The Fitter Master in the Courtyard: Surrounded by Dead Men

Xu Damao knew perfectly well how Yang** had been manipulated and bullied by Sha Zhu and Jia Dongxu every day.

How much weight can such a soft persimmon weigh?

"When has Yi Zhonghai ever suffered such a loss in all these years?"

Xu Fugui shook his head, his tone becoming more serious, "Things aren't as simple as they seem."

From now on, remember this: don't mess with Yang Ping. If you have the chance, try to get close to him; it won't hurt.

What's the point of associating with him?

Xu Damao snorted through his nose, completely ignoring his father's words.

He only cares about practical benefits; he won't bother with anything that doesn't bring him any advantage. That's why he didn't join in kicking Yang Ping before.

His eyes darted around, and he changed the subject: "By the way, Dad, have you... mentioned it to the Lou family yet?"

"Your mom went and told her."

Xu Fugui replied, "Let's wait for a reply. If all goes well, I'll arrange for you to meet."

"Alright!"

Xu Damao's face immediately lit up with a smile.

Meanwhile, inside the Liu family's house.

Liu Haizhong was on edge the whole way back, and only when he got home and didn't see Yi Zhonghai coming to settle scores did he finally breathe a sigh of relief.

As long as Yi Zhonghai doesn't come to him to share the cost, he has nothing to worry about.

"Dad, you didn't see it, Yang Ping really showed some skill today."

Liu Guangtian leaned closer, his tone tinged with admiration, "You managed to get an old man to take out two hundred yuan."

But the thought of losing the ten yuan that should have been his made him feel a little uneasy.

As dawn broke, the courtyard still carried the lingering scent of last night's embers.

Liu Haizhong paced back and forth in the main room, his face ashen, a low, angry voice rumbling in his throat: "This is outrageous... That bastard dared to defy me."

That room will eventually fall back into my hands.

He recalled Yang Ping's composed demeanor from yesterday, and his anger flared even more.

In the past, this young man had always obeyed him without question, but now he seemed like a completely different person.

Liu Guangtian huddled by the door, catching a glimpse of his father's gloomy profile. He dared not breathe, afraid that his father's anger would spill over onto him.

Liu Guangfu also lowered his head, staring at the toes of his shoes.

Only the second aunt came over and chimed in, "That's right! He dared to talk back to me yesterday. I think he's lost his mind and doesn't know his place."

As for the beating of Jia's wife, no one in the courtyard discussed it.

Everyone thought that mouth was really annoying, and that he deserved to be slapped a few times. If it weren't for saving face, they would have liked to go up and slap him a couple more times.

As the morning mist began to dissipate, Yang Ping finished getting ready and headed out the door to the Hongxing Steel Rolling Mill.

As soon as they stepped out of the compound gate, they saw two figures moving ahead—it was Jia Dongxu and Sha Zhu.

He ignored it and continued walking forward.

"Hey, you see a guy and don't even say a word? You got a beating, huh?"

Sha Zhu's rough, hoarse voice lashed out.

Jia Dongxu chuckled sinisterly from the side: "They need to be taught a lesson."

It's been a while since I've given him a chance to stretch his muscles, so today's a good opportunity for him to practice.

Having failed to secure a house yesterday and even suffered a loss at the hands of his own mother, Jia Dongxu was seething with anger and was looking for an excuse to vent his frustration.

Sha Zhu was naturally happy to agree—he had long disliked Yang Ping but had been waiting for an opportunity.

Yang Ping stopped and turned around, a very faint smile appearing on her lips.

His gaze swept calmly over the two of them, his voice low but clear:

"What, are you two planning to stage a scene outside the compound to disrupt unity?"

Ma Dachui led five men out of the courtyard gate and happened to witness this scene, so he immediately raised his voice.

Upon hearing that voice, Sha Zhu and Jia Dongxu turned pale instantly, shrank their necks into their collars, and frantically shook their hands.

"No, no, that's not true!"

There were six burly men standing in front of them, including Ma Dachui, the blacksmith. His iron hammer was known throughout the factory for its ease of use, and his strength was second to none. How could the two of them dare to confront him head-on?

At this moment, the two of them were filled with remorse and wished they could slap themselves.

If I had known this would happen, why did I provoke Yang Ping in the first place?

Even if they want to bully the weak in the future, they'll have to find a secluded spot where no one is around; they can't do that inside or outside this courtyard anymore.

The two of them secretly made a mental note of this debt.

Yi Zhonghai happened to stroll out of the courtyard, a smile plastered on his face, and interjected:

"Big Hammer, Sha Zhu and Dong Xu were just joking around with Yang Ping, don't take it to heart."

These two are his plans for retirement; one is a legitimate candidate, and the other is a backup. He can't afford to lose either of them.

After what happened yesterday, he didn't dare to be forceful again and could only try to mediate carefully—Jia Zhangshi had already been beaten, and if Jia Dongxu and Shazhu were to get seriously injured, it would be a huge loss.

"Just kidding?"

Li Dachui snorted, "Then I'll try to have some fun with Jia Dongxu and beat him up?"

Several men nearby also grinned:

"Alright, then we brothers will keep Sha Zhu company and have some fun."

Upon hearing this, Jia Dongxu and Sha Zhu paled even further.

"Hurry up and apologize to Yang Ping! Promise you'll never dare to cause trouble again!"

Yi Zhonghai urged him sternly.

Jia Dongxu immediately turned around and bowed deeply to Yang Ping:

"Yang Ping, I'm so sorry! I'll never make that kind of joke again!"

He lowered his stance extremely, as if afraid that if he hesitated even for a second, Li Dachui's fist, as big as a vinegar jar, would come down.

Although Sha Zhu was a hundred times unwilling, Yi Zhonghai's two heavy gazes pressed down on him, and the other five people silently surrounded him, so he finally shrank back.

"Yang Ping, I'm sorry."

He uttered those words, his voice devoid of any emotion.

"Idiot Zhu, straighten up your attitude!"

Before Yang Ping and Li Dachui could react, Yi Zhonghai shouted sternly, "If you keep beating around the bush like this, I'll have Dachui and the others wake you up!"

Sha Zhu's face turned pale instantly. He hurriedly bent down, his tone becoming increasingly urgent and sincere: "Yang Ping, I shouldn't have joked like that. I'll never do it again."

He was indeed a little intimidated.

He might be able to put up a fight against Li Dachui alone, but with six of them standing in front of him, he couldn't even muster the slightest thought of resistance.

"Okay, let's leave it at that this time."

A faint smile appeared on Yang Ping's lips.

A large number of people makes a difference.

Just moments ago, Sha Zhu and Jia Dongxu were arrogant and domineering, but in the blink of an eye, they became timid and cowering.

"snort!"

Sha Zhu expressed his dissatisfaction with a heavy nasal sound, then turned around and walked away with hurried and heavy steps.

Jia Dongxu kept his head down and didn't dare to say another word, scurrying along like a gray rat.

Yi Zhonghai naturally left with them.

Yang Ping didn't say anything more and started walking towards the factory.

Li Dachui and his companions followed silently behind him, keeping a few steps' distance, neither overtaking nor lagging behind, like a few quiet shadows.

Before long, the gray buildings of the Hongxing Steel Rolling Mill came into view.

Watching the dense crowd pouring into the factory gate, Yang Ping's mind stirred slightly, and he quietly began to sense things.

He wanted to see just how many of his "own people" were hidden inside this massive factory.

.

In an instant, my vision was illuminated by hundreds of bright red dots, each carrying its own identity and location information.

There were six or seven hundred suicide soldiers inside this factory area.

They are scattered in various workshops and positions, and even infiltrated into different types of work. If they come together, they will be a force to be reckoned with.

Yang Ping nodded slightly, feeling reassured.

With these six or seven hundred people, not only would no one dare to bully them in the factory, but this invisible network that spreads everywhere is already a solid trump card.

Yang Ping strode towards the first production workshop.

During the journey, he brought up the system panel to check the information of the assassins and was surprised to find that one of them was marked as "Level 6 Fitter".

Qualifications.

A thought suddenly struck him—he had been worried about the stagnation of his fitter skills, and now there was a turning point.

I'll have this assassin come over in a bit, and through memory sharing I can directly acquire all his experience, which will allow me to instantly reach the level of a sixth-grade fitter.

Once the factory's next assessment is passed, my salary grade will jump, and my benefits will be completely different.

Before long, he had reached the entrance of the workshop.

Looking up, Yang Ping caught a glimpse of Yi Zhonghai gesturing something next to a machine tool. He pretended not to see him and walked straight to his workstation.

Yi Zhonghai and his apprentice Jia Dongxu were both in this workshop, while Liu Haizhong was in the second workshop.

The individuals belong to different production lines and rarely interact on a daily basis.

Even when Yi Zhonghai occasionally came over to handle technical issues, he never took the initiative to talk to Yang Ping, so Yang Ping naturally didn't need to make a special effort to greet him.

"master."

As I approached my machine tool, a middle-aged man of short stature but sturdy build was already waiting there.

Yang Ping called out.

This was his master, Xie Quancai, a kind and compassionate man who had cared for the former orphaned and helpless "Yang Ping".

They have been very kind and supportive.

The original owner respected him almost like a father.

"Yang Ping, even after becoming a second-level worker, cannot slack off."

There's no end to learning in this field; there are still higher levels to come, like the CET-4 and CET-5... so many hurdles await you.

Xie Quancai spoke earnestly and sincerely.

The twenty-year-old second-level fitter was one of the best in the entire steel rolling mill, and he was afraid that his apprentice would become arrogant and waste his talent.

"Master, I went to the bookstore yesterday and bought a book about fitter techniques."

After thinking about it all night, I realized... I should be able to make the part myself.

Yang Ping made up an excuse on the spot.

"Even if the parts pass the test, there are still levels four, five... wait, what did you just say?"

Xie Quancai stopped abruptly halfway through his sentence, staring at him with wide eyes.

"I said, ** parts, I should be able to make them now."

Yang Ping readily agreed.

He never intended to hide it.

Once all the experience and memories of being a level six fitter are fully absorbed into his mind, his skills will only improve further.

Showing off one's talents now can be seen as laying the groundwork for the future.

"Then... let's give it a try."

Xie Quancai did not try to suppress him; instead, he felt that the kid should really be given a try.

After all, hearing is believing, seeing is believing.

Furthermore, he genuinely admired the talent his apprentice had displayed; perhaps, that seemingly troublesome level-four component could truly be created from his hands.

He immediately turned around and retrieved the materials and corresponding drawings needed for the Level 4 parts.

"Yang Ping, take a closer look and see if you're confident."

If it's really too much to handle, let's play it safe and master the Level 2 skills first.

"It can be done."

Yang Ping took the blueprints, his eyes quickly scanning the complex lines and markings, his tone calm yet resolute.

"Master, no problem, I can do it."

"good!"

Xie Quancai nodded heavily.

Yang Ping then stood in front of the machine tool and started the equipment.

His movements were so fluid, almost natural, without the slightest hesitation, as if he were a master who had been immersed in this art for many years.

The "comprehension talent" bestowed upon me by the system

The enhancement is no exaggeration; it's like a martial artist suddenly opening up their Ren and Du meridians, instantly elevating their abilities to a whole new level.

* * *

"How about... we try something even more difficult?"

Amidst the low hum of the machine tool, Yang Ping's operation remained as smooth as flowing water, so stable it was truly admirable.

Xie Quancai watched from the side, his eyes filled with disbelief.

With his experience as a level six fitter, how could he not see that the technique clearly demonstrated the skill of a level four fitter, and that it was exceptionally proficient and experienced, even surpassing some ordinary level four fitters?

"What a pity..."

He couldn't help but feel sorry for Yang Ping.

If this breakthrough had come a few days later, after the previous round of assessments, that would have been ideal; but it's stuck at this crucial moment, meaning the next assessment will have to wait at least six months.