Rebirth in a Courtyard: I Am a Little Hunter

Wei Chen stood against the light, his face somewhat blurred by the contrast of light and shadow, but that outline, that calm and mountain-like aura, made all the sounds in the courtyard—cursing, talking, and trying to persuade—come to an abrupt halt in a fraction of a second!

Jia Zhangshi, who was gesticulating wildly, spitting as she spoke, her face filled with malice and glee, was like an old hen crowing when suddenly her neck was grabbed. Her mouth was wide open, and the even more offensive words that followed were forced back down her throat.

The expression on her face, a mixture of arrogance, meanness, and schadenfreude, froze instantly, then peeled away like cheap paint, leaving only wide-eyed astonishment and a rapidly spreading, uncontrollable panic in her triangular eyes. She even staggered back half a step without realizing it, her heel hitting the step behind her, almost falling.

The neighbors surrounding them, whether it was Grandma Li and Aunt Liu who had spoken up for them earlier, or those who were watching the excitement with their hands behind their backs, eating melon seeds and gossiping, or those who vaguely felt that what Jia Zhangshi said "made some sense," all seemed to be frozen in place at this moment.

Their eyes were wide open like saucers, their mouths were half-open, and their faces were filled with shock and disbelief as if they had seen a ghost.

Some people even subconsciously rubbed their eyes, wondering if they were seeing things—wasn't that Wei Chen standing at the door, the one that Jia Zhangshi had said had already "fed the wolves"? Not only did he return unscathed, but... and he looked even more energetic and imposing than when he left!

Standing at the front of the crowd, Wang Xiulan, whose face was pale and who was trembling like leaves in the autumn wind, with tears welling up in her red eyes but stubbornly refusing to fall, froze like a clay sculpture the moment the door was pushed open and that backlit figure appeared.

She stared blankly at the doorway, her eyes unblinking, as if she had stopped breathing.

As the figure stepped in, the light shifted, clearly revealing the son's familiar yet somehow changed face—darker and thinner, but his eyes were like a quenched knife, both bright and deep—the worries, fears, the grievances of day and night torment that had been building up in his heart for nearly a month, and the anger and despair of being driven to the brink of despair just now, all burst forth like a flood that had finally breached the dam!

Hot tears, which she could no longer hold back, streamed down her pale, thin face. But she bit her lower lip tightly, refusing to utter a single sob, and simply stared straight at her son, as if trying to bring back all the longing and worry she had felt over the past month.

Wei Chen's gaze, like a searchlight, immediately and accurately locked onto that thin, helpless figure in the center of the crowd.

Seeing his mother's pale face, her red and swollen eyes filled with tears but she was trying not to cry, and her shoulders trembling slightly with excitement and grievance, the anger in his chest suddenly surged up and burned so intensely that it hurt his internal organs.

But he managed to suppress it, taking a deep breath of the murky yet familiar air in the courtyard, burying all his rage and fury deep into the depths of his eyes, turning them into two pools of icy, bone-chilling springs.

He strode toward his mother.

The pace was not fast, even somewhat slow, but each step was firm and solid. The heavy soles of the cotton shoes landed on the cleaned but still dusty blue brick ground, making a clear and steady "tap, tap, tap" sound. In this deathly silent courtyard, it seemed particularly abrupt and weighty, as if striking the heart of everyone.

Wherever he went, the neighbors who had gathered around, whether out of guilt, shock, or something else, all instinctively held their breath and hurriedly moved aside to make way for him. Not a single person dared to speak at that moment, and no one even dared to meet his calm yet penetrating gaze head-on.

He walked to Wang Xiulan's side, reached out his right hand, and gently grasped his mother's cold, rough hands, which were trembling slightly from long hours of labor.

Her hand was damp and cold to the touch, she couldn't tell if it was cold sweat or tears. His palm was broad and warm, and he squeezed it tightly, whispering, "Mom, I'm back." His voice wasn't loud, even a little deep, but it was exceptionally clear and steady, like a calming stone, firmly settling into Wang Xiulan's flustered heart.

Wang Xiulan's hand trembled violently, then, as if grasping at a lifeline, she gripped her son's hand tightly, with a strength that surprised even Wei Chen. Hot tears streamed down her face even more rapidly, yet she tried to force a smile. Her lips trembled, and after a long pause, she choked out a single word: "...Yes!" A thousand words, endless grievances, and lingering fear were all trapped behind that one word. She simply looked at her son, gazing at him greedily, as if she could never get enough of him.

As Wei Chen felt the trembling and dependence in his mother's hand, the slight sense of unease that arose from the immense gains in his heart instantly subsided, becoming incredibly grounded and resolute.

He gently pulled his mother behind him, completely shielding her with his body, before slowly turning around to face the neighbors in the courtyard, each with their own unique expression and complex thoughts.

Finally, his icy gaze, like two ice-cold awls, was firmly fixed on Jia Zhangshi's face, whose expression was constantly changing and whose eyes began to dart away.

The courtyard was eerily quiet.

In the distance, someone's radio was playing a clip from the revolutionary model opera "Taking Tiger Mountain by Strategy." Yang Zirong's high-pitched singing could be faintly heard, "Through the forest, across the snowfield, his spirit soars to the heavens..." This only made the deathly silence in the front yard so heavy that it was hard to breathe.

The chill of early winter evenings only seems to truly creep in at this time, seeping into people's collars and cuffs.

Madam Jia felt a chill run down her spine under Wei Chen's gaze, as if countless ants were crawling on her back. After the initial shock and panic subsided, her unruly, shrewish nature began to stir again.

She forced herself to remain calm, coughed lightly, and, with her thin neck stiff, glanced sideways at Wei Chen with her triangular eyes. She deliberately muttered in a nonchalant, even slightly provocative tone, "What...what are you looking at? So what if you're back? Why make such a fuss? Who are you trying to impress? It's like someone...someone did something to you..."

But her voice was noticeably weaker than her previous sharp and piercing curses, and her momentum was much weaker, as if she was trying to bolster her courage.

Wei Chen didn't immediately respond to her. He first slowly and calmly scanned the familiar faces of the neighbors in the courtyard.

His eyes didn't hold much emotion; there was neither angry stare nor aggrieved accusation, just a very calm scrutiny.

But it was precisely this calm that made those who had previously discussed the matter, observed it coldly, or even agreed with Jia Zhangshi's words in their hearts feel uneasy. They subconsciously lowered their heads or turned their faces away, not daring to meet his gaze.

The courtyard, which had been buzzing just moments before, was now so quiet that only the whistling of the wind through the bare branches and the heavy, uneasy breathing of a few people could be heard.

After scanning the area, Wei Chen turned his gaze back to Jia Zhangshi's harsh and ungrateful face.

"Smack!!!"

A powerful slap landed squarely on her mean face!

Jia Zhangshi let out a miserable scream, her whole body was spun halfway around after being hit, and she staggered to the side. Fortunately, Aunt Liu from the middle courtyard was standing nearby and subconsciously reached out to help her, preventing her from falling flat on her face.

Of course, Wei Chen did his best to hold back his strength when he slapped her, otherwise he could have smashed Jia Zhangshi's head!

Even so, Jia Zhangshi's face quickly became red and swollen! She felt as if half of her face had been burned by a red-hot iron, or as if she had been hit by a heavy hammer. Her ears were ringing, she saw stars, and a sweet, metallic taste spread through her mouth.

The entire front yard was deathly silent!

Everyone was stunned by the sudden, ruthless, and decisive slap! He hit someone? Wei Chen actually returned and, without saying a word, directly struck Jia Zhangshi? And with such a loud and brutal slap?

Even Wang Xiulan, who was originally trembling with anger and tears welling up in her eyes, was stunned, covering her mouth and looking at her son in disbelief.

"Granny Jia! This is interest for how you bullied my mother!"

Wei Chen spoke, his voice still low, even more steady than when he spoke to his mother, without any dramatic fluctuations, as if stating a perfectly simple fact. But every word was uttered clearly, carrying a metallic, cold quality, striking the blue brick floor as if it could scatter shards of ice:

"Old Lady Jia!"

He used the impolite term "Grandma Jia," his tone devoid of any warmth.

"You're older, one of the older folks in the neighborhood. I, Wei Chen, and my mother, haven't lived here long, but it's been over a year! You love to gossip about this and that, and you like to haggle over every little thing. We hear it, but we just let it go in one ear and out the other. Why? Because we don't think it's worth arguing with you; it's beneath us. Neighbors should be friendly, and some things are better left unargued, and we're too lazy to argue about them."

These words were spoken slowly and deliberately, first clarifying the other person's identity and age, and then casually pointing out her usual unseemly behavior—a polite opening. Many people in the courtyard looked somewhat embarrassed upon hearing this; everyone knew perfectly well what kind of person Jia Zhangshi was.

Jia Zhangshi, covering her slightly swollen face, slammed onto the car and shouted, "Help! Someone's been assaulted! That little beast Wei is beating an old woman... bullying an orphan and a widow! Call the police and have him arrested! Old Jia... come out and see! Are you trying to kill us all?!" Jia Zhangshi roared.

"Shut up!" Wei Chen coldly shut up Jia Zhangshi's howl.