Courtyard House: My Hidden Wheat Seeds Caused a National Sensation

After leaving Zhonghai, Li Jianye did not go straight back to the courtyard house, but instead went to the street first—the door lock was broken yesterday and he couldn't lock the door this morning, so he had to buy two new ones to feel at ease.

***

At the same time, Qin Huairu stood by the roadside at the suburban bus station, waiting for her bus with a sullen face.

Beside her followed a little girl with a resentful look on her face; she was her thirteen-year-old cousin, Qin Jingru.

"Jingru, don't follow me!"

Qin Huairu turned her head, her tone laced with suppressed anger.

"I told you before, things are tough at home right now."

My mother-in-law and I are both from rural areas and don't have ration coupons. We rely entirely on the rations for food for our three children: your brother-in-law, Banggeng, and Xiaodang.

This year's food supplies are already so limited; if you squeeze in any more, everyone will really go hungry!

I don't care.

"It was your father who made me homeless, so you have to support me."

Qin Jingru has always been short-sighted and narrow-minded, yet she still dreams of moving to the city.

Now that they've finally gotten a little involved, how could they let go? So they stubbornly followed their cousin out of the village.

The captain already disliked the Qin family for causing trouble, so when he saw that she was willing to leave, he immediately and readily issued a letter of introduction.

Qin Huairu originally wanted to shake her off halfway, but she couldn't.

"Jingru, please understand my situation... I'm having a hard time in the Jia family."

As she spoke, Qin Huairu wiped away her tears.

But Qin Jingru wasn't buying it at all.

"Sister, I'm the only one left in the Qin family in the village. They all ostracize me; I can't survive there!"

"Even if you come with me, you'll be kicked out."

There's absolutely no extra food left in the house!

"I don't care!"

Looking at her cousin acting tough, Qin Huairu felt a throbbing pain in her temples.

She could almost imagine how Jia Dongxu and Jia Zhangshi would treat her if she really brought Qin Jingru back.

When that happens, I'm afraid I'll get a good beating.

As I was lost in thought, the intercity bus slowly pulled into the station.

Qin Huairu hurriedly squeezed onto the bus.

Qin Jingru followed behind with light steps.

Qin Huairu had originally planned to make an excuse that she was short of money and couldn't afford a train ticket, so as to send her cousin back home.

Unexpectedly, Qin Jingru had brought her own travel money, so there was no excuse to refuse, and he had no choice but to take her with him to Beijing.

"Jingru, since you insist on coming to the city with me, there are some things I need to say beforehand."

"Sister, please speak, I'm listening."

"Li Jianye also lived in our courtyard house."

But neither my mother-in-law nor my husband got along well with him.

So, under no circumstances should anyone know that I used to be involved with him—you remember that, right?

"Brother Jianye actually lives in the same courtyard as you guys?"

Qin Jingru's eyes lit up.

Although her family moved to the Northwest back then, which was somewhat related to Li Jianye, she didn't hold him responsible; she only blamed Qin Huairu's father.

If it weren't for that person's meddling, how could our family have ended up in such a state? Besides, she has always been materialistic and looked down on Li Jianye in the past, simply because he was a farmer from the countryside, and her family always said he was good-for-nothing.

But things are different now.

Li Jianye not only became a city dweller, but also gained the appreciation of the big boss, with a bright future ahead of him, and he was also handsome.

With this thought in mind, Qin Jingru secretly had an idea.

Unfortunately, I am still young, and many of my plans cannot be implemented at present.

"Sis, how's Jianye doing in the city?"

"Him..."

Qin Huairu's eyes dimmed, her tone tinged with an indescribable emotion, "Things are good now, I earn four hundred yuan a month, I can't possibly spend it all."

"Four hundred?!"

Qin Jingru cried out, drawing attention from all around.

She quickly lowered her voice, as if afraid someone would hear, "My brother Jianye is really capable!"

"Remember this."

Qin Huairu solemnly reminded him again, "Li Jianye is just from the same village as us, and our relationship is ordinary."

Our past must never be revealed.

"Okay, I won't say anything."

Would Jianye himself say that?

"He... probably wouldn't."

Qin Huairu felt a bitter taste on her tongue, a taste she always felt whenever she thought of Li Jianye.

She paused for a moment, then said, "I'll find some time to talk to him when I get back tonight."

Yesterday was so busy that I didn't get a chance to talk to him.

……

Around dinnertime, Li Jianye rode his bicycle back to the courtyard house.

"Oh, you bought a car?"

As soon as I entered the front yard, Yan Bugui greeted me with a smile, "Was this an award from your superiors?"

"yes."

Li Jianye smiled and replied, "You're busy, I'll go back to my room first, we can talk another day."

He pushed the cart inside, attracting many curious glances along the way.

Since they had only recently moved in, they weren't familiar with the people in the courtyard yet, so no one went up to chat with them.

As soon as he arrived at the Intermediate People's Court, he saw Yi Zhonghai walking towards him.

"Xiao Li, are you in the car yet?"

"Yes, an old man."

"You're back just in time! The meeting ended so quickly yesterday, and then you went out again, I forgot to introduce you to the neighbors in the courtyard."

I wanted to wait until you came back to make it up, but I didn't know when you got home, so it was delayed.

Since everyone's here today, I'll show you around to each house.

As the saying goes, a close neighbor is worse than a distant relative. To look out for each other in the future, we need to know who's who first, right?

Li Jianye stood at his doorstep, his gaze sweeping over the mess inside the house.

Muddy footprints stretched from the threshold to the corner of the wall. The cabinet door was wide open, clothes were scattered all over the floor, and the mattress was pulled to the ground with several dirty black shoe prints on it.

He remained silent for a few seconds, but a very faint smile slowly appeared at the corner of his mouth.

"An old man,"

He turned to look at Yi Zhonghai standing behind him, his tone so calm that no emotion could be discerned, "The atmosphere in our compound is truly unique."

Yesterday they broke down the door, and today they turned the house upside down.

interesting."

Yi Zhonghai's usual gentle smile looked somewhat stiff at this moment.

He quickly scanned the room, inwardly cursing the Jia family brat for his recklessness, but on the surface he immediately put on a concerned expression: "Comrade Jianye, don't rush, carefully check what important items are missing."

I'll go find Banggeng right now and get to the bottom of this! If he really did it, I'll make him pay for it exactly as it was, without any leniency!

"pay?"

Li Jianye repeated the word softly, walked to the window, and reached out to brush away the layer of dust that had settled on the windowsill.

Sunlight streamed through the glass, illuminating the still-settled dust particles in the air.

Nothing was stolen.

There wasn't much of value in my house to begin with. What kind of possessions could someone who had just moved to the city have? Just a few old clothes, a quilt, pots and pans.

He paused, turned to look at Yi Zhonghai, his eyes holding just the right amount of doubt, "I just don't quite understand, old man."

A five-year-old child running into someone else's house, splashing in the mud and rummaging through drawers—is this something that would normally happen in his own home? Or are the rules in our yard different from other places?

Yi Zhonghai's heart tightened.

These words sounded calm, yet they were like a gentle rebuke.

He quickly waved his hand: "Hey, Jianye, what are you saying! There's no such rule! Banggeng, that kid... he's probably a bit naughty and lacks discipline."

As Jia Zhangshi aged and her energy waned, she inevitably became negligent.

As one of the older residents of the compound, I also bear responsibility for not educating the children properly.

As he spoke, he observed Li Jianye's expression, trying to discern something from his calm demeanor.

A person who has just arrived from the countryside should either be furious or swallow their anger when faced with this kind of situation.

But the person in front of me reacted too calmly, even a little... unfathomable.

"The child is naughty, I can understand."

Li Jianye nodded, seemingly very understanding.

He bent down, picked up the mud-stained mattress from the ground, and patted it off. "However, treating someone else's house like a field and trampling on it, throwing bedding on the ground and ruining it, doesn't seem like something that can be justified as 'naughtiness'."

Grandpa, you just said you'd take me to meet everyone and get to know my neighbors.

I think we should start with the Jia family. Perfect timing, I should also pay a visit to this old comrade Jia Zhangshi who raised such a lively grandson.

We only met briefly yesterday and didn't even have a proper chance to say hello.

Yi Zhonghai's smile completely vanished.

His original plan was to lead Li Jianye, as an elder, to introduce him to everyone as if he were a new member, thus solidifying his own authority.

But what if Li Jianye were to use this as a pretext to "punish" him?

When they headed straight for the Jia family, the scene was completely different.

Jia Zhangshi is a tough nut to crack; she's used to petty theft and thievery. If things escalate, Li Jianye, this seemingly mild-mannered "farmer," might be in trouble.

If we keep pressing the issue, it will only put Yi Zhonghai in a difficult position—if we handle it too lightly, it will seem like we're showing favoritism; if we handle it too harshly, the Jia family will definitely make a scene, further damaging our prestige.

"This... Jianye, huh?"

Yi Zhonghai's mind raced, and his tone became even more earnest, "Look, it has already happened."

The Jia family, with its orphaned children and widowed mother, had a difficult life.

Banggeng is still young and doesn't understand.

We are all neighbors in the same compound, and we will be living together for a long time to come, seeing each other all the time.

How about this, I'll have Jia Zhangshi bring some sticks to apologize to you, and then clean your house inside and out.

As for the loss, I'll have her compensate you privately, and that'll settle the matter.

If this gets out of hand, it will damage the child's reputation and the unity of the neighborhood.

What do you think?

His words, seemingly aimed at mediation, actually touched upon the issue of "neighborly relations."

"Child's reputation"

"Unity within the Compound"

Several hats were quietly handed over, waiting for Li Jianye to accept them.

Newcomers often choose to be tolerant in order to integrate as quickly as possible.

Li Jianye draped the mattress back on the bed, turned around, and faced Yi Zhonghai.

His face still didn't show any intense expression, but his eyes were slightly more serious.

"Uncle, you're absolutely right."

Neighbors should live in harmony, children should be cared for, and unity is very important.

He said slowly, "But I think there's something else that's also quite important."

"Oh? What is it?"

Yi Zhonghai asked.

"rule."

Li Jianye uttered two words, not loud, but clear.

"After moving to the city and settling down, I became a part of this courtyard."

Since we're all part of this community, we have to follow the rules here, right? Similarly, when others come here, whether adults or children, shouldn't they also follow some basic rules? Just because someone is struggling financially or is young doesn't mean you can arbitrarily damage their belongings and then dismiss it with a simple "they don't know any better."

If this rule can be broken here today, then tomorrow it can be broken at Zhang San's house or Li Si's house, right?

He took two steps forward, getting closer to Yi Zhonghai, and even showed a sincere look of inquiry on his face: "Uncle, you are a long-time resident and also the manager."

Please give me the truth—does our compound actually have a rule that "no one may enter another's house without permission, and no one may damage another's property"? If so, then we should do whatever we say.

If not…

He smiled and said, "Then I understand. I'll just be more careful about who I keep in mind from now on."

Yi Zhonghai was speechless for a moment.

Looking into Li Jianye's calm yet unyielding eyes, his initial contempt and scheming suddenly began to waver.

Is this guy really just a farmer who doesn't know anything?

"I'm calling the police! That thief must be caught!"

Li Jianye's voice echoed in the room, and Yi Zhonghai hurriedly stepped forward to stop him.

That child is his apprentice's flesh and blood, how could he just watch him go to jail?

"Jianye, calm down."

Yi Zhonghai softened his tone, "I understand how you feel right now, but leave this to me."

Don't worry, I will definitely get back everything you lost.

The alarm is too loud and will have a negative impact on the courtyard. Let's resolve this privately.

"

"Uncle, they're bullying me! Look at the state of my family now—I can't swallow this! I have to call the police! I have to make them taste what jail food is like! Lou Xiao'e just identified him; it's Banggenggan."

Look at these tiny footprints all over the ground, they're all muddy, how could they be fake?

On the damp ground after the rain, the crooked footprints of the children were clearly visible, making it impossible to deny.

Yi Zhonghai stared at the footprints, his brows furrowing deeper and deeper.