Courtyard House: My Hidden Wheat Seeds Caused a National Sensation

Before long, those rationing rules will probably be relaxed for pork, just like they were for chicken.

At that time, people will be able to choose and weigh as they please, bringing this abundant flavor home.

All these subtle changes are connected to the name Li Jianye. It was he who brought a brand new and hopeful era to everyone.

Just as Han Chunming's family sat together, laughing and chatting as they made dumplings, a major event that would shake the neighborhood was brewing in a familiar courtyard deep in Nanluoguxiang.

He Yuzhu's father, He Daqing, has returned.

A lawsuit ten years ago sent He Daqing to prison.

When he finished his sentence and regained his freedom, he was not greeted by a warm harbor.

The woman surnamed Bai who had once been with him no longer wished to spend the rest of her life with him.

After several arguments and tug-of-wars, He Daqing finally grew tired, let go, and ended the relationship with a divorce decree.

The marriage ended, and the shelter was gone; the job was also lost back then.

With nowhere else to turn, He Daqing remembered the courtyard house he hadn't seen for over twenty years; it was his only remaining "root."

The place.

"More than 20 years... I'm finally back."

He held a simple box of snacks in his hand and stood at the entrance of the alley not far from the courtyard gate, quietly gazing at the gatehouse with its blue bricks and gray tiles.

His eyes were churning with so much: guilt, trepidation at returning home, and a hint of bewildered expectation.

He stood there blankly for a while before, as if he had made up his mind, he moved his feet and walked towards the courtyard gate.

"He Daqing?"

Just as I stepped across the threshold, a surprised greeting came from the side.

He Daqing turned his head and saw an old acquaintance—Yan Bugui.

"Old Yan, it's me, I'm back."

"Oh ho! It really is you, Great Qing!"

Yan Bugui walked around He Daqing twice, looking him up and down, and finally clicked his tongue, "He has lost quite a bit of weight."

"Sigh, it's a long story."

He Daqing sighed, his voice unconsciously lowering and becoming hesitant, "These past years... how have you all been? And... Shazhu, and my daughter, how are they... doing?"

"How is it?"

Yan Bugui shook his head, a look of indescribable expression on his face. "This matter, well, it's really hard to say."

Go in and see for yourself, ask around and you'll understand.

A lot has happened in our courtyard over the years.

Let me tell you something else.

He gestured towards the Intermediate People's Court, "That Comrade Li Jianye, whose fame has spread overseas, lives in our courtyard!"

"What?!"

He Daqing was stunned, almost doubting that he had misheard. "You mean... that Li Jianye is our neighbor?"

"Absolutely true."

Yan Bugui confirmed, but his expression became somewhat subtle.

"This is fantastic news!"

He Daqing's face immediately lit up, and his tone became excited, "With such an important person as our neighbor, aren't we benefiting from it? As long as we maintain good relations, what's there to worry about in the future?"

Hearing his hopeful words, Yan Bugui's expression became even stranger, his ambiguous smile seemingly concealing many unspoken words.

He chuckled twice and waved his hand: "Hehe, well... you should go back and ask your silly Zhu first."

The changes in our compound are huge! Alright, I should go home and watch TV now!

After saying that, he didn't say anything more, turned around and walked towards his house, not forgetting to mention "watching TV" before leaving.

He spoke of it with obvious smugness in his tone.

Over the years, Yan Laoxi has indeed been living a very comfortable life.

"Is there...some other hidden story here?"

He Daqing was puzzled, but then another piece of information caught his attention: "Wait, a TV? Old Yan bought a TV? That's a rare item!"

"What, others are allowed to buy it, but I'm not?"

Upon hearing this, Yan Bugui, who had already reached his front door, turned around, his smugness growing even stronger. "My TV is a 14-inch color TV! It's a Red Star brand! Do you know who invented this brand? It's Li Jianye! It works great!"

"A 14-inch... large color TV?"

He Daqing murmured to himself, deeply shaken.

"How much money must that cost!" He shook his head with a sigh, watched Yan Bugui enter the house, then turned around and continued walking towards the courtyard.

As he stepped onto the familiar yet somewhat unfamiliar floor tiles, and his gaze swept over the new and old doors and windows on both sides, He Daqing felt a pang of melancholy, a sense of things having changed.

"I haven't been back for so many years, the courtyard has changed so much, many familiar faces are gone, and quite a few new families have moved in..."

When did these self-built houses suddenly appear in this courtyard?

Who came up with this idea? It's truly ingenious!

He Daqing was amazed, and stepped into the central courtyard.

Looking up, I saw Jia Zhangshi chatting with several old women in the courtyard.

The other person also happened to turn their gaze, and their eyes met.

"He Daqing?!"

Jia Zhangshi's voice suddenly rose in pitch.

"Cuihua, it's been so many years."

He Daqing forced a smile.

"You're back?"

Jia Zhangshi stared at him, unconsciously shaking her head repeatedly.

She felt the same disgust for the person in front of her.

The reason is quite simple: He Daqing's actions with the deaf old lady back then directly damaged He Yushui's reputation.

To this day, He Yushui remains unmarried—who would want to marry a woman with a flawed family background? Moreover, having witnessed Li Jianye's success since childhood, this girl has high standards.

Before long, their marriage was delayed.

Since He Yushui couldn't get married, she could only live in the old house.

That room was never vacant, and Jia Zhangshi never gained any advantage from it. This resentment had been stuck in her heart for many years.

"Your daughter and son haven't finished work yet, go back inside and wait."

Too lazy to say anything more, Madam Jia waved her hand and turned to go into her own house.

Two little granddaughters are playing inside the house.

Upon seeing them, Jia Zhangshi felt a swelling in her forehead.

These two children were born after Jia Dongxu was released from prison.

As for the three children born in prison, the eldest daughter has now graduated and is looking for work, while the other two are still in school.

With five granddaughters in a row, Madam Jia was already exhausted.

It wasn't just her; Jia Dongxu and Qin Huairu were equally exhausted.

To support this large family, even people like Jia Dongxu and Jia Zhangshi, who were used to a life of leisure, had to find some work to make a living.

Fortunately, he learned sewing skills in prison, and now he earns a meager living by mending clothes for his neighbors.

Am I really that disliked?

Watching Jia Zhangshi's hurried departure, He Daqing frowned and sighed helplessly.

"The Qing Dynasty? Is it really you who has returned?"

A voice suddenly came from the side.

Yi Zhonghai stood there, looking over with a complicated expression.

He was also filled with mixed feelings.

"Old Yi!"

He Daqing turned his head to look, his heart also churning with emotion.

"How have you been these past few years? Your pension must be quite substantial, right?"

"pension?"

Yi Zhonghai's lips twitched suddenly.

Mentioning this matter ignites a nameless anger within him.

He was just a few steps away from a peaceful retirement, but then something happened. Not only did he lose his job, but his lifelong pension also vanished.

And things got even worse.

Two years ago, he received devastating news—his wife had passed away.

With special permission from prison, he returned to handle the funeral arrangements.

When he returned home and counted his savings, he discovered that of the ten thousand yuan he had saved in his life, only eight thousand remained.

Fortunately, the money was in the bank, so no one could touch it, and that's how most of it was saved.

The two thousand yuan he lost for no reason still felt like a thorn stuck in his heart.

What could he do? He didn't know who had done it, and he dared not report it to the authorities.

The case may not be solved, and it may even completely offend the people in the shadows—or those people.

An old man with no children and no descendants fears nothing more than making enemies.

Once someone holds a grudge, the days ahead will likely be difficult.

He dared not gamble that Jia Dongxu or He Yuzhu would stand up for him.

When a person reaches this point, they can only proceed with extreme caution, as if walking on thin ice.

So he could only swallow this bitterness alone.

At the same time, a deep sense of regret entwined his heart like vines.

He regretted setting a trap for Li Jianye and also regretted why he had lent a helping hand to the He family's old troubles.

"Brother Qing, I... just came out from inside."

His voice was hoarse, like a door hinge that hadn't been turned in a long time.

"Now I have nothing left, and I'm barely surviving on the little savings I had before."

"Oh...I see."

He Daqing paused for a moment, then realized that he was referring to the old case from many years ago where the composition of the composition had been altered.

He lowered his eyes and sighed.

"That matter... I'm sorry, old brother."

When that silly boy, Shazhu, comes back, I'll have a good talk with him.

From now on... let him take care of you in your old age and see you off in your final days!

"Hey, let's not talk about that."

Yi Zhonghai's face lit up a little, and he quickly waved his hand.

"How long has it been since we old brothers last saw each other? I'll go get some meat and some wine. Show off your skills later, and we'll have a good drink together?"

"become!"

He Daqing nodded heavily, his stomach, which had been dry for a long time, was now rumbling with anticipation.

"To be honest, I haven't been out for very long either, and right now... I really don't have a single penny to my name."

"It would be too formal to say such things."

"You wait."

Yi Zhonghai turned around and went back into his house. He took the money and hurriedly walked out of the yard.

He Daqing stayed alone in the somewhat empty house, waiting for his two children and for a long-awaited full meal.

But before he could see He Yuzhu or He Yushui, he was greeted by another person with heavy steps.

Liu Haizhong's face was so gloomy it looked like it could be wrung out of water, and he exuded a dark aura as he slowly moved over from the hanging flower gate.

"Hey! Old Liu! Just got off work? No, at your age, you should be enjoying your retirement. Did you go for a walk?"

"Off work? To enjoy life?"

Liu Haizhong raised his eyelids and glanced at He Daqing with a cold and hard look.

"I just got out of jail!"

"Ha!"

He Daqing was speechless for a moment.

"Good grief...you got caught up in it too?"

Liu Haizhong stopped talking, his face tense, and strode straight toward the backyard.

He was seething with anger today—on such a big day as his release from prison, not a single person came to pick him up! This feeling of suffocation made his heart ache, and he even lost all interest in finding out why He Daqing was there.

He Daqing's curiosity was piqued, and since he had nothing better to do, he followed behind at a leisurely pace.

The two walked one after the other through the middle courtyard and arrived at the back courtyard in the blink of an eye.

"Liu Guangtian! Liu Guangfu! You two beasts, get out here right now!"

A thunderous roar startled several households, who lifted their curtains and peered out.

The brothers Liu Guangtian and Liu Guangfu also strolled out of the house, crossed their arms, and coldly stared at the panting old man in the courtyard.

Who are you?

"So, who should we contact?"

"You...you two wretched creatures!"

Liu Haizhong pointed at them, his fingers trembling, a sharp pain shooting through his chest, and his body swaying involuntarily.

"I am your father!"

"Our father passed away a long time ago."

Liu Guangtian scoffed, his tone as cold as ice.

"Get lost."

"roll."

The two brothers sang in unison.

"I...I..."

Liu Haizhong was so angry that he could barely speak. He suddenly bent down, picked up a short stick from the base of the wall, and lunged at his two sons without a second thought.

"I'll beat you two heartless beasts to death!"

But as soon as he rushed forward, before he could even swing the stick, Liu Guangtian easily twisted his wrist, and Liu Guangfu tripped him, causing the old man to stagger and be subdued.

At sixty-three years old, his frail body was no match for his two sons, who were in their prime and full of energy.

"I told you to get out, didn't you hear me?"

Liu Guangtian shoved him hard, and Liu Haizhong stumbled back a few steps, almost falling.

"We don't have a father! He died long ago!"