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

"Nonsense! I, He Yuzhu, walk with a confident stride and act with integrity. Stealing chickens? I wouldn't even consider it a problem! You're framing me!"

Sha Zhu was so angry that his ears turned red and his chest heaved—an innocent man had been falsely accused of being a thief, and his anger had already reached the top of his head.

Upon seeing this commotion, Liu Guangqi rushed out without even putting on his shoes properly, afraid of missing a single moment of the excitement.

"Idiot! Don't run away—"

As soon as Sha Zhu shouted, Xu Damao in front of him actually stopped in his tracks, as if he had been nailed to the blue brick ground by a magic charm.

Huh?

Why has this coward changed his ways today? He's actually listening to orders?

He was taken aback for a moment, but then he thought—good thing he stopped! While he was still stunned, he snatched it back!

Sha Zhu rushed up behind Xu Damao, and just as his large, fan-like hand landed on Xu Damao's shoulder, his peripheral vision caught a glimpse of a plain-colored skirt at the doorway.

I turned my head instinctively.

That one glance, and my soul was captivated.

My God... has a celestial being descended to earth?

Are there really people this good-looking in the world?

Sha Zhu's throat tightened, and he even forgot to breathe.

Liu Guangqi, who arrived from behind, also bumped into him. Just as he was about to speak, he looked up and saw that his mouth was wide open, big enough to fit an egg.

Heavenly...celestial being?

"Pfft—"

Li Jingtong suddenly burst out laughing.

She was very familiar with this scene—every boy who met her for the first time either stood there dumbfounded or forgot to eat while holding his bowl; she had long since become immune to it.

"It's...it's so beautiful..."

Sha Zhu stared at her curved eyes and blurted out.

He shoved Xu Damao again, yelling, "Idiot! Pinch my thigh! I think I'm seeing a ghost!"

"Haha, stop pinching me, you guys aren't dreaming—excuse me, is this the courtyard house at No. 95 Nanluoguxiang?"

"The house number is a bit faded, blurry, and hard to see clearly."

Li Jingtong spoke with grace and poise, her voice clear and gentle.

"Oh my! A fairy is talking to me!"

Sha Zhu's eyes lit up, and he blurted out.

"Your nickname 'Silly Pillar' is really fitting—they're asking you a question right now!"

Xu Damao was the first to recover. He first scoffed at Sha Zhu, then grinned, revealing a set of neat white teeth, and put on what he thought was a charming smile for Li Jingtong: "This lady, yes, it's number 95 Nanluoguxiang. Who are you looking for?"

"Yes, yes, this is it! No. 95 Nanluoguxiang!"

Silly Zhu, belatedly realizing what was happening, hurriedly nodded in agreement.

"Don't worry, lady. I know everyone in the compound, where they live, and what their temperaments are like. I'll take you there!"

Liu Guangqi immediately chimed in, his tone warm and enthusiastic.

"Hello everyone, I'm looking for Aunt Qin from the east courtyard."

Li Jingtong smiled faintly, the sunlight shining on her face, making her look like she was coated with a soft light, dazzlingly beautiful.

Beautiful! Absolutely breathtakingly beautiful!

We must pursue it!

The thought popped into the minds of the three of them almost simultaneously.

"Aunt Qin?"

"Who is this?"

Sha Zhu was still confused, subconsciously thinking it was a middle-aged woman with her hair in a bun and wearing a blue cloth shirt.

They never even considered that only a young woman surnamed Qin lived in the east courtyard.

Xu Damao, however, was much quicker to think of Qin Huairu, who was pregnant and due to give birth in a few days!

He immediately pressed further, "Are you referring to Comrade Qin Huairu?"

"Yes, that's her!"

Li Jingtong nodded, smiling broadly.

What? Aunt Qin is actually Qin Huairu?

Sha Zhu and Liu Guangqi exchanged a quick glance, their faces filled with astonishment.

Qin Huairu was only twenty-one, a little over two years older than the three of them; the girl in front of them looked no more than seventeen or eighteen, so pretty and fresh-faced, why did she call her "Auntie" right off the bat?

Calling her "Sister Qin" sounds much better!

Xu Damao was also puzzled, but he always kept his thoughts to himself and didn't say a word.

"Um... if I may ask, what's your relationship with Sister Qin?"

Sha Zhu scratched the back of his head and asked honestly.

The question wasn't abrupt—there are rules in courtyard houses: outsiders must be questioned about their origins before entering. If someone with ill intentions sneaks in and causes trouble, everyone will be held responsible.

However, who would believe that such a clean and neat girl was here to cause trouble?

"Of course! Aunt Qin is my aunt, and she's about to give birth these days. My dad specially asked me to come and keep her company during her postpartum period."

After Li Jingtong finished speaking frankly, she secretly thought to herself: Her father, Li Wenguo, really knows how to pick his timing. He was busy with his studies at Peking University, but he forced her to take a month off to come and take care of this concubine who had just entered the family.

In fact, Li Wenguo had already planned it out—when Hongyu gave birth back then, it was Li Jingtong who helped raise her child. She was quick and meticulous, which is why he specifically asked her to come.

Li Jingtong is Hongyu's third daughter.

Aunt?

Was she sent by her father?

Doesn't that mean...?

Factory Director Li is her biological father?!

Sha Zhu, Xu Damao, and Liu Guangqi all widened their eyes in unison.

In the blink of an eye, the heart in his chest began to pound hot.

hiss--

Factory Director Li has such a beautiful daughter?!

simply……

simply……

It's like a windfall!

Countless times I've dreamt of climbing up to Li Wenguo's tree, and now the fruit on that tree is not only sweet, but also irresistibly fragrant! If I could marry him, I'd instantly become Director Li's perfect son-in-law—winning the heart of a beauty, securing a high position, a meteoric rise to power, double happiness, the best of both worlds…

"Comrade, come on! I'll take you to see Sister Qin—oh no, Aunt Qin!"

Xu Damao spoke up quickly, his voice becoming several octaves louder.

"Yes, yes, I'll show you the way!"

Sha Zhu immediately followed, afraid of being a step too slow.

"Is your suitcase heavy? I'll carry it!"

Liu Guangqi took a different approach and reached out to pick up his suitcase.

"Thank you, but it's no trouble at all. The box is very light; I can manage on my own."

Li Jingtong politely declined, her smile gentle.

Then, she stepped lightly and followed the three people through the hanging flower gate into the courtyard.

"Miss, my surname is Xu, and my given name is Da Mao. May I ask your surname?"

Xu Damao turned to talk to him as they walked.

Sha Zhu and Liu Guangqi quickly gave their names.

"My name is Li Jingtong, and I study at Peking University."

hiss--

A top student from Peking University?!

The three of them were all startled.

Li Wenguo's children are all quick-witted, have good memories, and are highly perceptive; they all went on to Peking University or Tsinghua University, and none of them fell behind.

"Hey—Silly Zhu, whose family is this pretty girl?"

"Absolutely! Such a beautiful girl, whose family raised her?"

"Young man, are you dating anyone yet?"

"..."

Along the way, the aunties and grandmas carrying washboards, hugging quilts, and holding rice washing baskets immediately surrounded Li Jingtong, chattering about her as soon as they saw her elegant and refined appearance.

If this girl could be married into the family, the ancestors' graves would be emitting auspicious smoke!

In their eyes, Li Jingtong was the first living beauty they had ever encountered in their lives.

Li Jingtong maintained a smile throughout, her demeanor gentle, but she only nodded without saying a word.

"Comrade Jingtong, ignore them! They're interrogating us about our marriage on our first meeting; it's incredibly tactless!"

Xu Damao waved his hands anxiously, as if he was afraid that she would be reserved for someone on the spot.

"These aunties are quite friendly."

Li Jingtong chuckled lightly, her expression nonchalant.

Graceful and poised, composed and polite in all manners!

The three of them were immediately enlightened—this was truly a lady raised in a prestigious family!

In the blink of an eye, the four of them had arrived at the entrance of the East Courtyard.

"Sister Qin, someone's here to see you!"

"Sister Qin is airing out her blankets, let me lend a hand!"

As soon as I stepped into the courtyard, I saw Qin Huairu holding her waist with one hand and shaking out the bed sheet with the other. Her belly was bulging high, and she was tiptoeing to hang on the bamboo pole.

Sha Zhu, with his sharp eyes, immediately stepped forward, his movements as swift as if he were rushing to receive a reward: "Sister Qin, take a break, I'll do it!"—eager to let Li Jingtong see how diligent he was.

"Sister Qin, please step aside, I'll do it!"

"And me, I'll help stretch the corners!"

Xu Damao and Liu Guangqi also rushed over, vying to curry favor.

"No need! The doctor said that more activity before delivery will make childbirth smoother."

Qin Huairu smiled and declined, so the three of them awkwardly stopped, but their eyes all fell on Li Jingtong.

So the "someone is looking for me" that Sha Zhu shouted earlier was referring to this fairy-like girl?

Li Jingtong quietly observed her stepmother and then spoke gracefully, "Hello Aunt Qin, I am Li Wenguo's daughter, Li Jingtong. My father asked me to come and accompany you during your postpartum period to help you with your recovery."

"Oh, hello, hello, Jingtong!" She was slightly taken aback, then quickly responded.

Ugh……

Another daughter left behind by her husband in his early years, whom she had never met, and who was even more outstanding than herself!

Qin Huairu sighed silently in her heart.

But then she felt a warmth spread through her—he did care about her after all, even sending his own daughter.

Although the two were married, Li Wenguo only came to visit two days a week, falling short of the idyllic married life she longed for.

Just like the clothes hanging in front of her, almost all of them were her own—he rarely stayed overnight, so naturally he had very few clothes to wash and change into.

She quickly put on a smile: "Jingtong, come inside and sit down, Auntie's almost done drying!"

"Aunt Qin, from now on, leave the laundry and drying to me. You can focus on your pregnancy and don't need to worry about anything else."

Li Jingtong smiled broadly and spoke with certainty.

"No, Auntie can still do it!"

She pointed to the clean and bright room next door, "Go and settle your luggage first."

Li Jingtong carried her bundle into the house.

"You three...would you like to come in and have some water?"

Qin Huairu watched as Sha Zhu, Xu Damao, and Liu Guangqi stared intently at Li Jingtong's retreating figure as she moved into the house, and couldn't help but ask with a smile.

"Oh no, I'm not drinking anymore!"

"We're coming back right away!"

The three of them took off running, faster than rabbits—the rules were strict these days, who would dare to just barge into a young lady's room?

Qin Huairu watched their hurried departure and gently shook her head. She knew perfectly well that all three of them had designs on her.

Li Jingtong had only been living in the courtyard house for a few days when all the unmarried young men in the neighborhood flocked around her like she was smelling honey, showering her with concern, running errands, and trying every trick in the book to win her favor, all hoping to catch her eye. Even Jia Dongxu couldn't resist and shamelessly approached Uncle Yi Zhonghai, asking him to propose marriage to Li Wenguo on his behalf.

Hey! You've got some nerve!

Who do you think you are, trying to climb up to Director Li's daughter?

Yi Zhonghai verbally agreed, but inwardly he was cursing.

Putting aside the fact that your family isn't well-off, just consider that your mother forcibly occupied someone else's old house back then, and now she wants to marry their daughter? You must be out of your mind to dare to dream such a thing!

"Dad, Mom, Grandpa, Grandma, I'm bringing Jinghan over this afternoon to introduce her to the new family! Please be kind and polite—I've been pursuing her for two whole years, and we finally got engaged. We can't afford any mishaps!"

Hu Jiandong devoted himself wholeheartedly to Li Jinghan, and their efforts finally paid off. Today, being a day off, the two families arranged to meet.