Courtyard House: My Hidden Wheat Seeds Caused a National Sensation

Recalling all the arrangements Yi Zhonghai had made for him, Jia Dongxu felt a lump in his throat, and tears almost welled up in his eyes.

"I don't have a father, but you're like my own!"

"Sigh... silly child."

Yi Zhonghai's eyes were also a little red. He reached out and patted Jia Dongxu's back, feeling a surge of warmth in his heart.

"Isn't an apprentice just like half a son? Alright, you must be tired from running around today. Go home and have some food and rest."

I have to go out and look for people.

After saying that, Yi Zhonghai got up, pushed open the door, and left.

Jia Dongxu watched his figure disappear outside the door before slowly standing up and walking out with light steps.

He hummed an off-key tune as he skipped and hopped along, like a carefree young boy.

"Dongxu is back?"

Seeing Jia Dongxu skipping in, Qin Huairu felt a surge of annoyance, but she still managed a meek smile.

"The food is all ready, just waiting for you."

Jia Dongxu glanced at the table—braised pork with vermicelli and hot and sour shredded potatoes—and his face immediately darkened.

He knew his family's financial situation well; these dishes must have been sent by He Yuzhu.

"Did Sha Zhu give it to you again?"

He grabbed a steamed bun made from mixed grains, put a piece of meat in it, stuffed it into his mouth, and mumbled:

"Stay away from him from now on, or don't blame me for being ruthless."

"He insisted on bringing it himself..."

Qin Huairu explained in a low voice, and only after seeing Jia Dongxu pick up his chopsticks did she and Banggeng cautiously reach out to pick up some food.

"snort!"

Because of Yi Zhonghai's promise, Jia Dongxu felt much better and was too lazy to dwell on these trivial matters anymore.

The three of them finished their meal in silence, and then Qin Huairu took the bowls and chopsticks to the sink outside to wash them.

Several women were gathered in the courtyard, washing dishes and chatting.

"I saw them today, Matchmaker Li and Matchmaker Wang came together!"

"Is anyone in our compound getting married? Is there going to be a wedding banquet soon?"

"Yeah, which family? The only ones who aren't married yet are Liu Guangqi, Shazhu, and Li Jianye, right? It must be one of them."

"I heard that all three people are going to look at them!"

"Really?"

……

Qin Huairu paused in her movements, her whole body frozen in place.

Is Li Jianye going on a blind date?

No, absolutely not.

A surge of jealousy suddenly welled up inside her.

She was still hoping to gradually repair her relationship with Li Jianye so that she could get some benefits from him in the future.

If he gets married, how will I be able to get close to him?

And then there's He Yuzhu—he absolutely cannot get married, otherwise, how will he ever be able to get his lunchbox delivered to him again?

Thinking of this, Qin Huairu quickly washed the bowl and chopsticks, then turned and went home.

"Dongxu, I'm going to visit my sister in Yushui."

"Watch your words and actions, so people don't gossip."

Jia Dongxu gave the instructions without even looking up.

"understood."

Qin Huairu responded and hurried towards He Yuzhu's house.

"Pillar--"

"Hey, Sister Qin! What brings you here?"

When He Yuzhu saw her enter, he quickly got up to greet her.

"I heard you're going on a blind date?"

Qin Huairu asked directly, "Why didn't you tell your sister about such a big thing? At least I could have helped you tidy up the house."

As soon as Sister Qin finished speaking with concern, He Yuzhu scratched the back of his head and put on a slightly awkward smile.

"Oh dear, Sister Qin! This happened so suddenly, I didn't have time to explain it to you in detail."

He paused, lowering his voice slightly, "We'll have to wait for the matchmaker to send a message; I can't say for sure right now."

"Oh, is that so?"

Qin Huairu's eyes flickered slightly, then her brows relaxed. "Alright, the date is set. Remember to come and let your sister know."

After chatting for a few more minutes, Qin Huairu turned around and went to find her younger sister.

She pulled Qin Jingru aside to a quiet spot and lowered her voice: "Jingru, did you know that Li Jianye is going on a blind date?"

"What?!"

Upon hearing this, Qin Jingru immediately became anxious, her voice rising involuntarily, "How could Brother Jianye go on a blind date!"

"That's exactly what I meant."

A barely perceptible smile flickered across Qin Huairu's lips, but her gaze remained fixed on her younger sister. "Find a way to sabotage this blind date; that responsibility will fall on your shoulders."

Seeing Qin Jingru nod while biting her lip, she took another half step closer and lowered her voice even further: "There's one more thing. You need to find an inconspicuous moment, quietly go to the backyard, find Xu Damao, and tell him about Shazhu's blind date."

"Sis, why is that?"

Qin Jingru looked puzzled.

"Don't ask why, just do as I say."

"All right……"

Although Qin Jingru still had doubts, she eventually agreed.

Seeing the girl nod, Qin Huairu turned and left with satisfaction, her steps light and confident.

Her calculations were now clear: "The road has been paved. This time, I want to see which of you can smoothly marry your wife."

The days passed by in a blur, and before we knew it, it was the afternoon of the next day.

Outside the courtyard house, where the threshold had been worn smooth by countless footsteps over the years, came the professionally warm laughter of Matchmaker Li.

Beside her was a girl, who was well-proportioned, with a fair and clean face, and was considered to be of decent appearance.

As soon as the group entered the front yard, Yan Bugui caught them in the act.

He adjusted his glasses, his gaze lingering on the girl's face for a moment as he silently weighed her in his mind. Then, as if letting out a sigh of relief, he took a couple of steps back with his hands behind his back and muttered to himself, "Her looks are passable, but compared to Teacher Ran, she's still lacking something."

He exchanged a few brief pleasantries with the matchmaker, then said nothing more, only glancing at them out of the corner of his eye as they walked inside.

Matchmaker Li led the girl through the moon gate to the central courtyard.

Having been instructed by her sister to keep a close eye on the sounds in the courtyard, Qin Jingru immediately spotted the two people through the crack in the window.

She carefully examined the girl's appearance and saw that her looks were not as good as her older sister Qin Huairu's. Her tense heartstrings immediately relaxed, and she curled her lips, quite disapproving: "I thought I could find some celestial beauty, but it turns out she can't even compare to my sister."

"With looks like that, it's no wonder Jianye wouldn't even look at him."

Behind the other window, Qin Huairu was also secretly observing.

After seeing the girl's face clearly, she didn't show it on her face, but she felt much more at ease.

At the same time, Yi Zhonghai and Jia Dongxu also noticed the situation in the courtyard from inside their houses. Their eyes met for a moment before they quickly looked away, each with an indescribable glint in their eyes.

Without lingering, the matchmaker, Li, led the girl straight to the backyard.

As soon as I stepped into the backyard, I ran into He Yuzhu coming out of the deaf old lady's house.

The factory was closed today, so He Yuzhu took the old lady to his room for a meal. After the meal, the old lady was thinking about exchanging some grain coupons, so he carried her out for a while and just brought her back to her room and settled her in.

"Oh, Aunt Li, whose happy occasion are you busy with?"

Upon seeing a familiar face, He Yuzhu immediately smiled, his gaze falling on the girl. He quickly glanced at her and made a judgment in his mind, thinking to himself, "She's far inferior to Lou Xiao'e in appearance."

He chuckled and said, "Is it for Liu Guangqi to have his fortune told?"

"How could that be?"

Matchmaker Li quickly waved her hand with a smile, "This is for Comrade Li Jianye to introduce later."

"For Li Jianye?"

Upon hearing this, He Yuzhu raised his eyebrows, and his smile immediately took on a hint of anticipation. "That would be great! Please, please come in."

He stepped aside to make way, his mind already racing with images of Li Jianye meeting this "nothing special."

What kind of expression would you have when you see a girl?

His initial slight goodwill towards Li Jianye had vanished without a trace long ago, when Li Jianye sent Jia Zhangshi to jail and brought down Yi Zhonghai's position.

The door was pushed open rudely, and He Yuzhu's face, which always carried a hint of arrogance, peeked in.

He saw Li Jianye hunched over his desk writing, so he strode into the room, his knuckles thumping against the table.

"Still writing? Hurry up, we have guests!"

Li Jianye raised his head, his brows furrowed.

"Whether I'm on a blind date or not is none of your business. Don't you understand the basic principle of knocking before entering someone else's house?"

"Hey!"

He Yuzhu raised his voice, "I kindly helped you arrange things, and you're being ungrateful? You really don't appreciate it!"

He threw down a sentence, turned around, and went out the door again.

Before long, the matchmaker, Li, led a young woman into the house.

Li Jianye got up and tidied up the table briefly. His gaze swept over the girl, and his heart sank.

His appearance was nothing special, and he didn't stir any emotion in him.

"Master Li, I've brought the person with me."

Matchmaker Li smiled, wrinkles forming at the corners of her eyes.

Li Jianye nodded, grabbed a handful of melon seeds and placed them on the table, then brewed two cups of coarse tea with froth floating on top.

After exchanging only a few polite words, the matchmaker, Li, excused herself and left, leaving only him and the girl named Zhou Mei in the room.

Zhou Mei, holding a melon seed, raised her chin slightly before exchanging pleasantries.

"I find you reasonably good-looking; you're a good match for me, if not better."

I heard you earn four hundred a month? That's fine.

However, I have a few things to say beforehand.

She spoke quickly, with an unquestionable tone, "I'm the only son in my family, so I need to find a son-in-law to live with us."

After you get married, you'll have to transfer your job to Nanjing. I need to go back to be with my mother.

From now on, you'll hand over all your wages to me. As for family matters, I'll make the decisions.

Li Jianye was speechless for a moment, and felt a buzzing in his ears.

He truly hadn't expected to encounter someone speaking like that in this day and age.

The girl was at best of average appearance, but I don't know where she got the confidence to speak in such a way.

He took a deep breath, suppressing the absurdity in his heart, and tried to keep his tone calm: "I'm afraid it won't work."

I'm about to head to the Northwest and probably won't be coming back, so I won't be able to go to Nanjing with you.

You should find someone more suitable.

"northwest?"

Zhou Mei's face darkened, and she immediately stood up, scattering sunflower seed shells all over the table.

"What does Matchmaker Li mean by this? Is she trying to fool me by sending someone to some desolate place?"

Before she could finish speaking, she had already rushed out the door like a gust of wind.

Outside the door, Matchmaker Li was waiting. Upon seeing this, she took two steps forward, her face filled with the regret she had prepared beforehand.

"Young lady, is it... that the negotiations failed?"

Zhou Mei's face was cold, and her voice was shrill: "What kind of person did you find? Does he even deserve to be a matchmaker?"

"Oh dear, young lady, please don't take it to heart."

He Yuzhu, hands in his pockets, chimed in with a grin, "It's not that you're bad, it's that Li Jianye doesn't have the eye to recognize talent!"

What kind of look is Li Jianye giving me? He has absolutely no sense of appreciation! Girl, in my opinion, you are exceptionally beautiful!

Liu Guangqi suddenly jumped out of the house, shouting at the matchmaker as he ran: "Matchmaker Li, didn't you say you were going to arrange a marriage for me? Why did you go to Li Jianye's place first?"

Ever since the matchmaker Li entered the backyard and started talking to He Yuzhu, Liu Guangqi overheard it and has been peeking through the crack in the window ever since.

He found that Zhou Mei girl quite pleasing to the eye.

Liu Guangqi knew his own limitations; he understood that any girl who was too outstanding would definitely not be interested in him.

Therefore, Zhou Mei, with her above-average looks and sharp temperament, was exactly what he wanted.

In addition, all he wants now is to get married as soon as possible, move out, and completely break free from his father's control.

Upon seeing that Zhou Mei and Li Jianye had not gotten together, he immediately seized the opportunity and rushed out the door.

"Coming and going, one after the other, isn't it all the same?"

Matchmaker Li casually agreed, then quickly changed the subject, "Zhou Mei, how about Guangqi accompanies you for a walk along the shore of Shichahai Lake and you can chat?"

"he?"

Zhou Mei turned her face and looked at Liu Guangqi, her brows immediately furrowing.

How ugly! With a face that's even more wretched than a monkey's, how dare you be worthy of me?

Liu Guangqi was taken aback.

He said he was ugly? Uglier than a monkey? Hearing this, Liu Guangqi was not angry at all; instead, a strange excitement surged in his heart.

Perhaps it's because he grew up in such a strange family—Liu Haizhong firmly believes in the saying "spare the rod and spoil the child."

The old-fashioned patriarchs controlled the household like an iron barrel, requiring everyone to report every little thing to them, acting like local emperors.

As the eldest son, he was spared from being beaten frequently, but he was subject to stricter discipline.

Growing up in such an environment, his thoughts became somewhat unusual.