Rebirth in a Courtyard: I Am a Little Hunter

Xu Damao dared not confront him any longer. He simply put on a mournful face and admitted that he had indeed mentioned "some old news" about He Yuzhu's family when he was chatting with someone. However, he firmly denied that he had "spread rumors" and claimed that he had just "let it slip." He then shifted the blame to the fact that "people in the factory had been talking about it for a long time" in an attempt to lessen his fault.

The two have conflicting accounts, but the basic facts are clear: Xu Damao, out of some personal grudge (Liu Changqing knew perfectly well that it was probably the accumulation of small conflicts), spread negative rumors about He Yuzhu's family privacy in the factory, which damaged He Yuzhu's reputation and indirectly led to He Yuzhu's embarrassment at the social gathering and her subsequent emotional breakdown.

After learning the truth, He Yuzhu failed to report the problem through proper channels. Instead, he resorted to the most extreme and violent method—wielding a weapon and attempting to commit murder. He openly chased and beat others in the factory area, causing great chaos and a negative impact.

After listening to both sides' statements, Liu Changqing and the team member in charge of recording exchanged opinions in hushed tones. Liu Changqing's expression remained very serious.

"The matter is clear." Liu Changqing put down his pen, looked at the dejected Xu Damao and the still stubborn and defiant Sha Zhu, and said in a deep voice, "Xu Damao, as a factory worker, you neglected unity, gossiped about your comrades' family affairs behind their backs, spread false or unverified rumors that would clearly harm your comrades, stirred up trouble, and created conflict. Your mistakes are serious! He Yuzhu!"

He turned to Sha Zhu, his tone even harsher: "You're even more lawless! What problems could you possibly have that you can't go to the workshop leaders? Can't you go to the union? Can't you go to our security department? Who gave you the right to come to the factory with an iron bar and beat or kill people? Do you know what kind of situation this is?"

This is a serious violation of discipline! It disrupts production! It shows contempt for factory rules and regulations! Luckily, no one died today. But what if you had really hit him with that stick, injuring him, crippling him, or even killing him? You would have been shot, you understand?!

Sha Zhu's eyelids twitched from Liu Changqing's final words, "Take a bullet," but he still stubbornly insisted, "He deserves it! He deserves it!"

"Whether he deserved to be hit or not isn't up to you to decide! It's up to factory rules and national law!" Liu Changqing slammed his hand on the table, making the enamel teacup jump. "Do you have any respect for the organization? Any respect for discipline? Based on what you did today, the factory wouldn't be wrong to fire you!"

Sha Zhu's expression finally changed. Fired? This was no joke! Without a job, what would he eat? What would he do in the rain? But he still felt a lump in his throat, a stifling feeling, and he just pursed his lips, no longer uttering a sound, but the stubbornness and hatred in his eyes did not dissipate.

Looking at the two men, Liu Changqing knew that saying anything more now would be useless; they were both angry, especially Sha Zhu, whose impulsiveness hadn't subsided. He waved his hand and said to his team members, "Separate them and put them in the back detention room. Let them calm down and reflect on their mistakes! The specific handling will be decided by the department and reported to the factory leadership."

"Captain Liu! Captain Liu! I know I was wrong! I really know I was wrong! I just had a sharp tongue, I didn't mean to hurt him! Please be merciful and don't fire me!" Xu Damao panicked when he heard that he was to be put in a detention room and wait for the factory to handle the matter. He hurriedly begged for mercy, his voice trembling with tears.

Sha Zhu snorted coldly and turned his head away. Although he was starting to feel uneasy, he still refused to back down.

The two were taken to two adjacent "detention cells" in a row of bungalows at the back. These "detention cells" were actually small single rooms partitioned off from an unused warehouse, with no windows, only a heavy iron door with a small observation window.

The room was empty, with only a few tattered straw mats on the cement floor in the corner, emanating a musty and dusty smell. A dim light bulb hung from the high ceiling, emitting a faint glow. In April, the weather was fine during the day, but at night, this windowless room, directly against the outside wall, became exceptionally cold and damp.

The iron gate slammed shut behind them with a loud clang, the sound of the lock clicking shut clear and jarring. Sha Zhu was shoved into one of the rooms, while Xu Damao was pushed into the next. The world was instantly shut out, leaving only boundless silence, coldness, and a growing sense of panic.

……

There are no secrets in the steel rolling mill. The news that Sha Zhu and Xu Damao had been taken away and detained by the security department spread like wildfire throughout the factory area, and even faster, it reached the courtyard where they lived together.

Yi Zhonghai, Liu Haizhong, and others who were still working at the factory at the time heard about it almost immediately.

Yi Zhonghai's feelings were far more complex and heavy. He was in the workshop instructing a young fitter when he heard the news. His workers rushed over to tell him, "Uncle, something terrible has happened! Your colleague Sha Zhu and Xu Damao got into a fight in the factory. Sha Zhu chased Xu Damao with an iron rod and was arrested by the security department!" Yi Zhonghai almost dropped the file in his hand, and his face instantly turned extremely pale.

Sha Zhu was one of the people he had his eye on, the ones he was preparing to take care of in his old age. Although the boy was hot-tempered and straightforward, he wasn't a bad person at heart. He valued relationships, knew how to repay kindness, and was also a chef, so having someone to take care of him in his old age would be quite nice!

Therefore, Yi Zhonghai took good care of Sha Zhu, considering him a potential backup for retirement. He had recently been thinking about how to further win over and educate Sha Zhu, making him more obedient and sensible, but unexpectedly, this incident occurred!

Armed attack? And in broad daylight? This is too serious! If the factory takes it seriously and gives him a severe punishment like dismissal, probation, or a major demerit, Sha Zhu's future will be ruined! Wouldn't all his efforts these past few days have been for nothing? No way! We absolutely can't just stand by and watch Sha Zhu get severely punished!

Yi Zhonghai was extremely anxious. He couldn't care less about his work. He said goodbye to the workshop director and hurriedly left. He had to find a way to smooth things over and minimize the impact of the situation.

First, he thought of Liu Haizhong, who was also an elder in the compound and held some influence in the factory. Liu Haizhong was a level six forger, which was considered quite high among the workers, and his words carried weight. Combined with his own level seven position, his words carried even more weight. Moreover, Liu Haizhong was also an elder in the compound, so it would be reasonable for both of them to step forward together to show that such a big incident had occurred in the compound.

When Yi Zhonghai found Liu Haizhong, Liu Haizhong was holding an enamel mug, boasting to several apprentices in the open space outside the forging workshop about his glorious deeds of solving technical problems with a single blow. Upon hearing Yi Zhonghai explain his purpose, Liu Haizhong's chubby face first showed surprise, then his brows furrowed, and he shook his head vigorously.

"Old Yi, I'm not trying to be mean, but this... we can't get involved!" Liu Haizhong lowered his voice, pulled Yi Zhonghai aside, and looked troubled. "That kid Sha Zhu was chasing people around the factory with an iron rod! How serious is that? The security department has already arrested him! If we get involved now, aren't we just asking for trouble? We might even get ourselves into trouble! If you ask me, let them fight and make a scene, let the factory handle it as it sees fit, we'll just pretend we don't know anything!"

Yi Zhonghai had long anticipated Liu Haizhong's attitude. Liu Haizhong was ambitious for power, loved to put on airs, but was also terrified of causing trouble, especially offending a powerful department like the security department. He composed himself, adopting his usual calm and morally charged demeanor, and began to speak:

"Old Liu, you can't say that. We're the elders of this compound. If something happens to one of the kids and we just hide and do nothing, what kind of elders are we? What will the neighbors think? Besides,"

He changed the subject and flattered Liu Haizhong, saying, "You are the highest-ranking master craftsman in our institute, a level six forging worker! You are a backbone of the factory! Let's go together, on behalf of the institute and our veteran workers, to report the situation to the security department and explain that Sha Zhu is not a bad person at heart, he just acted impulsively, and see if we can get a lighter punishment."

This is also to protect the reputation of our institution, and to prevent young people from making a mistake that will haunt them forever! As elders, we shouldn't hesitate to lend a helping hand when necessary. Don't you agree?

These words combined the righteousness of "the elder's responsibility" with the flattery of "the old master's face," and elevated the issue to the level of "saving wayward youth," which perfectly hit Liu Haizhong's psychology of wanting to show off his status, liking to hear flattery, and having some "leadership responsibility."

Liu Haizhong hesitated, his hand rubbing the enamel mug against its side. Yi Zhonghai pressed his advantage: "Old Liu, we're just going to find out what's going on, put in a good word, whether it works out or not is another matter. But if we don't go, it'll really be inappropriate. If the people in the courtyard start gossiping, saying Second Uncle avoids trouble, that won't sound good."

This last sentence hit the nail on the head regarding Liu Haizhong's weaknesses. He was extremely concerned about his image and terrified of being criticized for being incompetent or irresponsible. He hesitated for a moment, then finally nodded, his chubby face displaying an expression of "reluctance" and "considering the bigger picture": "Alright! Old Yi, since you've put it that way, then... then I'll go with you! But let's make this clear beforehand: we're going to find out the situation, say some nice things, and if the security department doesn't give us face, we can't force them!"

"Of course, of course." Yi Zhonghai quickly agreed, but in his heart he thought that as long as he went, with his and Liu Haizhong's status, they could at least be of some use.

The two of them, disregarding their get off work hours, headed straight for the gray security building. On the way, Yi Zhonghai had already mentally prepared his statement for when he met the security personnel. The core message was simple: Sha Zhu was an honest kid who acted impulsively; the main responsibility lay with Xu Damao for spreading rumors and causing trouble, and he hoped Sha Zhu would be treated leniently.