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

"Sorry, I was a bit too rough just now—who told you to handcuff me earlier?"

Sai Xishi's apology flashed by, but she immediately added confidently, "Now, we're even."

"Can you tell me the whereabouts of the map now?"

Li Wenguo did not pursue the matter further and spoke in a calm tone.

"Okay, I'll pick it up in a couple of days and give it to you right away."

"no!!!"

Seeing Sai Xishi's slightly startled expression and the cloud of doubt between her brows, he immediately interrupted her, "The little notebook is issuing a warrant for your arrest! Those people at the city hall have already colluded with them, and the entire patrol team has cast a wide net, plastering your portrait all over the city—if you show your face, you'll be apprehended on the spot."

Before he finished speaking, he pulled a photo out of his pocket. "Look, this is you. Right now, even the entrance to the market is plastered with these photos; you can't leave the house at all."

Sai Xishi took the photo, her fingertips stiffened slightly, and her face turned pale instantly.

If we're trapped in this tiny space, how can we send out intelligence? How can we complete our missions? Won't all the tasks assigned by the organization be wasted?

She blurted out, "Then... how can intelligence work be carried out?"

"Isn't that simple?"

Li Wenguo paused, as if considering his words, before slowly saying, "I have a trustworthy person under me who will run errands and send and receive messages for you from now on."

"This... is probably not appropriate."

Sai Xishi frowned deeply. Entrusting such a confidential matter to someone else made her uneasy. Moreover, she still harbored some suspicion towards Li Wenguo—if she were to fall into a trap, the entire underground network could be destroyed, and she would become the organization's eternal sinner!

Li Wenguo immediately saw through her turbulent emotions and made a decision: "Here's what we'll do. I'll have Hong Xiao write a letter himself, affix his personal seal, to prove my identity and credibility. That should put your mind at ease, right?"

"...Alright, then so be it."

Sai Xishi finally nodded.

In truth, at this point, she was already beyond the capabilities to shoulder the responsibility. But if a new person were to take over, Li Wenguo would feel even more uneasy—a new face couldn't withstand scrutiny, and the slightest mistake could backfire. Rather than taking the risk, it was better to keep the intelligence network firmly in his own hands: if something went wrong, he would take the blame; if he couldn't protect the person, he would cover for them—the goal was to ensure absolute safety.

Ultimately, all this running around was just to protect his wife, He Shuting.

"Bin-zai, come in here!"

Li Wenguo called out to the courtyard. The young man, who was leaning against the jujube tree, was smoking. Hearing the call, he flicked off his cigarette ash and quickly went inside.

"This is Binzi, and this is Comrade Sai Xishi."

"Hello, Miss Sai, I've met you once before."

Bin scratched his head, his smile slightly reserved.

"Oh? I don't remember?"

Not only did Li Wenguo raise an eyebrow, but Sai Xishi was also stunned—she was certain she had never seen this young man before.

"On the day you made the deal with Master Liu, I was serving you tea and I saw you from afar."

Binzi answered decisively.

"Are you one of Master Liu's men?"

Sai Xishi was shocked. She never expected that Liu Erkui's men had made contact with Li Wenguo.

"Hey, Comrade Sai, don't overthink it." Li Wenguo quickly chimed in, "Master Liu and I have a life-or-death friendship. Binzi was personally recommended by him. He's reliable and tight-lipped. I trust him more than I do."

"Yes, yes, yes! I'm completely devoted to Master Li. Miss Sai, just give the order, and I'll do anything for you, even if it means going through fire and water!"

Binzi straightened his back and patted his chest loudly.

"Since it was Liu Erkui who recommended him, I naturally trust him."

Sai Xishi nodded, her tone softening slightly.

Indeed, Liu Erkui built his empire on sheer integrity and unwavering reputation. In the capital, everyone who had dealt with him acknowledged his immense influence and authority.

After giving his instructions, Li Wenguo turned and rushed to the small villa in the embassy district to ask He Shuting to handwrite an identity certificate. When he returned, he solemnly handed the letter to Sai Xishi. She unfolded it and looked at it carefully, her gaze stopping at the bright red seal used by underground intelligence agents in the lower right corner, and finally she completely let down her guard.

"You'll be living in this courtyard from now on. If you need anything or need anything done, just tell Binzi."

Li Wenguo made the arrangements perfectly and also informed Haozi: from now on, all intelligence will be handed over to Binzi, and the two of them will go together to deliver the dead mail box—one will deliver the mail and the other will keep watch, double insurance.

Not long after...

Li Wenguo successfully obtained the map hidden by Sai Xishi.

At this point, he had collected four original drawings.

He also figured out the last clue: it was on Jingcun.

Because that copy was personally handed over by Zhang Xiong'an.

As for Jingcun, although there are no photos, many bandits have seen him in person, and his portrait has been drawn to be very accurate.

The police officers are about to start searching the whole city again.

He currently possesses three genuine maps and plans to deliver them to Song Qingzhi's residence on a chosen day—to lend a substantial boost to the Xu family's endeavors.

I also asked Song Qingzhi how his considerations were going.

As soon as the holiday ended, Li Wenguo visited Song Qingzhi's grand mansion again.

To his slight surprise, Song Caidie didn't go to dance practice this time and stayed at home obediently; what made him even more worried was that her eyes were downcast and she looked listless, like a flower wilted by the rain.

What happened?

Li Wenguo had some doubts in his mind, but he asked the question out loud.

After all, it would be quite inappropriate to visit someone's home and pretend not to notice if they are in a bad mood.

"An urgent telegram has arrived from Nanjing. My mother suddenly fainted yesterday and is currently in the hospital being investigated for the cause of her illness."

Song Caidie's voice was muffled, and her fingers unconsciously twisted the hem of her clothes.

"Cai Die, don't panic. The fact that you're in the hospital perfectly fine means the situation hasn't reached that point yet. There are many causes for fainting—insufficient blood and qi, a spike in blood pressure, or a sudden drop in blood sugar are all common reasons and not a serious omen."

"Let's wait patiently for the test results and stay calm; that's the right thing to do."

Li Wenguo spoke gently, and every word he said touched her heart.

"Um……"

His words of comfort eased Song Caidie's shoulders a little. Seeing that no one was around in the living room, she tiptoed and quickly pecked him on the cheek, whispering, "Thank you for coaxing me."

After sitting with her for a while, Li Wenguo got up and went to his study to have a private talk with Song Qingzhi.

As usual, he first mentioned Song Caidie's mother, his words full of concern.

To everyone's surprise, Song Qingzhi looked grave and said frankly that he was not optimistic.

He revealed the truth: when his sister-in-law was young, she often felt tightness in her chest and couldn't breathe properly. She even had difficulty walking a few steps quickly, let alone running and jumping.

Upon hearing this, Li Wenguo's heart sank—wasn't this a typical heart-related problem?

We must intervene immediately!

He blurted it out.

Song Qingzhi shook his head with a wry smile: "My sister-in-law believes in traditional Chinese medicine. She's fine with taking her pulse and prescribing some medicine; but when it comes to going to the hospital, with the stethoscope on her chest and the need to unbutton her clothes to examine her, she absolutely refuses and has been dragging her feet on getting treatment."

Yesterday, his brother practically dragged him in.

This topic was ultimately somewhat private, so Li Wenguo stopped there and then took out a yellowed map from his pocket.

"As expected, I found another one."

Song Qingzhi took it and examined it carefully for a long time. Finally, he carefully put it away and looked at Li Wenguo with sincere admiration: "Wenguo, your ability to find things is truly amazing! I think there are probably very few things in this world that can escape your eyes."

"Oh, President Song, don't flatter me! It was pure luck—I found it while arresting Japanese spies, it was just a coincidence!"

Li Wenguo scratched his head and smiled憨厚ly.

Despite his modesty, he was always quick to arrest Japanese spies, and he never failed.

"Wen Guo, stop hiding! When it comes to capturing the enemy, who dares to compare with you right now?"

"Moreover, this is probably just the tip of the iceberg—your other skills may be deeper and more profound, but you just haven't shown them yet."

Song Qingzhi's smile was genuine and generous.

Hey!

Does picking up girls count?

Li Wenguo secretly grinned to himself.

"President Song, you're being too harsh. I don't have any real skills; I rely entirely on luck. I've always made a living by luck!"

Keep a low profile, that's the only way to survive!

The greater one's ability, the heavier the burden.

The heavier the burden, the more stable the position!

"Heh, but luck has to be based on something. Your enduring good fortune is precisely the strongest evidence of your smooth career!"

What the hell!

How can this be explained away?

Li Wenguo chuckled twice: "Yes, yes, you've explained it clearly. I've got it. I've got it."

In fact, Song Qingzhi knew very well that he loved Song Qingzhi's unassuming nature—that's what makes a good official!

Being too eye-catching can cause trouble; being too conspicuous can easily arouse suspicion.

"By the way, President Song, has there been any movement from the Xu family?"

Li Wenguo finally revealed the purpose of his visit.

"Well, let the Xu family come in person so we can discuss the details face-to-face."

Huh?

Is it a success?

Li Wenguo felt a surge of warmth in his heart and almost burst out laughing.

If it succeeds, then I can rightfully...

Hey!

"But don't rush to hold a banquet. This is just a preliminary agreement. Whether it will work out or not depends on how well the subsequent negotiations go. There are many variables involved, and it's not a sure thing."

Song Qingzhi's expression softened slightly, but he didn't completely rule out the possibility of a definitive answer.

variable?

What variable?

Could it be that someone is going to raise the stakes... Oh, not disrupt things, but raise the price!

Li Wenguo's eyes sharpened.

"Hmm, it seems you've already figured it out."

"The position of commander has long been a hot potato; a division is merely an entry ticket."

Admission ticket?

Didn't Xu Wanqing say that this was all the wealth the Xu family could bet?

Could it be... she's fooling me?

A sense of frustration welled up inside Li Wenguo.

I treated you with all my heart, and you, on the other hand, kept things from me?

Even so, he only thought about it briefly. After all, what the other person was going to give up was a woman's most precious possession, and if he really wanted to argue about it, he wouldn't have the face to just walk away.

Ultimately, this matter can't really be blamed on Xu Wanqing. Discussing the details of the cooperation involves the complex relationships between several parties—how to divide the profits, where the bottom line is, what can be said, and what needs to be kept secret... How could she just casually reveal all this to Li Wenguo?

Even Song Qingzhi would probably never let him get involved.

After all, he hasn't really entered the game yet, unless he goes through the wedding ceremony with Song Caidie tonight and becomes a member of the Song family.

Finally, Song Qingzhi reiterated an old saying: "Under the same conditions, the Xu family will be given priority."

After finishing their business, Song Qingzhi, for the first time, seriously instructed Li Wenguo to spend some time with his niece and comfort her.

Li Wenguo readily agreed.

He spent the whole day with her, and they even had dinner at the Song family's house.

As soon as the dinner ended, Li Wenguo rushed off to meet Xu Wanqing.

It was the same hotel, and the same spacious suite.

With a burning anger inside, his movements were inevitably a bit hasty and forceful; but Xu Wanqing remained silent, as docile as a cat, which made Li Wenguo feel uneasy and like he was a terrible person.

"Didn't you say that a division was all the force you could mobilize? How come someone else is jumping out to say that it's just an entry ticket? Do you think I'm stupid?"

He pressed him with a low, menacing voice.

"Of course not! It's just that this matter involves the exchange of interests, secret cooperation agreements, and even some... darker arrangements among several parties."

Xu Wanqing immediately chimed in, subtly revealing a tiny bit of secret in her words—

She knew perfectly well that Li Wenguo was able to hear all this because Song Qingzhi had revealed the information, indicating that things had reached a critical juncture and she absolutely could not allow him to harbor any further doubts.

"Ha, the tricks of your bureaucratic system, going around in circles, are exhausting and time-consuming. In the end, even you yourselves can't figure them out. Is that interesting?"

Li Wenguo chuckled, his lips curling downwards.

"Sigh... I'm tired of all this tangled mess. It's a pity my brother passed away three years ago, otherwise I wouldn't have to take over this mess."

Xu Wanqing sighed softly, her voice full of exhaustion.

Li Wenguo's heart tightened upon hearing this—her brother had died at his hands.

Ultimately, the reason she's working tirelessly day and night, risking everything, lies with him.

His expression softened, and he reached out to pull her into his arms, gently kissing her cheek. His voice softened as well: "It's done. Bank Manager Song has given his approval, saying that your Xu family can go directly to him to discuss the details."

"real?"

"Wen Guo, you're amazing!"

"Pop!"

Xu Wanqing's eyes lit up, and she smiled, her eyes crinkling. Li Wenguo's vanity was instantly filled to the brim.

Yes, she's a sensible woman!