Courtyard House: A Start with Black Gold Swallowing 100,000 Silver Dollars

"system!"

"You call this 'Love Fills the Courtyard'?"

"Are you out of your mind?"

Li Wenguo huddled in the shadows of a narrow alley outside the courtyard house at No. 95 Nanluoguxiang, staring at the gate tower for a long time. Finally, he couldn't hold back any longer, and his anger flared up. He wished he could drag that damn system out and beat it up.

Where is He Yuzhu? Where is Qin Huairu? Xu Damao and Liu Guangqi—not a single one of them has been seen!

He spotted a few familiar faces: the hot-blooded young He Daqing, the shrewd and calculating Yan Bugui, the cunning and scheming Yi Zhonghai, the fierce-looking Liu Haizhong, and Jia Dongxu's long-deceased father, Old Jia, who was chatting idly with someone at the gate of the courtyard, a pipe dangling from his mouth.

This is hardly a cozy, warm courtyard house.

It was clearly a chaotic era in the Republic of China where people were devoured without bloodshed!

Throughout Beiping, the Green Gang and the Red Gang were deeply entrenched, the police were like wolves and tigers, local thugs roamed the streets, and veteran soldiers dared to kick down doors and steal grain with their guns.

Ordinary people? They have to be mindful of others' attitudes even when they're breathing. If they do something wrong, they might get a beating or be dragged into a dark alley and never be heard from again.

What's even more terrifying is that the Japanese devils are still waiting behind.

Once their iron hooves trample in, the sky will fall, and life will be as fragile as paper, like fish on a chopping board, at the mercy of others.

No one knows whether the sun will shine on them tomorrow; they dare not even think about whether they will be able to open their eyes tomorrow morning after lying down tonight.

If Li Wenguo had traveled back to the late 1950s, although he had to tighten his belt and live frugally, at least the red flag was waving and people felt secure. With food coupons, household registration, and the support of the local police station, he could have gritted his teeth and survived by relying on the system's online store.

But now...

He really wanted to smash his head against the wall and try to go back to the previous second.

These days, even getting a good night's sleep is a luxury, so where does one get any sense of security?

well--!!!

This lousy system is ripping people off with a clear conscience!

Li Wenguo felt a turmoil in his heart, and he almost vomited blood.

As soon as the words were spoken, that lazy voice rang out:

"Host, don't worry. We encountered a spacetime turbulence during our journey and mistakenly entered the early Republic of China period. This is purely a technical error."

"But rest assured, as long as you survive until the courtyard storyline officially begins and you successfully move in, the mall will be activated immediately—at that time, you can choose all kinds of delicacies and fine silks."

"I'll pick on you, my foot!"

"By the time the plot starts, the weeds on my grave will probably be big enough to make a straw mat!"

Li Wenguo's face turned green with anger.

He's a modern-day nerd who can't even lift a delivery box. He's unarmed, can't carry anything, and can't even sweet-talk. How can he survive until liberation in these dangerous times?

Even if he remembers a few major events, the torrent of history rolls forward, and he is not even a grain of sand. How dare he point fingers?

"No, immediately reload the game and start over—directly jump to the beginning of the story in the courtyard house!"

Li Wenguo roared through gritted teeth.

"Please survive until the courtyard house storyline begins and you move in to unlock the shop mode."

The system was cold and emotionless, without a trace of emotion.

Li Wenguo took a deep breath and lowered his demand: "Then... how about after the founding of the People's Republic? I don't want to touch the Japanese!"

silence.

"...What happened after the victory in the War of Resistance?"

I'll say it again.

"Please survive until the courtyard house storyline begins and you move in to unlock the shop mode."

Li Wenguo: ...

"Fine, I'll just bang my head against the wall now, so I won't suffer."

He turned around abruptly, stared at a high blue brick wall next to him, clenched his fists, and pushed off with his feet, as if he was about to charge forward.

"Ding—Host has not yet claimed the newbie gift pack. Open it now?"

The system suddenly popped up a message.

Holy shit!!!

Why didn't you do this sooner?!

Li Wenguo abruptly stopped in his tracks, his chest heaving, a thin layer of sweat beading on his forehead—the weight on his heart finally lifted with a thud.

A gift package means there's a way to survive!

Many time-traveling heroes started their fortunes by relying on this first generous gift.

Besides, I wasn't really planning to kill myself just now—

If you can live, who would want to be a wandering ghost?

He immediately adopted a fawning demeanor, speaking rapidly: "Quick! Open the gift pack! Hurry up!"

"System, activate the newbie gift pack."

"Congratulations, host, you have obtained a personal space!"

"Congratulations, host, you have received 500 silver dollars!"

"Congratulations, host, you have gained a body immune to all diseases and indestructible kidneys!"

"Congratulations, host, you have obtained a controllable clone!"

Holy shit! !

Li Wenguo was stunned on the spot, his heart almost stopping.

Portable space!!!

A true portable warehouse, a treasure vault, and a life-saving trump card!

Smuggling, hoarding, disaster avoidance, fleeing... all rely on it!

Five hundred silver dollars? Enough for him to buy a small courtyard in Beiping, hire two guards, and live a comfortable life as a wealthy landowner for three years!

And what about being immune to all diseases plus iron-rich kidneys?

Isn't this a stack of marriage certificates handed to us by God himself, along with ten extra concubine slots?

With his muscles and bones relaxed and his blood flowing freely, Li Wenguo felt all the pent-up frustration in his heart had been washed away, and he was now looking forward to the days passing by quickly.

He hasn't figured out what he can do with that clone ability yet.

The wonder of this clone lies in its ability to change its appearance at will within space, and then be released to reveal its true form.

Before the words were even finished, a faint yet clear connection suddenly surfaced in my mind.

He followed that thought and his consciousness instantly landed in an open space—about the size of a standard football field.

In the center of the field stood a figure identical to him, and on the ground were ten stacks of cylinders wrapped in red paper.

Li Wenguo recognized them at a glance: they were silver dollars. A stack of fifty, perfectly arranged.

Back then, it was fashionable to wrap silver dollars in red paper, which made it easier to count them, prevented them from scattering, and also gave off a festive vibe.

Each stack was topped with a plain white paper slip. He glanced at it, and his eyebrows immediately rose—

It was an ID card!

Good heavens! My identity issue is finally resolved!

No more living in fear of becoming an unregistered resident!

This space was entirely under his control; if he wanted to take something, he only needed to think about it.

You have to touch it with your own hands to put it in.

Regardless of weight, it's very convenient.

With a slight thought, a stack of fifty silver dollars slid into his pocket with a "whoosh".

He reached out and pressed it; the heavy weight caused the fabric to dent slightly, and a smile involuntarily crept onto his lips.

"With this foundation, one should be able to make a living during the Republic of China era without starving to death."

My confidence gradually grew.

Ultimately, only those with money in their pockets can stand tall.

Looking up at the sky, the sun hangs directly overhead, shining brightly.

He planned to settle down first, and then figure out his next move.

A courtyard house? I'll hold off for now—I'm afraid that if I step inside, I'll mess up the original plot; if I anger that guy, he might make a move and the story will fall apart, and the online store will go bankrupt too.

"Host, please be reminded: This is the world of the courtyard house, and the world's will strictly forbids any deviation from the main plot. Any action that may disrupt key plot points will be forcibly corrected."

"..."

Li Wenguo's face instantly fell, looking like a wilted eggplant.

The initial burst of energy vanished in an instant.

The October sun was warm and not scorching, but two bowls of plain noodles and a plate of fried liver from a street stall made him sweat profusely, and the back of his neck was soaked.

The broth of Yangchun noodles is clear and flavorful, the toppings are piled high, and the slices of meat are thick and substantial; one bowl is enough to fill an ordinary person up.

However, his body had been tempered by the system, and his appetite had doubled as well.

After finishing two bowls, I finally felt at ease.

Lunch was just something quick and easy to get by.

The price isn't unreasonable either.

After all, they're following the path of ordinary people.

I only paid one cent in total.

Note that it's not a penny or two, but a silver dollar.

That is, 0.1 whole silver dollars.

Sounds cheap? Actually, no.

One silver dollar could buy three catties of new rice or twenty catties of sweet potatoes.

If they spend frugally, a poor family can have enough to eat for half a month.

"Old Zhang, could you tell me where the nearest brokerage firm is around here?"

After paying, Li Wenguo turned and asked.

He meant to say "intermediary," but realized it didn't sound right at the last minute and quickly changed his mind.

"Oh my goodness, young man, you flatter me! You flatter me!"

"Just call me Lao Zhang, Lao Zhang is fine! I would never dare to use the title 'Boss'!"

The stall owner turned pale and waved his hands repeatedly, almost throwing the rag in his hand away.

Back then, being a "boss" wasn't a title anyone could easily claim.

Only large businesses and large chambers of commerce deserve to be called bosses;

Small and medium-sized shops only dare to call themselves shopkeepers;

Even small grocery stores with a decent storefront only dare to call themselves "shopkeepers".

For someone like him, setting up an oilcloth shed and selling bowls of hot soup noodles, even calling him "shopkeeper" is too much of an honor—if he actually said it, he'd probably be laughed at.

If a street vendor is called "boss," wouldn't those who own jewelry stores and money shops feel offended?

If you encounter a narrow-minded person, it's not impossible for your stall to be overturned the next day.

These days, rules are unruly, and people are even more unruly.

Li Wenguo hadn't initially thought that far ahead, but seeing Old Zhang's panicked state, he immediately realized he had misspoke and gave an awkward smile.

"Okay, I got it, Lao Zhang."

Old Zhang finally breathed a sigh of relief and quickly pointed out the way.

Li Wenguo bowed his thanks, then turned and left.

Passing by the steamed bun shop next door, I casually bought five baskets, more than twenty piping hot meat buns;

Turning into a quiet alley, a thought flashed through my mind, and I put the entire cage into my space.

Time seemed to be frozen in the space; no matter how long an object was left there, it would still be as fresh and new as when it was first brought in.

The freshly steamed meat buns are stuffed inside, and even months or years later, when they are taken out, they are still steaming hot, with a soft and chewy dough and piping hot filling.

Li Wenguo did this to leave himself a way out—if things went wrong one day, he would have to hide or escape, and at least he would have a hot meal in his pocket.

Of course, a few buns won't last long, but the situation is still unstable, so we can only save up a little for now and then stockpile a large batch once we've gained a foothold.

September 4th is the capital of the capital city. It has been the capital since the Ming Dynasty and has not moved for more than 600 years. The population is so dense that it is like red bean buns in a steamer, layer upon layer, crowded together.

The pedestrians on the street were a diverse bunch: some wore loose old coats, some wore smart suits, and others carried birdcages and had long, shiny braids trailing behind their heads. The crowds surged and the noise never stopped.

Back then, ordinary people relied on horse-drawn carriages and rickshaws to get around; cars? Those were rare items reserved for lords, bureau chiefs, and compradors of foreign firms.

Several rickshaw drivers squatted on the street, wearing faded white cloth short jackets and coarse black or indigo cloth trousers with legs so wide that two cats could fit inside. They wore thin cloth straps around their ankles and black cloth shoes with double-layered soles. They were puffing on the cheapest cigarettes, the cigarettes so thin they were translucent and the tobacco so coarse it was pungent. They just silently waited for customers to come to their empty rickshaws.

Li Wenguo had no intention of taking a car. Firstly, the dental clinic that Lao Zhang had recommended was right under his nose, just a short walk away; secondly, he wanted to take a leisurely stroll to digest his food.