Rebirth in a Courtyard: I Am a Little Hunter

After listening, Jin Aiguo remained silent for a long time, then sighed, his fingers unconsciously tapping the table: "More than five thousand... This Yi Zhonghai really knows how to hide it well. But then again, keeping so much money at home is just asking for thieves!"

Sigh... We're all from the old society, we were bullied and are afraid of being taken advantage of. We always feel safest keeping our money at home and don't trust banks.

He picked up his teacup, took a sip, and said with a deep gaze, "Our country has only been established for a short time, and it's understandable that people have concerns about new things. Bank savings are beneficial to the country and its people, but there's still a long way to go before everyone feels comfortable depositing their money there."

This incident, though a tragedy, serves as a stark example: No matter where you hide your money, it's never as safe as keeping it in a national bank.

Wei Chen nodded: "Director Wang probably knows about this too, and he'll likely take action. Hopefully, the people in the compound will learn from this lesson and deposit their money as soon as possible!"

Just then, the phone on Jin Aiguo's desk rang. He answered it, hummed in response a few times, and his expression turned serious. "Okay, I understand. I'll keep an eye on the morale of the factory workers."

After hanging up the phone, he said to Wei Chen, "It was Director Wang from the neighborhood office. She already knows the situation and is shocked. The police station has given a preliminary opinion on Yan Bugui's hoarding of gold, and Director Wang might go to the compound tonight. Sigh, that old Yan, he's so muddle-headed!"

Just as Jin Aiguo had predicted, Director Wang of the subdistrict office was so shocked by Liu Fuguo's phone report that he was speechless for a long time. Such a huge theft had occurred in the courtyard house under his jurisdiction!

What enraged her even more was that they discovered Yan Bugui had a large amount of gold hidden away! This was a serious mistake! She hung up the phone, immediately called two capable officers, and rushed to the police station.

The atmosphere at the police station was heavy. Liu Fuguo gave Director Wang a detailed report on the case and the results of the search, especially mentioning Yan Bugui's hoard of gold and the Jia family's "pleading poverty to solicit donations."

"...That's the situation. There are still no clear leads in the Yi Zhonghai theft case, but we will continue to investigate. As for Yan Bugui," Liu Fuguo paused, "his actions do indeed constitute hoarding gold, and the amount is quite large. According to current policies, he did not voluntarily hand it over."

However, according to our investigation and Yan Bugui's own confession, this gold was an heirloom, and he had never engaged in any buying or selling transactions; therefore, it does not constitute the crime of speculation and profiteering. Our opinion is to confiscate all of his privately held gold, give him severe criticism and education, and order him to regularly attend training sessions at the street office and conduct in-depth self-criticism.

Director Wang frowned, tapping his fingers on the table. Gold was an extremely sensitive commodity in this era. Yan Bugui's behavior, to put it bluntly, was a sign of distrust in national policy and outdated thinking; to put it mildly, it was foolishness.

Considering his status as a teacher and the fact that he did not engage in any buying or selling, the police station's handling of the matter was relatively cautious.

"We'll do as you suggest." Director Wang finally nodded. "All the gold is confiscated and turned over. Yan Bugui must make a profound self-criticism, attend weekly study sessions at the street office, and write a reflection! If his ideological transformation isn't complete, don't even think about going back to class!"

Furthermore, while the Jia family's actions do not constitute a crime, their moral depravity has had an extremely negative impact! Our neighborhood committee must also severely criticize them! Yi Zhonghai, too, bears responsibility for his poor judgment in choosing his subordinates and for encouraging this unhealthy trend!

"Yes, Director Wang," Liu Fuguo replied. "Also, regarding the promotion of bank savings..."

"I'll handle this!" Director Wang said decisively. "We can take this opportunity to hold a meeting in their courtyard! We'll use this real-life example to educate everyone that it's not safe to keep money at home; it's only safe to keep it in a state-owned bank!"

As evening fell, the setting sun cast long shadows across the courtyard. People gradually returned from work, but the atmosphere in the courtyard remained subtly tense. Whispers echoed from behind the windows of each household.

Yi Zhonghai didn't leave the house all day, looking as if he had aged ten years. When Jia Dongxu returned, he kept his head down, avoiding eye contact. At the Yan family's door, the three aunties were cooking with red eyes, while Yan Jiecheng and his brothers sat silently inside, the atmosphere oppressive. Only Liu Haizhong paced back and forth in the yard, occasionally coughing to assert his presence.

Just then, Director Wang from the neighborhood committee, accompanied by two staff members, walked into the courtyard with a serious expression. Liu Haizhong, who had already been notified, hurriedly went to greet him, his face beaming, "Director Wang, you've arrived!" Director Wang nodded, his gaze sweeping over the various glances cast upon him from within the courtyard, and said in a deep voice, "Notify the entire courtyard that a general meeting will be held in the central courtyard after dinner! Every household must send someone!"

As dusk deepened, the dim yellow light in the central courtyard of the siheyuan (traditional courtyard house) came on, casting a hazy glow on the blue brick floor. The courtyard was even more crowded than during the search the previous night; every household had brought out small stools and folding stools, and almost everyone, adults and children, was present. The air was heavy and silent, broken only by the occasional cough and the impatient grumbling of children. All eyes were fixed on Director Wang, who stood before the octagonal table.

Director Wang had a stern face and wore a faded gray Lenin suit, exuding an air of quiet authority. Behind her stood two young street-level officials, each holding a notebook.

Liu Haizhong stood behind Director Wang, his face flushed, trying to straighten his back as if he were the host of the meeting. Yi Zhonghai, supported by an older woman, sat on a chair in the corner, his face sallow, staring blankly at the ground. Yan Bugui stood at the front of the crowd, head down, his hands nervously twisting the hem of his clothes, like a prisoner awaiting trial.

"Neighbors," Director Wang cleared his throat, his loud voice piercing the twilight, "I've gathered you all here today to discuss two major events that have occurred in our compound! First, Comrade Yi Zhonghai's home suffered a serious burglary, resulting in enormous losses! Second, and even more serious, is the discovery during the search of a large quantity of gold that Comrade Yan Bugui has been hoarding!"

A suppressed murmur immediately rose from the audience. Although the news had already spread, the fact that it was announced by the street director himself at the meeting carried a completely different weight.

Director Wang's gaze, like a searchlight, swept over Yan Bugui, whose head drooped even lower. "Yan Bugui! As a teacher, you should set an example and lead by example in supporting national policies! But what have you done? Your thinking is backward; you lack trust in the country and the government, and you've secretly hoarded a large amount of gold, refusing to hand it over or register it! What kind of behavior is this? This is a serious mistake! It's a major problem with your thinking!"

Yan Bugui's body trembled, his lips trembled, he wanted to explain, but no sound came out.

"After investigation and discussion at the police station," Director Wang said sternly, "the following is the decision regarding you, Yan Bugui: First, all your privately hoarded gold is confiscated and turned over to the state! Second, starting next week, you will attend a political and ideological study class at the subdistrict office every Wednesday and Friday evening to earnestly study national policies and regulations and deeply reflect on your erroneous thoughts! Third, you will submit a written reflection and ideological report to the subdistrict office every week! We will only discuss other matters when you have a profound understanding and have reformed yourself! Do you understand?!"

"I...I heard you clearly..." Yan Bugui's voice was barely audible, tinged with sobs. Although he felt heartbroken over the lost gold, he knew this was already a lenient punishment.

If a few years had passed and the political movement had swept across the land, those dozen or so gold bars would have left him either dead or severely wounded. He felt a mix of emotions: the pain of losing those gold bars, lingering fear, and relief. His legs went weak, and he almost knelt down.

"Speak louder! Haven't you eaten?" Director Wang shouted sternly.

"I heard you right! Director Wang! I will definitely study hard and reform myself! I will resolutely support the national policy!" Yan Bugui suddenly jolted awake and shouted at the top of his lungs, his forehead covered in cold sweat.

Director Wang snorted coldly, turned his gaze to the crowd, and spoke in a slightly gentler tone, but still seriously: "Comrades, the Yan Bugui incident has served as a wake-up call for all of us! In the old society, we poor people suffered all kinds of oppression. We had to hide our money in all sorts of places, fearing bandits, warlords, and corrupt officials!"

But things are different now! This is a new society! It's a new China where the people are the masters! We have a People's Government and a People's Bank! Money deposited in the national bank earns interest and is much safer! It's a hundred times, a thousand times better than burying it underground or hiding it under your pillow!

She paused, her gaze sweeping over Yi Zhonghai's pale face, and emphasized, "The story of Comrade Yi Zhonghai's family is a bloody lesson! He painstakingly saved his entire life's money, just because he didn't trust banks and hid it at home, and what happened? It was all stolen! They couldn't even get it back! If it's in a bank, and the deposit slip is lost, can a thief withdraw it? No! They need a household registration book, they need proof! Isn't that right?"

The audience nodded in agreement, whispering among themselves. "Director Wang is right!" "Keeping money at home is really unsafe!" "I'll deposit my money tomorrow too!"

Yi Zhonghai sat in the corner, listening to Director Wang's words, each one like a needle piercing his heart. A bloody lesson…yes, bloody! He not only lost money, but also became a negative example! He felt his face burning, as if he had been stripped naked and whipped in public. He subconsciously gripped the armrests of his chair, his knuckles turning white.

Just then, Yan Bugui suddenly stepped forward, trembling as he pulled a neatly folded piece of paper from his pocket. Holding it with both hands, he handed it to Director Wang, his voice deliberately raised with respect and remorse: "Director Wang! I...I realize my mistake! I shouldn't have hoarded the gold, and I shouldn't have lacked trust in the country! To correct my mistake, and to respond to the country's call, I...this afternoon, I deposited all the remaining four thousand yuan from my home into the People's Bank! Here's the deposit slip! Please take a look!"

As he spoke, he unfolded the deposit slip in front of everyone. The deposit amount was clearly written on it: Four Thousand Twenty-Seven Yuan and Sixty-Three Fen. Below were the bank's red seal and the date.