The Fitter Master in the Courtyard: Surrounded by Dead Men

When Zhou Xiaobai pushed the bicycle over, his movements were somewhat awkward.

Yang Ping sat sideways in the back seat of the car and casually gave the address: "No. 7, Nanluoguxiang. Do you know the way?"

"I recognize it."

She responded and gripped the handlebars, pedaling forward.

At first, the wheels swayed from side to side, and the car was unstable. Yang Ping naturally reached out and gently supported her waist.

"Xiaobai, is your driving skill still lacking?"

He asked with a smile.

"No, that's not true!"

Zhou Xiaobai hurriedly defended himself, "I even drove Gao Yue to the department store last week, it was perfectly safe."

She was so focused on controlling the direction that she didn't notice the hand on her waist.

Gradually, the car drove smoothly, no longer bumping or swaying.

She quietly breathed a sigh of relief.

A hint of amusement flashed in Yang Ping's eyes.

The way this girl was seriously competing was indeed amusing.

His hand remained loosely resting in the same spot, showing no intention of retracting it.

After walking for a while, Zhou Xiaobai finally realized what was happening and stiffened up.

A deeper blush crept into her ears. She hesitated for a moment, then whispered, "Um... just hold onto the seat."

Yang Ping had a smile on his face.

Zhou Xiaobai was stunned.

That "It's okay"

She should have been the one to speak, so why did he speak first? She felt a little dumbfounded—she was the one who had been taken advantage of, so why was he the one comforting her?

Strangely, she didn't push his hand away.

Yang Ping noticed her quietness and was secretly a little surprised.

Given Zhou Xiaobai's usual personality, she should have already shaken off his hand and sternly reminded him to be mindful of his behavior—after all, he was Gao Yue's boyfriend.

However, at this moment, she let him support her like that, without saying a word.

Could it be... that this girl has feelings for me?

He knew Zhou Xiaobai; her temper wouldn't soften for no reason.

The only reason she could tolerate this was her unspoken affection; there seemed to be no other.

Only liking someone can suddenly soften a person with a strong personality.

Just like Ma Xiaoling, she usually scolds or beats others, but she completely changes when she's in front of him.

Love can truly change a person.

Thinking of this, Yang Ping's lips curled up slightly.

He withdrew his hand at the opportune moment and did not continue to probe.

The goodwill I've worked so hard to build shouldn't be wasted on a single moment of teasing.

"Xiaobai, will we get a reward for capturing this enemy spy?"

He then asked a question.

"some,"

Zhou Xiaobai snapped out of his daze. "The reward from last time was just approved these past few days, and I was just about to send it to you when I didn't expect you to catch another one and even uncover a major clue along the way."

These two achievements may be recognized together.

Yang Ping nodded.

"When the reward comes in, I'll treat you to a meal."

He said.

"OK."

Zhou Xiaobai responded softly.

Zhou Xiaobai, holding onto the bicycle handlebars, turned to look at him: "Gao Yue always praises your fishing skills. How about we go to the water this weekend so I can see for myself?"

"Okay."

Yang Ping answered decisively.

The two chatted idly along the way and before they knew it, they had arrived at the supply and marketing cooperative at the entrance of Nanluoguxiang.

Yang Ping stopped in her tracks: "I need to go in and buy something. You can go back first."

"become."

Zhou Xiaobai responded, got on her bike, and turned into the alley—she knew that the No. 7 courtyard was just a hundred steps ahead, so there was no need to wait for her.

The store shelves were mostly empty, and Yang Ping only picked out a few of the remaining vegetables.

It was getting darker when he went out. He carried his net bag and turned into a quiet, narrow alley. When he came out again, he was pushing a bicycle. In the basket in front of the bicycle, besides vegetables, there was also a piece of pork belly wrapped in oil paper—it was a stockpile he had moved from elsewhere.

I remembered that Black Rat had restocked a few days ago, and I haven't been there for a while. I'll have to make time to go there sometime.

As the wheels rolled over the blue brick pavement, I bumped into Yan Fugui wiping his bicycle as soon as I entered the backyard.

The frame and rear wheel were completely replaced; the joints fit together perfectly and gleamed. "See that?"

Yan Fugui flicked the steel rim with his finger, producing a clear sound. "With this frame now, even if someone with bangs sits on it, it won't break down. It's not much different from yours."

The bicycle was finally looking brand new, and he happily stroked the handlebars, his face beaming with joy.

"Congratulations, Uncle!"

Yang Ping stepped forward with a smile to offer his congratulations.

Before he could finish speaking, Yan Jiecheng, holding a gun, strode out of the house. For some reason, he tripped and fell straight forward.

The small knife in his hand pierced precisely into the inner tube of the bicycle's front wheel.

"laugh--"

With a soft pop, the air in the tire instantly deflated completely.

All three of them were stunned.

The air seemed to freeze for a moment.

"You little brat! I just fixed your car yesterday, and you've already punctured it today!"

Yan Fugui immediately flew into a rage, and his voice changed tone.

"Father, I really didn't mean it!"

Yan Jiecheng hurriedly scrambled to his feet, ignoring his sore knee, and dashed back into his room with a "bang".

The door was shut tightly.

He absolutely refused to show his face again—he knew very well that if he took even one step out, his father would make him pay for the tires.

"Yan Jiecheng, you come out here!"

Yan Fugui pounded on the door and shouted sternly.

"Dad, please stop hitting it. This door isn't very sturdy to begin with. If you damage it, we'll have to spend money to fix it."

Yan Jiecheng hurriedly responded from inside the house.

Yan Fugui paused, his face turning ashen as he withdrew his hand, but he still couldn't suppress his anger: "Come out here! I won't make you pay five yuan, just two yuan, and I'll go get a new tire."

"It's such a small hole, why would you need to change the tire? Just patch it up, it'll only cost two cents at most."

"I'll definitely make it up to you once I get paid."

Yan Jiecheng's answer was watertight.

He inherited his father's meticulous and calculating nature, keeping his accounts crystal clear.

Originally, I wanted to renege on this debt, but then I thought that I would still have to eat at my father's place in the future, and I couldn't avoid this hurdle, so I had no choice but to accept it.

Yan Fugui's chest heaved violently, and he could barely breathe.

He had originally planned to use the excuse of getting a tire repaired to get an extra two dollars, but little did he expect his son to be even more cunning than him. "Dad, you'd better hurry to the repair shop, or they'll close up shop."

Yang Ping stood aside, his tone carrying a hint of leisurely enjoyment.

Strangely enough, every time I saw that smug look on this old man's face, something bad was bound to happen next.

This time, he should learn his lesson.

Yan Fugui glanced at the sky, but ultimately didn't pester his son for money anymore. He hurriedly pushed the clanging bicycle out of the courtyard and headed towards the repair stall at the alley entrance.

Yang Ping slowly pushed the cart toward the backyard.

Passing by Liu's house, I saw a slightly worn bicycle leaning against the wall. Liu Haizhong was leading his two sons around the bicycle, looking at it with undisguised pride on his face.

Yang Ping knew perfectly well that the car must have been purchased just yesterday.

Bicycle tickets are hard to come by, so Liu Haizhong naturally couldn't get a new one, but this secondhand one looked much sturdier than Yan Fugui's cobbled-together bike, at least it could carry heavy loads more reliably.

"Second Uncle, with your status, why don't you just go to the department store and pick up a brand new one?"

Sha Zhu suddenly appeared out of nowhere, and his words were like daggers to the heart.

Liu Haizhong's smile froze on his face, and his complexion turned from red to black.

The Liu brothers, standing nearby, shrank back quietly, their eyelids twitching – they were probably going to get another beating tonight.

Seeing this, Yang Ping finally couldn't help but burst into laughter.

The grinding wheels in the parts manufacturing area rang out as usual. Yang Ping leaned over the workbench, his fingertips touching the metal surface, feeling the subtle vibrations.

He quickened his pace—he had to finish grinding the seals for the last electrolytic cell before sunset; the lithium battery cells were just one step away from completion.

The workshop door was pushed open.

Cao Dayu swaggered in, his gloves smeared with machine oil, followed by Song Zixu. The two stood silently in front of their adjacent workstations. One began to calibrate the mold, while the other counted the cathode plates used for coating.

Before long, other figures emerged from various parts of the factory area, like scattered gears re-embedded into the drive shaft, immersing themselves in their own rhythms.

The air was filled with the smell of metal shavings mixed with coolant.

"Li's workstation is at the very end of this row, the one with the 'Technical Room' sign."

The grinding wheel stopped just as the sound came.

Yang Ping looked up and saw Section Chief Qian leading the way, with a large group of people surging in behind him.

The dark blue uniforms mingled with the gray-green of the factory security department, totaling more than twenty people. The holsters on their belt buckles clattered slightly with each step, and their faces were taut like die-cast steel plates.

"This situation...something's happened?"

Cao Dayu leaned halfway out from behind the machine tool, the vernier caliper in his hand dangling in mid-air.

Song Zixu had already taken off his goggles and was walking towards the door.

As if pulled by an invisible thread, everyone in the workshop stopped what they were doing and gathered around.

Someone gestured with their chin towards the crowd: "Qian Ke, are we holding a drill or something here?"

Cao Dayu and his group squeezed to the front, not retreating but instead getting closer to examine the armed men, their eyes gleaming with a brash curiosity—a confidence born from growing up in the factory compound, accustomed to sentries and uniforms, they had long regarded firearms as just another type of tool.

Section Chief Qian's Adam's apple bobbed as he glanced at the cold-faced police officer beside him.

The captain gave him no time to hesitate, and suddenly raised his voice: "Silence!"

A few snickers escaped from the crowd.

Someone pursed their lips, crossed their arms, and leaned against the shelf.

Unease? Fear? These emotions were nowhere to be found on their faces, only an almost naive indifference, as if what lay before them was nothing more than a slightly noisy inspection.

The captain turned his face away, no longer looking at these young faces.

He raised his hand and pointed to the depths of the corridor: "Group one will check Li You's office, and group two will patrol the surrounding area."

All suspicious items must be sealed and taken back.

"yes!"

The response was short and forceful, and the crowd surged toward the door of the technical room like a stream of black water.

The officers responded in unison and quickly dispersed to carry out their mission.

The sound of papers being turned and drawers being pulled open echoed in the R&D department, and everyone's eyes were focused on Li You's tightly closed office door.

The investigation was focused and conducted in an orderly and quiet manner.

A crowd gathered at the edge of the work area, watching. Yang Ping was among them, her expression calm.

Several security personnel also stood aside, their expressions a mixture of confusion and vigilance.

"What exactly is going on?"

Cao Dayu lowered his voice and muttered to the person next to him, "Why are they suddenly searching the R&D department?"

Questions rippled through the crowd like waves on water.

Many people exchanged glances, trying to find answers in each other's faces, but the police officer in charge kept his lips tightly pressed together, ignoring everyone's questions.

Of all the security personnel, only Section Chief Qian seemed to know the inside story; everyone else was completely clueless.

Of course, there is one exception—Yang Ping.

As the person directly involved in the incident, he was the one who submitted the report about Li You to the relevant authorities, so he naturally knew the reason for this sudden search.

But he remained silent, revealing not a single word.

Since the captain chose to keep it a secret, he didn't need to cause trouble and simply watched everything unfold before him quietly.

The search did not last long.

The officers emerged from the office, each carrying stacks of documents and notebooks. "Captain, nothing else has been found."

A young police officer stepped forward to report.

"Fall back."

The captain gave the order decisively.

The group left as quickly as they had arrived, their footsteps fading into the distance in the corridor.

The security personnel then turned and left, their figures disappearing around the corner of the porch.

Guo Gang was given a look by Director Yang and hurriedly followed.

"This captain is too tight-lipped."

Someone stared at the empty doorway and couldn't help but complain.

"That's right."

Another person chimed in, "I'll ask my dad when I get home tonight. He works in the bureau, so maybe he knows something."