Rebirth in a Courtyard: I Am a Little Hunter

Just then, Wei Chen seemed to remember something. He bent down very naturally and, with a slight thought, took out two plump wild rabbits from his game backpack from his inconspicuous old basket. The rabbits still smelled of fresh soil.

He quickly glanced outside the door, made sure no one was in the corridor, and swiftly stuffed the two rabbits under Zheng Laiyun's large desk, his movements so fast it was almost an illusion.

"Section Chief Zheng, this is just a small amount of local produce from the mountains. Please don't find it offensive." Wei Chen's voice was very low, full of "sincerity."

Zheng Laiyun felt a weight under his legs as he looked down and saw two glistening wild rabbits. His pupils contracted sharply! Wild game! This was real currency! Especially these days, it was more substantial than any cigarettes or alcohol! The awkwardness on his face was instantly replaced by a complex expression—surprise, joy, and a sense of relief at being touched.

He took a deep breath, as if making some kind of decision, and sat back down in his chair. His fingers tapped unconsciously on the table, and his eyes flickered as if he were searching for something in his memory.

After several seconds, as if unearthing a long-forgotten file, he hesitantly spoke, "Brother Wei Chen... since you're so honest, I can't just give you empty words. A house... there really isn't one available right now. But..." He paused, lowering his voice even further, "there is such a place... but... well, how should I put it, it's a bit special."

Wei Chen and Liu Yuan both looked at him.

"Do you know No. 95 Nanluoguxiang?" Zheng Laiyun asked.

Wei Chen's heart skipped a beat, but he shook his head blankly. He thought to himself, "Is this the inescapable Courtyard No. 95 of the Heavens?"

Liu Yuan frowned. "Nanluoguxiang? That area of ​​old courtyards? Number 95... I think I've heard of it. Is it next to Mao'er Hutong?"

"Yes, that's it." Zheng Laiyun nodded, a look of reminiscence and regret on his face. "It was a rather large courtyard house, divided into three sections: front, middle, and back, plus two side courtyards on the east and west sides."

Years ago, during the war, a bomb landed squarely in the east courtyard! It was a disaster! The entire east courtyard was almost completely razed to the ground. Only one west wing room, adjacent to the central courtyard wall, wasn't completely destroyed, but even that wall had a crack about the width of a hand, running from the roof all the way to the foundation—it was terrifying to look at! A strong wind could easily cause it to collapse!

He took a sip of tea and continued, "Later, the factory took over the property and, thinking of making use of the waste, simply plastered the walls of that dilapidated side room and assigned it to a new worker."

As a result, the worker stayed there for one night and heard creaking noises coming from the cracks in the wall. He was terrified and insisted on checking out, saying he would rather sleep in the warehouse than stay in this "haunted house".

The factory had no choice but to transfer him back to the dormitory, even though he wasn't going to live there while waiting in line. That room has been vacant ever since; nobody wants it anymore.

He looked at Wei Chen, his tone tentative, "Brother Wei Chen, that place... to be honest, it's really uninhabitable. It's dilapidated and dangerous! Forget about living there, even if it were given away for free, I doubt anyone would want it! But there's a policy now that allows public housing to be converted to private housing due to national hardship, or these dilapidated houses allow individuals to pay a certain fee to the collective and build houses there themselves. However, many people are unwilling to do so..."

Wei Chen's heart pounded wildly! Nanluoguxiang! The East Courtyard! This was practically a windfall! Cracks, dangers—none of these mattered to him! Coming from the future, he knew all too well the future value of this land! Let alone five hundred yuan, even five thousand or fifty thousand yuan wouldn't buy a toilet in this prime location decades later!

The neighbors are a bit eccentric, but Wei Chen isn't afraid. Not only does he have a game world and the divine cultivation technique of the Nine Heavens Sun-Shooting Art, but even an ordinary transmigrator wouldn't be stumped by them. He'll just treat it like watching a TV series in this age of limited entertainment.

He forcibly suppressed his inner elation, instead displaying a simple and resolute expression of "mountain people are not afraid of evil," and interrupted Zheng Laiyun: "Section Chief Zheng, how big is that place you mentioned?"

Zheng Laiyun was taken aback, not expecting that Wei Chen was concerned about the area. He recalled the file: "The entire east courtyard, the land deed back then said... length... um, about 24 meters wide and about 36 meters deep, which is more than 860 square meters! In the past, that was equivalent to the size of two courtyards. What a pity..." He shook his head, full of regret.

"Well... Section Chief Zheng," Wei Chen took a deep breath, looking intently at Zheng Laiyun, and asked a question that surprised even Liu Yuan, "Can the factory sell this house? I mean, sell it to me personally? I'll pay for it myself, demolish it, and rebuild it!"

"What?!" Zheng Laiyun and Liu Yuan exclaimed almost simultaneously!

Zheng Laiyun's eyes widened in disbelief, as if he had heard a fairy tale: "Sell...sell it to you? Build it yourself?" He simply couldn't believe his ears. These days, houses were allocated by the government; who would be foolish enough to pay for a pile of ruins? Especially such an ominous pile! Did they have money to burn?

Liu Yuan looked at Wei Chen in surprise, but considering the several hundred yuan he had just received from the wild boar and his hunting skills, he seemed to understand a little. This kid has connections and ideas!

"Yes! I'll buy it and build it myself!" Wei Chen's tone was resolute, with an unquestionable determination. "Section Chief Zheng, as you just said, the country is currently facing difficulties and encourages individuals to solve their housing problems within the scope of policy."

I read in the newspaper that individuals are allowed to purchase land for public housing damaged in war and beyond the government's capacity to repair, and rebuild it themselves! As long as the original courtyard layout isn't altered! You see…”

Zheng Laiyun was stunned by Wei Chen's "quoting classical texts." There had indeed been such policy guidance from above, mainly to address the large amount of war debris and historical issues, and to reduce the burden on the state. However, very few people responded. After all, how much would it cost to build one's own house? Wouldn't it be better to wait for public housing with that money and energy?

He looked at Wei Chen's young yet unusually determined face, then thought of the two heavy rabbits under the table, representing "sincerity" and "strength," and then of Li Huaide's approval slip and the suffocating pressure of his own room allocation...

A thought sprouted like wildfire: This is like a godsend! A golden opportunity to get rid of a hot potato! I can also complete the task assigned by Deputy Factory Director Li, and even... maybe I can gain an advantage in policy implementation and write a report to show my merits?

"You...you really want to buy it and build it yourself?" Zheng Laiyun's voice trembled with excitement and disbelief. His face instantly brightened, even glowing. "Brother Wei Chen! Your...your awareness! Your action! You're a model of responding to the nation's call!"

He slapped his thigh and stood up excitedly. "Great! Excellent! You've done the factory a huge favor, and you've helped me, Old Zheng, a huge favor too!"

He strode to the filing cabinet, rummaged through it for a moment, pulled out a dusty manila envelope, blew off the dust, opened it, and took out several yellowed blueprints and copies of the land deed: "Look, all the paperwork is ready! The property rights are clear, it's our steel rolling mill! This east wing, according to policy, allows individuals to purchase and rebuild it! If you really decide..."

He rubbed his hands together, his eyes gleaming with shrewdness, as if he were calculating a huge bargain. "We're on the same side, brother, I won't beat around the bush! This place is a solid 860 square meters! Even though it's ruins now, the land is valuable! Based on the lowest compensation price... um, plus some symbolic residual value of the houses..."

He pretended to click the abacus a few times, then held up five fingers and said decisively, "Five hundred yuan! Brother Wei Chen, you pay five hundred yuan, and the land use right and reconstruction right for the east wing of No. 95 Nanluoguxiang are yours! I, Old Zheng, will get the transfer formalities done for you today! Guaranteed to be legal and compliant!"

Five hundred yuan! That's equivalent to almost two years' wages for an average worker if they didn't eat or drink! In those days, it was an absolute fortune.

But Wei Chen remained completely unfazed, even finding the price unbelievably cheap! Without any hesitation, he nodded immediately: "Okay! Section Chief Zheng, I'll take it! Please prepare the paperwork, I'll go get the money right away!"

Liu Yuan watched the dramatic and lightning-fast transaction from the sidelines, his mouth agape for a long time. He knew Wei Chen had just earned an extra three hundred yuan from wild boar, but he hadn't expected the kid to agree to buy the ruins for five hundred yuan without even blinking! But then he thought, given Wei Chen's hunting skills, this money didn't seem too hard to earn? He shook his head, feeling that this newcomer was becoming increasingly unpredictable.

"Great job! Brother Wei Chen is a truly straightforward person!" Zheng Laiyun was overjoyed, his face crinkling into a wide smile. He immediately bent down at his desk and began filling out various forms and contracts with incredible speed and efficiency, as if he were a completely different person. "Just a moment, half an hour at most! I'll make sure everything is perfectly clear for you!"

Wei Chen turned to Liu Yuan: "Team Leader Liu, please wait for me for a moment, I'll be right back."

"Okay, go ahead, I'll wait for you here." Liu Yuan nodded, watching Zheng Laiyun write furiously with great interest.

Wei Chen strode out of the housing management office and out of the steel rolling mill gate. He found a quiet corner in a secluded alley, focused his mind on his game backpack—took out five hundred yuan, tied it with a rubber band, put it in an inconspicuous old cloth bag, and stuffed it into his pocket. The whole process took less than five minutes.

When Wei Chen returned to the housing management department carrying the heavy cloth bag, Zheng Laiyun had just finished his last transaction. A flicker of surprise crossed his eyes when he saw Wei Chen return so quickly, but when he saw Wei Chen pull the bulging bag from his pocket, his expression immediately turned to understanding and appreciation—this kid is efficient and capable!

Wei Chen took out fifty "Big Black Ten" banknotes and placed them on Zheng Laiyun's desk. The distinctive smell of banknote ink filled the small office.