The Fitter Master in the Courtyard: Surrounded by Dead Men

He knew in his heart that this was the effect of the warm current in his dantian—it was silently tempering his body, enhancing his strength, and making each exertion of force more stable and accurate.

Looking up at Xie Quancai's side, I saw that the master still had more than half of the work left to do.

Yang Ping stood quietly to the side and observed for a while, occasionally pointing out minor deviations and habitual oversights in the operation.

Unexpectedly, these few tips led to a sudden improvement in Xie Quancai's skills, propelling him from the mid-level of a sixth-grade fitter to the top level.

"Yang Ping, thank you so much!"

Xie Quancai was beaming with joy, overjoyed at his breakthrough.

"Don't thank me yet, Master."

Yang Ping mimicked the tone the other person usually used when instructing him, "This is just correcting some minor details."

If you really want to reach level seven, you need to work harder and more deeply into your skills; you can't afford to get complacent now.

"You little brat, now you're lecturing me!"

Xie Quancai laughed and cursed, but he took what Xie said to heart.

He knew in his heart that if he didn't make further progress in his skills, the threshold of level seven would indeed be difficult to cross.

"Alright, I'm not going to argue with you anymore."

He glanced at the clock on the wall. "Let's go eat!"

"Yes, sir!"

Yang Ping smiled and agreed.

Yang Ping agreed and followed Ling to the cafeteria.

He bumped into a few acquaintances on the road, and they exchanged nods and smiles as a greeting, unlike the past few days when people would always come up to him to ask if he was taking on apprentices or going on blind dates.

He was happy to have some peace and quiet, and his steps became much lighter.

When they arrived at the cafeteria, Yang Ping specifically lined up at the window that He Yuzhu was in charge of.

He Yuzhu spotted him from afar, his face darkened, and he slammed the large ladle in his hand down with a clang.

He slammed the dish down beside the vegetable basin, turned and walked toward the kitchen, leaving behind only the words, "Ma Hua, you come here."

Since being reprimanded by Director Li last time, He Yuzhu really didn't dare to deliberately give less food when serving dishes again.

With Director Li granting him the opportunity to take the seventh-level cook exam, he dared not act recklessly openly.

But he felt a tightness in his chest—making him personally serve food to Yang Ping felt like swallowing a stone, so he simply chose to ignore it.

Ma Hua happily accepted the spoon.

He was Yang Ping's man planted in the canteen, and he felt honored to be able to personally serve his master's meals.

Upon seeing Yang Ping hand over the lunchbox, he immediately picked out the two whitest and largest steamed buns, and then scooped up a large spoonful of meat and vegetables, piling it up almost to overflow.

If He Yuzhu saw his apprentice so siding with outsiders, he would probably faint on the spot.

Yang Ping, carrying a mountain of lunchboxes, was about to head to the table where Xie Quancai usually sat, but before he could put it down, Xie Quancai smiled and gestured towards him, saying, "Still trying to get closer to me? Gao Yue has been waiting for you over there."

Yang Ping was taken aback. He looked up and glanced at the corner of the cafeteria. Sure enough, he saw Gao Yue sitting alone by the window, waving gently at him.

He then turned around and walked over, sitting down opposite Gao Yue.

"I'm really sorry about what happened yesterday."

Gao Yue lowered her head slightly and said softly, "My friend is straightforward and doesn't know how to speak properly, so don't take it to heart."

"It's nothing, I've already forgotten about it."

Yang Ping smiled, broke open the steamed bun in her hand, and asked, "Where did you guys go after that?"

"We went for a walk around Houhai, had a meal, and then went home."

As Gao Yue spoke, she also picked up her chopsticks.

The slightly awkward atmosphere between the two slowly melted away in the steam of the food.

Gao Yue spoke softly.

"What a coincidence, we're also going to Houhai."

She paused, then added, "Before I met you yesterday, I was fishing there alone and had a pretty good catch—eleven fish."

Upon hearing this, Yang Ping's eyebrows relaxed and a smile spread across his face.

"Eleven points? Really?"

Gao Yue's eyes widened slightly, her tone full of surprise.

"Of course it's true."

Yang Ping spoke gently and suggested, "When you have time another day, I'll take you to see that place and show you my skills."

His words concealed a quiet expectation.

Gao Yue thought for a moment and nodded: "Okay."

The two then started chatting back and forth.

Seeing this, Xie Quancai smiled with satisfaction and muttered to himself, "If this child's marriage can be settled, I can say I've done right by Old Yang."

If he has a spirit in heaven and sees this, he should be at peace.

His words revealed a deep friendship with Yang Ping's father and explained why he had taken care of Yang Ping for so many years.

Several young workers who were not yet married initially felt a pang of envy, but once they realized that the person in question was Yang Ping, their resentment quietly dissipated.

He was already a level six fitter at the age of twenty, and he was also good-looking. Standing next to Gao Yue, the announcer with a clear voice, anyone would think they were a good match.

Many people nodded secretly, convinced that they were a perfect couple.

Not far away, a man with a long face was looking in this direction.

When his gaze swept over Yang Ping, a hint of barely concealed jealousy flashed in his eyes; but when it turned to Gao Yue, his eyes flickered, as if he were secretly plotting something.

This person was Xu Damao.

……

After the meal, Yang Ping said goodbye to Gao Yue and went straight back to the workshop.

He approached Director Lü Shuitian and applied for materials to process the seventh-grade parts.

"Yang Ping, you've... already mastered level seven workpieces?"

Lu Shuitian was somewhat surprised and asked to confirm.

"Director Lü, my current Level 6 Special Grade skills are quite reliable. I'd like to try challenging myself with Level 7 parts."

Yang Ping remained calm and explained, "If it works out, I'll stick to this level from now on."

"become!"

A smile immediately spread across Lü Shuitian's face, and he nodded repeatedly.

"It would be great if you could take on this task—there are a lot of delicate jobs for grade 7 parts in the workshop, and not many people are willing to take them on right now. I'm in a real bind."

He had spent countless nights worrying about this matter, and Yang Ping's volunteering now was like a timely rain after a long drought.

As long as Yang Ping can cross the threshold of a level seven fitter, with his usual skill and steady approach, this batch of thorny parts will definitely be delivered on schedule, and I won't need to go around begging others to share the task anymore.

"Director Lü, I just wanted to give it a try; I'm not sure I'm really confident."

Yang Ping's tone was deliberate.

"Try it! I'll prepare the ingredients for you right away."

Without saying a word, Lü Shuitian got up and went to the materials room at the back, where he personally carried out several level-seven workpieces.

"Director, let me do it."

Upon seeing this, Yang Ping quickly stepped forward.

"It's alright, this amount won't tire me out."

Just bring all the blueprints.

Lu Shuitian waved his hand, not letting him take over.

"...Then I'll do as you say."

Yang Ping had no choice but to agree, clutching a roll of blueprints as she followed beside him.

Looking across the entire workshop, he was probably the only one who could get the director to personally move materials and supplies this time.

"Oh dear, Director Lü, why did you do it yourself?"

"Yang Ping! What kind of talk is this? Hurry up and lend a hand!"

Xie Quancai was startled when he saw this scene and quickly shouted to stop his apprentice.

On the surface it was a reprimand, but in reality it was a cover-up—although he had been seeing Lü Shuitian quite often lately, the other party was, after all, the workshop director, and if he really wanted to make things difficult for Yang Ping, it would only take a word.

He didn't want his apprentice to suffer because of this.

"Old Xie, it was my insistence that we move it, it's not Yang Ping's fault."

Lu Shuitian placed the materials steadily on the side of the table and explained with a smile.

Yang Ping gave his master a helpless look.

Xie Quancai was stunned and stood there, not reacting for a moment.

He had worked in the workshop for all these years and had never seen Director Lü lend a hand or move materials for anyone.

This is truly an incredible surprise.

"Yang Ping, focus on the picture."

Lu Shuitian's voice rang out from the side, "I'd like to see if you can handle a level seven part."

This was his real purpose in coming along—to personally observe the young man's true abilities.

"clear."

Yang Ping agreed readily.

He is calm and steady, and the presence of another leader standing beside him has no effect on him whatsoever.

The blueprints were unfolded in my hands.

The complexity of the seventh-grade parts has indeed increased to a new level, with denser lines, smaller tolerances, and a more rigorous test of manual skills.

However, Yang Ping already had a solid foundation, and after reading it once, he had a good grasp of the situation.

He turned to adjust the machine, turned the wrench, and meticulously adjusted the machine distance to the precision required for a level 7 component.

He then carefully clamped a piece of metal blank, ready for processing, into the chuck.

Xie Quancai and Lü Shuitian simultaneously lowered their breaths, their eyes following Yang Ping's movements closely, afraid that the slightest sound would disturb their concentration.

The only sound in the workshop was the rhythmic hum of the machine tools.

Yang Ping's movements were smooth and steady, with each step demonstrating skill.

Time slipped away quietly amidst the subtle friction between metal and blades.

More than half an hour later, Yang Ping turned off the machine.

A delicate part gleaming with a cold light landed in his palm.

He examined himself carefully against the light for a moment, his brow twitching slightly.

"This corner... could be even more accurate."

He muttered to himself.

His skills were honed through this process of constantly scrutinizing himself and making minute corrections.

"show me!"

Lü Shuitian hurried forward.

Yang Ping handed it over casually, and asked at the same time:

"Director Lü, the precision of these machines in our factory is fluctuating too much."

Is there any way to get a few more reliable ones?

Yang Ping had long been aware of the equipment problem, and taking this opportunity, he brought it up with Lü Shuitian.

If he could switch to a more stable batch of machines, his skills would undoubtedly improve much faster.

Lu Shuitian's gaze fell on the spare parts, his tone tinged with helplessness. "These machines are all old stock discarded from the Xiong Kingdom to the north. They won't give us their advanced equipment, afraid we'll catch up."

Yang Ping fell silent after hearing this.

This is something that can't be changed in a few words, unless a genius like that can be born on our own land and create even better machines.

"Master Xie, could you please measure this part and see if it meets the standards on the blueprint?"

Lu Shuitian handed over the part.

Xie Quancai, who was standing nearby, could no longer contain himself and reached out to take it.

He picked up the measuring tools and carefully compared them with the numbers on the drawings, repeatedly verifying every dimension.

"Director Lü, no problem!"

Xie Quancai raised his head, a smile spreading across his face. "By the standards of a seventh-level worker, this is already considered an intermediate level."

This means that Yang Ping not only firmly crossed the threshold of level seven, but even stood in the middle level—from now on, he can at least make qualified products for any parts within the level seven range.

"Great, that's wonderful!"

Lu Shuitian's expression brightened, and he patted the edge of the worktable. "Yang Ping, this batch of level seven parts is entrusted to you."

"If the project can be completed within a month, I will personally go to the factory to apply for a bonus for you."

"OK."

Yang Ping agreed readily.

Anyway, he was going to hone his skills by making these parts anyway, so a reward would be even better.

……

Time flies, and the bell rings to signal the end of the workday right on time.

Yang Ping put down the last polished level-seven part in his hand, straightened up and stretched his shoulders and neck a few times.

"That's enough for today, Yang Ping. We'll finish tomorrow."

Xie Quancai greeted them while packing up his tools.

"I'm leaving now."

Yang Ping also neatly tidied up his table.

As dusk settled outside the window, the noise from the factory area gradually subsided.

Meanwhile, at the other end of the alley, Xu Damao's house was lit up—he had arranged a blind date for her that evening.

There are still quite a few parts left, and although he's become more familiar with them, it still takes him half an hour to finish one piece.

To finish all this, he would have to stay up until dawn—he had no intention of putting himself through that.

He tidied up the machine and followed Xie Quancai out of the workshop.

Yang Ping arrived by bicycle, and upon reaching the door, he turned to the side and said:

"Master, could I give you a ride since it's on my way?"

"No need, I'll just walk back!"

Xie Quancai waved his hand and replied.