The Fitter Master in the Courtyard: Surrounded by Dead Men

Seeing Xu Damao follow him in, he instructed, "Damao, go to the kitchen and tell them we can start cooking."

"Okay!"

Xu Damao entered in response to the call, and when his gaze swept over Yang Ping, a hint of surprise flashed in his eyes, clearly not expecting Li Chengde to host a banquet for him.

Without saying much, he neatly placed the two bottles of Xifeng liquor he had brought on the table, turned around and strode quickly toward the kitchen.

Before long, footsteps and the faint sound of pots and pans came from the other end of the corridor.

"The food is served!"

Xu Damao walked in with a smile on his face, carrying a steaming plate of food.

Sha Zhu followed behind him, also carrying a plate.

Everyone in the kitchen went to the window to work, so we had to cook the dishes ourselves.

He was eager to cause trouble for Yang Ping as soon as possible, so he quickened his pace.

But when he looked up and saw the person sitting at the table—that familiar smiling face, leisurely waiting for the meal—Sha Zhu's face instantly darkened, turning as black as if he had just crawled out of a coal pile.

He had planned to take good care of her while she was getting her food.

Yang Ping shook the spoon twice, making sure he didn't get enough to eat. This not only vented his anger from yesterday but also served as a way of helping his beloved Sister Qin.

Who would have thought that the meal I spent over an hour preparing, amidst the smoke and fire of the stove, would end up being served to this kid?

A surge of anger rushed to his head, his fingers went numb, and he could barely hold onto the plate.

In that instant, he really wanted to smash all the dishes in his hand, along with those in the kitchen that hadn't yet been served, to pieces.

She raised her wrist slightly, but ultimately didn't dare to move it.

This act of smashing things might cost him his own livelihood.

If you embarrass Director Li in front of the guests, how can he expect to have a good life in the future?

"He Yuzhu, what are you daydreaming about! Hurry up and bring it over!"

Li Chengde's urging voice came from the other side of the table.

"They're here!"

Sha Zhu was startled and quickly responded, carrying the plate and walking over.

Sha Zhu didn't dare to say anything more, and obediently took the plate of food in his hand and gently placed it on the table.

Ultimately, he still has to bow to the pressure of making a living.

I can't afford to lose my job, and there's still a long road ahead. As for Yang Ping—there will be plenty of opportunities to deal with him.

Xu Damao chuckled twice.

Although he didn't know the specific reason, seeing Sha Zhu's frustrated face, he knew that this hothead must have suffered another loss.

Seeing Sha Zhu get his comeuppance made him feel great, and he was determined to have a couple more drinks today.

Sha Zhu glared at Xu Damao, suppressing his anger, and turned to leave quickly.

He just wanted to finish serving the dishes as soon as possible so he wouldn't have to see Yang Ping and Xu Damao's two annoying faces again.

"Yang Ping, this is Xu Damao, the projectionist from the propaganda department."

Li Chengde introduced it with a smile.

He already knew that Xu Damao was a lively person at the dinner table, and since there weren't any important leaders invited today, he wasn't worried about any mishaps. He specially invited him to make the atmosphere at the dinner table more lively.

"Director Li, I recognize him."

Yang Ping lives in the same courtyard as us. He's so young, yet he's already a level six fitter; he has a bright future ahead of him.

Xu Damao spoke and laughed, his face beaming with warmth.

"Oh, what a coincidence!"

Li Chengde was somewhat surprised.

"you do not say."

Yang Ping smiled and agreed.

"Hehe, Director Li is hosting today, and everyone here is a head taller than me, so I'm very proud."

In that case, I'll toast everyone!

As Xu Damao spoke, he opened the bottle of Xifeng liquor, first filling everyone's glass at the table, and then pouring his own last.

He then carried a wine bottle in one hand and a wine glass in the other, and swaggered over to Yang Ping.

"Come on, Yang Ping, let me toast you!"

He raised his glass.

Yang Ping also raised his cup in return, and the two of them downed their drinks in one gulp.

After finishing his drink, Xu Damao moved to toast and thank Quancai.

Next was Lü Shuitian, and finally Li Chengde.

He drank heartily, feeling an indescribable sense of pleasure as he saw that the fool Zhu had been humiliated.

In Li Chengde's eyes, this gesture was seen as Xu Damao giving him extra face, and he secretly thought that he might as well invite him to banquets in the future.

The guests chatted and laughed, clinking glasses and chopsticks.

Back in the kitchen, Sha Zhu suppressed his anger and arranged two dishes before instructing his apprentice Ma Hua to prepare the rest. He then turned and went to the serving window—he really didn't want to step into that small canteen again.

Every time he caught a glimpse of Yang Ping's smiling face, he felt an urge to smash the plate in his hand to pieces, so he had to stay away to avoid causing trouble.

Ma Hua was initially worried that his mentor might secretly sabotage Yang Ping.

Seeing Yang Ping sitting peacefully in the small canteen eating, his worries vanished. He quickly finished serving the dishes and then slipped back to the kitchen to find some peace and quiet.

The conversation at the dinner table drifted aimlessly.

After a few drinks, Xu Damao loosened up and brought up the feud between Yang Ping and Sha Zhu, embellishing the story by saying that he almost confiscated Yang Ping's cooking spoon yesterday.

When these words reached Li Chengde's ears, he immediately made a promise that he would never allow such a mistake to happen again in the canteen—after all, this small area was under his jurisdiction, and his reputation was at stake.

Lu Shuitian and Xie Quancai exchanged a glance and said nothing more.

The banquet ended in the blink of an eye.

Yang Ping followed Xie and Lü back to the workshop.

They didn't drink much, as they had to work in the afternoon; they only had a couple of light drinks.

Xu Damao, on the other hand, drank to his heart's content.

Since there's no need to go out to show movies in the afternoon, I can sneak back to the propaganda department and take a nap.

Li Chengde also drank in moderation.

After the banquet, he didn't forget the entanglement that Xu Damao had mentioned during the meal, and went straight to the kitchen to look for it—he was at the critical moment of being promoted to deputy factory director, and he couldn't tolerate any complications from his subordinates.

The publicity department has arranged the interview!

When Li Chengde stepped into the kitchen, Sha Zhu was sprawled out on a bench, resting.

He called out loudly, "He Yuzhu!"

"Oh, Director Li?"

Sha Zhu jolted awake and sat bolt upright. "What are you doing here?"

He Yuzhu sat up from the chair, and when he saw that the person who came was Li Chengde, a smile immediately appeared on his face.

Although he still harbored resentment towards Li Chengde for hosting Yang Ping, he dared not show the slightest negligence on his face.

"Stop all those little tricks you've been up to in the cafeteria lately."

Li Chengde got straight to the point: "Whether it's flipping the wok or cutting corners, it's absolutely forbidden."

Deputy Factory Director Zhou is about to step down, and he is determined to get that position.

The canteen was under the jurisdiction of the logistics department, which he was in charge of, and he absolutely could not afford to make a mistake at this critical juncture, lest it give others something to talk about.

"Can……"

He Yuzhu looked troubled.

He had originally intended to teach Yang Ping a lesson, but now he was unwilling to give up.

"He Yuzhu, I'm putting my words right here."

Li Chengde said sternly, "If the cafeteria causes any trouble because of you, don't blame me for turning my back on you."

This concerns his future; it's not something to be taken lightly.

If you don't take this step, you may not have such an opportunity again in the next ten years—positions are like radishes in a pit; if the ones in front don't move, the ones behind can forget about getting up.

"Director Li, please rest assured."

He Yuzhu felt a chill run down his spine and quickly promised, "That kind of thing will never happen again."

He had never seen Li Chengde so angry before; this was the first time, which showed how serious the situation was.

"Work hard!"

Li Chengde's tone softened slightly, "When the opportunity comes, there will naturally be arrangements for your promotion."

"Thank you, Director!"

He Yuzhu was immediately overjoyed.

I heard a while ago that Yang Ping got a promotion, and even that kid Jia Dongxu is about to be promoted to a fourth-level fitter. It would be a lie to say I'm not envious at all.

If I could be promoted to a level seven cook, that would be quite a prestigious thing.

"Um."

Li Chengde nodded and turned to leave.

He Yuzhu paced back and forth in the kitchen, carefully checking the hygiene of every part, as if he were preparing to become a level seven cook.

Inside the workshop, the afternoon sun slanted through the glass windows, casting warm yellow patches of light on the floor.

Yang Ping and Xie Quan had just returned to their workstations when they didn't rush to start working—they had eaten too much for lunch, and if they bent down to work on the parts right away, their stomachs would probably burst.

It must be said that He Yuzhu's cooking skills are truly remarkable.

No wonder Director Li always specifically requests him to cook when hosting banquets, even though he had punched him before, he still invites him without holding a grudge.

Yang Ping leaned against the toolbox, squinting as he thought.

"This is the first time I've ever tasted food cooked in the factory's special kitchen."

Xie Quancai smacked his lips, a hint of smugness on his face, "It tastes really good."

Yang Ping turned her head and smiled at him, "Then I'll take you to the cafeteria every day from now on."

"Okay!"

Xie Quancai took it as a joke and cheerfully agreed.

Just then, a clear voice came from the doorway: "Comrade Yang Ping!"

Yang Ping looked up.

A tall, pretty girl stood at the door, radiating youthful energy.

He glanced at the figure and immediately estimated that the person was at least 1.65 meters tall and had a well-proportioned figure—he naturally knew the exact measurements, but it was inconvenient to say more in this situation.

He gradually developed this keen eye after arriving here.

The girl's appearance was outstanding among the girls he had ever seen; if ten points was the maximum, he would give her nine.

As for his age, it's roughly between nineteen and twenty-two—he wasn't quite sure about that.

After all, some people look like they're in their early twenties but are actually over thirty; others, like He Yuzhu, are only in their twenties but look like they're in their forties.

As he sized up the other person, the girl was also looking at him.

Yang Ping's appearance was clearly a surprise to her: he was handsome and capable, and at the age of twenty he became a level six fitter, earning a monthly salary of sixty-two yuan and fifty cents—such a person usually only appeared in stories.

"cough."

Yang Ping cleared his throat and asked, "Comrade, what can I do for you?"

"Ah... I'm sorry."

The girl suddenly came to her senses, and her face flushed slightly.

Gao Yue then came to her senses and realized that her gaze had lingered for too long, and a warm feeling belatedly spread through her ears.

"I'm Gao Yue from the Publicity Department, I'm twenty-one years old..."

She paused, her voice trembling with unease, "Ah, no, I came here to do an interview for the factory's publicity."

I couldn't find you in the cafeteria, so I came to the workshop.

The words swirled on his tongue, becoming somewhat incoherent.

Gao Yue —

Upon hearing the name, Yang Ping felt a sudden, tangible sense of familiarity.

It was her.

His memory of this woman came to mind: quick-witted and intelligent, yet possessing an almost stubborn deep affection and gentleness, understanding and willing to silently wait for him.

In the story, she was able to waste more than ten years of her youth waiting for the person she was waiting for.

Therefore, a saying circulated among the people: If one were to marry a wife, one should aspire to be like Gao Yue.

He couldn't help but smirk, his tone laced with a playful probing: "You're twenty-one, I'm twenty, only a year apart, it's not a big deal."

Gao Yue's face instantly turned bright red, her eyelids drooped, almost burying themselves in her collar, too embarrassed to know what to do.

Yang Ping saw this and his heart stirred slightly.

She didn't show any resistance or disgust, which might imply something.

"Just kidding."

He changed the subject at the opportune moment, "What kind of interview would you like to do?"

"I... let me see."

Gao Yue then remembered the important matter.

The interview outline that I had been repeatedly reciting was now completely blank in my mind.

She hurriedly pulled a densely written page from her bag and gently ran her fingertips across its surface.

"Comrade Yang Ping,"