The Fitter Master in the Courtyard: Surrounded by Dead Men

He quickly walked a few steps to catch up.

Upon reaching the gate of the compound, Lou Xiao'e stopped, turned around, and asked with a questioning look in her eyes, "Comrade, what brings you following me?"

"Comrade Lou,"

He Yuzhu hurriedly said, "You must be careful with Xu Damao."

He had a bad reputation in the countryside; many people knew he used showing movies to seduce girls.

Lou Xiao'e's expression darkened slightly upon hearing this.

She was not very willing to accept the marriage arranged by her family, and she didn't have much affection for Xu Damao.

Hearing these words, my hesitation was immediately resolved.

"Is what you're saying... true?"

"Absolutely true!"

He Yuzhu patted his chest, "Many people in the compound know this."

Lou Xiao'e nodded, her voice soft but earnest: "Okay, thank you for reminding me."

She didn't say anything more, turned around and left.

He Yuzhu stood there, watching the figure disappear into the alley, and let out a long sigh of relief.

Lou Xiao'e thanked her softly.

She turned around and walked into the depths of the alley without the slightest hesitation, her figure quickly disappearing into the twilight.

Since everyone says that flies don't land on eggs without cracks, then Xu Damao's character must really be quite despicable.

She naturally couldn't marry a man like that.

As He Yuzhu watched her departing figure, his heart felt warm, as if bathed in the spring sunshine. Helping someone is always a joyful thing.

"Silly Zhu! What are you standing there for?"

Xu Damao's voice suddenly came from behind.

"I'm happy standing here, what's it to you?"

He Yuzhu didn't even bother to turn his head; instead, he felt a bit itchy and wanted to give this bastard a couple of whacks.

Xu Damao felt uneasy, but refused to admit defeat.

"I have important business to attend to today, I don't have time to waste with you, I'll settle the score with you later!"

After saying that, he hurriedly rushed towards the public restroom, eager to meet the girl he was supposed to meet on a blind date.

He Yuzhu scoffed and went back to his room to prepare dinner.

Xu Damao waited and waited outside the toilet, craning his neck, but Lou Xiao'e never appeared.

In his haste, he even peeked into the women's restroom.

The girl didn't see it, but instead bumped into an old woman relieving herself.

Xu Damao was so frightened that he turned and ran away.

"Where did you come from, you little brat! Peeping at your mother? Stop right there!"

That old woman was quite a shrew; she grabbed a manure ladle from the wall, scooped up a full ladle of **, and chased after him, splashing it all over him.

"oops!"

Xu Damao felt a heat on the back of his neck, followed by a pungent stench that enveloped his entire body.

His brand-new clothes were instantly filthy, a sight that made his heart ache.

But he dared not stop, and ran like the wind, as if his life depended on it.

He ran all the way back to the courtyard gate, and when he looked back and saw that no one was chasing him, he put his hands on his knees and gasped for breath.

"Hey, Xu Damao, where did you come from, smelling all that 'fragrant'?"

Yan Fugui was so shocked by the sight before him that he was speechless.

Immediately afterwards, a pungent stench assaulted his nostrils. He frowned and couldn't help but shout, "Who's so inconsiderate! Instead of emptying their chamber pot at the public toilet, they've made the whole yard stink!"

On the other side, Xu Damao barely managed to stand up, ignoring Yan Fugui's curses.

He had only one thought in his mind—Lou Xiao'e had disappeared.

This matter is most likely related to that idiot Zhu.

His face was ashen as he strode toward the central courtyard.

"Idiot Zhu! Get your ass out here!"

Xu Damao's roar exploded in front of Shazhu's house.

The curtain was lifted, and Sha Zhu poked his head out, spatula in hand. He'd barely stepped across the threshold when he wrinkled his nose in disgust and spat, "Ugh! You little brat, did you fall into a cesspool? You stink!"

"Stop talking nonsense! Where's my wife?"

Xu Damao had no interest in arguing and went straight to the point.

"Your wife?"

Sha Zhu scoffed, hands on his hips, "Xu Damao, are you out of your mind? Coming here looking for a wife?"

"I'm asking you, where is Lou Xiao'e!"

Xu Damao's voice rose another notch, and the veins on his forehead throbbed.

"hey-hey,"

Sha Zhu grinned, a hint of mockery in his eyes. "Your wife ran off with someone? Look at you, you're such a pathetic sight, you can't even keep your pants down. If I were Lou Xiao'e, I'd run away too!"

This sentence was like a spark splashed into a hot oil pan.

Xu Damao's eyes instantly turned red, and he let out a curse as he raised his fist and lunged forward.

"Ouch!"

Caught off guard, Sha Zhu received a solid blow to the eye socket, leaving it instantly bruised.

"How dare you hit your grandpa!"

Sha Zhu got angry too and swung his arm to fight back.

The two immediately began to wrestle, the dull thuds of fists hitting flesh, heavy breathing, and cursing shouts all mixed together.

Xu Damao initially gained the upper hand with his fierceness, but he was no match for Sha Zhu, who had been practicing his wok-flipping skills for years. After a few rounds, he was beaten until his face was covered in bruises, and blood was seen from his nose and mouth.

Sha Zhu didn't fare too well either; his face was covered in bruises.

The commotion quickly attracted the attention of the neighbors.

Someone peered out and exclaimed, "Look! Xu Damao and Shazhu are fighting!"

The sounds of a struggle came from the courtyard, immediately alarming the neighbors.

Several figures rushed out of the house and hurriedly separated the two people who were locked in combat.

Xu Fugui pushed through the crowd and stepped forward, his face grim as he stared at his son, suppressing his anger as he said, "Da Mao, what nonsense are you spouting at this crucial moment of a blind date?"

He was calculating all the benefits of marrying into the Lou family, fearing that this good thing might go wrong in the slightest.

Xu Damao, panting heavily, pointed his finger straight at the opposite side: "Lou Xiao'e ran away! It was this bastard who tripped us up!"

"Your wife has disappeared, and you're blaming me for it?"

Sha Zhu stubbornly refused to admit it.

Upon hearing this, Xu Fugui's expression changed drastically, and he quickly scanned the courtyard—sure enough, there was no sign of the Lou family's daughter.

Lou Bancheng, standing to the side, had a grim expression, while Lou Tanshi was so angry that her face turned ashen.

The daughter's silent departure was a disgrace to both families.

Uncle Liu Haizhong, his belly bulging, stepped forward and shouted, "Has anyone seen Lou Xiao'e? Speak up now!"

He planned to work hard in front of Director Lou, hoping to gain his favor and have more opportunities for promotion in the future.

"I saw her go out of the courtyard gate earlier, and she never came back."

"It seems like Sha Zhu went out too—ask him and he'll know!"

In just a few words, the matter became crystal clear: Lou Xiao'e's departure was inextricably linked to Sha Zhu.

"Yan Jiefang! Stop spouting nonsense! I haven't stepped out of this yard at all!"

Sha Zhu was so anxious that sweat beaded on his forehead. He tried to explain himself, but the eyes around him were filled with disbelief.

"You little bastard! You still dare to lie!"

Xu Damao's eyes turned red, and he broke free from the pull and tried to pounce on her again.

"Come on! You think you can get away with this?"

Sha Zhu, not to be outdone, struggled to get his arm out and went to meet him.

Sha Zhu has never been one to back down from trouble.

But the two were eventually stopped, and neither of them touched the other, leaving them only to hurl insults at each other from a distance.

Lou Bancheng gave Sha Zhu a deep look, then turned and left without lingering—the Lou family's reputation had been ruined tonight. "I'm sorry."

Lou Tanshi whispered an apology to Xu Fugui and his wife, and quickly followed.

"relatives by marriage!"

Xu Fugui raised his voice and shouted.

Only the sound of footsteps fading into the distance answered him.

He knew that it would be difficult to get married into the Lou family again in the future.

"Second Uncle, what do you think should be done about this?"

Xu Fugui's face darkened, his voice laced with suppressed anger.

"This kind of immoral and disgraceful behavior is egregious and corrupts the atmosphere of the compound. It must be publicly criticized and a compound-wide meeting held!"

Liu Haizhong's words were firm and unwavering, leaving no room for doubt.

……

Inside Yang Ping's house.

The noise from the intermediate court could be faintly heard, but he was eating with his head down and didn't rush out.

Not long after, Liu Guangfu arrived.

"Yang Ping, let's call a hospital-wide meeting!"

"OK."

Yang Ping responded.

He finished his meal, quickly tidied up the dishes, picked up his small stool, and headed to the central courtyard.

When they arrived, they saw that Xu Damao's face was covered in bruises and Sha Zhu's forehead was swollen. The two of them sat side by side at the front, looking just like the main characters on stage tonight.

Yang Ping raised the corner of her mouth slightly and found an inconspicuous corner to sit down.

"Almost everyone's here."

Liu Haizhong stood up and looked around. "Please, sir, speak to me."

Yi Zhonghai cleared his throat, his gaze shifting between Sha Zhu and Xu Damao for a moment before he slowly spoke.

Everyone in the courtyard knows what happened; He Yuzhu's actions were indeed unethical.

Yi Zhonghai cleared his throat and glanced at everyone: "Zhu Zi, you have to admit what happened today."

Go and apologize to Da Mao.

He can't openly show favoritism—ruining someone else's blind date is a point that doesn't hold water anywhere.

All we can do right now is try to get a lighter punishment.

He Yuzhu retorted, his neck stiff: "What am I supposed to apologize for? The girl herself didn't like him, what does it have to do with me!"

"Didn't you like it?"

Xu Damao jumped up, his finger almost poking He Yuzhu's nose. "Stop pretending! If you hadn't gone to Lou Xiao'e and spread those dirty stories about me, would she have turned around and left? Let me tell you, I know all about this!"

"Oh, you're quite self-aware!"

He Yuzhu sneered, "Knowing he's a bad seed, it's no wonder the girl ran away! Serves him right!"

"Master Yi, is this how you uphold justice?"

Xu Fugui's face turned ashen.

If the Xu family doesn't take any action after their son has been bullied to this extent, how will they ever be able to hold their heads high in this courtyard again?

"Pillar!"

Yi Zhonghai slammed his hand on the table. "Apologize right now! You've gone too far!"

Although the words were harsh, I still wanted to protect her—a verbal apology was enough to settle the matter.

Xu Fugui, however, refused to back down: "Is an apology all it takes? What if my Da Mao's marriage falls through? If you don't give me a real explanation today, my Xu family will still 'help' you think twice before arranging marriages for any other family's son in the backyard!"

These words are like cold water poured into a hot oil pan.

Liu Haizhong and Yan Fugui's expressions changed simultaneously—both families' sons were almost of marriageable age, and if the Xu family really made such a fuss, who would dare to come and propose marriage?

"Unhealthy trends and practices must not be allowed to flourish!"

Yan Fugui pushed up his glasses and spoke first, "Old Yi, this matter must be dealt with seriously, and a rule must be established for the entire hospital."

"That's right!"

Liu Haizhong quickly chimed in, "This trend absolutely must be nipped in the bud!"

Everyone naturally nodded in agreement.

Although many of them were rigorously trained assassins, they were still living, breathing human beings.

Unless Yang Ping gives the order, they will act like ordinary people, instinctively seeking advantage and avoiding harm, and assessing the situation.

Looking at the chaotic situation before him, Yi Zhonghai felt his temples throbbing and his head spinning.

He couldn't help but curse Sha Zhu inwardly. If he had just obediently lowered his head and admitted his mistake, wouldn't the matter have been settled? Instead, he stubbornly insisted on making a scene, and now, without severe punishment, it would be difficult to convince the public.

Yang Ping watched the farce with a faint smile playing on his lips.

He secretly thought that Xu Fugui was indeed quite shrewd, knowing how to bring everyone to the same side.

People don't know the pain until they're hit on the head. Otherwise, most people would just be watching the show and wouldn't be so united in demanding that Sha Zhu be punished.

"Old Xu, do you think it's appropriate to punish him by making him clean the courtyard for a month?"

Yi Zhonghai turned his gaze to Xu Fugui, his tone carrying a hint of negotiation.

"A month? No way!"

Xu Fugui shook his head decisively, "At least three months! And they'll have to compensate the Xu family for a meal."

He ruined this whole good thing today; Sha Zhu has to take full responsibility!

Upon hearing this, Sha Zhu was about to jump up and refute.

Before he could speak, Yi Zhonghai preemptively agreed: "Okay, we'll do it your way."