The Fitter Master in the Courtyard: Surrounded by Dead Men

His gaze swept past Yang Ping, landing on the woman behind him with her head slightly bowed. He paused briefly, as if retrieving an image from his memory. "This... is she the daughter of the Lou family? I've met her a few times."

Lou Xiao'e's heart tightened suddenly.

She had been half-hidden beside Yang Ping, but now that her identity had been exposed, her fingertips involuntarily curled into her palms, and she lowered her head even further, only softly uttering an "Mmm."

He uttered a sound, which could be considered an admission.

Yao Fengze noticed the slight panic in her eyes and softened his tone: "No need to worry."

My place is peaceful and quiet, so you can stay here with peace of mind.

I will send three meals a day by a reliable person.

As long as you don't wander around unnecessarily, no one will know.

These words were like a gentle breeze, lifting a heavy weight from Lou Xiao'e's heart.

She finally looked up and whispered, "Thank you."

Yang Ping, standing to the side, remained calm.

Lou Bancheng's name was well-known throughout Beijing, so it was hardly surprising that his daughter was recognized by the owner of Fengzeyuan.

He simply stood there silently, waiting for the rest of the story to unfold.

"The house is just behind, a few steps away."

Yao Fengze said no more and turned to lead them through a moon gate.

It is indeed not far.

After passing the noisy shops in front, there is a quiet little courtyard hidden behind.

The courtyard wall is not high, but it keeps the noise of the city far away.

Two north-facing rooms stand facing each other, their doors and windows tightly shut, with some quiet moss growing on the steps, forming their own little world.

Yao Fengze pushed open the door to the east room, stirring up a speck of dust that swirled in the beam of light. "Take a look, is it satisfactory?"

Lou Xiao'e peeked inside.

The house was small but clean, and the furniture, though simple, was complete.

What's most remarkable is its location; it's hidden behind the bustling city center. If you want some fresh air, just turn out of the alley and you'll find yourself on the lively Qianmen Street.

A glimmer of light appeared in her eyes, and she nodded: "Very good, this place... is very good."

"I'm satisfied as long as I'm satisfied."

Yao Fengze said, "I'll have someone come and tidy things up right away, and prepare some hot food and tea."

If you need anything, just let the waiter in front of you know.

"Thank you for your trouble, Mr. Yao, to make these arrangements."

Lou Xiao'e responded softly.

Yao Fengze waved his hand, indicating that there was no need to be polite, and turned to go to the shop in front, leaving Yang Ping and Lou Xiao'e standing in the gradually quieting courtyard.

A breeze slipped in from the alleyway, gently lifting the hem of her dress.

Boss Yao waved his hand and turned to leave.

Lou Xiao'e then turned her gaze back to Yang Ping.

I initially thought he was a decent-looking man with a reassuring aura about him, but I never expected him to be so capable—the owner of Fengzeyuan was like a steward at his beck and call.

What exactly does he do? And what powerful backer does he have?

"Uncle Yao was an old acquaintance of my father."

Yang Ping casually brushed it off.

Even if you ask the old neighbors in the courtyard, I'm afraid no one can explain the ins and outs of this matter.

"Yang Ping, I will remember this kindness."

Lou Xiao'e spoke earnestly, "I'm not feeling well right now, but I'll treat you to a proper meal when we get back."

"become."

Yang Ping readily agreed.

Before long, Yao Fengze returned with three or five quick-witted men.

With everyone sweeping, dusting, and tidying up, the courtyard was transformed in less than half an hour.

Lou Xiao'e was already starving, so she picked up the bowl and started eating. At first, she didn't care about her manners, but after she had eaten a little, she gradually slowed down and returned to her usual refined manners.

Before leaving, Boss Yao left behind a hardworking auntie and told Lou Xiao'e to ask her for help with anything.

Once everything was arranged, only the slanting shadows of the sun under the eaves remained in the courtyard.

"You rest first, I'll come back when I have time."

Seeing that it was getting late, Yang Ping got up to take his leave.

Be careful on the road.

Lou Xiao'e escorted her to the door.

Yang Ping walked back to Fengzeyuan and found Chen Gaofei.

The two stood under the eaves and whispered a few words before he pushed his worn-out bicycle out of the alley.

The wheels rolled over the bluestone road, the sound of the wheels particularly clear in the twilight.

As he pedaled, he mentally reviewed the culinary skills he had just learned from Chen Gaofei—the man was originally a cook trained in the army, skilled in cooking large pot meals with a lively, earthy flavor, and his skills in cooking small meals were as delicate as embroidery.

He inherited his skills from his father.

The old man used to be the head chef in the Prince's mansion and was deeply favored by the Prince. Later, due to changes in the world, he left the mansion in anonymity.

With his family's skills, he entered Fengzeyuan as a cook and has been working there for more than 20 years. He has stayed here through thick and thin, from private to public life, and can be considered the oldest employee in the garden.

Yang Ping inherited Chen Gaofei's culinary skills and is now adept at cooking on all kinds of stoves, big and small. Even the guy in the canteen known as "Silly Zhu" is a master chef.

Even a master like him would probably pale in comparison.

Thinking of this, he felt a sense of reassurance.

He returned to the courtyard house as night deepened.

As soon as I pushed my bicycle into the front yard, I saw Yan Fugui still sitting on the doorstep, as if waiting for someone. "Yang Ping, why are you so late today?"

Yan Fugui looked up, his tone revealing surprise.

"I had dinner out with some friends."

Yang Ping gave a brief reply, then pushed the cart directly to the backyard without lingering.

The courtyard was quiet; all the houses had long since turned off their lights, and no one was still in the courtyard chatting or relaxing.

The backyard was just as quiet, with only a few windows letting in a dim light.

As soon as she parked the car, Xu Yueling poked her head out of her house. "Yang Ping, why are you only getting back now?"

Her voice was low, but it couldn't hide the concern in her words.

"I went to have dinner with friends."

Yang Ping smiled. "Aren't you going to rest?"

Ever since Xu Damao's marriage proposal fell through and she was able to stay in the courtyard, the girl has become much more cheerful.

At this moment, she had a smile in her eyes and looked very lively—if Xu Damao or her father Xu Fugui saw this expression, they would surely give her another scolding.

"Friend... is it a man or a woman?"

Xu Yueling blinked and then asked softly.

"Male."

Yang Ping answered naturally.

He didn't want to shatter the pure dreams in a young girl's heart, and even if he were to go out with Gao Yue or another girl tonight, he would still give the same answer.

Some beautiful things should be allowed to grow quietly in their proper time.

As soon as the sunlight streamed over the eaves, Xu Yueling moved out of the courtyard with her family.

Many years later, she will become someone else's wife and grow old in another place.

Yang Ping thought, then let herself stay on this page of her memory forever—stay here, smiling, young, as if time has never moved forward.

"Then I'll go back to my room and rest, Yang Ping."

Xu Yueling smiled, her eyes crinkling, and turned to go inside.

……

The next morning, Yang Ping went to the factory after breakfast.

The workshop was still filled with the smell of machine oil and metal.

As usual, he went to collect the parts list for the seventh-level worker to process. Director Lü came over, rubbing his hands together, with a smile on his face.

"Xiao Yang, we're counting on you for this batch of work."

I've negotiated with the factory. If all the work can be submitted by the 10th of next month, they'll approve a 20 yuan bonus, 10 jin of grain coupons, and also award you a model worker title and a medal.

"Okay, I'll try my best."

Yang Ping calculated the days; there were still more than twenty days left.

As I get more and more skilled, finishing this batch of parts shouldn't be too difficult.

The reward was rather ordinary—money and food were certainly good, and the title of model worker sounded prestigious, but it didn't stir much excitement in him.

Seeing his reaction, Lü Shuitian took another half step closer and lowered her voice: "Once this batch of tasks is finished, I'll approve three more days of leave for you, so you can have a good rest."

"Thank you in advance, Director."

Yang Ping nodded, picked up the stack of material lists, and turned to walk back to his workstation.

The canteen was noisy at noon. After getting his food, he glanced up and saw Ma Hua in the queue. He then gave her a subtle look—"See you outside after lunch."

Then he picked up his lunchbox and naturally walked to the window seat where Gao Yue usually sat and sat down.

These days, I almost always have lunch with her.

There's no need for many words; just a few words about the workshop or the sycamore leaves falling outside the window.

There is a kind of warmth that quietly grows between the bowls and chopsticks, where eyes meet, like a soup simmering slowly, gradually developing its flavor.

After finishing the meal, Yang Ping said goodbye to Gao Yue and walked slowly toward the old red brick wall on the east side of the factory.

At midday, the area outside the steel rolling mill was quiet, with the towering red brick walls casting slanted shadows.

After lunch, the workers would find their own places to rest, and no one would go outside the factory area at this time.

Yang Ping walked along the base of the wall for a while before spotting Ma Hua squatting behind several stacked cement pipes.

"Yang Ping!"

Ma Hua stood up, his voice low.

Yang Ping nodded.

He had already instructed earlier that the old titles should not be used when they met. "I will now share my culinary skills with you."

He took two steps closer, his gaze sweeping over the empty surroundings. "Remember, don't show yourself unless it's absolutely necessary."

He explained the plan in detail: if Li Chengde needed manpower and Sha Zhu happened to be away, that would be an opportunity.

If one could be invited to cook for a high-ranking leader based on their culinary skills, many things would be easier to arrange in the future.

After listening, Ma Hua's Adam's apple bobbed. "Then... when taking the engineer's certification exam—"

"Lift it up little by little."

Yang Ping interrupted him, "Moving too fast will attract attention."

"Understood!"

Ma Hua nodded emphatically, something lighting up in his eyes.

He was already more than satisfied with a promotion and a raise.

Having followed Sha Zhu around for years, I've done everything from chopping vegetables and washing dishes to doing odd jobs, but I haven't actually learned a thing or two—the chef wouldn't even let me watch him cook, let alone teach me anything.

If it weren't for the difficult times and the difficulty of finding a new job, he would have long since lost his temper.

Yang Ping said no more, focusing his mind to recreate a memory of cooking, which was then directly transmitted into the consciousness of the Malaysian Chinese community.

The moment the information flowed in, Ma Hua swayed and raised his hand to steady himself against the concrete pipe wall.

After he had absorbed all the recipes, cooking techniques, and knife skills he had learned, he suddenly knelt down with a thud, his forehead almost touching the clod of earth. "A teacher for a day is a father for life..."

His voice trembled with a choked sob, "You gave me all your skills to make a living, I, MCA... don't know how to repay you in this lifetime."

After saying that, she could no longer hold back, and her scalding tears fell into the dust in front of her.

Yang Ping pushed open the door and entered; the toilet was filled with the strong smell of disinfectant.

With his back to the door, Jia Dongxu was scrubbing the edge of the toilet bowl vigorously, the bristles making a rapid screech as they rubbed against the tiles.

He heard footsteps, his shoulders stiffened slightly, but he didn't turn around.

"Not finished yet?"

Yang Ping walked up to the urinal and casually asked.

Jia Dongxu paused for a moment, then mumbled an "Mmm."

He let out a sound, then buried his head and continued scrubbing.

Water splashed onto his rolled-up sleeves, leaving several dark stains on the dark blue workwear fabric.

Yang Ping stopped talking. As he unbuttoned his pants, he caught a glimpse of a tin bucket leaning against the corner of the wall, with a few strands of dirty cotton hanging from its rim.

Amid the sound of running water, Jia Dongxu suddenly spoke up: "Ma Hua broke a bowl in the kitchen this afternoon."

He lowered his voice, as if afraid of being overheard by a third person, "He said he was distracted and was scolded by Director Liu for ten minutes."

Yang Ping zipped up his jacket, turned around, and turned on the tap.

The cool tap water washed through his fingers, and amidst the rushing water, he replied, "Really? I haven't heard of that."

"Of course you can't hear me."

Jia Dongxu straightened up, threw the brush into the bucket, and the metallic clanging sound was particularly jarring in the small space. "He avoids everyone now, and he even takes his meals to the back of the boiler room."

He picked up the bucket, the dirty water sloshing around and almost spilling out. "Even I, a toilet cleaner, know that."

Yang Ping turned off the tap and shook his hands.

The cement floor was covered with puddles of water, reflecting the dim light bulb on the ceiling.

He pulled a crumpled handkerchief from his pocket and slowly wiped his fingers: "MCA members are soft-hearted, so it's normal for them to get scolded."

"soft?"