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

In recent years, Huanghe Industrial has spread like wildfire, venturing wherever there is a chance to make money. It dives into whatever industry is profitable, and now its operations are wide and deep, spanning more than a dozen sectors.

But what truly supports half the sky are nightclubs and wineries.

More than 30 nightclubs called "Never Sleeps" have opened. If it weren't for the fact that some territories were already firmly held by old triads, the number would have continued to rise.

More than 30 "Never-Sleeping Places" have long been established in Hong Kong and have become well-known brands—even those who have never been inside have heard of their names.

As the old saying goes, "Even if you haven't eaten pork, you've always seen pigs run."

When Hong Kong locals are looking for fun, the first thing that comes to mind is "Never-Sleeping Place": each place has a different decor, but what they all have in common is that they are high-class, quiet, secure, and have impeccable service. Even the drinks are cheaper than other places.

It's almost always packed, and on weekends there are even longer queues, with people having to arrive at least two hours in advance to get a table.

Business was booming, which naturally attracted envy. But each establishment was monitored by a hundred gang members. Anyone who dared to cause trouble would be pinned down on the spot, dragged into a back alley, and given a beating. The mastermind behind it all fared even worse, being taken out of the operation. From then on, no one dared to have any crooked ideas.

The brewery has now expanded to five: one specializes in brewing beers of all alcohol strengths and flavors; one specializes in red wine, offering everything from dry red to sweet red; one mainly produces champagne, with dense bubbles and a refreshing taste; one specializes in spirits, including whiskey, vodka, and tequila; and another specializes in fruit wines, rotating between plum, lychee, and mulberry.

Many of the secret recipes were purchased at high prices from the American Lissai Group. The distillery has long since become the top distillery in Hong Kong, supplying not only the local market but also exporting to various Asian countries.

The factory is currently being managed by Li Guoping, the eldest son of Dong Haitang. Recently, he has been planning to acquire a competitor—instead of building his own factory, he will have others manufacture the products and put the "Yellow River" label on them, thus seizing control of the Hong Kong liquor market.

Let's talk about real estate.

With Li Wenguo's continuous stream of money, Huanghe Real Estate was simultaneously acquiring land and building high-rise buildings and shopping malls.

More than 20 "Yellow River Shopping Malls" have been built in the bustling area, offering a one-stop shop for eating, drinking, playing, and shopping, with cinemas, teahouses, children's playgrounds, and food streets all available. It has gradually become a "landmark" in the mouths of Hong Kong people.

The development is divided into three parts: first, the "Yellow River Resort Hotel," which is over 30 stories high with a glass curtain wall reflecting the sea view; second, the "Yellow River Office Building," which is of the same height and is currently the tallest building that can be approved in Hong Kong; and third, residential buildings.

The most sought-after properties are residential ones. Bosses, gentry, and nouveau riche from the mainland don't care about the price; they just ask to "buy the whole building."

Every time Huanghe Real Estate opens a new project, before the keys are even cast, money is already pouring into the account—deposits arrive before anyone even enters the premises.

The Yellow River Construction Company itself was so busy that it had to subcontract the work to other construction teams.

Upon hearing this, Li Wenguo's eyes lit up—this was clearly a great opportunity to pave the way for the guards' children: to build a construction team, establish a foothold, accumulate connections, snowball their influence, and steadily climb the ladder.

Hong Kong Properties is too large a business for Yellow River Industrial to swallow up, and no one wants to see it monopolize it. The higher-ups are eager for more young hands to come in and revitalize the business, creating a balance of power and checks and balances, which suits their purposes perfectly.

Let's leave the matter of the docks aside for now.

As for the electronics, it's nothing more than the same old stuff: tape recorders, record players, video recorders, CRT TVs, freezers, and refrigerators. Most of the stock is second-hand equipment and obsolete machinery bought in bulk from the US, still in their original packaging before being put on the assembly line.

There were also garment factories, weaving workshops, button factories... a whole bunch of odds and ends.

After finishing her story, Xu Meijing rubbed her temples, a rare occurrence for her, her voice slightly hoarse: "Sir, things are spreading too thin; I can't manage everything by myself. Could you perhaps call back the few adult children in the family to lend a hand?"

"Guowu, Haozi, and Dayan's kids, aren't they all here? Let them work in the department for a couple of years to learn some real skills, then let them go out and work independently. When Guosheng and Guoxiang graduate and come back, they'll be ready to take over."

Li Wenguo spoke with certainty.

Guosheng and Guoxiang have just turned nineteen and are studying business at Hong Kong University. They will graduate next summer, so taking over the job will be a natural progression. Li Jingjing and Li Jingshi are only seventeen and will have to wait three more years.

"Yes, all five children are reliable."

Xu Meijing nodded slightly, already having made her plans: she would arrange the first interview tomorrow morning to get to know their personalities and then assign them to positions based on their strengths.

"Meijing, Haozi and the others are in this together for life. I have to personally support their child and send them into a life of wealth and privilege—you know what I mean?"

He made his intentions clear beforehand.

Xu Meijing looked up at him and nodded: "Understood. From now on, I will help them make the company solid, big, and well-known."

With money, the road is wide; with the Li family backing them, even the widest road is limited—at best, they are a respectable wealthy family, but they can't cause any major upheavals.

With the business settled, Li Wenguo didn't care whether his wife was tired or not. He grabbed her and kissed her, his mind solely on enjoying himself.

The next day, he helped Qin Huairu complete the Hong Kong household registration process, and they received their marriage certificate on the spot, becoming a legally married couple.

The anxiety that had gripped her for half her life finally subsided, and she felt at ease.

Then, he took his young wife by the hand and strolled through every street and every shop under Lian Sheng's protection—gambling dens, nightclubs, ice cream parlors, gold shops, yacht clubs, horse farms, golf courses, children's playgrounds... leaving no stone unturned.

Over the past three years, He Liansheng's underlings have grown to over seven thousand. More than two thousand of them have joined the construction teams under Huanghe Industrial, while the rest are responsible for site management, dock supervision, and logistics.

The territory they occupied was all prime locations—Causeway Bay, Mong Kok, Yau Ma Tei, Tsim Sha Tsui… Not a single easy target; they had to force their way in with guns.

Even the most senior triad elder in Hong Kong was swallowed up by Dark Fire, and the entire organization was torn apart. It is said that it has scattered into seven or eight factions, each drawing its own lines and refusing to acknowledge each other.

In today's Hong Kong underworld, He Liansheng walks around with impunity; who dares to touch a hair on his head?

After a few days of shopping, Qin Huairu's horizons broadened considerably. The mall was filled with dazzling arrays of goods, neon lights, the neighing of horses, the gentle breeze on the golf course, and the jingling of the carousel... Her days were so full that she felt like she was walking on clouds every day.

Only one thought quietly surfaced in my mind: this place ultimately belongs to the British, and stepping on it always feels like stepping on someone else's floor.

No matter how old or rough the capital city may be, it's still the soil under your own eaves, where you can feel grounded and sleep soundly.

That day, Li Wenguo strolled to the dock again, not to return home, but to wait for someone.

"Ugh—!!!"

With a long blast of the ship's horn, the passenger ship slowly docked. A radiant, mature woman, arm in arm with an eight- or nine-year-old boy, descended the steps, her skirt swaying slightly, attracting frequent glances from passersby.

Li Wenguo stood beside the gangway, his smile warm and his eyes clear.

"Wen Guo——!!!"

Her eyes welled up with tears, and she grabbed the child and ran quickly towards him, throwing herself into his arms.

"Butterfly, you've had a tough time these past few years."

His voice was deep, and he gently stroked her back, clearly noticing that Song Caidie's figure had become more voluptuous after giving birth. Her waist remained slender, but her breasts were so full that they made one's heart tremble.

She tilted her head back, her eyes both gentle and fiery: "This time, I want to marry you honorably!"

"I'll marry you! I definitely will!"

He nodded vigorously, his Adam's apple bobbing.

After bringing Song Caidie back and settling her in for a day to recuperate, the next day they took her to register her household and obtain her marriage certificate. She was no longer a concubine or a secondary wife, but Madam Li, whom they had married through proper channels.

This time, Li Wenguo stayed with her in Hong Kong for a whole month before finally setting off with Qin Huairu back to the mainland. Both of them were already pregnant.

Time flies.

More than nine months later.

Sunday morning, the sunlight was warm and gentle.

A young woman who looked no more than eighteen or nineteen years old stood quietly in front of the courtyard house at No. 95 Nanluoguxiang, wearing a plain white dress, with a delicate and beautiful face, skin as smooth as a freshly peeled lychee, and a tall and slender figure.

My fingertips brushed over the doorplate, which had turned dark with age, and gently caressed it.

In the courtyard——

"You idiot Zhu! You actually stole my eggs?!"

Xu Damao jumped up and down, his face turning bright red.

"What are you yelling about? Do you think I'm an idiot?!"

"Who dug up your ancestral grave? Stole your eggs? Nonsense!"

"You splashed dirty water first thing in the morning? Believe me or not, I'll take a pot and report you for defamation!"

Sha Zhu stood with his hands on his hips, glaring at Xu Damao, his finger almost poking the tip of Xu Damao's nose.

"Hey! Who else could it be but you? Open your eyes and look—wasn't this wooden horse carved by your father, He Daqing?"

Xu Damao waved the palm-sized chestnut pony in his hand, its mane still bearing the stubble from the knife marks.

That's right, He Daqing eloped with the widow Bai and slipped away to Baoding.

"Oh dear? The treasure my dad stuffed into my pocket, how did it end up in your hands?"

As Sha Zhu shouted, he hurriedly reached into his pocket, but his heart sank the moment his fingertips touched the empty fabric.

"You stole my pony?"

His brows furrowed, and his eyes were fixed intently on Xu Damao's face.

"Bullshit! You were squatting by my chicken coop yesterday, taking eggs, and when you got up, the pendant slipped out of your pocket and rolled into the crack in my doorstep—that's solid evidence of you crying 'stop thief'!"

Xu Damao held his chin high, his lips curled up like hooks, looking just like a cat that had just caught a mouse.

"You're spewing nonsense! I didn't steal the eggs, I didn't lose the horse, when have my pockets ever been empty? Give me back my pony!"

Before he could finish speaking, Sha Zhu had already strode forward.

"You...you dare to rob someone? You chicken thief, and you still have the nerve to act so self-righteous?"

"Thief! Real thief!"

When Xu Damao saw him charging towards him with a fierce look in his eyes, his legs went weak and he stumbled back three steps.

The two had been fighting since they were little, and he always got beaten up – Sha Zhu had been flipping a wok for over ten years, and could swing a twenty-pound iron wok with great skill; his arms were so thick they could be used as rolling pins.

"Stop right there! Give me back my pony—!"

Sha Zhu took off chasing after it. The little horse was carved by his father on the last night before he ran away, and the four characters "Zhu'er Long Life" were still carved on the bottom of its hooves.

The two of them burst through the courtyard gate, one after the other, and ran towards the alley entrance.

From the shadows at the base of the wall, a skinny boy suddenly emerged, covering his mouth with his sleeve and chuckling to himself, while clutching two still-warm eggs in his other hand.

He was Yan Jiekuang, the third son of Yan Bugui.

His father was stingy to the core, keeping track of how many spoonfuls of rice he scooped from the rice jar. As he was young, he always got half a piece of cornbread less than his two older brothers, and was often so hungry that his stomach was sticking to his back. So he set his sights on the speckled hen at the gate of Xu Damao's courtyard—it laid eggs frequently and didn't recognize people.

Like father, like son. While Sha Zhu was hanging up bedsheets with his back turned, he quietly stole the pony pendant, then deliberately stumbled in front of the Xu family's courtyard, "dropping" the pendant next to the chicken coop. He didn't actually steal anything, but the stolen goods took the blame for him.

"Hey! What are you doing?"

As soon as Liu Guangqi, the son of Liu Haizhong, the second uncle, pushed open the courtyard gate, he saw Shazhu chasing Xu Damao, kicking up dust.

"He stole my eggs! He dropped the evidence but still denies it, instead accusing me of stealing his broken Trojan horse! Guangqi, you be the judge—is there anyone in the world this shameless?"

Xu Damao ran and howled, his voice cracking.