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

"Thump!!!"

Outside the office of the captain of the third squad of the Lixing Society.

Wen San knocked on the door three times with his fingers.

inside the house.

The table was a mess, the teacup was crooked, cigarette ash was everywhere, and half-rolled papers were scattered around.

With her back to Li Wenguo, Dong Haitang glared at him fiercely before grabbing her military uniform folded on the back of the chair and quickly slipping into the inner changing room.

Li Wenguo slowly tightened his belt, casually tidied up the mess on the table, then walked to the window and opened a crack to let in some fresh air before sitting down in his office chair and saying in a deep voice, "Come in!!!"

"Master Li, the descendant of the leader of the Boxer Rebellion, has been found."

As soon as Wen San stepped across the threshold, his gaze swept over the creases on the table and the scattered bullet casings on the ground. He then smelled the lingering scent of perfume mixed with sweat in the air and realized that a tough battle had just taken place in this room.

But as soon as he regained his footing, he immediately abandoned all thoughts of deduction, said nothing, and went straight to the point in his report.

"She is Sai Xishi, the leader of the bandits on Wang'er Mountain in the suburbs."

Sai Xishi?

A flash of inspiration struck Li Wenguo, and he instantly remembered this face.

Hey!

Isn't she the girl I dragged back from the mass grave on that rainy night more than a year ago?

I even casually pinched her waist at the time... cough, why did my mind start thinking about that again?

It turns out she is the chieftain's granddaughter!

That's quite a coincidence!

He tapped his fingertips lightly on the armrest—the world is indeed very narrow; after all the twists and turns, the key figure had already stumbled upon the door.

"Hmm, since she is Chief Sai's direct granddaughter, the map is most likely on her."

Li Wenguo spoke with certainty.

"Yes, Master Li. However, Zhang Xiong'an, the second-in-command of Wang'er Mountain, may also have clues. His grandfather was Zhang Decheng, another leader of the Boxers, who was on equal footing with Chief Sai and shared the banner. So it makes sense that the map ended up in his hands."

Wen San quickly added a sentence.

"Alright, deploy immediately. We must capture both of them and find out where the map is."

Li Wenguo gave the order to act swiftly and decisively.

"Yes, sir. However—they have been entrenched in Wang'er Mountain for many years, with more than three hundred men under their command, fully armed. Our Lixing Society's First and Second Divisions combined have less than three hundred men, specializing in eliminating traitors and spies. We are really not up to the task of suppressing bandits; we have to rely on the militia or the regular army."

Wen San spoke slowly and deliberately, offering a perfectly timed reminder.

The Lixing Society has no authority to mobilize troops, and the militia is directly under the jurisdiction of the county government. If you want the county government to send troops, you have to report to higher levels and wait for the approval document to be issued. The rules are there, and no one can bypass them.

"Then please ask Team Leader Chang to make a trip to the higher-ups and mobilize the local militia from a nearby county to besiege Wang'er Mountain."

Li Wenguo waved his hand, his tone relaxed.

"Master Li, it will probably take some time."

Wen San didn't finish his sentence, but he had already hit the nail on the head.

He had worked at the Lixingshe for almost two years and knew all too well the temperament of those government departments—following the rules? In less than three to five months, you wouldn't even see a trace of an approval.

This is a subtle reminder: the process is too slow, we need to find another way.

"It's alright, there's no rush."

Li Wenguo smiled and waved his hand, looking relaxed.

Searching for images is not an urgent matter.

"Understood, I'll go and find out more about the bandits of Wang'er Mountain."

"Go."

After Wen San closed the door and left, Dong Haitang straightened her collar, tightened her belt, and stepped out of the changing room in her neat military uniform, standing in front of Li Wenguo.

"I'm warning you, don't you dare force me to do this kind of thing during the day again! The door is so thin, and people are always coming and going in the corridor. If someone hears us, where will I put my face? What about my reputation?"

Her eyebrows were raised in anger, but her ears were slightly red—she had been holding back so hard that even her breathing was still trembling.

"Don't worry, all three teams are our own people, and they're very tight-lipped."

"Even family members won't do!"

"How about... a more secluded cubicle next time?"

"Shut up!!!"

Dong Haitang was so angry that she turned around and left, not even wanting to look at him again.

"If I really lay down, wouldn't you really become a widow?"

Li Wenguo sneered.

"Once I become a widow, I will immediately seek a better match."

Dong Haitang deliberately uttered a hurtful remark.

"You dare? Just because of that statement, once you hang a 'Do Not Disturb' sign on your door the day after tomorrow, I'll be knocking on your door every day!"

He narrowed his eyes and immediately uttered a harsh threat.

"Oh no, no, no, sir! I was just being cheeky, I was just talking nonsense!"

Upon hearing the word "怀" (huai), Dong Haitang panicked and immediately surrendered.

She really didn't dare to have another child—if she got pregnant again, her body would fall apart.

You little rascal!

Are you trying to challenge me?

I'll make you back down in less than three sentences!

Li Wenguo's smugness almost spilled out of his eyes.

"Wanqing invited me to dinner tonight, are you going?"

Dong Haitang immediately knew how to salvage the situation and betrayed her best friend without hesitation.

"No need!"

Li Wenguo waved his hand.

"nailed it?"

She raised an eyebrow and asked, her tone full of surprise.

"All that's left is to get the official stamp and the marriage certificate; we've already done everything we needed to."

"Did she set conditions?"

Dong Haitang knew Xu Wanqing all too well—she was patient, calculating, and if things dragged on to a breaking point, she would definitely make some tough demands.

"Her father wants to be promoted to commander. As you know, I'm close to Director Song, so she wants me to act as a go-between and make things happen smoothly." Li Wenguo didn't hide anything from his wife.

"I see."

"You really think you can persuade Bank Manager Song?"

Dong Haitang didn't believe her husband could make such a top-level personnel change; at most, he was just a mouthpiece.

"Do you remember that girl I bumped into after dinner last time we went to the movies?"

Dong Haitang nodded, and continued, "Her name is Song Caidie, the niece of Bank Manager Song—now you understand?"

Dong Haitang thought for a moment, then suddenly realized, "Oh... I understand!"

"Sir, you've really kept this a secret! You've climbed up to the Song family without a word. If you really marry him, our Li family's ancestral graves will be emitting auspicious smoke!" She teased with a smile, but her eyes held a hint of seriousness—this man was indeed quite capable when it came to important matters.

"You really support my decision to marry her?"

"Of course I support it! He Shuting is gone, and the position of the first wife is vacant. Isn't this a perfect opportunity to fill the void?"

"Besides, with the Song family as our protector, even if our Li family doesn't rise to prominence, we can still live a comfortable life."

Dong Haitang's words are true.

In the officialdom, one wrong step can lead to an abyss; but the Song family is like an aircraft carrier that cuts through the wind and waves. If you get close to them, you can even breathe with peace of mind.

"What if... I married Xu Wanqing?"

Li Wenguo suddenly asked again.

"Well... as long as I don't leave the capital, life will be just as peaceful."

She paused for a moment, then told the truth.

"Do you prefer Wanqing?"

After more than two years of marriage, she knew his temperament well—he didn't like to fight for power, but he was terrified of death.

The army? An impregnable fortress, far more reliable than the intricacies of the imperial court. She secretly pondered this.

"That's right!!!"

Why?

As soon as she said it, she couldn't help but ask herself more questions.

"Because she sees mountains and rivers in her eyes."

Mountains and rivers?

What mountains and rivers?

She froze for a moment, her face blank, her gaze fixed on him.

His gaze drifted down to her full, heaving breasts.

Dong Haitang rolled her eyes. "…………………"

"Wen Guo, there are less than six months left until that commander retires. Why hasn't your engagement with Cai Die been finalized yet?"

In the dance hall booth, Xu Wanqing was held in his arms, her skirt slightly disheveled, her hair fluttering, and her voice tinged with urgency.

"The date will be decided by the other family. We'll hold our wedding ceremony on whichever day they choose."

He answered casually, giving a perfunctory reply without any effort.

"Could you give President Song a heads-up first? Right now, all the army commanders are putting in their best efforts, and I'm afraid things might get complicated if we delay."

She was so tense because she was afraid that someone else would beat her to it.

Who wouldn't be envious of the commander's position? It's a piece of fat meat that everyone wants a bite of.

"By the way, let's just book a room next time—don't get me wrong, there are too many people around here, I can't relax."

She had only spoken halfway when she noticed his eyes suddenly light up, so she quickly added a sentence.

If you want people to work harder, you always have to offer them a little something extra.

"Alright, alright, I'll go and sound out what Director Song has to say."

He casually squeezed it, and his fingertips felt warm. His mind started working—it was time to have a talk with Song Qingzhi.

If the Song family already has a candidate in mind, it's best to give up on this idea as soon as possible; but if there's no conclusion yet, how can one say "it doesn't matter" when it's such a major event? If their political enemies snatch the position and turn around and bite back, the Song family won't be able to handle it.

Since the Xu family dared to make this connection, it means that the two families haven't completely fallen out.

Li Wenguo figured that testing the waters wouldn't offend anyone.

After the two parted ways, Li Wenguo took the opportunity to stop by Selena's place, since the Western-style dance hall was located in the heart of the embassy district, not far from the garden villas and small Western-style buildings. He wanted to see Alex and Alice.

He planned to go to He Shuting's place a little later.

As soon as I pushed the door open, the two children rushed over, calling out "Daddy" in their baby voices, their little hands clenched tightly as if afraid he would run away.

Li Wenguo scooped up one child in his arms and tucked the other under his arm, striding towards the sofa, swaying and teasing them as he did so, making the two children giggle.

Selena had just finished making the children's bed upstairs when she quietly stepped down the wooden stairs.

"Mommy! Daddy's here!"

"Mom! Daddy's home!"

Selena was a mature woman with her own desires. On one occasion, when Li Wenguo visited the children, the two had a few drinks, and the atmosphere was just right, so they naturally snuggled together.

This was not a spur-of-the-moment decision—after spending half a year together, Li Wenguo had long seen that she was completely different from Maria: she was not aggressive or domineering, but rather calm, gentle, and poised, like a fine old whiskey that gets better with age.

Afterwards, Li Wenguo frankly told her that he suggested Selena formally adopt the two children and raise them as her biological mother in public. In this way, the children would not have to suffer the hidden pain of "the early death of their biological mother" when they grew up.

She already doted on these two children, and now that she and her brother-in-law shared the same sentiments, she naturally nodded in agreement.

After putting the two little ones to sleep, the two sat under the lamp and started talking about business.

That year, Li Wenguo quietly introduced many reliable orders and successively contacted a batch of new clients. The foreign trade company has established a firm foothold in Beijing: it not only revitalized Selena's old factory in the United States and paid off all debts, but also doubled the size of the factory and is now preparing to expand into the Southeast Asian market.

But before half an hour had passed, the atmosphere changed—Selena's velvet nightgown clung to her body, accentuating her slender waist, full curves, snow-white skin reflecting warm light, her blue eyes like spring water, her golden hair like a waterfall, and even her breathing carried an alluring rhythm.

Li Wenguo's eyes froze for a moment, then he changed the subject, and the two moved from the living room to the bedroom.

She was a true Western woman, physically strong and with amazing stamina. After a passionate and unrestrained encounter, they rested briefly before continuing for a second time. By the time the night outside the window was so dark that it seemed impossible to see through, the clock had already struck two in the morning. He Shuting and Wen Keren were already asleep, so Li Wenguo decided to stay the night, planning to set off again at the crack of dawn the next morning.

"Let's go to the little villa."

Since we were already in the embassy district, we naturally had to stop by and visit He Shuting and the children.

Ding Xiaoqi quickly parked the car outside the iron gate of the small villa.

The gate was wide open, and a black sedan was slowly driving out.

"Mr. Li, Haozi is going out."

Ding Xiaoqi gestured with her chin toward the car window and greeted Haozi.

Why is he running out now?

Li Wenguo frowned and asked.

His gaze swept across the room, and through the two layers of glass, he caught sight of a familiar figure sitting in the back seat of Haozi's car—

Uh?

Could it be Shu Ting?

He immediately pushed open the door and got out of the car, taking three steps at a time to walk around to the back of the car, and peered closely through the glass—hey! It really was his wife!

He opened the back door and plopped inside.

"Sir, you've arrived..."

A hint of panic flashed across He Shuting's face, like a little girl caught red-handed stealing candy.

"Shu Ting, where are you going?"

Li Wenguo's voice was not loud, but it was filled with vigilance.

She stammered, twisting the hem of her clothes with her fingers, "I...I...I'm going there!"

"get off!"

Seeing her hesitate and avoid eye contact, Li Wenguo slapped the back of the chair.

"Tell me, where are we going?"

As soon as they entered the villa, he took her wrist and went straight up to the bedroom on the second floor, his tone becoming serious.