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

"Uncle, what is 'husband'?"

"Is it edible?"

Lou Xiao'e tilted her head, sucked her little finger, blinked her eyes, and looked completely bewildered.

"Oh my goodness! Xiao'e is only five years old, she doesn't understand anything yet, why are you talking to her about this?"

Lou Meie, heavily pregnant and preparing for her third child, sat on the sofa. Unable to bear it any longer, she gave her husband a reproachful glare, stood up, and pulled her niece into her arms. "Let's wait until she's older! Are you worried Xiao'e will be kidnapped?"

"Hehe, isn't this just 'training' you beforehand!"

"Besides, she's my future daughter-in-law. Is it illegal to teach her a few things?"

Li Wenguo was a little unhappy.

It's not like I'm teaching her about wedding night matters, why are you acting like you're guarding against a thief?

"Mei'e, your belly is heavy, don't put it on, let me carry you."

Upon seeing this, He Shuting quickly stepped forward to help the person.

Although Lou Xiao'e was her son's fiancée, she was initially resentful—her husband had arranged the marriage without consulting her at all; but later, when she saw that the child was pretty and clever, she found her more and more pleasing to the eye and secretly nodded in agreement.

"Father, is she my bride?"

Nine-year-old Li Guozhi already vaguely understood the meaning of the words "husband and wife," and he came over with a grin to ask.

"That's right! She's your wife now. From now on, you have to protect her and cherish her. If anyone dares to bully her, you'll stand in front of them, understand?"

Li Wenguo patted his son on the shoulder and spoke earnestly.

"Okay, okay!"

Li Guozhi jumped up excitedly and ran towards Lou Xiao'e.

"Mom, I want to be a bride too!"

Li Jingmiao, who was munching on osmanthus cake with sugar granules on the corner of her mouth, tilted her head back and shouted in a childish voice.

She is Lou Meie's eldest daughter, and she is only three years old.

"Miaomiao! What nonsense are you talking about? If you keep spouting nonsense, Mommy will spank you!"

Lou Meie was already annoyed when she saw that her daughter had been led astray by her husband again, so she immediately put on a stern face and scolded her.

"Wow--!!!"

The little girl trembled with fright, her lips trembled, and tears streamed down her face.

"Hey! Mei'e, you shrewish woman, how old is your child? What does she know? Why are you yelling at her!"

Li Wenguo's face immediately darkened. He scooped Li Jingmiao up and pulled her into his arms, patting her back gently to comfort her: "Miaomiao, don't cry. Daddy loves you the most, sweetie..."

"Ding-dong!!!"

"Ding-dong!!!"

The doorbell rang urgently and crisply.

"Miaomiao, it must be your uncle and the others! Quick, let's open the door together!"

Li Wenguo changed the subject and put his daughter down.

"Yes, yes!!!"

Li Jingmiao immediately stopped crying and started laughing, then ran towards the door with her short legs.

Li Wenguo, with his sharp eyes, noticed his son running after them and quickly called out, "Guozhi, hold your sister's hand tightly and slow down!"

As soon as the door opened, Lou Zhenhua led the way in, followed by Lou Tanshi carrying a baby boy wrapped up tightly, as they steadily stepped over the threshold.

Lou Zhenhua originally only had one daughter, Lou Xiao'e. But ever since Li Wenguo moved into Sai Guohao's house, seeing his brother-in-law's house bustling with activity and children around him, he put in a lot of effort to "have more children." Not long after, he gave Lou Xiao'e a younger brother.

"Brother-in-law, sister, Sister Shuting, Sister Keren—"

As soon as Lou Zhenhua and his wife entered the door, they greeted the four beautiful women in the living room, each with their own unique charm.

Today is Lou Meie's birthday, and her younger brother Lou Zhenhua and his wife made a special trip back for a reunion dinner.

After the meal, the women moved to the east room to chat, talking about needlework, baby diapers, and whose mother-in-law was difficult.

Lou Zhenhua sat with his brother-in-law Li Wenguo in a rattan chair in the west room, chatting about the several deals he had made in the United States.

"Brother-in-law, I heard you've teamed up with the Xu family to get into the oil industry in the US? Can I join forces with them?"

That's right. The fiercer the war, the more sought-after machinery becomes, and the more precious oil becomes. Nowadays, the whole world is scrambling for drilling rigs and competing for oil refineries. Lou Zhenhua, a businessman with an increasingly keen sense of opportunity, is not about to stand idly by. Since everyone is here today, he might as well make things clear.

Right now, his business focus is shifting inch by inch to the United States, and he can hardly even take care of his old courtyard house anymore—especially thinking about the land of the Red Star Steel Rolling Mill. He doesn't know if he can still settle down and start anew in Beijing after the war ends.

Li Wenguo had already considered this matter. After all, the Hongxing Steel Rolling Mill was the most deeply rooted pillar in the story of the courtyard house, and the fate of many people was tied to the steel beams and iron pillars of this factory.

The system had already explained it clearly: this world is centered on the courtyard house, and if there is any deviation, an invisible hand will quietly correct it.

What he feared most was that Lou Zhenhua would be swept up by the will of the world, lose everything in the United States, and return to Beijing in disgrace to start all over again. If that were to happen, wouldn't all the shares he had invested and the channels he had established go down the drain?

He hesitated for a moment, then asked, "Zhenhua, let me ask you something honestly—once the Japanese devils are gone and the War of Resistance is won, are you still planning to settle down in the United States?"

Although Lou Zhenhua couldn't figure out why his brother-in-law suddenly asked this, he still answered frankly, "Of course I'll come back! I'm Chinese, my roots are here. Besides, after I've been around the US, looking back at our own country, there are opportunities everywhere, waiting to be seized."

"If the country stabilizes, I'll bring all the new methods and machines from over there back to use. I'll earn twice as much as I do now!" He got more and more excited as he spoke, his eyes shining.

Upon hearing this, Li Wenguo finally felt relieved and immediately agreed to let him become a shareholder.

Two months later, Li Wenguo set off for Chongqing again.

This trip is the last one to pick up people. Just two more years, and the Japanese will raise the white flag, and the whole family can be reunited.

Since the United States had declared war on Japan, the cargo ship was at risk of being attacked at any time, so they had no choice but to board an American ship—after all, the United States was still the maritime hegemon, and no matter how arrogant the Japanese were, they would not dare to easily attack its ships.

On the deck, Li Wenguo bumped into an American woman in her early thirties. She had striking features and an astonishingly voluptuous figure, with her chest heaving like waves, almost bursting at the seams.

A thought struck him, and he stepped forward to strike up a conversation, hoping to relieve the boredom of the long voyage.

With his quick wit and well-placed banter, he quickly won the other person over to dinner.

During the meal, she frequently raised her glass, and as the alcohol took effect, her cheeks flushed and her steps became weak. In the end, he helped her into the cabin.

During the six-day voyage, the two were almost inseparable until the ship docked at Qingzhong Wharf, when they reluctantly parted ways.

As they parted, she secretly took out a gold-embossed business card and slipped it into his palm.

Soon after, the United States dropped two atomic bombs, and the Japanese surrendered a few days later.

On that day, the Japanese troops withdrew from Beijing with their heads bowed, and the whole city was filled with the deafening sound of firecrackers and the resounding drums.

"Finally, it's over!"

In Sai Guohao's courtyard, Li Wenguo listened to the powerful announcement on the central radio and breathed a sigh of relief.

"Haha, sir, those little devils really tucked their tails between their legs and ran away this time!"

"Absolutely! I've been dreaming about this day!"

"China has won!"

"Long live the Communist Party!!!"

Among the group of women, He Shuting jumped the highest and shouted the loudest.

Li Wenguo picked up his teacup and casually poured cold water on it: "Shuting, don't just be happy—the Japanese have barely left before the KMT and the CCP are locked in a power struggle."

"Oh...right!" She paused for a moment, then straightened her back. "Two tigers cannot share one mountain, but I believe the organization will win."

Her eyes shone, and her tone was resolute.

"Ha, not necessarily. The Party-State has well-trained troops, ample food supplies, and abundant wealth, and it also has the two great backers of Britain and the United States. The Red Army wants to win? It's probably as difficult as climbing to heaven."

Lou Meie leaned back in the rattan chair, her fingertips lightly tapping the armrest, her tone revealing three parts disdain and seven parts certainty.

Judging solely from their paper strength, this statement is not wrong.

Especially since the United States held atomic bombs in its hands—those two that were dropped on the head of the Japanese invaders back then made the whole world hold its breath.

The heads of state were so shocked that their jaws almost dislocated, and they even forgot to hold their teacups steady.

With such a behemoth backing them up, the chances of the Party-state winning are clear to anyone with eyes to see.

"The Red Army is different. They eat tree bark, sleep in the snow, and traverse mountains barefoot. They grit their teeth and fight to the bitterest battles. They have tough bones and even tougher hearts. They would rather die than retreat a single step. How can those soldiers in the Party Army, raised in a greenhouse and trained on the drill ground, compare?"

"These days, it's not about bayonet fighting anymore. Victory is all about equipment. One American B-29 flies over, drops two bombs, and the Japanese are kneeling down, signing their papers..."

Before He Shuting could finish speaking, Li Wenguo raised his hand to stop her, smiling as he smoothed things over: "Alright, alright, Mei'e, you don't wear a military uniform or receive a military salary, why are you arguing with Shuting?"

"I call this presenting the facts and reasoning," Lou Meie said, raising an eyebrow and spitting the sunflower seed shells into the spittoon.

The Wen sisters didn't say a word, just kept their heads down peeling oranges, feeding their children while listening with great interest.

Having lived together for so long, all three knew perfectly well that the wife was from a local political faction. But no one said anything, pretending not to know.

"Alright, alright, I'm in a good mood today, so we'll have a whole feast tonight!"

Li Wenguo slapped his thigh and readily gave the order.

Once the little notebook surrendered, Beijing returned to the control of the party and the state.

Li Wenguo was officially promoted from stationmaster of the Beijing station to full-fledged stationmaster, and his shoulder insignia were changed to colonel. Apart from those directly under the military command, he was the most influential and powerful person in the entire Beijing station.

With the power of investigation in his hands, anyone suspected of being a "communist sympathizer" could be investigated thoroughly with a single order from him—many officials dared not even smoke properly when they saw him, and their speech would subconsciously soften.

Niu Dali was also rescued by him and reinstated as the police chief.

Thus, the entire system of public security, criminal investigation, disciplinary supervision, and arrests in Beijing was entirely under his control.

A week later, Xu Wanqing, Xianglan, Hongyu, Dong Haitang, and their entire family were all brought back to the capital by Li Wenguo.

He Shuting, however, due to her sensitive status, remains temporarily residing in the embassy district along with the Wen sisters and Lou Meie.

Fortunately, Beijing was peacefully liberated and spared from artillery fire, which put Li Wenguo at ease, allowing them to move back.

But trouble followed.

It was Song Caidie.

Holding her one-year-old son, she rushed into the capital, demanding that Li Wenguo fulfill his old promise—to marry her.

In the past five years, she has given birth to two sons and a daughter for him: her eldest son, Song Qingzong, was forcibly adopted by Song Tianlang, her granddaughter was raised in the Song family's old house, but she carried her youngest son all the way to Li Wenguo's side.

"Sir, how come you can't control your legs? I went to so much trouble to persuade her to leave, and you just turned around and hooked up with her again?"

"I will never relinquish my position as the legal wife!"

Xu Wanqing slammed the silver bracelet on the octagonal table with a crisp "thud"—as a mother of six children, she couldn't lose face, much less be inferior to others.

"Who told you to give way?" Li Wenguo replied with a smile.

He had no intention of marrying Song Caidie; he had already planned ahead: to use Xu Wanqing as a stepping stone.