Sha Zhu's Rebirth in the Courtyard: Starting with Hitting Someone in the Head

Chapter 36 The Deaf Old Man Seeks Connections

The next morning, the old deaf man emerged from the back room. He wore a gray cloth jacket, his hair was neatly combed and tied into a bun at the back of his head, secured with a silver hairpin. His jujube wood cane thumped on the ground.

She left the courtyard and walked towards the east end of the alley.

After walking through two alleys, I turned into a narrow lane. At the end of the lane was a small courtyard with intact walls, but the houses inside had all collapsed. The gate was a heavy wooden door, its paint peeling off in patches.

There was a brass lock on the door. The old deaf man looked around, took out the key from his pocket, unlocked the door, and went inside.

The courtyard was a scene of ruins. Half of the main house remained, with broken tiles scattered all over the ground and rafters sticking out from the roof, rotten and blackened.

Grass sprouted from the cracks in the wall; it was April, and the grass was just beginning to sprout, a tender, vibrant green. The old deaf man walked over the broken bricks to the corner of the main room, squatted down, and used his cane to pry open a blue brick. Behind the brick was a dark, gaping hole.

She reached inside and pulled out a cloth bag. Opening it, she found many gold bars inside, gleaming in the sunlight. She took two small gold bars, wrapped them in a handkerchief, tucked them into her bosom, put the bag back, and covered it with the blue brick.

The old deaf man slowly got up, dusted off his coat, and walked out of the yard. The brass lock clicked shut.

At the alley entrance, she waved for a tricycle. "District Government."

The driver glanced at her; the old lady was dressed neatly and spoke with a strong voice. He nodded, helped her sit down, and then pedaled away.

The district government building is a three-story building with a large white sign with black lettering hanging at the entrance.

The elderly deaf man got off the tricycle, paid the fare, and walked inside, leaning on his cane. The old man at the gatehouse poked his head out: "Grandma, who are you looking for?"

"Deputy District Head Zhou."

The old man glanced at her, picked up the phone, shook it, and said a few words. He put the phone down, a smile spreading across his face. "Deputy District Chief Zhou is on the second floor, the first room on the left. I'll lead you up."

"No need," the deaf old man said, leaning on his cane as he went upstairs.

The first room on the left on the second floor. The door was open, and Deputy District Chief Zhou was sitting behind his desk. He was in his early fifties, with a round face, glasses, and neatly combed hair.

Seeing the old deaf woman enter, he stood up, a smile plastered on his face. "Grandma, what brings you here? Please, have a seat."

The old deaf man sat down on the sofa, his jujube wood cane resting beside his legs.

Deputy District Head Zhou poured her a cup of tea in a white porcelain cup, the tea leaves slowly unfurling in the hot water. He sat down opposite her. "Grandma, how are you feeling?"

"Still in good health."

Deputy District Head Zhou nodded, waiting for her to continue.

The deaf old man picked up his teacup, took a sip, and put it down. "Old Zhou, I've come today because I have something to discuss."

"Please speak."

"There's a young man in our compound named He Yuzhu. He's seventeen or eighteen years old. He learned his trade at Fengzeyuan and now he sells boxed lunches." She paused, "He sells hundreds of boxed lunches a day, each one costing three cents."

Deputy District Head Zhou tapped his fingers on his knee.

"He bought the ruins of the courtyard. He built twelve rooms, with blue bricks and gray tiles, running water, and electric lights. It cost several thousand yuan." The old deaf man tapped his cane on the ground. "Old Zhou, can you really earn that much selling boxed lunches for half a year?"

Deputy District Head Zhou remained silent.

The deaf old woman leaned forward. "He relied on his good cooking skills and the many people he knew. He beat up old people and neighbors in the courtyard, and he beat Yi Zhonghai so badly that his face was crooked. He lost all his teeth." She lowered her voice. "Zhonghai, in revenge, reported him. As a result, he was framed and served a year in jail. He was just released."

Deputy District Chief Zhou narrowed his eyes behind his glasses. "Madam, do you have any evidence for what you're saying?"

The old deaf man gripped his cane. "Go check it out. His side courtyard is right there, he can't escape. Also, Wang Xia, the clerk, was brought down by him."

Deputy District Chief Zhou's eyebrows twitched.

The old deaf man took a handkerchief from his pocket, placed it on the coffee table, and made a slight sound.

Deputy District Chief Zhou glanced at it but didn't move.

"Grandma, please take your things back." He picked up his teacup and took a sip. "I'll keep an eye on this. He Yuzhu, across the courtyard, I've got it."

He put down his teacup. "Wang Xia's matter, she was also wronged. She really didn't handle it well at the time, so I could only keep her as a regular clerk and let her stay there to await punishment and make amends. She's done a good job in the past six months."

The deaf old man pushed the silk bundle forward. "Old Zhou, this is a token of my appreciation."

Deputy District Chief Zhou waved his hand. "Grandma, you don't need this with me. I remember you helping me back then."

The old deaf man took back the silk bundle and put it in his pocket.

"There's one more thing," the old deaf man tapped his cane on the ground. "Zhonghai's out. He's unemployed. He's a good fitter; do you think you could arrange a job for him in the district?"

Deputy District Chief Zhou thought for a moment, then tapped his fingers twice on the table. "Alright. There's a self-help mechanical repair team in the district that's short-handed. Have him come next month as a repairman. The salary will be enough for his family to live on; let him start there."

The old deaf man nodded and stood up.

Deputy District Chief Zhou also stood up and helped her up.

The deaf old man, leaning on his cane, walked to the door and glanced back at him. "Old Zhou, about He Yuzhu..."

"I remember."

The old deaf woman went downstairs. Her cane tapped on the terrazzo stairs, one step at a time, unhurriedly. Coming out of the district government building, she stood on the steps. The wind was strong, blowing into the stairwell and making her hair spread out, a strand of white hair clinging to her face.

She gathered her hair and fastened it again. She knew Deputy District Chief Zhou wouldn't act immediately. But the seeds of trouble had been sown. He Yuzhu, the cross-district incident, Wang Xia's disciplinary actions—Deputy District Chief Zhou remembered these things. He could use them as a weapon whenever the time was right.

She stood there for a while, then waved for two tricycles.

Back at the courtyard house, it was still early for lunch. There weren't many people in the courtyard. Yang Ruihua was inside soothing the child, while Jia Zhangshi was sewing shoe soles at the door of the west wing, her head nodding off.

The old deaf man carried a lot of food, walked through the middle courtyard, and headed towards the back courtyard.

The door to the back room was ajar. She pushed it open, went in, closed it tightly, and bolted it. She sat down on the edge of the kang (a heated brick bed), reached into her bosom, and pulled out the silk pouch. Inside were several banknotes; she exchanged them for two small yellow croakers.

She got up, walked to the end of the kang (a heated brick bed), squatted down, pried open a floor tile, revealing a small pit underneath. She put the money in, covered it with the tile, and tamped it down.

He stood up, sat on the edge of the kang (a heated brick bed), and touched the jujube wood walking stick in his hand.

There was movement in the courtyard; the footsteps passed by the back gate and faded into the distance. The old deaf man sat still, his eyes fixed on the window. The window paper reflected the bright sunlight outside; it was a bright April day.

The old deaf man propped himself up on his cane and stood up. He walked to the window and looked out. The backyard was empty; Liu Haizhong had gone to work, and Xu Damao had gone to school. The locust tree outside the yard wall had sprouted new buds, tender green, swaying in the wind.

She stood for a while, then turned and went back to the bedside, lying down. Her jujube wood cane leaned against the edge of the kang (heated brick bed), within easy reach.

The old deaf man closed his eyes for a moment. The thorns were planted. He just had to wait.