Rebirth in a Courtyard: I Am a Little Hunter

"Alright! Then I'll leave it to Master Liu!" Wei Chen was relieved to see that the other party understood his intentions perfectly. Leaving professional matters to professionals is the first step, and smooth communication is key.

Liu Changming was also an impatient person. He immediately took out a measuring tape and a small notebook from his tool bag, walked to the moon gate, and began to carefully measure the width, height, wall thickness, and the position where the door hinges needed to be installed. He quickly recorded the measurements in the notebook and occasionally drew a simple sketch.

After taking the measurements and confirming a few details with Wei Chen, he hurriedly took his leave: "Comrade Wei, Lao Wu, I'll go back and prepare the materials first. Leave the gate to me. It will be installed by the day after tomorrow at the latest! Don't worry about the price. With Lao Wu and the street office involved, the price will be absolutely fair."

After seeing Liu Changming off, Wei Chen looked at the bustling scene at the construction site, and his anticipation for his future home grew stronger. Just then, the sound of a bicycle bell and a familiar cough came from the front yard.

A little while later, Uncle Yan Bugui returned from school. Hearing Wei Chen's voice from inside the moon gate, he slowly strolled in from the front yard.

He had just returned from get off work, his signature glasses perched on his nose, his back slightly hunched. Reaching the moon gate, he stopped, adjusted his glasses, and craned his neck, peering inside with a look of "curiosity." Seeing the newly renovated construction site and the towering blue brick walls, a fleeting, barely concealed envy and calculation crossed his eyes.

"Hey, Wei Chen's back!" Seeing Wei Chen in the yard, the Third Uncle immediately put on a warm smile, pushed his cart in, and his eyes swept over the pile of old bricks and wood like a searchlight.

"Uncle, are you off work?" Wei Chen asked with a faint smile, taking out a freshly opened pack of "Daqianmen" cigarettes from his pocket and handing one over.

"Oh! Good cigarette! Thank you, thank you!" The old man's eyes lit up. He quickly took the cigarette, deftly took out a match from his pocket, lit it, and took a satisfying drag, as if he were savoring some fine wine.

He exhaled a smoke ring, looked at the construction site, and clicked his tongue in admiration: "Wei Chen, you've worked really fast! It's only been a few days, and it's completely transformed! Look at these bricks, these materials—they're all top-quality!"

He changed the subject, his tone slightly probing, "There's quite a bit of all that's been taken down... um, those bricks, tiles, wooden stakes and stuff, piled up here, isn't there? Your new houses all use new materials, so these old things... aren't they pretty much useless?"

Wei Chen understood immediately; the Third Uncle had smelled the "steal." His smile remained unchanged, and his tone was calm: "Yes, Master Wu and the others tidied it up a bit, saying some parts could still be reused, like building a back wall or a courtyard wall, saving every penny."

"Yes, yes, yes! Master Wu is a very honest man!" The third uncle quickly echoed, leaning slightly towards Wei Chen, lowering his voice, and putting on a deeper smile with a hint of flattery.

"Well... Wei Chen, I need to talk to you about something. You see, our chicken coop is made of old mud from before Liberation, it's so dilapidated, it leaks every time it rains. I was thinking... could you... um, could you spare some of these old bricks, rotten wood or something that we don't need? Not much, just enough for me to build a sturdier chicken coop! What do you think... is that alright?" He looked at Wei Chen expectantly, his eyes behind his glasses gleaming with shrewdness, as if he was already calculating how many cents he could save on buying bricks.

Wei Chen found it somewhat amusing; this old man's scheming was truly all-encompassing, even eyeing the scraps and waste materials on the construction site.

He still wore that faint smile, his tone relaxed yet clearly defined: "Third Uncle, telling me about this won't do any good." He pointed to Master Wu, who was directing the workers building a wall not far away. "This entire project is contracted out to Master Wu, including both labor and materials. From purchasing new materials to disposing of old ones, he's in charge. According to the rules, all this salvaged material is considered 'extra income' and 'bonus' for Master Wu's team. If you really need it, why don't you go directly to Master Wu and discuss it? See if he can spare some for you?"

"Ah? Oh... yes... it was given to Master Wu..." The smile on the third uncle's face froze for a moment, then he looked a little embarrassed. His excitement just now deflated like a punctured balloon.

He subconsciously smacked his lips, took two deep drags on his cigarette, and his eyes flickered through the swirling smoke, clearly calculating rapidly in his mind: Go find Master Wu? That old guy is the type who won't act until he sees a benefit. Want to get his "extra money" for free or cheaply? He'd probably have to use his persuasion, and might even have to give him a favor or a small gift... Is that worth it?

He hesitated for a few seconds, but in the end, his own calculations prevailed—it didn't seem worth it to argue with the foreman over some old bricks and rotten wood, and it would make him seem petty.

So he chuckled dryly twice, waved his hand, and said, "Hey! Well... never mind then! I was just saying it offhand! You guys go ahead, you go ahead! I'm going home to check on the cooking!"

After saying that, as if afraid that Wei Chen would change his mind or that Master Wu would really talk to him about "business", he turned around and quickly slipped out of the moon gate. His back view showed a bit of haste and sullenness at "the plan falling through".

As Wei Chen watched the third uncle's somewhat disheveled figure disappear through the doorway, a clear hint of amusement finally crept onto the faint smile on his lips. Yan Bugui, the "calculator" of the courtyard, had, for the first time, vividly displayed his well-deserved reputation for "scheming" in front of him. This little test was merely an appetizer in the mundane life of this courtyard.

The setting sun cast a warm golden-orange hue on the blue bricks of the construction site, while the sounds of sawing and hammering continued to rise and fall. Wei Chen turned around, his gaze returning to his home, which was rising from the ground, his heart filled with clarity.

Others may scheme, but the foundation lies with me.

The closing bell at the steel rolling mill, like a twilight horn, with its metallic tremor, tore through the gradually quieting dusk of Beijing.

For the residents of No. 95 Nanluoguxiang, this sound is the rallying cry for returning home. The front and middle courtyards seem to be infused with a vibrant energy, with hurried or slow footsteps, familiar greetings between neighbors, the clanging of pots and pans, and the laughter of children chasing and playing... all kinds of sounds intertwine and mix, creating a rich and authentic atmosphere of everyday life.

Wei Chen stood in the shadow of the moon gate in the east courtyard, like a calm observer, watching the vivid picture scroll called "Twilight in the Courtyard" unfold and bustle before his eyes.

"Comrade Wei Chen, you're off work quite early?" A deliberately slowed voice, carrying a hint of composure and elder-like concern, sounded from his side.

Wei Chen turned his head and saw Yi Zhonghai and He Yuzhu walking into the central courtyard side by side. Yi Zhonghai was wearing his signature dark blue overalls, faded but neatly starched, with a gentle smile on his face, but his eyes were like searchlights, scanning Wei Chen's face and the nascent construction site behind him with an imperceptible scrutiny.

He Yuzhu was wearing a white cafeteria uniform stained with oil, with the sleeves rolled up to his elbows, revealing his muscular forearms. He had a carefree and easygoing look on his face, and his hands were empty, not carrying the aluminum lunchbox that would later become his trademark.

"Uncle, Master He." Wei Chen greeted him with a polite smile and a nod. It seemed the timeline was still quite early; Jia Dongxu, the pillar of the family, was still around, the Jia family hadn't yet fallen into the abyss, and Yi Zhonghai's elaborate scheme of using "neighborly mutual assistance" to morally blackmail Sha Zhu into supporting the Jia family hadn't yet begun. At this moment, Sha Zhu was still a carefree bachelor, single and worry-free—that is, assuming he had forgotten about his sister, He Yushui.

"Wow! Wei Chen, you've built this house pretty quickly!" Sha Zhu's attention was immediately drawn to the blue brick wall that had sprung up behind the moon gate. He strode forward, patted the still damp brick surface with his palm, making a dull sound. "Listen to that sound, it's really solid! It's only been a few days? It's almost as good as someone else's ten days of work! Tsk, money really makes things easier!" His tone was one of straightforward envy, without any hint of sour malice.

Just as Yi Zhonghai was about to follow up with his comments on the project's "safety" and "neighborhood harmony" as an old man, a loud, extremely enthusiastic, and even somewhat shrill voice suddenly erupted from the front gate, instantly drowning out the noise inside the yard.

"Oh my! Director Wang! Staff Member Liu! What brings you two leaders here today? It's such an honor to have you here! Please come in, please come in! It's windy outside!" Accompanied by this exaggerated flattery, a slightly chubby figure "rushed" to Director Wang and Staff Member Liu, who had just stepped into the courtyard, at almost a jog speed.

The man who arrived was none other than Liu Haizhong, the second uncle from the backyard, whose ambition for officialdom ran deep. He had a slightly protruding belly, tried to straighten his back, and his smile was so thick it almost squeezed his eyes shut. He rubbed his chubby hands together awkwardly along the seams of his trousers, as if the person standing in front of him was not the director of the neighborhood committee, but his superior who determined his career.

Director Wang was clearly used to Liu Haizhong's "grand reception," and even showed a hint of barely perceptible helplessness.

She was wearing a faded but clean and neat gray Lenin suit, her hair was neatly combed, and her face had its usual serious expression. She only nodded politely to Liu Haizhong, and her gaze, like a searchlight, accurately bypassed him and landed directly on Wei Chen, who was standing by the moon gate in the central courtyard.