Siheyuan: The Black-Market King Under the Army's Boots

Set in a Beijing courtyard compound in the 1960s, when goods are scarce and class relations are shifting, Flocks of Beasts in the Courtyard follows Zhao Weidong, a retired officer who moves in after He Yuzhu leaves Beijing. He seems upright on the surface, but is actually cold-hearted and sinister. Yi Zhonghai squanders his savings currying favor with the Jia family, leaving the Jia, Liu, and Yan families on the brink of ruin. By chance, Zhao Weidong gains control of black-market supplies and uses them to displace the old powers and reshape the courtyard's hierarchy. He rules the compound with force and goods, keeping everyone on edge. As power falls out of balance, everyone is destroyed by their schemes. Zhao Weidong, too, is ultimately shot dead after resisting arrest when his black-market dealings are exposed, revealing the truth behind the neighbors' missing property.

This novel and its characters are entirely fictional. Any resemblance to real people or events is purely coincidental. Do not imitate.