Rebirth in a Courtyard: I Am a Little Hunter

Yi Zhonghai pulled out another, smaller key tied with a faded red string from the inner pocket of his faded old man's shirt, which he was wearing close to his body.

The key was cold. He took a deep breath, as if he were opening not a box, but the very foundation and source of his confidence throughout his life. He inserted the key into the lock and turned it gently.

"Click".

The sound of the spring snapping open was as clear as thunder in the deathly silent room.

Yi Zhonghai held his breath and slowly lifted the lid of the box—

Time was frozen at this moment.

Under the dim light of the kerosene lamp, the box was empty. There were no brand-new banknotes, not the overflowing bulges I had expected, nor the heavy, golden sheen that would have weighed down the box. Only a thin, folded piece of paper lay forlornly at the bottom, like a forgotten, withered leaf.

The color drained from Yi Zhonghai's face in an instant, leaving it a sallow, yellowish hue, like old, faded paper. His eyes widened suddenly, his cloudy pupils almost bursting from their deep sockets, staring incredulously at the empty bottom of the box!

Hallucination? It must be a hallucination!

He instinctively reached out his trembling hand and into the empty box, frantically groping like a drowning man grasping at a straw! His fingers traced the rough, cold bottom of the box, stirring up only a few specks of old, dusty residue. Nothing! Absolutely nothing! Except for that piece of paper!

"No... impossible!!" A hoarse, inhuman growl, like sandpaper scraping through sheet metal, was squeezed out from deep within his throat.

His body felt as if it had been struck by an invisible hammer, and he shook violently. In an instant, his vision was engulfed by thick darkness and swirling stars! He gripped the cold edge of the kang (a heated brick bed) tightly with one hand, his nails scraping against the rough wood with a harsh "squeak," barely managing to keep from falling headfirst.

The older woman also saw what was inside the box. She let out a short, shrill scream, "Ah—!" She covered her mouth with both hands, her eyes wide open, her pupils filled with extreme terror and bewilderment: "This...this...where are these things?! Old Yi! Where are they?! Damn it...where is the money? Where is the gold?!" Her voice trembled uncontrollably, and her body shook violently.

Yi Zhonghai whirled around, his bloodshot, demonic eyes fixed on the middle-aged woman's face. His voice, distorted by extreme shock and a surge of intense suspicion, became shrill and piercing: "You! Was it you?! Did you do it?! Tell me!!"

The old woman was terrified by his murderous gaze. She stumbled backward, her back slamming heavily against the cold earthen wall with a thud. Her voice trembled with tears as she frantically shook her head, crying out, "No! No! Old Yi! I swear to God! I've never touched this box! You've always kept the key close to your body!"

"Normally... when we buy groceries, I only touch that metal box in the wardrobe! This box... I haven't even touched it once! How could I dare!" Her fear and grievance were beyond words. In her heart, this box was the old man's most secret and important possession, and she avoided it like the plague, afraid of getting even the slightest bit of it.

"Gone... all gone..." Yi Zhonghai seemed to have all his bones and soul ripped out in an instant. His hands, which had been gripping the edge of the kang, slumped down, and he collapsed onto the cold kang, hunched over like an empty sack.

Staring blankly at the empty box, he muttered to himself, his voice so low it was almost a whisper, "More than five thousand three hundred... a whole five thousand three... and... and those..."

His voice grew softer and softer, the last few words muffled in his throat, only he himself knew what those "more than a dozen large yellow croakers" meant.

That was all the wealth that Yi Zhonghai had accumulated, painstakingly saved, like an ant carrying grains of rice, scrimping and saving, even during those chaotic years, relying on his title of "Level 8 worker" and certain unspeakable methods, little by little, through exploitation, and even... interception!

It was the foundation upon which Yi Zhonghai held absolute power in the courtyard and commanded respect in the steel mill! It was the last safeguard he had planned for himself and the old lady, a stable and prosperous old age! Now, it's all gone! As if wiped clean by an invisible giant hand!

Overwhelmed by immense fear, despair, and a profound sense of emptiness, like a cold, barbed tide, he was instantly engulfed. His heart felt like it was being gripped by a cold, iron claw, the pain causing him to curl up, barely able to breathe. Cold sweat soaked through his back, leaving his clothes icy and sticky.

"Should we...call the police, Lao Yi?" The old woman stammered, her teeth chattering, her voice trembling like a leaf falling in the cold wind. "Should we...call the police? So much money...gold...no, money! So much money...it can't just disappear like this..." She subconsciously avoided the word "gold," only mentioning the money.

"Call the police?" Yi Zhonghai abruptly raised his head, a flash of intense struggle and deeper fear crossing his eyes. Call the police? What to say? Say that over 5,300 yuan in cash was lost? That was an astronomical figure that was utterly shocking!

What about those gold bars? Can their origins be traced? What if they dig deeper… those old debts… he didn't dare think about it! But if he didn't report it to the police, the money… the money would truly be lost forever, without a trace!

"Gold bars... can't say!" Yi Zhonghai seemed to have grasped at the last straw, and suddenly lunged forward to grab the old woman's arm with such force that he almost crushed her bones, causing her to cry out in pain.

He lowered his voice, his tone almost manic and obsessive, each word squeezed out through clenched teeth: "Just say you lost 5,300 yuan in cash! Just say it's your savings from all these years! Nothing else... not a single word! Do you hear me?! You can't say it even if you die!!" He stared intently into his wife's terrified, tearful eyes until she turned pale, tears welling in her eyes, and nodded repeatedly in terror.

"Go! Call the police!" Yi Zhonghai seemed to have used up his last bit of strength. He suddenly stood up, his steps unsteady and staggering, as if he were drunk. He rushed towards the door, his face as white as if it had been plastered with lime, his lips bluish-purple, without a trace of blood. He was completely lost and dejected, like a walking corpse that had just crawled out of a grave.

"Old Yi! Slow down! Be careful!" An older woman quickly chased after him, trying to help him up, but he roughly and almost hatefully shoved her away!

As I opened the door, the cool evening air rushed in.

In the front yard, Uncle Yan Bugui, the third son, was pacing back and forth in front of the few half-dead potted plants by his door, humming a distorted version of "The Empty City Stratagem": "I was originally a carefree man from Wolonggang..."

Seeing Yi Zhonghai rush out looking like he'd lost his soul, Yan Bugui was startled, his Peking Opera-style voice abruptly stopping: "Old Yi? What's wrong... why do you look like a dead man? What happened? Are you sick?"

Yi Zhonghai seemed not to see him or hear his voice at all. His eyes were empty, staring blankly at the direction of the front gate. He staggered, as if walking on cotton, and walked straight across the front yard, ignoring Yan Bugui's calls. He shoved open the half-closed gate and rushed into the alley where dusk was falling, leaving Yan Bugui standing there in astonishment and suspicion.

In the duty room of the Nanluoguxiang Police Station, the incandescent light bulb emitted a buzzing sound, and the light was much brighter and more glaring than the kerosene lamp in Yi Zhonghai's home.

Police officer Wu Zhengmin, on duty, was hunched over a thick stack of household registration books, his head down, as he sorted through the peeling paint on a wooden table. Hurried, chaotic footsteps, clearly indicating panic, approached from afar and abruptly burst open the half-closed door to the duty room.

Wu Zhengmin looked up and saw an old worker, his face ashen, staggering, and his eyes glazed over, rush in as if chased by a ghost. Behind him followed an old woman, equally pale, her face streaked with tears, barely able to stand. A heavy atmosphere of despair instantly filled the air.

"Comrade... report... report to the police..." Yi Zhonghai's voice was hoarse and dry, like a broken bellows pumping, each word trembling at the end. He almost collapsed onto the table, his hands gripping the edge tightly to keep from falling.

"Old comrade! Quick, sit down! Sit down and talk slowly!" Wu Zhengmin's heart skipped a beat, and he immediately realized the seriousness of the situation. He quickly got up, walked around the table, and forcefully supported Yi Zhonghai's almost limp body, pressing him down on the long wooden bench against the wall. An older woman was also trembling and holding onto the door frame, panting heavily.

"I...I lost money..." Yi Zhonghai slumped in his chair, his chest heaving violently. He spoke haltingly and incoherently, "My...my family...lost...money...a lot of money...five thousand...five thousand three hundred yuan...cash..." When he said "five thousand three hundred yuan," it was as if he had used up all his strength. His voice suddenly rose, tinged with sobs, and then fell sharply, leaving only desperate whimpers.

"How much?!" Wu Zhengmin thought he was hallucinating. His voice suddenly rose eight octaves, his eyes widened instantly, and his pupils contracted!

Five thousand three hundred yuan?! In an era when the monthly salary of an ordinary second-level worker was only around forty yuan! This is an astronomical figure that could kill someone! Since the founding of the People's Republic of China, no one in the Nanluoguxiang area has ever seen or even heard of such a large theft case!

"Five thousand three hundred yuan!" Yi Zhonghai suddenly raised his head, his bloodshot eyes fixed on Wu Zhengmin as if grasping at the last straw. His voice was a desperate scream on the verge of collapse. "I... I saved up half my life's hard-earned money! My salary! Bonuses! Every penny I saved... all gone! All gone!" He pounded his chest, tears streaming down his face.

Wu Zhengmin gasped, his heart pounding! He immediately realized this was a major case!

"Please wait a moment!" He quickly ran to Deputy Director Liu Fuguo's office, caught his breath, and knocked on the door. Hearing "Come in," he quickly opened the door. "Director Liu, a big case! A member of the public reported that over five thousand yuan was stolen from their home!"