Courtyard House: My Hidden Wheat Seeds Caused a National Sensation

If it succeeds, it will be a blessing for our entire brigade; if it fails, it will just mean another year of thin soup and bland food.

This deal is a sure thing.

"you……"

The secretary choked, then let out a heavy sigh, like a deflated sack.

He understood perfectly well that in this day and age, everyone's heart is burning with a fire, sometimes indistinguishable from the real, but that surging energy is very real.

With encouragement from above and bold ideas below, the small-scale experiment ultimately failed to create any significant impact.

He waved his hand, which was taken as tacit approval.

People quickly gathered at the threshing ground.

The sun was blazing, making their dark faces shine.

The brigade leader stood on the stone roller and explained the matter in a few words.

After the words were spoken, the room fell silent for a moment, then erupted in a roar.

The ground exploded.

"Five hundred jin? Li Jianye must have lost his mind from the sun!"

In the crowd, Qin Jingru, a young girl, pouted, her childish face full of sarcasm that was incongruous with her age.

She was the daughter of the Qin family, and deep down she looked down on that quiet, reserved guy next door.

"You must be dreaming!"

Deputy Captain Qin Yaoshan, hands behind his back, chuckled and chimed in, his voice booming enough for everyone to hear, "We watched him grow up running around the village naked, don't we know what he's capable of? He's managed to take good care of that little bit of wheat; he's done right by our ancestors!"

This remark drew a burst of laughter from those around him, mixed with a few malicious whistles.

"Jianye, bragging won't satisfy! If you really had that kind of ability, would Qin Huairu have run off to the city to become my wife?"

"Go home and take care of your chicks, that'll be more worthwhile!"

"Yeah, save your energy!"

The various sounds mingled together, like the croaking of frogs in a rice paddy in midsummer, noisy and scorching.

"Shut up, all of you!"

The captain's sharp shout silenced all the noise.

His gaze swept across the crowd, finally landing on Li Jianye, who had remained silent.

"Give him two plots of land."

If he succeeds, he'll be credited first; if he fails, he won't get a share of the credit for the next year.

Let me make this clear from the start: if anyone is careless and accidentally damages the seedlings in that small plot of land…

He didn't finish speaking, but the cold glint in his eyes made the jeering men shrink back.

"Meeting adjourned!"

The crowd dispersed amidst laughter, like the receding tide.

Li Jianye stood still, and only after everyone had walked away did he slowly exhale.

He seemed not to hear those harsh words.

Arguing is the most useless thing; the ears of grain that grow in the field are more valuable than ten thousand words of saliva.

He turned and walked towards his home, but couldn't help but spit inwardly.

The Qin family's stories are truly outrageous. They say things like cleaning a gun five times a day... That clueless kid from before probably never even figured out which way to turn the bolt.

He shook his head, banishing the annoyance, and turned his gaze to the small experimental field in the distance that would soon belong to him.

Time flies, and several months have quietly passed.

It was already May 1959.

The wheat in Li Jianye's field is now quietly filling out.

That is the time when the grains gradually become full in the ear of grain.

Farmers passing by the field ridges only need one glance—

Experience has taught them that

This land is likely to have an exceptionally bumper harvest this year.

"If nothing goes wrong,"

The production team leader's eyes gleamed. "This acre should yield about 600 jin of grain."

His voice was trembling with excitement.

It weighed 100 jin more than originally estimated.

"Unbelievable...truly unbelievable..."

The secretary stared blankly at the wheat fields for a long time before finally managing to utter these two words.

In those years when a yield of a little over 100 jin per mu was common, and 400 jin was considered top-notch,

Six hundred catties—who would believe it if they hadn't seen it with their own eyes?

"secretary,"

The captain clenched his fist. "You have to keep a close eye on this field yourself."

Don't let those envious hands reach in and do bad things.

I'll go and make the rounds, reporting it up the chain of command—

This is a tremendous achievement for our production team!

"rest assured."

The secretary nodded emphatically.

He knew the temperaments of the villagers all too well.

They may lack personal ability, but they are never short of the ability to disrupt the efforts of others.

They can't stand seeing others do well.

If someone's pigs are fat and strong, they'll add croton seeds to their feed troughs at night.

He has a very vicious heart.

I guarded it day and night.

Anyone who touches this wheat is going against the entire commune.

Li Jianye stood quietly behind the two.

Listening to their words, a faint and steady smile appeared on his lips.

"It's finally done."

Hopefully, these ears of wheat... will attract the attention of those above.

Just give me more wheat seeds

Then I can cultivate better seedlings.

The captain used every connection he could.

I want to pass this message on.

But back then, all sorts of "satellites"

Flying everywhere

Elsewhere, wheat yields have already been reported to be tens of thousands of kilograms per mu.

What is your 600 jin (300 kg)?

He tried to communicate with people at each level, but repeatedly ran into obstacles.

The captain, seething with anger, decided to take a drastic step—

Make a big enough fuss about it.

He found his old squad leader from his days in the army.

The old squad leader then went to find his former platoon leader...

After many twists and turns, and with great effort,

The news finally reached Mr. H's desk.

After reading it, Mr. H was suddenly moved.

As the person in charge of national affairs,

He was well aware of the current "leap forward"

How much superficiality is hidden in the waves?

He had long wanted to change the prevailing trend.

However, due to various entanglements, it is difficult to put it into practice.

For this reason, he even offered to resign.

However, the instructor did not grant permission.

After much persuasion from everyone, Mr. H finally decided to stay.

The wind is now subtly shifting.

The Lushan Conference will be held soon.

In his eyes, this might be an opportunity—

Perhaps we can use this wind to truly turn the situation around.

But he wasn't entirely confident.

Just as he was racking his brains for a way to increase his chances of winning,

The news of Li Jianye's 600 jin of wheat was like a ray of light piercing my eyes.

If this is true

Then he would have an extra, heavy bargaining chip in his hand.

So Mr. H decided to go there himself.

Let's see if the wheat field is really as reported.

To prevent subordinates from making advance arrangements or falsifying information,

Everything on this trip was arranged in secret.

May is coming to an end.

The wheat is ripe.

But at this moment,

A dispute broke out in the production team—

Should Li Jianye harvest this wheat field or not?

"Captain! Let's collect the grain!"

The boss isn't coming!

"Yes, Captain!"

Don't wait any longer!

"Other communes are reporting yields of several thousand jin per mu, what's our six hundred jin...?"

Qin Yaoshan tapped his pipe against the sole of his shoe, and ash fell in a flurry.

"All things considered, our land will only yield about 600 jin in total."

He glanced at the dense crowd on the edge of the field, his voice low but clear to everyone, "With this little bit of substance, who would even look at it?"

"That makes sense!"

Someone in the crowd immediately echoed this.

"The wheat ears are all ripe and golden. If we don't harvest them soon, they'll be overripe!"

"We can't wait! If it rains, everything will rot in the ground!"

"Captain, make up your mind!"

Qin Yaoshan stood up and patted the dirt off his trousers.

"If you ask me, you should put it away immediately."

After the grain was piled up, we found a spacious place to stack it and asked the commune's propaganda officer to take a picture.

When reporting to our superiors, we also wrote that the yield per mu exceeded 10,000 jin—if others can write that, why can't we?

All eyes turned to the silent brigade leader and the party secretary.

Men and women with the surname Qin gathered around, urging each other on.

Ever since the wheat fields of Li Jianye's three mu of experimental fields began to ripple with waves of grain and the tangible harvest was laid out before them, the people of Qinjiazhuang felt a mix of emotions.

Surprise, shame, anger, and resentment intertwined into a single force.

They couldn't understand how Li Jianye, who was usually quiet and considered unambitious, could actually grow flowers on the land.

Now that word has spread, it's said that people from the county are coming to investigate.

Qin Yaoshan couldn't sit still any longer.

He figured that once the leaders saw the heavy ears of wheat, the commendation and reward would surely fall on Li Jianye's head.

He couldn't swallow this insult.

Before the inspectors arrived, he had to urge them to harvest the grain first.

Once the wheat is stored away, the raw rice is cooked into cooked rice, and no one can change that.

Despite the insistence of the deputy brigade leader and a group of relatives, the brigade leader and the party secretary frowned more and more deeply.

They could not refute the most fundamental fact: the wheat in Li Jianye's field was indeed at the time when it was most time to harvest.

As the old saying goes, "Nine out of ten are gained, but ten are lost."

The wheat should be harvested when it is nine-tenths ripe. If you wait until the wheat grains are completely golden, the nutrients will flow back to the straw, resulting in a loss of at least 10% per acre.

Moreover, the weather changes rapidly at this time of year; a sudden rain can cause plump wheat grains to sprout in the blink of an eye.

This year, each commune is vying to "launch a satellite" (achieve remarkable feats).

The grain quota was so high that it was suffocating; every grain was incredibly precious.

The captain clenched his fist, beads of sweat forming on his forehead.

Just as I was hesitating, a calm voice rang out from behind the crowd.

"Keep it."

Everyone was taken aback and turned around.

Li Jianye had somehow already positioned himself outside the circle, his face expressionless.

"What did you say?"

The captain thought he had misheard.

"I said, it's time to stop."

Li Jianye repeated, his tone still calm, "Not just my wheat, but all the wheat in the team should be harvested as soon as possible."

Why?

It will rain tomorrow.

Li Jianye looked up at the clouds piling up on the horizon. "I'm afraid it will be difficult to see clear skies for the next few days."

If we don't harvest the wheat before the rain, the losses will be huge.

These words were like a pebble thrown into water, eliciting a chorus of sneers.

"Li Jianye, do you think you can predict the future? You think you can just say it will rain and it will rain?"

"The sun's still up there, who are you trying to scare!"

"The commune's weather station didn't even issue a notice, and you're more accurate than the mercury in that glass tube?"

"I think you're deliberately causing trouble! You're a farmer too, don't you know how much grain will be wasted during the harvest? You're sabotaging production! Deputy Captain Qin, I propose we hold a meeting with him!"

"Yes! Call his meeting!"

The shouts grew louder and louder, and a barely perceptible smile appeared on Qin Yaoshan's lips.

Just as he was about to speak, a cool breeze swept across the field, making the wheat rustle.

In the distance, thick clouds were silently creeping up on the horizon.

The sound of the door hinges turning broke the silence of the room.

The previously noisy discussion came to an abrupt halt.

A group of people surged in, their footsteps chaotic yet carrying an undeniable order.

The two leading figures were composed and unassuming, though dressed simply, their brows bore the marks of years of hardship and experience.

Following closely behind were commune cadres and several villagers, but even more eye-catching were the figures surrounding them—they were dressed in neat military uniforms, rifles slung over their shoulders, standing silently and solemnly, exuding an awe-inspiring aura.

The room became so quiet that you could hear the dust settling.

"H-gong?!"

The captain was taken aback at first, then his eyes lit up.

He had admired the old man's appearance in black and white photos in the newspaper, and now that the real person was in front of him, he hurriedly pushed through the crowd to greet him, his voice trembling slightly with excitement.

The village party secretary also realized what was happening and quickly approached.

The villagers who were watching looked at each other in astonishment, their faces frozen in shock.

No one could have predicted that a disturbance in the fields would alarm figures high in the clouds.

Li Jianye's breathing also faltered.

He recognized both of those elders.

Their names and deeds have long transcended the ordinary; they are truly figures who steer the course.

His heart sank for a moment, then jumped back up.

"I just heard that a denunciation meeting is going to be held here?"

The elder, addressed as "Mr. H," spoke in a calm tone, even with a faint smile. His gaze slowly swept over the crowd. "Who is being criticized? And who has the authority to criticize so readily? I heard, it's a deputy brigade leader?"

The smile did not dispel the tension in the air; instead, it made the invisible pressure more tangible.

No one dared to answer, and many people's eyes involuntarily drifted towards Qin Yaoshan in the corner.

Mr. H's gaze also fell on him, lingering for a brief two seconds.

Qin Yaoshan felt his knees go weak and his back was instantly soaked in cold sweat.