Courtyard House: My Hidden Wheat Seeds Caused a National Sensation

"Everyone in the compound knows what's going on. I'm just stating it bluntly."

He stared at Lou Xiao'e again, and said decisively, "Let's get a divorce. It's better for both of us."

Lou Xiao'e's chest heaved violently, all the words seemed to be stuck in her throat, finally turning into a series of suppressed sobs.

She turned around and buried her face deeply in Delilah's shoulder, her shoulders shaking.

Sighs spread like a tide.

"Tsk tsk, looks like she comes from a respectable family, but she's... barren."

"What a pity about that appearance."

"The Xu family is really in trouble because their ancestors didn't burn any good incense."

"It's better that they're divorced. Damao is young; he should quickly find someone else to have children with..."

They chattered amongst themselves, their voices buzzing as they wove a web.

Yi Zhonghai raised his hand, ready to quell the commotion and bring things to a close.

Just then, a lazy yet clear voice came from the moon gate connecting the front and middle courtyards.

"Wow, it's quite lively here?"

All the heads turned around at once.

A figure stood beneath the moon gate.

He was travel-worn, carrying a heavy leather suitcase in his hand and a bag slung over his shoulder.

The evening glow cast a frosty glow on his body; he was Li Jianye, returning from a business trip.

"Li Jianye?"

Yi Zhonghai's heart skipped a beat, and his scalp tingled slightly.

How come this guy always manages to come back right on time whenever something happens in the courtyard? It's weird.

"Jianye is back?"

"Was the journey tiring?"

Greetings rose and fell, carried with a deliberate warmth.

Li Jianye smiled slightly, casually replied with a couple of words, and then his gaze passed through the crowd and landed on Dilisilin, and on the sobbing figure in her arms.

He strode over and placed the box at his feet.

"Honey, what's going on here?"

He asked in a low voice, glancing at Lou Xiao'e, who was resting on Dilisilin's shoulder.

Delilah smiled helplessly at him, her eyes filled with apology, as if annoyed that the occasion prevented her from going to greet him.

Xu Damao said that Xiao'e could not have children and was determined to leave.

Xiao'e refused to bear this reputation, saying she would agree to a divorce, but only if things were made clear.

"Oh?"

Li Jianye raised an eyebrow, turned his face, and looked over the crowd, his gaze settling steadily on Xu Damao.

He smiled, his tone calm, which suddenly silenced the surroundings.

"Da Mao,"

He said, "I don't think there's anything wrong with divorce."

He paused, a knowing calm in his eyes, "However..."

After the argument in the courtyard, Xu Damao walked away with his neck stiff, leaving Lou Xiao'e standing there alone, her shoulders trembling, tears streaming down her face.

She had hoped that Li Jianye would come back and speak up for her, but instead, she heard such a suggestion.

Li Jianye didn't look at her much, only giving his wife, Dilisilin, a glance.

"Given Xiao'e's current condition, it's not appropriate for her to stay at the Xu family's house any longer."

"Take her to our study for the night."

Although Dilisilin had some doubts, she didn't ask any more questions. She nodded and helped Lou Xiao'e into the house.

Li Jianye turned around and waved to the neighbors who were still gathered: "Disperse, everyone go home."

The onlookers then began to whisper amongst themselves as they headed home, leaving only the three uncles in charge standing dumbfounded in the courtyard, forgetting to crack the melon seeds they were holding. They looked at each other, their faces blank with disappointment.

"What...what's going on here?"

One of them finally managed to utter a sentence after a long pause.

Yi Zhonghai shook his head and sighed, "Alright, let's go too."

……

Once inside and behind closed door, Li Jianye turned to Lou Xiao'e, whose eyes were red and swollen, and said in a low voice, "Don't cry."

In my opinion, the reason you two haven't had children all these years probably isn't because of you.

Lou Xiao'e raised her tearful eyes and stared blankly at him.

"Just believe what I say."

Li Jianye didn't want to explain further, so he just said with certainty, "Xu Damao is probably the one with the problem."

If he actually checks tomorrow, he might have some ulterior motives and come back with a fake report to turn the tables on you.

You need to quickly find a reliable person at the hospital to get the real test results first and keep them in your hands.

"When you return to this courtyard, reveal the truth to everyone, and you'll be clean."

Lou Xiao'e listened, her tears slowly receding, a glimmer of light appearing in her eyes: "Really?"

"When have I ever comforted you?"

Li Jianye nodded, "Trust me."

There's one more thing I need to make clear to you first.

He paused, and the atmosphere in the room suddenly became quiet.

Lou Xiao'e was slightly taken aback: "What?"

Li Jianye had a faint smile on his lips, but he lowered his voice: "It's about the old lady."

He slowly explained his speculation.

"Now that your engagement has been broken off, that old lady will most likely have something on her mind—she will definitely try to match you up with He Yuzhu."

You need to have a clear understanding of this.

Lou Xiao'e stared in astonishment, her eyes widening: "This...how is this possible?"

Li Jianye gently shook his head: "Why not? Do you really think that old lady is a kind and benevolent person?"

"Isn't that right?"

Lou Xiao'e's eyes were blank, and she looked somewhat bewildered.

"Of course not."

Li Jianye said calmly, "I know she often comes to talk to you and treats you kindly."

But all of this was just a scheme.

"It can't be that bad..."

"Think about it carefully. Doesn't she always complain about Xu Damao to you? Saying things like, 'In the old days, this man would definitely be a traitor,' or something like that?"

Lou Xiao'e was speechless.

The deaf old lady did say that.

Although she and Delilah were good friends and often chatted together, Delilah had to go to the factory during the day and was not always free.

On some afternoons when she felt restless and bored, she would go to the backyard to find the old lady to relieve her boredom, and inevitably complain about Xu Damao's behavior.

The old lady would always go along with the conversation, belittling Xu Damao to the point of being worthless.

"She...does seem to have mentioned it."

"See, isn't that right?"

Li Jianye's smile deepened. "Just you wait and see. In a few days, she'll definitely ask you to come and chat with her."

At that time, they will surely praise He Yuzhu for being honest and reliable while kicking Xu Damao a few times.

Be careful yourself.

Li Jianye was not worried that Lou Xiao'e would fall into He Yuzhu's hands.

It turns out that the relationship could only be formed when four things came together: first, Xu Damao was unfaithful and Lou Xiao'e was deeply affected by the misfortune that befell Lou's parents; second, He Yuzhu went through many troubles to rescue the two elders, which was quite like a hero rescuing a beauty; third, a phonograph was brought in from elsewhere, which added a touch of romance; and finally, there was the scene where the old lady locked the door.

If any one of the four elements is missing, the matter cannot be accomplished.

Given the current situation, at most only one last thing can be addressed.

Even if Li Jianye doesn't get involved, this matter is unlikely to amount to much.

Even the old lady might not dare to actually lock the door—she was a shrewd woman, and if she didn't see that the two of them were only a thin veil away from each other, she would never dare to risk her reputation.

However, to prevent problems before they occur, reminders are always necessary.

"Xiao'e, there's something you must remember."

Li Jianye's expression turned serious. "Never be alone in a room with He Yuzhu."

"If the old lady gets 'confused' one day and locks you two inside, that would be a huge problem."

Lou Xiao'e's face turned pale: "She...she would actually do such a thing?"

"It's always better to be cautious."

Li Jianye then instructed, "Once the divorce proceedings are completed, you'd better go home immediately."

Discuss it with your father, take your essential belongings, and move the whole family to Hong Kong. Don't come back anytime soon.

"Going to Hong Kong?"

Lou Xiao'e's expression suddenly turned serious.

She recalled the scene of attending Li Jianye's wedding not long ago, and her heart sank suddenly.

Hearing that Li Jianye had close ties with the higher-ups, Lou Xiao'e took every word of his advice to heart.

"good,"

She nodded solemnly, "I will relay these words to my father exactly as they were said."

"It's getting late."

Li Jianye glanced at the deepening night outside the window. "I'll go tidy up the study. You can rest there for the night."

"How could I trouble you?"

Lou Xiao'e quickly got up, "I can do it myself."

As they talked, the two walked into the study next door, one after the other.

There was a bed in the room, an old item left by the Liu family. Li Jianye had not thrown it away, and would take a short rest there when he got tired of reading.

With a little tidying up, we can barely settle the guests.

In the stillness of the night, Lou Xiao'e lay alone on her bed in the study, the bedding filled with a faint, clean scent.

She sighed softly, her cheeks feeling slightly warm.

"If only I had met him sooner..."

The thought quietly surfaced in my mind, tinged with a touch of melancholy.

Fate seemed to always be working against the grain. When she was still young and unmarried, he was still single. But by the time her marriage was settled, he had already found his other half.

Now that she is about to break free from her cage, an invisible boundary has already separated them.

"In the end, our fate was too shallow."

She shook her head, suppressing the slight bewilderment, and her eyes sharpened. "Never mind, the most important thing right now is to make Xu Damao pay the price."

The mere thought of that name sent waves of hatred crashing over me like a cold tide.

***

As soon as Li Jianye stepped into his house, a figure carrying a warm fragrance rushed into his arms.

"My lord!"

Delilah hugged his waist tightly, looked up at him, her eyes filled with longing, "You're finally back."

"I miss you as well."

He smiled and put his arm around her, his voice gentle.

The younger sister leaned closer, a hint of worry in her eyes, and asked, "Brother, is that deaf old lady... really as terrible as people say?"

"Of course it's true."

Li Jianye remained calm, "However, having lived to this age, she's become quite shrewd and knows exactly how to assess situations."

She won't, and wouldn't dare, provoke us, so you can rest assured.

***

At this moment, in a dimly lit room in another corner of the courtyard, the kerosene lamp illuminated two gloomy faces.

After listening to Yi Zhonghai's account, the deaf old woman slightly lifted her wrinkled eyelids: "Li Jianye is back? And he made you lose face in public?"

She slowly shook her head, her voice hoarse: "I told you before, that person is no pushover, we can't afford to mess with him."

If you had befriended him back then, you wouldn't be just a level eight fitter today. You'd probably be on a higher level by now.

Yi Zhonghai sighed heavily, his face full of regret: "What's the use of saying all this now? I made one wrong step back then... Oh well."

Grandma, I'm now planning to find a marriage partner for Zhu Zi.

Now that his problem is cured and the rumors have subsided, it's time to find an honest and decent girl from the countryside and get married.

"Looks don't need to be outstanding, just someone who can live a peaceful life—we're not Li Jianye, we don't have that ability, nor the fortune to marry a fairy-like wife."

"There's no rush yet."

The deaf old woman tapped her thin fingers lightly on her knee, a shrewd calculation flashing in her eyes. "I think Lou Xiao'e and Zhu Zi... might be able to make it work."

"This...this won't do!"

Yi Zhonghai was stunned.

"I still have a card in my hand, it's not time to reveal it yet."

The deaf old woman's lips curled into a meaningful smile, then her expression turned thoughtful. "But the most important thing right now is to find out—is Xu Damao even capable of having children?"

She never doubted Lou Xiao'e's fertility, but Xu Damao... that was another matter.

Yi Zhonghai spoke with certainty, his tone leaving no room for doubt.

How can you be so sure?

A hint of doubt flickered in the deaf old woman's cloudy eyes.

For a long time, she had been convinced that Xu Damao had a problem.

But this is just speculation, and she's not some kind of miracle doctor.

Moreover, Xu Damao and Lou Xiao'e had only been married for two years, and Xu Damao often went to the countryside, sometimes not returning home for ten days or half a month.

It seems reasonable that there has been no movement for two years.

But to be on the safe side, this matter must be thoroughly investigated.

"I suspect he's keeping someone else on the side."

Yi Zhonghai lowered his voice, speaking clearly, "Moreover, that woman is probably pregnant."

"Oh?"

The deaf old woman was slightly taken aback. "What makes you say that?"