The Fitter Master in the Courtyard: Surrounded by Dead Men

After saying that, she glanced at Yang Ping with her eyes, her gaze containing a profound meaning that only those who have been through it all could understand.

Lou Xiao'e picked out two pieces of fabric and handed them to Chen Xueru.

Chen Xueru took the fabric and turned to lead her into the inner room.

The two didn't exchange any more words, as if those few words had said everything that needed to be said, or perhaps each had something they couldn't bring themselves to say.

The curtains in the inner room were drawn, and the outer room became quiet.

Yang Ping sat down in a chair against the wall, noticed a plate of osmanthus cake on the table, picked up a piece and put it in her mouth.

The sweetness melted on his tongue. He looked towards the curtain and listened to the faint sounds of fabric rustling and low conversation coming from inside.

A short while later, the two lifted the curtain and came out.

Chen Xueru walked behind the counter and started using the abacus, the beads making a few crisp sounds.

"Two cheongsams, one for thirty-six, totaling seventy-two."

I'll round it down to seventy, plus twelve feet of cloth coupons.

Deposit or full payment is acceptable.

Yang Ping swallowed the last bite of pastry, patted the crumbs off her hands, and interjected with a smile:

"Boss, how about another eight dollars to round it up? Sixty sounds like a lucky number."

Chen Xueru looked up at him, her lips curving slightly, but there was no real smile in her eyes.

"This comrade is really joking."

My family is just a small business; we only earn a few cents for the labor of each garment. How can we afford to haggle like this?

She spoke to Yang Ping, but her gaze lightly swept over Lou Xiao'e.

Lou Xiao'e lowered her eyes, took out money and cloth coupons from her handbag, and placed them neatly on the counter. Her voice was calm:

"Seventy it is, thank you for your help, Sister Xue Ru."

Chen Xueru accepted the money and made a note of it in the ledger.

Yang Ping leaned back in her chair, watching the curve of her neck as she bent down to write, and the jade bracelet on her wrist swaying gently with her movements.

The only sound in the room for a moment was the scratching of paper and pen.

The light from outside the window cuts in at an angle, and dust motes swirl slowly in the beams of light.

She didn't even flinch as the money slipped through her fingers.

"Done, that's seventy. Here's the receipt for you. Come pick it up in three days."

Chen Xueru put the money into the drawer, saying something as she did so.

"Sister Xue Ru, I'll be going now."

Lou Xiao'e said goodbye and turned to leave the shop.

Yang Ping also stepped out of the threshold without lingering.

The two then strolled slowly along Qianmen Street.

As they walked, Lou Xiao'e picked out quite a few odds and ends, and finally asked Yang Ping for thirty yuan and borrowed some everyday vouchers, saying she would write an IOU when she got back.

Yang Ping naturally agreed.

Lou Bancheng was one of the most prominent business owners in the city. His daughter had been carefree since childhood and spent money without restraint, which was to be expected—once life got too easy, it was hard to change her ways.

Before she knew it, Lou Xiao'e had enjoyed her shopping to the fullest and said she wanted to go back.

Both of them carried large and small paper and cloth bags all the way back to the courtyard.

"Here, Yang Ping, the IOU is ready for you."

As soon as she entered, Lou Xiao'e ground ink and laid out paper, quickly wrote a few lines, and handed them over.

"OK."

Yang Ping took it, folded it neatly, and put it in her bosom.

He sat in the room for a while, and seeing that the sky outside the window was gradually darkening, he got up and said:

"Xiao'e, I'm going back now. I'll come see you again when I have time."

"Oh well."

A hint of sadness flashed across Lou Xiao'e's eyes.

Being alone in the room was indeed stifling, but she couldn't find any reason to keep him there, so she could only nod.

As for going home—how easily will my father's anger subside? Let's wait another seven or eight days and see.

"Wait a minute, I'll go get you something to cheer you up."

Yang Ping noticed her dejection, then left the room.

Not long after, he returned.

Yang Ping brought over an old-fashioned phonograph from somewhere, along with several vinyl records.

He remembered that in the original drama, Lou Xiao'e had a fondness for these old things, and he happened to see them at Yao Fengze's place, so he brought them back with him.

When Lou Xiao'e saw the machine, her eyes lit up: "Where did you get this phonograph?"

"Borrowed from Uncle Yao."

Yang Ping said in a relaxed tone, "If you get bored, just put on some music."

"Yang Ping... thank you."

Lou Xiao'e's voice was tinged with emotion.

Yang Ping's smile deepened.

He could tell that Lou Xiao'e's heart was gradually leaning towards him.

Of course, it's impossible to achieve this in one step.

He listened to a symphony with her for a while, and then got up to say goodbye.

Lou Xiao'e was the only one left in the house.

The needle scratched across the grooves, music flowed, and she sat there, completely absorbed in listening.

……

"Congratulations, Master, on being promoted to Level 7 Fitter!"

Yang Ping carefully measured the newly formed part in his hand, then smiled and congratulated Xie Quancai.

Xie Quancai's face was beaming with undisguised joy as he repeatedly asked, "How was it? What standard did it meet?"

"They're nowhere near as good as me."

Yang Ping joked, "You've only just reached the lower seventh rank, while I've already reached the top rank."

With Yang Ping's guidance during this period, Xie Quancai's skills had already stabilized at the sixth-level special grade.

Today, spurred on by his apprentice, he decided to try grinding a level 7 part. He originally intended it as practice, but unexpectedly succeeded on his first try. Although the precision was still lacking, he finally obtained the qualification of a level 7 fitter.

Yang Ping himself is now able to produce workpieces at the seventh-grade special level, but his condition is not yet fully stable.

Once you've mastered it, you're not far from reaching level eight.

"You little brat, are you deliberately trying to annoy me?"

Xie Quancai laughed and scolded, but he knew in his heart that he was indeed far inferior to this apprentice.

"Master, I was just teasing you."

Yang Ping replied with a smile.

Before he could finish speaking, he saw that Xie Quancai across from him was already in tears.

"I never expected this... I never expected this at all!"

Xie Quancai's voice choked with emotion as he raised his rough hand to wipe his face. "I thought that reaching the level of a sixth-grade fitter was the limit for my life. I never imagined I'd actually reach the level of seventh..."

It is said that a man's knees are worth gold and he does not easily shed tears, but at this moment, this usually tough middle-aged man could not stop the tears from welling up in his eyes.

That technical hurdle that had held him back for nearly seven years was like a rusted lock, no matter how much he studied and consulted, or even endured the open and covert ridicule in the workshop, it remained unmoved.

Over time, his ambition gradually wore off, and he simply accepted that his talent had reached its limit. So he became content with his lot and did his job as a level six worker.

But to his utter surprise, the turning point came from the young apprentice entrusted to him by his old friend.

It was this kid who, using that seemingly unorthodox but actually exquisite method, pried open that long-sealed door for him.

"Waaah..."

Xie Quancai became more and more agitated as he thought about it, and wiped the corner of his eye with the back of his hand.

His hands were still covered in black ash from his previous work. He wiped it off, leaving several comical, mottled marks on his face.

"puff--"

Yang Ping was about to offer words of comfort when she looked up and saw that face that resembled a painted opera mask. She couldn't help but burst out laughing.

"You little brat! Your master is crying here, and you're laughing? I'll teach you a lesson!"

Xie Quancai was puzzled. Seeing that he not only did not comfort him but laughed even more, he felt both sad and amused.

"Master, take a look for yourself."

Yang Ping turned around and borrowed a small round mirror from a female worker next to him, then handed it to him.

"Why are you giving me a mirror... Ouch!"

Xie Quancai glanced at his reflection in the mirror, was startled at first, and then was amused by his own appearance. Tears were still on his face, but his mouth was already stretched into a grin, and his crying and laughing were mixed together.

"Master Xie, what's with all this crying and laughing? What's going on?"

Lu Shuitian strolled over from the other end of the factory. He had just opened his mouth to ask a question when his gaze fell on Xie Quancai's colorful face, and he couldn't help but burst into laughter.

Xie Quan hurriedly turned around, avoiding everyone's gaze.

He strode to the sink, turned on the tap, and the rushing water drowned out the faint noise from the workshop.

After watching him leave, Director Lü turned to Yang Ping with a gentle smile: "What's your master up to? Why is he all covered in makeup like a cat?"

"I had just become a level seven worker and was so excited that I didn't realize I was wiping away tears with my oil-stained hands."

Yang Ping gave a brief explanation and handed over the part that Xie Quancai had finished, saying, "Take a look, this is it."

Lu Shuitian took the still-cool metallic part, his gaze carefully scanning each surface. "The craftsmanship is there, but the finishing touch is lacking; it's much rougher than yours."

He looked up and asked, "Have all the data been measured?"

"The measurement has been taken; it's within the standard range."

Yang Ping handed over the measuring tape that was next to him.

Lu Shuitian skillfully used calipers to measure, checking several key dimensions one by one, and finally nodded: "That's right, it's a qualified product."

His smile deepened, tinged with emotion, "Both master and apprentice are level seven workers... This is the first time in our factory that we've ever seen this before, we've never heard of it in all those years."

The factory has produced several pairs of level-six master-apprentice pairs in the past, and they are still alive today, but a pair of level-seven stars is truly unprecedented.

At this moment, Xie Quancai wiped his face clean and came back, saying, "We were able to get through this hurdle this time entirely thanks to Yang Ping."

Without his guidance and help, at my age, I'm afraid I'd never even hope to reach level seven again.

When Yang Ping's name was mentioned again, Lü Shuitian felt a jolt.

He originally thought that Xie Quan's promotion to the seventh-level fitter was entirely due to his past experience and accumulation, but he never expected that the person behind it all was that young man.

Yang Ping is not only exceptionally skilled himself, but he can also guide others to break through their bottlenecks—this goes beyond the realm of so-called genius and is simply unbelievable.

An idea quickly formed in Lü Shuitian's mind.

"Yang Ping,"

His tone was serious, his gaze fixed on the young man before him, "Was your master's advancement this time truly due to your guidance?"

Hearing this from the side, Xie Quancai spoke up loudly before his apprentice could speak: "Director Lü, I, Xie Quancai, always do things my way."

Whether it's the truth or not, you'll find out as you read on.

"Master Xie, please don't misunderstand."

Lu Shuitian waved his hand, his expression becoming serious. "If Yang Ping really has the ability to teach skills, I plan to set up a skills enhancement group in the workshop, led by him, to help a group of people break through their current work level."

As the workshop director, he had a broader perspective.

A single genius cannot change the big picture, but if that talent can be transformed into the power to cultivate others, the impact will be completely different—it could bring unexpected changes to the entire workshop or even the factory.

Xie Quancai remained silent for a moment after hearing this, then turned to look at Yang Ping, his eyes conveying a sense of entrusting her with his new role.

This is a matter for the apprentice to decide.

After a moment's thought, Yang Ping calmly replied, "Director Lü, I can give it a try."

But the number of people shouldn't be too large, otherwise it will be too much to handle—I still have a task to complete involving level seven parts.

"Okay! Let's start with twelve people. You can give me pointers whenever you have time."

An excited look flashed in Lü Shuitian's eyes.

If there were a few more level 7 fitters in the workshop, it would be of great benefit to both production and him personally.

"OK."

Yang Ping agreed readily.

Leading twelve people is not a difficult task.

Master Xie Quancai would only occasionally offer a few pointers, and most of the time he would bury himself in polishing the level 7 parts.

Having more people just means taking more time.

"I'll get on it right away!"

Lu Shuitian hurried out of the workshop in the blink of an eye.

Xie Quancai watched the figure disappear through the door before turning around.

"Twelve, isn't that too rushed?"

"It's alright."

Yang Ping smiled and shook his head.

"When I taught you, wasn't it just a matter of chatting over tea?"

"You little rascal, always teasing your master!"

Xie Quancai chuckled and cursed, but his eyes shone with light.

Yang Ping also smiled.

The master and apprentice exchanged a few jokes before returning to their respective workstations—their quotas for the day were not yet finished.

Lü Shuitian acted very quickly.

Before long, he returned with a list in his hand.