Rebirth in a Courtyard: I Am a Little Hunter

Sha Zhu scratched his hair in frustration. He had been introduced to potential partners before, but either he looked down on them because they were unsophisticated or unemployed, or they weren't good-looking enough to be compared to Sister Qin! Or the other person would find him offensive because of his foul mouth and the fact that he had a younger sister who was a burden, so nothing ever came of it.

"Looks like I'll have to ask Uncle Yi or the old lady in the backyard to put in a good word," Sha Zhu pondered. Yi Zhonghai was the oldest man in the compound and a skilled worker, so he had a lot of influence; the deaf old lady was the matriarch of the compound, so her words carried weight. Surely they could find a suitable family if they stepped in, right? At worst... at worst, I could lower my standards: decent-looking, healthy, able to work, with a city residency permit, and someone who knows how to care for others—that would be enough!

"Yes! That's it! We'll do it all at once! We'll go find an old man tomorrow! And then we'll go find a matchmaker!" Sha Zhu made up his mind, feeling as if a weight had been lifted from his heart, yet he also felt inexplicably empty and anxious.

He lay back down, pulled the blanket tighter, closed his eyes, and began to uncontrollably imagine what his future wife would be like, how lively the house would be, and the scene of someone caring for him when he came home from get off work... As he thought about it, the corners of his mouth involuntarily turned into a grin, but then he felt that his thoughts were a bit silly, so he quickly shook his head and forced himself to fall asleep.

But the cold bed and the empty room still reminded him of the harsh reality.

Night deepened. The courtyard house fell into complete slumber. Steady breathing came from Wei Chen's house in the east wing, while snoring finally broke out in Sha Zhu's house in the middle wing, though the snoring was sometimes heavy and sometimes mumbled incoherently in his sleep.

In the front yard, at Yan Bugui's house, the third uncle was probably still fiddling with his abacus, calculating how to improve relations with the "newly rich" Wei Chen's family; in the back yard, Xu Damao was probably with one of his lovers, plotting how to "repair" his relationship with Wei Chen; the Yi Zhonghai house was completely silent, with only the occasional sound of someone turning over, indicating that the owner was not in a deep sleep...

Under the calm night sky, everyone's thoughts were churning. Wei Chen might be planning his trip back to his hometown in his dreams; Sha Zhu might have already married in his dreams; and many others were either hoping, anxious, or calculating for tomorrow's livelihood and for the unseen future.

The next morning, the sky was still overcast, and the winter chill, like an invisible veil, enveloped the still-sleepy city of Beijing. As usual, Wei Chen got up early, stretched his limbs in the yard, helped his mother Wang Xiulan fill the water vat, and then went back inside to change into his slightly worn blue work clothes, preparing to push his cart to work.

Just as he pushed his bicycle out of the courtyard gate, he heard a commotion coming from the middle courtyard. He saw Sha Zhu, He Yuzhu, emerge from his room, wearing a brand-new, impeccably pressed dark blue khaki Zhongshan suit and gleaming black leather shoes. His hair was neatly combed, his usual unkempt appearance gone, revealing a face that was reasonably presentable, but now radiated obvious excitement and a deliberate air of "solemnity." He was carrying a square object wrapped in old newspaper, which looked like a pastry box.

Sha Zhu clearly saw Wei Chen, who was about to leave. He paused, raised his chin slightly, and let out a short snort. His eyes swept over Wei Chen with a mixture of smugness, provocation, and an indescribable sense of "look how energetic I am now."

Then, with his head held high and chest out, he walked past Wei Chen with a slightly exaggerated gait, heading straight out of the courtyard gate. His back view exuded an aura of "I'm going to do something important."

Wei Chen was a little confused by his sudden "humph" and demeanor. He didn't seem to have provoked him, did he? He was the one who was praised on the radio yesterday, so if anyone should be jealous, it should have been yesterday. How come after just one night, Sha Zhu was acting like a victorious general?

He shook his head, too lazy to delve into Sha Zhu's simple yet disjointed thought process, hopped on his bicycle, and joined the flow of people heading to work. But a vague feeling lingered in his mind that Sha Zhu's attire and the snacks he was carrying suggested something more than just going to work.

Sure enough, Sha Zhu didn't go to the steel mill canteen to clock in today. He took leave, carrying the "huge sum" and the bag of high-end pastries (peach shortbread) he got by exchanging grain coupons, and headed straight for the famous "Matchmaker Liu's" house on the street.

Matchmaker Liu lived not too far from Nanluoguxiang, in a small, detached courtyard that was kept quite tidy. To become a "famous" matchmaker in this area, Matchmaker Liu naturally possessed her own skills and keen insight. She was about fifty years old, with a plump figure and always smiling eyes, but the shrewdness in them was undeniable. She spoke quickly, revealing a sharp and worldly-wise nature.

Sha Zhu knocked on the door, and when Liu the matchmaker saw it was him and then glanced at the bag of pastries he was carrying, her face immediately broke into a professional, enthusiastic smile: "Oh! It's Master He Yuzhu! Please come in, please come in! What brings you to this old woman's house today?" As she spoke, she ushered him into the house, her eyes already scanning the bag of pastries several times, estimating its weight and value.

She had heard of Sha Zhu before; he was a notorious troublemaker in the neighborhood, known for his harsh words that offended two matchmakers in the area. As a result, no one came to him to arrange marriages anymore, and things just dragged on like that. Today, seeing what Sha Zhu was carrying, Matchmaker Liu figured he was genuinely interested in finding a wife, which is why she let him in.

Sha Zhu entered the room, sat down somewhat awkwardly on a hard wooden chair, placed the pastry bag on the table, rubbed his hands together, and his mouth, which was usually so loud and arrogant in the canteen, was now a little slurred: "Aunt Liu... I... I came here today to... to ask you for a favor."

"Help? No problem!" Matchmaker Liu said with a smile as she poured water. "Master He is the best at the steel mill canteen!" She gave a thumbs up. "His skills are unparalleled. Just let me know if you need anything, and I'll definitely help if I can!"

Sha Zhu felt much better after being praised by her, and straightened his back a bit. He coughed and said, "It's like this... Aunt Liu, you see, I'm not getting any younger. I'll be twenty-five after the New Year. This... this family, there's no one who cares about me. When I come home, it's cold and empty. It doesn't feel like a proper home. So... so I wanted to ask you to do your best to find me... to find me a partner."

"Oh my! This is wonderful news!" Matchmaker Liu slapped her thigh, her face beaming with joy. "Master He, with your qualifications, you should have found someone long ago! Don't worry, leave it to me! I'm not bragging, but I know every good girl in these neighborhood alleys! Tell me, what are your requirements? What kind of girl are you looking for?"

"Here she comes!" Sha Zhu perked up, and the "conditions" that had been going over in his mind countless times blurted out: "The requirements... first of all, she must have an urban household registration! No rural ones." He felt this was very important. He was a respectable worker, and marrying a rural wife would be embarrassing and would also cause trouble for their children's household registration in the future.

"Well, you're a head chef at a big factory, a working-class person! It's not unreasonable for you to find someone with a city household registration!" Matchmaker Liu nodded.

"A person should be down-to-earth, hardworking, and good at managing a household!" Sha Zhu continued. "He should have a good temper, know how to care for others, be able to keep the house tidy, and cook... It's okay if your cooking skills are not good, I can teach you!" He was a little confident when talking about his professional field.

"Virtuous and capable, I understand!" Matchmaker Liu continued to record.

Sha Zhu licked his slightly dry lips, lowered his voice, and a rare hint of shyness appeared on his face: "Um... appearance... appearance has to be decent, pleasing to the eye..." For some reason, Qin Huairu's tearful face flashed before his eyes again, and he quickly shook his head, adding, "Can't be too ugly, when I take her out, she has to... she has to look presentable, right?"

Matchmaker Liu's smile remained unchanged, but inwardly she began to mutter to herself. This He Yuzhu, his appearance was just average, and he had a younger sister in school to support. Although he was a cook and wouldn't starve, his requirements... city residency, hardworking and virtuous, and decent-looking? With these conditions, finding someone decent would be good enough, let alone being picky about looks?

Before Sha Zhu could finish speaking, he hesitated for a moment, as if he had made a great decision, and added, "It would be best...it would be best to have a job. Preferably a permanent job, but a job in a street factory would be fine too, anyway...I need to have a job!"

Matchmaker Liu's smile faltered slightly this time. City residency, virtuous and hardworking, decent-looking, and employed? My goodness, Chef He, are you looking for a partner or picking a fairy? Even a low-ranking official wouldn't dare ask for such conditions!

She scrutinized Sha Zhu, her mind racing: a cook at the steel mill, the salary was decent, thirty-three and a half yuan, and there was plenty of oil in the wages. The house was a three-room main house, there were no elderly relatives to help out, and he had a younger sister to support him. She'd heard he wasn't very good-tempered and wasn't well-liked in the neighborhood… With these conditions and such demands, it was difficult! Really difficult!

She hesitated for a moment, picked up her teacup and took a sip of water, but didn't reply immediately, a troubled look on her face.

When Sha Zhu saw her expression, his heart skipped a beat. He knew his expectations might be a bit high, but he felt his own conditions weren't bad either! A head chef at the steel rolling mill, with excellent skills, appreciated by his superiors (in his own opinion), and a decent salary—enough to support his family! Why couldn't he find someone better?

He gritted his teeth, took out a small bag wrapped in a handkerchief from his pocket, opened it, and inside were five crumpled but neatly folded one-yuan bills.

He pushed the five yuan in front of Matchmaker Liu, forcing a smile: "Aunt Liu, I know this has troubled you. Please take this small token of my appreciation, buy yourself a pack of cigarettes or a cup of tea. If things go smoothly, I'll reward you handsomely!"

Five yuan!

Matchmaker Liu's eyes lit up instantly. In those days, the matchmaker's fee for arranging a marriage was usually only two or three yuan, and that was only if the family was well-off. Sha Zhu hadn't even started yet, and he'd already offered five yuan as a "hardship fee"—he was really going all out! It seemed this kid was really in a hurry, and he probably had some savings on hand.

For the sake of money… Matchmaker Liu's scales began to waver again. Her requirements were high, but not entirely impossible. Perhaps some older single women in the city, or those with heavy family burdens and slightly less desirable circumstances, could be a good match? The key was to search diligently and persistently.