Rebirth in a Courtyard: I Am a Little Hunter

Yi Zhonghai, an old man in a courtyard house, is a level-seven fitter at a steel rolling mill, a highly skilled technician, and on the surface, he is very respected. But ever since his savings, which he had hidden for his retirement but which disappeared without a trace, have vanished, he seems to have lost a pillar of support, and he has become much more listless and low-key.

The former domineering attitude, enthusiasm for mediating disputes, and assertion of authority he once displayed in the courtroom are gone. He has become somewhat taciturn and even a little suspicious.

Upon hearing Wei Chen's praise, Yi Zhonghai simply sat silently in his house for a long time, holding his teacup. His heart was filled with mixed emotions.

He acknowledged Wei Chen's competence, noting that his recent merit had indeed solved a major problem for the factory. However, Wei Chen's style was too domineering and showed little regard for personal relationships, completely deviating from Yi Zhonghai's principles of "respecting the elderly and caring for the young," "mutual assistance," and "considering the overall situation." In the previous incident with the Jia family, Wei Chen hadn't shown him any respect, damaging his prestige as an elder statesman.

Now that Wei Chen has received such a great honor and been promoted, his salary is almost as high as his own as a seventh-grade worker. In the future, Wei Chen's influence in the institute will only increase. This makes him feel a strange sense of loss and crisis. The "moral high ground" and "authoritative position" he has cultivated for so many years seem to be being shaken by this young man in another way—through tangible achievements and status.

But he has neither the will nor the confidence to target Wei Chen again. The loss of his retirement money has filled him with insecurity. He needs to reassess the situation in the hospital and also needs time to heal his wounds and recover.

So he simply told the older woman to talk less and do more in the yard lately, and especially not to provoke Wei Chen's family. The yard seemed to gain a brief period of peace as a result.

After a series of upheavals, the power structure and personal networks within the courtyard houses did indeed enter a relatively stable period. However, beneath the calm surface, several established cliques continued to band together for mutual support.

Yi Zhonghai, the deaf old woman, Sha Zhu, and the Jia family form a loose alliance with "elderly care" and "morality" as underlying bonds. Yi Zhonghai is the core, the deaf old woman is the spiritual totem, Sha Zhu is the henchman and "blood bag," and the Jia family are the ones being helped and bound, the elderly people chosen by Yi Zhonghai.

Liu Haizhong and Yan Bugui, one a career-obsessed second uncle who loves to show off, and the other a shrewd third uncle who loves to take advantage of others, each have their own agendas. They don't get along very well, but they can't be considered enemies. They belong to the "middle faction" in the courtyard who like to make their presence felt and seek practical benefits.

Since moving in, Wei Chen's family has gradually formed a small circle centered around his family because Wang Xiulan is kind and doesn't cause trouble, and Wei Chen, although a bit "aloof," is reasonable. In addition, Wei Chen is capable and has martial arts skills.

Grandma Li, from the back courtyard, was of good family background and upright character; Aunt Liu, from the middle courtyard, was widowed and raised her children alone, and had a straightforward personality. These two families were close to Wang Xiulan. Especially after Wang Xiulan took pity on Grandma Li's grandson, Xiao Shitou, and Aunt Liu's daughter, Niu Xiaocao, and they became godparents, the relationship between the three families became even closer, with them helping and supporting each other. When Wei Chen was away, Wang Xiulan and Wei Ran also received considerable help from these two families.

Other residents, such as the few families in the front yard, and the other families in the middle and back yards, mostly adopted an attitude of "it's none of my business."

These days, everyone's struggling to make ends meet. The primary task is to fill our stomachs and live a comfortable life. As long as it doesn't harm our own interests, whether others are successful or unfortunate is just something to talk about over tea.

Most people didn't dislike Wei Chen's family; some even wanted to befriend them. After all, Wei Chen was a figure of importance in the factory, working in the security department, a "violent institution" that few dared to provoke. Furthermore, Wei Chen was a hunter and could occasionally bring back game; what family wouldn't want some meat during holidays?

Wang Xiulan was a kind and amiable person. She grew more vegetables in her small garden in the east wing of her house than she could eat, and occasionally she would share some spinach or scallions with her neighbors, maintaining good relationships with them. Therefore, on the surface, Wei Chen's family seemed to be well-liked in the neighborhood.

The workday bell rang over the steel rolling mill, and workers poured out of the workshops and offices like a flood. Wei Chen packed his things, greeted Li Zhijun, patted Da Huang's head, and then followed the flow of people out of the factory gate.

On the way home, the scene was similar to that of the morning, but the atmosphere seemed even warmer. Not only his coworkers in the same compound, but also familiar or semi-familiar faces from other nearby compounds and those working at the steel rolling mill, all greeted Wei Chen with smiles, their tone more enthusiastic than before, and with an obvious sense of flattery.

"Wei Chen! No, now we should call him Officer Wei! Congratulations!" "Comrade Wei Chen, young and promising! You've brought honor to our area!" "Little Wei, not bad! You're a Level 3 clerk now! You'll have to look after your older brother from now on!"

"Wei Chen, I heard your salary is sixty-two now? Wow, Sister Wang is really lucky!" "Officer Wei, when do you have time to come over? Your auntie's been talking about you a lot!"

Wei Chen wore a polite smile and responded courteously to each person: "Uncle Zhang, you're too kind. Just call me Xiao Wei." "Brother Li, you're too kind. We're just looking out for each other." "Aunt Wang, it's all thanks to the factory leaders' kindness." "Uncle Zhao, I'll definitely pay you a visit another day."

His pace was neither hurried nor slow, his attitude neither humble nor arrogant. He neither became complacent because of the sudden praise, nor did he deliberately feign indifference. This composure, in the eyes of some observant people, only added to his significance—this young man, unfazed by praise or criticism, is quite a character.

News always travels faster than people. While Wei Chen was still dealing with various congratulations on his way, the details of his commendation, promotion, and salary increase had already spread like wildfire back to No. 95 Nanluoguxiang.

The first to receive confirmation were several people working at the steel rolling mill. Jia Dongxu, with a gloomy face, went straight back into his house as soon as he entered the courtyard, slamming the door shut with a loud bang.

Sha Zhu was carrying a net bag filled with leftovers from the canteen, humming off-key Peking Opera, but his expression wasn't good. Especially when he saw Yan Bugui from the front yard coming over to ask questions, he replied irritably, "What's there to ask? He's an official now! He's not one of us!" After saying that, he sauntered back to his room in the middle courtyard.

Xu Damao "coincidentally" ran into Yan Bugui, who was pushing his bicycle back, at the gate of the compound. He offered him a cigarette and embellished the story of Wei Chen's commendation, emphasizing that "Deputy Factory Director Li highly values ​​him" and that "he has a bright future." He added meaningfully at the end, "Third Uncle, in our compound, we'll probably have to be mindful of Wei Chen's feelings from now on." Yan Bugui paused in his hand as he adjusted his glasses, his small eyes gleaming as he pondered something.

Yi Zhonghai heard it from an older woman, who had heard it from other family members. He sat at the dining table, silently picking at the cornmeal porridge in his bowl, not saying a word for a long time, and finally just letting out a long sigh.

The other residents of the courtyard quickly pieced together the "whole picture" of the matter through various channels. Before long, almost every household in the courtyard was talking about it at the dinner table.

In Grandma Li's backyard, Little Stone, shoveling rice into his mouth, asked curiously, "Grandma, did Brother Weichen become a high-ranking official?" Grandma Li picked up a piece of pickled vegetables for her grandson, a pleased smile on her face: "Your Brother Weichen is promising. He made a great contribution, and the factory rewarded him. Eat well, and when you grow up, you'll be as capable as your Brother Weichen."

At Aunt Liu's house, Niu Xiaocao blinked her big eyes and asked, "Mom, is Brother Weichen's salary really that high? Does that mean we can eat more meat?" Aunt Liu smiled and poked her daughter's forehead. "You little glutton! That's because of Brother Weichen's abilities. But, your Aunt Wang said that during the New Year, we should all go to her house for dumplings." The two families were close because Wang Xiulan had become her godmother, and they were also happy for Weichen.

At the Yan family's house in the front yard, the atmosphere at the dinner table was somewhat different. Yan Jiecheng: "Dad, Wei Chen really got promoted to a third-level clerk? Sixty-two yuan? My goodness, that's more than your salary!" Yan Jiefang: "I heard they're even going to apply for the city's advanced worker award! That's really impressive!"

Yan Bugui adjusted his glasses, slowly chewing his cornbread, but his mind was racing with calculations. He used to only think of Wei Chen as a hunter with some skill, but he never expected him to be so capable at the factory, rising through the ranks so quickly.

A level-three clerk, while not a high-ranking official, was still a respectable figure in the factory, and his salary was substantial. It seems I underestimated him before. I need to readjust my strategy towards this family… Perhaps I should have Jie Cheng and Jie Fang make more connections? I heard Wei Chen has a younger sister…

The atmosphere in the Jia family compound was the most oppressive. Madam Jia Zhang, holding a bowl, muttered, "What's so great about it! Just a lucky break, what's there to be so smug about! Look how much they fawn over those people!"

Qin Huairu ate her meal in silence, her heart churning. The more successful Wei Chen became, the more her family's hardship seemed to stand out, and the fainter her secret hopes became. She secretly fantasized that Wei Chen would one day help her family like Sha Zhu did! At the same time, she was also worried that her mother-in-law and husband would cause trouble again.

Jia Dongxu drank silently, the cheap liquor he'd bought when Xiao Dang was born. His face was flushed, his eyes were glazed, and he seemed lost in thought. Bang Geng and Xiao Dang seemed to sense the oppressive atmosphere and ate their food quietly, not daring to make a sound.

When Wei Chen finally appeared at the gate of the courtyard house, the eyes of several families who were washing vegetables by the sink or chatting and picking vegetables at the door all turned to him. Their gazes contained curiosity, envy, inquiry, and an undisguised complexity.

"Wei Chen's back?" Zhao's wife from the front yard greeted him with a smile, her tone three times warmer than usual. "Little Wei, congratulations! I heard you did a great job at the factory!" Grandpa Wu from the middle yard also chimed in with a smile. "Brother Wei Chen!" Little Stone, who had run out to play in the backyard, rushed over immediately.

Wei Chen maintained his gentle smile, responding to each question and even slipping a piece of fruit candy he had bought on the way into Xiao Shitou's pocket. His attitude was no different from usual, neither boastful nor cold.