Rebirth in a Courtyard: I Am a Little Hunter

Sha Zhu had just gotten home from get off work and was squatting on his doorstep, scrubbing his work clothes in a broken basin, his clothes reeking of cooking oil and soap suds. Seeing Yi Zhonghai approach, he looked up in surprise, his hands still busy: "Oh, old man? You were looking for me?"

Yi Zhonghai's face quickly contorted into a long-lost, complex expression of concern and weariness, befitting an elder. He walked over, patted Sha Zhu's sturdy shoulder, and said in a gentle, even affectionate tone, "Zhu Zi, haven't eaten yet? Don't bother, come to my place tonight, let's have a couple of drinks. Your aunt is busy preparing it."

Sha Zhu was even more surprised, and his hands stopped moving. Everyone in the courtyard knew what kind of situation Yi Zhonghai's family was in now. Inviting him for drinks? "Uncle, this...this isn't appropriate, is it? Your family isn't well-off either, I..."

"What's inappropriate about it?" Yi Zhonghai interrupted him, his tone more sincere, even tinged with a wistful reminiscence. "Zhuzi, have you forgotten? In those years when your dad ran away with someone, you and Yushui were still little, crying from hunger. Who was it that often called you over, at least giving you a bowl of hot soup? Have you forgotten the socks your aunt mended and the clothes she sewed for you? Now that you're older, you're not close to your uncle anymore..."

These words struck a chord deep within Sha Zhu's heart. The period when He Daqing abandoned him and his siblings and ran off with the White Widow was the darkest time of his life.

Yi Zhonghai and the old lady did indeed help them, though not often and with limited supplies, but in those days, the kindness was genuine. Sha Zhu, though a reckless and hot-tempered man, truly remembered kindness.

The hesitation on his face vanished instantly, replaced by a hint of guilt and gratitude. He scratched his spiky short hair, chuckled twice, and said with a touch of embarrassment, "How could I forget! I, Shazhu, remember the kindness of that old man and woman! Alright! Then I won't stand on ceremony! Perfect timing, I still have some peanuts I brought back from the cafeteria during the day, I haven't finished them, I'll take them, we can have them with our drinks!"

"That's right!" Yi Zhonghai's smile deepened, a hint of smugness flashing in his eyes. The fish had smelled the bait.

Dinner was served on the Yi family's peeling octagonal table. A plate of stir-fried cabbage, a dish of mixed shredded radish, a small bowl of bland stir-fried pickled vegetables, and the small bag of peanuts that Sha Zhu had brought. The bottle of cheap but now luxurious "Lotus White" liquor was opened, and the smell of alcohol mixed with the bland aroma of the food filled the dimly lit room.

Yi Zhonghai personally poured wine for Sha Zhu and filled his own glass. He didn't drink it immediately, but instead, with his calloused and wrinkled hands, he stroked the rough glass, his eyes fixed on the flickering lamplight on the table, and let out a long, deep sigh. That sigh seemed to carry the weight of a thousand pounds and endless desolation.

"Zhu Zi," he began, his voice hoarse and heavy with exhaustion, "these past two months, your old man here... has experienced the full spectrum of human nature's coldness and indifference."

Sha Zhu picked up his wine glass, looking at Yi Zhonghai's profile as if he had aged ten years in an instant. He felt a pang of unease and gruffly comforted him, "Uncle, you...you shouldn't think so much. That money...the police station is still investigating, maybe they'll find it someday." He himself didn't quite believe his words.

"Looking for it?" Yi Zhonghai gave a bitter laugh, shook his head, picked up his wine glass and downed it in one gulp. The spicy liquid burned his throat and stimulated his tear ducts, making his eyes slightly red. "Zhuzi, there's no hope. I went to the police station today, and Chief Liu's meaning was... obvious. Five thousand three hundred yuan, your aunt and I saved every penny our whole lives... just like that... gone!"

His voice choked with emotion. He lowered his head, wiped his face hard with his fingers, and his shoulders shrugged slightly. His posture perfectly portrayed an old man who had lost everything.

Sha Zhu felt a pang of sadness. Although he felt that Yi Zhonghai was sometimes too aloof and nosy, the other man's grief at this moment was so real.

He quickly poured Yi Zhonghai another drink, awkwardly urging, "Uncle, please take care of yourself! Money... money is worthless, if you lose it, you can... you can slowly save it up again! You have a skill, a level seven worker! The factory can't do without you! Life... life has to go on, right?"

"Life goes on..." Yi Zhonghai murmured repeatedly, his eyes staring blankly ahead, as if piercing through the walls to see an even more desolate scene. "But this life is tasteless, and there's no hope for the future. Zhuzi, don't you feel it? Our compound is different from before. People's hearts have drifted apart, and the warmth between neighbors is gone."

Mentioning this, Sha Zhu wholeheartedly agreed. He took a big gulp of wine, wiped his mouth, and said indignantly, "That's right! It used to be so lively! If anyone had a problem, just a call would be made, and everyone would help. Now? Humph! Everyone's just looking out for themselves! Especially that old Yan in the front yard, he's scheming to the core! And that Wei Chen in the east wing..."

He recalled Wei Chen's calm, unwavering eyes that seemed to see right through people, and that imposing, intimidating big yellow dog. His tone became even more aggressive, "He acts all high and mighty! Does he even care about us old neighbors? I think he only cares about his own little corner of the world!"

This was exactly the effect Yi Zhonghai wanted. He sighed at the opportune moment, looking at Sha Zhu with eyes full of "gratification" and "reliance," and then placed a pitifully small piece of cabbage on Sha Zhu's plate (a gesture that flattered Sha Zhu). His tone was heavy and heartfelt: "The world has changed, and people's hearts are no longer what they used to be. Young people like Wei Chen only care about themselves; they don't care about old customs or neighborly relations."

"Zhu Zi, in this whole compound, out of all the people I've looked at, only you, He Yuzhu, are a decent young man with a conscience and a sense of loyalty. You're like a true old Beijing man—loyal, grateful, and with your neighbors on your mind."

This compliment, both heavy and warm, hit the spot that Sha Zhu appreciated most. He immediately felt comfortable, a surge of pride rising within him, fueled by the alcohol. He puffed out his chest and patted it loudly: "Uncle, you've really hit the nail on the head! I, Sha Zhu, may not boast about anything else, but when it comes to being a person, I believe in 'righteousness'! I'll remember anyone who's good to me for life! If it weren't for you and Auntie back then..." He was about to bring up the past again.

"Let's not talk about the past." Yi Zhonghai waved his hand, interrupting at just the right moment, his face showing a deep sorrow that he felt "unbearable to recall." However, his tone subtly shifted, "But Zhuzi, seeing the state of the courtyard now, it really hurts my heart. Especially the Jia family... You know your brother Dongxu, he's honest, kind, and filial, but... he's just unlucky to have such a mother."

Mentioning the Jia family, Sha Zhu's indignation subsided somewhat. He curled his lip, looking disdainful: "The Jia family? They're not doing well? Come on, old man! Don't be fooled by them! They have over a thousand yuan hidden in their pillow! Gold coins! They're much richer than me! I can't even pull out a few coins from my pocket!" He recalled his own family's meager savings of just over a hundred yuan, which were still the subject of gossip in the courtyard, and felt even more indignant about the Jia family's "hiding wealth while feigning poverty."

"Money?" Yi Zhonghai shook his head, a wry smile on his face that said, "You're still too young." In a deep tone, he said, "Zhuzi, these days, is money all you have? Look at the grain station, there's always a long line. If you go too late, you can't even buy bran!"

The price of grain on the black market is higher than a kite flying! Even if Dongxu's salary were all converted into grain coupons and used to buy the sky-high prices of grain, would it be enough to feed his family of five for several days?

Banggeng, a half-grown boy, has eaten his father out of house and home; Xiaodang is skin and bones; Huairu just gave birth, her body is severely weakened, and she still has a baby to feed…

Money? His mother holds onto the money like it's her lifeline! Dongxu is a filial son; can he force his mother to give him the money? No way! Isn't it Huairu and the children who suffer the most?

As Sha Zhu listened, he couldn't help but recall Qin Huairu's perpetually pale and haggard face, her frail figure as she walked by with her head down, Xiao Dang's timid eyes that seemed unusually large because of her thinness, and Bang Geng's frequent cries of hunger… The resentment he felt towards the Jia family's "wealth" gradually gave way to a complex mix of emotions. Sister Qin… truly had it tough. That old hag, Jia Zhangshi, was no pushover. He silently downed another mouthful of wine, saying nothing.

Yi Zhonghai carefully observed the changes in Sha Zhu's expression, knowing that the time was almost right. He picked up the wine bottle and poured the last bit of wine for Sha Zhu and himself, his tone becoming even lower, filled with "pity" and "helplessness" for the younger generation:

"The one who's most heartbreaking is Huai Ru. What a good wife, always working hard without complaint, yet she hasn't had a single good day in the Jia family. She just finished her postpartum confinement and is already busy with chores, never getting a proper meal. Look at her face..."

"Oh, I heard from your aunt that Huai Ru cried to her, saying that sometimes she couldn't sleep at night because she was so hungry, and would secretly drink cold water to fill her stomach... That little boy, Xiao Dang, cried and cried from hunger. Bang Geng... sigh, a half-grown boy, always starving. Dong Xu is filial, but this kind of filial piety... sometimes it's blind obedience! It's so hard for Huai Ru to suffer like this..."

Qin Huairu was so hungry at night that she drank cold water? Xiao Dang was crying because she was hungry? Sha Zhu's mind went blank. The alcohol mixed with Yi Zhonghai's highly inflammatory words made his "manly" protective instincts and pity surge to an unprecedented level.

Such a gentle and kind person as Sister Qin, how could she... He seemed to see images of Qin Huairu secretly wiping away tears late at night, and Xiao Dang sucking her fingers from hunger, and his heart ached.