Courtyard House: My Hidden Wheat Seeds Caused a National Sensation

Qin Huairu opened her mouth, but ultimately said nothing.

She lowered her eyes, took her sister's hand, and silently turned and walked out of the old door of Yi Zhonghai's house.

The room suddenly felt much emptier.

Yi Zhonghai took a deep breath, turned to the deaf old lady sitting upright in the chair, and said in a voice filled with suppressed resentment: "Old lady, this time we've all been defeated by Li Jianye."

Somehow he saw through our scheme, not only avoiding the trap but also turning the tables and ensnaring Sha Zhu... This isn't my fault; it's all because Li Jianye is too cunning!

"That's right!"

Jia Dongxu chimed in, "That Li Jianye's heart is like a honeycomb briquette, full of holes."

Although my master is... well, although he's very experienced, he can't withstand such scheming!

Yi Zhonghai glanced at his apprentice, a tightness gripping his chest, and he no longer had the strength to scold him.

"Li Jianye"

The deaf old woman slowly squeezed out these three words from between her teeth, each word as if it had been quenched with ice.

In his cloudy eyes, a fierce light slowly solidified, eventually transforming into undisguised hatred.

"I won't let him get away with this!"

"Grandma, it's too late to say such angry things now."

Yi Zhonghai quickly changed the subject, "As for Li Jianye, I think we shouldn't touch him for now."

"It's Sha Zhu who's in a real bind! The most important thing is how to get him to wake up from that...that woman's side!"

"Well, it seems I'll have to save face with this old body."

The deaf old woman let out a long breath, leaned on her cane, and stood up shakily.

"Xiao Zhou, help me to Sha Zhu's place."

The woman named Xiao Zhou quickly stepped forward, took the old lady's arm, and the two of them moved step by step to the front of He Yuzhu's house.

The old lady reached out to push the door, but it wouldn't budge—it was bolted from the inside.

This silent resistance ignited her anger. She raised her cane and slammed it against the door, her hoarse voice echoing, "Zhu Zi! Silly Zhu Zi! Open the door!"

The noise was especially clear in the sweltering courtyard on a summer night.

The neighbors, who had been fanning themselves under the eaves to cool off, all peeked out, exchanging knowing glances, and gathered around.

In the crowd, Li Jianye stood quietly in the shadows, arms crossed.

"Pillar! Did you hear me?! Open the door!"

The knocking on the door was increasingly forceful.

Finally, a furious roar erupted from inside the door: "Who is it?! What's all the noise about! Can't a person have some peace and quiet?!"

"Clang"

With a thud, the door was suddenly pulled open from the inside.

He Yuzhu stood blocking the doorway, his face flushed, his eyes bloodshot, and his chest heaving violently.

He was getting into the swing of things when he was interrupted twice in a row, and the evil fire had already burned through his skull.

It was true that the deaf old lady treated him kindly, but in his heart, the woman in the room at that moment was the one he cherished most.

He was willing to risk everything for her, which was exactly like his father, He Daqing—who had also abandoned him and Yushui without looking back for a woman.

"Grandma, what are you trying to do so late at night?"

Remembering their past relationship, He Yuzhu suppressed his anger and squeezed out these words through gritted teeth.

"I want you to kick that filthy bastard out of there right now!"

The deaf old woman's cane swept past He Yuzhu, pointing directly at the vague figure inside the house. "That's a menace! You can be with anyone else, just don't get involved with her!"

How could you treat Lili like this?

He Yuzhu's fire "whoosh"

She jumped up again, "I respect you, but you can't slander her like that! I'll pretend I didn't hear what you said today, but if it happens again, I really won't admit it!"

"She's a menace! She must be driven away!"

Seeing that reasoning with her was ineffective, the deaf old woman simply slumped down on the ground in front of the doorway, slapping her thighs and throwing a tantrum, "If you don't chase her away, I'm not leaving! Let everyone be the judge!"

"You...you're just being unreasonable!"

He Yuzhu was so angry that he trembled all over. He pointed at the old lady and couldn't utter a complete sentence for a long time.

"Zhu Zi! Do you even acknowledge me as your ancestor? You don't listen to me anymore, this is unfilial!"

The old woman beat her chest and stamped her feet, her voice trembling with sobs.

Just then, a soft, timid voice came from behind He Yuzhu, trembling slightly: "Brother Zhu...maybe...I should leave."

Just as He Yuzhu was hesitating, Liu Lili walked out of the house with reddened eyes.

She raised her hand to wipe away her tears, her steps faltering.

"I guess I was born unlucky... Brother Zhu, it seems our fate is over."

"Don't go!"

He Yuzhu blocked her way with his arm, then turned and glared at the old lady standing to the side.

"I just don't understand why you insist on stopping me?"

"Silly Zhu, why can't you understand analogy?"

Li Jianye's voice suddenly broke in.

"The old lady, like Yi Zhonghai, has no children!"

These words were like a stone thrown into the water, and a collective gasp immediately rose from all around.

Everyone suddenly realized.

"So the old lady was hoping that Sha Zhu would take care of her in her old age!"

"No wonder they take such good care of Sha Zhu!"

"That's true. Whenever Sha Zhu has free time, he goes to the old lady's place and tries all sorts of ways to cook delicious food for her."

If he gets married, his thoughts will definitely be focused on his wife first.

By then, who will care about the old lady?

"Now that makes sense! No wonder the old lady didn't want Sha Zhu to get married."

"Judging from this, as long as the old lady doesn't close her eyes, Sha Zhu's marriage probably won't go through..."

The chatter drifted into his ears, and He Yuzhu's face grew increasingly grim.

On the other side, the deaf old lady and Yi Zhonghai and others also looked extremely unpleasant.

Especially deaf elderly women.

She was filled with grievances and had nowhere to confide in.

In this courtyard, she was the only one who genuinely cared about Sha Zhu and wished for him to settle down and start a family as soon as possible.

She stopped him just now, and it was truly for his own good!

"Li Jianye, you bastard! This old lady is going to smash you to pieces today!"

The deaf old woman suddenly turned her head, her gaze piercing Li Jianye like a knife.

"It's all your fault! It's all because of you! If it weren't for you, how could Zhu Zi have gotten involved with this woman!"

She raised her cane, broke free from Xiao Zhou's support, and rushed shakily toward Li Jianye.

"Enough—!!"

He Yuzhu's pent-up anger finally erupted.

He rushed to the deaf old woman, snatched the cane from her, and with a powerful pull, snapped it open.

With a snap, it broke in two and slammed to the ground.

"Old lady! How can you be so heartless! Li Jianye is my brother, my benefactor! And you? A senile old woman who schemes against me, only wanting me to take care of you in your old age and see you off in your final days! Why don't you just die sooner? To keep me tied down, you even prevent me from getting married. Your heart is too cruel!"

"You...you...you..."

The deaf old woman trembled all over, pointed at He Yuzhu, and could not speak coherently. Suddenly, she spat out a mouthful of blood.

***

When the deaf old woman vomited blood and fainted, the crowd immediately became agitated.

Yi Zhonghai reacted the fastest, stepping forward to support the old lady's limp body from behind, preventing her from falling directly to the ground.

"He Yuzhu!"

After calming the old lady down, Yi Zhonghai looked up at He Yuzhu and glared at him, shouting angrily, "Look at the blood splattered on you! That's the old lady's blood! Look at the mess you've made! How have you angered her? She truly cares about you! Look at what you've done!!"

"snort."

He Yuzhu has always been stubborn; once he's made up his mind, no one can change it.

"Grandma? Yi Zhonghai, I don't have a grandma like that! She's been scheming against me, and now she wants me to acknowledge her as a relative? Dream on!"

"That's right!"

"Shazhu is right!"

"I never imagined that the deaf old lady was this kind of person."

"To prevent Sha Zhu from getting married just so that he can have someone to take care of him in his old age, that's just too immoral..."

Amidst the murmurs around him, Yi Zhonghai felt a deep sense of powerlessness gripping his heart.

Yi Zhonghai never expected that he would have such a day.

Those pieces that he usually used to pressure his opponents have now turned their attention to him—all because Li Jianye was manipulating things behind the scenes.

A dull, heavy pain choked his chest, making it almost impossible for him to breathe.

He thought he had lost in the end; he was no match for Li Jianye's methods.

The current situation is beyond repair.

He Yuzhu's stubborn temper couldn't be reasoned with in a short time, and the deaf old lady suffered a heart attack from anxiety and vomited blood, so she had to be taken to the hospital immediately.

Yi Zhonghai said no more, only gave He Yuzhu a deep look and said, "Zhuzi, you'd better watch yourself."

He then carried the old lady on his back and rushed out the door, shouting at Jia Dongxu, "Find a cart! Take her to the hospital!"

Jia Dongxu responded and followed him out.

"unlucky!"

He Yuzhu spat, looked down at the bloodstains on his clothes, and felt a surge of irritation.

How can he get close to Lili looking like this? It's all that old woman's fault! He waved to the lingering crowd: "Disperse, everyone, stop crowding around!"

He then turned around and went inside, took out a basin, towel and soap, intending to wash off his disheveled state.

The commotion seemed to have subsided, and the onlookers gradually left.

Li Jianye strolled home, a slight smile playing on his lips.

He knew very well that the curtain had only just been raised on this play.

Inside He Yuzhu's room, Liu Lili heard the sound of water outside and quickly slipped to the bedside, her fingers frantically searching—where was the small iron box that He Yuzhu had mentioned storing all their savings? Before she could even touch the cold metal, footsteps were already approaching the door.

Why did you wash so quickly? She could only hurriedly smooth out the traces of the rummaging, quickly move to the door, and greet you with a submissive posture.

"Brother Zhu, you're all washed up."

She took the towel from He Yuzhu and gently wiped the water droplets from his neck.

He Yuzhu had never been treated with such tenderness before. His heart melted, and his voice trembled with joy: "Lili, you treat me so well! I really want to marry you soon. When can I visit your family to meet your elders?"

"I'll do whatever you say, Brother Zhu... Whenever you're free is fine."

Liu Lili lowered her eyes, her voice gradually softened, and her eyes reddened. "But there's something I don't want to hide from you... My mother is seriously ill, and she hopes that I will get married soon, saying that... a wedding might help dispel her illness."

That's why I was in such a hurry to get the marriage certificate...

"Great! That's wonderful—oh dear, look at my mouth!"

He Yuzhu quickly changed his tune, "This is a new society now, those old customs don't count anymore."

"When you're sick, you should get proper treatment. How can 'chance to bring good luck' cure an illness?"

"My mother raised me alone, and the family is now completely broke... Brother Zhu, will you ever despise me?"

Liu Lili looked up at him with tearful eyes.

"nonsense!"

He Yuzhu glared at him, "Money is just an external thing. What matters most in a relationship is affection! Your mother is my mother, so I'll take care of the medical treatment."

Don't worry, no matter how much it costs, we'll definitely cure Mother's illness!

"Brother Zhu, you're so kind..."

Liu Lili snuggled closer to him, her voice as soft as a feather, "I'm sorry I spoiled your mood earlier... How about I go out for a bit?"

Liu Lili's voice was very low, coming from the door, and it was accompanied by a bit of rapid breathing.

"I'll wait by the toilet."

Come pick me up when it's quiet at night and everyone is asleep.

I left before dawn, and no one will know I spent the night here.

He Yuzhu felt his ears getting hot, and his fingers unconsciously rubbed the hem of his clothes.

"Lili, will this... will this work?"

"Why not?"

Her tone became matter-of-fact and then softened, "My mother always says that a man is the pillar of the family, the beam of the household."

We must protect Liang so that this family can be stable.

You weren't quite done enjoying yourself yet... What if you hurt yourself? Our whole family depends on you."

He Yuzhu was silent for a moment, then finally squeezed out a slightly amused whisper.

"Then... I'll listen to you."

"It's so kind of you."

Liu Lili's voice brightened, "I'll be waiting for you tonight."

……

The long night passed quietly.

As the sunlight streamed in through the window paper, He Yuzhu let out a hum and slowly propped himself up on the bed.