Courtyard House: My Hidden Wheat Seeds Caused a National Sensation

"When the girl Yan Bugui brought to Li Jianye arrives nearby, can you find a way to get her away? Can you do that?"

"Don't worry, Master!"

Jia Dongxu patted his chest, a smile on his face, "Although I'm not as cunning as you, I'm still a meticulous person, and I guarantee nothing will go wrong!"

Yi Zhonghai's eyelids twitched: "...That's called being thorough in your considerations."

Also, "fine" isn't used like that.

He was too lazy to correct him, waved for Jia Dongxu to hurry up and go, and then turned around and went back into the Jia family's house.

His gaze fell on Qin Huairu, who was sewing shoe soles. He composed himself and said in a deep voice, "Huairu, I already know about your affair with Li Jianye."

How could you keep such a big thing a secret?

"what?"

Qin Jingru, who was shelling peanuts nearby, suddenly trembled, scattering peanuts all over the table. She looked at Qin Huairu in a panic, "Sister! I didn't tell Master Yi this! I really didn't!"

Qin Huairu's hand, which was holding the needle and thread, paused, and she remained silent.

"What? You two are childhood sweethearts?!"

Yi Zhonghai was truly stunned this time, and his voice involuntarily rose a few decibels.

Qin Jingru blinked, looked at Yi Zhonghai, then at her sister, and suddenly exclaimed, "Oh dear!"

With a sigh, she stomped her foot in frustration: "Master Yi! You...you're kidding me!"

Her face flushed red, and her eyes welled up with tears, as if she were about to cry.

Yi Zhonghai ignored her grievances and took a few deep breaths to barely suppress the surging astonishment in his chest.

He stared at Qin Huairu and said, word by word, "Huairu, we need to have a serious talk."

Does Li Jianye have any unknown stains in his past?

"How is that possible!"

"Brother Jianye is a really good person."

"There's absolutely nothing dishonorable about it."

"It was all because my sister was determined to marry into a wealthy family in the city that she cruelly left him."

Qin Huairu choked for a moment, almost wanting to reach out and cover her sister's unbridled mouth.

"That's enough."

Yi Zhonghai sighed deeply, feeling utterly exhausted.

His original intention was to investigate Li Jianye's background, but he did not expect to uncover such a secret.

At the same time, he secretly began to worry about his apprentice.

Judging from Qin Huairu's reaction, she probably still harbors feelings for Li Jianye.

But he absolutely could not reveal this to Jia Dongxu.

Given that child's narrow-minded nature, if he finds out, getting a divorce would be the least of his worries.

If Jia Dongxu becomes disheartened as a result and is no longer willing to support him in his old age, then it would truly be a case of losing more than he gains.

"An old man—"

Although she knew that Yi Zhonghai was no longer in charge of the hospital, Qin Huairu still used the old way of addressing him.

"Please, please don't let Dongxu know about this. He's narrow-minded, and who knows what kind of trouble he'll cause if he finds out."

"this……"

"Sir, I'm begging you!"

"All right."

Yi Zhonghai nodded reluctantly, "I'll pretend I've never heard of it."

"Huai Ru, why don't you take Jing Ru to accompany the old lady to the market to buy her a couple of new clothes? Her old clothes are all worn out."

I'll pay for the cloth ration coupons and the money.

Qin Huairu could not refuse, so she had no choice but to agree.

Yi Zhonghai looked satisfied.

"Please wait a moment, I'll go to the backyard and ask the old lady to come over."

After saying that, he walked towards the backyard.

Upon learning of Qin Huairu's past relationship with Li Jianye, Yi Zhonghai's first reaction was to send her away.

He was afraid she would ruin things.

Although the chances of success are not very high, he must ensure that he is absolutely certain of success when facing an opponent like Li Jianye.

……

In the backyard house, ever since He Yuzhu brought the deaf old lady back, she had been quietly watching from the window.

The idea was originally given to Yi Zhonghai by her, so when the plan was launched, Yi Zhonghai informed her and asked her to help keep an eye on things.

Everything was going smoothly at first.

Except for one unexpected thing—He Yuzhu also got involved.

What's even more troublesome is that the silly boy fell in love with the woman at first sight.

The old lady was worried, but then she saw Li Jianye coax He Yuzhu away with just a few words.

She looked at it, feeling both relieved and somewhat uneasy.

"You silly Zhuzi, when it comes to scheming, how could you possibly be a match for that little brat?"

"That brat is indeed formidable... but no matter how formidable he is, he's still just a hot-blooded young man."

"Wouldn't your bones melt at the sight of such a bewitching woman?"

"Hehe, just wait and see, your good days are coming to an end."

Seeing Liu Lili follow Li Jianye into the house, the old lady smiled.

"Once your reputation is ruined, let's see which leader will still respect you."

"Without your backer, what waves can you possibly stir up?"

Not long after, she saw Wang the matchmaker walk out triumphantly.

At this point, the old lady was completely relieved.

She left the window, picked up the pastries that Yi Zhonghai had brought, and ate them slowly while humming a muffled tune, looking quite content.

Just then, Yi Zhonghai pushed open the door and entered.

"old lady!"

"Zhonghai, don't worry, I'm keeping an eye on things for you. Everything's going smoothly here."

"There's no problem here."

Yi Zhonghai lowered his voice, "But there's been a bit of a mishap with Qin Huairu."

"What went wrong?"

The gossip in the courtyard seeped into the deaf old woman's ears like the wind, instantly freezing her wrinkled face.

"Such a thing really happened?"

She murmured, her cane trembling slightly.

The news was so unexpected that she was momentarily stunned.

After the initial shock subsided, a deeper sense of disgust welled up from the bottom of my heart.

She let out a cold snort.

"I told you long ago, that woman is no good."

In her eyes, Qin Huairu was like a vine clinging to He Yuzhu, sucking his life essence and bewitching him.

She had advised him countless times to stay away from that woman, but that silly boy Zhu Zi just wouldn't listen.

If things continue like this, the only son of the He family may really die out.

When he gets old and useless, that woman will definitely throw him away like trash.

Now that she learned that Qin Huairu and Li Jianye had known each other since childhood, the deaf old woman immediately made a judgment: it must be that the woman back then abandoned her old lover in order to climb the social ladder in the city.

Thinking about it this way, her contempt for Qin Huairu deepened even further.

"This is actually a good thing."

She pondered, her eyes sharpening. "I'll tell Zhu Zi later, so he can see what's really going on with that woman."

"Grandma, you mustn't!"

Yi Zhonghai, who was standing next to him, hurriedly waved his hand to dissuade him, "If this gets to Zhu Zi's ears, Dong Xu will definitely not be able to keep it from him either."

You know Dongxu's temper; if things escalate, how am I supposed to handle it?"

"Hmph! I told you to choose Zhu Zi long ago, but you insisted on picking that Jia Dongxu!"

The deaf old woman complained discontentedly, "What kind of good person could Jia Dongxu be?"

Even so, she no longer insisted.

"I don't have to say anything, but you need to find a marriage for Zhuzi as soon as possible."

I'm still waiting to hold my great-grandson!

"Okay, okay, I'll definitely do it."

Yi Zhonghai readily agreed, then changed the subject, "There's something urgent I need your help with."

"I'll find a way to take Qin Huairu and her sister out for a walk."

"Afraid they'll get in the way?"

The deaf old woman thought for a moment and nodded, "That's true, it's really inconvenient to leave those two in the yard."

"Exactly."

I've already told them that I'd like you to go pick out a new outfit and that they'll accompany you.

Take your time choosing, no rush to come back.

"understood."

The two talked as they walked out, one after the other.

As they passed Li Jianye's house, they all glanced at the tightly closed door without prior arrangement.

Seeing that everything inside was quiet and there was nothing unusual, a barely perceptible smile crossed the faces of both of them.

Back at the Jia family home, not long after, the deaf old lady was helped out by Qin Huairu and Qin Jingru, one on each side.

Yi Zhonghai sat alone in the Jia family's chair, his eyes closed, his fingers tapping lightly on his knee, mentally reviewing the entire plan once more.

This time, he felt he had calculated everything perfectly.

"Old ginger is spicier. With the old lady taking charge, this time we'll make sure that brat surnamed Li never gets a chance to rise again."

He suddenly opened his eyes, a fierce glint flashing in his cloudy pupils.

"Now, we need to stall that one in the front yard."

He stood up, straightened his clothes, and said, "Give them some more time."

Hopefully... it can be done tonight.

He hurried to the front yard and, sure enough, saw Yan Bugui holding a pair of scissors, tending to his precious potted plants.

Yi Zhonghai put on a smile and stepped forward, insisting on playing chess with him.

Unable to refuse, Yan Bugui had no choice but to put down the scissors and sit down with him at the stone table.

Just as a few chess pieces were placed, He Yuzhu walked in from outside, carrying a bulging cloth bag and humming a little tune.

The subtle aroma emanating from the bag was enough for anyone with a discerning eye to know that it contained top-quality ingredients.

Yi Zhonghai looked up, feigning confusion, and asked, "Zhu Zi, what are you referring to...?"

He Yuzhu quickly came up with an idea.

"Li Jianye asked me to prepare some food, saying that he would be entertaining guests that evening."

In this day and age, it's not easy to come up with anything new or interesting. I had to specifically ask my Sichuan cuisine chef to help me get it done.

He had a smile on his face and spoke with great conviction.

"So that's how it is."

Upon hearing this, Yi Zhonghai couldn't help but smile.

"It looks like it's going to work this time."

Yan Bugui also laughed.

"This time I'm going to benefit from it."

He Yuzhu was overjoyed.

He thought to himself: This time I've really screwed over that kid Li Jianye! You dare to compete with me for a woman? I'll make you pay! If I tell Yan Bugui this, he'll definitely go and pass on the message to your blind date.

When that girl arrives at your house and finds out there aren't any of those good things there, let's see how you handle that! Everyone says I'm stupid, but I'm not stupid at all.

He hummed an off-key tune and walked briskly home.

When he got home, he went to his sister He Yushui's room first and found an excuse to send her away.

Today is his special day, so he can't leave his younger sister here in the way.

Helpless, He Yushui packed up and left the courtyard, intending to find her friend Yu Haitang.

Meanwhile, at Li Jianye's home.

After seeing off the matchmaker, he sat on the chair by the window, holding a cup of tea, glancing out the window from time to time, while casually talking to Liu Lili.

Liu Lili initially had some thoughts, thinking that Li Jianye was tall and good-looking, and perhaps his family was well-off.

But when Li Jianye told her that he had only come from the countryside two days ago and only had a few dozen yuan in savings, her mind immediately changed.

Good heavens! I thought he was a rich man, but he turned out to be a penniless country bumpkin! That old bastard Yi Zhonghai dared to fool me! Liu Lili's original plan was to get close to Li Jianye first, and then take all the cash and tickets from him after he fell asleep.

But now that she knows he's dirt poor, she's too lazy to deal with him anymore and instead starts thinking about He Yuzhu.

With this thought in mind, she began to consciously or unconsciously distance herself from Li Jianye.

Li Jianye was happy to have some peace and quiet, since he didn't want to get too close to this kind of person.

Then, he pretended to be a man of few words, making small talk, and began to explain in detail the relationships between the people in the courtyard.

He recounted in detail how He Yuzhu was the deaf old lady's godson, Yi Zhonghai was the deaf old lady's godson, and how Yi Zhonghai held absolute power in the courtyard.

He also specifically emphasized that He Yuzhu, Yi Zhonghai, and the deaf old lady were all quite wealthy, and then pointed out where the three of them lived.

As Liu Lili listened to Li Jianye's narration, her eyes grew brighter and brighter, and her interest in He Yuzhu intensified.

As soon as Li Jianye saw the deaf old lady leave, he immediately smiled and said, "Oh, by the way, I have a blind date later, is that alright...?"

"Then I'll go out for a walk first."

Liu Lili replied with a smile.

Li Jianye nodded happily.

Liu Lili turned around and went straight to He Yuzhu's house.

He Yuzhu lives in the main house of the central courtyard. Li Jianye explained it clearly just now, and she found it without much effort.

As soon as I pushed open the door and entered the house, I saw He Yuzhu busy inside.

"Brother Pillar—"

That sweet, coquettish call made half of He Yuzhu's body go numb.