Courtyard House: The Fisherman Never Goes Sick

After all, you only have the right to criticize something if you've tried it yourself.

Yang Wei immediately brought the last box of crayfish to the table. When he opened the lid, a rich aroma burst out, and everyone in the room couldn't help but sniff and feel a tickle in their throats.

"This smell is just right!" Factory Director Yang rubbed his hands together and reached out to grab it.

"Director Yang, don't rush." ​​Yang Wei stopped him, picked up a crayfish to demonstrate, "There's an art to peeling crayfish." His fingers flew, and in a few quick movements, he peeled the shell clean, revealing the pinkish-white crayfish meat.

Factory Director Yang followed suit and easily peeled the shell. He popped it into his mouth and bit into it; the fresh, fragrant, and spicy flavors exploded on his tongue. His eyes lit up, and he exclaimed repeatedly, "Delicious! Really delicious!"

Those who hadn't tried it before were practically drooling over his expression.

"Come on, everyone, have a taste!" Director Yang called out to the group of people who had come with him.

Besides Deputy Factory Director Li, there were also Guo Zhen, Lin Xiaoying, and announcer Yu Haitang. She had to come along to film footage of this "new thing".

Everyone peeled shrimp in the same way, and soon the whole room was filled with exclamations of "Delicious!"

"It's so fresh!"

"Yang Wei, your cooking is amazing!"

"Things that were originally meant to feed the chickens and ducks have become treasures in your hands!"

The lunchboxes were quickly emptied. Normally, no one would even want these things if they were thrown away, but now they were snatched up completely, leaving everyone clicking their tongues in amazement.

While eating, Yu Haitang secretly sized up Yang Wei. This young man was handsome and a level three fitter. She had already inquired about him and had a good impression of him. Now that she saw that he was not only skilled but also more handsome than rumored, she became even more excited.

Yang Wei is a pretty good catch when it comes to finding a good husband.

There were too many people around, so she couldn't strike up a conversation. She planned to wait until the factory manager left before looking for an opportunity to interview him and write an article. That way, she would be able to meet him alone.

Not only her, but Lin Xiaoying and the other girls were also secretly attracted, but they were not as bold as her and only dared to steal glances.

After finishing the meal, everyone was still not satisfied and sighed, "It's not enough to eat with so many people."

"Comrade Yang Wei, your crayfish dish is absolutely fantastic!" After praising it, Factory Director Yang changed the subject, "Could you teach everyone how to make it? That way, we can all enjoy it, and it would be your contribution to the factory and a benefit to the people!"

"No problem!" Yang Wei readily agreed.

"Good comrade!" Factory Director Yang chuckled, then turned to the crowd and said, "Everyone should learn from Comrade Yang Wei!"

"Don't worry, Director Yang," someone joked. "Eating crayfish and eliminating pests for the people—that's our specialty!"

Amidst the laughter, Factory Director Yang looked at Yu Haitang: "Comrade Yu Haitang, stay behind and write down the steps." He then asked Yang Wei, "Will this work?"

"Okay, let's do it this way." Yang Wei nodded.

Factory Director Yang turned to Yu Haitang, his tone solemn: "Comrade Yu Haitang, besides recording the methods, you also need to write a radio script to commend Comrade Yang Wei. His dedication and approach are something the entire factory should learn from!"

Upon hearing this, Yu Haitang's eyes lit up, and she quickly replied with a smile, "Don't worry, Director Yang, I'll definitely write it well!"

"Alright, then we won't keep you any longer." Factory Director Yang waved to everyone, "You all take a break, and get back to work later."

After saying that, he led the leaders out, leaving Yu Haitang alone in the room.

She turned to Yang Wei and said gently, "Comrade Yang Wei, it's too noisy here, it's inconvenient to take notes. How about we go to the broadcasting room?"

"Okay." Yang Wei nodded and followed without thinking much.

When they arrived at the broadcasting room, they chatted face-to-face. Yu Haitang asked about the cooking methods for crayfish in great detail and wrote them down in her notebook.

The more she talked to Yang Wei and looked at him, the more she couldn't hide her feelings. This young man was not only good-looking, but he was also much more efficient in his speech and work than ordinary workers, and his conversation revealed a cleverness.

"I have to take down Yang Wei," she secretly decided.

After Yang Wei finished writing and was about to leave, she gritted her teeth, blushed, and asked, "Yang Wei, I heard you don't have a girlfriend yet?"

"Hmm, what's wrong?" Yang Wei had already sensed something was wrong. Yu Haitang had been staring at him lately and would occasionally lose focus.

"If you don't have a boyfriend, do you think I'm okay? Can I be your boyfriend?" Yu Haitang's voice grew softer and softer, and the tips of her ears turned red.

"Well... I'm not planning on dating right now, let's talk about it later," Yang Wei replied vaguely. He didn't want to be tied down by one person; there were plenty of other opportunities out there.

A hint of disappointment flashed in Yu Haitang's eyes, but she still held onto hope. Yang Wei didn't completely rule things out.

"Then I'll go back to work now." Yang Wei stood up and smiled.

"I'll see you off." Yu Haitang stood up as well.

As soon as he stepped into the workshop, he bumped into Guo Zhen, the workshop director. Guo Zhen smiled and walked up to Yang Wei: "Comrade Yang Wei, the factory leaders specifically praised you at the meeting for sharing your crayfish recipe, and decided to reward you with a bicycle ticket and a radio ticket!" As he spoke, he took out two tickets and handed them over.

"Thank you, factory leaders, thank you, Director Guo!" Yang Wei accepted the ticket and expressed his sincere gratitude.

There's no reason to refuse a reward from the factory.

With bicycle tickets, you won't have to walk to work anymore, and it will be convenient to travel around. Radio tickets are even more valuable; if you buy a radio, you can relieve boredom after get off work.

"Good job, Comrade Yang Wei. Keep up the good work and make more contributions to the factory and the country!" Guo Zhen patted him on the shoulder.

In fact, not only this time, Yang Wei is also a solid worker in his daily work, and his skills are even more reliable than Yi Zhonghai's. He was already very satisfied with him.

"Yang Wei, congratulations!" The workers in the workshop gathered around, their eyes shining. Bicycles and radios were extremely precious items in those days. Even if you had money, you couldn't buy them without coupons. Who wouldn't be envious of this reward?

The main room of the Jia family was in complete chaos. Bang Geng was holding a turtle the size of a millstone, his whole body seemingly glued to the hard shell.

The child's eyes were swollen shut, all the tears had dried, and his face was as white as a wet sheet of paper. He kept mumbling, "It hurts...it hurts..."

Madam Jia was so anxious that she slapped her thigh repeatedly: "My dear grandson! The little bird can't be harmed! If it's ruined, how will our Jia family line continue?"

Jia Dongxu stood in the corner with a dark face, while Qin Huairu wrung her hands, clutching the hem of her clothes. She had been back for half a day, and had tried to pry open the turtle's mouth and splash cold water on it, but that thing was like it was stuck to the stem, refusing to let go.

With neither Grandpa nor Sha Zhu around, she had no other options but to take him to the hospital.

Just as they were about to call for someone to borrow a cart, the voice of a deaf old woman came from outside: "What's all this noise about in the middle of the day?" Everyone looked up and saw someone helping the old woman into the courtyard.

"Deaf old lady! The little bird was bitten by a big turtle. We've been trying to get it off for ages and we were just about to take it to the hospital!" Qin Huairu quickly went to greet her.

The old woman squinted and leaned closer. After seeing what was happening, her wrinkled face crumpled into a grimace: "This... how could it bite here?"

Not only her, but the neighbors who came along were also astonished. It's not uncommon for turtles to bite fingers, but to bite vital organs is something they've never even heard of!

"It's all because of that despicable bastard Yang Wei!" Madam Jia Zhang cursed, hands on her hips. "His family keeps this big soft-shelled turtle, and he just went to play with it and teased it, and it suffered this fate! He's clearly trying to wipe out the Jia family line!"

Jia Dongxu chimed in, "That's right! Yang Wei just can't stand to see us doing well!"

The neighbors then realized that Bang Geng had gone to Yang Wei's house to cause trouble, teasing the turtle but getting bitten instead.

But what child would use that spot to tease a turtle?

Someone secretly clicked their tongue in amazement: "That kid Bang Geng... he's incredibly talented!"

Then they thought of the turtle's sharp teeth, which made their backs tingle. If it were them, they wouldn't even dare to put their hands near it. But this kid was teasing them with his vital parts!

The deaf old woman's lips twitched, but hearing Jia Zhangshi's fierce cursing, she chimed in, "Yang Wei is a wicked man! A black-hearted scoundrel who eats alone, he'll be struck by lightning sooner or later!" Hearing someone agree with her, Jia Zhangshi cursed even more vehemently.

"Mother-in-law, stop scolding! Quickly think of a solution!" Qin Huairu stamped her feet anxiously. Would scolding Yang Wei relieve the pain? Saving the stick was the most important thing right now!

"No need to go to the hospital," the deaf old woman waved her hand and said slowly. "Bring a big basin of water and throw the turtle in."

"Can it really work?" Jia Zhangshi asked with skepticism.

Without asking any further questions, Qin Huairu grabbed an enamel basin from the corner, filled it with water, and shoved the turtle and its shank into it. With a "splash," water splattered everywhere, and the shank cried out in pain, "Ouch, ouch, ouch..."

The moment the stalk of the stick gets wet, it starts howling like a pig being slaughtered.

His wound was burning with pain from the water, and he kicked his legs while muttering to himself: Could this deaf old woman be trying to harm me?

As Jia Zhangshi stared at her grandson convulsing in pain, she became suspicious and secretly glared at the deaf old lady several times.

Fortunately, the turtle only bit for a few seconds before letting go with a "snap." Banggeng took the opportunity to climb out of the basin, but lost his footing and fell to the ground with a "thud," his whole body trembling like a leaf, yet his face showed an indescribable sense of comfort. But just a few seconds later, he burst into tears again.

"My dear grandson! How is it?" Jia Zhangshi leaned forward anxiously, and when she saw the bloody mess at the crotch of the penis, her face turned pale: "My dear grandson's little bird is ruined like this, isn't it?" Her heart was pounding: If it's ruined, how will he ever get married and continue the family line?

Qin Huairu and Jia Dongxu's faces also turned dark brown.

Jia Dongxu pointed at Qin Huairu's nose and yelled, "Qin Huairu, you jinx! What are you standing there for? Get Bang Geng to the hospital right now!"

Qin Huairu frowned and rubbed her hands together: "I'm out of money. I took him to see a doctor before, and my pockets were already empty."

"No money? I, Jia Dongxu, married you for nothing!" Jia Dongxu's voice rose eight octaves.

The whole family stared longingly at the deaf old lady. Yi Zhonghai and He Yuzhu were not there, and she was the only outsider they could rely on right now.

It wasn't that Jia Zhangshi didn't have money for her own funeral, but that was money she had saved to save her life, so how could she touch it casually? She certainly couldn't reveal her financial situation, otherwise who would be willing to help the Jia family?

The deaf old woman's face twitched, and she sighed, "So, this old woman has to give the Jia family a handout today?" As she spoke, she took out a crumpled ten-yuan note from her pocket and handed it over, "Qin Huairu, this is all the ten yuan I have left, take it."

"Thank you so much, madam!" Qin Huairu took the money as if it were a treasure, picked up the stick and ran to the hospital, with Jia Zhangshi following closely behind.

After the hospital check-up, Qin Huairu finally felt relieved. The doctor said it was just a superficial injury, nothing serious, and prescribed some topical medication. He then glared at her and said, "Don't let the child tease the turtle with birds again!"

Qin Huairu blushed deeply with embarrassment. Everyone in the hospital was staring at her with such strange looks that they could dig three pounds of mud out of her. She wished she could disappear into a crack in the ground.

……

Yang Wei and the others at the hospital were unaware of this matter.

As soon as the bell rang to signal the end of the workday, Yang Wei clutched his bicycle and radio tickets and dashed off to Wangfujing Department Store. With the tickets already in his pocket, he figured it would be a waste of his good luck if he didn't bring the bicycle and radio home with him.