Courtyard House: My Hidden Wheat Seeds Caused a National Sensation

He muttered to himself, then realized his thoughts had been drifting off course. "Has Jia Dongxu gone mad?"

After watching Jia Dongxu stroll away slowly, Yan Bugui turned his gaze away and headed back home.

He couldn't help but sigh, his heart filled with confusion: "What's wrong with the people in this courtyard lately? They've all suddenly become strange."

Dongxu used to be a perfectly normal person, but ever since he became obsessed with the Romance of the Three Kingdoms, he's been waving his feather fan around his beard all day, and his speech has become cryptic and incoherent.

Does he really think he's some kind of reincarnation of Zhuge Liang? Even my son is like that.

Ever since he finished reading that set of Romance of the Three Kingdoms, he's been acting like he's possessed, talking nonsense all the time. He even got a feather fan and started waving it around, constantly calling himself "Master Phoenix Chick," like a madman who's lost his soul.

Sigh—what's going on? Wait... let me think.

The only thing these two have in common is that they both have that set of Romance of the Three Kingdoms in their hands, right? In that case, that set of books is the root of the problem!

Yan Bugui glared at his son's room with a gloomy face, secretly vowing: If this money-making plan fails again, I'll throw that tattered book of his away! Despite his anger, he put on a smile, quickly walked up to Yan Jiecheng, and asked in a gentle voice, "Son, when can we make our move?"

"What's the rush?"

Yan Jiecheng slowly shook the small feather fan in his hand, his tone indifferent, "I haven't figured out Wolong's schemes yet."

"..."

Yan Bugui felt a rush of blood to his head, and his fingers involuntarily pressed on the philtrum acupoint.

He was almost bursting with anger—he wanted to tear that harmful, rotten book to shreds right now!

On the other side, Jia Dongxu was puzzled to find that Yan Bugui had no reaction after listening to his satirical poem.

What's going on? He was completely unmoved by my sarcastic poem? Could it be... that he felt ashamed and gave up his fish-stealing scheme? Hmph, what a phoenix chick, he's ultimately defeated by my Crouching Dragon, hasn't he? But just to be on the safe side, I'll keep an eye on them for a few more days.

If they dare to steal again, I'll report them to the local authorities! Unless... unless they're willing to pay hush money, then I might consider keeping my mouth shut.

As the days went by, Yan Jiecheng still hadn't come up with any brilliant solutions.

Yan Bugui finally lost his temper and exploded.

That day, Yan Bugui deliberately left work early and went straight to his son's bedside as soon as he entered the door, rummaging through drawers and cabinets to find the Romance of the Three Kingdoms that Yan Jiecheng treasured.

"Found it!"

He soon found the book, grabbed it without saying a word, and walked out, throwing it straight into the garbage heap at the alley entrance.

"Hmph! That troublemaker is finally gone!"

Looking at the books lying in the pile of clutter, Yan Bugui clapped his hands in satisfaction, turned around, and hummed a little tune as he walked home.

No sooner had he left than a small, thin figure appeared in the corner—it was Liu Guangtian, who had been hiding there after school reading borrowed comic books.

"What did Old Man Yan just throw away?"

Curious, he peered closer at the pile of trash. "Huh? Romance of the Three Kingdoms! Good stuff!"

Liu Guangtian's eyes lit up immediately. Ignoring the dirt, he reached out and picked up the book, wiped the cover haphazardly with his sleeve, and held it in his hands as if it were a treasure.

After flipping through a few pages, he was even more delighted: "There are annotations inside! Judging from the handwriting, it was written by two different people... Could it be the book that Jia Dongxu was searching for everywhere before? Haha! So Yan Jiecheng picked it up! Who cares why that stingy Yan threw it away, now this book is mine!"

Liu Guangtian was overjoyed. Not only had he gotten a great deal by getting this book for free, but he would also have plenty of books to read for the foreseeable future.

He simply squatted down in the corner and began reading with great interest.

Yan Jiecheng held the book "Romance of the Three Kingdoms" and read it with great enthusiasm, completely absorbed in it.

……

at the same time.

Yan Jiecheng stepped over the threshold of the courtyard house with a heavy heart.

These days, he always feels like there's a stone weighing on his heart.

He planned to find a fair and square way to make Jia Dongxu suffer, but the idea kept swirling in his mind and he just couldn't come up with a solution.

His brains don't seem to be quite up to the task.

This problem was like a thorn, making him restless.

"well--"

He let out a long sigh.

"I'm not going to think about it anymore; the more I think about it, the more confused I get."

He planned to go back inside and flip through that copy of "Romance of the Three Kingdoms" again, hoping that perhaps there were some hidden insights in the book that he hadn't yet grasped.

Clinging to this sliver of hope, Yan Jiecheng dragged his heavy steps to the bedside and reached towards the place where he usually hid his books—

empty.

He was stunned for a moment, then panicked.

"Where are my books? Where are my books?"

He refused to believe it, bent down, and turned the bed upside down, even lifting up the mattress.

Finally, he simply moved the entire bed board, but the book he regarded as a priceless treasure was nowhere to be found.

"The book...is it really gone?"

Yan Jiecheng's legs went weak, and he collapsed onto the cold ground, a chilling despair creeping up from his feet.

That's what he sees as the path to "ability".

His only path was his reliance!

"The book didn't grow legs and run away; someone must have taken it!"

The thought made him jump up suddenly.

He first grabbed his younger brother and sister and asked them, but they both shook their heads blankly.

He then asked his mother, who also looked puzzled.

Finally, he rushed to his father, Yan Bugui.

"Dad, have you seen the copy of 'Romance of the Three Kingdoms' on my bedside table?"

"I didn't see it."

Yan Bugui didn't even lift his eyelids.

"impossible!"

Yan Jiecheng's voice rose, "It can't fly anymore! Someone in the house must have taken it!"

Just as he was pacing around anxiously, like a headless fly, his younger sister Yan Jiedi timidly spoke up from the corner: "Brother... I saw Dad come home from get off work and go to your bedside."

"What?!"

Yan Jiecheng suddenly turned his head, his eyes wide like saucers, staring intently at his father. "Dad! You touched my book? That book... that book is my life!"

"life?"

Seeing that he couldn't hide it any longer, Yan Bugui simply straightened his face, stood up, and said with barely suppressed anger, "Ever since you got that lousy book, you've been like you're possessed! Calling yourself 'Phoenix Chick' and waving that broken fan around all day, acting all mysterious and ghostly, what kind of behavior is that! At this rate, what girl would want to be with you? Do you even want to get married?"

"My affairs are none of your business!"

Yan Jiecheng stiffened his neck, his eyes reddening. "Where's the book? Where did you put it? Give it back to me right now!"

"Throw it away!"

Yan Bugui bluntly uttered two words, "It can't be found!"

"Where did you throw it?!"

"have no idea."

"Yan Bugui!"

Yan Jiecheng felt a surge of anger rising in his chest. He roared and stormed out of the house.

He intended to go straight to the backyard to confront Li Jianye, but Li Jianye had not yet returned.

Without stopping, he rushed to the Intermediate People's Court and pushed open the door to Yi Zhonghai's house.

"Sir! You have to give me justice!"

Yan Jiecheng, with a long face, poured out all his grievances.

Yi Zhonghai listened without showing it on his face, but inwardly he was thinking, "Just for an old book, they've made such a fuss? They really are Yan Laoxi's offspring; they can make a mountain out of a molehill over something so trivial."

He thought this in his heart, but readily agreed with it.

For no other reason than that he's an "old man"

His authority has not been displayed in front of others for a long time.

This opportunity, which came knocking on his door, actually excited him somewhat.

"Alright, I'll take care of this."

Yi Zhonghai picked up his teacup and took a slow sip. "Go and inform each household that we will hold a general meeting of the entire compound after dinner."

"Okay! Okay! Thank you, sir!"

Upon receiving confirmation, Yan Jiecheng immediately perked up and turned around to knock on doors to inform everyone.

After notifying everyone in the courtyard, he ran to the front gate to keep watch, afraid of missing anyone who was returning late.

As Li Jianye pushed his bicycle into the courtyard, he also received Yan Jiecheng's tearful notification.

Although a question crossed his mind, he ultimately agreed.

Lately, I've had plenty of free time, so it wouldn't hurt to watch some excitement.

After informing everyone in the courtyard, Yan Jiecheng turned around and went home, telling his father, Yan Bugui, everything that had happened.

"What?!"

Yan Bugui immediately flew into a rage upon hearing this. "It's just a book, is it worth making such a fuss? Holding a hospital-wide meeting—don't you think we've lost enough face already?"

"I don't care!"

Yan Jiecheng stubbornly insisted, "That book is my life; I must get it back!"

"Get out!"

Yan Bugui pointed to the door, "There's no dinner for you tonight!"

"Fine, I'll get out!"

Yan Jiecheng snorted coldly and stepped out the door without looking back.

He sat down on a bench in the central courtyard and waited quietly for the meeting to begin.

Before long, people from each family who had finished eating gathered at the Intermediate People's Court and began to whisper among themselves.

"Everyone's here, let's begin."

Yi Zhonghai cleared his throat, his voice echoing in the courtyard, "Today's matter is not complicated—Yan Bugui threw away his son's copy of 'Romance of the Three Kingdoms' without his son's consent."

Although it is only natural for a father to discipline his son, Yan Jiecheng is nineteen years old and is an adult.

Even if it's his own father, you can't just touch his things, right? That's why I called everyone here to discuss whether what Old Yan did was appropriate."

As soon as he finished speaking, the courtyard erupted in chaos.

"That's definitely wrong. How can you throw things at someone without even asking?"

"What's the big deal about a father touching his son's things?"

"He's almost twenty years old. In the old days, he could have been a pillar of the household. We shouldn't be treating his belongings so carelessly anymore."

"No matter how old he is, he's still my son. Can't his father make the decisions?"

Both sides stuck to their own arguments, arguing heatedly until neither could convince the other.

Yi Zhonghai frowned as he looked at the scene, knowing that a result would not be reached in the short term.

His gaze drifted and landed on Li Jianye, and a thought suddenly struck him.

—This is a good opportunity.

If Li Jianye is to decide this matter, he will inevitably offend some people, regardless of which side he sides with.

Thinking of this, Yi Zhonghai couldn't help but feel secretly pleased.

"Everyone, please be quiet."

He raised his voice to silence the discussion, "This matter is indeed difficult to clarify."

Or... should we ask Comrade Li Jianye, the most knowledgeable person in our department, to say a few words?

"Swish"

Suddenly, all eyes turned to Li Jianye.

Li Jianye raised his eyes and gave Yi Zhonghai a cold glance.

How could he not see through that little scheme?

"Even an upright official finds it difficult to settle family disputes."

Li Jianye said calmly, "It's best to resolve these kinds of family disputes behind closed doors."

I don't have any opinion.

Besides, even if everyone argues until dawn, they probably won't reach a consensus—after all, everyone has their own reasons.

He paused, then turned his gaze to Yi Zhonghai.

"Uncle, since you agreed to hold this meeting with Yan Jiecheng, you must have already made up your mind."

Since that's the case, why don't you just tell me your decision?

The courtyard fell silent instantly.

Everyone looked at Yi Zhonghai.

Yi Zhonghai opened his mouth, but choked for a moment.

He was still unwilling to accept it.

"I cannot make a decision on this matter on my own."

His voice echoed through the courtyard, tinged with deliberate hesitation, "The purpose of gathering you all here is to discuss countermeasures."

"An old man,"

The voice cut him off unhurriedly, "The meeting has reached this point, with many opinions but no result."

Now that you are in this position and in charge of this meeting, you should make a decision.

If the general discussion fails to reach a decision, then the title "Grandpa" might lose its weight.

Yi Zhonghai's heart sank, as if he had stepped into thin air.

It was him again; in the end, he couldn't outsmart him.

He intended to lure him into the trap, but ended up trapping himself instead.

This time, I'm afraid I'll offend quite a few people for no reason.

He sighed inwardly, finally letting go of his last shred of hope.

"I thought,"

He cleared his throat, and his words became clearer: "Teacher Yan's actions were not inappropriate."

Jie Cheng, young people should always respect the elderly and care for the young.

Your father's actions were out of concern and discipline, and were entirely reasonable.

"Why should I?!"