Courtyard House: My Hidden Wheat Seeds Caused a National Sensation

Li Jianye smiled and pulled out a receipt printed in Russian. "Tonight I'll take you to the 'Moscow Restaurant' to try some Western food."

"Moscow restaurant?"

Delilah's eyes lit up immediately. "Uncle Liu mentioned that place, saying it's incredibly grand! Can we really go see it? Jianye, you're really capable!"

"But I'll have to run a few procedures for you before we eat."

Li Jianye patted her on the shoulder, "Let's go, let's set off now."

The two went out and went to several places to complete various matters.

Afterwards, Li Jianye led Dilisilin to meet an old acquaintance—Zhou Ping'an, the vice president of the Public Security University, who was also his shooting teacher in his early years.

Before long, her job was arranged: Dilisilin was assigned to a police station near the courtyard house as the deputy head of the data section, becoming a police officer.

In those days, police officers were divided into thirteen levels, and there was no such thing as a police rank—that was a novel concept that only appeared in the 1990s—salaries were determined by rank.

Dilisilin is taking the administrative route, receiving the salary of a level 23 staff member, which is 49.5 yuan per month. She will officially report for duty early the day after tomorrow.

"Little Di in her police uniform..."

Li Jianye glanced at the girl beside him, whose eyes sparkled with excitement at getting a new job, and secretly thought to himself, "There's something special about this."

But he felt something was missing.

My gaze swept across the street and I spotted the "Daqianmen Silk Shop".

Suddenly, an idea came to him regarding the signboard.

"Come on, I'll take you somewhere."

Without saying a word, he took Delilah's hand and led her there.

"Where are you going?"

Delilah followed along in a daze, then looked up and saw a silk shop. "Buying fabric to make clothes?"

"Well, you're new here, you should get a few decent clothes."

It looks like it's getting cold.

Li Jianye smiled and didn't elaborate on his plans, but simply led her into the store.

These shops are now caught up in the wave of public-private partnerships.

Li Jianye thought he would have to wait a while, but as soon as he stood still, a well-dressed woman came forward to greet him.

"What kind of fabric would you two like to choose? I'm Chen Xueru, the private manager here."

Li Jianye was slightly taken aback when he heard the name. He vaguely remembered that there seemed to be a character with the same name in a certain play, but he didn't think much about it and just said, "Please find a tailor to take her measurements and make her a set of winter clothes, plus a cheongsam."

Turning to Delilah, he said gently, "Take your time picking out the satin you like. I'll wait for you here."

Dilisilin nodded in agreement.

She had only brought simple luggage, and most of her old clothes were no longer wearable. Li Jianye had said he would get her new clothes, so she felt at ease and followed the old man surnamed Liu inside to have her measurements taken.

Seeing the two turn away from the screen, Li Jianye took two steps closer to Chen Xueru and asked in a low voice, "Comrade, can the shop make silk lining garments? Nylon is also acceptable."

Chen Xueru's eyes sparkled, and a knowing smile curved her lips: "I can find silk and nylon here."

The woman ran a silk shop.

However, the economy has been sluggish in the last two years, the market is quiet, and business is really difficult.

Otherwise, she wouldn't have taken the initiative to greet such distinguished guests as Li Jianye and Dilisilin as they entered the room.

But what she was really planning was a big deal—

The profits were truly substantial.

"Nylon ones are 15 yuan each; silk ones are 12 yuan each."

As you know, nylon products all have to be imported from overseas.

The price will naturally be higher.

Back then, nylon was still a rare commodity, and domestically produced nylon was used for essential purposes, not for making intimate clothing.

Therefore, if you want nylon stockings, you have to rely on outside channels.

Chen Xueru knew a few friends in the north; perhaps she could ask them for help and send some over.

"Then I'll take the nylon one."

Take ten pairs each of black and white.

Upon hearing this, Chen Xueru let out a soft sigh.

To buy so many things in one go, what an extravagant gesture that must have been.

She couldn't help but scrutinize Li Jianye more closely, finding him increasingly pleasing to the eye, yet a pang of regret rose in her heart:

"What a pity... the woman beside him is just too beautiful."

"This corner of the wall, I'm afraid, can't be pried open."

She still had a smile on her face:

"Okay, I'll arrange it for you."

The clothes are ready; you can come and pick them up at the same time. It will take about half a month.

You pay half the deposit first, and I'll give you a receipt.

Li Jianye nodded, paid the money, and accepted the receipt.

The two chatted for a few minutes, and soon after, Delilah, having measured her figure and chosen the satin fabric, came over.

Li Jianye paid the deposit along with the cloth and cotton coupons. The other party told him the day to pick up the goods, and then he left the shop with Dilisilin.

The two strolled around the street again, went into a pastry shop, visited a dried fruit stall, and then looked around a grocery store.

Li Jianye noticed that Dilisilin was extremely interested in food, but not so much in clothes and accessories.

However, the market is still quiet, and after going around in circles, I couldn't even buy a single snack.

So they didn't walk any further, but hailed a taxi and went straight to the Moscow Restaurant.

"...This storefront is really impressive."

Delilah looked at the two heavy copper-framed glass doors of the restaurant and sighed softly.

Li Jianye nodded slightly to the side.

Such a design, even in the years to come, can be considered quite sophisticated.

The two pushed open the revolving door and stepped into the hall. Delilah felt as if she had entered another world.

The roof is high and wide, with gilded chandeliers hanging from it, and four bronze pillars stand on all four sides, supporting the magnificent hall.

A waitress dressed in a black dress and a snow-white apron walked quietly to and fro.

Li Jianye's eyes lit up:

Her attire does resemble that of a maid in a Western painting.

He couldn't help but imagine what Delilah would look like wearing such a dress... Perhaps he should ask Chen Xueru if she could make one for him?

As he pondered this, he walked through the hall and found an empty table to sit down.

The seats around him were full, but there were no familiar faces.

Soon, a waitress gracefully approached and handed over the menu.

"You order."

Li Jianye smiled and pushed the menu to the person next to him.

Dilisilin didn't refuse. She hadn't tasted any snacks along the way, and she was feeling quite frustrated. She was determined to make up for it with a good meal.

"Creamy baked fish, braised lamb in a clay pot, braised beef in red sauce, and a few ounces of bread, please."

Finally, serve an ice cream topped with chocolate sauce.

She finished speaking briskly, pushed the menu back to Li Jianye, and smiled.

"My order is ready. Now, could you tell me what else you'd like to add?"

The restaurant lights cast a soft, warm yellow glow as Delilah focused intently on the food in front of her, the occasional clinking of her knife and fork against the porcelain plate creating a crisp sound.

She ate with great relish, her cheeks puffed out slightly, and her eyes and brows appeared particularly vivid in the rising steam.

Li Jianye watched quietly, almost forgetting the food in front of him. His mind wandered, and he thought that the scenery was more captivating than the dishes in front of him.

Just then, a very familiar voice rang out, carrying a hint of solicitity, cutting through the slightly noisy air: "Comrade Lin Wei, there are seats here, come, let's sit here."

Li Jianye turned his head at the sound, and what he saw was He Yuzhu, whom he had not seen for a long time.

A hint of surprise crossed my mind. How did He Yuzhu end up here? And with a pretty young woman by his side. Could it be that they're here for a blind date? It seems that many things have already unknowingly deviated from their original course.

Ever since Liu Lili left without a word, He Yuzhu's heart has never truly found peace.

He was no longer the ignorant young man he once was about matters between men and women. Once he had tasted certain flavors, they stirred up an unquenchable restlessness in his heart.

He first sought out Wang, the matchmaker who had introduced them, to try and find out where Liu Lili was—even though that woman had cheated him, taken his money, and ruined his reputation, he just couldn't let go of her for some reason.

Matchmaker Wang simply waved her hand, saying that Liu Lili's family had long since moved away and had vanished without a trace.

He Yuzhu finally gave up hope, and it took him nearly a month to barely shake the image of that woman from his mind.

He began to seriously consider his marriage.

The first person I thought of was an old man named Yi Zhonghai, so I went to his door to ask him for help in finding someone.

Yi Zhonghai readily agreed, and soon brought over a girl named Liu Yuhua.

He Yuzhu only glanced at it, and his heart sank. He muttered to himself that the woman looked exactly like Pigsy's second aunt, and that whoever wanted her could have her.

He even jokingly suggested to Yi Zhonghai that he should divorce Zhou Lan and marry Liu Yuhua instead, which would surely give the Yi family a healthy baby boy.

These words made Yi Zhonghai so angry that his face turned pale, and he turned around and left, no longer paying attention to it.

Having been turned away, He Yuzhu then placed his hopes on Director Yang.

He thought that Director Yang had a high position, knew many people, and had many connections. It would be easy for him to introduce a pretty girl to him. So he went to Director Yang's office and home every few days, pleading and begging, and even used his best skills to cook Director Yang's signature dishes in different ways.

Factory Director Yang was exactly the type to fall for this. He was moved by the sincerity and skill of the man and finally agreed to help.

Not only that, in order to support He Yuzhu and make himself look respectable as the introducer, Director Yang even used his connections to get a dining voucher for this Moscow restaurant, so that He Yuzhu could bring the girl here for a meal in an elegant environment where they could also have a good chat.

Today is the day we agreed upon.

He Yuzhu took a special leave of absence, and Director Yang personally brought the girl, Lin Wei, to the steel rolling mill to meet him.

At first glance, He Yuzhu felt a little more at ease.

Although Lin Wei's appearance was not as stunning as Liu Lili's, she was still pretty and dignified, no less so than Qin Huairu. More importantly, she was much more pleasing to the eye than Xu Damao's wife, Lou Xiao'e.

Overjoyed, He Yuzhu first accompanied Lin Wei to a movie, and after the movie, they went straight to the renowned "Old Mo".

.

Unexpectedly, the restaurant was bustling with customers and there were very few empty seats. When he finally spotted an empty table, he quickly led Lin Wei over.

He Yuzhu eagerly pulled out a chair for his female companion, a tactic he had heard from others as a clever way to find a partner.

He bowed slightly, deliberately softening his tone: "Comrade Lin Wei, please sit down."

As he spoke, he unconsciously turned his head to look at Lin Wei, but his gaze met that of Li Jianye at the next table.

He Yuzhu froze for a moment.

He was so stunned that he completely forgot he was still holding onto the back of the chair.

A short, startled scream jolted him back to reality—

"Ouch! He Yuzhu, what are you doing?"

He hurriedly turned his head and saw that because he had been distracted, the chair had been pulled too far away, and Lin Wei had fallen straight to the ground.

"Pfft."

Li Jianye, who was standing to the side, couldn't help but burst out laughing.

"Li Jianye!"

He Yuzhu's anger flared up instantly, and his fists clenched involuntarily.

But seeing the quiet atmosphere around him, and realizing that Lin Wei, who had just tripped and fallen, was standing beside him, he forcefully suppressed his impulse and instead bowed to Lin Wei to apologize:

"I'm so sorry, Comrade Lin Wei."

I just saw someone I knew and got distracted.

"Yeah?"

Lin Wei had already pushed herself up from the ground.

She also heard the laughter, and felt both ashamed and angry. She wanted to see who was so rude as to not only fail to help but also gloat.

She looked up with displeasure—

He was immediately stunned.

"He's so handsome..."

Appearances are something that are most vulnerable to comparison.

Li Jianye alone could be described as handsome; but if you look at He Yuzhu for a while and then turn to him, his handsomeness suddenly transforms into something astonishing.

Lin Wei was so engrossed in watching that she forgot herself.

When He Yuzhu saw her like this, his face immediately darkened.

"Li Jianye!"

He turned his head and glared at her fiercely. Just as he was about to speak, he saw the girl sitting opposite Li Jianye turn her head and look at him curiously.

He Yuzhu's breath hitched.

In that instant, he seemed to glimpse a fairy in the clouds.

Lin Wei, Liu Lili, and Qin Huairu, whose faces were once considered delicate, now appear dull and lifeless next to this face.

"There really is such a girl in the world..."