Courtyard House: The Fisherman Never Goes Sick

The next day, Yang Wei finished making breakfast feeling refreshed and went to work with a gentle, sunny smile. The workers he met on the way all greeted him with smiles; he was in a good mood and everything seemed pleasing to the eye.

He got up early that morning and went to Director Wang's house at the neighborhood office. He told him that he wanted to find someone to take care of his master and made some requests: the person had to know a few lines of opera and the monthly salary was 20 yuan.

Director Wang was astonished. Yang Wei's own salary was only a little over fifty yuan, and he had given nearly half of it to his mentor. He couldn't help but sigh:

"Your master is truly blessed to have a disciple like you!" Yang Wei said politely, and Director Wang promised to give him an answer within three days. With the matter settled, he could go to work with peace of mind, no longer needing to constantly worry about the old man.

As soon as they entered the canteen, everyone gathered around: "Brother Yang, we heard you've got something going on!" "It's related to leaving early yesterday!" Sha Zhu whispered, leaning closer, "Someone reported you for abandoning your post, and you're probably in trouble with someone!"

Yang Wei frowned. He'd been busy cooking for the big boss lately; he hadn't made any enemies. Xu Damao? Surely not; the two hadn't spoken. He racked his brains but couldn't come up with anything. Then he thought: with Director Wang protecting him and his father-in-law's connections, who could easily mess with him? So he nonchalantly said, "It's alright, let's get to work!" Seeing his relaxed tone, Sha Zhu didn't say anything more.

Around 9 a.m., the cafeteria manager, his face dark, shouted, "Yang Wei, come out here!"

Yang Wei followed him out, and the director said sternly, "Didn't you leave half an hour early yesterday? Didn't you come back to work after you went home? Someone has filed a formal complaint against you for desertion. Come with me to the factory office to explain yourself and accept the punishment!"

Yang Wei wasn't flustered at all. He had spoken to Director Wang beforehand yesterday; this was part of his job duties and didn't count as dereliction of duty. Instead, he was curious: "Director, can you tell me who reported you?"

"Don't ask me, I'm only responsible for issuing notices." The director hesitated for a moment, but still told the truth.

Yang Wei smiled: "Director, let me be frank with you, I asked the factory manager for leave yesterday. This is work, not unauthorized absence. Don't worry about getting into trouble, just tell me who reported me!"

He already knew what was going on: if he could provide benefits to the kitchen staff and subdue Sha Zhu, no one in the kitchen would harm him; he rarely left the factory and had no enemies there either. After thinking it over, it could only be the people in the courtyard, those who lived together, who were the ones most likely to turn on him.

This feud is now officially established.

There was no point in hiding this; everyone in the steel mill knew that Yang Wei and the factory director had a close relationship. The canteen manager, in particular, knew this perfectly well. At every banquet hosted by the factory director, Yang Wei was designated as the head chef, while everyone else was left standing around dumbfounded. This was because Yang Wei rarely cooked; he only personally prepared for important banquets. The entire factory knew that Yang Wei was practically the factory director's "personal chef."

"Really?" The cafeteria manager was still not quite convinced and asked again.

"Really, why would I lie to you? You'll see when we get to the factory office," Yang Wei said frankly.

"I heard it was a guy named Xu Damao who reported it. He seems to come to the factory often to show movies. Do you have a grudge against him?" the canteen manager asked curiously.

"Heh, it really is him." Upon hearing the name, Yang Wei's face instantly turned ruthless. "I had no grudge against him before, and we didn't even have much contact. But from now on, I'll remember him."

He had previously suspected that the people in the courtyard were plotting against him, and had suspected Xu Damao and his second uncle Liu Haizhong. Now it seems that his second uncle didn't have such bad intentions before Deputy Factory Director Li took power, but Xu Damao, on the contrary, hadn't provoked him at all, yet he took advantage of the situation and deliberately caused trouble.

"Okay, I understand, thank you, Director." Yang Wei said politely. "Your relative Han Rui is coming next Monday, I'll definitely take care of her in the kitchen, and I can even teach her Sichuan cuisine when I have free time. It's never a bad thing to have more skills."

"Oh, that's wonderful!" the cafeteria manager chuckled. "With a master chef like you teaching, even a fool could learn to cook. I thank you on behalf of my relative!"

"You're too kind, Director."

The two walked towards the factory office building as they talked. As soon as they entered, the office director stood up with a smile: "Master Yang, I'm sorry to have troubled you. We've investigated your matter thoroughly, it's alright, you can go back now."

Seeing the office director's attitude, the canteen manager, who was following behind, immediately believed Yang Wei's words. It seemed that Yang Wei's absence from work was indeed specially approved by the factory manager. But he couldn't understand why Yang Wei could still have normal attendance even when he wasn't at work. However, he didn't dare to ask, after all, he was only in charge of the canteen, and it was better to avoid gossip and trouble.

"Director Sun, if it's a false accusation, isn't the whistleblower punished?" Yang Wei didn't leave, pressing on. "If there's no punishment for accusations that can't be substantiated, won't things get chaotic? Will anyone just make accusations for no reason?"

"They definitely need to be fined. It's a waste of manpower and time, so it must be dealt with," Director Sun said with a smile. "We've already reported to the factory manager and are waiting for his approval."

"Okay, I understand, thank you, Director Sun!"

After leaving the factory office, Yang Wei returned to the canteen, where the canteen manager also went back to his office. On the way, Yang Wei secretly made up his mind: Xu Damao dared to provoke him, so he had to teach him a lesson he would never forget, otherwise this guy would be like a leech that he couldn't get rid of. He had to let him know that he was the one who did it, and that he couldn't find any evidence against him, so that he would remember it for the rest of his life, and that he would hide from him like a mouse from a cat, and tremble at the mere mention of his name.

Yang Wei's grudge only intensified. "A gentleman takes revenge even after ten years," he thought. But for him, even one night wasn't enough. Yet, as he was about to leave work, he still had no clue, so he pulled Sha Zhu aside: "I want to ask you something. What is Xu Damao most afraid of?"

Upon hearing this, Sha Zhu suddenly realized, "Brother Yang, the person who reported me is this bastard?"

"Never mind that for now, let's talk about what he's most afraid of."

Sha Zhu thought about it seriously: "He's most afraid of my fists!"

Yang Wei was speechless.

"Here's what we'll do: come with me after get off work today. I'll take you home on my bike. At the front gate of the yard, you..." Yang Wei lowered his voice, sinisterly setting a trap for Xu Damao.

Having received Yang Wei's instructions, Sha Zhu happily followed Yang Wei. After the end-of-get off work music played on the radio, he pushed his bicycle and headed straight for the courtyard house.

"Brother Yang, don't worry, I'll definitely teach that bastard a lesson this time! Daring to report you, he's asking for death!" Sha Zhu said menacingly from the back seat of the car.

Sha Zhu has never been lenient with Xu Damao. To use a popular phrase these days, "I could kill you, but I just won't; I'm just playing around." Now that Yang Wei is backing him up, he's even more reckless.

"Zhu Zi, I'm telling you beforehand, beating him up is a must, but you have to do it my way!" Yang Wei couldn't help but remind him again, hearing his fierce tone, "Otherwise, if he goes to those old men in the courtyard to reason with him, or calls the police, things will get out of hand and you could get dragged into it. Think about Xiuqin before you act, don't just do it impulsively, understand?"

"Don't worry, Brother Yang, I understand. I won't make the first move." Sha Zhu nodded in agreement.

Relieved, Yang Wei pedaled harder. A few minutes later, they were back at the courtyard house. There weren't many people there yet; Auntie San was cooking in the front yard. Yang Wei winked at Sha Zhu, who understood and went straight to Auntie San, smiling as he asked, "Auntie San, have you seen Xu Damao come back?"

Upon hearing this, the third aunt's eyes flashed with curiosity. Everyone in the courtyard knew that Sha Zhu and Xu Damao didn't get along, so her inquiring about him now couldn't be anything good: "What's wrong? Did Xu Damao offend you again?" "Never mind that, just tell me if he's back or not!"

"No, I've been washing vegetables and haven't seen him come back. You and Xiao Yang were the first to get back." The third aunt, who was always eager for a good show, answered crisply.

Yang Wei nodded slightly and said to Sha Zhu, "Zhu Zi, I'm going back now." "Okay, take care, Brother Yang!" Sha Zhu replied. Yang Wei pushed the cart towards the backyard, nodding and smiling as he passed the three aunties without saying much.

This scene instantly ignited the gossip spirit of the three aunties. She dropped the vegetables and ran into the yard, yelling, "Old Yan, come quick! Sha Zhu might be going to deal with Xu Damao, come see what's going on!"

The phrase "watching the spectacle" perfectly encapsulates the most blatant aspects of human nature. When it doesn't concern their own interests, most people choose to stand by and watch, some even setting up a small stool, brewing tea, and cracking melon seeds, pointing and gossiping as they observe. This is true of most people in the courtyard; they only care about their own family, and with a few exceptions, the rest are all the same. This is also why Yang Wei, after arriving here, is unwilling to develop deep relationships with the others; he sees things too clearly and is too lazy to get involved in petty squabbles.

Yang Wei returned to the backyard and instructed Lou Xiao'e to cook dinner. He then strolled to the front yard of Sha Zhu's house in the middle courtyard, keeping an eye on the activity in the front yard. A moment later, a loud shout rang out throughout the entire yard: "Xu Damao, I'll fuck your ancestors! How dare you kick me!" It was Sha Zhu's voice, full of energy, instantly spreading to every corner.

Yang Wei shouted into the house, "Xiuqin, don't move, stay at home. I'll go check on the front yard. With me here, you don't need to worry!" After saying that, he went straight to the front yard.

A dozen or so people had already gathered in the courtyard, cheering and shouting: "Go, Shazhu! Hit him!" "Xu Damao, you trash, stand up and hit him!" "Shazhu..." The shouts were lively. Yang Wei squeezed in, afraid that Shazhu might not know his own strength and really hurt Xu Damao.

Parting the crowd, Xu Damao was seen being straddled by Sha Zhu, who was punching him repeatedly in the face, as if he wanted to beat him to death.

"Fuck your ancestors, who gave you the guts to kick me!" "You think you're so tough, that you can mess with me?" Sha Zhu cursed as he hit him, "This time I'll beat you once, and you'll remember it for three years! You little brat, remember this: in this courtyard, besides me and Brother Yang, I don't care if you mess with others, but if you dare to mess with us, I'll beat you every time I see you!"

As Yang Wei spoke, his hands didn't stop moving. Xu Damao had never seen Sha Zhu so fierce in his life. With Sha Zhu pinned down, his fists rained down on him. His nose was already bleeding, and he covered his face with his hands, forgetting to fight back. He cried out, "Sha Zhu, I was wrong! Stop hitting me, it hurts so much! Please stop hitting me!" His voice was trembling with tears by the end.

Seeing Xu Damao's pathetic state, Yang Wei's anger subsided considerably. He stepped forward and grabbed Sha Zhu's fist: "Zhu Zi, that's enough. It was just a kick, right? These few blows were justified self-defense. If you keep hitting him, it will be excessive self-defense. We're all from the same compound, get up now, stop fighting!"

Sha Zhu, seizing the opportunity, stood up and kicked Xu Damao hard in the stomach again: "Xu Damao, remember what I said today. If you dare to mess with me and Brother Yang again, I'll make sure you regret it!" Xu Damao's eyes darted around, and especially since Sha Zhu kept calling him "Brother Yang," he guessed that the report had probably been exposed. He originally thought that Yang Wei had taken Sha Zhu's position as the head chef in the cafeteria, and the two must have fallen out. He never expected Sha Zhu to listen to Yang Wei so much, and he felt both scared and regretful.

Yang Wei pulled Sha Zhu up and coldly shouted at the crowd of onlookers in the courtyard, "Disperse! All you do is watch the show, don't you know how to help? What good will it do you if this gets out of hand?" Many people in the courtyard worked at the steel rolling mill and knew about Yang Wei's relationship with the factory leaders, so no one dared to argue and slunk home.

After everyone had left, Yang Wei squatted down next to Xu Damao, pretending to help him up. He then whispered coldly in Xu Damao's ear, "Xu Damao, this is just a little lesson. If you mess with me again, I'll break your leg. Try me if you don't believe me!" He then pretended to be a kind neighbor, helping Xu Damao up and muttering words of concern. Suddenly, Xu Damao felt a burning sensation in his crotch and wet himself. He never expected that this seemingly gentle man could harbor such ruthless cruelty.

Yang Wei glanced down and couldn't help but laugh and cry: Xu Damao loved to cause trouble, but he was a pathetic coward; a few words and he'd wet himself. Suddenly, Sha Zhu sniffed and shouted in a loud voice, "Holy crap, what's that smell? Why did you pee?!" This shout was known throughout the courtyard: Xu Damao had been beaten to the point of wetting himself by Sha Zhu!

Xu Damao, utterly humiliated, clutched his bleeding nose and rushed to the backyard. As he looked down, his eyes flashed with intense anger, shame, and a fleeting glint of malice. Yang Wei and Sha Zhu were now on his blacklist; given the chance, he would definitely make them pay dearly. But he forgot that the current Yang Wei was not the unassuming Sha Zhu from the original story; he wasn't afraid of Xu Damao, a powerless projectionist.

For the first time, Sha Zhu felt so justified in beating someone up. Before, dealing with Xu Damao required waiting until he angered Xu, and there would be a lot of trouble afterwards; now, however, he didn't have to bear any consequences—it felt so good! He gave Yang Wei a thumbs up: "Brother Yang, you're the best!"

"Alright, as long as this kid behaves himself from now on, I'll deal with him if he gets angry again." Yang Wei glanced in the direction Xu Damao had left and said casually, Xu Damao was no big deal in his eyes.

Sha Zhu chuckled and leaned closer, "Call me if you need to deal with him again, I'll take care of it and won't let you! I'd love to beat him up!"

"Go back and eat quickly," Yang Wei waved his hand.

Back home, Lou Xiao'e came out of the kitchen and asked curiously, "I heard Sha Zhu's voice just now, what happened?"

"It's nothing serious. Xu Damao kicked Zhuzi and got beaten up by him," Yang Wei explained. Then he added, "Don't call him 'Silly Zhuzi' anymore, it's disrespectful. Just call him 'Zhuzi' like I do. His dad gave him that nickname because of one sentence. He's not stupid, but it makes me uncomfortable."

This is basic respect for others, just as Master said back then: "If people don't respect me, it's because I'm incompetent; if I don't respect others, it's because I'm immoral; if people don't tolerate me, it's because I'm incapable; if I don't tolerate others, it's because I'm magnanimous; if people don't help me, it's because I'm inactive; if I don't help others, it's because I'm devoid of kindness."