Courtyard House: My Hidden Wheat Seeds Caused a National Sensation

They returned, each carrying a plump, round cantaloupe in their hands. The cantaloupe had a bright green skin, was heavy, and gleamed enticingly in the setting sun.

They walked towards him in a somewhat disorderly line, a mixture of shyness and boldness.

The busy people around smiled kindly at the sight of the commotion, automatically making way for each other, their faces bearing knowing, mischievous smiles, as if they were waiting for a long-awaited show to begin.

"Comrade Li Jianye!"

The girl in the lead called out in a clear, crisp voice, "Let's eat some melon seeds!"

The melons were held up to him by pairs of delicate hands, and the girls smiled radiantly.

Li Jianye's gaze swept over the bright faces, and he sincerely praised the nurturing environment of this place, saying that the girls were like flowers covered in dew.

But his gaze ultimately fell solely on Delilah, who was a little later.

She held the melon not very high, her face slightly turned to the side, the setting sun perfectly outlining the soft lines of her earlobe.

She's still the prettiest.

As Li Jianye thought to himself, his feet unconsciously stepped forward, and naturally, he took the melon from Dilisilin's hand.

"oh--"

The onlookers immediately burst into a good-natured, drawn-out chuckle.

Delilah blushed instantly, like the most vibrant sunset falling on her cheeks.

Unexpectedly, she didn't lower her head to avoid the laughter. Instead, she raised her small chin slightly to meet the laughter. Her shyness was mixed with a stubborn pride that refused to admit defeat. In Li Jianye's eyes, she was extremely vivid and adorable.

Just then, Hawulrouzi, who had been standing at the edge of the crowd, suddenly sighed heavily.

He walked up to Li Jianye, patted him on the shoulder, and said in a muffled voice, "Li Jianye, I give up."

I'm truly impressed.

Wishing you all the best.

Without waiting for a response, he turned around abruptly and practically ran away from the crowd. His figure quickly disappeared into the deepening twilight, as if afraid that someone would see his eyes, which might have reddened at that moment.

Li Jianye, in both his past and present lives, was not particularly adept at matters of love and romance, but even the most dull-witted person could sense the nuances of the situation before him.

He looked down at the heavy melon in his hand, then looked up at the girl in front of him who was trying to remain calm but whose neck was flushed pink. Something suddenly became clear in his heart, and then he softly collapsed.

He didn't speak, but simply reached out and grasped Delilah's trembling hand, which hung at her sides.

The hand trembled slightly at first, then gripped him tightly and firmly, the fingertips even digging fiercely into his palm.

Dilisilin looked up, her shyness not yet completely gone, but replaced by a full, almost overflowing smile.

The afterglow of the setting sun fell on her long eyelashes, shattering into a shower of glittering gold stars.

Still no words were spoken.

But their tightly clasped hands, the even more enthusiastic laughter and cheers that erupted around them, and the crystal-clear reflection in each other's eyes said it all.

"Okay, okay!"

Battalion Commander Zhou Minghan, who had been watching with a smile, stepped forward to smooth things over, waving his hand, "Everyone disperse, everyone disperse! Don't crowd around and cause a ruckus, be mindful of your behavior, and don't ruin the pure revolutionary friendship between comrades!"

Upon hearing this, Li Jianye did not let go of Dilisilin's hand. Instead, he stepped forward and laughed loudly, addressing both the battalion commander and the still-lingering crowd:

"Reporting to the battalion commander, I personally believe that my revolutionary friendship with Comrade Dilisilin can and should be taken to a higher level."

The unspoken ambiguity in the air always left him with a sense of unease, as if he would become a despicable manipulator of emotions if he didn't clearly say those words.

"Delicylin, I love you."

He stared at her intently, his voice clear and firm.

Would you like to stay with me?

A burst of good-natured laughter and cheers immediately erupted from all around.

"I do."

Although Dilisilin's cheeks were flushed with a sunset-like blush, her gaze no longer darted away.

She met Li Jianye's gaze, nodded solemnly, and spoke in a clear voice.

Looking at her shy yet composed appearance, a warm and sweet feeling melted in Li Jianye's heart.

"She should have agreed so readily... Could it be that she had feelings for me all along? Could it be that she fell for me the moment we first met? So she was also attracted to my looks, just like me, unable to escape this superficial attraction."

This originally serious agricultural technical guidance session eventually came to a close amidst laughter and the sweet aroma of melons.

To express his gratitude, the host, Zhou Minghan, specially slaughtered a sheep and prepared a banquet to entertain Li Jianye and Dilireshilin.

After the banquet, the two rode together on a horse and slowly made their way back into the city.

On horseback, Li Jianye asked a question he already knew the answer to: "Are you willing to come back to Beijing with me, settle down, and start a family?"

"Of course I'm willing."

Delilah's cheeks were still flushed as she whispered, "Wherever you are, that's where I'll go."

"In the past two days, I explained to my supervisor and asked him to help issue the transfer documents."

However, before leaving, I must say goodbye to Uncle Liu.

He was the commander of the First Agricultural Division. My parents died early, and I had no other relatives. He raised me single-handedly.

"No wonder you speak Chinese so fluently."

Li Jianye couldn't help but sigh.

"yes."

Her voice softened, "I grew up in Uncle Liu's house since I was a child, and my living habits are no different from those of the Han people."

In this land, I feel like a stranger... Most of the other girls from my own tribe don't marry outside the region, and they hold traditional views.

If you had chosen someone else today, you might really have ended up staying as a live-in son-in-law.

As she spoke, she smiled gently.

But in my eyes, I can only see you.

Li Jianye said in a low voice.

These words made Dilisilin blush, and she quickly changed the subject: "Also, in their eyes, it's taboo for us to ride a horse together like this."

Then there's the matter of diet. They had many dietary restrictions, but I was different... No one told me these rules when I was a child. Later, at Uncle Liu's house, I ate whatever my aunt ate.

So, apart from this name, I am no different from any other Han Chinese woman, inside or out.

And because of this, I've suffered a lot of cold treatment since I was little... They all said behind my back that I was a monster...

At this point, a thin layer of sadness, like mist, filled her voice.

Li Jianye felt a pang of pity and gently comforted him, saying, "I understand your suffering."

You've neither been accepted by your own people, nor are you afraid that one day you'll be rejected by both sides, is that right?

"...That's right."

Dilisilin nodded and recounted her past hardships in detail.

Li Jianye listened quietly, without saying much.

He knew that sometimes, comforting others didn't require many words.

The best comfort is simply to be a patient listener, gently guiding the other person to pour out all their pent-up feelings.

Especially when dealing with women—when they seek comfort, they often just want a safe space to vent their emotions, an outlet for their grievances and frustrations, rather than a solution to their immediate problems.

Of course, this excludes those who only care about money.

Their "comfort"

The price was clearly marked; it was just a transaction.

After pouring out the old stories that had been weighing on her heart, Delilah seemed to have a weight lifted off her shoulders, and a bright light returned to her eyes.

She also felt an increasing sense of closeness and trust towards Li Jianye, who was beside her.

"Is there anything you haven't finished doing here?"

After calming down, she turned her head and asked softly.

"have."

Li Jianye looked at the distant, sprawling fields and said, "I need to collect some wild rice seeds."

After that, I'll ask Uncle Liu to help me collect all kinds of cotton seeds.

"Grain is the first step; next, it should be cotton."

His gaze seemed to already see the future cotton fields, white as snow, on this land.

The cotton here should be exceptional, but now it still needs patient refinement.

"Alright then."

Delilah followed his gaze. The ridges of the fields stretched out in the morning light, stirring up complicated emotions. "Let's go see Uncle Liu tomorrow, and then... leave this place."

As dawn broke, Li Jianye, carrying a small gift he had prepared, and Dilireba arrived at Liu Wenxin's house by car.

The man in his fifties was in good spirits, and his home was bustling with activity—his wife, children, and four adopted orphans of his comrades-in-arms were all gathered together.

Liu Wenxin grasped Li Jianye's hand firmly, "You are a promising young man! I have heard about what happened yesterday."

Comrade Li Jianye, you have lived up to expectations; this is truly commendable.

"You flatter me, but I just happened to answer correctly."

If you ask anything else, I'm afraid I'll have to admit I'm not sure.

"Haha, so humble!"

Liu Wenxin laughed loudly, but his tone turned slightly somber, "You've come here for Xiaodi, haven't you? Although she's not my biological daughter, I treat her as my own."

However, over the years, as we live our lives, we have inevitably suffered some grievances.

Going to Beijing is fine too.

You... will protect her, right?

As the old man asked his last question, a solemn aura that had accumulated over the years quietly spread out from him, and his piercing gaze fell directly on Li Jianye's face.

Li Jianye's expression remained unchanged as he met his gaze and answered clearly, "Of course."

With me here, I will never let her suffer the slightest grievance.

I'm putting these words here.

Liu Wenxin paused for a moment, then burst into laughter, "Good! With you saying that, I feel at ease."

When do you plan to leave?

"It will take some more time."

The collection of wild rice seeds cannot be delayed.

"Oh?"

Liu Wenxin pondered for a moment, "The early rice is almost ripe, but the wild rice is probably not ready yet?"

"It's precisely because we can't wait until they're fully ripe."

Otherwise, they would be difficult to find.

"That makes sense! It was my oversight."

Liu Wenxin nodded, "In that case, let Xiaodi stay at home for now and keep her aunt company."

I'll handle the formalities.

You should focus on your own business.

Thank you.

In addition, please take care of the cotton seeds as well.

I need both native and imported varieties.

Once we return, breeding work will be put on the agenda.

"That's not a problem."

Liu Wenxin's smile deepened, but a hint of seriousness appeared in his eyes. "However, you have to promise me one thing."

"Is it for farming in this area?"

"Haha, I get it right away! That's exactly it."

"It is my duty."

"It's settled then."

"It's settled."

After meeting Liu Wenxin, Li Jianye set off to find wild rice.

For a whole month, he traveled to every corner where wild rice might grow and finally collected enough seeds.

Besides rice, he also picked some wild soybeans and wheat seeds, and found morel mushrooms and shiitake mushrooms in the forest—he not only took pictures of them, but also carefully retrieved the mushroom spawn.

This trip to Xinjiang Province was a very fruitful one.

After dealing with all the agricultural issues with Liu Wenxin, Li Jianye and Dilireba embarked on their journey back to Beijing.

"It's been more than three months since I came out."

As he gazed at the scenery rushing past the car window, the faces of those people in the courtyard house suddenly flashed through his mind. "I wonder what kind of trouble those guys are up to now..."

While Li Jianye was thinking about everyone in the courtyard, Beijing was bustling with activity.

With National Day approaching, marking the tenth anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China, the streets and alleys are filled with a sense of busyness and anticipation before the festival.

People wore smiles on their faces, but in their hearts they couldn't help but think about how to take this opportunity to eat something good.

Xu Damao went to the countryside a few days ago and went to great lengths to get an old hen.

In these times, getting a live chicken is no easy feat.

He was very pleased with himself, as if he could already smell the aroma of the stew.

He Yuzhu has suddenly developed some strange bumps on his body in the past few days. They don't hurt or itch, but occasionally they break open and ooze fluid.

He felt a little uneasy, so he thought of getting some meat to nourish his body, just to put his mind at ease.

Liu Feng, the factory director of the machine repair shop, made a special trip to the steel rolling mill to ask Director Yang to fulfill his old promise—Director Yang had said that as long as the machine repair shop completed its production tasks well, he would reward them with a pig.

Now that the machine repair shop is doing a great job, Liu Feng is thinking of taking the pigs home ahead of schedule.

After pondering for a moment, Director Yang nodded in agreement.

So, one of them was named "Xiao Zhuang".