The Fitter Master in the Courtyard: Surrounded by Dead Men

Starting tomorrow, you'll be cleaning the toilets for three months.

He finished speaking and waited to see if the other party would back down.

"Second Uncle, you're wrong about that."

Yang Ping calmly shook her head. "I didn't take the things."

"you--!"

Liu Haizhong choked for a moment, as if a string in his mind had suddenly snapped, and he couldn't come to a conclusion.

An eerie silence fell over the surroundings once again.

The group looked at each other, feeling as if their minds were a jumbled mess, the more they tried to sort it out, the more dizzy they became, and they could barely stand.

The turn was too sharp; one head was clearly not enough.

Only two people on the field remained conscious, but their expressions were completely different.

Xu Fugui's lips were already etched with an uncontrollable smile.

He had long ago determined that this petty theft could never be attributed to Yang Ping.

Yi Zhonghai's face, however, was as gloomy as the sky before a storm.

As his gaze swept across the room, he noticed that Jia Dongxu was not there—he hadn't seen him since he got off work.

Then, recalling his apprentice's usual petty flaws, he suddenly understood, as if a clear mirror had revealed the person who truly deserved to stand there.

Yang Ping set a trap once again, and the other party stepped into it without any precautions. Even he himself felt incredibly stupid when he looked back on it afterward, and almost wanted to slap himself.

"Who exactly is that person?"

Yan Fugui couldn't help but ask.

In an instant, all eyes were on Yang Ping, awaiting his answer.

Yang Ping's gaze fell on the central courtyard's porch, just in time to see Jia Dongxu humming an off-key tune as he sauntered into the courtyard. He pointed, and the sound clearly rang out:

"It's him, Jia Dongxu."

"What?!"

Liu Haizhong felt a sudden dizziness and quickly reached out to hold onto the edge of the table, as if his mind was unable to process the information in front of him and he would faint in another second.

The people around were also in a daze, unable to come back to their senses for a moment.

Xu Fugui's smile deepened, and his gaze toward Yang Ping was filled with undisguised admiration.

Yi Zhonghai's face was so gloomy it was almost dripping with water.

He didn't blame Yang Ping, but cursed his brainless apprentice Jia Dongxu in his heart—it was this idiot who caused him to suffer such a huge embarrassment in front of everyone.

After this incident, he will probably lose all prestige in this courtyard.

Little did he know that his prestige in the courtyard had long since vanished.

Nowadays, ordinary residents only recognize Yang Ping in their hearts, like a loyal bodyguard, leaving no room for anyone else.

"Wow, it's getting lively here, is it a college-wide meeting?"

Jia Dongxu strolled into the central courtyard and was taken aback when he saw so many people gathered there.

"Jia Dongxu, did you steal the eleven yuan from my house?"

Sha Zhu stepped forward and immediately began to question him.

"Yeah, who told you to make MCA only give me two small steamed buns and just a spoonful of vegetable soup for the vegetarian dishes? I stole your money as revenge, so now I'm apologizing, okay?"

Jia Dongxu readily admitted it.

He looked at Sha Zhu with a smug look on his face, as if to say: I stole it, what can you do to me?

"Jia Dongxu, you bastard—I'm going to beat you to death!"

Sha Zhu's anger exploded instantly, and he charged forward with a punch.

Having failed to teach Yang Ping a lesson, he was already seething with anger, and Jia Dongxu's arrogant demeanor only added fuel to the fire, instantly igniting his rage.

He leaped in front of Jia Dongxu in one step and swung his fist with a gust of wind.

This time, no one stopped him, and Sha Zhu was finally able to fight to his heart's content.

"Ouch!"

Jia Dongxu cried out in pain.

He never expected Sha Zhu to be so ruthless, and hurriedly raised his arm to defend himself.

But all of this was in vain.

Sha Zhu, that "Courtyard War God"

His reputation wasn't for nothing; even two Jia Dongxus tied together wouldn't be a match for him. In just a few moves, they were beaten black and blue, looking utterly pathetic.

Yi Zhonghai was so angry that he felt dizzy watching his primary retirement hope and backup plan clash. What was going on? Were family members fighting each other?

"Stop hitting! All of you, stop! Stop it now!"

He was so anxious that he kept shouting.

But nobody listened to him.

Yi Zhonghai turned his gaze to Yan Jiecheng and his brothers.

Those guys all turned their heads away, pretending not to see anything—judging from Sha Zhu's fierce and menacing appearance, if they went up to him now, they might get punched a few times, and who would want to risk that?

He glanced at Liu Guangqi and his brothers again, but the result was the same.

As for the others, they all followed Yang Ping.

Having seen enough of Sha Zhu and Jia Dongxu bullying their boss, they were just hoping the two of them would fight like dogs. Who would step in to break them up?

"Dongxu!"

"Silly Zhu, stop hitting him!"

Suddenly, a weak, trembling voice, tinged with sobs, broke through.

It's Qin Huairu who's here.

Seeing her husband being beaten, she was heartbroken, and tears streamed down her face.

Upon hearing this voice, Sha Zhu felt that inexplicable, hidden strength resurface, and his fist involuntarily stopped.

He looked at Qin Huairu's tearful face, his heart clenched, and he blurted out:

"Sister Qin!"

Qin Huairu stared at her husband Jia Dongxu's swollen face, tears streaming down her face. Her voice choked as she forced out, "Shazhu, I hate you!"

Upon hearing this, Sha Zhu's face turned deathly pale, as if he had been thrown into an ice cave. He staggered back two steps, overwhelmed by a wave of regret.

He really wanted to slap himself a few times—how could he have made Qin Jie, whom he cared about the most, so sad? No matter how powerful he seemed in the eyes of others, he was ultimately defeated in front of her.

"Dongxu, are you in pain?"

Qin Huairu hurriedly stepped forward to support her husband's arm, her voice filled with worry.

"fine."

Jia Dongxu gritted his teeth and endured the burning pain on his face, not wanting his wife to worry too much.

"Your face is so swollen, how come you're alright?"

Qin Huairu looked at his distorted face, her heart clenched, and tears fell again.

Jia Dongxu simply waved his hand and said nothing more.

Seeing Qin Huairu's heartbroken and tearful appearance, Sha Zhu was overwhelmed with guilt.

He should have realized that taking action would only make her more upset.

Yi Zhonghai, who was standing to the side, breathed a sigh of relief when he heard Jia Dongxu say that everything was alright.

"It's alright, just a superficial injury; it'll heal in a few days." "Alright, everyone, you can all go now."

He raised his voice and said, "Shazhu, come with me to take Dongxu to the clinic for a checkup."

He always takes his retirement, which is his top priority, very seriously.

"An old man,"

Yang Ping's voice interrupted at this moment, "What about the punishment we agreed on earlier? Are we just going to let it go like this?"

He hadn't forgotten that when Yi Zhonghai first identified him as a thief, he planned to hand him over to the police station directly.

"Yang Ping, don't push your luck!"

Upon hearing that he was still insisting on the punishment, Yi Zhonghai flew into a rage. "Look at how badly Dongxu is injured!"

This was his prized retirement home, and he was already heartbroken by the beating Sha Zhu had given him. Now, he wanted to be punished even more? He absolutely refused.

Yi Zhonghai was speechless at this question, his face turning ashen.

Yang Ping took half a step forward, her voice clear enough for everyone in the courtyard to hear: "When you accused me of being a thief and were about to take me to the police station, why didn't you say it was excessive? When Second Uncle decided on the punishment, why didn't you stand up and say it was unfair?"

He insisted that Jia Dongxu accept the punishment in public today, and also to make it clear to Yi Zhonghai that if he, Yang Ping, offended him, he could not expect to get away with it easily.

Yi Zhonghai's Adam's apple bobbed a few times, but he couldn't utter a single word of rebuttal.

The courtyard was so quiet that only the sound of the wind could be heard.

"If even theft can be wiped out with a single sentence from an old man, then..."

Yang Ping glanced around and said, "From now on, if anything happens in this courtyard, there's no need to resolve it here—just let the police handle it."

Silence, like a soaked sheet of paper, was plastered on everyone's face.

Even Sha Zhu, who usually loves to interrupt, kept his mouth shut.

Everyone could see that Yi Zhonghai's favoritism was utterly outrageous. From now on, the little prestige he had built up in this compound was completely destroyed.

"Speak up!"

Yang Ping stared at Yi Zhonghai, her tone cold and hard, "Weren't you quite the talker just now?"

Yi Zhonghai's face drained of color, and he gritted his teeth: "Yang Ping... what exactly do you want?"

"It's very simple."

Yang Ping said, word by word, "Punish them as they should be punished."

The rules shouldn't be distorted just because someone is your apprentice.

He wanted more than just Jia Dongxu to be punished in public; he wanted everyone in the hospital to see clearly: Yang Ping has no room for deception.

Suddenly, Qin Huairu rushed forward, tears streaming down her face: "Brother Yang Ping, Dongxu is injured so badly... Can't you be merciful and spare him this time?"

Her shoulders trembled as she cried, a sight that would soften anyone's heart.

"cannot."

Yang Ping answered without the slightest hesitation.

He wasn't the kind of fool who would lose his mind at the sight of tears. Even if Qin Huairu cried so much that the roof beams collapsed, he wouldn't even blink.

Sha Zhu's face darkened, and he was about to shout a curse, but out of the corner of his eye he saw Ma Dachui and the others still standing there, so he swallowed his words.

He didn't want to get beaten up here.

He often made mistakes in front of Qin Huairu, but not so much with others.

"Yang Ping, how could you be so cruel?"

Qin Huairu's voice was filled with suppressed anger.

"Wife, don't beg him,"

Despite the pain, Jia Dongxu said, "Fine, I'll accept the punishment."

"Dongxu!"

Qin Huairu turned to look at him; his face was already covered in bruises.

Her nose tingled, and tears streamed down her face.

When Sha Zhu saw her crying, his heart felt like it was being torn apart.

He was filled with remorse and felt sorry for Sister Qin—if he had known he would hurt her so much, he should never have laid a hand on Jia Dongxu.

He secretly pinched himself by his leg.

Yang Ping ignored the others and focused his gaze on Yi Zhonghai's face, waiting for his final statement.

"……become!"

Yi Zhonghai's back molars ached from clenching them, and he practically squeezed the word out from between his teeth.

He had no choice.

Jia Dongxu cannot be sent to the police station. Once he has a criminal record, his job will be in jeopardy, and all his hopes will be dashed.

Yang Ping then nodded slightly.

He turned to Liu Haizhong, his tone relaxed:

"Uncle, I'll have to trouble you to keep the public toilets clean for the next three months."

Make sure it doesn't develop any unpleasant odor.

"Okay, sure!"

The bangs should be neat and tidy.

He was taken aback as soon as the words left his mouth—how could he have answered so smoothly? Was he perhaps a little intimidated by this young man?

Upon hearing this arrangement, Yi Zhonghai's face darkened further.

"Alright, thank you for upholding justice, Uncle Xie."

Yang Ping picked up the small stool beside her feet, turned around and walked towards the backyard, leaving behind only this indifferent remark.

Yi Zhonghai felt a tightness in his chest and almost fainted.

Xu Fugui and Yan Fugui exchanged a glance as they watched the departing figure.

They had witnessed Yang Ping's decisive and efficient methods once again.

This young man is indeed extraordinary.

Liu Haizhong stood alone in the courtyard, his brows furrowed.

Given Yang Ping's formidable skills, what are my chances of winning if I were to deal with him in the future?

The young men around him, however, didn't think it was a big deal. They thought that if it were them, they could also make Yi Zhonghai suffer—that old man is no longer difficult to deal with.

The group didn't linger. After a short while, they dispersed in twos and threes and went back to their rooms.

"Zhu Zi, come give me a hand, let's get Dongxu to the hospital!"

Yi Zhonghai called out in a hoarse voice.

"They're here!"

Sha Zhu responded immediately, his movements exceptionally swift.

He kept thinking about Qin Huairu's heartbroken appearance earlier and felt he had to share some of her burden.