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

"The secret service has been cracking down lately. I heard they raided several underground party hideouts and arrested a bunch of people."

"We'll stick to the main roads and avoid alleys and narrow lanes to avoid being hit by stray bullets and dying unjustly."

Li Wenguo solemnly gave his instructions.

These messages all came from Yang Zhengde.

With someone protecting him, he naturally had sharp ears and eyes.

Late at night.

Li Wenguo emerged from the red jade room, looking refreshed, and strolled back to He Shuting's side.

Although he made love with Hongyu every night, he couldn't always stay at her place. He had to spend some time with Xianglan and visit He Shuting here more often.

At this moment, He Shuting was sitting on the edge of the bed, her round belly protruding.

As soon as Li Wenguo stepped into the house, he grabbed her waist from behind and slid his hand down to her chest.

"Isn't that girl Hongyu feeding you enough?"

"You have the leisure to flutter around here?"

With her two vital points firmly grasped, He Shuting frowned and turned away, her tone filled with three parts annoyance and seven parts sarcasm.

As a modern woman, she found her husband's frivolous and lustful nature most detestable.

"Listen to what you're saying—how could I dare to be biased? True fairness comes from treating everyone equally."

Li Wenguo grinned, shamelessly asserting his righteousness.

"Ha, no wonder he's the top 'mouthy man' in the foreign firm. His mouth is so smooth that even the wind can't catch up with it."

He Shuting lifted her eyelids, her expression full of disdain.

"Hehe, if I weren't good with words, how could I have lured this golden phoenix into my home?"

Before he could finish speaking, he felt a chill run down his spine and immediately bit his tongue.

really.

He Shuting slapped his arm away, turned abruptly, her eyes reddening, her voice trembling: "Yes! I'm just an object you bought with your money, I have no title, no status, no face! Why not demote me to a concubine, and you marry a proper wife with all the proper betrothal gifts!"

Before she could finish speaking, tears were already streaming down her face and falling onto her clothes.

Oops!

This woman is truly unapproachable; she'll seize any opportunity to strike at your heart.

Li Wenguo's heart skipped a beat, but his tone immediately softened: "It was my fault, I had a loose tongue! What do you mean by 'buy'? It was a grand wedding procession, a proper marriage, a formal engagement with betrothal gifts, and a celebration with gongs and drums—a proper engagement! A proper engagement! A proper engagement!"

"Do you think I don't care about you? Every decision in the family, big or small, only goes with your approval. Xianglan and Hongyu, who doesn't act according to your wishes..."

He poured out a string of sweet words, each one soothing and comforting.

Actually, I was extremely nervous—I'm already over seven months pregnant, and if I get angry even slightly, I'm afraid it could cause premature birth, which would be a life-threatening situation.

These days, premature birth is almost a death sentence.

Fortunately, He Shuting stopped sobbing soon after and leaned against him to catch her breath.

"Sir, I want it."

She buried her face in the crook of his neck, wrapped her arms tightly around his neck, and looked up with wet eyes.

Her chest area had been occupied for so long that it had long been burning with desire within her.

"Aren't you afraid of hurting the baby in your belly?"

"Don't be afraid, take it slow..."

To ease her mind, he had no choice but to reluctantly agree.

But they were hesitant to act rashly, their movements were restrained, and they dared not be reckless in the slightest.

He Shuting smiled contentedly, then fell into a deep sleep, resting her head on his shoulder.

Strangely enough, after this commotion, it was as if an invisible thread had been added between the two, making them even more intertwined.

Occasionally, when he came to his senses, Li Wenguo would think that He Shuting was meticulous and shrewd.

However, since he puts all his energy into managing the household and winning people's hearts, it only brings him benefits and no harm, so he is happy to play dumb.

Although she was more than seven months pregnant, He Shuting continued to go to work as usual. While others were kept indoors by their in-laws to rest during pregnancy, Li Wenguo, who came from the future, knew that moving around was beneficial for childbirth.

Besides, her job was very easy, so she didn't need to worry at all.

"Skinny Monkey, pull the cart carefully, only take the smooth roads, you hear me?"

Before his wife left, Li Wenguo called over the guards and gave them detailed instructions.

"Don't worry, Mr. Li, I, Liu the Skinny Monkey, never make a mistake!"

Liu Shouhou stood up straight, his expression solemn.

He was as thin as bamboo, but he was exceptionally quick-witted and could handle any unexpected situation.

He even had a gun tucked into his waistband, so ordinary thugs wouldn't dare get close to him.

He was assigned to escort He Shuting to and from get off work.

If it weren't for his position and fear of overstepping boundaries, Li Wenguo would have wanted to buy a car long ago.

Nowadays, even the police chief Yang Zhengde is not qualified to ride in the car; only wealthy tycoons and senior executives of foreign companies are worthy of it.

Incidentally, Li Wenguo has thoroughly investigated and seized all of Yang Zhengde's assets.

That's a whopping 200,000 silver dollars, which is equivalent to over 8 million in later times; in terms of actual purchasing power, it would be several times that amount.

Definitely a giant rat!

Greedy to the point of being filthy!

They're incredibly greedy!

But in this day and age, it's quite common.

After watching He Shuting drive away, Li Wenguo accompanied Xianglan to Baoningtang to get medicine to prevent miscarriage, and Hongyu went along as well.

Seeing how attentive and caring he was to He Shuting and Xianglan, Hongyu felt both envious and secretly worried about the movements of her own belly.

She secretly hoped that if Shuting and Xianglan both had daughters, and her first child was a boy, wouldn't she be even more favored?

Then, Wen San, Ding Xiaoqi, and Kong Wu each pulled a rickshaw, carrying the three of them hurriedly towards the street corner.

...............

As soon as He Shuting stepped into the newspaper office, several burning gazes immediately followed her. Some people swallowed hard, their Adam's apple bobbing.

Her eyes and brows were bright and striking, her figure was slender and graceful, and her every move exuded a deep and mature charm, like aged wine that had just been soaked in honey, making one's heart flutter.

But when his gaze swept down to her high, protruding belly, the flame of passion went out in an instant, and his eyes dimmed completely.

well--!

A beautiful peony in full bloom was ruined by a foreign devil. God must be blind!

Zhao Hengwei's heart was in turmoil. Back in the teachers' college, he had secretly sent He Shuting three love letters, but she never replied to any of them. Now, he didn't even dare to get close to her, and he could only bite his teeth until they ached.

"Shu Ting, come in here!"

She had just put her bag on the table when the president's voice came from the inner room.

Pushing open the door, I saw Wang Zhiguo sitting behind his desk with a stern face. "My older cousin was taken to the hospital last night!"

"Sir, are you able to speak with Yang Zhengde?"

As soon as they finished eating dinner, He Shuting grabbed Li Wenguo's wrist and hurriedly dragged him into the house.

Xianglan and Hongyu were peeling oranges nearby, their eyes darting around, exuding a sour aura.

After dinner, it's the perfect time for chatting and cuddling. Who wouldn't want to sit closer to him, act cute, and feel some warmth? But he's the lawfully wedded wife, and his word is law in the family. So the two of them could only purse their lips, lower their heads, and swallow their words.

"What's up?"

He frowned and asked.

While gently stroking her round, firm belly, He Shuting said, "This morning, an editor from the newspaper went to the used book market to look for materials and happened to run into the secret service raiding shops and arresting people. They also took him away—he's the editor-in-chief's distant nephew and also a colleague I see every day. Do you think... you could ask someone to get him out?"

That sounds nice, but it's all a cover-up.

Li Wenguo's heart tightened, and he immediately became suspicious.

When he was a child, he watched spy movies with his mother and knew them better than anyone else. Secondhand bookstores and small bookstores have always been places where hidden talents reside. On the surface, they sell "Wanyou Wenku" (a popular Chinese literature series), but underneath they print mimeographed copies of "Xinhua Daily".

These days, spies have noses sharper than dogs; they probably had that shop under surveillance for a long time. Last night's raid was definitely not a coincidence.

Getting them out? It's as difficult as climbing to the sky.

Not to mention, this was a job that could cost him his head, and he didn't want to test the knife on his own neck.

He shook his head, saying firmly, "I'm not familiar with them, so I really can't help."

"How can you say we're not familiar?"

"He even personally hosted a banquet to apologize to you a while ago!"

"He sat at the head table at your wedding banquet!"

She was referring to Yang Zhengde.

"Sir, please think of another way—"

Her voice trailed off, soft as melted syrup, the final syllable rising in a gentle curve. Li Wenguo felt a chill run down his spine, goosebumps rising on his skin. He almost turned and ran to Hongyu's room for some peace and quiet.

"I'm truly at my wit's end. Where is the Secret Service? It's a black hole that even the King of Hell wouldn't forget!"

"It's easy to get in but hard to get out. Even if you manage to get out alive, you'll be skinned alive."

"Besides, those people are all on edge, baring their teeth at the slightest provocation. You want me to bail someone out? I'd probably be beaten to a pulp before I even get inside—are you hoping I'll end up in the torture chamber getting a beating?"

He stared at her and asked.

"No way!"

He Shuting hurriedly waved her hand, her face slightly pale, "I was just confused in my panic, I never thought the consequences would be so frightening..."

Li Wenguo chimed in, "Yes, the consequences are that terrifying. Now, are you still planning to have me bail out that editor?"

"That...that...that..."

Her lips moved, but the words stuck in her throat, urgent and muffled, her fingers unconsciously twisting the hem of her clothes.

She was unwilling to let go, yet afraid of implicating her husband; her heart felt like it was being pulled apart by two ropes.

Li Wenguo could clearly see from that expression that the man was most likely a member of the underground Communist Party.

Otherwise, if they were not related and had only worked together for a few months, where would they get this kind of urgent and urgent feeling?

A thought flashed through his mind:

Huh?

Could this newspaper office also be a hideout?

If that's the case...

He looked up at the dignified and composed main house before him, and his gaze darkened.

"Shu Ting, you wouldn't happen to be... a member of the underground Communist Party, would you?"

"what?"

Her shoulders trembled, and she subconsciously raised her hand to tuck a stray hair behind her ear. Her fingertips felt a little weak as she managed a weak smile: "Of course not! I just manage the accounts, so please don't make wild guesses."

The concealment was too clumsy, the flaws glaringly obvious. Li Wenguo's heart skipped a beat—oh no! Could it be that the woman he married was a powder keg that could explode at any moment?

The thought alone made me break out in a cold sweat.

Underground Party...

If the truth comes out, will it implicate the whole family?

Will they confiscate their property, parade them through the streets, or implicate them in execution?

His first thought was about his own life.

But then I thought about it again...

He simply couldn't bring himself to betray his family and expose He Shuting, or even just hand her a divorce letter.

Where else can you find such a radiant and alluring beauty? Moreover, she is carrying his child in her womb. He's not stupid; why would he do something so foolish as to cut off his own escape route?

Li Wenguo would never admit that it was those iron kidneys that were quietly influencing his thoughts.

Furthermore, having someone from the organization lying next to you in bed means that if the situation changes in the future, wouldn't you be able to easily climb to a higher position and have a smooth and successful life?

The benefits are obvious.

In his earlier years, he did indeed have the idea of ​​trying to get into the organization.

But as he earned more and more money, and each of his wives became more and more beautiful and charming, he had long since fallen out of step with the organization's strict rules, regulations, ideals, and beliefs, and that idea of ​​his gradually faded away.

Now that the person is lying right next to me, why bother to "join"?

Whether to add it or not is completely irrelevant.

"Hmph, not the best."

So Li Wenguo simply pretended to be deaf and dumb.

When He Shuting saw that he believed her, she finally felt a sense of relief.

But she still couldn't swallow her anger—a comrade had been arrested, and a key figure of great importance with far-reaching connections at that. She could only plead and pester Li Wenguo to find out the truth.

Li Wenguo was so tired of hearing it that he had no choice but to reluctantly agree.

It's just a matter of making connections and passing on a message; Yang Zhengde's identity is more than enough to handle this kind of work, and there's no risk involved whatsoever.

He Shuting's expression relaxed. "Sir, let me soak your feet."

He was about to get up and fetch a copper basin to boil water.