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

Li Wenguo grinned and turned to Xiao Cui, saying, "Xiao Cui, from now on, don't call me 'Young Master Guoping' anymore—you're my woman, a legitimate concubine, not a maid who serves tea and water. You don't need to be subservient."

Only then would the servants respectfully call him "Young Master".

"oh!!"

Xiao Cui readily agreed, then quickly glanced at Dong Haitang.

That's right. Even Xu Wanqing treats her like this, constantly ordering her around, "Xiaocui, go change the tea" or "Xiaocui, bring the account book," just like she orders Xiaoju around. She doesn't treat her like a mistress at all.

Seeing that Li Wenguo wasn't even looking in her direction, Dong Haitang immediately glared at Xiao Cui. Xiao Cui was so frightened that she quickly lowered her eyes and secretly twisted the hem of her clothes with her fingers.

"By the way, where is Wanqing?"

He asked it casually.

"I reckon... Madam is feeding Young Master Guowen inside right now... uh!"

Xiao Cui almost stammered halfway through her sentence.

"It's alright, from now on just call him 'Guowen,' don't add 'Young Master'—who made that rule? I did. Got it?"

He reached out and patted Xiao Cui's buttocks lightly.

"I'll remember that, sir."

Her voice was soft, and her head was slightly lowered.

"Also, tell Xiaoju that I'm going upstairs to see Wanqing, and that dinner should be plentiful."

Just before leaving, he turned back and added one more sentence.

A short while later, Li Wenguo arrived at Xu Wanqing's door.

"Oh? Master's back?"

Xu Wanqing, who had just finished feeding Xiao Guowen, looked up and her eyes lit up immediately.

"My darling Wanqing, I've missed you so much!"

After a long separation, she was even more charming after giving birth to her third child. Her eyebrows and eyes were relaxed, her figure was full, and every move she made was full of ripe sweetness, like a freshly peeled peach, making people's throats tighten.

Li Wenguo felt a surge of warmth in his heart and immediately placed his hand on her waist.

Before the two could exchange more than a few intimate words, undercurrents were already churning at the Dexian Club.

The air in the manager's office was thick and cloying.

"Madam Yang, today is the last day to repay your debt of fifty thousand silver dollars—how do you plan to do so?"

The man in his thirties leaned back in his leather chair, his eyes like an oiled brush, scrutinizing Hongyu's curly bangs all the way down to the high slit of her cheongsam, as if he wanted to tear the sky-blue silk open right there and then.

Hongyu's makeup was impeccable: her newly permed wool curls, her oval face dazzlingly white, and her exquisitely tailored sky-blue cheongsam hugging her tall figure. Her chest was slightly swollen from breastfeeding, and with a lift of her skirt, half of her snow-white and shapely long legs were faintly visible, making her a truly stunning beauty.

Gollum—

The man's Adam's apple bobbed violently.

"Um... could you give me a few more days? I'll raise the money, and I'll definitely add more interest."

Hongyu's fingertips were cool, and her voice was as light as a feather.

"Madam Yang, to tell you the truth, I've been able to hold out until now entirely because of your face—today, there's really no way out."

He leaned forward, the tip of his leather shoe almost brushing against the tip of her embroidered shoe. "You're so beautiful, and you've taken such good care of yourself. In less than six months, this money will be all gone, won't you say?"

Hongyu's face turned deathly pale instantly, and she shook her head violently: "No, no! If that were to happen, my husband would definitely tear me apart!"

The so-called "repayment" was actually forcing her to work as a prostitute.

That's right, it's about entertaining customers.

On the surface, Dexian Club is a respectable place for wealthy ladies to play cards, drink tea, and attend banquets. But in reality, it is a black hole that traps rich women—first, it lures them into competing and spending extravagantly, then it sets up schemes to make them lose all their wealth, and finally it forces them to sell themselves with IOUs.

Hongyu is vain, competitive, and attractive. She often comes here to compare jewelry, children, and husbands' official positions with others.

The most fashionable "wives' socializing" these days is sitting around a mahjong table, arranging tiles while showing off gold bracelets, praising the young master, and lamenting the rapid promotion of their husbands.

Little did she know that the three wives who played cards with her had already been exploited and were taking turns serving officials and businessmen. This time, they set their sights on Hongyu and cheated her out of everything, leaving her with nothing. They then coaxed her into signing an IOU with the guild hall so that she could continue to lose and borrow money until she was heavily in debt, approaching 50,000 silver dollars.

That's when it was the manager's turn to step in personally.

As long as Hongyu agrees to play, each of the three "card players" will receive a reward of two thousand yuan.

And that's how the scene just now unfolded.

"Isn't your master far away in Qingzhong? How could anyone know?"

"Besides, everyone here is a powerful figure, some even more influential than your husband—if one of them takes a fancy to you and buys you out of your servitude as a concubine, wouldn't you be ten times better off than you are now?"

The man spoke lightly, but his words were laced with venom.

Dexian Club, ostensibly a private club, was in reality a pimping operation, catering exclusively to high-ranking officials and wealthy businessmen seeking pleasure.

"No...you don't understand my master."

Hongyu's lips trembled, her nails digging into her palms. "He's ruthless and has a wide network of informants. If I really dared to get involved in this... I'm afraid there wouldn't even be any bone fragments left."

"Oh, Madam Yang, you can rest assured about this matter—the people behind the Dexian Guild Hall are the ones who can make the final decisions. Protecting you is a piece of cake; if they want to pass a message to your husband or give him a little encouragement, it's just a matter of lifting a finger. You really don't need to worry."

When the man mentioned Hongyu's husband, he curled his lip in disdain.

The Dexian Guild Hall was backed by powerful officials of the Kuomintang. No matter who came to visit, as long as they weren't wearing official hats and plumes, they had to show deference.

Hongyu was unaware of her husband's true identity and dared not utter a word of it.

"No...no...I really don't dare."

She waved her hands repeatedly, her body trembling slightly.

"You dare not? Then how do you plan to cover the 50,000 silver dollars?"

"what?"

The man's voice suddenly rose, and he slammed his hand on the table, making the teacup jump.

After exhausting all sweet talk, he simply dropped the pretense of politeness.

Hongyu shuddered, staring at his suddenly ferocious face. Her heart felt like it was being clenched, and cold sweat slid down her temples.

Her voice was weak: "Give me...give me a few more days, I'll definitely raise the money! I'll definitely pay it back!"

"What are you going to use to pay me back? You've already emptied your savings; your earrings, bracelet, and that gold hairpin were all pawned—now you're emptier than a stove!"

He took a half-step closer, his gaze sharp as a hook: "Right now, all you have left is a shell. That's the only way to pay off your debts."

He suddenly changed the subject: "However... I can loosen the reins a bit—three days, as long as you spend one night with me."

He walked around the rosewood desk and strolled step by step to Hongyu, his eyes gleaming with a fierce light, like a hungry wolf staring at its prey, making no attempt to conceal it.

This was a psychological trap: once she agreed to break her vow, she would no longer have a say in the matter.

Once is a mistake, twice is compliance, three or four times... and it becomes a habit.

He reached out and pinched her chin, his fingertips icy cold. Hongyu jerked her head away, staggering back two steps, almost falling to her knees, pleading, "Just...just one more day! I'll risk my life to get it! If I can't get it...I..."

The second half of the sentence stuck in his throat, but he understood—it was a silent agreement.

"Alright, if the money isn't there by noon tomorrow, it won't be just once, it will be twice."

"hey-hey……"

He grinned, and oily wrinkles appeared at the corners of his eyes.

Hongyu was the most alluring woman he had ever seen. Her eyebrows were charming, and she was timid yet beautiful. Just standing there, she could make one's bones go weak.

He was itching with desire.

The reason they didn't immediately break off relations was because she was still nominally Li's concubine—if she really caused someone's death, and the higher-ups investigated, he would also be held responsible.

But he had seen countless people and was particularly adept at manipulating women who cared about their image and reputation. He knew how to gradually remove the steps that were in their way and make them roll into the mud on their own.

Hongyu practically escaped from Dexian Guild Hall.

My mind was in turmoil the whole way, and regret overwhelmed me:

Why did you try to curry favor with those wealthy ladies and squeeze into this clubhouse in the first place?

Why the urge to gamble? One bet wipes out half a lifetime of peace, and now you're almost out of a job...

"What should we do?"

She dared not speak to Xu Wanqing—for fear of being beaten to death. She believed Xu Wanqing would actually do it.

Li Wenguo was far away, so Xu Wanqing was the one in charge at home. Apart from Dong Haitang, the other concubines were nothing but decorations in her eyes, and even the children were considered an eyesore. She had established an ironclad rule: anyone who violated it would be slapped at least ten times, without hesitation. Everyone feared her as if they were facing the King of Hell, even holding their breath.

Could she be asked to solicit clients? She dared not.

Li Wenguo had long ago made a stern statement: Anyone who dares to cheat will be beaten to death on the spot, and their corpse will be dragged to feed the dogs—no leniency, no mercy.

Gambling is a red line; getting involved can result in being locked in the woodshed at best, and at worst... no one dares to imagine.

The more I thought about it, the more frightened I became. If this got back to Xu Wanqing, the consequences would probably be worse than being sold into servitude.

She was terrified of death; her teeth chattered with fear.

escape?

The thought had barely formed when it was extinguished.

Outside Qingzhong City, the sky is high and the land is far, but a bright and flamboyant woman like her could be kidnapped as soon as she steps out of the city gate, abused, and then sold into a brothel—that would truly be worse than death.

Picking up guests?

She can pay it off in six months. She can come back, turn over a new leaf, and be a respectable concubine in the Li family again, pleasing the master, raising the children well, and life can go on as usual…

Hongyu only had this idea when she was truly driven to the edge of a cliff.

In chaotic times of famine, human life is as cheap as grass. She was originally from the stage, how could she withstand such a life-or-death threat? After much deliberation, only one dangerous path remained.

Someone else might not have done it any better.

Throughout history, the phrase "forcing good people into prostitution" has been uttered through countless instances of brutal oppression.

Unfortunately, she didn't know that her husband hated treacherous people the most and had already secretly ordered his guards to keep a close watch on her every move. If she really took that step, she would be dragged back to the Li residence and carried out horizontally within three days.

"Aunt Yang!"

"Going back already?"

As she stepped out of the guild hall, two guards stood on either side: one sat steadily in the driver's seat, his fingers lightly tapping the steering wheel; the other quickly walked around to the car and deftly opened the rear door. Hongyu was dazed and her steps were unsteady. She didn't even notice the man's gaze as he looked down at her—his eyes were like a fine blade, quietly scraping across her collar, cuffs, and hair, searching for any trace of water vapor from washing, the smell of hurried perfume, or any other shady dealings left in the guild hall.

She only heard that Li Wenguo was back when she stepped into the house. Her mind went blank, her fingertips went cold, her legs went weak, and she didn't even notice that her heel had gone astray. The gambling debt of 50,000 silver dollars felt like a red-hot iron ingot, burning her heart—if her husband found out, he would probably smash even the teacup. She wandered around all night, her eyes darting around, her voice weak, and even the hands that held tea and water trembled slightly.

Li Wenguo had seen everything. He kept quiet, suppressing his suspicions until the whole family had finished their greetings and the lights had dimmed and the noise had subsided. Only then did he decide to go to her room at midnight to find out the truth.

The women in the room were overjoyed at his return, vying to serve him tea and dishes. Who cared about the second concubine's distraught appearance?

At nine o'clock in the evening, he strolled into Xu Meijing's room. This trip was originally for "continuing the pregnancy," but it just so happened to coincide with the peak of her ovulation period.