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

"Um!"

"From now on, you will live in this two-courtyard house."

Li Wenguo settled the four people in the courtyard where he used to live.

He himself had moved into the three-courtyard house next door a few days earlier with He Shuting and Xianglan.

This mansion cost more than five thousand silver dollars. With forty rooms spread out, it covers an area of ​​more than six hundred square meters, making it a truly grand residence.

"Boss, the yard is so big, could we bring all the women and kids here?"

Liu Shouhou forced a pleasing smile onto his monkey-like face, his eyes darting around as he tentatively opened his mouth.

After a moment's thought, Li Wenguo nodded in agreement.

The reason for choosing these four people was not only because they were the most disciplined and hardworking in the old team, but also because each of them had a family to support and people to worry about, so they dared not act rashly.

Now that you're willing to move your whole family in, wouldn't it be perfect to have them right under your nose?

If they show the slightest disloyalty, they can be crushed with a mere wave of the hand.

Upon receiving confirmation, Wen San, Ding Xiaoqi, Liu Shouhou, and Kong Wu immediately knelt down and kowtowed in gratitude, their voices trembling with emotion.

Such a spacious and bright house is a hundred times better than living in a shantytown; it is both safe and respectable.

With fewer worries in their hearts, they shouldered more responsibility—protecting their master became something ingrained in their bones.

Time flies like water.

Three months have passed in the blink of an eye.

Li Wenguo spent these days peacefully, almost to the point of being lazy.

He Shuting and Xianglan's bellies are already slightly protruding.

He had long lost his passion for the two of them, but fortunately there was Maria—his blonde, blue-eyed foreign lover—who quenched his immediate thirst.

It must be said that the Western woman lived up to her reputation: she was incredibly stamina-filled and showed no stage fright when she was being pleasured. She was in no way inferior to the exceptionally gifted Xianglan, and she always gave Li Wenguo a thoroughly enjoyable experience.

Maria was completely subdued, bowing her head and obeying his every whim.

But this comfort did not last long.

Because—Charlie the foreigner is back.

The once wild and untamed Mary transformed into a docile sheep overnight.

Li Wenguo dared not visit again, and would even avoid him if they happened to meet on the street.

Why?

It was only because every time they met, Maria would stare at him with that hesitant look, a look of resentment that made him uneasy.

Li Wenguo was afraid that Charlie would notice something amiss, so every time they brushed past each other, his palms were covered in cold sweat.

As for the fact that Maria has been completely tamed by him, there is no need to worry about Charlie becoming suspicious—

After all, that foreigner was shot in a vital spot during his early years of service and has been unable to have sex since.

Charlie, a foreigner from a minor noble family, valued his reputation highly, so he simply asked Maria to be his mistress to shut others up.

This extremely private matter was originally known only to his ex-wife and Maria.

Now, Li Wenguo has joined the list.

In the process, we also figured out why Maria had been so depressed—it was like a fire burning in her heart, and no one was there to put it out!

On this day, a small-time businessman insisted on inviting Li Wenguo to a banquet at Heyuan Restaurant.

They originally wanted to go to the more upscale Fuyuan Restaurant, but Li Wenguo insisted on coming here.

What's the point? Just to catch that actress on stage flirting and bewitching, her eyebrows and eyes all swaying with charm.

"Mr. Li, could you get this batch of goods ready for me within a month?"

Kotaro Sakazuki pushed forward and handed over two pieces of paper.

Above was a densely packed list of supplies, and underneath was a check for one thousand silver dollars.

Li Wenguo glanced at it and his heart skipped a beat.

It turned out to be penicillin.

Although the three northeastern provinces had fallen, the Japanese soldiers suffered heavy casualties on the front lines and desperately needed anti-inflammatory drugs to keep them alive.

To be honest, he'd been eyeing this medicine for a long time.

These are survival items on the battlefield, and their prices are outrageously high. Selling them at exorbitant prices not only yields huge profits but also puts a serious strain on them – truly killing two birds with one stone.

He tucked the check into his pocket, frowned, and sighed, "Mr. Kotaro, this stuff is harder to find than gold these days. I can only give you half at most. You know how this stuff is..."

Before he finished speaking, Kotaro Sakae pulled out another bill and slammed it on the table.

"Despite the shortage, they'll give me a break and make sure there's enough for me, so don't worry."

Li Wenguo readily accepted it, his expression immediately changing as he patted his chest and assured him, "Just wait for good news!"

With two thousand dollars in my pocket, I felt as sweet as if I were filled with honey.

After they had eaten and drunk their fill, the other party enthusiastically invited him to their geisha house for a full-service experience.

He waved his hand and declined.

Those geisha with faces painted thicker than snow, their features completely blurred, making it impossible to discern whether they were round or flat. Who knows what kind of person they are hiding underneath?

After saying goodbye and leaving, he didn't go far. Instead, he turned around and slipped into the backstage dressing room.

I spotted the actress Hongyu, who had just removed her makeup, at a glance.

Her figure was dazzlingly hot, and her face was strikingly similar to that of Yang Mi in later years—big, star-like eyes, a high nose bridge, and a sharp, defined jawline, as if she had stepped right out of an old photograph.

Li Wenguo was stunned on the spot, his heart skipped a beat.

A thought flashed through my mind: Could she be Yang Mi's great-great-grandmother, five or four generations removed?

He grabbed the person and pulled them into the adjacent changing room, tugging at the curtain which fell shut with a thud.

"Mr. Li, please wait... there are still people outside."

Hongyu verbally refused, but her body was as limp as if she had no bones, allowing him to touch her all over.

"If you don't speak up, who will hear you?"

He chuckled and nibbled at her earlobe.

He reached out to undo her belt, but she gently pressed his wrist down.

"Master Li, if you truly love Hongyu, then redeem me—my body, my heart, my life, they are all yours."

"Redeem! Redeem immediately! I'll take care of it right away!"

Upon hearing this, Hongyu's eyes sparkled, her lips curled slightly, and she slowly licked her lips with her tongue before squatting down.

These days, actors aren't really anything special; they're just unfortunate people from lowly social classes.

The day they can no longer sing or dance, they will either be sold off or end up on the streets.

Therefore, finding a powerful backer as soon as possible is their only way to survive.

After Li Wenguo finished his pleasure, he immediately summoned the troupe leader and made the decision on the spot to redeem Hongyu from her servitude, and take her away that very night.

The troupe leader had long seen through their secret collusion and was just waiting for this decisive moment to make a hefty profit from them.

He immediately asked for five hundred silver dollars.

To be honest, Li Wenguo really felt that this enhanced version of Da Mi Mi was worth the price, and even doubling the price wouldn't be a loss—in later times, you could throw mountains of gold and silver and still not get close to her.

But now is not the time to talk about sentimentality.

If I actually pay the full amount, the neighbors will laugh their heads off and think I'm a clueless sucker.

The price must be pushed down.

After some back and forth, they cut off 100 dollars.

Actually, he could have kept at it, but when Li Wenguo looked down at his pocket watch, he realized that he had almost worn his lips out and had spent a whole hour on it.

Then look at the troupe leader, he's full of energy, not even blinking, looking ready to fight all night long.

Li Wenguo's throat was dry, and he cursed inwardly:

Damn! Do I look like someone who's short of money?

The price has been lowered while saving face; at most, it can be considered generous—this deal is secure.

Too lazy to haggle any longer, he readily threw out four hundred silver dollars, grabbed Hongyu's indenture, and hurriedly walked towards the car, holding her wrist.

The world is vast, but nothing beats the joy of a wedding night.

"ah--!"

"Hongyu, your real name is Yang Da Mi? That's such a sweet name, you really live up to it!"

In the car, Li Wenguo casually flipped open the thin contract paper, raised an eyebrow, and blurted out.

Could it be that my previous thoughts were actually true?

Is this once-famous "Big Honey" really going to become part of her own bloodline?

"What's wrong, sir?"

"Is this name unpleasant?"

Hongyu leaned against him, her voice clear and playful.

Having broken free from the confined stage of the opera troupe, she felt like a sparrow that had just spread its wings, suddenly finding the world open up before her, knowing that she could now soar freely in the days to come.

"It sounds so nice, so very nice. Your soft and gentle voice when you talk to me is just as endearing."

Li Wenguo collected his thoughts and replied with a smile.

He leaned closer to her ear and chuckled softly in a low voice:

"Later, I'll have to listen to you sing all night long..."

She came from an opera background, and her voice was naturally captivating, with a sweet and charming tone that was both alluring and tingling, making one's heart tremble.

Li Wenguo had been thinking about this for a long time.

Upon hearing this, Hongyu's cheeks flushed red.

A short while later, the car stopped in front of the house.

Looking up, she saw high walls made of blue bricks, upturned eaves, and a pair of majestic stone lions crouching beside the door, and Hongyu's heart warmed instantly.

Now I can finally relax—I've hooked up with a rich guy, and my life will be secure from now on. I can just be a respectable and wealthy wife.

She unconsciously wrapped her arms around Li Wenguo's arm.

Li Wenguo also sensed the joy of the beautiful woman beside him, and a sense of pride welled up in his heart.

Upon entering the courtyard, he first introduced Hongyu to He Shuting and Xianglan, addressing her as Third Concubine.

Before he finished speaking, he took Hongyu's hand and turned to walk towards the bright main room on the east side, completely ignoring He Shuting's tense expression.

He Shuting was so angry that her chest heaved.

But upon further reflection, he felt like a deflated sack, his eyes drooping in dejection.

Given the state of the world, what could she possibly stop?

Besides, what use would a man who is so lustful be if he were brought into the revolutionary ranks?

It's likely that as soon as the Lixingshe (a secret society) brandishes their whips, he'll expose everything.

That's enough!

The worries that had been plaguing her for days finally found a resolution.

At this moment, Li Wenguo was destined to have another sleepless night.

"Honey--"

"Take me with you!"

"Let's go somewhere where nobody knows us."

"I have a full ten thousand pounds, enough for us to live a carefree life for the rest of our lives!"

That night, Maria could no longer bear her loneliness and quietly approached Li Wenguo, pleading to elope with him.

Back when he first transmigrated here, these words would have really stirred his heart: rich and handsome, fleeing to America to avoid the war, and then returning home as a patriotic industrialist when the world is at peace, wouldn't that be glorious and respectable?

But now—

Impossible.

Li Wenguo was determined not to abandon his wife and children.

He could only coax her gently and calm her down before reluctantly sending her back.

"well……"

"This is really a headache."

He knew from the moment he got involved with Mary that there would be endless trouble.

See, here comes the trouble.

At this moment, Maria is like a time bomb that could explode at any moment; no one can say for sure when she will lose her temper.

Li Wenguo also needs to prepare an escape route early on.

If things really come to the worst, I've considered making her disappear completely.

Don't be fooled by Maria's current undying love for him; it's all an act.

Foreigners are fundamentally driven by a belief that profit comes first and self-preservation is paramount.

If that Englishman Charlie were to discover their affair, she would immediately turn the tables and claim that she had been coerced or threatened by him just to save her own life.

Having dealt with many foreigners during this period, Li Wenguo had long since figured out their temperaments.

"Bang bang bang!"

"Mr. Li, there's another fight at the alleyway ahead!"

On the way home, Kong Wu suddenly braked the rickshaw and turned around to report.