Courtyard House: My Hidden Wheat Seeds Caused a National Sensation

Chapter 56

Qin Huairu felt a tightness in her chest, and a surge of grievance and resentment welled up inside her.

She really wanted to retort: Why don't you compare yourself to Li Jianye? He earns four hundred yuan a month! Fortunately, they didn't know that Li Jianye's pay slip had changed again, now showing a staggering five hundred and forty-five yuan.

If they found out, they'd probably be so angry they'd faint on the spot.

"Let's go! Time to work!"

Jia Dongxu blew his nose heavily, picked up the tattered copy of "Romance of the Three Kingdoms" and a worn-out feather fan, and stormed out, slamming the door behind him, his anger and illness palpable.

Watching that swaying figure disappear outside the door, Qin Huairu let out a long, silent sigh.

A wicked thought surfaced uncontrollably, cold and clear: "Being this sick is worse than just..."

……

Upon arriving at his workplace, Li Jianye went straight to the experimental fields of the Academy of Agricultural Sciences.

The work in the fields couldn't be delayed, and several young assistants were already waiting there.

"Have you planted all the seeds you brought last time as I instructed?"

He squatted down, carefully fiddling with the new leaves of a rice seedling with his fingertips, and asked without looking up.

"They've all been planted, teacher."

The five young people responded in unison, their attitude respectful.

"Um,"

Li Jianye stood up, patted the dirt off his hands, and said, "Take good care of it."

After harvesting this crop, remember to save seeds for another round of planting, and focus on observing whether the traits of their self-pollinated offspring are stable.

If the performance is good, organize the data and prepare to report it.

These seeds should be used in more places.

What he brought back this time was the result of years of careful breeding.

It has high yield, stable properties, and most importantly, it is self-compatible, so it is not easy to change its characteristics when seed is saved and replanted.

He described it as "a superior wild strain discovered".

For the sake of naming, it was handed over to the assistants for breeding and verification.

These are no longer hybrid varieties that require annual seed production. If the trial planting is successful, they will be a good thing that can be saved for our own seeds and benefit thousands of households.

If external conditions remain stable, the annual harvest will not fluctuate significantly.

The breeding process for hybrid crops is far too lengthy.

Although Li Jianye possesses a special talent that can significantly shorten this process, it will still take several years for hybrid seeds to be distributed throughout the country.

Therefore, he decided to first introduce several high-yield grain crops to temporarily alleviate the country's grain production pressure.

"Don't worry, teacher."

The five assistants responded in unison.

"Brother Jianye!"

Just then, Zhang Wen suddenly ran in, panting heavily.

"Brother Jianye! The boss wants to see you; he needs you to come over!"

"understood."

Li Jianye nodded, washed his hands, changed his shoes, straightened his clothes, and took the materials he had prepared before getting into the car and heading to Zhongnanhai.

Not long after, he saw Mr. H again.

"Little Li is here."

Upon seeing Li Jianye, Mr. H warmly beckoned him to sit down and casually picked up the teapot.

"Boss, let me do it."

Li Jianye hurriedly got up to take the pot, but was glared at by H Gong and turned back.

"Sit down."

Mr. H continued pouring tea, his tone leaving no room for argument, "Don't bother with those formalities, I don't like that stuff."

"It's just a cup of tea, what's the big deal?"

Li Jianye scratched his head and chuckled twice, then stopped refusing.

"The results of your fertilizer experiment are in, and the effect is very good."

Mr. H pushed the teacup in front of him and got down to business, "The fertilizer issue is more important than anything else."

Therefore, a group of experts will be brought over this time, and you will be the main speaker to train them.

These people were then to be dispatched to various locations to establish new chemical plants.

He paused, then added:

"In addition, you also need to write a fertilizer user manual, the more detailed the better."

For example, how to fertilize common crops, when to use what kind of fertilizer to achieve high yields, how to fertilize more economically, and so on.

Time is tight and the task is heavy, Xiao Li, you're going to be busy for a while.

"Boss, I've actually already finished writing this book."

Li Jianye remained calm and took out a neatly bound manuscript from his bag, handing it over with both hands.

"We've been preparing for this for a while, just waiting for you to give the order."

"Good lad!"

Mr. H took the item, flipped through it, and smiled approvingly. "Well done! Oh, by the way, I brought you something nice."

As he spoke, he took out three chocolates and a bicycle ticket from the drawer.

"Take the bicycle ticket and buy a bicycle for your wife. It will be more convenient for her on weekdays."

This is chocolate; I don't know if you've ever tried it.

"chocolate!"

Li Jianye's eyes lit up.

He had certainly eaten it before, and was even tired of it long ago—but that was in the past.

In this lifetime, he had never actually encountered this rare item.

These days, chocolate is a rare imported product. Even if it's sold in department stores, it often disappears before it even hits the shelves.

Since cocoa cannot be grown domestically and relies entirely on imports, and foreign exchange is extremely scarce, this dark brown sugar block has become a rare delicacy that is seldom seen by ordinary people.

"I've never tried it before."

Li Jianye happily accepted it, his tone sincere, "But I've heard people mention Coco."

Our country is not yet able to mass-produce sugar, and sugar production is also relatively low.

Once the food problem is solved, I plan to focus on cotton, sugar crops, livestock, and fruit trees.

Mr. H laughed loudly, his eyes filled with the gentle warmth of an elder looking at a younger generation: "It's certainly good to have such a kind intention."

However, let's focus on getting the food issue handled properly first.

Although he admired the young man's ambition, he did not believe that the young man could ensure grain production while also taking care of miscellaneous items such as cotton, sugar crops, livestock, and even fruit trees.

Li Jianye simply smiled and didn't argue further—no matter how eloquent the words, they were ultimately no match for concrete results.

The two sat and drank tea for a while, chatting about their recent lives.

As he was leaving, Li Jianye picked up the box of tea from the table and, under the slightly puzzled gaze of his guard, walked briskly out of Mr. H's office.

Meanwhile, a burnt smell permeated the kitchen of the steel rolling mill's canteen.

Ma Hua was engrossed in chopping vegetables when he suddenly sniffed and turned to look towards the stove: "What's that smell?"

He put down the knife and rushed over, only to see his master, He Yuzhu, standing blankly in front of the stove, mechanically turning the spatula in his hand, and the food in the pot was already emitting black smoke.

"Master! The food is burnt!"

Ma Hua shouted several times and then reached out to push He Yuzhu's shoulder.

He Yuzhu, however, seemed to have lost his soul, staring straight ahead without any reaction.

The fat man beside him also came over and called out, "Master, what's wrong?"

But He Yuzhu remained motionless, and the smell of burning grew stronger and stronger.

"Silly Zhu!"

Liu Lan's voice came from behind.

Unlike others, she had some powerful backers and was never afraid to offend the cafeteria chef.

She strode forward and slapped He Yuzhu on the back of the head.

He Yuzhu was jolted awake, finally coming to his senses.

He slammed it shut.

He slammed the iron pot down and turned to glare at Liu Lan: "What are you doing!"

He originally had neither liking nor disliking Liu Lan, but his attitude towards her has changed recently.

Both men had ambiguous relationships with women, but their circumstances were worlds apart—while Liu Lan's affairs were the subject of gossip, no concrete evidence had been found; as for himself…

A nameless fire suddenly surged in He Yuzhu's heart.

Why is she safe and sound?

Only then did he suddenly smell the pungent burnt smell in the air. Looking down, he saw that most of the pot of food had already turned black.

"unlucky!"

He muttered a curse under his breath, moved the pot aside, and instructed Ma Hua, "Throw away the burnt stuff, pick out the ones that can still be salvaged, and tidy up this place."

You guys cook the rest of the dishes; I'm going out for some fresh air.

After saying that, he ignored the bewildered looks on the faces of those around him and turned to leave the kitchen.

His self-willed ways were already a habit for everyone. They exchanged glances and then went about their own business.

He Yuzhu wandered aimlessly and unknowingly wandered into the restroom.

He looked around and, seeing no one, slipped into the innermost cubicle and gently lifted his shirt.

His eyes darkened again when his gaze fell on the conspicuous abnormality on his body.

However, the inner conflict entangled him like vines.

He longed to get rid of his illness, yet feared the consequences of seeking medical treatment; he dreaded the approaching death and was even more afraid that his reputation, built up over many years, would collapse overnight.

This agonizing emotion gnawed at his reason day and night.

"Pillar! What are you doing squatting here?"

The familiar voice suddenly entered his eardrums, startling He Yuzhu so much that he trembled all over.

He hurriedly pulled up his pants and turned around to see Jia Dongxu standing at the toilet door, looking completely bewildered.

"Brother Dongxu...why aren't you saying anything!"

He Yuzhu tried to remain calm, but his voice sounded weak.

"That's what I wanted to ask you too."

Jia Dongxu's gaze involuntarily drifted downwards, then he gasped, "What... what's going on?!"

Just now, Jia Dongxu came in with a broom to sweep and caught a glimpse of a figure huddled in a corner, in a strange posture.

Upon closer inspection, I realized it was He Yuzhu. I wanted to greet him, but I noticed that he wasn't relieving himself. Instead, he was staring at his crotch with a bewildered expression.

Jia Dongxu looked in that direction and his scalp tingled instantly—the skin there was red, swollen, and ulcerated, covered with dense rashes.

"Zhu Zi, have you caught some kind of nasty disease?!"

Jia Dongxu took two steps back, instinctively covering his mouth and nose. "I've seen this look before!"

"Nonsense! It's just a common fungal infection!"

He Yuzhu stubbornly argued, but cold sweat seeped from his palms.

When he first noticed something unusual, he was too embarrassed to seek medical help and only vaguely inquired about it from others, saying that "a friend of mine has bumps on his body."

What should we do?

The other person casually replied, "It's probably tinea cruris."

He then truly believed it, secretly sought out folk remedies for athlete's foot and applied them, deceiving himself day after day.

It wasn't until Li Jianye's words were like a bucket of ice water poured over him, completely waking him up.

"Rash on the dog's buttocks!"

Jia Dongxu spat, his eyes filled with complex emotions. "This is clearly venereal disease! You must have caught it from hanging out with that Liu Li! Back in the day, before Beijing was cleaned up, the streets were full of these kinds of patients—Zhu Zi, you're in big trouble!"

At this point, a barely perceptible smile appeared on Jia Dongxu's lips.

Yeah.

From then on, the fool no longer had any interest in Qin Huairu.

He Yuzhu felt as if he had been struck by a heavy hammer, and his chest ached unbearably.

Shame, fear, and anger intertwined and then suddenly exploded.

"Li Jianye...I'm going to kill him!"

His eyes were bloodshot as he roared as he charged out, "Since I'm going to die anyway, I'll take him down with me!"

"stop!"

Jia Dongxu grabbed his arm. "Are you crazy? Murder is punishable by death! Even attempted murder goes to jail!"

The last phrase is a new word I heard from my mother a while ago.

As Jia Dongxu exerted effort, he clearly calculated in his mind: If He Yuzhu really risked his life, regardless of success or failure, who would still deliver lunchboxes to the Jia family every day? Who would pay their wages to support the widow and her orphan?

This person absolutely cannot be allowed to get into trouble right now.

It's really not worth losing yourself for a mere Li Jianye.

Human lives must ultimately be repaid with lives.

"What's the point of my life anymore!"

"Don't act rashly!"

"I have a way to save you."

"you?"

He Yuzhu stopped in his tracks and looked at Jia Dongxu with a slight hesitation.

"That's right—"

"I'm, after all, known as 'Sleeping Dragon' in this courtyard."

Jia Dongxu pulled out the feather fan from his waist and slowly waved it, a smile on his face.

"Then tell me, what's your plan?"