Courtyard House: My Hidden Wheat Seeds Caused a National Sensation

I saw Li Jianye carry out quite a lot of wild game: pheasants, rabbits, and half a sheep!

"That's natural."

Lou Xiao'e spoke in a flat tone, as if it were a matter of course, "He is a proper first-level researcher, with a monthly salary of four hundred yuan."

And they're also excellent hunters—didn't they bring back ten rabbits in one go last time? How could a family like that not have meat for their celebrations?

As Xu Damao listened, his brows gradually furrowed.

"I have to say, something doesn't quite feel right about what you're saying?"

"Is there?"

Lou Xiao'e turned her face to look out the window, but there was a very faint smile on her lips that Xu Damao could not detect.

Other thoughts were swirling in her mind: if her wedding had been delayed by a few months, perhaps... perhaps it would have been just in time for Li Jianye to arrive in Beijing.

Unfortunately, we missed our chance.

That silent sigh and that casual tone, however, were like a fine thorn, gently pricking Xu Damao.

He gave a low snort, turned his head away, and stopped talking.

Xu Damao felt a surge of displeasure.

The couple had only been married a short time, and he was currently at the peak of his possessiveness.

He immediately scoffed, "So what if he has meat? He's still just a country bumpkin! He's only been in the city a few days, how many people could he possibly know? I bet his wedding will be a cold and quiet affair—it'd be better to just hold it in the courtyard house! Even though most of the neighbors there aren't exactly good people, at least it'll be lively!"

"Where is it deserted?"

Lou Xiao'e verbally refuted this, but in her heart she also felt that Li Jianye's wedding wouldn't be very lively.

Xu Damao was right. Li Jianye had only been in Beijing for a short time, and had been away for more than three months in between. He had spent less than a month in the city, so he could only meet a very limited number of people.

However, she had a good impression of Li Jianye and couldn't help but defend him: "Nowadays, the country advocates simplicity in everything. That's not being austere, it's being frugal."

"frugal?"

Xu Damao snorted, "So concerned about thrift, why not just not hold it at all!"

"Frugality is one thing, and a wedding is another; don't confuse the two."

Lou Xiao'e refused to back down.

The two bickered all the way, and before they knew it, they had arrived near the guesthouse of the Academy of Agricultural Sciences.

Looking up, I noticed something was off – there were armed soldiers standing guard around me.

"What's going on? Is a leader coming?"

The two exchanged a glance, both looking puzzled, but didn't think much of it, assuming it was some kind of internal activity at the Academy of Agricultural Sciences.

Just as they were about to continue walking forward, a guard suddenly stepped forward and blocked their way: "Stop! This area is temporarily under control. Only guests with invitations to Comrade Li Jianye's wedding are allowed to enter."

Please show your invitation. If you do not have an invitation, please leave immediately.

Both of them were taken aback.

"There are guards on duty... what kind of wedding is this?"

Xu Damao was secretly alarmed, only then remembering that he had indeed been reminded to bring an invitation.

He quickly took the red invitation card out of his pocket and handed it over.

After a careful inspection, the guard stepped aside and let him pass.

As they stepped into the guesthouse, Xu Damao and Lou Xiao'e were still somewhat apprehensive.

Just past the front hall, I saw Director Yang standing by the porch smoking.

"Director Yang?"

The two greeted each other in unison.

"It's Xiao'e and Damao."

When Director Yang saw that it was them, he nodded with a smile.

Hongxing Steel Rolling Mill was originally a business owned by the Lou family, so he was naturally familiar with these two people.

"Hurry up and go in. The guests are almost all here, and we need some help inside."

The wedding is about to begin, I'll come after I finish this cigarette.

"Okay!"

Xu Damao responded with a smile and led Lou Xiao'e inside.

Arriving at the altar, he took out the New Year picture he had prepared to register—in those days, gifts were mostly New Year pictures and calendars, with a few words of blessing written on them to express one's good wishes, unlike in later generations when money was given directly.

But when Xu Damao caught a glimpse of the various congratulatory gifts already laid out on the table, he was stunned: calligraphy and paintings, ancient books, and porcelain with lustrous glazes... each piece showed an unusual weight.

He held the ordinary New Year picture in his hand and suddenly felt a little embarrassed to show it off.

Lou Xiao'e noticed his embarrassment and silently took off a pair of fine jade bracelets from her wrist, gently placing them on the ceremonial table.

Xu Damao finally felt relieved. If anything else went wrong, he would have really lost face.

The two entered the lobby of the guesthouse one after the other.

The guesthouse belonging to this agricultural research institute is more like a small hotel.

The specially designed restaurant has five large round tables neatly arranged.

Pushing open the door, I saw that the hall was already decorated in a festive red.

The table was full of people, and the lively sounds of chatting and laughing while cracking sunflower seeds and peeling peanuts filled the air.

"So many people have come!"

Xu Damao and Lou Xiao'e exclaimed almost simultaneously.

They never expected that Li Jianye, a young man from the countryside with no relatives or friends, would make so many acquaintances in the city so soon after arriving.

"Da Mao—Xiao'e! Come sit here."

Deputy Factory Director Li, who was holding a peanut, looked up and saw the two of them, and quickly waved to them.

"Director Li!"

Xu Damao quickly pulled Lou Xiao'e over.

"Xiao'e, you sit here, I'll go check on Jianye."

Director Li, Engineer Liu, and all the other leaders, please continue your conversation. Jianye has asked me to come and lend a hand.

After greeting a group of acquaintances from the steel rolling mill, Xu Damao turned and left the hall.

I asked at the front desk which room Li Jianye was in, and went straight there.

"Da Mao, you've come at the perfect time."

Li Jianye was sitting in the house, waiting for the wedding banquet at noon.

Weddings these days are simple; it's just a matter of inviting acquaintances over for a meal, getting to know each other, and there aren't many complicated formalities.

So he's quite free right now.

"Here, take this. You know how to use it, right?"

Li Jianye handed over a camera.

"Of course! Our propaganda department also has cameras; I've played with them a few times."

Xu Damao raised his eyebrows smugly, took the camera, and examined it carefully.

"Wow, this machine is really good."

Don't worry, bro, I'll definitely capture all the excitement on camera later!

"Okay, thank you for your hard work, Da Mao."

Li Jianye smiled and handed him a pack of Zhonghua cigarettes.

"He's a top-level researcher, even his cigarettes are Zhonghua!"

Xu Damao was both surprised and delighted, and quickly put the cigarette away.

The Zhonghua cigarettes of that era used imported tobacco leaves, which were produced in very limited quantities and were not available on the market at all; they were a special supply.

Unless one possesses a certain status, ordinary people simply cannot reach them.

Xu Damao naturally found this cigarette particularly rare.

"Then you go ahead with your work, I'll wait for you in the lobby."

Xu Damao exchanged a few more pleasantries with Li Jianye before returning to the restaurant.

He chatted with several leaders while waiting for the wedding to begin.

Before we knew it, it was almost noon.

Just as Xu Damao thought the ceremony was about to begin, a commotion suddenly broke out outside the door.

Immediately afterwards, the group pushed open the door and entered.

The moment Xu Damao saw who it was, he froze in his seat.

Xu Damao finally realized why he had checked the invitation so carefully when he entered the room—it turned out that such an important guest was coming.

Not only Xu Damao, but Lou Xiao'e was also stunned.

Many guests around also looked astonished; no one expected that Li Jianye's wedding would attract such a person.

"No need for formalities, everyone."

We heard that Xiao Li is having a happy occasion today, so we stopped by to share in the joy.

The elder walking at the front waved his hand with a smile, his tone gentle.

The auditorium was filled with a joyful atmosphere.

Surrounded by people, Li Jianye and Dilireshilin, each wearing a red silk flower on their chests, slowly walked into the hall side by side.

The two looked up and spotted the elderly man who often appeared in the newspapers, causing them to pause slightly.

Li Jianye was shocked—H Gong had indeed mentioned that he would be the witness at the wedding, but he never expected that this important figure would come in person.

"Today is a joyous day for Comrade Li Jianye and Comrade Dilisilin to enter into their marriage contract."

"Now, please let the leader say a few words to us."

A round of enthusiastic applause immediately erupted from the audience.

He not only successfully increased wheat production and developed a variety of agricultural machinery, but also made significant breakthroughs in fertilizers and other fields, greatly contributing to the development of agriculture in my country.

Today is the auspicious day that he and Comrade Delilah have become partners. I wish them a lifetime of companionship, a life of unity and happiness, and that they will soon welcome the joy of their new life and live a blissful life.

We hope that they will continue to work together for a common cause in the future!

"good!"

The applause of the audience was thunderous.

"Now, I formally announce that Comrade Li Jianye and Comrade Dilisilin are hereby married as revolutionary partners!"

Cheers and applause erupted once again.

The newlyweds stood at the front of the stage and bowed to thank the guests.

This completes the main part of the ceremony.

The waiters quickly began serving dishes and pouring wine.

The liquor was Moutai, specially prepared by Li Jianye, and the cigarettes were also of the finest brand. The banquet was lavish, with a good mix of meat and vegetables, and a dazzling array of dishes.

Originally, only three tables were planned for the banquet, but the number of people who came to offer their congratulations exceeded expectations. In addition, a group of key technical personnel from the chemical plant who had been guided by Li Jianye ended up setting up five tables.

Fortunately, Li Jianye's farm had sufficient supplies, which enabled him to cope with the situation.

After all the dishes were served, Li Jianye and Dilisilin first toasted the leaders and H Gong and others, and then saw them off—the leaders and their entourage did not stay for a meal.

After the distinguished guests left, Li Jianye went from table to table to toast the other guests and exchange pleasantries.

The banquet was lively and joyful, with everyone immersed in happiness.

Xu Damao was so excited that he drank until his face was flushed after the photo session ended—this meal was not only a treat for him, but also a rare honor.

After all, being able to see that person in person would be enough to make him talk about it for the rest of his life.

After the banquet, Li Jianye saw off the guests one by one and arranged a room for the tipsy Xu Damao to rest.

After a brief farewell to Lou Xiao'e, he called Zhang Wen for help, and the three of them carried the gifts they had received that day back to their dormitory at the Academy of Agricultural Sciences.

While counting the gifts, Li Jianye couldn't help but secretly marvel.

Although no one gave monetary gifts, they received a considerable amount of antiques and calligraphy—the sentiment behind it was far more meaningful than money.

The ink strokes are vigorous and powerful, carrying profound significance.

Holding the two calligraphy scrolls, Li Jianye felt a surge of warmth in his heart.

After getting everything ready, he gently took Delilah's hand and walked towards home.

"elder brother,"

Delilah leaned against him, her eyes sparkling. "I'm so happy today..."

The streetlights and shadows were left far behind. Dilisilin was practically nestled against Li Jianye, her voice filled with honeyed joy.

And there were so many guests, and the gifts they brought were all precious and elegant.

She looked up, her eyes shining in the twilight. "How did you do that?"

Li Jianye put his arm around her shoulder, looked down and smiled: "Just saying you're happy isn't enough."

How do you plan to thank me?

Delilah's ears turned red, and her voice was as soft as a feather: "Whatever you say... whatever you say."

"But it reminds me of something."