Courtyard House: The Fisherman Never Goes Sick

"Ouch!" A shrill female voice, sharp enough to pierce the skull, rang out in the projection studio.

Inside the room, projectionist Xiao Li, who was reporting to his supervisor, immediately tensed up. That tone... it was familiar! It was his girlfriend Cuilian's voice!

He greeted his superior and rushed out. As soon as he stepped out the door, he saw Xu Damao hugging Cuilian and rubbing against the wall, his hand also reaching out to touch her waist.

"Xu Damao, my ancestors for eight generations!!" Little Li's eyes were bloodshot, his Adam's apple bobbing like thunder, "I'll strike you dead, you son of a bitch!!"

Before he finished speaking, he suddenly kicked out with his calf and pounced like a little leopard, kicking Xu Damao in the back of the knee with a "bang".

With a sharp "crack," Xu Damao, who was acting recklessly, was suddenly hit and jumped up with a loud "Ouch!" in pain: "Damn it! My leg is broken!!"

Well, the film studio is in complete chaos today.

After several coworkers pulled the two apart, the factory manager's face turned as black as the bottom of a pot. Earlier, when he went to the bureau to report on his work, the senior leader mentioned that Xu Damao was "skilled but had terrible character" and advised him to be stricter with him, but he didn't take it seriously. Who would have thought that this guy would act like a hooligan during working hours, and it was even towards his own employees!

"Call the police! Call the police right now!" The factory manager's voice trembled as he pointed at Xu Damao and roared, "Two men, tie him up and hang him on the flagpole while the police wait!"

Several burly workers responded and dragged Xu Damao, who was convulsing in pain, outside. In no time, they had him tied to the flagpole.

Everyone in the theater was staring at Xu Damao, their eyes looking at him like he was a vermin. He was completely finished this time; the film studio could forget about keeping him, and he might not even be able to leave unscathed. In those days, being a hooligan was a serious crime, and could easily cost you your head!

After the pain subsided a bit, Xu Damao finally came to his senses and started thinking: Cuilian is usually quite composed, so why did she suddenly yell so loudly? Then he thought about how he had been beaten up, and realized that besides Yang Wei, who else could possibly scheme against him?

"Yang Wei!!" he cursed through gritted teeth, but everyone around him kept their distance, pointing at him and grimacing, not one of them responding.

This feeling was incredibly frustrating. The sun seemed to be nailed to the sky, motionless for ages, and the wind stung his face. He felt like he was about to suffocate from this resentment.

About half an hour later, a police car screeched to a halt at the door. After clarifying the situation, the police officers grabbed Xu Damao and drove away.

On the same day, two things revolved around Yang Wei: one was a joyous occasion that made people slap their thighs in delight, and the other was a disastrous one that made people shake their heads in despair. But in the end, the joy became even greater, and the misfortune became even more disastrous. Fate, sometimes, is more unpredictable than a movie!

At Hongxing Steel Rolling Mill, just past noon, workers poured out of the workshops like a tidal wave, crowding towards the canteen. Long queues formed at the food windows, and everyone was chatting about the latest news of Sha Zhu's promotion to deputy factory director.

"Wow, this is happening faster than the rollers of a steel rolling mill!"

"Who told him to get so lucky and run into Master Yang!"

"Absolutely! A simpleton's luck is unbelievable. He looks kind of goofy, but who would have thought he'd actually step in dog poop with such good fortune!"

"Hey, why can't I have that kind of luck!"

Behind them, someone muttered, "Shazhu is just an idiot." People see others climb up the ladder while they don't, and they just grumble and complain, without ever considering how much effort those others put in. If it were their turn to have an opportunity? They probably wouldn't even be able to fill the hole, yet they dream of soaring to great heights. To put it bluntly, they're all talk and no action.

The canteen here is in complete chaos, and Xu Damao in the police station is suffering terribly.

"Name?"

"Xu Damao!"

"gender?"

"male!"

"age?"

Xiao Wang, the interrogator, scribbled notes rapidly, then glanced up at him, his brows furrowed. "Tell me, how did you commit the crime? Why did you do it? What were you after?" His tone was icy. "Once you're in here, you have to be honest. Confess and you'll be treated leniently; resist and you'll be punished severely. Don't try to pull any tricks on me!"

"Yes, yes, officer!" Xu Damao's back was already drenched in sweat. He knew perfectly well that if this was confirmed, he was in deep trouble. He forced a defense: "Officer, I'm truly innocent! Someone framed me!"

"Bang!" Xiao Wang slammed his hand on the table. "The evidence is right here. Several people saw you behaving like a hooligan, and you're still claiming innocence? So you've been bewitched and can't control yourself?"

"No, really! I was scammed!" Xu Damao wrung his hands anxiously. "Listen to me, I reported Yang Wei for taking bribes, but that bastard has powerful connections, so the matter was suppressed. He holds a grudge, and he must have used some trick to make me act recklessly..."

Xiao Wang's lips twitched, as if he'd just heard a terrible storyteller: "Xu Damao, can't we switch brains? Putting aside whether Yang Wei is a human or a ghost, what method do you think could control someone's mind? A magic trick?"

Xu Damao opened his mouth, then fell silent. He felt that Yang Wei was definitely involved, but how exactly did it work? He couldn't figure it out no matter what. These intricate details were probably only known to Yang Wei himself.

He glanced down at his bandaged leg, which still throbbed with pain. He'd gone over Yang Wei's recent misdeeds in his mind a million times, but couldn't find a single incriminating detail. Finally, head drooping, his voice weak, he said, "Comrade, I wouldn't even step on an ant normally, how could I do such a despicable thing? It was really Yang Wei who did this..."

He kept repeating the same few phrases over and over. Looking at him, Xiao Wang felt nauseous. A guy who lays his hands on women like that is despised everywhere. Does the police deal with this kind of guy? They'll take him down with anything long and heavy, like a mop handle or an old toothbrush. He'll be taught a lesson once he's in.

"Fine, if you don't want to talk, then forget it. Let's just wait and see!" Xiao Wang tossed his pen. "Xiao Li, process the detention paperwork!"

After completing the formalities, Xiao Wang went to the courtyard house at the address Xu Damao had given him. Unfortunately, no one was home. He turned to ask the neighbors, and by dusk, the whole courtyard was in an uproar: Xu Damao had been beaten up for harassing a female colleague, broken his leg, and was going to jail while his family had to pay for his medical treatment.

Lou Xiao'e was the one who asked the question. As she listened, the image of Yang Wei yelling at people with red eyes that day flashed through her mind, and her heart pounded. She was sure it was related to that man.

"One more thing," Xiao Wang suddenly spoke up, "Do you know Yang Wei?"

"I know him, he's my husband!" Lou Xiao'e said without blinking. "He was the foreman of the canteen at Hongxing Steel Rolling Mill, promoted to head chef for the state banquet last National Day, and is now the factory's honorary deputy director. What's up, comrade?"

Her words carried an air of "my man is something else." Xiao Wang paused, then said, "It's nothing serious. Xu Damao's just making things up inside; he might be holding a grudge against your wife. We'll find out and get back to you."

"Alright, thank you for your trouble. I have to go now." Lou Xiao'e turned around and went back into the house. She sat there in a daze for a long time, but she couldn't sit still any longer. She went out to ask an old lady about Xu Damao's house.

The middle-aged woman clicked her tongue after hearing this: "Oh dear, Xu Damao always does such unreliable things, he's really in deep trouble this time!" She patted her chest and promised, "Leave it to me, I'll definitely inform his parents!"

Lou Xiao'e returned home, but that afternoon she felt uneasy, as if she had a rabbit in her heart.

An older woman ran all the way to knock on the Xu family's door and exposed the matter. The Xu family's son was arrested for public indecent behavior, which made the old couple tremble with anger.

But the old saying of raising a son to provide for old age still applies, and this is their only child. How could they just watch him go to jail? They gritted their teeth and went to the police station that had jurisdiction over the film studio to find out what happened.

The older woman handed over the message, then turned and went back into the courtyard. Several women sitting idly in the yard, seeing her leave after talking to the "comrade," surrounded her and bombarded her with questions. The older woman didn't hide anything, spilling the beans: "That Xu boy, he publicly harassed a female colleague at the film studio, and the police arrested him!"

"Pah! Shameless bastard!"

"That's for sure! Xu Damao's father was like that when he was young, he ruined so many young girls!"

"This time I've really seen something new! They deserved their retribution!"

The courtyard instantly erupted into chaos, with curses rising and falling. As the old saying goes, if the upper beam is crooked, the lower beam will be crooked too. Xu Damao's father was no saint either. In the past, in order to help his son, he had set up many traps to harm people, and even said, "Whoever shows kindness will be cheated." Now it seems that the rabbit has no tail, just like its roots!

Lou Xiao'e had been on tenterhooks all day, feeling like something bad was about to happen, but Yang Wei hadn't gotten off work yet, so she could only wait it out. Finally, she heard the door lock click, jumped up, pulled him inside, and asked in a low voice, "Xu Damao got arrested for indecent behavior at the film studio today, and his leg was broken. Does that have anything to do with you?"

Yang Wei, who was rubbing his shoulder gleefully, jumped three feet high upon hearing this: "Oh my god! Heaven has eyes! That bastard has finally fallen! It's a pity he only broke a leg, why didn't they just kill him outright!"

"Keep your voice down!" Lou Xiao'e raised her hand and slapped his arm. "You really didn't do it?"

'

"My goodness!" Yang Wei cried out, "If I had that kind of ability, I would have done it already! He dared to touch my wife, I was already furious, but if the factory manager hadn't made me put on this act, would I have gone around thanking him like an idiot?"

Lou Xiao'e breathed a sigh of relief: "It's good it wasn't you." Turning to her, she urged, "I'm starving, hurry up and cook!"

Yang Wei secretly rejoiced. Last night, when he helped Xu Damao up, he had secretly slipped a wisp of murderous intent into his penis. This stuff not only scare people, but can also temporarily cloud their judgment. Xu Damao was just thinking about how to flirt with a girl when the murderous intent suddenly surged up, and he immediately acted recklessly, which is why he acted like a hooligan in public. In the end, it was half calculated and half coincidental, but who cares, as long as it works!

He was humming a little tune as he cooked in the kitchen, muttering to himself, "Serves you right for being such a jerk! Let's see if you're still so cocky now, you stupid idiot, you think I can't teach you a lesson?"

Just as the dishes were served, Lou Xiao'e called her grandmother over. The family was enjoying their meal when the door creaked open, and Xu Damao's father knelt down with a thud, his voice booming, "Director Yang! Please save my son! He's still young. If you don't help, his life will be ruined!"

The man was under fifty, with a balding head, wearing a gray cloth shirt, and darting triangular eyes. His pointed chin was taut. Yang Wei quickly helped him up: "Hey, get up! Let's talk this out, why are you making such a fuss?"

Xu's father wiped away his tears and pretended to be pitiful: "Director Yang, we know that Da Mao has offended you many times, but you are a big shot and he is just a nobody. You are a magnanimous person, please forgive him this time!" But the scheming in his eyes could not be hidden, as if he was digging a pit for him. Yang Wei had seen this kind of play many times in his previous life, how could he not see through it?

"What would I save?" Yang Wei raised an eyebrow. "My affair with Da Mao is long over. I even thanked him in front of the whole hospital!"

"Da Mao has been framed!" Mr. Xu was so anxious he almost knelt again. "He wouldn't dare! It must be a misunderstanding! Please plead for him, otherwise he'll be imprisoned and his life will be ruined! Director Yang, I'm begging you!"

Yang Wei smirked and suddenly released his grip. Xu's father, who was kneeling halfway, froze in mid-air, as if he had been struck by a pressure point. The room was so quiet you could hear a pin drop. A crow cawed as it flew across the eaves, leaving the room filled with awkward silence.

Yang Wei has never been a kind person.

If he were soft-hearted, he wouldn't have secretly set a trap for Xu Damao and tormented him to death.

As for Xu Damao's father—

Then there's even less need to be polite.

If you don't provoke me, we can live in peace.

If you insist on coming up here, then don't blame me for serving you something special.

If you want to kneel, then kneel.

This time I won't stop you.

Yang Wei took half a step back, crossed his arms, and smirked, a slightly roguish smile on his lips.

He just stared at the other person quietly, his eyes filled with blatant mockery, as if to say:

"Kneel down, I'm waiting."

When it comes to people, everyone has their own unique character.

Xu Damao's cowardly, weak-willed, and bullying nature wasn't something he was born with—

The kind of nest you build determines the kind of insects you raise; ultimately, it all comes down to the father.

Sure enough, Xu Damao's father froze for two seconds, then his knees buckled and he knelt down with a "plop".

"Director Yang, Da Mao... he offended you before, reporting you repeatedly. He was just being foolish..."

As the old saying goes, "If a son is not taught, it is the father's fault..."

"Stop."

Yang Wei interrupted him before he could finish speaking:

"You're wrong. I not only don't hold a grudge against Xu Damao, I should thank him."

"With him watching over me like this, I can stay on my toes and not go astray."

"He's a good comrade, how can you say he's bad? If word gets out, it will really affect unity."

Xu Damao's father's face turned pale and then green, and he could only nod and bow:

"Yes, yes, I misspoke... Director Yang, you have many connections, you absolutely have to help this time and save Da Mao..."

"Good deeds will be rewarded, I... I'm kowtowing to you!"

As he was about to kowtow, the old woman sitting to the side suddenly spoke up. Her voice wasn't loud, but it was sharp:

"Young Xu, you're not asking for help, you're harming someone."

"At your age, kowtowing to my grandson, are you trying to shorten his lifespan?"

"Try bumping it again, my cane doesn't discriminate."

The old lady didn't even fully lift her eyelids, but her words pierced through like needles.

Xu Damao's father froze, his movements halting, too afraid to move.

"What are you still kneeling for? Get up!" The old lady slammed her cane on the ground.

"Hey, hey..." Xu Damao's father hurriedly got up, his face full of bitterness, and looked at Yang Wei with pleading eyes.

"You brought this on yourself, you can't live like this."

The old woman turned her face away, "Hurry up and leave, my grandson can't handle this."

Seeing that he was still dawdling, the old lady suddenly raised her cane, as if to get up—

"If you don't leave now, I'm really going to kick you out!"

"I'm leaving, I'm leaving!"

Xu Damao's father finally slunk away.

This family is really good at making money.

From the moment he entered, he was subtly setting a trap: ostensibly asking Yang Wei for forgiveness, but secretly trying to twist Xu Damao's lewd behavior into "Yang Wei holding a grudge and seeking revenge, setting a trap for him."

Unfortunately, neither Yang Wei nor the old lady were easy to deal with.

No matter how deep the pit is dug, no one will jump in.

Watching the man's figure disappear, Yang Wei turned around and gave the old lady a thumbs-up:

"Grandma, you have such a keen eye."

"Of course," the old lady said, raising her chin and smiling so much that wrinkles appeared at the corners of her eyes. "Don't you know who my grandmother is?"

A low chuckle came from inside the room.

No one mentioned Xu Damao's name anymore.

As for whether he lives or dies in the end—Yang Wei couldn't be bothered to care, much less get involved.

Killing him wouldn't be enough to vent my anger, let alone the fact that he might not even be sentenced to death now.

As long as Xu Damao's father finds that female colleague, settles the matter privately, pays compensation, and pleads guilty, he will be released after a few days in jail.

Without that fly, life is actually much quieter.

That night, Yang Wei didn't go anywhere; he just stayed home and read.

He was afraid that Xu Damao's father would launch a surprise attack, leaving Lou Xiao'e and the old lady unable to handle it.

The stack of books my master gave me sat on the bedside table, and the gramophone slowly played "Symphony No. 5".

Steam rose gently from the teacup.

Such nights are quiet and peaceful.

After leaving the Yang family, Xu Damao's father turned around and went straight to the central courtyard, knocking on the doors of the three old men one by one.

He wanted the person in charge of the hospital to help him come up with a plan to get his son out.

But when the three old men came home from get off work, they had already heard about Xu Damaoqian's filthy deeds, and none of them wanted to get involved in his mess.

Finally, Liu Haizhong glanced at Sha Zhu's room and muttered:

"Our words won't carry any weight in this matter. If you really want to save people, you should go find He Yuzhu. He's the deputy factory director now, and he has a wide network of connections."

Xu Damao's father was taken aback: "Who is He Yuzhu?"

Third Uncle Yan Bugui adjusted his glasses: "It's Sha Zhu."

"Sha Zhu's become the deputy factory manager?!"

"Absolutely, it was just announced today. Your son's in jail, while he's taking office—different fates for different people."

Xu Damao's father hurriedly tugged at the sleeves of the group:

"Brothers, you have prestige in the courtyard. Accompany me; your words carry more weight than mine..."

Liu Haizhong and Yan Bugui remained silent, their gazes drifting towards Yi Zhonghai.

Everyone in the hospital knows that Yi Zhonghai and Sha Zhu have a very close relationship.

Yi Zhonghai sighed:

"We live in the same hospital, it wouldn't be right to just stand by and watch someone die... Let's go and talk to them."

But will his reputation still be of any use to Sha Zhu?

Ha ha.

Who has Shazhu been getting close to lately?

Yang Wei.

Other matters might be negotiable, but when Xu Damao and Yang Wei are involved—

Yi Zhonghai is likely to get a cold shoulder.