Courtyard House: My Hidden Wheat Seeds Caused a National Sensation

"So what if you saw it?"

"wrong,"

Yan Jiecheng narrowed his eyes and gently shook the small feather fan in his hand. "I am the Phoenix Chick, he wouldn't come here for no reason... there must be something going on here."

Yan Bugui's temples throbbed as he heard this, and he raised his hand to press on the philtrum.

"Son, aren't you overthinking things?"

"There's absolutely no mistake."

Yan Jiecheng shook his head, "Phoenix Chick has never missed a single detail."

He calls himself Crouching Dragon, clearly wanting to compete with me.

"Very well, I was just worried about not having a chance to spar with him—in the books, the Crouching Dragon and the Young Phoenix are on the same side, and it's impossible to determine a winner, but in our courtyard, only one can remain!"

Yan Bugui's fingers trembled, and he almost pinched his own philtrum raw.

"So, what are you planning to do about him?"

"Phoenix Chick is most skilled in overt strategies."

Yan Jiecheng was confident, "This time we'll use a calculated strategy to bring him down."

"What's the plan?"

"I haven't decided yet."

"..."

Yan Bugui closed his eyes and gritted his teeth: I must throw away that tattered copy of "Romance of the Three Kingdoms" when I get back. I can't let this kid continue to be obsessed!

Meanwhile, enemy agents arrived at the hospital again, carrying supplies.

Now, his importance in Banggeng's heart has long surpassed that of his biological father, Jia Dongxu.

"Bangeng, your uncle has come to see you—look what he brought!"

"Picture books! White Rabbit milk candy! And a wooden toy gun!"

Banggeng's eyes lit up, and he rushed over to hug the gift, exclaiming, "Uncle, you're so kind!"

"If you like it, that's fine."

The enemy agent smiled and sat down on the edge of the bed. "I heard from your grandmother that Li Jianye seems to be going on another business trip?"

"Yes! Every time he goes out, he brings home a lot of food and vegetables."

"We should pack enough so we can feel more at ease when we go out."

The enemy agent outwardly agreed, but inwardly he had already memorized the information. He continued to probe with casual questions until he could get no more information from the enemy agent.

Before leaving, he casually asked, "By the way, when is your mother coming?"

"She comes over after get off work and stays here with me in the evening; she doesn't go home."

"Oh, I see... Your parents haven't made up yet?"

"Probably not."

As Banggeng spoke, he suddenly looked up at him with a pitiful expression, "Uncle, do you have a way to make my parents reconcile?"

"No problem, I'll come over tonight and give your mother some good advice."

"Uncle, you're so kind to me!"

Banggeng's tears welled up instantly. "If only you were my father!"

"Silly child, what's so difficult about that? If you're willing, you can call me 'Dad' right now."

The enemy agent suppressed the unease surging in his heart, reached out and gently stroked Banggeng's head, deliberately softening his voice, "In my heart, I've long regarded you as my own son."

"father!"

"Why!"

The two embraced tightly.

Banggeng was immersed in this sudden warmth, feeling her heart filled with tenderness.

……

Banggeng felt happy, but his homeroom teacher, Ran Qiuye, did not feel the same way at all.

She has been having a very difficult time lately.

In order to keep their jobs, her parents resolutely donated their exquisite little villa and moved with her into the school's faculty and staff dormitory.

Later, the situation became increasingly tense, and those days felt like an eternity.

Materially, food and lodging were problems; spiritually, she also felt extremely lonely and frustrated.

Over the past few months, she has met several young men through introductions, but none of them have caught her eye.

Her innate aloofness made it difficult for her to empathize with manual laborers.

What she longed for was a partner who possessed talent, ability, and elegance.

Recently, student Banggeng has not been to school for several days, which has become a new worry for her.

"This child asked Teacher Yan for leave, and hasn't shown up since. It's been over a week. What happened?"

As Ran Qiuye muttered to herself, she packed her handbag, deciding to personally visit the courtyard house for a home visit.

Thinking about going to the courtyard house, she couldn't help but recall that last year, Teacher Yan Bugui had tried to introduce her to Li Jianye, a young man who also lived in the courtyard house.

"Could it be such a coincidence that we've run into him again?"

She pondered, "It's bound to be awkward if we run into each other... but it's not a big deal."

Although they share the same name and both come from rural backgrounds, the two are worlds apart.

Those conditions were never a good match for me, so why should I feel uncomfortable?

Thinking about it this way, she felt much more at ease.

After getting ready, I rode my bicycle towards the courtyard house.

Nearly a year later, Ran Qiuye returned to this street and, unsurprisingly, lost her way once again.

She couldn't help but feel a little annoyed: "Am I really someone who can't find my way around?"

Left with no other option, she had to ask passersby for directions.

After several twists and turns, we finally found that familiar courtyard.

As soon as I stepped into the courtyard, I saw a familiar face—Teacher Yan Bugui.

"Teacher Yan? I heard you took the day off today. Is something wrong at home?"

Ran Qiuye stopped her bicycle and greeted her.

"Oh, Teacher Ran? What brings you here?"

Yan Bugui was clearly surprised to see her.

"It was a personal matter at home, and it has been taken care of."

What is this...?

"I came for Banggeng. He hasn't been to school for a long time, so I'm here to make a home visit."

"So that's how it is."

Yan Bugui nodded. "Okay, I'll take you there."

He led the way, bringing Ran Qiuye to the front of the Jia family's house.

But when they knocked on the door, they found the house was empty.

"Is no one home? They should be off work by now, right?"

Ran Qiuye looked at the sky and asked in confusion.

"That's right, Banggeng was injured a while ago, and his mother has been staying with him at the hospital these past few days."

Yan Bugui explained.

**Rewritten Version**

My father is never around.

He doesn't work in factories, nor does he have a stable job. He spends his days doing nothing, and nobody knows when he will step into his home.

"How about this?"

Ran Qiuye's tone was suggestive, "Why don't you go directly to the hospital to find them?"

"Hospital?"

She hesitated for a moment, then nodded. "Alright."

After she finished speaking, she seemed to feel a little guilty, and a slightly apologetic smile appeared on her lips.

"Teacher Yan, you know about this."

I grew up abroad and studied after returning to China. Now I've only just started working, so I'm really unfamiliar with the streets and alleys of Beijing.

Could you... possibly take me to the hospital? Another time when you're free, I'd like to treat you to a meal as a token of my gratitude.

"That would be great!"

Yan Bugui heard the word "restaurant".

His eyes lit up at the word "two," and he readily agreed.

"The hospital isn't far from here; we can walk there."

As they talked, the two left the house one after the other and headed towards the front yard.

Just as they passed through the moon gate, they encountered a couple coming in from outside.

The man was tall and imposing, and the woman was radiant and beautiful. Standing side by side, they looked like figures from a painting.

Ran Qiuye's gaze was involuntarily drawn to him, and her heart stirred slightly: there was such an outstanding person.

While she was still in a daze, the man had already called out to Yan Bugui, "Third Master, are you going out?"

"yes,"

Yan Bugui responded, but his eyes suddenly flickered as a past memory of being stood up flashed through his mind.

A barely perceptible, almost mischievous smile appeared on his lips as he turned to introduce, "Teacher Ran, this is Comrade Li Jianye, whom we read about in the newspaper."

Jianye, this is Ms. Ran Qiuye, the homeroom teacher of Banggeng Class.

"Hello there."

Li Jianye nodded slightly to Ran Qiuye, his attitude polite but distant.

A sense of understanding swept through my mind: So this is the legendary Teacher Ran.

Her appearance was indeed similar to what I had imagined. She was slightly less beautiful than Qin Huairu, but she had a more youthful and vibrant air about her.

Naturally, compared to the people around him, she was worlds apart—in his eyes, his wife was a unique and stunning beauty.

On the other side, Ran Qiuye's heart was already in turmoil.

Li Jianye? The Li Jianye in the newspaper? The person Teacher Yan wanted to set her up with back then? And he himself was even more handsome and striking than the description in the newspaper! A strong sense of regret suddenly gripped her heart, and a bitter feeling welled up inside her, almost making it hard for her to breathe.

If only back then... if only we hadn't missed each other back then...

"Hehe, Teacher Ran was preoccupied with the matter of the sticks and got distracted."

Jianye, please don't mind.

Seeing that Ran Qiuye was completely stunned and even forgot to respond to his greeting, Yan Bugui's smile became even more relaxed, and the old knot in his heart seemed to be smoothed out a little.

He said no more, turning to Li Jianye and saying, "Let's go take care of our business first, and we'll talk later."

"Please go ahead."

Li Jianye nodded indifferently, not glancing at Ran Qiuye who was still lost in thought. He simply took the hand of the woman beside him and turned to walk towards the backyard.

"Teacher Ran? Teacher Ran?"

Yan Bugui raised his voice and called out twice.

Ran Qiuye suddenly woke up, a thin blush quickly rising to her face. She smiled at Yan Bugui as if to cover it up, her voice trembling slightly: "...I'm sorry."

Ran Qiuye was somewhat dazed, her thoughts drifting elsewhere.

Coming to her senses, she whispered to the person beside her, "We should go, Teacher Yan."

A faint smile appeared on Yan Bugui's lips.

"Teacher Ran, I'm a person of my word, and the person I introduce will definitely not disappoint you."

Next time, you can't break your promise again.

"No, it won't happen."

Ran Qiuye quickly agreed, but felt as if something had stabbed her in the heart.

She couldn't help but think of the man who had gossiped about Li Jianye behind his back, and a strong sense of resentment welled up from the bottom of her heart.

It was because of that person's slanderous words that she missed out on such a good person.

Just then, a familiar figure appeared from the other end of the alley.

Ran Qiuye looked closely and saw that it was Jia Dongxu, the one who had lied to her back then.

She gritted her teeth, but before she could speak, Yan Bugui's voice rang out.

"Teacher Ran, this is Jia Dongxu, the father of Banggeng."

Dongxu, this is Ms. Ran, Banggeng's homeroom teacher. She's here for a home visit today.

Banggeng hasn't been to school for quite some time now.

"Oh, it's Teacher Ran."

Jia Dongxu first glanced at Yan Bugui before turning to Ran Qiuye, a smile spreading across his face. "Thank you for your trouble, teacher."

However, Bang Geng has been unwell recently and is still recovering in the hospital.

"Once he recovers, I will send him back to school immediately."

"Hello there."

Ran Qiuye forced a smile, but her nails dug into her palms.

She didn't want to stay a moment longer and turned to Yan Bugui, saying, "In that case, I'll come back another day."

"Teacher Yan, I suddenly remembered I have some things to take care of at home, so I'll have to take my leave now."

After saying that, she left quickly without looking back, afraid that if she stayed any longer, she might do something inappropriate.

That man almost ruined half of her life's expectations.

"What's wrong with Teacher Ran?"

Jia Dongxu watched her hurried departure, scratched his head in confusion, but didn't think much of it.

His attention quickly returned to Yan Bugui, and he stared at him quietly without saying a word.

Yan Bugui felt somewhat uncomfortable under his gaze.

"Dongxu, is there something on my face?"

No, no.

Jia Dongxu smiled enigmatically, then casually picked up the feather fan he had been holding and fanned himself leisurely.

He cleared his throat and began to recite the poem that had taken him a great deal of effort to write.

This was originally part of his plan, to be brought out at the right time, but now he couldn't suppress the urge to show it off.

"The fish on the shores of Shichahai are plump and delicious, but alas, some people are not yet enlightened."

Intending to emulate the elegant stride of a crane, he inadvertently stumbled and fell.

I try to imitate a toad gazing at a swan, but my small throat makes it hard to swallow, and I can only feel sorrow.

Instead, it was repeatedly pecked by sharp beaks, and its leaps and falls were truly pitiful.

Yan Bugui was stunned. He stared at Jia Dongxu, who was reciting poetry and swaying his head, completely baffled.

"What is this kid muttering about?"