The Fitter Master in the Courtyard: Surrounded by Dead Men

Xu Yueling, the sister-in-law who had just returned home, shrank back in fright. On the way home, she thought her new sister-in-law spoke gently and softly, but in the blink of an eye, she seemed like a completely different person.

"Cough, cough!"

Yan Fugui coughed twice, breaking the deadlock.

"Dinner should be ready at home, I'll head back now."

As he spoke, he reached for a handful of loose wedding candies from the table next to him, said nothing more, turned and squeezed into the crowd, and walked away quickly.

He had originally intended to encourage the Xu family to host a small gathering, but seeing that the new bride was no pushover, he immediately abandoned the idea. He figured it was better to go home early to avoid getting into trouble.

With him taking the lead, the neighbors who had come to watch the spectacle dispersed in twos and threes, and no one lingered any longer.

Sha Zhu was seething with resentment.

In this courtyard, apart from Yang Ping, whom he always managed to get the short end of the stick, when had he ever suffered a loss with anyone else? Unexpectedly, today he was shut down by a single sentence from a newly arrived woman.

He wanted to yell back, but he had no reason to say anything and couldn't find any fault with it, so he could only comfort himself: a good man doesn't fight with a woman.

Thinking this, he hung his head and followed the crowd.

Yang Ping had been leaning against her doorframe, watching. At this moment, the corners of her mouth curved into a faint smile. She pushed the bicycle, turned around, and went into the house.

When Yang Ping returned to his residence, he happened to see Xu Damao's wife, Ma Xiaoling, throwing a tantrum in the yard.

The woman was sturdy and had a loud voice. Xu Damao stood to the side with a sullen face and tightly pursed lips, clearly holding his anger but not daring to lash out.

He immediately understood—Xu Damao, who had never suffered a loss in the courtyard, had finally met his match.

With such a fierce temperament, where could anyone escape? Xu Damao's days are probably numbered.

Once inside, Yang Ping started a fire and began cooking dinner.

The pot had just been placed on the stove when Xu Yueling quietly slipped in, her small face still showing lingering fear. She muttered in a low voice, "Brother Yang Ping, my sister-in-law was really scary just now... Sha Zhu only said a few words to her, and she scolded him so badly that he couldn't lift his head."

Yang Ping smiled upon hearing this, continuing to stir-fry the food: "You can say this to me, but don't let your sister-in-law hear it, or she'll scold you too."

"I definitely wouldn't dare let her know!"

Xu Yueling quickly made her promise and glanced at the door again, as if afraid that the tall figure would suddenly appear.

The eggplant in the pot was sizzling, and the aroma of oil mixed with the smell of soy sauce wafted out.

Xu Yueling couldn't help but move closer, her nose twitching slightly: "What kind of dish is this? It smells so good."

Braised eggplant.

Yang Ping replied.

After learning to cook, his skills improved, and he could make even a simple home-style dish taste delicious.

"Yang Ping is amazing, even his cooking smells so good."

Xu Yueling's eyes shone, and her tone was full of admiration.

"Why don't you stay and eat with us?"

Yang Ping asked her casually.

Before the words were finished, Xu's mother's voice came from the Xu family's side: "Yueling—come back for dinner!"

"Hey, here it comes!"

Xu Yueling responded, then smiled apologetically at Yang Ping, turned around and ran out briskly.

Yang Ping raised his eyelids, his gaze gently falling on her face. "Go."

As he spoke, his hands never stopped, scooping the last glistening eggplant from the pan into a white porcelain plate.

Xu Yueling shuffled her toes on the ground, but didn't turn around immediately.

The smile on her face faded like the receding tide, and her eyes quietly reddened. "Brother Yang Ping,"

Her voice trembled slightly, "Will... I be able to come here to see you again in the future?"

"Of course."

Yang Ping put down the spatula and answered without the slightest hesitation.

The girl looked at him, seemingly wanting to ask something more, but in the end she just pursed her lips and swallowed the words that were stuck in her throat.

Some things don't need to be explained clearly; it's enough to have a clear understanding in your heart.

As dawn broke, the Xu family of three quietly left the courtyard.

Yang Ping pushed open the door to wash up; the courtyard was so quiet that only birdsong could be heard.

The Xu family's house was tightly closed. The kitchen, which would usually be filled with the aroma of porridge and rice at this time, was now empty except for Xu Damao, who was busy and flustered dealing with the pots and pans.

He glanced at it and immediately understood.

Without saying much, he finished tidying up and went out the door.

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

"Good morning, Master Yang!"

When Lin Dahai and several of his coworkers saw him come in, they all put down what they were doing to greet him.

"Just keep doing your own thing."

As Yang Ping walked, he unbuttoned his cuffs. "Come over anytime if there are any problems."

Everyone responded and returned to their respective work machines.

The clanging sounds of operation quickly filled the large space.

Yang Ping walked to Lin Dahai's workstation and pointed to a mark on his blueprint. "From today onwards, you will be receiving materials for level seven parts."

The skill in hand needs to be honed to a finer level.

"become!"

Lin Dahai grinned and rubbed his rough hands together.

Including Xie Quancai, there are now three fitters in the workshop who can handle level seven jobs.

The progress on the previously delayed batch of precision parts can finally be made a little faster.

The three of them headed to the storage room to collect materials. On the way, Xie Quan turned his head, looked at Lin Dahai, and laughed, "Old Lin, you've joined us today too?"

Lu Shuitian spotted Lin Dahai at a glance and casually asked about his recent situation.

Xie Quancai quickly replied, "Director Lü, Master Lin was officially promoted to a level seven fitter yesterday."

His expression revealed an undisguised pride, as if this achievement was the result of his own cultivation.

Yang Ping simply smiled slightly and didn't say anything more.

"really?"

Upon hearing this, Lü Shuitian's face lit up with surprise, and he turned to Lin Dahai for confirmation.

Lin Dahai nodded calmly: "Yes."

"Yang Ping, oh Yang Ping, I admire you so much!"

Lu Shuitian was so excited that he took a few steps forward and hugged Yang Ping tightly.

Yang Ping was taken aback by this sudden action and secretly breathed a sigh of relief—thankfully, the other person only hugged him; if it had been any more enthusiastic, he really wouldn't know how to react.

"Director Lü, this is mainly because Lin Dahai has a solid foundation and deep experience, so it was a natural outcome. You don't need to be so agitated."

He quickly explained.

"Regardless, the credit still belongs to you!"

Lu Shuitian said firmly, "Yang Ping, you wait here, I'll go and report to Director Yang right now."

Two seventh-level fitters have achieved breakthroughs under your guidance, which is a rare achievement in the factory. We must strive to get you a reward.

Yang Ping sincerely thanked him: "Thank you for your trouble, Director Lü."

"Of course, of course."

Lu Shuitian waved his hand and turned to leave.

The three men collected the materials needed for the Level 7 parts and returned to their posts.

Lu Shuitian was about to head to the factory director's office when Yi Zhonghai called him back.

"Director Lü!"

Yi Zhonghai shouted.

Lu Shuitian stopped, a hint of impatience flashing in his eyes: "Master Yi, what is it?"

In all the years Yi Zhonghai has been at the factory, apart from Jia Dongxu who is barely worth mentioning, he has never trained any decent high-level fitters. Now, even a newly promoted level seven worker can outperform him, which is really unreasonable.

Lu Shuitian knew in his heart that this person was not incompetent, but rather he was hiding his abilities and even secretly sabotaging those promising veterans.

But he was the only level eight fitter in the factory, and for many years no one dared to really do anything to him.

Now that Yang Ping has arrived, the situation is definitely different.

"Director Lü, I don't think it's appropriate to transfer so many senior technicians to the training group."

Yi Zhonghai stood in front of his desk, his tone flat, "There are so many low-level workers below who have no one to guide them, and a lot of scrap parts have already been produced. The factory has suffered considerable losses."

Besides, this doesn't go against the factory's old rules—veterans mentor newcomers; how can you abandon a novice?

He heard rumors this morning that Lin Dahai had been promoted to level seven again.

With Xie Quancai in the past and Lin Dahai in the future, if things continue like this, he might not be able to hold onto his position as an eighth-grade worker.

This cannot continue.

Lu Shuitian put down the notebook in his hand, his face darkening: "Master Yi, you don't need to worry about production scheduling."

"The rules were set by the factory, Director Lü."

Yi Zhonghai refused to back down, saying, "If Director Yang knew this was going to happen, he probably wouldn't have agreed either."

"Yi Zhonghai!"

Lu Shuitian suddenly called out his full name, his voice laced with anger, "If you're so capable, train two level-seven workers for me, and I'll immediately set up a group for you! If you don't have that ability, then shut up and stop pointing fingers here!"

He's been patient long enough.

Now that Yang Ping is in the factory, there's no need to put up with his attitude anymore, since he's just an eighth-grade worker.

If this person continues to be so ungrateful, don't blame him for being ruthless.

Yi Zhonghai choked, opened his mouth but couldn't say a word.

Yi Zhonghai's face suddenly darkened. He hadn't expected Lü Shuitian to have such audacity to confront him, the only eighth-grade fitter in the factory.

"What else do you want to say? Are you planning to go and complain to Factory Director Yang?"

Lu Shuitian refused to back down, his voice filled with long-suppressed dissatisfaction, "Coincidentally, I was just about to go find Director Yang."

"Why don't we go together and see whose side the factory manager will ultimately take?"

He poured out all the pent-up frustration he had been holding in for so long.

Yi Zhonghai's face grew increasingly ashen.

After a brief standoff, he finally fell silent and turned to leave dejectedly.

He had considered forming a technical team, but he felt he was not good at teaching and did not want the factory to have any more level-eight fitters—that would shake his unique position.

Everyone knows that the difference between having only one level eight fitter in the workshop and having several at the same time is significant.

That's why he's always been both openly and covertly suppressing those sixth and seventh grade workers.

Now, Yang Ping has suddenly appeared out of nowhere, and is about to reach the eighth rank. He has become a thorn in his side, making him restless day and night.

"Pooh!"

Lu Shuitian stared at Yi Zhonghai's departing figure, let out a cold laugh through his nose, and only then did he feel a little better.

He straightened his collar and walked straight toward the factory manager's office.

Before long, the person was standing in front of Director Yang's desk.

"Director Lü? What brings you here all of a sudden?"

Factory Director Yang closed the document in his hand, looked up and asked.

"Factory manager, I have some great news to report to you."

A smile spread across Lü Shuitian's face, and the wrinkles around his eyes smoothed out.

The thought of having such a remarkable person hidden in his workshop made him smile and vividly describe how Yang Ping was so talented and how he led his master and Lin Dahai to pass the Level 7 exam together.

"really?"

Upon hearing this, Director Yang could not hide his shock.

Passing the Level 7 exam on his own is already quite an achievement, but to be able to help two other people along the way is something he's never done before in all the years he's been involved in such cases.

"Factory manager, it's absolutely true!"

Lu Shuitian patted his chest, his tone resolute.

Lu Shuitian's words were resolute and left no room for doubt.

"Great!"

"You go ahead and attend to your current tasks. I'll discuss it with the others at the factory, and we'll make sure Yang Ping is properly rewarded."

Factory Director Yang knew Lü Shuitian's character well. This man never spoke without certainty, and he would never dare to deceive his superiors on such a momentous matter—that would be tantamount to courting death.

"become."

Lu Shuitian responded, turned around, and strode away.

Watching his figure disappear outside the door, Director Yang immediately picked up the phone and dialed the top leader directly.

He had to report the good news immediately and ask for instructions on the subsequent handling strategy.

As for the opinions of other cadres in the factory, since the top leader has already given clear instructions, they naturally have no way to object.

**46. Cheongsam**

The bicycle came to a stop in front of the gate.

Yang Ping raised his hand and knocked on the door.

"Here I am!"

Lou Xiao'e's clear voice came from inside the courtyard.

The moment the door opened slightly, a figure stood gracefully before me.

The navy blue cheongsam clung to her body, outlining her graceful curves.

Lou Xiao'e was in the prime of her twenty-three years, her face so fresh and tender that it seemed untouched by the elements.

Even the legendary Xi Shi of ancient times could hardly match the stunning beauty of this moment.

Yang Ping was momentarily stunned by what he saw.

He had seen all sorts of women before, but he had never encountered one who possessed both radiance and charm like her.

"What are you daydreaming about? Come in here."

Lou Xiao'e urged him with a smile.