Rebirth in a Courtyard: I Am a Little Hunter

Matchmaker Liu quickly put on a bright smile again, subtly gathering the five yuan in front of her, saying, "Oh! Master He, what are you doing! You're too kind! We're neighbors, helping each other out is only right!" Although she said this, she had already put the money in her pocket.

"I've thought about your requirements carefully," Matchmaker Liu's mind raced. "A city resident, hardworking and reliable, and decent-looking—that's easy to find. The only requirement is that he has a job... Hmm, that's difficult, but not entirely hopeless!"

"Master He, your qualifications are right here! A head chef at the steel mill, a legitimate working-class person, with a government-subsidized food ration—what excellent conditions! Don't worry, I'll take care of it! I'll risk my reputation to find you a suitable match!"

Upon hearing this, Sha Zhu felt a huge weight lifted from his heart, and a smile appeared on his face: "Then I'll leave it all to you, Aunt Liu! I'll wait for your news!"

"Of course, of course!" Matchmaker Liu readily agreed. "Just go back and wait for news! I'll come find you as soon as I have any leads!"

Sha Zhu left Matchmaker Liu's house contentedly, feeling his steps lighter. He could almost see his virtuous and beautiful wife beckoning to him, and the quiet little house was about to be filled with laughter.

Little did he know that after seeing him off, Liu the matchmaker closed the door, weighed the five yuan in her pocket, shook her head, and muttered to herself, "This silly Zhuzi, he's got quite a high opinion of himself... Alright, I've taken his money, so I'll do my part. I'll just have to put in some effort and see which blind... no, I mean, destined girl will take a liking to him."

Over the next few days, Matchmaker Liu truly "put in the effort," mobilizing her network of connections built up over many years to search in nearby alleys and even further streets. Sha Zhu's criteria of "city residency, diligence, virtuousness, and decent appearance" acted as a high threshold, filtering out the vast majority of candidates. Either their residency wasn't good enough, or their looks didn't meet expectations, or their personalities were too fiery… In short, none were satisfactory.

Just as Liu the matchmaker was scratching her head, wondering if she should advise Sha Zhu to lower his standards, a suitable candidate "popped up".

The girl's surname was Han, and her name was Han Chunmei. She lived in the suburbs. Her father was a skilled worker at a bearing factory, and the family was relatively well-off. Chunmei was twenty-two years old this year. Her mother had passed away early, and she had a fifteen-year-old younger brother. Because she had to take care of her younger brother, she had been delayed in finding a husband, making her considered an "older single woman" in this day and age.

The girl wasn't stunningly beautiful, but she was still pretty, with regular features, fair skin, and a pleasing appearance. As for her personality, according to the matchmaker, she was known for being hardworking, good-tempered, and capable both at home and outside. She took excellent care of her younger brother and kept the house impeccably organized. Her only "shortcoming" was that she didn't have a formal job and only did odd jobs in the neighborhood office's cardboard box making group to supplement her family's income.

Matchmaker Liu slapped her thigh, feeling that this was a good opportunity! Han Chunmei was the perfect age for Sha Zhu, had a city household registration, was good-looking, and had a virtuous and capable personality. Except for not having a formal job, she met all of Sha Zhu's requirements, and her "virtuous and capable" qualities might even exceed expectations.

As for the Han family, they heard that the man was a full-time cook at a steel mill, with a decent salary, good skills, and three main rooms. Although he had a younger sister, she was already in high school and could be placed in a job soon, so the family didn't need to worry. He was a working-class man, with impeccable family background, and a genuinely honest person (Matchmaker Liu, of course, only said the good things), so Han's father seemed somewhat interested.

After communicating with each other, both sides felt it was appropriate to meet. So, the time was set for Sunday morning, and the location, as is customary, was to first meet at the man's house—a courtyard house.

The news spread like wildfire throughout the courtyard.

"Have you heard? Sha Zhu's going on a blind date!" "Really? Him? What girl would want him?" "They say it's arranged by Matchmaker Liu, the daughter of a worker at the bearing factory on the outskirts of town!"

"How old? What do you look like?" "I heard he's alright-looking, but he's unemployed..." "Would Sha Zhu be happy about that? Isn't he picky?" "Who knows! Anyway, he'll come to our courtyard for a fortune telling on Sunday! We'll find out then, won't we?"

The courtyard was instantly abuzz with excitement. In this era of scarce entertainment, any matchmaking, wedding, or marriage was a major event, providing fodder for conversation for days. And when Sha Zhu, the courtyard's notorious bachelor and troublemaker, was going on a blind date, it became even more of a spectacle.

In the front yard, at Yan Bugui's house, the third uncle pushed up his glasses, his small eyes gleaming with calculation: "Shazhu is going on a blind date? That's something new! If it works out, will there be another banquet in the yard? And the gift money... Hmm, we'll have to see how things go." The third aunt, while sewing shoe soles, curled her lip: "With Shazhu's temper, and that house being a mess like a pigsty, do you think any girl would be interested? I doubt it."

In the Jia family compound, Jia Zhangshi, cracking sunflower seeds, smirked with schadenfreude: "A blind date? Someone like him, thinking he can find a wife? I think it's like a blind man lighting a lamp—a complete waste of time! It would be best if the blind date didn't work out, so he can remain a bachelor for life!"

Qin Huairu was washing clothes when she heard this. She paused, glancing at Sha Zhu's closed door with a complicated expression, but remained silent, her thoughts unreadable. Jia Dongxu scoffed, "What good women could he possibly find? Any girl willing to be with him is blind!"

Xu Damao, who was in the backyard, also heard about it and sneered, "Silly Zhu is going on a blind date? Hey! That's going to be a good show! With his attitude, he might scare the girl away!" He had been keeping a low profile lately, but his desire to see Silly Zhu make a scene hadn't diminished at all.

Yi Zhonghai, an elderly man, didn't say anything upon hearing the news, only slightly frowning. If Sha Zhu got married and had a wife to keep an eye on him, wouldn't he be harder to control? But then he thought, if Sha Zhu could truly settle down, it might be a good thing, at least he'd cause less trouble. He instructed an older woman, "Keep an eye on him, don't let Zhu cause trouble and embarrass our neighborhood."

At this time, Yi Zhonghai's mentor was Jia Dongxu. Sha Zhu wasn't even a backup; he was more like a half-henchman!

The most excited person was none other than Sha Zhu himself. After receiving confirmation from Matchmaker Liu, he was like a man possessed, frantically cleaning out his doghouse-like house.

He washed the old clothes that needed washing and hid the old ones; he scrubbed the pots and pans again and again; he swept and mopped the floor; he even replaced the window paper! He also went to the bathhouse for a bath, got a haircut, and carefully ironed the "outfit" he had worn for the blind date.

Early Sunday morning, before dawn, Sha Zhu got up and checked the house inside and out again to make sure everything was in order. Then, with his money and ration coupons in hand, he ran to the grocery store, gritted his teeth and bought two jin of high-grade fruit candy that didn't require coupons (it was so expensive it hurt his wallet), and also bought half a jin of melon seeds and half a jin of peanuts.

Back in the courtyard, I used the borrowed plates to arrange the contents on the small square table that I had polished until it gleamed (though the paint was almost completely worn off). After thinking for a moment, I felt that wasn't enough, so I took out the white porcelain tea mug with the red double happiness character printed on it that I only used during the New Year, washed it clean, and prepared it for brewing tea.

After doing all that, he changed into his "battle armor"—a crisp Zhongshan suit and black leather shoes, his hair neatly combed. He looked at himself in the old, broken mirror again and again, feeling that something was still missing. That's it, the presence! He had to show everyone in the neighborhood that he, Silly Zhu, was getting married! And not a bad one at that!

So he started "patrolling" the yard. Whenever he saw someone, he would approach them, offer them a cigarette (a good cigarette that he himself wouldn't normally smoke), and then "casually" mention:

"Aunt Wang, have you eaten yet? If not, come to my house for some! My boyfriend is coming today, I brought some candy and melon seeds!"

"Brother Li, busy? Sigh, I'm on a blind date today, and I'm a little nervous. Do you think the girl will like me? But I don't think it'll be a problem. With my background—a head chef at the steel mill, making thirty-seven and a half yuan a month, even the bosses value me! The food in the canteen is good, I won't go hungry!"

"Grandma Zhao, sunbathing? I'll have my boyfriend offer you a cigarette later! Matchmaker Liu said the girl is very virtuous, from the city, and from a respectable family!" ...

He talked animatedly, his face flushed, boasting about his meager possessions over and over again, emphasizing key words like "steel mill chef," "high salary," "plenty of lucrative opportunities," and "favored by his superiors." His vanity was satisfied like never before. It was as if the more he talked, the more these advantages would be magnified, covering up the fact that he had a small house, burdens, and a bad temper.

Some people in the courtyard offered perfunctory congratulations, some joked with smiles, and others sneered behind his back, but on the surface, they all maintained a basic level of harmony. After all, who doesn't enjoy watching a spectacle? Everyone was waiting for the girl to come and see what kind of partner Sha Zhu would end up with.

While the courtyard was filled with discussion and Sha Zhu was eagerly anticipating what was to come, Wei Chen's days were relatively peaceful.

After "dividing the spoils" with Jin Aiguo that night, the next day when he went to work at the factory, the enthusiasm of his colleagues when they greeted him was noticeably higher than before.

Upon arriving at the equipment warehouse, Li Zhijun grinned broadly and gave him a thumbs-up: "Good lad! You're a true friend! You haven't forgotten your old brothers!"

Wei Chen was taken aback for a moment, then realized that the venison must have already been distributed. He smiled and waved his hand, "Uncle Li, what you're saying is only right. Everyone has taken good care of me."

"That's different!" Li Zhijun leaned closer, lowered his voice, and smiled contentedly. "Venus meat! That's a rare treat! Boss Jin organized everyone to share it, five jin each! Wow, when I took it home, my wife and kids were ecstatic! My sister-in-law kept praising me for being so capable! Hehe!"