The Fitter Master in the Courtyard: Surrounded by Dead Men

The woman, however, remained unmoved: "If you can peep at me today, you'll dare to prey on young women and wives tomorrow. This kind of evil must be stopped!"

"That makes sense!"

Sha Zhu chimed in from the side, "This kind of bastard deserves to be taught a lesson!"

Xu Damao was supported by two men, one on each side, and staggered through the alley. Sha Zhuzi led the way, while Aunt Chen followed closely behind, her eyes fixed on his back like nails, watching to prevent him from slipping away.

Before long, the group arrived at the gate of the compound.

"Look, Director Chen, this is it!"

Sha Zhuzi raised his hand and pointed to the two familiar wooden doors, his voice loud and clear.

Xu Damao's face had long since lost its color, turning ashen like the cold ashes in a stove.

He tried to twist his body one last time, but his arms were gripped tightly, and his struggle was as futile as an autumn insect flapping its wings.

"Um."

Aunt Chen snorted through her nose and stepped into the courtyard.

"Oh! Director Chen? What brings you here?"

Yan Fugui, who was tidying up flowerpots in the yard, immediately recognized the director of the street women's federation when he looked up and quickly greeted her with a smile.

When his gaze fell on Xu Damao, who was being twisted, the smile on his face froze instantly, and his expression became indescribably strange.

"Teacher Yan, so this despicable scoundrel is from your department?"

Director Chen understood now.

"Yes, yes, his name is Xu Damao."

"Director Chen, what... trouble has he gotten himself into?"

Yan Fugui asked tentatively.

"That was him, lurking around outside the public restroom last time! I caught him red-handed today! Go and get the 'old man' in charge of your compound, and his parents too. This matter needs to be settled face-to-face!"

Director Chen's tone was resolute.

Upon hearing this, Yan Fugui's eyes widened in surprise.

Xu Damao must have lost his mind. Of all people to spy on, why did he have to spy on this director who held the power over women's affairs? This is like an old man eating poison—he's tired of living!

"I'm going right now! I'm going right now!"

He dared not delay, and turned around and ran to the central courtyard to find Yi Zhonghai, and then rushed to the back courtyard to call for Xu Fugui.

The commotion was like cold water being poured into a hot oil pan, instantly startling the entire courtyard.

Men, women, young and old, no matter what they were busy with, all dropped what they were doing and rushed to the front yard to see this rare spectacle.

In the front yard, Yi Zhonghai and Director Chen sat facing each other, while Xu Fugui stood to the side, his face ashen.

The area was surrounded by neighbors who stood on tiptoe and craned their necks, whispering and buzzing.

"...That's the situation."

Master Yi, Projectionist Xu,

Director Chen succinctly recounted the events, his gaze sweeping over the two men. "Someone in your department has committed such a morally corrupt act. What do you suggest we do?"

Those around him immediately understood, and all eyes turned to Xu Damao, their gazes filled with undisguised mockery and contempt.

"Ha, according to the rules, I have to clean the outhouse for three months!"

Sha Zhu added another sentence slowly and deliberately.

Xu Fugui's face instantly turned as black as the bottom of a pot. He raised his hand and slapped his son across the face, cursing:

"You insolent fool! Apologize to Director Chen right now!"

"Director Chen, I'm so sorry. I was in such a rush to find a girl for a blind date that I lost my mind. I'll never do it again!"

Unlike Sha Zhu, Xu Damao was not stubborn. Seeing that the situation was not good, he immediately lowered his head and gave in.

Xu Fugui hurriedly stepped forward to explain to Director Chen that his son was looking for a girlfriend that day, but the girl went to the toilet and didn't come back for a long time, so he was in a hurry and went to the wrong place.

"Director Chen, please forgive me, there was indeed a reason for this!"

"There's a reason, but you can't just walk into the women's restroom like that. It happened to be me today, but what if it were another girl? What would happen to her reputation?"

Director Chen, however, was not buying it and showed no intention of letting the matter off easily.

Xu Fugui stood there, his face growing increasingly grim.

He originally thought that by slapping his son in public and making a big show of it, he might be able to get people to back down.

Unexpectedly, Director Chen showed no mercy whatsoever; he's a tough nut to crack.

"Director Chen, I think this is how it should be done—punish Xu Damao by making him clean the men's restroom for three months, and then hold a hospital-wide meeting to publicly criticize him, so that everyone can learn from this."

Yi Zhonghai spoke up at this point.

Xu Damao was not someone he was looking after, so he naturally didn't need to show him any mercy.

"Okay, it's settled then."

Director Chen nodded, finally somewhat satisfied.

In any case, Xu Damao should be taught a lesson.

She then handed the rest of the matter over to Yi Zhonghai and left the courtyard with her men.

"Everyone assemble! A college-wide meeting is here!"

Yi Zhonghai raised his voice and announced.

And so, another college-wide meeting was held.

Yang Ping had just put down his rice bowl when he heard the commotion, so he strolled out to see what was going on.

Hearing that Xu Damao was caught red-handed peeping at the Women's Federation director relieving herself, he was first stunned, then shook his head—this guy really jumped into the pit himself, he can't blame anyone else.

Everyone in the courtyard had gathered together, and it was clear that the matter concerning Xu Damao was no longer a secret.

As the person in charge of the backyard, Liu Haizhong felt that now was the time for him to step forward and take charge of the situation.

I didn't get a chance to speak to Director Chen of the Women's Federation before, so now I'd better make a good impression.

He specially invited his two sons, Liu Guangtian and Liu Guangfu, to join him. With their limited literary knowledge, they racked their brains and wrote a critical article that they considered to be quite good.

If the eldest son hadn't gone to work, the one in the family who had a high school education could have helped out, and maybe they could have done it in a more respectable way.

"Xu Damao, step forward!"

Liu Haizhong raised his voice, carrying an undeniable authority.

Xu Damao slunk out.

Now that things have come to this, he has already lost all face, and he feels there is nothing left to hide.

"Xu Damao, your behavior is immoral and your thoughts are wicked. How dare you harass Director Chen of the Women's Federation while she uses the toilet! This is utterly immoral, shameless, and intolerable to both heaven and earth!"

Liu Haizhong, referring to the scrap paper in his hand, uttered eight four-character phrases in one breath.

He thought to himself that the more words he used, the more learned he would appear, and at least let everyone know that he, Liu Haizhong, had studied for a few years and wasn't some illiterate brute.

Upon hearing this, those in the courtyard who hadn't received much education were stunned, thinking that the Second Uncle was indeed quite eloquent; but those who had read a little more books looked at each other in bewilderment, finding the words both awkward and ridiculous.

"puff--"

Yang Ping couldn't help but burst out laughing.

The word choice is so precise, especially "desperate to the point of being indiscriminate in eating".

This sentence is absolutely apt—Xu Damao must be starving to the point that he doesn't even spare middle-aged women.

Xu Damao himself couldn't hold back and chuckled to himself.

Yan Fugui stood to the side, his lips already curled into a wide smile.

"Uncle, with your level of education, you should really enroll in night school to improve your literacy!"

Sha Zhu, quick to speak, bluntly uttered a sarcastic remark.

Liu Haizhong's face immediately turned bright red.

He looked around and noticed that many people had a half-smile on their faces, and even the usually composed Yan Fugui was clearly suppressing a laugh.

He stood there, his face alternating between pale and flushed, looking as ugly as a piece of pickled vegetable that had been left out for too long.

The noise in the courtyard was silenced by a shout.

Yi Zhonghai's loud voice silenced the crowd.

"Xu Damao must be seriously criticized today; his ideology and conduct are problematic."

This time, Liu Haizhong didn't beat around the bush. He spoke briefly and directly: "If you do it again, you'll be handed over to Director Chen at the Women's Federation."

Xu Damao lowered his head, but his attitude was upright: "I accept the criticism."

"Meeting adjourned!"

With a wave of his hand and a stern face, Liu Haizhong turned and left.

The crowd dispersed amidst laughter, still muttering about Xu Damao's affairs and scoffing at the little bit of ink in Liu Haizhong's hair.

……

On the morning of his day off, Yang Ping put down his bowl and went to the front yard to find Yan Fugui.

"Uncle, can I borrow your two fishing rods? I'll return four fish to you later."

Yan Fugui had already packed everything up; his fishing rod was against the wall, and he was carrying a small stool.

He was just about to knock on Yang Ping's door when he saw her arrive, and a smile spread across his face: "Yang Ping, I was just about to go fishing too, shall we go together?"

"No, I have plans with someone else."

Yang Ping waved his hand, "If you don't want to lend it, I'll buy it right now."

"Borrow! How could I not lend!"

Yan Fugui hurriedly handed over the two fishing rods.

He couldn't bear to let the four fish he had already caught fly away.

Besides, even if I went, I might not catch anything and would come back empty-handed, having wasted my time.

Why not lend out all the fishing rods? This business is sure to make a profit.

Yang Ping took the fishing rod and turned to leave.

He had brought the small stool from home a long time ago, and it was tied to the back rack of his bicycle.

I made plans to go fishing with Gao Yue today, so naturally I won't be bringing Yan Fugui along—he's such a bright light, such a spoilsport.

A short while later, I turned into the alley next to Gao Yue's house.

"Yang Ping!"

She was already waiting there, and when she saw me, she immediately raised her arm and waved.

"They're here!"

Without delay, I rode my bicycle toward her.

Gao Yue nimbly sat on the back seat, I steadied the handlebars, turned around and rode towards Houhai.

In the blink of an eye, Houhai Lake was right in front of us.

On weekends, there are quite a few people coming here to relax, and there are also some people sitting in twos and threes fishing by the water.

I found a secluded spot on the bank, stopped the car, and said:

"This is fine."

The scenery here is quite beautiful. There are reeds that are taller than a person growing by the water. They are so dense that once you go inside, you can't even see your shadow. No matter what you do inside, no one outside will know.

"OK."

Gao Yue responded and got out of the back seat nimbly.

She handed me the fishing rod, then turned around and took down the small stool that was tied to the car frame, setting it up on the shore.

"I'm going to dig up some earthworms. You wait here for a moment."

I handed the fishing rod back to her.

"it is good."

She nodded.

So I squatted down by a pile of stones not far away and looked for earthworms. I also pushed aside the reeds and peered inside. I needed to figure out what was going on inside before I could make any arrangements.

Before long, I emerged from the reeds.

They were very satisfied with the situation inside—it was cleverly concealed, making it almost impossible to see the outside from inside, and naturally, it was impossible to see anything inside from the outside.

With the sky as a canopy and reeds as a mat, and the noise outside as mere background music, this is probably the most pleasant moment in life.

37: The intelligent and clever Gao Yue!

I returned to Gao Yue's side, placed the few earthworms I had dug up on a broken tile, picked up a piece, snapped it off, and threaded it into the fishhook.

The morning breeze along the riverbank carried a slight chill from the moisture. Gao Yue took the fishing rod he handed her, and felt a brief warmth as her fingertips lightly touched the bamboo handle.

"it is good."

She should have been concise; with a flick of her wrist, the weight sliced ​​through the water, creating ripples that spread silently.

The float stabilized, and her gaze followed, sinking into the bluish-gray shimmering water. Her movements were practiced, as if she were already familiar with the rhythm of waiting.

Yang Ping calmly threaded the earthworm onto the hook tip; the thin line traced a silver arc in the air before disappearing into the water.

He didn't rush to use his fish-attracting trick—some moments should be slower, like the undercurrents beneath the surface, not something to rush to the surface.

"Did you used to fish often?"

He turned his head to ask.

"I once met a master."

Gao Yue's gaze remained fixed on the fishing float, her voice soft and clear, "People called him the 'King of Fishing,' and he was over there back then—"

She raised her chin and pointed to an empty rocky beach downstream, "After casting my line repeatedly, my fish basket is almost full."

I watched for a while and managed to memorize some of the movements.

"Is your surname Deng?"

Yang Ping recalled that round, smiling face.

"Like this surname."