Courtyard House: My Hidden Wheat Seeds Caused a National Sensation

Upon hearing that the situation was serious, Section Chief Li immediately rushed over and asked the worker to go to the security department to call a few more people.

"Stop it, all of you!"

Section Chief Li burst through the door with an angry shout.

But just as he shouted to stop him, Xu Damao dodged to the side—

He Yuzhu and Jia Dongxu's outstretched hands landed squarely on the face of Section Chief Li, who had just entered the room.

The scene froze instantly.

Staring at the face covered in filth not far away, He Yuzhu and Jia Dongxu froze on the spot.

Although they couldn't see the person's face clearly, they recognized the uniform—it belonged to the security department.

These days, the security department isn't just for show; they have law enforcement power, manage all matters inside and outside the factory, and can even draw their guns when necessary.

If you offend them, you'll never have a peaceful life in the factory again.

And now, they've actually thrown this filth in the faces of the security guards...

This feud is now irreconcilable.

Section Chief Li snapped out of his shock, wiped the dirt off his face, and forced out a voice through clenched teeth:

"Sha Zhu! Jia Dongxu! You two just wait!"

After saying that, he turned and left. He needed to find water to wash himself immediately, or he would vomit if he endured it for even a moment longer.

"Hahaha—Silly Zhu, you're really finished now!"

Xu Damao popped out again, his face full of schadenfreude.

Seeing He Yuzhu bend down to grab something to hit him again, Xu Damao quickly slipped away, shouting back as he ran:

"Alright, I'm not going to argue with you anymore!"

"For the sake of being neighbors for so many years, I'll go and get someone to rescue you right now!"

He took off running and disappeared into the alley in the blink of an eye.

This escape was certainly not to save He Yuzhu—saving him? Never in this lifetime.

He left at this moment purely because he knew perfectly well that He Yuzhu would be rescued soon.

If I wait until then, I'm afraid I won't escape a beating.

Leaving first is the best course of action.

"Silly Zhu, silly Zhu, weren't you always so arrogant?"

As Xu Damao ran, he sneered inwardly, "Let's see how I add fuel to the fire this time."

He moved with lightning speed, heading straight into each workshop of the steel rolling mill.

As soon as he entered the workshop, he started shouting and recounting the whole story of what happened between He Yuzhu and Jia Dongxu in the latrine.

His words were completely distorted – two perfectly normal people were transformed into monsters who loved to wallow in filth, and his words were filled with many unpleasant details.

Within half a day, He Yuzhu and Jia Dongxu's reputations were ruined, like something that had fallen into a dye vat, and could never be cleaned up again.

***

On the other end, Section Chief Li rinsed his face with cold water several times, but the filthy smell seemed to have seeped into his skin and wouldn't dissipate no matter what he did.

He became increasingly frustrated, so he simply submitted a report, adding extra embellishments to his words.

The incident alarmed the factory leadership, and several managers were furious. They immediately sent people to bail the person out and ordered a factory-wide public reprimand.

***

In the broadcasting room, Xu Damao sat with his legs crossed, chatting idly with the announcer.

As a film projectionist, he frequented this place and they were already quite familiar with each other.

He knew perfectly well that Section Chief Li would not let this go easily, and the notice of criticism would be issued sooner or later.

He was waiting there because he wanted to take the paper with his own hands and read those humiliating words to the whole factory.

Sure enough, not long after, the leader's message reached the broadcasting room: draft a notice of criticism and broadcast it to the entire factory immediately.

The specific wording will be determined by the announcer, but the punishment is set in stone.

Xu Damao quickly stepped forward, smiling obsequiously and saying many kind words, finally managing to get the broadcasting job.

He cleared his throat and leaned closer to the microphone:

"Now broadcasting a report."

This afternoon, He Yuzhu, a cook at our factory, and Jia Dongxu, a toilet cleaner, jumped into the septic tank without permission and fought each other in the tank, using filth as weapons to attack employees using the toilet. As a result, Yi Zhonghai was covered in filth and suffered serious physical and mental harm.

The motives behind these two individuals' actions are unclear, but they are suspected to be due to unusual fetishes. The nature of their actions is extremely malicious, and the impact is very negative.

After deliberation by the factory leadership, the following disciplinary actions were taken: He Yuzhu and Jia Dongxu will each have three months' salary deducted and will each receive a major demerit; Jia Dongxu will not be allowed to return to the fitter position for three years; He Yuzhu will not be eligible for promotion for five years.

We urge all employees to take this as a warning and stay away from individuals who violate collective discipline.

***

Inside the steel rolling mill's bathhouse, the sound of a loudspeaker suddenly broke through the rushing water.

He Yuzhu, Jia Dongxu, and Yi Zhonghai were standing under the water jets rinsing themselves, and they could hear every word clearly.

Jia Dongxu swayed violently, his vision went black, and he fell straight backward.

"Dongxu!"

Yi Zhonghai himself felt a chill run down his spine—the broadcast had even broadcast his own pathetic state.

But he couldn't care less about his shame and anger, and rushed over to support Jia Dongxu, pinching his philtrum tightly with his thumb.

Jia Dongxu slowly woke up, opened his eyes, and burst into tears.

He was perfectly fine before, all because of He Yuzhu! If it weren't for He Yuzhu, how could he have fallen into that filthy place? If it weren't for He Yuzhu, how could he have lost his wages and been unable to return to his fitter job for three whole years?

Three years.

The more he thought about it, the more desperate he became, and his cries echoed in the empty bathhouse.

Li Jianye was completely unaware of the turmoil at the steel rolling mill.

At that moment, he was engrossed in preparing for the fertilizer production line at the chemical plant, so busy that he barely had time to rest until the sun began to set.

The reason for this rush is that Sunday is the day after tomorrow, followed by the National Day holiday.

Once the festival is over, he will set off for the Northeast—everything must be arranged before his departure.

"After returning from Northeast China, the breeding program for the five staple grains can proceed at full speed."

Li Jianye leaned back in the car, gazing at the street scenes flashing by outside the window, lost in thought.

The path to high-yield seed sources has been paved. Agriculture is a slow-moving industry, so it must be done step by step, but it is necessary to work on multiple fronts in order to keep up.

The car stopped in front of a bicycle shop.

He told his driver, Zhang Wen, to go back first, and then he pushed open the door and went into the shop.

These days, bicycles come in men's and women's styles. Women's bicycles are a relatively new product, only introduced in 1957. They are not much different from men's bicycles: men's bicycles have a thick and heavy front beam, which can bear a lot of weight; women's bicycles have the crossbar removed and a front basket added, making them lighter.

The style still seemed clumsy to Li Jianye, but to people of that era, it was a very fashionable item.

He picked out a women's bicycle and pedaled towards the police station.

After completing the formalities and affixing the official seal, amidst the envious gazes of a group of police officers, he picked up Dilisilin and rode towards the courtyard house.

"Brother, this costs so much money."

Delilah muttered softly from the back seat, her fingers clutching the hem of his shirt, "Women's bikes are more expensive than men's. You travel a lot for work, so I'll just ride yours..."

"It's inconvenient for you to get on and off a car with a crossbar."

Without turning his head, Li Jianye took something out of his pocket and handed it over, "Here, try this."

"Happiness Chocolate!"

Her eyes suddenly lit up, and her complaint vanished instantly. She unwrapped the candy and held it to his lips first: "You eat it first!"

Li Jianye lowered his head and took a small bite. The sweetness had a subtle roughness, a rare taste at this time of year.

The two shared candy, chatting and laughing as they walked through the alley. Just as they reached the entrance of the courtyard house, they heard a commotion inside—He Yuzhu and the others had fallen into a cesspool.

Li Jianye was stunned, utterly bewildered: "How could something like this happen out of nowhere?"

He turned to Xu Damao to ask him what was going on.

At this moment, the room of He Yuzhu was filled with the strong smell of soapberry.

The three of them had just scrubbed themselves from head to toe countless times, their hair still dripping wet.

He Yuzhu, Jia Dongxu, and Yi Zhonghai sat around the square table, their faces increasingly grim.

Yi Zhonghai raised his eyelids, his gaze sweeping heavily over the other two:

"Tell me, what exactly happened today?"

Yi Zhonghai's gaze swept across the faces of the two people in front of him like a knife.

"There are too many people around, so I can't ask them in detail."

He lowered his voice, the room so quiet you could hear the dust settling, "There's no one else here now."

Tell the truth.

He Yuzhu and Jia Dongxu exchanged a glance.

He Yuzhu's Adam's apple bobbed, showing some hesitation; Jia Dongxu, however, was very straightforward, spilling the beans from a bamboo tube and laying out the whole story in detail.

When Jia Dongxu finished speaking, Yi Zhonghai froze, as if he had been struck hard by an invisible hammer.

He understood—he finally understood why Li Jianye had casually asked, "Guess?"

What cold, profound meaning lies hidden beneath?

"He...this person is truly terrifying."

Yi Zhonghai's voice was dry, almost as if it were being squeezed out from between his teeth.

"This is terrifying... So this is what 'guess' means..."

At that moment, all the confusion in Yi Zhonghai's mind vanished instantly.

The past events are still vivid in his mind: when he first discovered that Li Jianye had not alerted the police, he was full of doubts and even went to Li Jianye's house to ask him why.

Li Jianye only replied with those two words.

At that time, he tossed and turned, racking his brains but still couldn't figure out what the mystery was behind those two simple words. He was restless day and night because of this, and even made frequent mistakes in his work.

In the end, he even came to the wishful conclusion that Li Jianye had shown mercy and left He Yuzhu a way out.

Looking back now, I realize how naive I was back then.

By not calling the police, Li Jianye was clearly leaving no room for maneuver; he was obviously pushing He Yuzhu to his doom!

"He must have already realized that Liu Lili was suffering from a serious illness!"

Yi Zhonghai's thoughts became clearer and clearer, and a chill crept up his spine. "He didn't call the police because he wasn't sure of the exact time when Sha Zhu and that woman were in bed together."

To catch adulterers in the act, you must catch them in the act; if you can't catch them in the act, the matter will become a mess.

Conversely, if they don't make a fuss, Liu Lili will definitely cling to Sha Zhu for money... In that case, it's a foregone conclusion that Sha Zhu will get sick.

Once the illness strikes, his dirty deeds can no longer be concealed, and he will have to confess them himself.

Therefore, not calling the police is far more ruthless than calling the police! When he said "guess," he probably meant to make me suspicious, panic, and even do something wrong... What a deep scheme! He even foresaw this step, and then planted a poisonous bait to undermine my confidence!

When everything was put together, Yi Zhonghai felt a chill run from the soles of his feet straight to the top of his head.

"Terrible...truly terrifying..."

His eyes were fixed on the void, and he kept repeating those words to himself.

This appearance stunned He Yuzhu and Jia Dongxu.

"Master, what's wrong with you?"

Jia Dongxu asked tentatively.

"An old man?"

He Yuzhu waved his hand in front of Yi Zhonghai's eyes.

Yi Zhonghai showed no reaction, his lost and dejected expression mirroring that of He Yuzhu the previous night, making He Yuzhu's heart tremble.

"Sir, you wouldn't happen to have...you know what happened to you, like me, would you?"

He Yuzhu shrank his neck. "If that's true, you don't need to learn from me and jump into the latrine."

"Didn't you also... cough, get some 'good fortune' today? That's a ready-made excuse."

"Who's like you!"

Yi Zhonghai suddenly came to his senses, glared at He Yuzhu, and thought that this idiot was hopelessly stupid. He had been tricked into such a state, yet he still had the mind to joke.

He took a deep breath, frowned, and asked, "So, you jumped into the cesspool to find an excuse for your disease?"

"Master, he was the one who wanted to jump; he pulled me down!"

Jia Dongxu hurriedly tried to explain, his voice trembling with tears, "Because of him, I haven't been able to change jobs for the past three years! Master, you have to think about me!"

Yi Zhonghai's sacrifice this time was far too heavy.

The price he paid for He Yuzhu was extraordinary, and it would probably take a huge amount of money to make up for it.

"That's enough."

Yi Zhonghai sighed deeply, "Let bygones be bygones."

The pillar didn't do it on purpose.

He thought to himself that he could probably no longer rely on these two people he had his eye on for retirement.

"Zhu Zi, when do you plan to go see a doctor?"

"We'll have to wait a few more days."

He Yuzhu quickly replied, "Dongxu said that this illness didn't develop overnight; it came on slowly."

I'd like to wait another two weeks.

"it is good."

Yi Zhonghai nodded.

In his view, there was nothing wrong with this.

"Dongxu—"