Rebirth in a Courtyard: I Am a Little Hunter

In the meeting room of the steel rolling mill's security department, with its mottled walls and perpetually filled with the smell of tobacco and sweat, the atmosphere was unusually enthusiastic and triumphant.

Deputy Section Chief Jin Aiguo stood in front of the main seat, holding a commendation notice stamped with the bright red factory office seal in his hand, a wide grin spreading across his face that he couldn't suppress.

The staff members sitting below all had smiles on their faces, and their eyes would occasionally glance at Wei Chen, who was sitting in the corner with a calm expression, and at Da Huang, who was squatting at his feet and idly scratching at his ears with his paws.

"Ahem!" Jin Aiguo cleared his throat forcefully, trying to appear serious, but his excited expression couldn't be hidden. "Quiet down! Quiet down! Now, let's read out the factory's commendation decision!" He unfolded the paper, his voice booming, carrying a sense of triumphant triumph:

"In view of Comrade Wei Chen of our factory's security department, who performed his duties diligently and bravely in this special operation to crack down on mobile theft gangs, especially with the close cooperation of his trained working dog 'Dahuang,' he quickly identified the target on the night of the incident and successfully tracked, intercepted, and captured the last fugitive in the wilderness area outside the factory, making an outstanding contribution to the rapid solving of this case and safeguarding the lives and property of the factory and surrounding employees!"

After deliberation by the factory's Party Committee, it has been decided to issue a factory-wide commendation to Comrade Wei Chen! Furthermore, with the approval of higher authorities, his administrative rank has been promoted from Level 5 Clerk to Level 4 Clerk! It is hoped that Comrade Wei Chen will continue his efforts and achieve even greater success!

"Great!" "Xiao Wei is amazing!" "Da Huang is truly incredible!" A burst of enthusiastic applause and cheers erupted in the conference room. Several young officers looked at Wei Chen and Da Huang with sincere admiration in their eyes.

Jin Aiguo put down the report, walked up to Wei Chen, and with his large, fan-like hand, he slammed it heavily on Wei Chen's shoulder, making Wei Chen's feet sink slightly: "Good lad! You've really brought honor to our department! Although these roving criminals may not have committed any major crimes individually, they're like rats, digging holes everywhere! The impact is terrible!"

"This time we caught them all in one fell swoop, and the higher-ups even praised us for our quick response and effective handling!" He paused, lowered his voice, and leaned closer to Wei Chen with a mischievous smile: "Especially your dog, Big Yellow, this time it's on everyone's radar at the factory and the branch office! Even the old detective at the branch office is asking me what breed your dog is, how you trained it, its nose is even more sensitive than theirs! Haha!"

Wei Chen stood up, his face still composed, and bowed slightly: "Jin Ke, you flatter me. It's mainly because Da Huang's sense of smell is indeed far superior to that of ordinary dogs, and its tracking ability is extremely strong. The scent trails left by the perpetrator in his panic were too strong, which is why it was able to keep biting and not letting go. I was just running errands and doing my duty." He once again cleverly attributed the credit to Da Huang.

"Woof!" Big Yellow seemed to understand its owner's humility and the mention of its name. It immediately raised its head and gave a short, powerful reply, wagging its tail happily a few times, which drew another round of good-natured laughter from everyone.

Jin Aiguo smiled and pointed at Wei Chen: "You little rascal, you're so slippery! Fine! No matter what, your contributions are real! You've been promoted, and your salary has increased!" He counted on his fingers, raising his voice again, deliberately making sure everyone could hear.

"From this day forward, Comrade Wei Chen is a proper Level 4 clerk! His monthly salary is 56 yuan! All documents will be processed according to this level! In our factory, in this area, that's the standard!" He gave a high thumbs-up, his face beaming with pride.

Here's a side note: Jin Aiguo poached Wei Chen from the purchasing department through a special talent recruitment program, directly appointing him as a Level 5 clerk (salary 49.5 yuan), which is equivalent to the starting salary for a college graduate. This was a two-level promotion compared to his position in the purchasing department!

Now that he's made a contribution, the factory has promoted Wei Chen another level, so Wei Chen is now a level 4 clerk! How long has it been? Another promotion! That's quite fast!

At that time, the security department was the same as the public security bureau. In fact, for the sake of convenience, the leaders of the security department also held concurrent positions in the public security bureau. They also used the administrative system. The "police rank system" that everyone is familiar with now does not exist! It was not formally established until 1992.

Upon hearing Jin Aiguo's words, a chorus of envious gasps and whispers erupted from below. A monthly salary of 56 yuan was, in those days, an absolutely enviable high income!

Jin Aiguo looked around at the crowd, noticing their eager gazes, and waved his hand dismissively: "Everyone, learn from this! Work hard! Our security department has a bright future! Meeting adjourned!"

As the crowd dispersed, Jin Aiguo's excitement hadn't faded. He put his arm around Wei Chen's shoulder, his voice tinged with a mix of emotion and pride: "Little Wei, come on! Let's go see Section Chief Zhou! Section Chief Zhou went to the Municipal Public Security Bureau for a joint security meeting today and just got back. He was beaming with pride! He specifically asked for your name!"

The two arrived at Section Chief Zhou Jianjun's office. Zhou Jianjun was standing by the window, holding a teacup, his face glowing with an unusual, triumphant radiance. Seeing Jin Aiguo and Wei Chen enter, and especially noticing the large yellow dog following behind Wei Chen, his smile widened.

"Haha! Our hero has arrived! Please have a seat!" Zhou Jianjun greeted them warmly, personally pouring water for Wei Chen and Jin Aiguo. "Little Wei, Big Huang, well done! Our steel rolling mill really made a name for itself at the municipal bureau meeting today!"

He put down his teacup and began to describe the situation with great enthusiasm: "Director Wang of the Municipal Bureau personally chaired the meeting! The main focus was on the recent problem of mobile crimes. Several large factories have fallen victim to these crimes, suffering considerable losses and facing a lot of trouble! When it was our steel rolling mill's turn to report, I briefly gave a brief overview of how we solved the case so quickly."

Zhou Jianjun paused deliberately, creating suspense, and looked at Wei Chen, "Hey! Guess what? Director Wang interrupted me on the spot and specifically asked: 'Old Zhou, I heard that there's a young comrade in your factory named Wei Chen who, with a dog, caught three fugitives in one night? He didn't even let the ones who ran several miles away go?'"

Zhou Jianjun, mimicking Director Wang's tone, beamed, "I immediately stood up and loudly reported: 'Reporting, Director! Yes! It was Comrade Wei Chen from our Security Section and his work dog, Da Huang! Comrade Wei Chen made accurate judgments and acted decisively, and Da Huang had a keen sense of smell and extremely strong tracking ability! They were the key to solving this case!'"

Director Wang nodded repeatedly upon hearing this, and in front of all the leaders of the participating units, he specifically praised the steel rolling mill's security department for its rapid response and effective measures, especially mentioning you and your big yellow dog! He said this was a "model of combining the mass line with professional competence!" Haha! Old Jin, you didn't see the faces of the security department heads from the other big factories next to you—they were absolutely priceless!

Jin Aiguo laughed heartily, beaming with pride: "That's right! Our Xiao Wei and Da Huang are our department's secret weapons! Our golden brand!"

Zhou Jianjun nodded, looking at Wei Chen with eyes full of praise and high regard: "Little Wei, you've truly made a great contribution this time! You've brought honor not only to our department but also to our factory! I've discussed it with Lao Jin and reported it to the factory leaders, and we unanimously agree to promote you! Level 4 clerk, with a corresponding increase in salary and benefits! You deserve it! Keep up the good work, your future is bright!"

"Thank you, Director Zhou, thank you, Director Jin!" Wei Chen stood up and sincerely expressed his gratitude. He knew that Zhou Jianjun's appearance at the Municipal Bureau was crucial to his future development.

"No need to thank me! You did it all yourself!" Zhou Jianjun waved his hand, his gaze falling on Da Huang with affection. "Da Huang is a big contributor too! I'll give the cafeteria a special treat later! Plenty of big bones!"

"Woof!" Big Yellow seemed to understand "Big Bone," barked happily, and wagged its tail even more vigorously.

The news spread like wildfire throughout the steel mill. Wei Chen and Da Huang became local celebrities. Whenever workers passed the security office on their way home from work, they would always glance inside and, seeing Da Huang dozing at Wei Chen's feet, would chuckle and whisper, "Look, that's Officer Wei's amazing dog!"

"I heard his nose is even sharper than a police dog's? He can catch them even if they've run miles away?" "Absolutely! Officer Wei is really capable; he took down three thieves with just his dog!" "Tsk tsk, so promising for his age! His salary has already increased to 56 yuan!"

Big Yellow has become a star in the factory area, and people greet it with smiles wherever it goes.

……

In the courtyard, as Yi Zhonghai and Liu Haizhong deliberately kept a low profile, and the neighborhood committee gave their "mediator" status a cold shoulder, the controversy surrounding them gradually subsided. But new "topics," like weeds in the backyard, stubbornly sprouted up, filling the void in their conversations.

The strong, bitter smell of Chinese medicine emanating from Xu Damao's house in the backyard has become a persistent "trademark." Every evening, the medicinal odor that wafts out of that broken window assertively announces the presence of its owner and becomes the source of whispers among the neighbors.

That evening, the setting sun cast a warm golden glow on the blue brick walls. Aunt Yan Bugui's wife, carrying a winnowing basket, was picking wilted beans in front of her house. She sniffed the persistent medicinal smell in the air, pursed her lips, and whispered to Aunt Er, who was sewing shoe soles beside her, "Tsk, they're brewing it again! Smell this, it's stronger than bitter herbs! Those two Xu couple are heartless; they moved away themselves, leaving their son, a walking medicine pot, here to stink up the whole neighborhood."

The second aunt didn't even look up, her needle and thread moving deftly in her hands. She scoffed, "Smokes up the neighbors? I think it's his own mental anguish that's bothering him! Why did his parents die so easily? I think Xu Damao's problem is quite serious; he's been taking medicine for so long! ...Hmph, I think it's serious! There's definitely something wrong!"

Just then, Jia Zhangshi came out carrying a basin of dishwater, splashing it against the courtyard wall with a "splash," almost hitting Third Aunt's feet. Hearing this, she rolled her triangular eyes, raised her voice to a scathing, gloating tone: "Oh my! Second Aunt's got it all figured out! Xu Damao is a doomed son! He's always had a shifty look on his face, doesn't seem like he'll have any good fortune! All that bitter soup he drinks is useless! A waste of money! Who knows…"