Rebirth in a Courtyard: I Am a Little Hunter

Wei Chen's figure appeared silently beside Da Huang like a ghost. His tall figure blocked most of the light from outside the door, shrouding the entire cave entrance in his deep shadow.

He didn't go in immediately, but stood there quietly. The cold moonlight outlined his calm profile, obscuring his expression. Only his eyes shone menacingly in the darkness, like a deep, icy pool, coldly gazing down at the prey huddled in the cave. Silence itself was a tremendous pressure.

"Come out." Wei Chen's voice was not loud, and even had little inflection, but it carried an undeniable, immense pressure, like an undercurrent beneath the ice, clearly penetrating the cold night wind and drilling into "Old Five's" ears. Every word felt like an ice pick piercing his heart.

"No...don't come any closer! I...I really have a knife! I'll fight you to the death!" "Fifth Brother" screamed, his voice hoarse and distorted, with a sob in his voice.

He frantically pulled a rusty, palm-sized fruit knife from his pocket and waved it wildly, the blade reflecting a faint glimmer of moonlight in the darkness.

But his violently trembling hands and almost collapsing voice completely betrayed the extreme fear in his heart. Faced with this absolute sense of oppression, the knife seemed so ridiculous and powerless.

Wei Chen didn't speak, but simply took a slow step forward. His boots crunched softly on the broken bricks scattered at the entrance of the cave.

This voice was like the last straw that broke the camel's back! It completely shattered "Old Five's" psychological defenses!

"Clang!" The rusty fruit knife slipped from "Fifth Brother's" completely powerless hand and fell onto the cold, muddy ground.

"Waaah—!" Under extreme fear and despair, the thin man's psychological defenses completely collapsed! His legs went weak, and he knelt down on the cold, dirty mud, wailing like a lost child! His face was covered in snot and tears, and his body trembled like withered grass in a storm.

"No...don't kill me! I surrender! I surrender! My things...my things are all here! I didn't touch them! I'll give them all back! Please! Please! Let that dog go away! Let it go away!" He cried and wailed as he frantically pulled things out of his clothes and pockets—a few crumpled old undershirts, a small packet of coarse salt wrapped in oil paper, a handful of crumpled coins and a few grain coupons soaked in sweat...scattered here and there on the dirty ground.

As he rummaged through the dirt, he kowtowed frantically, his forehead slamming against the cold, hard, broken brick floor with a dull thud, and blood quickly seeped out.

Wei Chen looked at the utterly devastated and pathetic thief before him, his face remaining expressionless. He slightly tilted his head towards Big Yellow.

"Woo..." The low growl in Big Yellow's throat subsided, but its massive body remained as solid as a rock blocking the doorway, its eerie green eyes watching the interior warily, showing no sign of relaxation. It tilted its head slightly, seemingly assessing its prey, which had lost its threat.

Wei Chen then stepped into the dilapidated kiln. A strong smell of earth and mold hit him. He walked up to "Fifth Brother," looking down at the man who was slumped on the ground, sobbing uncontrollably, and said in a calm, unwavering voice, "Tie him up."

As if receiving a pardon, "Fifth Brother" hurriedly stretched out his hands, pleading and crying, his voice indistinct: "Tie me up! Tie me up! Tie me up tight! I promise I won't run away! Please... please keep that dog away... I'm scared... I'm so scared..."

Wei Chen was too lazy to waste words. He pulled out the prepared hemp rope from his waist and quickly tied "Old Five's" hands behind his back, making a tight pig's hoof knot, just like binding a pig waiting to be slaughtered.

Then, he bent down to pick up the scattered loot from the ground, stuffed it all back into "Old Five's" pocket, and lifted him up from the cold ground like a chick.

"Let's go." Wei Chen led the distraught and weak-legged "Fifth Brother" out of the dilapidated kiln. Big Yellow immediately followed, like the most loyal and majestic guard, closely following Wei Chen's side. Its eerie green eyes would occasionally sweep over the prisoner, carrying a silent warning, making "Fifth Brother" not even dare to tremble too loudly.

The biting autumn wind whipped up withered leaves and dust, stinging their faces. Wei Chen, leading "Old Five" and accompanied by Big Yellow, trudged along the desolate path back to the factory area. Behind them, the abandoned kiln gradually blurred in the night, like a nightmare that had ended.

When they led the last prisoner back to the northeast corner of the factory area, several lanterns had already been lit, their dim light illuminating a small area.

Jin Aiguo stood with his hands on his hips, spitting as he directed several officers to stuff the two men, who were tightly bound, bruised and swollen, one clutching his broken wrist and groaning, the other still dazed and not fully conscious, into the sidecar of a security department motorcycle.

When Jin Aiguo saw Wei Chen bring "Old Five" to the scene, carrying a bulging, tattered bundle, his face, which was cracked from the autumn wind, instantly broke into a joyful smile, like an old farmer seeing a bountiful harvest!

"Good lad! Wei Chen! You've really got it!" Jin Aiguo strode up to him, his large, fan-like hand slamming down on Wei Chen's shoulder with tremendous force, making Wei Chen's feet sink slightly. "Three! Not one escaped! Caught red-handed! That's satisfying! That's fucking satisfying! You've really made our security department proud!" His voice was trembling with excitement, and spittle flew everywhere under the lights.

"It's all thanks to Big Yellow! Big Yellow spotted them from afar, and... after they ran away, Big Yellow followed them all the way, which is how I finally caught him!" Wei Chen attributed the credit to Big Yellow to avoid having no way to explain!

Jin Aiguo then turned his gaze to Da Huang, who was standing tall and proud beside Wei Chen, as if waiting for inspection and commendation. His smile was as bright as a blooming chrysanthemum.

He generously and with even greater force, with boundless affection and admiration, vigorously rubbed Big Yellow's fluffy, wonderfully soft head, his voice booming and deafening: "It's all thanks to you! Big Yellow! Well done! Amazing! You're a truly divine dog! You've done a fantastic job! I keep my word! Tomorrow! No! I'll arrange it when we get back! The best meat bones from the canteen! The biggest and fattest ones! All you can eat! You can eat your fill!"

"Woof! Woof woof!" Big Yellow seemed to fully understand the generous promise. It shook its head proudly and gave a series of energetic and cheerful responses. Its thick tail wagged like a rapidly spinning windmill, and its dark green eyes sparkled with a lively and satisfied light.

Wei Chen pushed the limp "Old Five" forward, who was practically being dragged along, and said to Jin Aiguo, "Section Chief Jin, everyone's here, and the stolen goods have been mostly recovered. The rest is up to the section chief." His tone was calm, as if he had just completed a trivial daily task.

"Leave it to us! Don't worry!" Jin Aiguo said confidently, waving his hand with great pride. "Keep a close eye on these three blind thieves! Tie them up tight! Take them back to the department, I'll personally 'entertain' them!"

"Let's find out which rat crawled out of the corner and dared to run wild on our steel rolling mill's territory! Damn it, let's see who dares to say our security department is just for show this time!" His eyes gleamed with excitement, clearly full of "enthusiasm" for "personally entertaining" him.

Soon, the security department's sidecar motorcycle and an open-top jeep roared over. Three petty thieves, bound like dumplings and looking utterly disheveled, were roughly shoved into the back seat of the jeep and guarded by several strong officers.

Jin Aiguo jumped into the sidecar of his three-wheeled vehicle, waving his hand triumphantly: "Back to the department! Everyone better be on your best tonight! Do a good job of the interrogation!"

The engine roared, headlights piercing the darkness as it sped towards the security department. Jin Aiguo, sitting in the sidecar, leaned out and shouted to Wei Chen and Da Hongliang, who were standing by the roadside, "Wei Chen! Take Da Huang back to rest! You two deserve the top spot on the merit list!"

The noise gradually faded away, and the area around the factory returned to silence, with only the sound of the wind remaining.

Wei Chen watched the car lights disappear at the end of the road before patting Da Huang's head: "Let's go, let's go home."

"Woof..." Da Huang responded softly, nuzzling Wei Chen's leg, and followed its master on the road back to the courtyard house. The late autumn night dew dampened the withered grass by the roadside, carrying a bone-chilling coolness.

When Wei Chen returned to the courtyard with Da Huang, the front yard was quiet, with only a few houses' windows letting out extremely faint light; most people were already fast asleep. He quietly opened his own door, and a mixture of the lingering aroma of food and the warmth of home wafted out.

As soon as I entered the house, I heard my mother's low, sleepy yet deeply concerned voice from the inner room: "Chen'er? You're back?"

"Yes, Mother, you're back. It's alright, everything's been taken care of. Go to sleep," Wei Chen replied softly, his voice carrying a barely perceptible hint of reassurance.

He took off his coat, which was still damp with the chill of the night dew and smelled of dust, walked to the water vat, scooped up a ladle of icy well water, and washed his face. The cool water stimulated his skin, dispelling the last trace of tension.

Big Yellow quietly lay back down in its familiar corner behind the door, licked its paws contentedly, made a comfortable gurgling sound in its throat, closed its eyes, and only its ears occasionally twitched slightly alertly, guarding the peace of the room.

Wei Chen walked to the window and pushed it open a crack. The crisp, early autumn air rushed in, carrying with it the familiar, seemingly endless, bitter smell of Chinese medicine wafting from the backyard. The window of Xu Damao's house still shone with a dim, yellow light; shadows flickered on the window paper. Was he up early, or… hadn't slept all night? That light seemed particularly glaring and persistent in the pre-dawn darkness.

Wei Chen's gaze lingered on the window for a moment, his eyes calm and deep, like an ancient well. He gently closed the window, shutting out the cold and the unpleasant smell of medicine.

Outside, the sky gradually brightened, and a pale white tinge appeared in the east. The courtyard slowly awoke in the morning light, with the soft clatter of pots and pans, the coughs of early risers, and the sound of emptying chamber pots... A new day had begun.

Last night's turmoil was like a pebble thrown into a deep pool; the ripples will eventually dissipate and be submerged by the trivialities of daily life. But for some, the power accumulated beneath that deep pool grows ever more profound and weighty in this seemingly calm daily life, as immovable as a mountain.