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

Outside the dock, Li Guoping, dressed in a light blue suit and with his black leather shoes polished to a shine, stood waiting in the wind. As soon as he saw the group of familiar faces disembark, he immediately went to greet them, with two men in black behind him walking in perfect unison, not lagging behind.

That was his personal bodyguard, and also a key member of Lian Sheng's team.

"dad!"

He first bowed to Li Wenguo, then turned to Haozi and Dayan, his voice clear and bright: "Uncle Haozi, Uncle Dayan."

"Young Master Ping!"

The two nodded slightly.

"Fourth Brother!"

"Brother Ping!!!"

Cheng Si took the lead, and the other young men called out in unison.

Is this the old man's son again?

They were all dazzlingly handsome!

Qin Huairu's heart skipped a beat again.

Not only does Li Guoping have striking features, but after three years of honing his skills in the workplace, he exudes a calm and composed demeanor. His every move is like a taut bowstring, making him appear even more efficient and capable than Li Guotai.

Li Guowu? He's just a tender sprout, handsome, but not fully grown yet.

"Guoping, come here, let me introduce you to someone."

Li Wenguo took Qin Huairu's hand and said in a relaxed tone, "Your Aunt Qin came here specifically to get our marriage certificate."

"Aunt Qin... Aunt Qin!"

Li Guoping blurted it out, a hint of embarrassment flashing across his face, just like Li Jinghan and Li Guotai had done back then.

"Hello, Guoping!"

Having met Li Jinghan, Li Guotai, and Li Guowu in succession, Qin Huairu had already let down her guard and smiled naturally and crisply.

Shortly after, the group got into the car and left.

As the car entered the heart of the city, skyscrapers rose up like mountains. Qin Huairu and several young people craned their necks, forgetting to blink.

In Beijing, it's rare for a building to be ten stories high; but here, the steel forests that rise to thirty or forty stories are so dense that it's suffocating.

Soon, the convoy stopped in front of an impressive villa.

Haozi, Dayan, and the four young people went to the next room to rest; Li Wenguo, Qin Huairu, and Li Guowu entered the main house; Li Guoping saw them off and then rushed back to the company to oversee things.

call--

Finally, I'm going to meet the master's other two wives in Hong Kong.

Qin Huairu took a deep breath, her fingertips digging into her palms to force herself to stay calm.

"Mr. Li, you're back!"

The fish head guarding the door grinned, his voice booming.

"Fish Head, look at that round face and bulging belly, he's living a pretty good life."

Li Wenguo glanced at him from head to toe and laughed, noting that he had gained a layer of soft flesh around his waist and abdomen, and his belly was slightly protruding.

"Hehe, Mr. Li, please don't flatter me—I still have to keep watch at the nightclub at night, so I just have a few drinks during the day to keep myself energized!"

During the day, Yu Tou would lead his men to guard the villa, and at night, after Wu Xiaogou took over, he would sneak off to nightclubs to hang out.

He doesn't actually need to go himself, but he just loves that lively energy.

"We'll talk later, let's go inside first."

Yu Tou and another man opened the door.

As soon as the door opened, Qin Huairu immediately saw a woman—

Her face was exquisitely sculpted, her figure tall and full, and she exuded a cold yet noble aura, like molten lava hidden beneath a frozen lake. She led a three- or four-year-old boy by the hand, her steps leisurely.

Dong Haitang.

She is strikingly beautiful, dazzlingly gorgeous, and her aura is so overwhelming that people dare not look directly at her.

Qin Huairu felt a tightness in her chest as a sudden wave of inferiority washed over her.

She had thought that her husband's wives from his earlier years were either old and faded or had only a few remnants of their former charm; with her youthful vitality and smooth skin, she could easily outshine them—after all, Li Wenguo had never concealed his infatuation with her body these days.

But the person in front of me, who looked to be in his early thirties, had untouched signs of hardship in his eyes and brows, and his waist and hips were still firm and shapely. Every move he made exuded an alluring confidence.

She's more alluring and eye-catching than her.

In fact, Qin Huairu was quite good-looking and had a particularly full and voluptuous figure. It was just a pity that she grew up in the countryside and her speech and behavior always had a touch of awkwardness and rusticity. In terms of temperament and style, all of Li Wenguo's wives could outshine her.

However, this air of nobility is not innate. As long as she lives a respectable and refined life, wearing brocade, perfumed with cosmetics, and speaking with propriety, she can stand tall and stand shoulder to shoulder with Xianglan and Hongyu in less than half a year, without being inferior in the slightest.

"Aunt Dong—!"

Li Guowu was the first to speak, his voice full of respect.

This aunt was always decisive and efficient, and he had been intimidated by her since he was a child.

He had been scolded by her when he was a child, and she always had a stern face and rarely smiled. That coldness had long since frozen the little bit of liveliness he had in his childhood.

"Um."

Dong Haitang nodded slightly, her expression indifferent, as if brushing away a speck of dust.

But she always treated every child the same way—neither close nor distant, neither warm nor cold.

"Sir, the girl you picked this time is really young." Her gaze swept over Qin Huairu, and the corners of her lips curled up slightly. "She has delicate skin and looks two years younger than Guoping."

"Could it be that you think we older women are too old and past our prime, so you only chose a fresh-faced one?"

She was speaking to her husband, but her tone was sharp and cutting, like ice crystals.

What Dong Haitang was truly worried about was something else entirely: her husband would be fifty next year, and at this crucial juncture, he brought home a young woman in her early twenties—with delicate features, a well-proportioned figure, and even her hips and waist were just as shapely as theirs. Wasn't this just adding another burden? His already meager energy would likely be split even further.

She was afraid that one day he would really give his life for a woman.

Upon hearing this, Qin Huairu's heart tightened, and her fingertips secretly clenched the hem of her dress. The other party's attitude clearly indicated they didn't acknowledge her as the newcomer. If the marriage fell through, where would she go?

"Alright, alright," Li Wenguo frowned, his tone slightly somber. "It's rare to meet someone who suits my taste. If I don't marry her, I'll feel like I have a stone weighing on my heart all the time. Stop saying things that are hurtful to her; what kind of person are you if you scare her?"

He paused, then turned to Dong Haitang: "This is Dong Haitang, you can call her Sister Dong or Sister Haitang; this is Qin Huairu, you can call her Huairu."

With a simple gesture, his gaze fell upon the little boy being led by Dong Haitang.

"Sister Haitang!" Qin Huairu immediately lowered her eyes and composed herself, her voice soft and obedient.

"snort."

Dong Haitang let out a cold snort without even lifting her eyelids.

She could tell at a glance that Qin Huairu was a village girl who had grown up in the mud; even her coarse clothes couldn't hide her untamed nature. And yet, her husband had brought her back—something was strange about it.

She knew her husband's taste all too well: he wanted someone with a good build and a well-developed bone structure; as for looks, they just needed to be passable. Someone with a baby face like Wen Keyi was, in her eyes, an unripe fruit, barely good enough to make up the numbers.

Therefore, she concluded that this country girl was not even worthy of carrying her husband's shoes. She simply categorized her with the other maids, such as Xiaoju, Xiaocui, Xiaoxue, Jinhua, and Xiuxiu, and didn't even bother to give her a second glance.

Qin Huairu stood there, her throat tight, her eyes slightly moist. But a stubborn streak held her back: Cry? She couldn't cry. If she shed a tear, it would truly confirm that she was a spineless, easily manipulated country girl.

"Don't be afraid of her," Li Wenguo patted Qin Huairu's shoulder, his tone softening. "You're just like her, one of my people. She might say a few sarcastic things to you, but she wouldn't dare lay a finger on you. Don't take it to heart, understand?"

Before he finished speaking, he smiled and looked at the little boy who looked like a chubby dumpling: "Ha, you must be Guocheng, right? I'm your dad! Come here, let Daddy take a good look at your little face!"

As soon as he took a step forward, three-year-old Guocheng immediately shrank behind Dong Haitang, his little hands tightly gripping his mother's clothes, only peeking out half his head to timidly examine the strange man.

"Guocheng, what are you hiding for? This is your own father, are you afraid he'll eat you?" Dong Haitang frowned, grabbed his son by the back of the neck, and pulled him out.

"Ouch! Be gentle!" Li Wenguo's eyes widened immediately. "This child is so small, his neck is as thin as a scallion. What if you strangle him?"

"He's my son, I can carry him however I want." Dong Haitang's voice was cold and hard, showing no sign of backing down.

"you--!"

Forget it, I won't argue with you today!

Anyway, there's plenty of time to settle accounts at night!

If you lay a hand on the child, I won't show any mercy tonight!

But Li Wenguo didn't even wait until evening—after coaxing Guocheng for less than half an hour, he handed the child over to Qin Huairu to look after, turned around, grabbed Dong Haitang's wrist, and hurried upstairs.

"Hmph, a leopard can't change its spots, and a man can't change his lust. At your age, still so impatient? I bet you won't live past seventy; you'll get what's coming to you sooner or later!"

Dong Haitang looked up at her husband who was pressing down on her, her face full of disdain.

"Hey, you old hag, you got what you deserved—don't expect me to let you off the hook on this ship until you're seventy."

Li Wenguo gritted his teeth and growled.

"Hmph, let's talk about that when your thing can still stand up."

Dong Haitang was not afraid of any threat at all.

……

It's dinnertime.

Qin Huairu met her husband's other wife, Xu Meijing, for the first time.

Bright and sharp, with a composed demeanor and a ruthless edge in her eyes.

Just standing there made Qin Huairu's heart tighten, and she subconsciously softened her breathing.

"Hello, Sister Meijing!"

As soon as Li Wenguo introduced her, she immediately smiled and spoke in a gentle and polite voice.

"Hello, Huai Ru!"

Xu Meijing spoke gently and smiled sincerely, and Qin Huairu secretly breathed a sigh of relief—she was really afraid that this person would also put on airs, then she would really feel uneasy.

But when the family members sat down one by one, and Li Wenguo introduced them one by one, all seven children—handsome boys and beautiful girls—called her "Aunt Qin" in unison, she was still stunned.

Xu Meijing alone raised five children, and Dong Haitang raised four, making a total of nine children from these two wives alone; plus Li Jinghan, Li Guotai, and Li Guowu, these three quiet children, are probably born to that concubine in Beijing.

Li Wenguo never told Qin Huairu about his family background in detail—it was pointless, since they didn't live together anyway, and it would only cause her unnecessary worry; she herself was also sensible and didn't pry.

So she would only mention it casually when they bumped into each other on ordinary days. If it weren't for this trip to Hong Kong to get their marriage certificate, she wouldn't even know who Dong Haitang and Xu Meijing were.

I had just met with Dong Haitang in the afternoon, so I naturally spent the evening with Xu Meijing.

After finishing the business, Li Wenguo casually asked about the progress over the past few years.

As soon as she finished speaking, Xu Meijing immediately lost her gentle demeanor, straightened her back, and sharpened her eyes, transforming back into the capable and decisive female leader.

Li Wenguo felt a surge of warmth in his heart, but fortunately, he had just rested and could still patiently listen to her continue.