Courtyard House: My Hidden Wheat Seeds Caused a National Sensation

Jia Dongxu lunged forward, his fists and feet landing mercilessly.

"Dongxu! Stop!"

Yi Zhonghai rushed over and hugged him tightly from behind, shouting, "Don't fight! Calm down!"

"Master, let go!"

Jia Dongxu struggled, his eyes bloodshot. "I can't calm down! I've finally seen for myself today—she's a fickle woman! Where do I put my face? I can't swallow this!"

As he spoke, he struggled to kick Qin Huairu, who was curled up.

"Jia Dongxu!"

A sharp cry came from the ground.

Qin Huairu suddenly raised her head, her face streaked with tears, but her eyes blazed with fury. "Explain yourself! What have I done to wrong you since I married into the Jia family? Show me the proof!"

"Credentials?"

Jia Dongxu, panting heavily, hissed, "You're good at pretending right under my nose, but who knows what you've been doing behind my back?"

"You bastard!"

Qin Huairu's sobs suddenly rose, filled with endless grievances and anger. "I've given birth to two children for you, and since I entered your Jia family, have I ever had a single day of peace? The best I've ever eaten was during my postpartum confinement after giving birth to Banggeng, when I could only taste a speck of meat every seven days... and that was the happiest time of my life!"

On the rest of the days, even when I was heavily pregnant, I had to do housework from morning till night and wash your clothes.

The cornbread they ate wasn't even a mixture of wheat and corn flour; it was all coarse corn or sorghum flour.

Now I have to leave home and work to support you, an idle person.

Even so, I never complained once.

What right do you have to slander me as a bad woman?

"These days, which woman doesn't go through this? You think you're being wronged by suffering a little? You still dare to say you're not a fickle, shameless woman!"

"Jia Dongxu! If the whole family eats and drinks like this, then I naturally have nothing to say."

But what about you? You eat meat at every meal, and white flour steamed buns are never lacking. Have you ever tasted a single cornbread? When have I ever complained about these things?

"Well, so you said you weren't a despicable creature who covets wealth! Everyone, listen to this, you've already revealed your true colors! If you weren't so disdainful of poverty, why would you be upset that we're eating well? Why would you feel it's unfair?"

"I--"

Qin Huairu's chest heaved violently, as if it were about to explode. "Jia Dongxu! Are you even speaking human language? You all feast on meat and fish, while I'm left eating hard cornbread. Am I a slave to your Jia family, or your lawfully wedded wife? This is a new society now, are you trying to turn back the clock? Even in the old days, I would still be a respectable legal wife. This treatment of me is unacceptable anywhere!"

"Fine, Qin Huairu, let's get straight to the point! You're always flirting with that idiot Zhu, do you think I'm blind? He sends our lunchboxes to our house every day, what's he after? Isn't it because you're secretly flirting with him? And all those rumors in the factory, do you think I don't hear them? Today they say you're messing around with this guy, tomorrow they say someone treated you to noodles, the day after tomorrow they say you went into the warehouse with someone and disappeared for ages—can you say these are all baseless rumors?"

"Jia Dongxu! You're making a woman like me work among men? How can we not gossip? 'A widow's door is always surrounded by gossip,' don't you know the origin of this saying?"

"What?! You're cursing me to die young?! I'll curse your ancestors!"

With a sudden burst of strength, Jia Dongxu broke free from Yi Zhonghai's obstruction and pounced on Qin Huairu like a maddened beast.

The two started fighting again—or rather, it was a one-sided beating by Jia Dongxu.

"Dongxu!"

Yi Zhonghai hurriedly stepped forward to pull him away.

Just then, a small figure rushed over.

"Father! Mother! Stop hitting them! Stop hitting them!"

Banggeng was already terrified and instinctively lunged between the two to try and stop them.

Enraged, Jia Dongxu grabbed the child by the collar and shoved him away!

"I'll f*** you, you bastard!"

"ah--"

The clapper fell to the ground and immediately fell silent.

"Banging!"

Upon seeing her son faint, Qin Huairu's eyes instantly blazed with fury.

She screamed and rammed into Jia Dongxu, her nails scratching wildly across his cheeks, then she lowered her head and bit his arm tightly.

"Aww!"

Jia Dongxu was forced to stagger backward by the tearing and biting, but was caught from behind by Yi Zhonghai who had just arrived.

"Dongxu! Isn't it chaotic enough already? Stop!"

"Bang geng...bang geng!"

Qin Huairu collapsed to her knees, desperately shaking the child's limp body.

Qin Huairu called out to the child several times, but the child remained unconscious, with blood trickling down his forehead, a shocking sight.

Her heart sank suddenly, and a panic gripped her, leaving her helpless.

"Jia Dongxu!"

Her voice trembled, her gaze sharp as a knife, "If anything happens to the child, I will never forgive you for the rest of my life!"

Before she finished speaking, she had already hugged the child tightly in her arms and turned to rush out of the yard.

The most important thing now is to find a doctor.

"You won't let me go?"

As Jia Dongxu stared at the still-dry bloodstain on the ground, and then glanced at the neighbors gathered around him, whispering and pointing, a chill ran down his spine, making him shudder.

Only then did he belatedly realize that his actions had gone too far.

This incident has completely humiliated them.

"Dongxu!"

Yi Zhonghai roared, his face ashen, "You better wake up!"

After saying that, he stopped looking at Jia Dongxu and quickly followed Qin Huairu's retreating figure.

"What is that?!"

"He's not a real man!"

"The whole family is a mess!"

"The Jia family...sigh, they've really lost everything, both inside and out."

The cacophony of voices pierced my ears like needles.

A surge of anger welled up inside Jia Dongxu. He jumped up and roared at the crowd, "What are you looking at! Get out of here! Go home!"

Seeing his frenzied state, the crowd knew there was nothing more to see if they stayed any longer, so they dispersed in twos and threes.

However, their departing steps were not fast, and whispers and low snickers could still be faintly heard.

Such a scene of couples turning against each other and publicly tearing each other apart is a rare sight in ordinary times.

The saying goes, "Don't wash your dirty linen in public," but judging by this situation, it'll probably be all over the factory tomorrow.

"Oh shit!"

Jia Dongxu slumped onto the threshold, watching the figures gradually disappear into the alleyway. He spat angrily, his teeth grinding together.

Just then, a figure strolled over unhurriedly.

It's Li Jianye.

He had actually returned long ago, but instead of going forward, he led Delilah to a distant corridor and quietly watched the whole farce unfold.

It has to be said, it was absolutely fantastic.

Now that the play has ended, he finally appeared leisurely.

"Li Jianye!"

The moment Jia Dongxu saw him, his eyes practically spitting fire, and his fists clenched tightly.

However, the urge to pounce was ultimately suppressed by a stronger fear deep within his heart.

He could only sit there, staring at the other person with his venomous eyes.

"What's up?"

Li Jianye stopped in his tracks, his expression calm, even carrying a hint of gentleness.

"……fine."

Jia Dongxu forced out two words through gritted teeth, then lowered his gaze dejectedly.

He backed down.

He watched helplessly as Li Jianye led that bright and lively woman past him with ease, disappearing into the other side of the courtyard gate.

A venomous fire, a mixture of jealousy, humiliation, and resentment, suddenly scorched within his internal organs.

Why? Why does Li Jianye get to have such a considerate and outstanding partner, while I, Jia Dongxu, have to stay with this materialistic, scheming woman? No! I can't go on like this! I want to make something of myself, then divorce Qin Huairu in style and find someone a thousand times better than her!

Yes, I want to become stronger! I want to make everyone look at me with new eyes!

Jia Dongxu's chest heaved violently, and a surge of delusional heat seemed to rush to his head.

He seemed to already see his bright future of success and being surrounded by admirers.

However, this enthusiasm came quickly and cooled down just as fast.

A stark and cold question immediately loomed before me:

How can I become more famous and respected than Li Jianye?

Jia Dongxu was stunned; his initial enthusiasm instantly turned into confusion.

He squatted by the threshold, his brows furrowed in worry.

Suddenly, he slapped his thigh and his eyes lit up.

"I've got it! Why didn't I think of that sooner!"

He grasped at a straw, hurriedly turned around and rushed back into the house. After rummaging through drawers and cabinets, he pulled out a somewhat crumpled newspaper.

His gaze searched eagerly, finally settling on a particular column in a certain edition.

That was a signed article.

Jia Dongxu's lips slowly parted into a smile, an excited and ambitious one blooming on his face.

Write articles! Become a writer! With my knowledge and talent—I am a hidden "dragon" in this courtyard house… no, in this entire city of Beijing.

Ah! Just write something and submit it, and it might cause a sensation.

At that time, royalties will flow in continuously, my fame will spread throughout the streets and alleys, and everyone will respectfully call me "Teacher Jia".

"Writer Jia"

……

Wonderful fantasies overwhelmed him like a tidal wave.

He seemed to already smell the fragrant aroma of ink and fame intertwined.

Jia Dongxu's face was filled with barely suppressed excitement, as if he could already see a bright future unfolding before him.

The image of becoming a highly respected writer, whose name is sung by posterity, kept flashing through his mind, leaving him no time to consider the possibility of being "infamous for eternity."

Is this appropriate to use here?

These minor details are no longer important at this moment.

He suddenly remembered that the subdistrict office had another task that urgently needed to be completed.

This is a good opportunity to write down some of my thoughts and experiences on the creative process.

Once the idea took hold, he could no longer sit still. He immediately found paper and pen, leaned over the desk, and let his excited thoughts drive the pen tip to scratch across the paper.

……

Li Jianye was naturally unaware of Jia Dongxu's turbulent thoughts.

After enjoying a pleasant dinner with Delilah, he took the money and went alone to the courtyard house where Pian'erye lived.

The transaction was conducted swiftly and efficiently.

Li Jianye handed the money to Pian'erye, who then solemnly presented him with a handwritten contract.

With the exchange of money, the house sale was finalized.

Li Jianye thus became the new owner of this spacious courtyard house.

He strolled slowly in his own courtyard, his gaze sweeping over every beam, pillar, and eave, a genuine sense of satisfaction welling up inside him.

He began to plan how to renovate and repair the facility: "We need to install a stainless steel drainage system and connect it to the public septic tank not far away... that way we won't have to squeeze into the public toilet anymore."

But then he frowned slightly, "However, these days even ceramic squat toilets are rare, so seated toilets are probably even harder to find."

This small problem gave him a slight headache, but he quickly overcame it.

He lingered in the courtyard for a while longer before leaving with a heart full of plans.

……

The next day, after finishing his business at the Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Li Jianye went straight to visit Elder Deng.

He had already spoken to the eldest son about the house purchase, and given his good relationship with Deng Xiaoping, he quickly obtained the approval.

Clutching the approval slip, he went to the Daqianmen Subdistrict Office and successfully completed all the formalities for the courtyard house.

However, we will have to wait a while before we can actually move in.

First, we need to leave room for Grandpa Pian'er to move; after he moves out, we need to find a reliable renovation team to clean up inside and out; after the project is completed, we need to ventilate and dissipate the smell.

It will take about three or four months in total.

Li Jianye wasn't in a hurry; there was plenty of time, and he could take it slow.

……

Just as Li Jianye was busy with matters concerning the new house, Banggeng finally woke up slowly in the hospital ward.

He looked around blankly, his gaze finally settling on Qin Huairu, who was fast asleep by the bedside.

As if the floodgates of his pent-up frustration had been opened instantly, he exclaimed, "Wow!"

She burst into tears.

The crying woke Qin Huairu. She hurriedly got up and anxiously stroked the child's face: "Banggeng! You're awake? Where do you feel unwell?"