Courtyard House: The Long-Lost Eldest Son Returns with Military Merit

After confirming her suspicions, Lou Tan glanced at the time; it was already past eight o'clock in the evening. She couldn't help but scold, "Xiao'e! How can you travel alone so late? Why not wait until dawn to return?"

In the heat of the argument, Lou Xiao'e rushed out of the house without noticing the time.

It wasn't until she stood at the dimly lit alley entrance that she felt regret.

But out of pride, Lou Xiao'e suppressed her fear and walked towards her parents' home by the dim light of the street lamp.

Perhaps they were in a hurry, or perhaps Jia Dongming was distracted while riding his bike, because the two collided at the intersection.

Faced with her mother's complaint, Lou Xiao'e casually replied, "Mom! I didn't come back alone. A neighbor in the courtyard gave me a ride back on his bicycle."

Lou Tanshi frowned, her tone becoming serious: "Is that neighbor male or female?"

The simple-minded Lou Xiao'e did not notice the difference in her mother's tone and replied, "It's a man. He's the head of the security department at the steel rolling mill. He's only been living in our compound for less than a week."

Lou Tanshi's face darkened, and her tone was admonishing: "Lou Xiao'e! Remember that you are a married woman, and you must never do anything to betray Xu Damao."

Lou Xiao'e then realized that her mother had misunderstood her relationship with Jia Dongming. She said anxiously and angrily, "Mom! I just happened to run into Jia Dongming on the road. He heard that I was going back to my parents' home late at night and was worried about my safety, so he kindly gave me a ride."

Please don't make wild guesses!

Lou Tan felt somewhat relieved, but still cautioned, "It's best if it's not! Lou Xiao'e, I'm reminding you, you've already done it, so you must not do anything that would damage the Lou family's reputation."

Lou Xiao'e listened to her mother's warning and recalled the scene of Jia Dongming bringing her home that evening. She replied irritably, "Mom! I'm going back to my room to rest. I won't talk to you anymore."

"Ding!"

"The daily check-in feature is now activated. Would you like to check in?"

At seven o'clock the next morning, while Jia Dongming was still asleep, a system notification suddenly sounded in his mind.

The sound, like an alarm clock, woke him from his deep sleep.

Jia Dongming opened his eyes and immediately responded with his mind: "System, sign in."

"Ding!"

"Check-in complete."

The host has been granted a portable mini-world, ten catties of various grain seeds, ten catties of various vegetable seeds, ten catties of various fruit seeds, and ten yuan in cash.

Do you wish to plant the crop seeds from this check-in in your personal mini-world?

According to the information from the system, Jia Dongming learned that this small world has the functions of one-click planting, one-click harvesting, and one-click processing. The internal area is about fifty acres, and the time flow rate is ten times that of the outside world.

After processing this information, and thinking that he could gradually achieve self-sufficiency in grains, vegetables, and fruits from today onwards, Jia Dongming immediately sent a mental command to the system: "System, sow all grain, vegetable, and fruit seeds."

Once all the seeds have been sown, the system sends another message: If calculated according to the time within the small world, it will take about one month for grains to mature, about fifteen days for vegetables, and three months for fruits to bear fruit; if converted to external time, the time will be shortened accordingly.

The thought of soon achieving freedom in obtaining food, vegetables, and fruits immediately filled Jia Dongming with joy.

He picked up his clothes from the bedside and started humming a little tune as he put them on.

Around 8 a.m., in a consultation room at Peking Union Medical College Hospital.

After carefully reviewing Lou Xiao'e's examination report, the doctor solemnly said to her, "Comrade Lou Xiao'e, based on your examination results, I suggest that your husband also come to the hospital for an examination."

Upon hearing this, Lou Xiao'e immediately recalled what Jia Dongming had said to her the previous night.

She was both excited and nervous, and pressed the doctor for an answer: "Doctor, do you mean that there's actually nothing wrong with my body? My husband and I have been married for two years and haven't been able to conceive. Could the problem be with him?"

Seeing her nervous expression, the doctor did not answer directly, but cautiously explained: "Comrade Lou Xiao'e, your test results show that you are indeed healthy and have a sensitive constitution."

If you are planning to have children, I suggest you bring your husband for a thorough check-up.

Upon learning that she was capable of having children, Lou Xiao'e burst into tears.

She excitedly whispered to herself, "So I really can have children... I'm not a hen that can't lay eggs! It was Xu Damao who couldn't!"

Holding the hospital examination report in her hand, and confirming that the infertile person was actually Xu Damao and not herself, Lou Xiao'e was overwhelmed with emotion and returned to the Lou family with the report.

At this moment, Lou Tanshi was sitting on the sofa in the living room, listening to opera on the radio.

Seeing her daughter walk in from outside with a happy face, she couldn't help but frown and scold her with displeasure: "Xiao'e! How many times have I told you, a lady from a respectable family should behave like a lady from a respectable family."

"Look at yourself now, where is the demeanor of a proper young lady?"

Faced with her mother's reproach and thinking about the truth of her marriage with Xu Damao, Lou Xiao'e took out the medical report from her pocket, put it in front of Lou Tanshi, and said resentfully, "Mom! I went to Xiehe Hospital for a check-up this morning."

It turns out that the person who can't have children isn't me, it's Xu Damao!

Upon hearing this, Lou Tanshi's face immediately showed an expression of disbelief.

She picked up the report with a puzzled look, asking as she read, "Isn't it said that infertility is mostly a woman's problem? What does this have to do with Da Mao?"

Seeing that she had already presented the medical report to her mother, but her mother still refused to believe it, Lou Xiao'e became even more dissatisfied. She used an analogy to Lou Tanshi: "Mom! Giving birth is like planting crops. If the seeds are bad, no matter how fertile the soil is, no crops will grow."

The doctor said that not only is there nothing wrong with my body, but I also have a constitution that makes it particularly easy for me to get pregnant.

So the reason they haven't had children for over two years is because Xu Damao has health problems.

"Also, ever since we got married, Xu Damao always carries the scent of other women on him whenever he comes back from showing movies in the countryside."

I asked around privately, and he has several lovers in the countryside.

I used to think it was because I couldn't have children that I had to turn a blind eye to his affairs, even silently enduring the stigma of being a "hen that can't lay eggs"... But now I understand, it's not me who can't have children, it's Xu Damao!

Listening to her daughter's accusations and looking at the medical report in her hand, Lou Tan was shocked and sat blankly on the sofa.

Seeing her mother sitting silently, Lou Xiao'e, thinking of the grievances she had suffered over the past two years, let her emotions pour out like a burst dam.

She complained angrily to Lou Tanshi, "Mom! You were the one who said that Xu Damao's mother was a maid in our family, that we knew the Xu family well, and that I would not suffer any losses if I married into the family."

But what was the result? After marrying into the Xu family, not only did I not have a good life, but because I couldn't have children, I was constantly harassed by Xu Damao and his mother, who called me a barren hen—this is the so-called good family you picked for me, the one you supposedly knew well!"

The Lou family betrothed Lou Xiao'e to Xu Damao because they valued his background as a worker, and also because Xu Damao's mother had worked as a maid for the Lou family, so the two families were somewhat acquainted.

They hoped that this marriage would mitigate the potential impact of Lou Xiao'e's family background.

Hearing the dissatisfaction and grievances in her daughter's words, Lou Tanshi began to reflect on whether this marriage was really as appropriate as she had initially thought.

"Xiao'e, watch your tone of voice."

We arranged this marriage for you with the intention of protecting you. Is that wrong?

Lou Zhenhua heard the noise in his study on the second floor, and after coming downstairs, he looked at Lou Xiao'e seriously.

Lou Xiao'e has always respected her father, but when she thinks about the past years, she can't help but defend herself: "Dad, I understand that you did it for my own good."

But do you know the Xu family? That whole family is selfish and self-serving; not a single one of them is truly kind to others.

Lou Zhenhua believed that some things a man does outside the home are not a big problem, so even though he knew that Xu Damao had some entanglements in the countryside, he did not investigate further.

However, upon hearing his daughter's words and considering her situation in the Xu family, Lou Zhenhua couldn't help but feel a pang of regret.

Considering the practicalities, he sighed and asked, "Now that you're married, you can't just divorce her because Xu Damao has health problems, can you?"

Lou Xiao'e was momentarily stunned by these words.

After receiving the medical report and confirming that she had no problems, she never really considered divorce.

Seeing his daughter in a daze, Lou Zhenhua softened his tone and gently advised, "Xiao'e, your mother only wanted you to have a good life, which is why she believed what Xu's parents said."

Now that things have come to this, we can only look forward.

"Have Xu Damao come over tomorrow. I'll have someone take him for a checkup to see if there's any possibility of recovery."

Lou Xiao'e snapped out of her daze, tears welling in her eyes, and looked at her parents: "Dad, what's the point of saying all this now?"

Around 9 a.m., Jia Dongming finished his training at the security department, took a quick shower at the factory's bathhouse, and then rode his bicycle to the Dongcheng Public Security Bureau.

Twenty minutes later, he stopped not far from the police station and secretly observed a tailor shop.

Inside the shop, a female clerk was serving customers; in the back room, several sewing machines were set up, and several female workers were rushing to make clothes.

On the second floor, near the window, a middle-aged man was using binoculars to keep an eye on the movements in the direction of the branch office.

There is a secret room in the basement of the shop, which stores a lot of weapons. An unfinished tunnel extends towards the branch office, and the other end connects to the city's drainage system.

After careful inspection, Jia Dongming found no trace of Huizi, the head of the enemy agents, and speculated that she might not be hiding there.

Looking at the tunnel leading to the branch office, Jia Dongming recalled the situation underground in the special workshop of the steel rolling mill and vaguely felt that the other party might be planning to carry out the operation through the tunnel, and the day of the operation might be the so-called "Sakura Project".

When it is executed.

In order to find out where Huizi was, Jia Dongming did not enter the branch office when he passed by, but instead turned to the courtyard where he had previously found traces of her.

Soon after, he arrived near the courtyard, found a secluded spot, and intently investigated the movements inside the basement.

Soon, he discovered Keiko and Yamamoto having a secret conversation.

Having learned from his previous experience, this time he only used his hearing and no longer used his visual abilities at the same time.

"Yamamoto, how long until the tunnel beneath the tailor shop connects to the police station?"

After listening to the report, Huizi was still most concerned about the progress of the authentic process.

Yamamoto respectfully replied, "Keiko, there are less than ten meters left."

Because there are always people on duty at the branch office, in order to avoid the digging noise being detected, we have to slow down the process, and it is estimated that it will take another month and a half.

Keiko recalled the information she had received yesterday and solemnly instructed, "Yamamoto, Koizumi and his group's plan was exposed because they dumped the excavated soil into the septic tank near the workshop."

We must be extremely careful.

"The newly appointed head of the security department of the steel rolling mill overheard a conversation between cleaners while inspecting the factory area. Suspicious, he launched a secret investigation based on the information revealed by the cleaners, thus uncovering the plot of Koizumi and others. He then set a trap and captured them all."

"Although the underground drainage pipes in Beijing are wide, a large amount of soil accumulates in them, which can easily cause blockages when it rains heavily."

Although you will be able to dig the tunnel in a little over a month, this kind of situation must never be allowed to happen again.

Upon learning of Koizumi's exposure, Yamamoto looked astonished and quickly bowed, replying, "Keiko! Please rest assured, this afternoon after I arrived at the tailor shop, I immediately sent someone to move the soil piled up in the drainage ditch to another location."

Keiko was satisfied with Yamamoto's assurance and nodded in response: "Yamamoto-kun! If it weren't for the negligence of the personnel responsible for monitoring the East City Precinct, we could have known about the precinct's actions against Koizumi-kun in advance, and Koizumi-kun and his men might have been able to get the intelligence in time and escape the police's pursuit."

"When you leave later, be sure to notify the personnel in charge of surveillance and have them closely monitor the several public security bureaus within the city limits."

If similar mistakes occur again, let them end their own lives as an apology.