Rebirth in a Courtyard: I Am a Little Hunter

(One chapter was missing yesterday, so it's added after the previous chapter.)

Yi Zhonghai looked at the closed door, then at the gossiping neighbors around him, sighed, and waved his hand: "Everyone, disperse! Go do what you were doing! Don't crowd around!" He knew that Sha Zhu's blind date was a complete failure, and he had become the laughingstock of the whole neighborhood. But what puzzled him even more was that the girl's attitude before seemed quite satisfied with Sha Zhu, so why did she suddenly change her mind? What exactly happened in between?

No one noticed that in the corner connecting the front and back yards, Xu Damao was leisurely smoking, watching the farce unfolding in the middle yard with an undisguised, smug smile on his face. His plan had succeeded. Silly Zhu wanted to get married? Dream on! Nobody would get away with this!

Wei Chen happened to be off work today. He witnessed the whole farce, including Xu Damao's earlier "chance encounter" with Han Chunmei and his subsequent gloating from the corner. Considering Xu Damao's unusual "enthusiasm" before, he roughly guessed what had happened.

However, he didn't say anything, just shook his head and turned back to his east wing. Even without Xu Damao's interference, Sha Zhu's temper and way of doing things might not have made the marriage happen. It's just that Xu Damao's methods were indeed rather underhanded.

A blind date that the entire courtyard had been watching ended abruptly in such an absurd and awkward manner. All that remained were whispers throughout the courtyard, a table of food that gradually grew cold and eventually burned, and a madman, Sha Zhu, furiously smashing things in his room, filled with bewilderment and humiliation. He still couldn't understand how a perfectly good blind date could have fallen through. Who on earth had spoken ill of him behind his back?

Inside, Sha Zhu paced back and forth in the cramped space like a trapped beast, his fists clenched so tightly that his nails dug deep into his palms. On the table, the meticulously prepared, fragrant and delicious braised pork had gone cold, the fat congealing into a white film. Beside it were several plates of stir-fried vegetables, which now seemed like a great irony.

"Why?! Why?!" Sha Zhu roared, slamming his fist against the wall, causing plaster to peel off. He racked his brains but couldn't understand. Just a moment ago, everything was fine. Although the girl was shy, her eyes didn't show disgust; they even held a hint of curiosity and approval. How could everything have changed so drastically in the time it took her to go to the bathroom? It was like she'd seen a ghost!

"Someone must be talking badly about me behind my back!" Sha Zhu suddenly raised his head, a fierce glint in his eyes. Yes! That must be it! Someone was jealous of his blind date and was deliberately gossiping about him to ruin his chance!

"Who is it? Who the hell is so despicable?!" The first person he thought of was Xu Damao! That bastard had always been at odds with him and couldn't stand to see him doing well! Just now, he seemed to have caught a glimpse of that bastard loitering in the front yard, grinning wickedly! It must be him!

But then he thought, although Xu Damao was bad, how did he know when the girl went to the toilet? And how did he just happen to run into her? Was it premeditated? Or... other people in the courtyard? Jia Zhangshi? Yan Laoxi? Or... His mind was in turmoil, and all sorts of guesses and suspicions gnawed at his heart like venomous snakes.

No! We can't let this go! He has to find out! He has to find Matchmaker Liu! The girl was brought by Matchmaker Liu, she must know something! Even if she doesn't, he has to find out!

Thinking of this, Sha Zhu could no longer sit still. He ripped off the oil-stained Zhongshan suit he had specially worn for the blind date, threw on an old cotton-padded jacket, opened the door, and rushed out.

Some neighbors who hadn't yet left the courtyard were startled when they saw him rush out with a murderous look on his face, and they all quickly moved away. Sha Zhu didn't even look at them, pushed his old bicycle, and dashed out of the courtyard like a gust of wind.

He's going to find Matchmaker Liu and get to the bottom of this!

Matchmaker Liu's house wasn't far, and Sha Zhu pedaled furiously, arriving in less than twenty minutes. He didn't care about manners anymore; he leaned his bicycle against the wall and started banging on the door.

"Who is it? Coming, coming! Calling me to my doom!" Liu the matchmaker's impatient voice came. She opened the door and saw Sha Zhu. She was stunned for a moment, then her face fell. "Master He? What brings you here?" Her tone was clearly displeased. The marriage had fallen through, and she, the matchmaker, had lost face. She had worked for nothing (although she had received five yuan, it was still not good to have failed).

Sha Zhu, panting heavily with bloodshot eyes, blurted out, "Aunt Liu! Tell me, what exactly happened? Why did Han Chunmei suddenly leave without saying a word? Is someone talking badly about me behind my back? Is it that bastard Xu Damao?"

The matchmaker, Liu, was startled by his outburst. She quickly ushered him into the courtyard, closed the door, and said irritably, "Master He, what are you yelling about? I'm the one who should be asking you this! The girl was perfectly fine before, so why did she change her expression after going to the toilet? Did you say or do something you shouldn't have, and frighten her?"

"Me?" Sha Zhu pointed to his nose, almost jumping up in grievance. "What could I say? What could I do? I was busy cooking in the kitchen the whole time! I just went out to say hello, and then went back in to cook! I didn't even say a few words to her!"

Matchmaker Liu frowned, sizing up Sha Zhu. His flushed face didn't seem feigned. Besides, while Sha Zhu was a simpleton, he was unlikely to lie, especially about something like this.

"That's strange..." Liu the matchmaker muttered. "That girl Chunmei dragged me away, crying so hard, saying you have a bad temper, like to hit people, drink and act crazy, and are stingy even to your own sister... saying that marrying you is like jumping into a fire pit!"

Upon hearing this, Sha Zhu's mind went blank, almost exploding. Someone had indeed spread rumors! And the content of those rumors was so vicious! They portrayed him as a violent, alcoholic, and cold-blooded scumbag!

"Bullshit!" Sha Zhu roared, slamming his fist on the doorframe, sending dust flying. "Who said that? Who said that?! Aunt Liu, tell me, who told that girl?! Was it some guy with a horse-like face and a cunning look?!"

The matchmaker, Liu, was quite frightened by him and quickly waved her hands, "Oh dear, Master He! Be gentle! My door frame can't withstand your smashing! How would I know who said that? Chunmei was crying her eyes out, saying that when she was using the toilet in your yard, a kind neighbor reminded her. She didn't describe in detail what he looked like, only that it was a man, not short, with a rather long face..."

Long face! Male! Kind neighbor! The image of Xu Damao's long face immediately popped into Sha Zhu's mind! It must be him! No doubt about it!

"It's Xu Damao! It's definitely that bastard Xu Damao!" Sha Zhu gritted his teeth, his eyes blazing with fury. "Aunt Liu, you have to help me! Go find that girl and make things clear! I, He Yuzhu, am not that kind of person! I admit I have a short temper, but I never hit anyone for no reason! I've never hit a woman! I do drink, but I never cause trouble when I'm drunk! Yushui is my own sister. Even if I were a scoundrel, would I let her go hungry? She's just tired from studying and hasn't been getting enough nutrition! I spend most of my monthly salary on my family!"

He became increasingly agitated as he spoke, his voice choked with emotion. He had treated his sister with his whole heart; how could he be labeled "stingy" and "neglectful"? This rumor was utterly despicable!

Seeing Sha Zhu's state, Matchmaker Liu felt a little relieved. As a matchmaker, she had a sharp eye and a good eye for people. Sha Zhu was indeed a bit of a muddle-headed fellow, but she didn't quite believe he was bad to his own sister, an alcoholic, or a wife-beater. It was more likely that someone was behind it all.

"Sigh!" Liu, the matchmaker, sighed. "Master He, don't worry. This whole thing has gotten so messy... I originally thought you two were a good match. Here's what I'll do: I'll make another trip to Chunmei's house and ask around, to see who it was and what they said to her. But..."

She changed the subject, looking at Sha Zhu, "Even if you find out the truth, it's probably going to be difficult. Young women are easily embarrassed; once they're frightened, they'll have a grudge that's hard to shake off. Besides, if word gets out, it won't look good on your reputation."

At this moment, Sha Zhu no longer cared about whether the marriage would go through or not; he only had one thought in his mind: find the person who spread the rumors, tear their mouth apart, and break their legs!

"Aunt Liu, just help me find out if it was that grandson of Xu Damao who did it! I won't blame you for anything else! I don't want the five yuan! Consider it a tip for your trouble!" Sha Zhu said with red eyes.

Having said that, Matchmaker Liu could only nod: "Alright, I'll go ask again. You should go back first, don't act rashly, wait for my news."

Having received confirmation, Sha Zhu barely managed to suppress his anger. Pushing his bicycle, he walked back dejectedly. All the way, the rumors Liu the matchmaker had relayed echoed in his mind, fueling his growing rage and hatred. "Xu Damao! I curse your ancestors for eight generations! You ruined my marriage, you destroyed my chance at love! I'll never forgive you!"

Back at the courtyard house, it was already dusk. The courtyard was quiet, but Sha Zhu could feel countless gazes piercing through the windows and cracks in the doors of every house, filled with prying, curiosity, and mockery. His face darkened, he silently parked his bicycle, went inside, slammed the door shut, and sat in the darkness without even turning on the lights, like an angry statue, waiting for news from Matchmaker Liu, and also waiting… for Xu Damao to return.

Time ticked by, each second an agony for Sha Zhu. Anger burned like poisonous fire within him, while humiliation overwhelmed him like a cold tide. He could almost hear the hushed laughter of his neighbors in the courtyard and see the smug grin on Xu Damao's hateful, horse-like face.