Courtyard House: My Hidden Wheat Seeds Caused a National Sensation

Some say that thanks to Comrade Li Jianye's work, the shadow of hunger is rapidly fading from this land.

The article concludes by quoting the two leaders' call to action, urging everyone to learn from Li Jianye's spirit of dedication, his willingness to contribute, and his pioneering spirit.

The newspaper was carefully folded.

The brigade leader's face was flushed with excitement. He looked at the villagers below the stage and raised his voice:

"Fellow villagers, you've all heard that! Comrade Li Jianye, like us, came from the soil! But he forged a different path! This path wasn't built on brute force, but on this!"

He tapped his temple hard with his finger. "We need to learn from them! Think more and try more when we're farming! Can our land produce a second or third Li Jianye?"

His response was a sudden, enthusiastic cheer.

A light ignited in everyone's eyes, a light that was a mixture of admiration, longing, and a glimmer of hope.

At this moment, that name seemed to possess a certain magic, symbolizing an achievement that was both attainable and extraordinary.

The abundance and peace of mind he brought are deeply etched in everyone's hearts.

……

On the vast land of Northwest China, the wind whips up sand and dust.

A group of people who were working were gathered together to listen to the person in charge read out the latest newspaper articles.

Qin Yaoshan stood in the crowd, his rough hands unconsciously gripping the wooden handle of the tool.

As he listened to those familiar stories and that familiar name, the wrinkles on his face seemed to deepen, and his creases were filled with complex emotions.

The people of his tribe around him exchanged glances, their eyes filled with astonishment, realization, and, most of all, unspeakable regret.

Others around them might think this is just a distant model story, but they know perfectly well that the radiant Li Jianye in the newspaper is the same young man from their village whom they once knew, and even... whom they had neglected.

Qin Jingru's father sidled up to Qin Yaoshan, his voice low and bitter: "Brother, I really feel terrible."

If only I had known this would happen...

Qin Yaoshan let out a long sigh, the breath almost invisible in the dry air.

He gazed at the distant, yellowish horizon and murmured, "There's no medicine for regret... If only I had..."

He didn't finish his sentence, but the sting of that assumption was more real than the soreness in his back at that moment.

If history had taken a turn at that small fork in the road, the current situation would probably be completely different.

……

In a courtyard house deep in the hutongs of old Beijing, a rare moment of tranquility.

A newspaper circulated among several households.

Most of the people living here are literate.

When they finished reading the feature article that occupied a considerable portion of the page, an eerie silence enveloped the courtyard.

Everyone stared at the black and white words on the paper, as if they could see something else through the words. For a moment, no one spoke.

They were certainly aware that the "Comrade Li Jianye" being called upon nationwide to learn from in the newspaper was...

Who is it?

The man in the courtyard was none other than Li Jianye!

"This...this Li Jianye, does he really have such abilities?"

Yi Zhonghai stared at the newspaper, muttering to himself.

Although he knew that Li Jianye had made some achievements in agricultural machinery, he never expected that this person could produce fertilizer and cultivate good seeds, so that the whole country would no longer have to worry about famine.

"This...this is truly an act of immeasurable merit!"

A chill ran down his spine. "If people knew I had schemed against him, they'd probably drown me in their spittle..."

Thinking of this, Yi Zhonghai couldn't help but shudder.

Fear surged into my heart, and the resentment and thoughts of resistance vanished without a trace.

"He was never going to be an ordinary person, and now he has this added protective charm..."

Yi Zhonghai sighed deeply, his eyes dimming, yet a hint of relief also shone through.

Letting go of the obsession, even if it was out of necessity, made me feel much lighter on my shoulders.

"We need to tell the old lady."

He clutched the newspaper tightly and hurried into the deaf old lady's room.

He read the contents of the newspaper to her word by word.

After listening, the old lady remained silent for a long time before slowly saying, "I had long seen that this boy was no ordinary person... Zhonghai, don't provoke him again in the future."

And Zhu Zi—tell him to behave! No, bring him here tonight, I'll speak to him myself.

In the backyard of the Liu family, Liu Haizhong, who never reads newspapers, surprisingly opened the paper today.

The more carefully I read it, the more deeply I was moved.

"I never expected... Li Jianye to have such abilities!"

He thought to himself, "Luckily I didn't go too far back then... If I have the chance in the future, I should try to curry favor with them."

"Perhaps I could even get a minor official position?"

At this point, he completely forgot about the old grudge of his eldest son becoming a live-in son-in-law.

Right now, all that's left is the desire to cling to others.

In the front yard of the Yan family home, Yan Bugui slammed a newspaper down in front of his son, Yan Jiecheng.

Ever since his son misbehaved last time, he has become increasingly strict in disciplining him.

Now that Li Jianye has been featured in the newspaper, he feels it's the perfect opportunity to teach his son a lesson.

"Li Jianye reported it?"

Yan Jiecheng didn't even look up, but slowly waved a small palm-leaf fan, while his other hand pretended to do some profound calculations. "I knew he would publish it in the newspaper."

"I am the phoenix chick!"

"you--"

Yan Bugui felt a lump in his throat, and he pinched his philtrum hard, afraid he would faint on the spot. "Idiot! How could I have given birth to such an idiot! Phoenix Chick, my foot! I'll burn your lousy books tomorrow!"

"Father, don't worry."

Yan Jiecheng grinned, "I have a big business deal here, I guarantee I'll earn this much in a day—"

He held up three fingers, "Thirty yuan."

We'll split it 40/60, I get 60% and you get 40%.

"thirty?"

Yan Bugui paused, his eyes widening. "Really?"

"Of course."

Yan Jiecheng grew even more smug, "I am the Phoenix Chick!"

Yan Bugui suppressed his anger and said in a muffled voice, "What kind of deal? Tell me about it."

"Dad, think about it. There are plenty of people riding bicycles in Beijing these days. And those who can afford to ride are all well-off. If... someone accidentally hits an old person while riding a bicycle, wouldn't they have to pay for their medicine?"

Look for well-dressed cyclists.

They quietly moved ahead of the route they were traveling.

Wait for them to run into you.

Note that you need to act pitiful.

You need to make everyone around you think that the cyclist accidentally bumped into you.

such.

You can then use your injury as an excuse.

I'm demanding compensation!

"This idea... actually sounds quite interesting..."

Yan Bugui's eyes suddenly lit up!

He stopped pressing his philtrum and quickly moved closer to Yan Jiecheng, eagerly asking, "Son, quickly, tell me in detail."

"You just need to do this..."

Yan Jiecheng shook the small feather fan in his hand, leaned close to Yan Bugui's ear, and whispered the whole plan of staging the accident.

Yan Bugui's eyes grew brighter as he listened.

"This move will work!"

Yan Bugui looked at Yan Jiecheng with some surprise, "I didn't expect you to be so clever~ But why did you make me and your mother do this kind of thing? Why don't you go yourself?"

"I am Mr. Phoenix Chick—when have you ever seen a strategist personally engage in battle?"

Yan Bugui: "..."

Yan Bugui raised his hand to the philtrum again.

He secretly vowed that one day he would burn Yan Jiecheng's copy of "Romance of the Three Kingdoms"!

……

Unlike the three elderly men, He Yuzhu and Jia Dongxu did not have the habit of reading newspapers.

They got up early in the morning, picked up their fishing gear, and strode out of the courtyard.

But all I heard along the way was talk about Li Jianye.

This left the two of them feeling frustrated.

However, as frustrated as they were, they weren't stupid enough to curse Li Jianye in the street—that would be asking for trouble.

The two men kept serious faces, listening to the idle chatter of passersby as they quickened their pace, and soon arrived at Shichahai.

Just as they reached the lakeside, Jia Dongxu suddenly pointed to an old man under a willow tree and exclaimed in surprise, "Shazhu, isn't that your father?"

"My dad?"

He Yuzhu was stunned for a moment, then glared at Jia Dongxu and roared, "What nonsense are you talking about! I don't have a father!"

Before he finished speaking, he turned around and punched Jia Dongxu, knocking him to the ground.

He Yuzhu's sudden action was not without reason.

Back then, He Daqing abandoned He Yuzhu and his sister He Yushui and ran away to another place with a widow, which brought deep trauma to He Yuzhu.

Later, He Yuzhu took his sister to Baocheng to find He Daqing, but they were not even allowed to enter the house! This incident completely enraged He Yuzhu, and he has not forgiven his father to this day.

If anyone mentions He Daqing in front of him, he will really hit them.

"Oh my! Silly Zhu! Look for yourself, that really is your father!"

After being hit, Jia Dongxu immediately realized that his words had hit He Yuzhu's sore spot.

That's why He Yuzhu reacted so strongly.

However, even though he understood, he didn't intend to fight back—he couldn't beat He Yuzhu.

"Are you tired of living?!"

He Yuzhu cursed.

Despite his anger, he was still intrigued by Jia Dongxu's words.

So he subconsciously turned his head and looked in the direction Jia Dongxu had just pointed.

He was stunned at first glance.

"It really...it really is He Daqing?!"

He Yuzhu was stunned.

Under the big willow tree not far away, a group of old men were sitting around watching a game of chess.

One of them was He Daqing.

"Why...why is he back? Did that widow dump him? No, that can't be..."

Could it be that she has come to the capital?

That's why he followed?

He Yuzhu stood there stunned for a moment.

His gaze was suddenly drawn to that familiar yet unfamiliar figure—his father.

So many years have passed, and he still doesn't know how to face that face.

"snort."

He Yuzhu let out a cold laugh through his nose.

"When I went to Baocheng to find him with rainwater, he wouldn't even show his face. From that day on, I treated him as if I didn't have a father."

He turned and left, his steps quick and firm.

"Hey! Wait for me!"

Jia Dongxu hurriedly grabbed his fishing gear and the newly bought copy of "Romance of the Three Kingdoms" and jogged to catch up.

He glanced back at He Daqing's direction again, his lips moved, but he ultimately didn't call out.

He Daqing himself doesn't want his children anymore, so what can an outsider like him do by getting involved?

He might even get a beating from He Yuzhu.

Jia Dongxu wasn't stupid; he shook his head and quickly chased after them.

……

Under the big willow tree, a group of old men huddled together, completely oblivious to the commotion in the distance.

Their eyes were glued to the chessboard.

The man who had just lost the game was jokingly ushered off by the crowd, and another elderly man, who had maintained a cold expression, immediately took his place:

"It's my turn."

"Come, come, Admiral of the Nine Gates, please!"

"Hahaha--"

Amidst good-natured laughter, the man known as the "Nine Gates Admiral"...

The old man didn't mind at all and sat down on the stone bench.

If He Yuzhu were to approach and inquire further, he would discover—

This person was not He Daqing at all, but Grandpa Guan who lived in the Qianmen area.

Unfortunately, He Yuzhu had already gone far away and would never turn back to ask that question again.

……

The news of Li Jianye appearing in the newspaper spread like wildfire.

The common people talked about this name during their leisure time, while those eyes hidden in the shadows also quietly kept an eye on him.

They realized that this Li Jianye might be the person they had been looking for all along.

Although they only have one name at the moment, they believe that if they follow this lead, they will eventually find the person.

……

While enemy agents were operating covertly, Li Jianye remained completely unaware.

He and Dilireba walked out of the courtyard house side by side, nodding and greeting the neighbors along the way.

The two didn't ride bicycles, but strolled leisurely down the street.

The city was unusually lively today, with crowds thronging the streets—in addition to Li Jianye's story, the newspapers also carried a notice about the quota subsidies for urban residents.

Every household carried their grain ration book to the grain station, their faces beaming with smiles. Their words were filled with gratitude for the motherland and praise for Li Jianye.

I've heard this sound countless times along the way.