Courtyard House: My Hidden Wheat Seeds Caused a National Sensation

He Yuzhu lowered his voice, "I know someone who has 'craft' skills and can open the lock without leaving a trace."

"become."

Jia Dongxu finally smiled. "Now that everything is planned, let's set a date."

We need to choose a time when no one is in the yard to make our move.

"Isn't that simple? I'll go talk to my friend first and set a time."

I'll ask the old lady in the backyard to find a way to get Lou Xiao'e out of there—that woman loves to cause trouble.

The second aunt is a bit of a hassle... but we can have the first aunt take her to the front yard to chat with the third aunt.

Those two boys, Guangtian and Guangfu, are easy to deal with; they have to go to school.

In this way, the backyard becomes quiet.

The Intermediate Court isn't afraid at all. We're going into my room; even if someone sees us, no one will think much of it.

"good!"

Jia Dongxu grinned, "Then I'll be waiting for your message. Hurry up and invite your 'expert' over."

"rest assured."

After plotting how to frame Li Jianye, the two went their separate ways.

Jia Dongxu continued to scrub his toilet while pinching his nose, while He Yuzhu turned and went back to the cafeteria.

Gazing in the direction of the courtyard house, Jia Dongxu gritted his teeth, letting out a low growl from his throat: "Li Jianye...you got my mother imprisoned, and now I'm stuck here cleaning toilets for a pittance, for months on end! My master begged and pleaded but couldn't get me reinstated...I swear I won't rest until I get my revenge!"

……

Li Jianye was completely unaware of Jia Dongxu and He Yuzhu's secret plot.

He had already received Delilah at this point.

When the girl saw that he had a private car and driver, she was first stunned, then her eyes lit up with surprise.

"Brother! You're amazing!"

Dilisilin cheered and was about to rush into Li Jianye's arms when she suddenly gasped – her hasty movement seemed to have aggravated her unhealed wound.

"It hurts so much..."

She raised her face and gave Li Jianye a coquettish glare.

Li Jianye could only smile apologetically and gently reassure her, "It's alright, we'll take a car back, you don't need to walk."

Take your time, okay?

"It's all your fault."

Delilah gave him a light glare before carefully getting into the car.

Zhang Wen parked the car steadily outside the courtyard gate.

Just as Li Jianye helped Dilisilin out of the car, he heard a familiar voice from the side.

"Hey! Li Jianye, you're riding in a car now?"

Li Jianye turned his head and saw that his third uncle, Yan Bugui, was pushing the old bicycle and standing not far away, his eyes wide open behind his glasses.

As the car drove into the alley, Yan Bugui was squatting on the stone steps in front of his house, picking vegetables.

Seeing Li Jianye get out of the car, he hurriedly stood up, a warm smile spreading across his face: "Oh, Jianye's back? Look at this entourage, you're really something!"

Li Jianye simply nodded and continued walking into the courtyard.

Yan Bugui quickly stepped forward, rubbing his hands together, and said, "Um... Jianye, are you free tonight? How about bringing your wife over for a casual meal?"

Although he spoke politely, his eyes flickered, as if he were plotting something.

Delilah, arm in arm with her husband, keenly sensed that there was something unusual about the invitation.

She didn't say anything, but her fingertips tightened slightly.

"No need for that."

Li Jianye stopped and said in a calm but distant tone, "Uncle, you can say whatever you want to say here."

Yan Bugui chuckled awkwardly twice and lowered his voice: "A few days ago... I was also unable to help with what happened with Lao Yi."

If anything happens again, I'll be the first to tell you, okay?

As dusk deepened, the shadows cast by the eaves stretched long and slanted, enveloping the two in a hazy, golden light.

Looking at the calculating face before him, Li Jianye suddenly recalled a similar evening many years ago—when Yan Bugui had also been rubbing his hands together, his eyes darting around.

Some people's inherent qualities are like the grain of a tree etched into its annual rings, something that cannot be erased by wind and rain.

"It's all in the past."

He simply waved his hand, his tone devoid of emotion, and said, "Go back."

Watching the couple turn past the screen wall, Yan Bugui let out a long sigh of relief, then slapped his thigh in frustration: "If I had known he was so easy to talk to, I wouldn't have bothered arranging those few fish!"

He turned and walked into the house, muttering that he needed to hide the fish quickly so those "debt collectors" wouldn't catch them.

Touch it.

The evening breeze swept through the alleyways, swirling up a few withered leaves.

Delilah didn't gently tug at her husband's sleeve until they entered their own courtyard: "What was that blind date he was talking about earlier...?"

The voice was kept low, as if afraid of disturbing the sparrows returning to their nests in the twilight.

Li Jianye turned his head and saw the shimmering light in his wife's eyes.

He reached out and brushed aside her wind-blown hair, a faint smile playing on his lips. "What's wrong? Worried?"

Back home, Dilireba washed her hands and began kneading dough.

Li Jianye carried a cloth bag and several empty bottles and quickly walked out of the yard.

Not long after, he returned with a small piece of mutton, some fresh green vegetables, and a jar of oil, soy sauce, vinegar, and salt.

With all the ingredients ready, Dilireba busied herself at the stove, while Li Jianye leaned back in his chair, holding a book in his hand, his gaze seemingly lost in the void.

His mind had already wandered into the depths of his consciousness.

Since obtaining those wild rice seeds from afar, I have never tried planting them, but now I finally have some free time.

With the slightest thought, the seeds fell one after another into the moist soil.

A cycle of growth is fleeting.

Most of the rice plants in the paddy fields have withered, with only a few still standing tall, their green color undiminished, and some even quietly sprouting new tender shoots—and they have begun to grow once again.

A glint flashed in Li Jianye's eyes.

They actually found it.

These wild rice varieties indeed contain a perennial lineage.

He suppressed the turmoil in his heart and began to focus on selecting and matching, burying himself in cultivating the fields of his consciousness.

If they could be cultivated earlier, they could save this land countless hours of repeated sowing in the future.

……

The aroma of hand-pulled noodles gradually wafted from the stove.

After kneading the dough, Dilisilin took the vegetables to the water trough in the yard to wash and chop them, and then stir-fried them in a hot pan.

The sizzling sound of oil meeting minced meat releases a rich aroma that, like tangible threads, wafts through every corner of the courtyard.

The atmosphere was so strong and intense that it caused a faint commotion to be heard from several windows.

At the Jia family's dinner table, Jia Dongxu suddenly put down the cornbread he was holding.

"Who cooks at this hour?"

He frowned, his nostrils flaring, "...It smells like meat!"

The youngest son at the table pouted, tears streaming down his face, and the cornbread in his hand rolled to the ground.

"Dad, I want to eat meat... I want to eat..."

The child simply lay down on the ground, kicking his legs and crying.

Jia Dongxu stood up with a sullen face and strode towards the door, as if he wanted to find the source of the fragrance.

Qin Huairu lowered her head and continued chewing the dry, hard cornbread, her lips twitching almost imperceptibly.

Of course she knew where the fragrance came from.

But she didn't say anything.

Jia Dongxu walked back into the house with a gloomy face.

He could already smell where the aroma of meat was coming from.

But what good will it do to know?

That was Li Jianye's home—a person he couldn't afford to offend.

"Wait!"

A glint suddenly flashed in Jia Dongxu's eyes.

An idea popped into my head.

"Hey Banggeng, are you craving meat?"

"think!"

Banggeng nodded quickly.

"Okay! Come with me! Daddy will take you to eat meat!"

"Really? Dad's so good!"

Banggeng jumped up from the kang (a heated brick bed).

Qin Huairu was taken aback upon seeing this:

"Dongxu! That's Li Jianye's family cooking! How could you possibly have gotten meat from them?"

"If you already knew, why didn't you say so earlier?"

Jia Dongxu glared at her, snorted coldly, and turned around to take out the homemade feather fan from the cabinet.

He shook his head slightly twice before drawing out his words, "I have a brilliant plan—"

Qin Huairu was stunned.

Watching her husband pacing back and forth, fanning himself, Qin Huairu suddenly felt a sense of estrangement.

Ever since he became obsessed with "Romance of the Three Kingdoms", he has gradually become eccentric.

Throwing children around, making feather fans, speaking in a mix of classical and vernacular Chinese...

She inexplicably missed the days when her mother-in-law, Jia Zhangshi, was still alive—back then, although Jia Dongxu was incompetent, he wouldn't have acted so abnormally.

"If only I had known then what I know now..."

Qin Huairu felt a surge of regret.

If I had gritted my teeth and married Li Jianye back then, I would be the one smelling the aroma of meat now.

Jia Dongxu was unaware of the distraction in his wife's expression.

Seeing her silence, he took it as tacit consent, picked up the stick, and walked towards the door.

"Dongxu!"

Qin Huairu chased after him to the door, determined to see what was going on—she wanted to see what kind of ability this man had to beg for meat.

Meanwhile, the aroma of meat had already filled the courtyard.

People peeked out of their windows and quickly identified the source of the infection.

It's Li Jianye's house.

The group looked at each other in silence and quietly shrank back.

Who doesn't know that Li Jianye earns 400 yuan a month? Eating meat is just a normal thing for him.

Moreover, that person is cold-hearted and ruthless, and no one wants to cross him.

Just as they were about to disperse, they saw Jia Dongxu carrying his son, chest out and head held high, heading straight for the backyard.

He whispered to the boy as he walked, and the boy sometimes shook his head, sometimes frowned, and finally grinned.

This sight aroused everyone's curiosity.

In those quiet years, even the slightest noise would bring the whole courtyard to a lively state.

So, small groups of people quietly followed and moved towards the backyard.

Dilisilin was unaware of the commotion outside.

She was intently flipping the spatula, determined to make the meal perfect.

She didn't look up until a figure appeared by the door, and saw a group of people gathered in the courtyard.

"Is there...something wrong?"

She wiped her hands and asked softly.

Jia Dongxu did not answer, but simply put the stick on the ground.

There was a bamboo pole leaning against the wall in the backyard of the Liu family's house. It was the one that Liu Hai used to discipline his children during his lunch break.

The man grabbed the pole and began to whip Banggeng's buttocks with a rapid, fierce beating.

"Who gave you permission to covet the meat in someone else's bowl!"

The bamboo pole fell with a whistling sound in the wind.

"You still have the nerve to cry and make a scene!"

It slammed firmly against my skin again.

"That'll teach you a lesson for not listening to me!"

Each rebuke was accompanied by a crisp striking sound.

"You good-for-nothing!"

As the bamboo pole rose and fell, the child was already lying on the ground, wailing loudly.

The sudden scene left all the neighbors stunned.

Even Li Jianye, who came out of the house upon hearing the noise, was stunned and thought to himself: What kind of act is Jia Dongxu putting on?

Before anyone could react, Qin Huairu rushed forward like a madwoman.

"Jia Dongxu! Are you insane? This is your own flesh and blood!"

Her voice was hoarse as she reached out to snatch the bamboo pole.

"Get out of here!"

The man slapped her across the face with his other hand. "A doting mother spoils her son! I'm disciplining my son, what right do you have to interrupt?"

He pushed the woman away and continued swinging the bamboo pole.

"Stop it!"

Delilah couldn't help but speak up to dissuade her, saying, "It's in a child's nature to be greedy."

"Once the noodles in my pot are ready, I'll serve him a bowl."

A hint of smugness flashed in Jia Dongxu's eyes, but he increased the pressure on his hands.

"Don't pity this little brat! He'll learn his lesson today!"

He cursed fiercely, but the rhythm of the bamboo pole falling subtly slowed down.

Banggeng's cries echoed in the courtyard, drawing expressions of pity from the onlookers.

"Forget it... It's perfectly normal for a five-year-old to be unable to resist the smell of meat."

"Yes, Dongxu, be gentle, the child's body is delicate."

"If you hurt the child, it will be too late to regret it!"

As the discussion grew, someone suddenly turned the conversation to the Li family:

"Speaking of which, it's not a holiday at the Li family's house today, so why are they suddenly cooking meat?"

"The smell permeates the entire yard; isn't this deliberately designed to make people uncomfortable?"

"I can't even have a peaceful meal..."

Delilah listened to these words, her chest heaving violently.

She grew up in the frontier and had been subjected to too many unwarranted accusations because of differences in customs. At this moment, the familiar sense of humiliation welled up in her throat again.

She opened her mouth, but ultimately couldn't utter a word.