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

Seeing that Da Yan had already grabbed the second finger and was about to strike, she suddenly lunged at Li Wenguo, clutching his sleeve and pleading, "Sir! Please take me upstairs, okay? I'll massage your back, make you tea, warm the bed... Please don't make me watch anymore, I really can't take it..."

"Hongyu, do you know how those gamblers who lose all their money and then refuse to pay their debts end up?"

Li Wenguo suddenly asked.

"I...I don't know."

"Ha." He sneered, "Chop your hands clean, one by one."

"Wow! Sir! Didn't you say this was over? Why bring it up again? I swore a solemn oath never to touch mahjong again in my life! Please stop... stop..."

Hongyu's tears streamed down her face, and her shoulders trembled like withered leaves on an autumn branch.

Her heart was filled with turmoil and regret—if only she had known this would happen, how could she have dared to step through that door in the first place? Now her husband would bring this up at the drop of a hat, causing her to live in constant fear and anxiety, and she couldn't even sleep peacefully.

"Snap—!"

"ah--!!!"

The second severed finger fell to the ground.

Li Wenguo slowly took her slender, smooth hand in his, his fingertips gently stroking the back of it: "Look at this hand, how tender, how moist, how adorable. If you were missing three fingers, how could you embroider? How could you hold a child? How could you link arms with me?"

In about ten days, he will have to embark on a long journey, which will last at least a year and a half. Before leaving, he must firmly press this restless heart back to the stove and the cradle—don't let it run away, don't cause trouble, take good care of the home, and protect the child.

"Sir... I really know I was wrong! Please forgive me!"

Her voice was hoarse from crying, and her words were trembling.

With each additional word he spoke, her heart sank a little lower.

"Snap—!"

"ah--!!!"

The third one.

"Master Li, everyone's here."

Da Yan sheathed his sword, stood by with his hands hanging down, and didn't even lift his eyelids.

"Anything else to say?"

Li Wenguo stared at Xue Yong.

Xue Yong lay paralyzed in a pool of blood, his face as white as if it were covered with powder, his eyes bulging, his mouth twitching, his gaze fixed on Hongyu's face—her tears were still wet, her face like a pear blossom in the rain, the more she cried, the more delicate and alluring she appeared, making his lower abdomen burn, his Adam's apple bobbing wildly, and he wished he could pounce on her and tear her plain clothes to shreds.

"I fucking regret it! I regret it so much I could die!"

"I should have just gone all out that day and pounced on her! Even if I were cut into eight pieces today, I'd accept it!"

"I regret it! I regret not snatching this beauty from the sky! Damn it—I'm so frustrated!"

With no other way out, he simply tore off his fig leaf and poured out all the filthiest thoughts in his heart.

"That's more like it," Li Wenguo chuckled. "Telling the truth makes you seem like a dying man. It's a pity—you didn't even have the right to touch her, so you're destined to die with your eyes wide open."

Before he could finish speaking, a sneer rang out.

"You surnamed Li! You'll get what's coming to you... mmm—!"

Big Eyes darted forward and covered his mouth tightly with his large, fan-like hand, not allowing a single sound to escape.

"Mr. Li, should we cut out his tongue too?"

Big Eyes asked for instructions in a low voice.

"Cut your ass my ass!"

"Do you have the words 'utterly depraved' etched on your forehead?"

"Didn't you see your concubine is crying her heart out?"

"His mouth is full of filthy language!"

"Hurry up and send them away, they're already tired of playing with it anyway."

Li Wenguo reprimanded him with a cold face.

A gentle nudge is fine, but if you really scare someone into a state of mental illness, that would be a huge loss—constant worry and sleepless nights could drive someone insane in the long run.

"Hey, still squatting there wiping away tears? Didn't you say you were going upstairs to serve me?"

He stood up and looked down at Hongyu, who was still sobbing with her head down.

"ah???"

"oh oh!!!"

Upon hearing that she could finally escape this hellish situation, Hongyu felt a sense of relief and immediately clutched her skirt, jogging to catch up with her husband.

"Ugh, the eyeliner is all smudged like a panda's, it's disgusting to look at."

He muttered under his breath as he walked towards the stairwell, his anger still simmering.

"Don't be annoyed, sir. Just wait two minutes while I touch up my makeup—I guarantee it will make your eyes light up and your heart flutter."

Hongyu was determined to draw the most alluring eyebrows and apply the most vibrant lipstick, so that he would be unable to look away from her at first glance.

In a nearby neon-lit dance hall.

Song Caidie remained expressionless as she sat in a corner of the booth, opposite Tang Zhenbang, the young master of the Tang family.

"Miss Song, you don't look too well. How about we have a dance to cheer you up?"

Tang Zhenbang held his wine glass, his smile as gentle and refined as jade.

"Sorry, I twisted my back badly, and the doctor said I shouldn't move it."

Song Caidie spoke in a flat tone, without even lifting her eyelids.

"Ouch, your back is hurt? Is it serious?"

"What a coincidence! There's a family-run blacksmith shop in the south of the city that makes excellent medicinal wine to promote blood circulation and remove blood stasis. I'll go with you tomorrow and buy two bottles to apply. It'll be effective in three days."

Tang Zhenbang immediately moved closer, his eyes gleaming with eagerness.

He was a member of the Tang family, and the clan was pushing for this marriage alliance; but when he met Song Caidie for the first time, he fell for her—not for profit, but because he genuinely wanted to marry her and cherish her for the rest of his life.

……

Despite his fiery enthusiasm, Song Caidie remained as cold as ice.

"No need, it's an old problem, I'll be fine after a couple of days of rest."

Tang Zhenbang continued talking non-stop, while she only nodded, pursed her lips, and occasionally responded with an "Mm".

Now, all men are nothing more than blurry shadows in her eyes.

In her heart, there was only one name: Li Wenguo.

When she returned a year ago, she heard from her uncle Song Qingzhi that Li Wenguo had already married Xu Wanqing.

In that instant, it felt like being struck by lightning on the top of my head; I froze on the spot, forgetting even to breathe.

Later, she found out that Xu Wanqing was in Qingzhong, so she went directly to her door.

But Xu Wanqing remained calm and prepared her explanation in advance:

"I've liked him for a long time. After you left, he drowned his sorrows in alcohol every day. That night, he was so drunk that he was unconscious. When I was taking care of him, he mistook me for you... that's how that night happened."

She had intended to back down, but unexpectedly, Li Wenguo hit the nail on the head—she became pregnant.

Under pressure from her family, she had no choice but to bite the bullet and marry him.

She was still holding the baby boy in her arms when she left, her eyes brimming with tears: "Cai Die, you're back! I'll divorce him right now and make him marry you!"

But when Song Caidie looked up:

Xu Wanqing was sitting next to a little girl who was a little over two years old, holding a seven-month-old boy in her arms. Her belly was swollen high, clearly indicating that she was pregnant again.

My heart softened, and the words stuck in my throat—

What will happen to the three children if this is demolished?

A woman dragging three people around would probably drown in the spittle of the neighbors.

After thinking for a moment, I ultimately couldn't bring myself to do it.

He turned around silently and left.

An hour passed.

Song Caidie estimated that it was about time, got up and went to the restroom, preparing to leave.

Unbeknownst to her, just as her figure disappeared at the end of the corridor, Tang Zhenbang, who had always been so elegant, suddenly twisted his lips into a sinister smile and quickly flicked a packet of white powder into her unfinished glass of juice.

When she returned, she tilted her head back and drank the dregs. By the time she left, her steps were already unsteady.

"Miss Song, let me see you to your car."

The disoriented Song Caidie was half-supported and half-carried by Tang Zhenbang and stuffed into the passenger seat.

Just then, a black sedan happened to drive past the entrance of the dance hall. The window rolled down, and a pair of eyes coldly stared at the scene.

He immediately slammed on the brakes, turned around, and gave chase.

Li Wenguo and Hongyu spent a full hour fussing before driving home.

This villa is rarely visited; it was only recently cleaned hastily, and even toothbrushes and towels weren't prepared. Naturally, it needs to return to its old home to rest.

As Haozi passed by the dance hall, his gaze swept across the scene and he witnessed it.

"Mr. Li, isn't that Miss Song?"

"She was walking unsteadily, but her eyes didn't look completely drunk, so she didn't seem like she had drunk too much."

"But he's clearly delirious; he's probably been drugged—Mr. Li, should we give chase?"

Haozi asked in a low voice.

He knew Song Caidie very well, knew her background, and was even more aware of the ambiguous relationship between her and his master, Mr. Li—they were just one step away from breaking through the final barrier.

"Do you even need to ask? Stay close!"

Li Wenguo didn't want to get involved with Song Caidie anymore, but they had known each other for a while and had a close relationship. If she were with her husband, he wouldn't even bother to look at her; but judging from her current state, she had clearly been framed and the two of them were never married—he couldn't just abandon her and leave her to her own devices.

The driver, Da Yan, immediately swerved the steering wheel and floored the accelerator.

"The road ahead, through a grove of trees, is dark, quiet, and deserted—we forced them to stop there."

Li Wenguo gave the order in a cold voice.

He secretly sneered to himself:

Butterfly, you haven't changed your stubbornness at all, and you're still so easy to fool! If you hadn't run into me tonight, you would have nowhere to cry!

"Understood, Mr. Li!!!"

The two quickly scanned the surrounding road conditions.

"Sir, who is this woman? Why are you so interested in her?"

Seeing her husband frowning as he stared at another woman, Hongyu felt a surge of jealousy and couldn't help but probe him.

As she spoke, she pulled Li Wenguo's hand to her waist, her fingertips applying slight pressure: "In terms of looks, she's beautiful, but her figure... don't even compare to me, not even to Xiao Cui or Xiao Ju. Aren't you most attracted to women like us?"

Li Wenguo grabbed her wrist and twisted it, making her let out a soft groan, before sternly scolding, "What kind of jealousy are you getting? Isn't serving you enough? Why are you bothering me about the women around me? Should we go back and make a list for you, and have each one stamped and signed?"

"ah?!"

"No, no, no, sir, you've misunderstood! That's not what I meant... I'm quite content, I was just asking casually, please don't take it seriously, just pretend I didn't say anything!"

Hongyu immediately withdrew her hand, her voice softening considerably.

Tonight's events made her see for the first time how ruthless and hard-hearted her husband was—it turned out that her usually gentle and kind husband was a ruthless character who dared to overturn tables and kill people.

"Hmph, just remember that. Listen up, I'm heading back to Qingzhong in ten days. If you still don't have a baby by then, come back next year and you'll be sorry."

"Don't worry, sir! Ovulation is in five days. I've timed it perfectly; it'll definitely work! You'll definitely get pregnant, you'll!"

Hongyu quickly patted her chest and assured him.

Having a child was no longer a difficult thing for her. Anyway, she was determined to stay in the Li family for the rest of her life. Having a child by her side made her life more secure.

As for the risks?

She had long since stopped worrying about it. Each of her five pregnancies was smoother than the last—with the fourth and fifth pregnancies, the baby would slide out on its own as soon as the cervix dilated, and the pain would only last a few moments before it was over.

What's even more amazing is that, regardless of whether they were her own children or children born to other families, they never got sick as babies. They were as strong as calves, and if you took them out for a walk, they wouldn't even cough once.

Of course, she didn't know that it was because the Li family bloodline was too strong, naturally resistant to disease and disaster, and they rarely caught a cold even in their old age.

So for them, having a baby is as simple, quick, and effortless as cooking a bowl of noodles.

"Mr. Li, the road ahead leading into the woods is lined with trees on both sides, no lights, no cars, no people—hitch a ride right here!"

Big Eyes suddenly spoke up.

"Okay. Also—if there's no one around, leave neither the driver nor that young master in the back seat alive."

Li Wenguo's eyes darkened, and his voice was like a knife scraping against an iron plate.

Those who could enter and leave the dance hall with Song Caidie were definitely not ordinary people; they were most likely scions of deeply entrenched aristocratic families like the Qingzhong Tang family. Saving her meant the feud was now sealed. Rather than guarding against future attacks, it was better to strike under cover of darkness and cleanly.

"Yes, Master Li."

The two agreed in unison.

Nestled in Li Wenguo's arms, Hongyu felt a chill run down her spine and her fingertips turn icy cold—she never imagined that her husband could be so ruthless outside: killing people like dusting off ashes, without even blinking an eye.

Only at that moment did she truly understand what "ruthless" meant.

I silently vowed in my heart: From now on, I will just keep my head down and do my job, be obedient and docile, and not ask questions I shouldn't ask.