The Fitter Master in the Courtyard: Surrounded by Dead Men

This money is considered a subsidy.

The words sounded more like an order than a discussion.

What if I say no?

Yang Ping's voice wasn't loud, but it was sharp enough to hurt the ears.

"Who do you think you are? You dare to say that?"

Liu Guangqi stood up abruptly, his finger almost poking Yang Ping's nose.

"that is!"

The third brother, Liu Guangtian, chimed in, "It's an honor for the Liu family to let you stay in your dilapidated house. Don't be ungrateful!"

As night fell, the lights in the courtyard had long since been extinguished.

Liu Haizhong stood in the shadows with his hands tucked in, the wrinkles at the corners of his eyes revealing a resolute expression.

Behind him, his two sons stood like two walls, their muscular arms bulging out in the dim light.

"Think about it again,"

Liu Haizhong's voice was low and deep, "Our Liu family has always treated people with kindness, but if someone doesn't know how to appreciate that..."

Before he could finish speaking, the last syllable was already clenched between his teeth.

Liu Guangtian and Liu Guangfu took half a step forward in response, their shoes scraping against the bricks with a soft rustling sound.

They had already planned it out by noon—if the soft approach didn't work, they would resort to the hard one.

Anyway, Yang Ping has always been a quiet person; if you scare him a little, he'll definitely back down.

There were no lights on inside.

Liu Hai was actually thinking about something else: his eldest son's wedding was fast approaching, and he had tried every possible solution, both inside and outside the courtyard.

The money wasn't enough, but time was running out.

That's when they set their sights on that empty house at the west end.

He squinted at the young man standing opposite him—still with that same thin frame and that same meek and obedient demeanor.

The night was perfect, and everyone in the courtyard was fast asleep. Once things were settled, who could possibly take the house from him? He even had his explanation ready: it was a written agreement, and the money was exchanged for the goods.

"I won't agree."

Yang Ping's voice, however, steadily pierced the night.

Liu Haizhong's face instantly darkened. "You won't listen to a polite offer—"

He winked at his sons.

Three dark figures pounced on them, their fists carrying the damp night air.

Just then, the door to the east wing slammed shut.

The door opened, and a dozen or so people rushed into the courtyard, their footsteps, calls for help, and gasps of surprise colliding into a cacophony of sounds.

"Don't lay a hand on us! We're all from the same village!"

"We can't fight! How can we talk about unity if we fight!"

The torchlight flickered erratically, casting the wrestling figures' shadows onto the mottled wall, making it look like a hastily staged shadow puppet show.

As night deepened, the courtyard suddenly erupted in chaos.

The muffled thuds of fists and kicks mingled with suppressed cries of pain, creating a chaotic scene in the cramped backyard.

The three boys from the Liu family—Guangqi, Guangtian, and Guangfu—had long been swallowed up by the crowd. Only a few arms and legs could be seen occasionally kicking out from among the surging figures, followed by an even more mournful wail.

The person doing the attack was still pleading, "Stop hitting him, stop hitting him!"

But the momentum of that fist as it fell showed no sign of slowing down.

As early as when the father and his three sons came to the backyard in a menacing manner, someone in the shadows had already seen them.

With just a glance, several dark figures silently gathered, waiting for the commotion inside the room to become the trigger before rushing in all at once.

Liu Haizhong's chubby face turned a deep liver color as he watched helplessly as his most promising eldest son—the only high school student the family was counting on—was swept away by the crowd, his heart aching with pain.

He no longer cared about appearances, yelling incoherently, "Don't turn on the lighting! Come at me!"

He then plunged headlong into the chaotic battle.

Going inside only stirred up a hornet's nest.

A cold glint flashed in the eyes of the crowd surrounding him, and fists and kicks immediately flew over to strike him.

For a moment, shouts, calls to break up the fight, and Liu Haizhong's own distorted screams mingled together:

"Second Uncle, why are you hitting him?!"

"Second Uncle... Ouch! Don't, don't hit me!"

To the uninformed, it sounded like he was being aggressive from a distance, but in reality, he had already been beaten so badly that he could only run away with his head in his hands and howl in pain.

Yang Ping leaned quietly against the door frame, coldly watching the farce unfold.

The dim light cast a half-light, half-shadow on his face, and his expression remained completely expressionless.

The Liu family came in strutting in today, so they should have known they might have to leave strutting out as well.

Since you've chosen to pave the way with your fists, you can't blame others for having harder and heavier fists.

"Help! Someone's been killed!"

"Help! Someone's being hit—!"

A shrill female voice suddenly pierced the night sky. Aunt Er scrambled out of her house, and when she saw her husband and three sons being kicked and beaten by more than a dozen men, she was terrified and screamed for her life.

This shout was like pouring cold water into boiling oil, completely waking up the entire courtyard.

The lights in each room lit up one after another, the door hinges creaked, and a cacophony of footsteps converged from all directions, surging towards the backyard like a tide.

In no time, the backyard was packed with people.

Yi Zhonghai and Yan Fugui stood at the front, followed by Sha Zhu, who was rubbing his eyes, Xu Damao, who was standing on tiptoe and looking around, and a dark mass of neighbors wearing coats with different expressions.

A dozen pairs of eyes fell on the courtyard—the Liu family father and his four sons were sprawled on the ground, curled up and lying there, looking utterly pathetic.

Yi Zhonghai frowned, took a step forward, and asked in a deep voice the second aunt who was slumped to the side, her face covered in tears:

"What...what exactly happened at the Liu family's house?"

The second aunt was sobbing and couldn't speak coherently. She could only point at the few lumps of figures on the ground, tears streaming down her face.

As soon as I stepped into the front yard, I saw them attacking my husband and children.

As for the rest, I really don't know.

Sir, you must uphold justice for us. We cannot tolerate these lawless people.

She knew perfectly well why the Liu family had come, but she dared not utter a single word.

After all, the Liu family was in the wrong.

Yi Zhonghai frowned and turned his gaze to Ma Dachui and his group: "Ma Dachui, why are you fighting with Second Uncle?"

"I was strolling around in the backyard when I saw my second uncle and his men beating up Yang Ping."

For the sake of harmony in our courtyard, I quickly stepped forward to mediate the fight, but to my surprise, Liu Guangfu turned around and swung his fist at me.

I couldn't hold back and naturally fought back.

Ma Dachui replied.

"Where are the others?"

Yi Zhonghai heard "For the sake of harmony in the courtyard"

These few words made my temples throb slightly.

He now deeply regretted using this as an excuse to gather everyone, and vowed never to bring it up again.

"Our situation is similar to that of Big Hammer."

"Exactly, how can someone who tries to break up a fight get beaten up too? The Liu family is far too domineering."

"Hmph, if I run into them again next time, I'll make sure the Liu family remembers this lesson."

The crowd vented their dissatisfaction, and a few hot-tempered individuals were already rubbing their fists together, seemingly wanting to rush up and deliver a few more punches.

"If you ask me, this is entirely his own fault."

If they dare to hit me after I try to break up the fight, I'll beat them so badly they won't recognize their ancestors.

Hearing the commotion, Sha Zhu raised his voice in agreement.

"That's right!"

Yan Jiecheng and the others nodded repeatedly.

When Aunt Er heard these words, her face immediately turned pale.

Yi Zhonghai turned his gaze to Yang Ping: "Yang Ping, tell me what exactly happened?"

"Liu Haizhong wanted my room, but I refused, so he sent his sons to beat me."

Just then, Ma Dachui and his gang saw them.

Yang Ping explained the matter in a few words.

Upon hearing this, Yi Zhonghai's face darkened completely.

Liu Haizhong's act of taking money from Yang Ping's house without his permission made Yi Zhonghai somewhat unhappy.

"Old Liu is definitely not in the right in this matter."

Yan Fugui immediately retorted, "Whether or not the house is given is a matter of mutual consent. How can you force it like this? If you get beaten up, you can only say you brought it on yourself."

"That's right!"

The crowd naturally echoed in agreement.

Aunt Er's face turned pale and then red. Looking at her husband and son still lying on the ground, she felt both heartache and regret—if she had known this would happen, she should have stopped them from having this idea.

Liu Haizhong and his sons were in so much pain that they couldn't get up to argue with Ma Dachui and the others for a while; otherwise, they would have jumped up long ago.

Of course, they were even more afraid of getting another beating, so they simply lay on the ground and pretended to be dead.

"Everyone knows the ins and outs of the matter."

Yi Zhonghai said in a deep voice, "Old Liu and the others have learned their lesson. Let's leave it at that for today."

Anyone who dares to act recklessly again will be severely punished!

After saying that, he tried to wave the crowd away.

Since neither the Liu father nor his son uttered a word in rebuttal, there was no point in continuing the argument.

"Uncle, I disagree."

Yang Ping stepped forward at this moment.

All eyes immediately turned to him, and everyone looked puzzled.

"The Liu family, father and his three sons, beat me severely."

Yang Ping's voice was not loud, but every word was clear: "You have to pay me 100 yuan for medical expenses."

If they can't pay out the money, I'll have to go to the neighborhood office and talk to Director Wang.

The courtyard fell silent the moment those words were spoken.

The crowd looked at the Liu father and son lying on the ground, and then at Yang Ping standing perfectly fine. For a moment, they couldn't tell who was more seriously injured.

Even the sounds of the people in the bangs stopped abruptly.

"We'll pay! We'll pay!"

The second aunt hurriedly interjected, "Don't go to the neighborhood committee office... whatever you do, don't go!"

The thought had just formed in Liu Hai's mind, and he was about to speak when his wife's words cut him off.

He muttered "wasteful good-for-nothing" under his breath.

So he simply remained lying there, motionless.

Not long after, Aunt Er hurriedly ran home, retrieved one hundred yuan, and gave it to Yang Ping as compensation.

Yang Ping took the stack of banknotes, held them high, and showed them to the surroundings.

"Dear neighbors, please see clearly that this money is compensation from the Liu family after they assaulted and injured me. I ask you all to be my witnesses!"

His voice was clear and resonant, carrying far and wide with each word.

"Don't worry, Yang Ping, we can all vouch for you!"

"Yes, we all saw it!"

"The Liu family was so ruthless, they're practically inhuman! A thousand in compensation is too little!"

"Exactly, that's so unreasonable."

"Don't worry, even if the people from the neighborhood committee come, we'll still testify for you."

The onlookers chimed in with their own opinions, one comment after another.

Yi Zhonghai stood to the side, his face growing increasingly grim.

He looked at Yang Ping, who was standing there perfectly fine and full of energy, and couldn't see where the Liu family was "inhuman."

.

The Liu family, including Liu Haizhong, who were lying on the ground, were all bruised and swollen, and were so angry at these words that they almost passed out.

"Thank you, fellow villagers!"

Yang Ping clasped his hands in greeting and gestured to the surroundings.

"Alright, that's enough for today. Everyone, please leave!"

After saying that, Yi Zhonghai turned and left.

If we can't punish Yang Ping, and dealing with Liu Haizhong is pointless, we might as well just move on.

The crowd gradually dispersed, leaving only Ma Dachui and his dozen or so men standing in the same spot, showing no intention of leaving.

"You lot, get out of my house right now!"

Yang Ping suddenly shouted.

"well!"

Liu Guangfu was the first to get up from the ground and slip away without looking back—a chill ran down his spine as he was stared at by more than a dozen eyes.

The morning sun slanted into the courtyard, and the brothers Liu Guangqi and Liu Guangtian stepped out of the door one after the other and walked away without looking back.

"Wait, wait for me... give me a hand!"

Liu Haizhong called out from behind, his voice trembling slightly.

But the two sons had already disappeared outside the gate, as if they hadn't heard a thing.

Only the second aunt hesitated for a moment, then bent down to help him up, and the two hurriedly walked out—Ma Dachui and his dozen or so men were still watching coldly from the side. Liu Haizhong was in great pain, but dared not stay any longer, for fear of being punched again.

Ma Dachui and his group then moved, their footsteps fading into the distance.

The front yard, which was just crowded with people, was empty in the blink of an eye.

Yang Ping closed the door, straightened the tilted chair, and moved the table back to its original position.