Courtyard House: My Hidden Wheat Seeds Caused a National Sensation

The scene of the Yan family working so hard to catch those dozen or so wild rabbits was truly rare; the smell of blood mixed with the stench of water wafted through half the alley.

The tender pink rabbit meat in the basin gleamed enticingly in the fading sunlight.

Jia Dongxu was also among the crowd, waving a tattered palm-leaf fan in his hand, but his eyes kept glancing at the half-closed door of the Li family.

His son, Banggeng, tugged at his clothes several times and mumbled, "Dad, the meat smells good."

He gave a vague reply, but he had other plans in mind.

He wouldn't dare to forcibly take Li Jianye's things.

But if Yan Laoxi really got some benefit from Li Jianye... Jia Dongxu narrowed his eyes and slowed down the fan.

If you can't deal with a wolf, can't you at least catch a cunning fox?

Inside the room, Li Jianye accepted the neatly rolled-up bills handed to him by Yan Bugui, didn't count them, and casually stuffed them into his pocket.

"Meet me at the foot of the back mountain first thing tomorrow morning."

He spoke casually, as if describing tomorrow's weather.

Yan Bugui thanked him profusely and left, gently closing the door behind him.

Delilah, who had been listening intently by the inner room door, finally peeked out, her face full of confusion: "Brother, are you really going to teach him?"

Li Jianye walked back to the stove, lifted the pot lid, and a wisp of warm steam rose up.

"Teach,"

He scooped up a ladle of hot water and said calmly, "Whether he can learn it or not depends on his own destiny."

He paused, turned back and smiled at his sister, "Besides, there are people who are more anxious than us."

Outside the window, the sky had completely darkened.

The crowd around the public pool dispersed, leaving only the dripping sound of the tap.

Jia Dongxu remained standing there, gazing at the dim light shining from the Li family's window, then at the Yan family's tightly closed door, his palm-leaf fan idly swaying in his hand, lost in thought.

The night breeze swept through the courtyard, bringing a touch of coolness from the grass roots found only in the wild.

Yan Bugui agreed without hesitation.

In his eyes, this was not a condition at all.

"Jianye, wait a moment, I'll go get the money right away."

Before the words were even finished, the person had already strode out the door.

"elder brother--"

Hearing this, Delilah couldn't help but lean forward and ask, "Is this the method you mentioned for dealing with Jia Dongxu?"

"nature."

Li Jianye nodded with a smile.

What kind of person is Jia Dongxu? He has a high opinion of himself and loves to steal.

He might not dare to touch public property, but he wouldn't hesitate to take advantage of Yan Bugui.

However, this man wouldn't openly rob him; he would only secretly follow him, waiting for Yan Bugui to set a trap before picking up the ready-made prey. Even if he was discovered, Yan Bugui couldn't do anything about it, and reporting it to the authorities wouldn't stand a chance.

But how easy is it to succeed in the wild? You have to endure the cold wind and suffer greatly before you can get even a little bit of fur.

This can be considered a lesson for him.

As for Yan Bugui, he's no pushover either; he's got a lot of ulterior motives.

If I hadn't made him wary, he would have already plotted against me.

One of the things they insisted on arranging for me to marry back then was this.

How could this person willingly let Jia Dongxu take advantage of him for nothing? As time went on, the two were bound to have a falling out.

Just watch and see, there'll be a good show to watch.

This is what they call "dogs fighting," resulting in a mess.

"whee……"

Delilah laughed out loud when she heard this.

"That's a brilliant idea! It's all because Jia Dongxu is always eyeing our meat. This time, we'll teach him a lesson."

Just then, Yan Bugui hurriedly returned and handed a stack of banknotes to Li Jianye.

As promised, Li Jianye began to teach him the tricks of rabbit catching.

About an hour later, when Dilisilin had finished preparing the meal, Yan Bugui had finally memorized the basics of the trick.

Li Jianye promised that Yan Bugui could ask him anytime if he had any questions, and Yan Bugui went home satisfied.

……

At the Intermediate Court, Jia Dongxu, hiding behind a window, witnessed the entire scene.

"It seems that Yan Bugui must have gained some benefit."

Jia Wolong Dongxu waved a feather fan he had found somewhere and muttered to himself with certainty, "He just went home to get money to go to Li Jianye's place, but he didn't bring any rabbit meat when he came back, so he obviously didn't buy meat."

If that's the case, and I'm not mistaken, he must have paid to learn the trade!

Thinking of this, his eyes suddenly lit up.

"Hehe... Then all I have to do is secretly follow Yan Bugui, and the trap he set, the prey he hunted, will be handed to me for free, right? Brilliant!"

Jia Dongxu became excited and turned to his wife and son, waving his fan, "Wife, son, you wait and see."

I guarantee you'll have meat to eat within the next two days!

The mother and son looked at Jia Dongxu, their eyes filled with suspicion.

Jia Dongxu didn't argue much, and picked up the book "Romance of the Three Kingdoms" and read it with great interest—he found the book increasingly interesting.

……

The next day, before dawn, Jia Dongxu got up in the dark, put two cold, hard cornbreads in his pocket, and quietly left the courtyard, hiding in the shadows at the alley entrance to wait.

Sure enough, not long after, Yan Bugui's figure appeared in the morning mist.

Jia Dongxu immediately held his breath and followed.

One after the other, the two gradually moved away from the streets and alleys, heading towards the outskirts of the city.

After walking for an unknown amount of time, Jia Dongxu felt his legs go weak and his strength was about to give out when Yan Bugui finally stopped at the foot of a barren mountain.

Jia Dongxu was overjoyed.

He continued to follow Yan Bugui without the other man noticing.

Yan Bugui hurried into the ravine and, following the method Li Jianye had previously instructed, searched for traces left by wild rabbits.

A moment later, he found traces near a grassy nest.

He deftly set up the trap, took two steps back to examine it, and couldn't help but smile.

"This place is secluded and few people come here... I can stop by after get off work to set up traps and collect prey. It's much easier than squatting by the river to fish."

As dawn broke, Yan Bugui dared not delay and turned to hurry down the mountain.

—All of this was observed by Jia Dongxu, who was hiding behind a tree.

He suppressed his excitement and reminded himself that it was time to head to the factory.

Although time was tight, the fact that I had gotten such a good place for free made my steps lighter, and I hummed an off-key tune as I jogged into the factory.

After roll call, Jia Dongxu slipped away to a corner behind the restroom, intending to take a nap.

I got up too early and was extremely tired, but my mind was wide awake. I tossed and turned for ages before finally falling asleep.

But I was shaken awake not long after I fell asleep.

"Boss... I'll just close my eyes for a little while, please don't deduct my pay!"

"I can't hear it," Jia Dongxu mumbled in a daze.

A burst of laughter immediately erupted from all around.

"Look at you, you coward! You're so afraid even when you're trying to sleep?"

As soon as Jia Dongxu opened his eyes, He Yuzhu's smiling face was right in front of him.

"You idiot! Are you deliberately trying to ruin my peaceful sleep?"

"Not at all,"

He Yuzhu leaned closer and lowered his voice, "I've already settled things with the locksmith about what we talked about last time."

"When do you think we should make our move?"

Jia Dongxu's spirits lifted, and he was wide awake.

"I'll do it tomorrow."

"tomorrow?"

He Yuzhu frowned. "I still have to go to work."

"Please take leave!"

Jia Dongxu glared at him, "On rest days, there will be too many people and too many eyes in the courtyard, which will make things more likely to go wrong."

Don't you also want to get your hands on it as soon as possible?

He Yuzhu remained silent for a moment, then sighed.

He's been short of money lately—he has a family to feed, he needs to help out Qin Jingru, and Qin Huairu is having an even harder time.

After cleaning toilets, Jia Dongxu's wages were reduced by more than half. Qin Huairu's household registration was still in the countryside, so she couldn't receive food coupons. He had no choice but to help her.

In addition, he and Lin Wei were seeing each other more often. Although there was a bit of an awkward moment when they ate at Lao Mo's last time, she didn't look down on him because he was a chef.

These days, you'll never go hungry if you follow a chef.

...But taking leave will result in a deduction in pay.

He Yuzhu gritted his teeth and finally nodded.

"Okay, tomorrow then."

The flames of revenge burned in his heart, almost consuming him.

His hatred for Li Jianye had penetrated to the bone, becoming the driving force that kept him sober every day.

"OK."

"It's settled then."

"Let's do it tomorrow."

After a brief exchange, the two figures parted ways at the alley entrance, each disappearing into the shadows of varying depths.

On the other side of the city, Li Jianye's day begins at the Academy of Agricultural Sciences.

He spent the entire morning busy between the experimental field and the data room, and in the afternoon he went to a chemical plant on the outskirts of the city.

After a routine inspection to confirm that everything on the production line was normal, he patted the young driver next to him on the shoulder.

"Xiao Zhang, find an open space and practice your skills."

The black sedan drove away from the factory area and headed towards an abandoned junkyard.

The wheels rolled over the gravel, raising a light cloud of dust.

"Brother Li, I've explained everything clearly to you. Just do as I say, and I guarantee everything will be fine!"

Zhang Wen jumped out of the car and shouted through the rolled-down window, his expression tense, "Remember this: it's your first time, go slow!"

"rest assured."

Li Jianye's lips curled slightly as his gaze swept over the dial.

The next second, the engine roared and the car shot forward!

"Brother! Too fast! Slam on the brakes! Brake!"

Zhang Wen coughed from the dust that was kicked up, and he was so anxious that he jumped up and down, his voice becoming distorted.

However, the anticipated turbulence and loss of control did not occur.

The car traced smooth arcs across the uneven ground, accelerating, turning, and stopping abruptly—every movement was precise and swift, displaying a level of skill completely different from that of a novice.

With one last beautiful drift, the car came to a smooth stop in front of Zhang Wen, the tires screeching as they rubbed against the ground.

Li Jianye rested his arm on the windowsill and said in a relaxed tone, "This car is pretty good, it's obedient."

Come on up and take a walk around.

Zhang Wen's mouth remained open for a long time, his cheek muscles stiff.

He rubbed his face vigorously before finding his voice: "Brother Li... this... is this really your first time touching a steering wheel? College students learn things so fast!"

"I am not a college student."

Li Jianye stared straight ahead, his tone flat, "I never went to school properly, I make a living by farming."

It just so happened that I managed to grow some decent seeds, and the leadership gave me an opportunity.

Zhang Wen was completely stunned, his eyes wide open and his mind blank.

Not a college student? A farmer? This was even harder for him to accept than hearing that Li Jianye was a genius.

After a long while, he finally let out a long breath, his tone full of incredulous admiration: "My God... Brother Li, you are... truly capable! I am convinced, I am completely in awe."

"It's just luck."

Li Jianye smiled and stepped on the gas again.

The car smoothly drove out of the old goods yard and merged into the road leading to the city.

He was in a good mood at the thought that he would soon be able to drive himself and no longer have to trouble others.

As the sunlight shifts, a new day begins as scheduled.

As usual, the people in the courtyard dispersed in the morning light and went to their respective posts.

Only Jia Dongxu and He Yuzhu tacitly agreed to take half a day off.

After lunch, they hurried back to the familiar courtyard, one after the other.

The locust tree at the alley entrance cast dappled shadows, enveloping their tense profiles.

The plan was quietly launched on this peaceful afternoon.

Jia Dongxu stepped into the courtyard first, his eyes quickly scanning the quiet courtyard before heading straight for the central courtyard.

He knocked on Yi Zhonghai's door and whispered a few words to the older woman inside.

A complex expression crossed the middle-aged woman's face. After hesitating for a moment, she nodded.

Soon, she appeared in the backyard and called over her second aunt, who was hanging clothes to dry.

"Come on, let's go sit with the third aunt in the front yard and have a chat."

Her tone was ordinary, yet it carried a hint of unquestioning authority.

Although the second aunt was a little puzzled, she didn't think much of it, wiped her hands, and followed the first aunt to the front yard.

Their figures passed through the hanging flower gate, and the air in the courtyard seemed to subtly move along with them.

The three women were invited into the house, and soon the sounds of casual conversation and laughter filled the air.

"They've all gone inside."

Jia Dongxu hid in He Yuzhu's room, peeking through the window. He only breathed a sigh of relief when he saw that the door to the Third Aunt's room was closed.

He waited patiently, and soon he heard movement from the courtyard gate.

He Yuzhu returned with a master, his steps hurried.

The front yard was quiet; since the three aunties weren't there, no one asked the man where he came from.