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

Xianglan then quickly locked the money box, wrung out a hot towel to wipe his face and hands, and finally, he carried her into the inner room with his arms around her waist, warming her from her skin to her bones.

Honestly—

If Xianglan hadn't been born with a resilient and hardy body, she probably would have been worn out by him long ago.

"Li! I'm leaving for England tomorrow morning to report to the board of directors. I expect to return to Shanghai in three months. I entrust the entire firm to you."

The following morning, in the general manager's office, Charlie, the foreigner, leaned back in his leather chair, his gaze steadily fixed on Li Wenguo's face.

"Understood. You can rest assured that I will keep a close eye on all matters, big and small, of the trading company and ensure that nothing goes wrong."

Li Wenguo stood ramrod straight, his expression solemn, like a flag standing tall.

"Um!"

"With you here, I feel at ease."

"Oh, by the way—this is Maria, she's not traveling with me. You...keep an eye on her."

Before he finished speaking, Li Wenguo had already looked up and glanced over: Maria was leaning against Charlie's shoulder, half of her body softly resting in his arm, her red lips slightly upturned, her eyes sparkling, her voluptuous figure wrapped in a crimson cheongsam, her waist shockingly slender, but her breasts so full they seemed to burst out of the fabric.

The word "be careful" sounded polite, but it was clearly a way of telling him to keep a close eye on her—to prevent her from secretly colluding with others and causing trouble in Shanghai.

Li Wenguo didn't even blink, only nodded slightly.

"Mary, you can seek him out if you need anything while I am away."

Charlie then turned his head to the side, his tone both indulgent and authoritative.

His trust in Li Wenguo was ingrained in his very bones.

Maria lazily lifted her eyelids, gave Li Wenguo a half-smile, then clung tightly to Charlie's arm, pleading, "No, Charlie, take me—I want to see your castle!"

"Sweetie, this trip back is for a family meeting; there's no room for jokes..."

Before he could finish speaking, Li Wenguo had already quietly retreated to the door and gently closed the oak door.

Charlie's instruction to "keep an eye on Maria" was completely ignored by him.

She is a foreigner, and if she really has other ideas, it will involve foreign circles; once it gets to the consulate or the police station, it will be a hot potato, and he has neither the right to intervene nor the intention to get involved.

Compared to a philandering mistress, the trading company is the lifeblood—as long as the accounts are clear, the supply chain is stable, and the customers don't cause trouble, the sky won't fall.

As soon as the clock struck midnight, Li Wenguo strolled toward the small, smoke-filled room in the horse-tooth shed.

It's been almost half a month since I asked him to find that female student. Ma Yafang hasn't come to the door, which means there's still no sign of her; but Li Wenguo came this time to ask about something else.

As soon as the door was opened, Ma Yafang sprang up from the rattan chair, his face beaming with smiles, his wrinkles smoothing out like a chrysanthemum:

"Master Li! Congratulations on your promotion!"

"From now on, you'll be at the helm of this trading company!"

"Ha ha!!!"

"Oh, how could that be? It was all thanks to your personal introduction that I was able to get into this prestigious place! I owe it all to your help!"

Li Wenguo was warm-hearted in words, but his eyes remained gentle and kind—he was not like Hong Liutao, who became arrogant and forgot his own name once he got his hands on power.

"Oh dear! You're flattering me!"

"You got into the foreign firm because of your own hard work! I'm just a door knocker at best. If you keep flattering me like this, I'll lose face!"

Ma Yafang waved his hands repeatedly, beads of sweat forming on his forehead.

After several rounds of polite back-and-forth, Li Wenguo finally spoke up: "That girl... still no leads?"

"Alas! Master Li, I am ashamed! Truly ashamed!!!"

"I've been running myself ragged trying to get this done, and I haven't been able to sleep well at night!"

He slapped his thigh, sighing in frustration.

Actually, you can't blame him—Beijing is too big a place, with people crammed together and houses packed side by side; there are at least seven or eight hundred thousand mouths to breathe. Finding someone like that based solely on vague terms like "female student," "pretty," and "student-like face" is like finding a needle in a haystack.

Li Wenguo knew perfectly well what was going on and was about to explain his purpose when Ma Yafang suddenly slapped his forehead and lowered his voice, saying:

"However, Mr. Li, the 'student face' part is really hard to find, but as for the other conditions—I've actually come across one: age, status, physique, and scholarly air—everything fits perfectly! Would you like to take a look?"

"Oh?"

"She's a little lacking in innocent charm, but she's from a proper school, with clean features and a shapely figure—perfectly proportioned with a slender waist and a full bloom of peach blossoms!"

Li Wenguo's eyes lit up, and he suddenly felt enlightened.

It is truly a case of "the mountains and rivers seem to block the way, but then a new village appears amidst the willows and flowers."

"Uh-huh!!!"

"That's right, I've prepared all the photos!"

Seeing that he was really interested, Ma Yafang immediately took out a square black and white photo from his pocket.

"Oh! There are photos too?"

Li Wenguo was slightly surprised—he thought he was just asked to secretly peek at the real person, but he didn't expect that he would actually take a video.

He reached out and took it, looked down, and hey!

Even with a black and white background, it couldn't hide the woman's skin, which was as delicate and translucent as a freshly peeled lotus root; her eyebrows and eyes were as clear as a spring stream, with a light and distant dark color; her black hair fell to her shoulders, and was soft and shiny; her oval face was as white as jade, with a warm and moist glow; although her lips were not painted, they had a fresh and moist color, making people unable to help but take a second look.

What's even more remarkable is that scholarly air—neither cold nor hot, neither humble nor arrogant, dignified yet approachable, making people want to get close, yet hesitant to be presumptuous.

As for his figure—Ma Yafang was already prepared and handed over another profile photo.

"She's the one."

Li Wenguo immediately made the decision and readily agreed.

So satisfied that they didn't even bother to ask what conditions the other party had proposed.

"Hey! Master Li!"

"If you like it, that's fine, but—this family has certain requirements. You should listen to their advice first before making a decision."

Ma Yafang reminded me with a smile.

"Okay, go ahead."

Li Wenguo nodded, also realizing that he had been too reckless.

But you can't blame him for that—this girl is just too good. Once you marry her, her vibrant energy and graceful figure are like water flowing freely when you turn on a tap, a delightful sensation that goes straight to your heart.

"Mr. Li, the woman's family works for the municipal government, and I heard they're trying to get promoted. She's not young anymore, so this might be their last gamble. Therefore..."

With a gentle pinch of the two fingers, the fingertips conveyed a silent weight.

The meaning is clear: they want money.

"A dowry of five thousand silver dollars!"

"Oh my! Are they trying to sell their daughter as if she were a precious porcelain piece?"

Li Wenguo's lips curled into a cold smile.

Selling one's daughter for a better future? These days, it's not uncommon.

"Of course, if Mr. Li feels it's not worth it, I'll pretend I never said that."

Ma Yafang spoke sincerely, but inwardly he shook his head.

In his eyes, spending five thousand silver dollars to buy a wife was pure wastefulness—five hundred dollars could bring a beautiful young woman into the house, and he could also take two pretty concubines along the way, how generous!

This price is clearly a trap, designed to lure fools into falling for it.

If it weren't for the fact that this girl's breasts were so full, like two ripe peaches, Ma Yafang would never have pushed her towards Li Wenguo.

But before he could finish speaking, he heard—

"Yes! I want it!"

"It's just five thousand yuan, isn't it?"

"I can afford it!"

Li Wenguo blurted it out without the slightest hesitation.

Money? He's never short of it. Having finally stumbled upon an upgraded version of Teacher C, how could he just let him go?

"ah???"

"Five thousand silver dollars, Mr. Li, you really dare to accept that?!"

Ma Yafang's eyes almost popped out of their sockets.

He originally thought the price would definitely scare people away, but to his surprise, Li Wenguo seemed to have gotten a bargain.

On second thought, I slowly began to savor the flavor—

Nowadays, female students are everywhere, but it's really hard to find a pair that are tall, full, and naturally grown!

Don't listen to nonsense. There are plenty of women in the world with large breasts, but many of them were bound by their parents with strips of cloth and thin ropes from a young age, which cut off their development. It's the same principle as foot binding in the old days.

So, out of ten girls on the street, nine are as flat as a chopping board.

There are also those who are not bound by rules; they grow as they should, but when they go out, they wrap themselves tightly in their clothes, and from a distance, they still appear as flat as paper.

Enough with the chit-chat.

"If he dares to set a price, I dare to throw in the money!"

"I'll leave this to you."

Li Wenguo raised his wrist swiftly and decisively.

"Okay, okay!!!"

"Then, Mr. Li, please come again tomorrow afternoon."

"Since they're in such a hurry, they're probably desperate for money. We'll surely get a reply tomorrow."

A seasoned veteran of the ma yafang business could see right through the other party's anxiety.

"Okay, I'll be there on time tomorrow."

……

Time flies.

It was already the afternoon of the next day in the blink of an eye.

Li Wenguo had just finished get off work when he strolled into the horse tooth pharmacy.

"Master Li!"

"It's done!!!"

"They've given up!"

"As long as the dowry is exactly the same and all the betrothal gifts are complete, let's pick an auspicious day to get engaged. The 25th of the year is the most auspicious, just in time for you to welcome him into our home."

Ma Yafang was overjoyed.

"The 25th of the twelfth lunar month?"

"Tsk tsk..."

"This is more urgent than a death warrant."

Li Wenguo smacked his lips, looking surprised.

It's only the tenth day of the twelfth lunar month now, and if you do the math, the wedding will be in fifteen days—there's still the engagement, sending invitations, preparing gifts, and choosing an auspicious date to go, all of these things need to be done in a rush.

Calling it a wedding robbery wouldn't be an exaggeration.

It seems the other party is truly driven to desperation by money.

He thought to himself.

"Okay, I agree."

Li Wenguo nodded, and Ma Yafang followed up, "Then let's set it for three days from now, an auspicious day, to get the engagement, betrothal gifts, and dowry all settled at once. All you have to do is wait to bring your beauty home."

"Good! Good! Good!"

"I'm completely clueless about these rules; I'm entirely relying on you to handle them. Don't worry, you'll definitely be well-paid!"

Having lived two lives and getting married for the first time, he was completely clueless about the formalities of this era, not to mention the modern customs.

"Of course, of course! You must have a glass of sweet wine with me then!"

Ma Yafang laughed so hard his eyes crinkled with wrinkles.

"Ha ha!!!"

"We've known each other for a long time, so there'll be plenty of wine for the wedding!"

Having recruited another teacher, Mr. C, Li Wenguo raised an eyebrow and laughed loudly.

"By the way, isn't that yard next to mine vacant? I'm thinking of buying it. Could you go and sound them out for me—are they willing to make a move?"

I was too busy with important matters yesterday and forgot, but it's not too late to bring it up now.

"Master Li, are you buying another courtyard this time?"

Ma Yafang was stunned, his eyelids twitching.

A storm raged within me.

Li Wenguo has already secured a house, and negotiations for a three-courtyard house in Nanluoguxiang are in full swing. Now he has his eye on a third one—another well-organized three-courtyard house! Without five thousand silver dollars, he probably won't even be able to get the door open.

Then there's the 5,000 yuan bride price...

A full ten thousand silver dollars!

My God!!!

Money is flowing out like water!