Rebirth in a Courtyard: I Am a Little Hunter

Liu Haizhong was furious that Sha Zhu dared to talk back to him in public. His chubby face turned red with anger, and he pointed at Sha Zhu, saying, "You... what kind of attitude is this! I'm criticizing you! Helping you recognize your mistakes! And you dare to talk back? You've gone too far!"

"What mistakes did I make?" Sha Zhu retorted, his neck stiff. "My only mistake was not realizing sooner that this bastard was a backstabbing, treacherous villain! Not beating him up sooner!"

"You...you..." Liu Haizhong was so angry he couldn't speak, and could only turn to Yi Zhonghai, "Old Yi! Look at him! Look at his attitude! How can we mediate like this?"

Yi Zhonghai inwardly cursed Liu Haizhong for being an idiot. Why was he putting on airs at a time like this? Sha Zhu was in a fit of anger; did he think he could listen to any of Yi Zhonghai's high-sounding advice? But outwardly, he remained calm and gestured for Liu Haizhong to stop, saying, "Old Liu, don't be hasty. Zhu, you should also say less and let your second uncle finish speaking." His words seemed to be a compromise, but they were clearly intended to stop Liu Haizhong from escalating the situation further.

Liu Haizhong snorted, sat down sullenly, picked up his teacup and gulped down water, clearly quite angry.

Yi Zhonghai then looked at Yan Bugui: "Old Yan, what do you think?"

Yan Bugui is shrewd; just by looking at the situation, he knew things were going to get complicated today. Sha Zhu was in the right, but he hit someone; Xu Damao was in the wrong, but he got beaten. Yi Zhonghai was clearly biased towards Sha Zhu, and Liu Haizhong was an incompetent fool who would only escalate the conflict. He didn't want to get himself into trouble.

So, Yan Bugui adjusted his glasses and said slowly, "Well... fighting is definitely wrong; it affects neighborly harmony. However, there's always a reason. The specific reason needs to be clarified by the parties involved. As the stewards, we must be objective, criticizing mistakes while also clarifying right and wrong." His words were watertight, essentially saying nothing at all, and passing the buck back to the authorities.

Yi Zhonghai nodded, neither confirming nor denying Yan Bugui's cunning, and turned his gaze to Sha Zhu and Xu Damao: "Now, you two, who wants to speak first? Explain the whole story clearly in front of everyone in the courtyard!"

Sha Zhu, who had been holding back for a long time, immediately spoke up, his voice trembling with excitement: "Uncle, neighbors! Why did I, Sha Zhu, beat up that bastard Xu Damao today? Because he's utterly despicable and ruined my life's most important event!"

He glared at Xu Damao, his eyes blazing with fury: "I went on a blind date today, and the girl initially seemed to like me! But she went to the restroom, and when she came back, her attitude changed completely. She left without even eating! Why? Because of that bastard Xu Damao! He stopped her on the way and started saying a bunch of bad things about me! He said I have a bad temper and like to hit people, that I drink and cause trouble when I'm drunk, that my dad ran off with a widow and I don't care about my family, and that I'm stingy even with my own sister, letting Yushui starve to the bone!"

He grew angrier as he spoke, his finger trembling as he pointed at Xu Damao: "Everyone, be the judge! I, Shazhu, am a brat and I love to fight, but that was all when I was a kid and didn't know any better! When have I ever hit anyone in the compound for no reason? It's true I drink, but have I ever acted out while drunk? My father's business is his business, what does it have to do with me? Everyone in the compound knows how I treat Yushui."

I earn thirty-seven yuan and fifty cents a month. I scrimp and save on food and clothes, spending most of it at home and on rainwater! Xu Damao! You fucking tell me honestly, which of my words were false? What right do you have to slander me like this? You ruined my blind date, you ruined my life! Hitting you today is too lenient!"

Sha Zhu's words were sincere and heartfelt, especially when he spoke of his younger sister, He Yushui, his voice trembling with emotion. Many neighbors nodded in agreement. Sha Zhu was indeed devoted to Yushui; although he had a bad temper, he genuinely loved his sister. Xu Damao's use of this to spread rumors was truly malicious.

Hearing her brother's words from the crowd, He Yushui could no longer hold back and covered her mouth, sobbing softly.

Yi Zhonghai's face darkened as he looked at Xu Damao: "Xu Damao, is what He Yuzhu said true? Did you say those things to the girl you were on a blind date with today?"

All eyes were on Xu Damao. Xu Damao was panicking inside, but he forced a calm expression, even managing a slightly aggrieved one: "Uncle, neighbors, I'm innocent! I...I admit, I did say a few words to that girl, but I meant well!"

"Kindness?" Sha Zhu roared, "You're like a weasel offering New Year's greetings to a chicken—you're up to no good!"

"Shazhu! Let me finish!" Xu Damao raised his voice, trying to silence Shazhu. "I only asked about Shazhu because the girl seemed nice and she was there for a blind date with you, Zhuzi! I had to tell the truth, I couldn't make up lies. I felt there were some things the girl should know so she wouldn't regret it later! I did mention your quick temper, how you used to get into fights, how your father, He Daqing, ran off with someone, and that Yushui was a bit thin... But what did I say wrong? I was telling the truth! I just wanted the girl to get to know you better and consider things carefully! How did that become malicious slander?"

He was a silver-tongued man, skillfully twisting his malicious attempts to smear and sabotage the blind date into a "well-intentioned reminder" and "based on facts." He knew that as long as he insisted he was telling the "truth," Sha Zhu couldn't do anything about it. His quick temper, love of fighting, his father's disappearance, and his sister's thinness were all facts, but he deliberately exaggerated and distorted the context.

"You're talking nonsense!" Sha Zhu was so angry that he was about to rush forward again, but Yi Zhonghai stopped him with a stern shout.

"Zhu Zi! Calm down! Let him finish!" Yi Zhonghai glared at Sha Zhu, then looked at Xu Damao with sharp eyes. "Xu Damao, even if what you said is 'the truth,' what were you thinking, going to say these things alone when the girl was on her blind date? Don't you know these words will affect the girl's judgment? Don't you know the saying 'better to tear down ten temples than to ruin one marriage'? You think you're being kind? I think you're deliberately causing trouble!"

Yi Zhonghai's words were harsh, directly exposing Xu Damao's intentions. Many neighbors began to whisper among themselves.

"Exactly! Who says things like that on a blind date?"

"Isn't this blatant sabotage?"

"That bastard Xu Damao is wicked!"

"Just because you can't find a wife yourself, you can't stand seeing others doing well?"

Xu Damao's face flushed red and then turned pale, but he still stubbornly insisted, "Uncle, I really didn't think that much! I just felt that marriage is a big deal, and the girl should know the truth! I meant well, afraid that she would suffer in the future! Who knew... who knew that Zhuzi would be so impulsive and hit me without even knowing what happened! Look at the way he beat me!" He then began to show off his wounds to gain sympathy.

"You mean well?" Sha Zhu laughed angrily. "Xu Damao, you're just jealous! Jealous that I'm going on a blind date and getting married! Your own blind date fell through, so you can't stand seeing others doing well! You're a heartless bastard! You've got a rotten heart!"

"Silly Zhu! I'll fuck your grandpa!" Xu Damao now hates it most when others mention the word "childless," because it's the truth. Although others don't know, he can't fool himself! These words instantly hit a nerve, and he forgot to pretend to be wronged. He jumped up and was about to pounce on Silly Zhu, but was quickly pulled back by the people next to him.

"Enough!" Yi Zhonghai slammed his hand on the table, making the teacup clang loudly. "Shut up, all of you! You're going to hit me in front of the whole compound? Do you have to call the neighborhood committee and the police station to lock you all up before you'll stop?!"

These words were incredibly intimidating. Sha Zhu and Xu Damao both shut their mouths temporarily, but they still glared at each other angrily.

Yi Zhonghai took a deep breath, his gaze sweeping across the room, his tone heavy and pained: "What happened today is extremely serious! Xu Damao, you ruined someone's blind date. No matter what your intentions were, you destroyed Zhuzi's marriage! This is a grave mistake! A very serious mistake! In our courtyard, not only does Zhuzi need to get married, but there are so many unmarried young men who will also need to find partners in the future! If everyone were like you, going to badmouth someone they don't like during their blind date, what would become of our courtyard's reputation? Which girl would dare to marry into our courtyard?"

His words subtly elevated the issue to the level of the entire institution's interests, defining Xu Damao's actions as a heinous act that jeopardized the collective reputation. Sure enough, many parents with eligible unmarried young adults looked at Xu Damao with changed eyes, filled with wariness and disgust. Who wouldn't be afraid of being tricked like this when their child is being asked to marry?

Xu Damao sensed the change in the gazes around him and felt a little flustered, but he still tried to argue, "Uncle, I...I really didn't mean that...I just..."

"Who do you think you are?" Yi Zhonghai interrupted him, giving him no chance to argue. "You say you meant well? Fine, Zhu Zi hitting you was also 'kindly' reminding you that talking badly about people behind their backs will get you beaten! Do you accept that?"

"I..." Xu Damao was choked and couldn't speak.

Yi Zhonghai stopped looking at him and turned to Sha Zhu, his tone softening somewhat, but still critical: "Zhu Zi, you're also at fault! Xu Damao was in the wrong first. You could have argued with him, you could have asked our supervisor to settle things, you could even have asked the neighborhood committee! But hitting him is wrong! And you hit him so hard! Look at what you've done to Xu Damao! If something serious had happened, could you take responsibility? You've gone from being right to being wrong! When will you ever change your impulsive temper?"

Sha Zhu opened his mouth, wanting to retort, but seeing Yi Zhonghai's stern gaze, and looking at the neighbors around him, especially his sister Yu Shui's worried eyes, he finally snorted and didn't say anything more, but everyone could see the resentment on his face.