Courtyard House: My Hidden Wheat Seeds Caused a National Sensation

She murmured, "This old book, it can't possibly fly away by itself, can it?"

Jia Dongxu's face darkened, and his gaze turned to Banggeng, who was huddled by the door.

"You, come here."

Banggeng was intimidated by the coldness in his tone, his feet seemed to be nailed to the ground, and he only managed to move two steps after a long while.

"dad……"

"See that book of mine? The one I keep with me every day."

“No, no…”

"Say it again?"

Jia Dongxu suddenly grabbed the child, pressed him onto his knee, and started hitting him.

"There are only three people in this family. If it's not you, who else could it be? Did the book grow legs?"

Banggeng burst into tears, struggling and crying out that he was wronged.

Qin Huairu lunged at the child, trying to snatch him away: "Are you crazy! Is it really necessary to make such a fuss over a lousy book? Just buy another one!"

"Buy it? Do you know that costs fifty cents?"

Jia Dongxu, panting heavily, said, "You're so generous! You didn't care about getting a steamed bun from someone last time, but you casually say you'll buy another one for just five cents?"

He suddenly stopped, his hand hovering in mid-air, as if struck by some thought.

Yes... his eyes gradually brightened.

If Qin Huairu took over my job and went to the factory to clean the toilets, wouldn't I be able to stay at home and lie around? I'd still get paid, wouldn't have to do any hard work, and could even go to the place where Yan Laokou had set a trap every day to pick up some wild game.

Maybe after a while, she can become a full-time employee and get a raise... The more Jia Dongxu thought about it, the more brilliant the idea seemed.

Reputation? He didn't care about that anymore.

Who in this yard would even look at him? Having a lot of lice doesn't bother him; real benefits are what matter.

While he was lost in thought, Qin Huairu had already hugged Banggeng in her arms and was gently coaxing him.

"Huai Ru,"

Jia Dongxu turned his face, his tone softening, "There's something I want to discuss with you."

"Bang Geng definitely didn't take the book!"

Qin Huairu didn't even look up.

"I know,"

Jia Dongxu waved his hand, "Let's not talk about the book for now."

It's something else.

Perhaps we should switch places.

Go and experience the other person's life.

such,

Only then can we truly enter each other's worlds.

Qin Huairu raised her eyes, confusion appearing in them: "Dongxu, what do you mean by that...?"

What I mean is,

I'll go to the factory in a couple of days to make some arrangements.

I'll give you my job.

You go to work, and I'll stay home to take care of the children and do the housework.

Qin Huairu was stunned.

She didn't immediately understand where Jia Dongxu's idea came from.

Immediately afterwards, a sense of absurdity welled up inside me—

He actually wanted someone like her, who had never experienced hardship since childhood, to clean toilets.

Why am I staying home and having nothing to do?

What kind of husband acts like that?

Although Jia Dongxu said he would take care of the children and do the housework,

But doesn't Qin Huairu know what kind of person he is?

At that time, he will definitely lie down on the bed and read his "Romance of the Three Kingdoms".

But he himself had to go to the factory early in the morning to clean the toilets.

After work, I still have to rush back to serve those three ancestors.

How can we go on living like this?

"No, I don't want to..."

"No, you will be willing."

"I really don't want to!"

"You must be willing!"

"I really can't do that kind of dirty and tiring work!"

"What's so tiring about cleaning toilets?"

You can definitely do it.

That's settled then.

"but……"

"No buts!"

If you keep nagging, I'm going to take action!

"All right……"

Qin Huairu's eyes reddened, and tears streamed down her face.

Unfortunately, Jia Dongxu didn't see his aggrieved expression at all.

At this moment, he was filled with the relief that was about to come.

I couldn't help but cheer in my heart:

"Finally, I can get rid of the job of cleaning toilets!"

Finally, I can catch my breath!

Haha!

correct,

I need to discuss this with my master first.

With a sudden thought, he hurriedly pushed open the door and went out, walking quickly towards Yi Zhonghai's house.

……

"What did you say?!"

Yi Zhonghai was stunned after hearing his apprentice's plan.

He looked at Jia Dongxu with an indescribable gaze:

"You actually came up with this idea and were able to do it?"

As expected of Jia Dongxu!

But that's alright.

After Qin Huairu took over the job,

I'll try to persuade Dongxu to find another job later.

Thus,

Now both members of the Jia family have jobs, don't they?

When I retire in the future...

Life will be more comfortable then.

Thinking of this, Yi Zhonghai showed an approving expression, praised him a few times, and nodded in agreement to the arrangement.

Jia Dongxu was overjoyed, like a child who had found a treasure, and his steps became light.

……

At this moment, Yan Jiecheng quietly slipped out of his house and walked out of the yard.

Yan Bugui was always frugal, and after washing up at night, he would not allow the lights to be turned on again.

Yan Jiecheng, who wanted to read, could only go outside to the streetlights to get some light.

"That old man is so stingy!"

If housing weren't so scarce right now, who would want to live with him?

Even reading a book requires going outside to borrow a street lamp.

That's incredibly stingy!

He muttered a complaint under his breath as he wrapped his cotton-padded coat tighter around himself. He walked to a streetlamp, stood down, and began to read by the dim light.

Although I've never seriously read "Romance of the Three Kingdoms"

He had listened to quite a few of the stories told by the storytellers in the teahouse.

He knew several of the most famous people in the group.

What resonated with him most was...

It was none other than Pang Tong, the Phoenix Chick.

He had few scenes and died shortly after appearing on screen.

It's such a pity.

But Yan Jiecheng felt that he and this young phoenix were inexplicably similar—

Clearly possessing talent,

However, because of his meticulous and calculating father, he had no opportunity to use his talents.

When I was a child, even the portions of my meals were reduced.

The taste of hunger never left his body.

He often thought that if he could have a full meal to nourish his body, with his intelligence, getting into university would be as easy as picking up a pebble at his feet.

This thought involuntarily reminded him of the one known as "Phoenix Chick".

His strategist.

Although the man possessed extraordinary talent, he was met with coldness upon his first appearance due to his coarse appearance and aloof nature.

Not only did Sun Quan turn him away, but even Liu Bei, who was eager to find talented people, initially did not take him seriously.

After growing up, he finally got a job, but he still couldn't escape his father's demands.

Most of my monthly wages had to be handed over, leaving me with only five yuan.

This situation is surprisingly similar to that of the Phoenix Chick—that man finally met a wise ruler, but was only given a minor post; just as he showed his wisdom comparable to that of the Crouching Dragon, he suddenly perished on his journey.

As for himself, if his father continues to exploit him like this, he will probably starve to death in this dilapidated courtyard sooner or later.

"Since that's the case..."

A resolute glint flashed in his eyes.

"I will take your name and let it resound in the world once more."

Yan Jiecheng made a vow in his heart.

"From this day forward, I, Yan Jiecheng, will be the phoenix chick in this courtyard."

After calming himself down, he casually picked up an old book that was next to him.

But after reading just a few lines, I was stunned.

"what?"

The margins and spaces between the lines of the book were densely covered with annotations and reflections, written in neat and earnest handwriting.

Yan Jiecheng stroked the yellowed notes, a sense of surprise rising in his heart.

The book's former owner must have cherished it greatly, so why did he abandon it by the roadside?

He couldn't figure it out, but he was too lazy to investigate further.

"An unknown friend,"

He whispered to the book, "I will keep it safe for you."

The dim yellow light of the streetlamp spilled onto the paper, and he squatted down by the roadside, reading it page by page.

In these years of scarce entertainment, being able to immerse oneself in the world of "Romance of the Three Kingdoms" is a rare comfort.

* * *

"That deaf old lady, does she really have such abilities?"

In another room, Li Jianye had just finished telling Dilisilin an old story about a deaf old woman—of course, it was an image he pieced together from his memories of his past life and fragments of the original story; as for what the old woman was really like in reality, he didn't really know yet.

But what he was certain of was that it was an old man who was incredibly shrewd and experienced.

"Yes, but..."

Li Jianye smiled and said, "Compared to her, I'm much better."

"That's natural."

Delilah's eyes sparkled. "My man has always been the most capable."

"Then...would you like to see someone with even more skills?"

"Go away, you're never serious."

* * *

The next day, as usual, Li Jianye took Dilisilin to the police station, while he himself took a car to the Academy of Agricultural Sciences.

When I entered the conference room, there were already many first- and second-level researchers sitting inside, each with a different expression.

Some people greeted him warmly with nods and pleasantries, while others merely glanced at him indifferently before turning away to continue organizing the materials in their hands.

Li Jianye was not surprised.

In their eyes, he was just a lucky farmer. The fact that he could sit at the same table with them made some scholars who had studied hard for half their lives to get into this position feel resentful.

He found a seat by the window, where the shadows of the trees swayed outside, and a discussion about the crisis in papaya cultivation was about to begin.

The whispers in the conference room gradually subsided.

When Dean Liu pushed open the door and entered, his gaze habitually swept across the entire room.

He stood at the end of the long table, his palm lightly pressing on the surface, and all the discussions seemed to be cut off like a string.

"Gentlemen, time is limited, let's get straight to business."

He paused briefly, letting the silence settle in the room for a moment.

"We've gathered everyone here because of an unexpected situation that requires us to focus our efforts on dealing with it."

The matter may be big or small, and it may be urgent, but its importance is undeniable.

After his concise opening remarks, he nodded slightly to his side and behind him.

The assistant immediately stepped forward and distributed a stack of documents to each researcher present.

Amidst the soft rustling of paper, Dean Liu's voice rang out again.

In 1948, researchers in the Americas discovered that local papaya cultivation was suffering from an unusual disease.

As he spoke, he watched as the information was passed to everyone: "All the plants were infected, and the crop was ultimately lost."

Subsequent research confirmed that the pathogen was a novel virus transmitted by aphids, and it was named papaya ringspot virus.

He looked around at the researchers present who were familiar with the field of agriculture.

"Everyone is aware of the aphids' ability to spread disease."

This means that once it occurs, the epidemic is very likely to spread rapidly.

This year, several southern growing areas have reported the same disease, posing a real threat to our papaya industry.

He raised his hand to indicate the documents that everyone had just received, "The detailed data is all inside, you can take a look first."

Li Jianye lowered his gaze, his eyes sweeping over the charts and text on the page.

really.

This conclusion came to his mind.

As a researcher specializing in agronomy, he was no stranger to this history—this virus would first land in the late 1950s and be enough to bring down an entire industry within a few years.

Faced with the inability of traditional breeding methods to produce disease-resistant varieties, it once transformed papaya from an ordinary fruit into a rare commodity.

It wasn't until many years later that a technological breakthrough in genetic engineering reversed the situation, enabling the targeted modification and cultivation of strains capable of resisting viruses. However, this also meant that most papayas on the market from then on were "genetically modified."

The label.

An idea quietly took shape.

He unconsciously tapped the edge of the paper with his fingertips.

This might be a good opportunity.

If we could go to the south under the guise of participating in a research project, we could bring Xiao Di along and escape the harsh winter of the north.

Imagining the warm climate, the abundant sunshine, and the fresh seafood and tropical fruits that seem like a luxury here and now, a subtle smile curved his lips.

It's not too late to come back when the summer heat returns, after all, air conditioning isn't even widespread yet.

"Have you reviewed all the materials?"

Dean Liu's voice broke the brief silence.

He looked to both sides of the long table. "We can talk about any initial ideas you have now."

A subtle silence fell among the researchers.

The difficulty of the project is obvious—the challenge is a problem that even overseas counterparts have failed to completely overcome after ten years.

No one felt they had a firm grasp of the situation.

In that moment of hesitation and blankness, Li Jianye raised his head.

"Dean Liu,"