Courtyard House: My Hidden Wheat Seeds Caused a National Sensation

The man held up two fingers and said, "Fifteen yuan, a fair price."

"They're robbing us!"

Jia Dongxu's face darkened, and he turned to leave.

"Comrade! Don't be in such a hurry to leave, the price is still negotiable, isn't it?"

The man quickly grabbed his sleeve and lowered his voice, "If it really doesn't work, I'll take it for free."

"Trade in flour, ten jin of 850g flour, and the whole set is yours."

"Ten pounds?!"

Jia Dongxu flung his hand away as if burned, "Why don't you just rob the grain station!"

In the current situation, fine flour is a scarce commodity, with prices but no market.

The grain station marked it at two cents a pound, but when it circulated in the shadows, people would fight tooth and nail to get it for five dollars.

"Don't get angry, we can talk it over, we can talk it over."

The person wasn't annoyed and continued to smile, "We don't have fans of the 85 generation, but fans of the 90 generation are fine too."

Ten pounds won't do, eight pounds... surely eight pounds will do?"

"Three catties."

Jia Dongxu interrupted him, his voice firm and resolute, "Three pounds of 90 powder, in exchange for all of you."

"Three catties...that's far too little."

"Just three pounds, take it or leave it."

The man hesitated for a moment, then gritted his teeth and said, "Fine! Ten o'clock tonight, right here."

He quickly stuffed a folded note into Jia Dongxu's hand, then pulled his coat back in, turned around, and disappeared into the narrow alley next to him.

Clutching the still-warm note, Jia Dongxu gazed at the empty alleyway, a slow smile spreading across his lips.

"I made a profit."

He muttered to himself, his eyes gleaming.

"Go back and call Sha Zhu, then we can just... hehe, we won't have to spend a single penny, and we'll get the book."

He could almost see the picture books piled up in front of him. He was so happy that he forgot about the set of "Romance of the Three Kingdoms" that he had originally planned to buy. He practically ran all the way back to the courtyard house.

As soon as he stepped into the courtyard, he went straight to He Yuzhu's room and barged in without knocking.

"Hey, you idiot! There's a good thing going on, let's do it together!"

"What are you doing?"

He Yuzhu was fiddling with an old radio under the dim light when he heard this. He looked up, his face not looking too pleased.

Yesterday, Jia Dongxu complained that his dishes weren't clean enough and made him bring his own, and he's still holding a grudge about it.

"Come with me to block a road and get some stuff."

"What?"

He Yuzhu paused, wondering if he had misheard.

"Block the road!"

Jia Dongxu leaned close to his ear and quickly recounted his evening's events, adding at the end, "Once we get the stuff, we'll look at it together!"

As He Yuzhu listened, the displeasure on his face was gradually replaced by a hint of interest.

He was referring to that so-called "picture album".

He was intrigued, pondered for a moment, and nodded: "Okay, that sounds good."

After nine o'clock at night, the two sneaked out of the house, closed the door, and crept out into the yard.

As He Yuzhu passed the gate, he paused, muttering in confusion, "That's strange, why isn't the gate bolted?"

"Perhaps someone got up in the middle of the night; let's just forget about it."

Jia Dongxu was preoccupied with the book he was about to receive and paid no attention to anything else.

The two slipped out of the courtyard without a sound. They had only taken a few steps onto the dimly lit street when they saw a dark figure huddled under the only lit streetlight in the distance.

Under the dim yellow light of the street lamp, Yan Jiecheng curled up in the corner, engrossed in reading a book.

Two dark figures hurried past the alleyway in the distance, exchanging only a few whispered words: "Isn't that the Yan family's kid? Studying here in the middle of the night?"

"Mind your own business, focus on the important matters."

The two walked briskly along the wall and soon found their way to the depths of the agreed-upon alley.

As agreed beforehand, He Yuzhu slipped into the pile of debris, leaving Jia Dongxu alone in the open space to wait for others.

The night wind swept through the alley, catching a few scraps of paper.

Before long, the person I had seen that afternoon emerged from the shadows.

"Where are the things?"

Jia Dongxu frowned when he saw that his hands were empty.

"The book was too heavy, so I put it in the neighbor's yard."

Did you bring the food?

Jia Dongxu shook the cloth bag in his hand.

Suddenly, the other person stepped forward, snatched the bag, and ran away.

Jia Dongxu paused for two seconds before cursing, "Damn it! They dare to double-cross us!"

—Although the bag was only half full of sand, the fabric inside was of truly high quality.

These days, who doesn't treasure a piece of cloth? His eyes reddened as he chased after him.

Just as I rounded the bend, a towering figure blocked my way.

Jia Dongxu reached out to push, but the man grinned and punched him in the face.

Jia Dongxu hurriedly tried to defend himself, but he was no match for the opponent and was knocked to the ground in a few blows.

"Dongxu!"

He Yuzhu rushed out from his hiding place.

Although he had always looked down on this neighbor, if he were to be crippled in front of him, how could he face the two people in the yard when he got back? He threw a punch at the big man, thinking that he could get the upper hand with his usual skills, but little did he know that the other party was an expert with ruthless and cunning moves.

In no time, both of them were bruised and swollen and collapsed on the ground.

The big man squatted down and deftly emptied their pockets of all the loose change.

Just then, the man who had snatched the bag earlier returned, clutching the bag and cursing, "It's full of sand! Those two bastards tried to trick us!"

"Just kill him!"

"Don't let anyone get killed."

The burly man said in a deep voice, "Break their legs, that'll be enough for them to remember for the rest of their lives."

Before he finished speaking, he had already pulled a rusty wrench from behind his waist.

Two muffled thuds echoed in the dark alley, followed by short screams, before everything fell silent.

Not long after the two disappeared into the night, a passerby who was on his way to buy cigarettes saw the figure lying on the ground. He hurriedly called his neighbors, and they carried the person to the hospital.

The disinfectant has a pungent smell.

He Yuzhu opened his eyes first and saw the snow-white ceiling.

The nurse's voice came from beside the bed: "Awake? Please state your workplace and name."

The nurse stood between two hospital beds, registering patients with a blank expression.

"Both of you have broken leg bones."

The problem has been treated for now, but it's hard to say how well it will recover in the future.

Remember, this leg can't take any more strain.

Apart from that, there were no other life-threatening internal injuries.

"You'll be able to go home after a few days of observation in the hospital."

He Yuzhu and Jia Dongxu exchanged a glance.

Now the situation is clear.

As He Yuzhu's gaze fell on his leg, which was wrapped in bandages, his hatred for Jia Dongxu intensified.

After the two gave their names and workplaces, He Yuzhu glared at Jia Dongxu and gritted his teeth, saying, "Dongxu, look what you've done."

"Silly Zhu, I'm innocent too!"

Jia Dongxu was also filled with resentment.

He was known as "Sleeping Dragon" in his dignified courtyard house.

Such a person was actually assassinated.

Not only did he lose his cloth bag, but his leg was also broken.

If this gets back to the hospital, where will we put our face?

"You wait."

He Yuzhu glared at him fiercely, but dared not make a move at this moment—he didn't want his leg to be truly ruined.

Shortly after, the nurse finished her work, called a colleague, and together they pushed the two of them to the ward.

To their surprise, the two of them were stunned as soon as they entered the ward.

Inside lay their acquaintances—Xu Damao and Lou Xiao'e.

"Sha Zhu?! Jia Dongxu?! What happened to you two?!"

Xu Damao's face was swollen and bruised, his eyes wide open, his surprise mixed with barely concealed schadenfreude.

"Damn it! Stupid Mao!"

He Yuzhu and Jia Dongxu were also taken aback.

No one expected that they would run into each other again in the hospital.

"Hahahaha! You've finally met your match, you silly Zhu! And Jia Dongxu too! Hahahahaha!"

Xu Damao's laughter exploded shrilly, and He Yuzhu and Jia Dongxu's faces immediately turned purple.

"Xu Damao, are you looking for death?"

He Yuzhu was so angry that he raised his fist. If his leg hadn't been broken, he would have pounced on him long ago.

Seeing that he couldn't move, Xu Damao simply moved his swollen face closer to him, his voice smirking: "Come on, you idiot Zhu, hit me! Come on, if I don't hit you, I'm a pig!"

"Holy shit!"

He Yuzhu's anger surged to the ground, and he was about to charge forward with one foot on the ground.

Fortunately, the nurse was quick and swift, and pressed him back onto the bed.

"What's all this commotion! Didn't you get enough fighting outside? You want to keep fighting in the hospital?"

She had considerable strength; the power she had developed from years of carrying stretchers made it difficult for He Yuzhu to break free.

"Shut up, all of you! There's a shortage of wards right now, we can't change rooms."

But let me make this clear first—all three of you have broken bones. If any of you want to be crippled for the rest of your lives, then fight! Fight as hard as you can! Go ahead, aren't you so tough?"

The three of them were speechless for a moment after she drank them.

The nurse snorted and turned to look at Lou Xiao'e, her tone softening slightly: "This lady, I'd appreciate it if you could help look after her."

"Just open the door and call for help anytime; there are always staff on duty at the hospital."

"thank you."

Lou Xiao'e quickly expressed her gratitude.

Looking at the three people who had finally quieted down, she felt deeply grateful to the nurse.

……

On the other end.

Qin Huairu woke up from her sleep as the morning light streamed through the window.

The pillow was empty; Jia Dongxu hadn't returned home all night.

Her heart tightened, and she hurriedly put on her coat, slipped on her shoes, and rushed to Yi Zhonghai's house.

"Grandpa! Something terrible has happened!"

She knocked urgently on the door.

The sound of clothes being put on came from inside. Yi Zhonghai opened the door, his brows furrowed in displeasure at being disturbed from his sleep: "What's wrong now, so early in the morning?"

"Dongxu said last night that he was going out with Zhuzi to take care of some things, and asked me to put the child to sleep first."

Qin Huairu's voice trembled, "But I've been awake since then, and it's already broad daylight, and I still haven't seen him!"

Yi Zhonghai's expression changed drastically.

Jia Dongxu is the person he will rely on for his retirement in the future, so he absolutely cannot afford any mishaps.

Without asking any further questions, he walked straight towards He Yuzhu's house.

The door was ajar, and sure enough, there was no one inside.

"Where have those two rascals gone off to again?"

Yi Zhonghai felt a throbbing sensation in his temple.

These two young men always act like children who haven't grown up, constantly causing trouble.

"Huai Ru, didn't they mention where they were going before they left?"

"They didn't say a single word!"

With the start of work approaching, it was simply unrealistic to gather everyone in the yard to search everywhere.

Yi Zhonghai was in a state of utter distress when he saw Yan Bugui from the front yard leading a uniformed policeman into the yard in a hurry.

"Which of you is a family member of Jia Dongxu and He Yuzhu?"

The police officer looked around at the crowd.

"Officer, what...what happened to them?"

Qin Huairu rushed forward, her voice trembling.

"The two men had their legs broken last night and are now in the hospital."

Family members, come with me immediately; we also need to understand the situation.

Also, if any of their coworkers work at the same factory, could you please help them ask for leave?

"I'll go! I'll go right now!"

Qin Huairu turned around and hurriedly gave a few instructions to the older woman, asking her to look after the child, before leaving with the police officer.

Unable to leave his two elderly relatives behind, Yi Zhonghai asked someone to ask for leave on his behalf and rushed to the hospital.

The news that He Yuzhu and Jia Dongxu had their legs broken spread like wildfire throughout the courtyard.

The crowd chattered, speculating about what the two had done in the dead of night to deserve such a misfortune.

Delilah leaned against her door, watching the commotion outside, and curiously turned to Li Jianye beside her: "Brother, what did they go about? How did their legs get broken all of a sudden?"

"Is he up to no good, trying to pull a double-cross?"

Li Jianye chuckled, "Otherwise, why would he sneak out in the middle of the night? Jia Dongxu even specially dragged He Yuzhu, who's good at fighting, along."

He must have tried to scheme against others but ended up getting himself taken care of instead.

"puff--"

Delilah couldn't help but laugh out loud. "That's incredibly stupid! Anyone who dares to do business in the shadows must have some kind of backing."

"Who can argue with that?"

Li Jianye smiled and gently brushed the tip of her nose.

The two chatted and laughed as they left the courtyard and took the bus to work.

After taking Dilisilin to the police station, Li Jianye did not go to the Academy of Agricultural Sciences, but instead changed vehicles and went directly to Zhonghai.

He had arranged to meet with H yesterday at this time.

Not long after he entered Zhonghai, he met Mr. H in that familiar teahouse.

"You're here? Have a seat."

Mr. H remained seated in his usual spot, holding a teapot as he poured tea for him.