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

Chapter 49 The Pig Screams at Midnight

After the liaison officer election fell through, He Yuzhu began stockpiling food. He knew that food coupons would be fully implemented next year, and oil coupons had already been issued this July.

He mounted his three-wheeled motorcycle, the cargo bed loaded with cloth, sugar, salt, five new hoes, and a dozen sickles, and headed out of town. This was just for show; there was much more inside.

He went to the countryside several times and visited several villages.

When they arrived in the village, they didn't bother to advertise. Instead, they went to the village chief, handed him two packs of Daqianmen cigarettes, and showed him their purchasing certificate from the supply and marketing cooperative, saying they wanted to exchange the goods for grain.

The farmers had surplus grain, but lacked cloth, sugar, salt, and farm tools. He traded these for higher prices than the supply and marketing cooperatives, and the trade was incredibly fast. After harvesting from one village, he rushed to the next. The grain was stored in a vast space, a sphere with a diameter of 100 meters, which translates to over 500,000 cubic meters.

He also went to the black market several times in the middle of the night.

He traded his prey for liquor, rice wine, various cooking oils, and flour.

A man pulled him aside and dragged a wooden box from the corner of the wall, inside which were several bottles of wine with foreign labels.

He Yuzhu glanced at it; it was a French product. He traded it for a wild boar and two rabbits.

We've replaced a lot of wheat flour; those 50-jin bags of enriched flour are piled up like small mountains in the space. The cooking oil comes in iron drums, each weighing 50 jin, and we've gone through several drums.

I traded a batch of Western medicine with a peddler who ran a small business, just in case.

One night, he ran into a fool. The black market boss, surnamed Ma, nicknamed Ma Sandao, brought seven or eight men, all armed with knives and clubs, who surrounded him in the warehouse.

Make him hand over the supplies and money he has acquired during this period, and notify his family to send money over.

He Yuzhu smiled at him, and a Xingyi spear appeared in his hand. Before Ma Sandao could even see where the spear came from, the tip had already pierced his throat, and blood splattered all over the wall.

The remaining seven or eight people were stunned. He Yuzhu jerked his spear, the tip sweeping out horizontally, causing several men to cough up blood.

He raised his gun and brought it down, finishing them off one by one until they were all dead on the ground. Blood dripped from the tip of the gun, turning a dark reddish-brown under the kerosene lamplight.

He Yuzhu stored all the goods in the warehouse into his spatial storage; there were several cartloads of flour, sugar, pork, and lard. He then used his spatial perception to find a considerable amount of money. He dragged the corpses together, poured oil on them, lit matches to mark their names, and threw them onto an oilcloth. Flames leaped up, licked the roof beams, and crackled and burned.

He fled quickly, glancing back once. Thick black smoke billowed from the building. Back home, he sat down in the main room, his hands still trembling. His adrenaline hadn't subsided. He smoked a cigarette to calm himself, telling himself he should do this kind of thing less often.

Killing people in the black market is satisfying, but if you do it too often, you'll eventually leave a trace.

He Yuzhu then calmed down, but someone just had to court death.

In mid-December, rumors began circulating about him in Nanluoguxiang. People said he was ruthless and cruel, that he was domineering in the courtyard, and that he used his culinary skills to curry favor with the leaders.

The words came from the mouths of the old women sunbathing in those alleys. He Yuzhu didn't say a word, but he knew without a doubt that it was those beasts in the courtyard who did it.

At nine o'clock at night, everyone in the courtyard was asleep. He Yuzhu jumped out from the side courtyard and walked around the courtyard wall. His spatial perception spread out, and he could hear the voices of every household within thirty meters clearly.

Yan Bugui was still awake and said to Yang Ruihua, "These past few days, everyone in the alley has been talking about Sha Zhu. I don't know who started it. Even people around our shop are talking about it."

Yi Zhonghai, the judge in the middle courtyard, was asleep. The Jia family was also whispering among themselves, and Jia Zhangshi was saying that it must have been spread by someone in the courtyard.

He continued walking towards the backyard.

While advising Liu Hai, Wang Caifeng said, "Old Liu, you had people spread rumors about Sha Zhu, but not about the Jia family? As for the liaison officer, it was Jia Zhangshi who first mentioned you. Tomorrow I'll go outside and spread some rumors about Jia Zhangshi being a jinx to her husband and children."

Liu Haizhong stubbed out his cigarette and snorted. "Wife, you're right. I forgot about Jia Zhangshi. Go to the market tomorrow and tell her. She dared to block my way and prevent me from being her liaison. That idiot Zhu won't have an easy time either. I'll have my apprentice spread the word a few more times, all the way to the supply and marketing cooperative, so his reputation will be completely ruined."

He Yuzhu listened to every word spoken inside the house from outside the courtyard wall. He withdrew his senses and stood in the darkness outside the wall.

The voice from Liu Haizhong was still ringing in my ears: "If you block my way, you won't get away with this."

Since you love gossiping so much, I'll cut off your tongue for you, so you can chew it properly yourself.

Liu Haizhong was lying on the kang (a heated brick bed), talking. Suddenly, a small, carved knife appeared out of thin air in his mouth, the blade pressed against the back of his tongue, and he pulled it horizontally. A bloodcurdling scream exploded from the backyard, shaking the windows inside.

He Yuzhu had already run to the side courtyard. Taking advantage of the darkness, he darted to the side courtyard wall in a few steps, jumped over, and landed silently. Once inside, he quickly took off his coat, put on his cotton shoes, draped an old cotton-padded jacket over his shoulders, and ran out, stepping on the heels of his shoes.

Many people had already come out of the courtyard. Jia Zhangshi, wearing a cotton-padded coat, stood at the door of the west wing. "What's all that noise? It's so frightening!"

Jia Dongxu also ran out, still holding a rolling pin. Yan Bugui ran over from the front yard, his glasses askew on his face. Yi Zhonghai stood at the door of the east wing, his face tilted towards the backyard.

Old Li came out of the main room carrying an oil lamp, while Tian Xinghua leaned against the door frame.

He Yuzhu shuffled out from the courtyard in his slippers, his hair disheveled and looking like he hadn't slept well. "Where are you slaughtering pigs so late at night?"

Wang Caifeng rushed out of the backyard, her hair disheveled and her face covered in tears. "Old Liu! Old Liu's mouth is full of blood! His tongue is gone!" She sat down on the ground with a thud and wailed.

Everyone in the courtyard rushed into the backyard. Liu Haizhong was rolling around, clutching his mouth, blood trickling from the corner of his mouth, staining the pillow and bedding a large red. His eyes were wide open, and he was making gurgling noises in his throat. Then, he passed out.

People in the courtyard borrowed a handcart. Several people lifted Liu Haizhong onto it and hurriedly took him to the hospital.

The police arrived early the next morning. The officers searched the house inside and out for a long time; the doors and windows were intact, and there were no signs of forced entry. When questioned, Wang Caifeng claimed to know nothing. The officers frowned and made a few notes.

Everyone in the courtyard was questioned, and they all said they came out after hearing screams, but they didn't see anything. He Yuzhu also said he got up after hearing screams.

The police officer took a statement and left.

Three days later, people from the neighborhood committee came again.

Old Sun led Director Zhang into the courtyard.

Director Zhang has a square face and speaks calmly. He looked around the front yard.

Old Sun told Yan Bugui that the neighborhood committee had decided to arrange for a staff member to live in the courtyard house. He then asked if there were any vacant rooms in the rear building.

Yan Bugui pointed to the back building and said, "Officer Sun, there are still two empty rooms in the back building. But if you want people to live there, you'll have to spend money to repair them."

Director Zhang shook his head, led his men to the backyard, and knocked on the door.

The old deaf man opened the door and saw Old Sun and Director Zhang standing at the door, their jujube wood canes propped on the ground.

Director Zhang stood at the door and said kindly, "Aunt Jin, you've been a resident for a long time. Please support us in the future. The neighborhood committee official lives next door; you can contact him directly if you need anything. You can also earn some income this way."

The deaf old man, holding his cane, slowly nodded and said he would definitely support the work of the neighborhood committee.

Director Zhang turned to Old Sun and said, "This room is for Xiao Wang; he can't sleep peacefully in the main room. We'll give the old lady two yuan a month."

In the evening, Old Sun led a young man into the courtyard. His surname was Wang, he was about twenty-four or twenty-five years old, wearing a gray Zhongshan suit and carrying his bedding roll. He moved into the room next to the old deaf man.

He Yuzhu leaned against the doorway of the passageway, watching Old Sun bring his people in. A playful smile appeared on his lips.