in his hand, which exuded a sweet aroma mixed with an air of calculation, and felt a surge of indescribable emotion well up inside him. He forced a smile and finally only managed a mumbled reply:

"We'll see."