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

Li Wenguo's pupils suddenly contracted, and anger surged in his heart—this was clearly an attempt to pin the woman's injustice on him!

These days, there's no equipment for blood or urine tests; it simply doesn't make sense.

It's an indisputable fact, the evidence is irrefutable.

A more ruthless approach would be to kill Li Wenguo on the spot.

He threw out another line, "Resisted arrest and assaulted police, forced to open fire," and then fell down, his mouth sealed shut, dead without a trace, leaving no echo.

As soon as the figure got close, the patrolman pressed the dark muzzle of his gun firmly against Li Wenguo's temple.

Another patrol officer swiftly conducted a close-up search; his knuckles were thick and his gestures were cunning, clearly indicating that he was a seasoned veteran who often did this kind of work.

This is the moment Li Wenguo has been waiting for.

With a slight thought, the black dog that was rummaging through his pockets suddenly vanished, swallowed into his spatial dimension.

The man pointing the gun at the other man froze, his pupils shrinking sharply—

Li Wenguo swiftly grabbed his wrist holding the gun, and with a yank, dragged him and the gun into the depths of the space.

Everything within the space seemed to freeze, and the two stood frozen in place, like two newly cast bronze statues: one hand still resting on the holster at his waist, and the other's five fingers still gripping the back of Li Wenguo's neck.

With a sudden thought, Li Wenguo unleashed two gleaming daggers from the void, one piercing the heart and the other slicing through the throat. Before blood could even splatter, the man was dead.

But he didn't let them out.

After all, if someone wearing a uniform dies at the entrance of this alley, it will inevitably bring shame upon their family sooner or later.

He planned to have his clone carry it to the bottom of the river overnight.

Then, he strode toward the disheveled woman.

My fingertips touched the area under her nose; it was ice-cold, and there wasn't a breath in it.

Upon turning her neck again, several bluish-purple finger marks came into view—clearly, she had been strangled to death.

"You beast! You'd even lay a hand on a woman!"

Li Wenguo spat, his voice deep.

"well……"

"Let's just take them all together."

"Being alive and missing is better than dying in the street. At least your family can hope that you'll come back someday."

"I'm just too soft-hearted."

Before she could finish speaking, the woman's figure transformed into a glimmer of light and disappeared into the space.

Soft my ass!

Turning another narrow alley would lead to his own courtyard gate. He feared that if blood were spilled here, the evil spirits would linger in the house and disturb Xianglan.

I decided to put them all into my spatial storage, along with the two black dogs, and sink them into the river to feed the fish.

"What the hell is this bad luck!"

"From now on, when walking, it's better to take a three-mile detour than to take a shortcut!"

This matter is making me feel suffocated and my anger is rising to my head.

But as soon as I stepped into the house, the gentle and kind Xianglan greeted me, offering tea and towels, and massaging my shoulders and back. In the blink of an eye, that bit of pent-up frustration vanished without a trace.

I felt like I was walking on clouds, light and warm.

An hour later.

Xianglan leaned against the headboard, her voice as faint as a whisper in the wind: "Master, I want to go to Baoning Hall tomorrow."

"Um?"

"Where does it hurt?"

"Could it be that you're too tired from taking care of me and your health has deteriorated?"

Upon hearing that he needed to see a doctor, Li Wenguo immediately sat up straight.

Now, Xianglan is managing everything inside and outside the house by herself—the pots and pans on the stove, the sweeping and cleaning of the yard, his clothes that he has changed out of, even the cup of warm water he drinks before bed, she takes care of everything herself. To put it bluntly, she even prepares toilet paper for him when he goes to the outhouse and puts it by the door.

Of course, if she were really asked to wipe it, she wouldn't even flinch; it's just that he couldn't bring himself to do it.

Without Xianglan, Li Wenguo really didn't dare to think whether he could still make a living.

As the old saying goes: It's easy to go from frugality to extravagance, but difficult to go from extravagance to frugality!

Besides, Xianglan had devoted her whole heart to him; she would have given him her life without hesitation. He wasn't made of stone; how could he pretend not to see it?

"If you're really tired, just let me know, and I'll try to be more restrained in the future."

Plowing for one or two hours every night without stopping, even the most fertile field can't withstand this kind of plowing—the soil layer will be thinned by three-tenths of an inch!

"No, sir..." Xianglan gently shook her head.

"Not what?"

"Just tell me."

"I don't blame you, and I don't mind that you're dirty."

"If you have something to say, say it out loud."

Li Wenguo slowed his tone and relaxed.

"It's like this, sir... Xianglan has been with you for three months, sharing the same bed for three months, but there's still no sign of pregnancy."

"My master treats me so well, he loves and protects me, but I can't even get pregnant. I feel empty inside and can't sleep at night."

"So I want to go to Baoningtang to get some medicine to regulate my body."

"Aunt Wang next door said that the old doctor there used to treat patients in the palace. He was very accurate with his pulse diagnosis."

"Oh, I see."

"Go ahead."

"There's money in the bedside table drawer. Take as much as you need."

Hearing that it was because she was pregnant, Li Wenguo finally felt relieved.

Being alive and well is the most important thing.

As for having children, he wasn't in a hurry.

Having transmigrated into this world, I'll have to leave behind an heir sooner or later. A couple of years earlier or later won't affect my livelihood.

We can afford to raise them, and we can afford to wait it out.

Heyuan Restaurant.

Inside the private room.

Li Wenguo was invited to a banquet by the managers of several businesses in the capital. They toasted each other, laughed and chatted, and the table was filled with steaming food.

"Director Li, congratulations on your promotion to manager! From now on, we'll all have to call you Manager Li!"

"Haha, that's for sure! Manager Li is so young, yet he's already in the position of manager of a foreign firm. He's truly in his prime, full of potential and unstoppable!"

"Come on, fill it up, let's have a toast!"

"Alright—done!"

All the shopkeepers raised their glasses and simultaneously toasted Li Wenguo.

That's right.

Liu Hongtao was framed by Li Wenguo and sent to prison. He has been missing ever since, and his fate is unknown.

Huang Kun was also dragged into the mess, and he's gritting his teeth as he fills the hole one order after another, slowly paying off the debts.

Thus, the position of deputy general manager naturally fell to Li Wenguo, who had the best performance and the most stable management skills.

The foreign firm originally didn't have a deputy manager position—but recently, Charlie, the foreigner, had been frequently flying to Shanghai and Tianjin for business, sometimes for ten days to half a month at a time, so they simply created this new position to temporarily manage things. When he was away, Li Wenguo made all the decisions, big and small.

Charlie's high regard for him was not out of favoritism, but because Li Wenguo truly possessed exceptional qualities: he was meticulous in business negotiations, had complete control over people, and in terms of vision, courage, and methods, no one in the entire British trading company could surpass him.

He came from the modern era, and his system of process-oriented management, data-driven assessment, and tiered leadership is like looking at a clay stove through a Western mirror—it's novel in every way and gives him an edge over everyone else.

The managers of these businesses had been dealing with Indigo for many years. Now that Li Wenguo had become the second-in-command of the trading company, and Charlie was the number one figure when he left Shanghai, they would inevitably have to rely on him for business dealings in the future. So, they naturally wanted to strike while the iron was hot and quickly make connections.

Behind them stood prominent families from Tongcheng and officials from Jinling; their shops often spanned three provinces and sold goods across eight routes, and even their accountants could write in the official script. The shopkeepers themselves were all seasoned veterans who had seen the world and walked on the edge of a knife, speaking with three parts ambiguity and acting with seven parts concealment.

Now, Li Wenguo has not only caught their attention, but he is also firmly tied to the belt of foreigners. His value has immediately soared, and he is no less than them, or even slightly higher. After all, which business can do without foreign companies? Which cargo ship can rely on the dock?

"Hahaha--"

"You all flatter me too much! You flatter me too much!"

"I'm just a deputy right now, how dare I overstep my bounds and deserve the title of 'manager'?"

Li Wenguo laughed loudly and clinked glasses with each of them.

Although the words were humble, which manager wasn't a top performer? He could hear the unspoken meaning, and his words had already changed, calling out "Manager Li" crisply and clearly.

Surrounded by people praising his "bright future" and "soaring to great heights," the atmosphere at the banquet was warm and lively, filled with laughter and chatter.

But Li Wenguo's gaze kept drifting towards the stage.

"As the icy moon rose above the island, the world shone exceptionally brightly..."

The female lead on stage had a voice like a stream gurgling over stones, clear yet soft, and melodious like willow branches brushing against your face. Her rendition of "The Drunken Concubine" was perfectly balanced and naturally elegant.

But what truly captivated him wasn't that voice.

Li Wenguo has never been a fan of Peking Opera singing, finding it slow, convoluted, and exhausting.

But this actress is different—her figure is lively, her waist is supple, her steps are light, and even her fingertips seem to breathe. Especially with a fold of her sleeve, a glance back, and a tiptoe, her chest rises and falls like a spring tide, making one's heart tremble and one's legs burn.

When the music ended, the drums stopped, and the lingering sound dissipated, he slowly withdrew his gaze.

Others only thought he was knowledgeable about and loved opera; no one saw the burning passion that flashed in his eyes.

After the banquet, he summoned a servant who carried three festively decorated flower baskets and delivered them to the backstage area—thus making the first connection.

As for the face, it was covered with a thick layer of paint, making it impossible to discern the depth of its features.

Those who can sing the closing act at Indream must all be exceptionally beautiful.

Of course, what truly stirred his heart was the familiar yet unfamiliar energy emanating from this girl—so much like Teacher C from back then, yet more vibrant and wilder. This was the third "enhanced version" he had encountered, and the thought had barely formed in his mind before his body began to heat up.

……

Pushing open the courtyard gate, a bittersweet medicinal aroma wafted out, instantly dispelling Li Wenguo's slight intoxication and clearing his mind.

"That's strange, how can the smell of Chinese medicine help with hangovers?"

He muttered to himself as he walked inside.

"Sir, why does your coat feel so heavy, like it's been soaked in a river?"

Xianglan reached out to catch it, but her arm suddenly slumped, and her brows furrowed.

"But it feels very dry to the touch, not damp at all."

"hey-hey!"

He leaned against the doorframe, grinning mischievously: "Go into the inner pockets and the outer pockets, and search them one by one."

"Ouch--"

As soon as Xianglan reached in, she pulled out a stack of stiff paper envelopes. She pulled out a few more, each one bulging.

They were all "gifts" given to us by the shopkeepers.

Each person received a letter containing fifty silver dollars. A dozen or so people pooled their money together, and several hundred gleaming silver dollars were piled up in her palm.

"Boss! We've really struck it rich this time!"

As she counted, her eyes lit up, her cheeks flushed, and her voice trembled.

Li Wenguo simply smiled and remained silent. He had more than 500,000 silver dollars in his pocket.

If Xianglan knew, she'd probably be tossing and turning the money box over and over tonight, counting until dawn.

Indeed, he had already bought the Xu family's batch of cotton cloth and raw silk from the foreign firm at an 80% discount, with the cash in hand on the spot. Half the credit for his appointment as deputy manager came from this deal.

"Xianglan, stop focusing on the stench of money!"

He reached out and hooked her chin, his voice lowering, "I'm much warmer than those silver dollars—come here quickly and serve me well, so I'll let you taste the sweetness."