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

Half a month passed in the blink of an eye.

Since giving her heart to him and settling the marriage, Lou Meie has been like a blazing stove, burning hot, clinging to him tightly, wishing she could be with him every moment of every breath.

Once a woman has set her sights on someone, her heart opens completely, and all her tenderness, coquettishness, and infatuation pour out towards him.

Li Wenguo reciprocated with equal enthusiasm and romantic gestures. Even Nanako had only been with him twice recently. Lou Meie felt that she was being saccharine with sweetness and that her days were dazzlingly bright.

After making proper arrangements before his departure, he boarded a foreign merchant ship and headed south to Qingzhong, the land of abundance.

The cargo ship kept unloading and loading cargo along the way, and it didn't dock until the fifth day.

For five days, he stayed in his cabin, crammed into a Morse code manual, and with the help of his enhanced brainpower and memory, he managed to memorize the entire set of symbols into his very bones.

As for radio operation? He had watched He Shuting tune and transmit the radio at least ten times before, and he was already very familiar with the process.

Li Wenguo is now considered a semi-expert in intelligence.

With the relocation of the party and state's central government, Chongqing became the new capital, and the city was bustling with activity: the main streets were crowded with people and vehicles, large shops had golden plaques, small vendors occupied half the street, and even the walls were crowded with people shouting and hawking their wares.

"Master Li, this new capital is even more dazzling than our old capital!"

Haozi's eyes widened in disbelief, and his neck was almost sore from twisting.

"The surface is a glittering facade built of gold dust, but who can say what kind of rotten, foul smell lies beneath?"

He left some things unsaid, but his tone was serious.

The Party-state claims to be a capital-driven nation, but in reality, it only has a loose system of regulation—without iron-fisted checks and balances, the only ones who end up getting rich are the layers of officials' sleeves.

Haozi and Dayan nodded silently, their expressions gradually hardening.

Suddenly, a commotion broke out ahead, and a gunshot rang out. The two reacted quickly, stepping sideways to block Li Wenguo's path.

"Get out of the way!"

The three of them followed the flow of people and retreated to a quiet corner of the street.

"Brother, what's all this commotion up ahead?"

Li Wenguo bowed to a man in his thirties beside him.

"You're from out of town, aren't you?"

"Can't even guess that? What else could it be—catching Japanese spies!"

Before the words were even finished, the person had already turned and walked away.

Upon hearing this, Li Wenguo simply nodded slightly, his face remaining calm and composed.

Although this is the capital of the Party-state, the darker the place, the more likely it is to hide the shadows of evil.

He knew very well that the little devil had once launched the "Tong Plan" and even Chiang Kai-shek wanted to drag him into it. What did a mere city and a few high-ranking officials matter to them?

"Master Li, could the spies who made the move... be Wen San and his men?"

Haozi suddenly lowered his voice and asked.

"Most likely."

He should do it decisively.

But as soon as he nodded, his mind suddenly went blank—

and many more!

If Wen San were really here...

Wasn't that shrewish woman, Dong Haitang, also mixed in?

"Let's go, let's follow them and see."

Li Wenguo immediately gave the order.

After all, Beijing was a strategically important city, teeming with officials and military leaders. Local agents, by virtue of their position, were inherently less influential than headquarters. Sending them out to spearhead the effort to capture Japanese spies was perfectly normal.

The three of them took off after him. They thought they had lost him long ago, but the crackling gunfire pulled them back like a thread.

Just as they turned into a quiet, narrow alley, a sharp, clear female voice suddenly rang out from ahead, as cold as a blade scraping against brick: "Halt! You are surrounded—disarm immediately if you do not!"

Sure enough it was her!

Dong Haitang!

Fuck!

Why don't Wen San and Wu Xiaogou just use knives and guns? Why are you, a woman, getting in front of them?

Aren't you afraid of dying in the street?

If the Japanese spies really take you down, I'll have to travel all the way here to collect your body.

Even though he hadn't heard that voice for over a year, it was etched into his very bones, and he would explode at the mere sound of it.

Not only him, but Haozi and Dayan also tensed up at the same time.

"Master Li, it's Concubine Dong!"

"Hmm, let's go take a look."

As he walked, he opened the old leather suitcase in his hand, reached into his pocket, and secretly pulled out three Thompson submachine guns, neatly stuffing them into the hands of the two men.

Holy crap!

No wonder Master Li wouldn't let me carry the suitcase—it was full of weapons!

Haozi and Dayan exchanged a quick glance, their eyes filled with astonishment.

Turning the corner of the alley, about twenty paces away, seven or eight secret agents in Zhongshan suits were forming a semi-circle. Li Wenguo glanced at them and his heart warmed: Dong Haitang, Wen San, Wu Xiaogou, Xiao Jie, Yu Tou… they were all there!

What a strange coincidence! We'd barely entered the city when we stumbled upon our own men digging up rat holes!

He was about to call for help when, with a few loud crashes, a dark figure tumbled out from a gray-walled old courtyard—

Upon closer inspection, my scalp tingled!

Holy shit!

Hand grenade!

If Dong Haitang is overthrown, he might not even be able to leave with a whole corpse!

"Get down—grenade!"

Wen Da roared out, his reaction as fast as a cheetah.

But Li Wenguo was faster—the muzzle of his gun was already raised, and a series of rapid shots rang out, the bullets piercing the air and exploding several black lumps in mid-air!

Only a few scattered gusts of air rushed towards us, but by the time they reached us, they had already softened like a wisp of wind.

Who are you?

"Why?"

"Haozi? Big eyes?"

Dong Haitang lay on the ground, glanced at the two people, and immediately recognized them.

As for that figure firing a gun, it was so familiar that her heart skipped a beat, yet she dared not recognize it for a moment—

Li Wenguo's face was specially painted and its contours altered today.

"Still standing there? Get over here!"

His voice was as rough as sandpaper grinding iron.

"ah?!"

"Master?!"

The moment that tone was uttered, Dong Haitang trembled all over, finally managing to pronounce it correctly—

"Master Li!!!"

"Master Li!!!"

"Master Li!!!"

The group scrambled to his side, bowed their heads and clasped their hands in a respectful gesture.

The fact that this group of people were able to be transferred to Qingzhong was entirely due to Li Wenguo's connections and the large sums of money he spent: their jobs, their families, their accommodations—everything was arranged perfectly and meticulously.

Wen San, Wu Xiaogou, and Xiao Jie still regard him as their backbone.

"Sir, what brings you here so suddenly?"

Dong Haitang's eyes welled up with tears, and her voice became a few degrees brighter.

Li Wenguo didn't reply, his gaze sharp as a nail, sweeping over everyone before finally fixing fiercely on his wife's face:

"Useless idiots! Are you just here to eat and do nothing? How many times have I told you—protect her! If we'd been even half a second later, this troublemaker would have at least broken a few bones, if not dead!"

Wen San, Wu Xiaogou, Xiao Jie, Yu Tou... all of them lowered their heads and remained silent, their shoulders slightly slumped, too ashamed to look up.

"Grandpa, it's not as dangerous as you think—I just quickly assessed the situation. The grenade's blast point is at least five meters away from us. Everyone is lying down; it's safe."

Dong Haitang spoke quickly and decisively, with a firm tone.

"Enough with the nonsense! I'll settle this with you when we get back!"

Li Wenguo glared at him, his voice as deep as a hammer striking a brick.

He casually opened his briefcase, inside which dozens of hand grenades were neatly stacked, their brass fuses gleaming coldly. "Go, turn that den of traitors upside down!"

In less than the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, Wen San and his men, with a barrage of grenades, managed to knock all the Japanese spies huddled against the wall of the small courtyard to the ground.

The bombing we suffered a few days ago has now been paid back, with interest.

Wen San carried the corpses and went straight back to the Military Intelligence Bureau to report.

The Lixingshe Society has long since fallen apart, and is now split into two separate entities: the Central Bureau of Investigation and Statistics (Zhongtong) and the Military Bureau of Investigation and Statistics (Juntong).

"Is everything settled at home?"

"Nothing went wrong?"

Li Wenguo asked as he walked home.

"It's perfectly peaceful—with Sister Wanqing in charge and me here, who would dare to lay a hand on us?"

Dong Haitang answered decisively.

Seeing that things were going badly, the Xu family had already moved their clansmen to Chongqing in batches, and some even went overseas to settle in the United States. To put it bluntly, they wanted to keep a branch of the family in case the Japanese really destroyed the country, so that the Xu family line wouldn't be cut off.

That house in the United States was arranged by Selena, Li Wenguo's son-in-law.

Thanks to the Xu family's deep-rooted influence in Chongqing, no one dared to touch a hair on his head or any of his family members.

"Xianglan, Hongyu, Meijing, and Xiaocui, Xiaoju... have they been causing trouble outside?"

This is what truly worries Li Wenguo.

What he feared wasn't getting into trouble, but losing face.

"Everyone else is well-behaved, but Hongyu..." Dong Haitang paused, "She draws her eyebrows and hair every day, wears gold and silver, and stays out for half a day at a time, acting mysteriously. No one can figure out where she goes."

Ruby?!

Li Wenguo lowered his brow.

He knew that this concubine cared about her image and liked to show off, but she always listened to him and would never cheat on him—she was probably showing off somewhere again!

Even so, I secretly made a mental note: I'll have to find Dafei and get to the bottom of this later.

The wheels rolled over the ornate iron gate and drove directly into the magnificent Western-style villa.

Li Wenguo didn't rush in. He beckoned Dafei over and immediately asked about Hongyu.

"Master Li, you're finally back!"

Dafei stood ramrod straight, his shoulders and back taut like a fully drawn bow. Back in Beijing, he had been the personal guard of the Li family mansion, and now that he had been transferred to Chongqing, he still followed the old rule of being a bodyguard.

"Is everything peaceful at home?"

"With Madam Xu around, not even a stray cat dares to jump over the wall."

"Where's Hongyu? What's she busy with?"

Dafei thought for a moment: "Aunt Yang often goes to Dexian Club—a place exclusively for wealthy ladies to drink tea, listen to operas, play cards, and chat."

Li Wenguo silently memorized the two characters "Dexian," intending to have Dong Haitang and Wen San secretly investigate later.

Then he asked, "Where is she now?"

"He just left, I guess he went to Dexian again."

Ah!

Li Wenguo sneered inwardly, shook his head to vent his anger, and stepped through the gate with Dong Haitang in his arms.

As soon as I reached the porch, I saw Xiao Cui, her skirt fluttering, chasing a six or seven-year-old boy around the yard.

"Young Master Guoping, slow down!"

That child was Dong Haitang's eldest son, almost seven years old, with a chubby face and a swift gait.

"mother--!"

Li Guoping spotted Dong Haitang and pounced on her, his face shining like an oiled bronze mirror.

Halfway there, he caught sight of Li Wenguo, who had removed his makeup and was dressed casually. He paused for a moment, tilted his head and pondered, then suddenly grinned and said, "Dad! You're back?"

"Guoping, do you miss your dad?"

Li Wenguo lifted his son above his head and kissed his sweaty forehead.

"I can't wait! Guoping is the best boy!"

The child puffed out his little chest, looking perfectly justified.

"Oh, little one, you've learned to brag now? Did you have cotton stuffed in your ears when Aunt Cui called you just now?"

Li Wenguo smiled and gently tapped his forehead, his tone devoid of any real reproach.

"Sir, you've finally arrived!"

Xiao Cui's eyes sparkled, and her smile was softer than the wisteria vines hanging from the eaves.

With the master back, she could finally catch her breath from this grueling job.

"Xiao Cui, it's been so long! You've become even more beautiful!"

Li Wenguo reached out and pulled her half a step closer, his hand sliding down to knead her waist and hips a couple of times.

I was cooped up on the ship for five days, and I felt like I was burning with pent-up anger.

"Sir, the child is being watched... Shall we go back to our room?"

Xiao Cui's ears were burning hot, and her voice was so soft it sounded like she was drawing silk.

Dong Haitang, who had been watching from the side, couldn't stand it any longer. She reached out and pulled Li Guoping into her arms, pressing his little head against her shoulder: "Don't look around."

"Hehe, it's blocking the way, he can't see anything."