The Fitter Master in the Courtyard: Surrounded by Dead Men

This time, he didn't let Lü Shuitian make the final decision, but instead planned to personally review the candidates.

The reason is simple—he wants to secretly bring out the group of people he has been secretly training and bring them one by one to the level of an eighth-grade fitter.

"Yang Ping, this matter will really require your hard work."

Once these people are promoted, everyone will be more motivated, and I'll immediately ask Director Yang to recommend you for commendation.

Lu Shuitian spoke sincerely, his face filled with gratitude, and he also promised to repay the favor.

"It's nothing, it's what I should do."

Yang Ping's smile remained calm.

Actually, he did this for his own benefit as well.

He will train these people to become engineers, and that will be his own R&D team.

With more people involved, things get easier, and naturally, more new products will be able to be launched to the market.

Lu Shuitian chatted with Yang Ping for a while longer. Anyway, the list wouldn't be handed over until tomorrow, so there was plenty of time to do it in the morning.

"Yang Ping, you are... truly a rare genius."

As the story unfolds, Lü Shuitian couldn't help but sigh.

In his eyes, meeting such a person was truly his good fortune.

Yang Ping always had a faint smile on her face.

As the sun set, the workers packed up and left one after another.

He said goodbye to several familiar colleagues, walked with Gao Yue for a while, and watched her enter her home before getting on his old bicycle and slowly riding back to the compound.

When he passed the supply and marketing cooperative, he got out of the car and went inside for a look.

The shelves were still empty, without a trace of oil, except for two bare pork bones in the corner.

He paid for it, thinking to himself that it would be good to make a pot of bone broth when he got home.

As for the meat... he naturally had other methods.

With a slight thought, the piece of pork, still smelling fresh, from his system space fell into his palm—it was the pork that Black Rat had just "handed over" that day.

The harvest was just enough to satisfy my cravings.

Come to think of it, it's been quite a while since I last went to that place.

As Yang Ping pedaled, he pondered that he should make a trip tonight to see what Black Rat had been collecting lately.

That guy has been quite diligent lately, with all sorts of things quietly appearing in his space every day. He probably won't come back empty-handed this time.

Back in the compound, he started a fire, cooked a meal, ate a simple meal, washed up, and went to bed early.

As night deepened, all was quiet except for the occasional bark of a dog in the distance.

As the clock silently slid toward three in the morning, Yang Ping suddenly opened her eyes.

He rose silently, listened intently for a moment, and, confirming that there was no one else in or outside the courtyard, slipped lightly out of the window like a shadow and disappeared into the deep night.

The bicycle traveled along the empty street, making a slight rustling sound from the chain.

His destination was clear—Dongdan.

Before long, the area hidden in the darkness and chaotic streets came into view.

Instead of going directly to Black Rat, Yang Ping pushed the cart and strolled leisurely along the edge of the area, calmly surveying his surroundings.

The scene here is almost exactly the same as I remember it, still with that oppressive yet restless atmosphere.

The only noticeable change is the addition of several meat stalls.

A crowd gathered around each stall, their figures bustling about, talking and scrambling in hushed tones, creating a scene of eager anticipation under the dim, flickering lights.

Yang Ping glanced at the glistening pieces of meat on the counter and immediately understood—it was pork that Black Rat had brought in, and the people guarding the stall were his silent and loyal henchmen.

He was not at all surprised that business was booming.

These days, supplies are like water in a dry field—everyone craves them, yet they are hard to find everywhere.

Returning empty-handed from the supply and marketing cooperative during the day is a common occurrence.

He stood quietly in the shadows for a while, like a calm observer, taking in the bustling activity and the silence before him.

The man behind the meat stall deftly packed away the empty cutting board, turned around and dragged out two bamboo baskets from behind him. He lifted the cover to reveal a basket full of greenish-white pears.

He remained standing in the same spot, his shouts had changed, but his stall hadn't moved an inch.

The same was true at several nearby meat stalls.

The empty meat counter was quickly replaced with a variety of items: half-finished shoe soles, newly woven bamboo baskets, and stacks of rough pottery bowls.

They were all different, yet all were neatly arranged.

This is their own business.

Those around them saw it, but their eyes showed no surprise, only a thin layer of barely suppressed envy.

The pork has already sold out, and today's earnings are already in hand. Now it's just a matter of making a second round of money.

A faint smile flickered across Yang Ping's lips.

Just as he was about to turn and leave, someone called to him from behind.

"Yang Ping".

The voice was clear and crisp. "Can I say a few words to you?"

Yang Ping turned around and saw Xu Banxia.

She no longer concealed her appearance; her skin was fair and smooth after being restored to its former state. Two jet-black braids hung down her shoulders, and the dark blue jacket with small white flowers she wore made her features appear exceptionally delicate.

The lingering, ashen complexion that used to shroud her face has now completely disappeared.

Yang Ping wasn't surprised that Xu Banxia dared to present herself as a woman so openly.

Right now, Black Rat's gang, plus the dozens of men under his command, have nearly a hundred pairs of eyes protecting her, both openly and secretly. No one dares to act recklessly, and even the customers coming and going know their limits.

They say Xu Banxia is the "princess" of this East Market area.

That's quite fitting.

She was carefully cherished and held in the palm of everyone's hand.

"OK,"

Yang Ping nodded. "Let's talk as we walk."

Xu Banxia nodded gently, walked alongside him in silence for a short while, and then spoke in a low voice: "Yang Ping, I'm so grateful for your care these past few days."

I, Xu Banxia... don't know how to repay you.

From now on, my life belongs to you. I will do anything for you, even be your slave, without hesitation.

I just hope you won't find it offensive.

She knew perfectly well that all the peace and stability she had now was given to her by Yang Ping.

She dared not forget this fundamental principle.

Upon hearing this, Yang Ping paused almost imperceptibly, a genuine look of surprise flashing across his face.

Surrounded by crowds and making a fortune every day, Xu Banxia showed no arrogance whatsoever.

It's interesting that she's still willing to go to great lengths for him.

"No need, just focus on running the shop."

He answered gently.

Xu Banxia was born to conquer the business world, so let her roam freely.

When I need money in the future, I can borrow some from her.

Upon hearing this, Xu Banxia was slightly taken aback.

She had initially thought Yang Ping was only helping her because he was attracted to her beauty, but to her surprise, he refused her offer.

A faint smile flickered across Yang Ping's lips.

He had already seen through the woman's intentions.

But he didn't want to treat it as a deal.

If one can forge a friendship with this future business tycoon, one can feel at ease when using his money in the future.

"I'll take my leave now; let's have a meal together another day."

He said in a light tone.

"it is good."

Xu Banxia responded.

Watching that figure disappear into the distance, she turned back to her stall and continued to hawk her wares.

Yang Ping then went straight to find the black rat.

He wasn't in a hurry for Xu Banxia.

What's meant to fall into your grasp will eventually come to pass.

Before long, he was standing in the courtyard of the Black Rat's house.

"Comrade Yang!"

Black Rat was resting on the couch when he saw him enter. He hurriedly got up and explained wearily:

"Today I went to the countryside to collect grain. The bumpy ride left me feeling sore all over. I didn't close my eyes on the bus. I couldn't stand it for long, so I lay down."

"I'm sorry to disturb your rest."

Yang Ping smiled and waved his hand.

He had witnessed Black Rat's hard work these days—different goods arrived in the system space every day, each weighing thousands of kilograms, which showed how hard this person worked.

"It's alright!"

Black Rat waved his hand.

"How have you been lately?"

Yang Ping inquired about his recent situation.

Black Rat quickly stood up: "Things went fairly well. I've already saved 50,000 yuan, and the rest has been used for expenses. I have the accounts here; would you like to take a look?"

As he spoke, he walked to the cabinet to the side and took out a blue booklet.

"There's no need to look at the accounts."

Yang Ping waved his hand, "Have all the brothers received their portions?"

"They've all been distributed. Each person will receive two yuan for every shipment made daily."

The black rat answered decisively.

Yang Ping nodded slightly.

Two yuan a day, that's sixty yuan a month, which is equivalent to the monthly salary of a level six fitter.

Including the jobs they take on privately, they all earn a little over seventy yuan a month, which is definitely better than staying in the factory.

"Xu Banxia is quite the saleswoman."

Black Rat added, "Even our unsold goods can be sold when they reach her."

She's earned several hundred dollars on her own lately.

Yang Ping showed no surprise upon hearing this.

Future business leaders should possess such abilities.

"I'll take the 50,000 first."

When you need a short amount of money, you can simply withdraw it from "there."

As Yang Ping spoke, his gaze seemed to sweep across a certain spot in the air—his wealth was stored in that void known only to them, and Black Rat also had the right to access it.

"Yes, Comrade Yang."

The black rat should be efficient.

"in addition,"

Yang Ping tapped the table lightly with his fingertips. "Have there been any movements at the other 'entries' lately?"

He felt that one way to make money was not enough.

He needs more channels and more resources to quickly nurture those who are willing to die for him and make them strong.

"The situation is pretty much the same right now. We haven't seen any movement from above yet, so everyone is just keeping their stalls and trying to make a living."

"The black rat answered."

He had become a local bigwig in the Dongdan area, always keeping an eye on the activities of other gangs, afraid that if he let any slip, his own business would be wiped out as well.

"OK."

Yang Ping nodded slightly.

He already had a plan in mind: he would take some time to visit several other places and bring those territories under his control to increase his income.

"Give me a list of the locations of those nearby ** (illegible - likely referring to a specific type of establishment), and I'll go check them out when I have time to get a feel for them."

"Okay!"

The black rat should be dealt with decisively.

Without further ado, he picked up his pen and wrote down the locations of several other places.

"There are six locations in total. The furthest one is ten miles away from here. I can't say for sure about the ones further out, but there are definitely more."

He handed the note to Yang Ping.

Yang Ping nodded.

His eyes swept across the paper, and he quickly figured out the locations. He then casually put the note into his personal storage space.

There are currently over seven million people living in Beijing, so it's impossible that there are only six such places.

If we could hold onto them all, the future profits would be enormous.

Before the storm gets too big and these places are thoroughly cleaned up, it's the perfect time to make a good plan and secure a steady profit.

"Comrade Yang, if you need manpower, I can bring a few brothers to lend a hand."

Black Rat followed up with his words.

He could naturally see what Yang Ping was planning, and felt that he should also do his part.

"Don't worry, there will always be some willing to risk their lives among those gangsters. I'll just find them to help me."

Yang Ping replied.

He wasn't worried about manpower.

In the capital, 100,000 assassins have spread out like an undercurrent.

With this network in place, he felt confident, knowing that he had people he could rely on everywhere.

"Understood."

Black Rat responded in a deep voice.

"Alright, I'll go first."

Yang Ping didn't linger and turned to walk outside.

Black Rat escorted him to the courtyard gate, watching his figure disappear into the alley before returning inside.

As dawn broke, Yang Ping had already returned to his courtyard.

Without resting, he sat down cross-legged and immersed himself in cultivation.