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

"I have so many daughters, each one beautiful and elegant, with an extraordinary air about them. How could ordinary people be worthy of them? Naturally, I have to choose the best children from government compounds."

"Don't you think so?"

Li Wenguo spoke with conviction and without a trace of falsehood.

His daughter was not only exceptionally beautiful, but her every move exuded the grace of a well-bred lady; ordinary people could only admire her from afar. Only those from prominent families with deep roots and influence could come to propose marriage.

Before long, the car stopped in front of a Western restaurant. The two men ate and chatted, discussing their eldest son Li Guohua's marriage in detail.

Not long after, another car pulled up smoothly at the entrance, and Li Guotai and Hu Ke'er got out of the car hand in hand.

Wow! A romantic Western restaurant!

"I heard this place is romantic and authentic. My friend ate here a while ago and raved about it to me for ages. I was so envious!"

Hu Ke'er looked up at the poetic sign written in English above the door, her eyes shining and her voice leaping with joy.

"That's right, the environment and the food are top-notch, and it's owned by my brother."

Li Guotai nodded and smiled.

"What? Your brother owns it?"

Hu Ke'er was taken aback and blurted out.

Such a sophisticated Western restaurant, with its elegant decor and high-class ambiance, could only be maintained by someone with a solid foundation.

But then I thought about it again—my current boyfriend is Li Guotai, who is no ordinary person, so it's not too surprising that his brother has this ability.

"Yes, to be precise, it's my second brother—Li Guofu, the eldest son of Sister Hongyu."

Second brother?

Does that mean there's an older brother?

Hu Ke'er's heart skipped a beat.

She had only known Li Guotai for a week, but every time they met they would chat enthusiastically, with endless topics to discuss. She hadn't even had a chance to ask about his family background.

She then asked, "And what about your older brother? What does he do?"

Li Guotai took her hand and led her inside, laughing as he said, "My older brother works at the Municipal Public Security Bureau, and his wedding date is set before the end of the year. I'll take you there to have a drink at his wedding, okay?"

"Oh? What a coincidence! My brother's getting married soon too, he's already chosen the almanac, it's also at the end of the year!"

Hu Ke'er's eyes lit up, and upon hearing that the other family had good news, she immediately shared her own good news.

She didn't forget to casually accept the invitation: "Okay, okay, you have to remember to take me with you!"

She quickly added, "You absolutely must come to my brother's wedding!"

If they really go back and forth like this a few times, their relationship will be considered a done deal—it's not much different from formally meeting each other's parents.

Li Guotai casually asked about the specific date and, upon learning that it wasn't the same day, secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

He pushed open the glass door of the Western restaurant, glanced around, and suddenly stopped in his tracks—two figures at the table by the window looked very familiar, and he recognized them at a glance.

It was my father, and Aunt He too!

"What's wrong, Cathay?"

She saw him suddenly stop and asked softly.

"Oh my, what a coincidence! My dad and Aunt He are also eating here."

Li Guotai pointed over there.

"ah???"

"Are your uncle and aunt having dinner here too?"

Hu Ke'er looked in that direction and saw a man and a woman dressed in fine clothes, with a calm demeanor. Just sitting there, they exuded an aura that could not be underestimated.

"Let's go say hello!"

After Li Guotai finished speaking, he started walking away.

"Oh……"

Hu Ke'er's heart skipped a beat, and her cheeks flushed slightly—this was no chance encounter; it was clearly a pre-arranged meeting with the parents!

But then I thought about it again and realized that I was good-looking and had a graceful demeanor, which was more than enough to match Guotai, so I wasn't worried.

"Dad! Aunt He!!"

Li Wenguo and He Shuting, who were discussing wedding arrangements, looked up at the sound and nodded with a smile: "Guotai is here too?"

Li Wenguo's gaze fell on Hu Ke'er. After a brief look, he nodded in approval: she had delicate features and a refreshing demeanor. He then asked gently, "Is this young lady your friend?"

"Ke'er, this is my dad, and this is Aunt He!"

Li Guotai nodded and then proceeded to introduce the matter.

Hu Ke'er quickly called out sweetly, but a shiver ran through her heart—

The two looked to be in their early thirties at most; they didn't look like parents who could raise a son as big as Guotai.

Especially Aunt He, with her exquisite features and dignified demeanor, was so beautiful that it was almost impossible to look directly at her!

Standing next to myself, it's like comparing heaven and earth...

Wait, why is she called "Auntie" instead of "Mom"?

Could it be that Guotai's birth mother has passed away, and this is a second marriage?

Her heart skipped a beat, but she didn't recognize He Shuting as Mayor He—after all, not everyone watches the city government news every day.

After this little incident, the two chose to sit by the window.

Hu Ke'er wanted to ask Aunt He several times, "Is Aunt He a stepmother?" but she was afraid of touching on her sore spot, so she hesitated for a long time and finally swallowed her words.

the other side.

At the Hu family's dinner table.

"I ran into Jinghan's dad today."

Hu Chongde picked up a piece of green vegetable with his chopsticks, speaking in a flat tone.

Before he finished speaking, Hu's mother, Hu Jiandong, and Hu Jianhua all put down their chopsticks and turned their attention to him.

"Oh? What happened?"

"Could it be that your in-laws specifically came to the bureau to ask you for a favor?"

Hu's mother blurted out, "The two families haven't even officially met yet. What could he possibly want by coming to our door like this? He's just asking for a favor!"

"Mom, don't make wild guesses. I sat in the station all day today, and Uncle Li didn't show up at all!"

Hu Jiandong quickly waved his hand to clarify.

He had met Li Wenguo, and just by his calm and composed demeanor, coupled with the wealth he inadvertently revealed in his conversation, he knew that Li was definitely not the kind of person who would lower himself to ask for favors.

"They're not here to do anything—and even if they were, it wouldn't be my place to lend a hand!"

Hu Chongde put down his chopsticks and said slowly, "His wife is Mayor He Shuting, and she wields far more power than I, a mere section chief."

"What???"

"Is Mayor He his wife?"

"Then... Jinghan is Mayor He's daughter?"

Mrs. Hu's eyes widened suddenly, and she even forgot to put down her chopsticks.

It turns out that Jinghan's family is actually more well-off than mine!

Hu Jiandong and Hu Jianhua were also stunned, their faces filled with astonishment.

But Hu Jiandong quickly came to his senses—he had met He Shuting and Jinghan's birth mother, Xianglan, and had heard a little about the Li family's past, so he naturally knew that Jinghan was not He Shuting's child...

There's another layer to it. He was afraid his family would think the Li family was too complicated, so he simply didn't mention a word about how many concubines Li Wenguo had taken before the liberation and how many children he had.

"No, Jinghan is not Mayor He's daughter."

After Hu Chongde finished speaking, his gaze fell directly on his eldest son.

He knew that his son must have kept something to himself when he came back.

Hu's mother turned to stare at her eldest son and pressed, "Jiandong, were you really sure that day? Jinghan's biological mother really wasn't Mayor He?"

Hu Jiandong's face flushed, he scratched the back of his head, and finally spoke honestly: "Jinghan's biological mother was Uncle Li's concubine whom he married before Liberation."

"Yes, Mayor He mentioned it herself. Her husband had taken several concubines before the liberation."

Mr. Hu nodded slowly.

"Hey, what's so special about that? Aren't many old-fashioned families like this from the start?"

Mrs. Hu waved her hand, completely unconcerned.

But Hu Jiandong was apprehensive: Rare? Absolutely rare!

If you knew that Uncle Li's family had seven or eight concubines and enough children to fill two mahjong tables, you'd probably drop your chopsticks in shock!

As soon as the meal was cleared away, Hu Ke'er stepped into the house with light steps, her joy barely concealed in her eyes and brows.

"Oh, sister, you look so lovely—could it be that your relationship with Director Li is now a done deal?"

Hu Jianhua winked and smiled mischievously.

"What nonsense are you spouting! Nothing's even started yet, the two sets of parents haven't even met, how can it be 'settled'?"

Just as Hu's mother dried her hands, she leaned out of the kitchen with a rag in her hand and interrupted the conversation in a clear voice.

"Mom, you're so clueless! Even without the wedding ceremony, they've already passed the 'half-door'!"

Hu Ke'er smiled, her eyes sparkling.

"Half a door? Don't cross the line!"

Although Hu's mother kept her mouth shut, she was certain in her heart that Li Guotai was polite and well-mannered and would never overstep his bounds—the problem probably lay with her bold and meticulous daughter.

"Crossing the line? Do I look like that kind of person?" Hu Ke'er rolled her eyes.

"Doesn't seem like it? Then go to their door yourself. To put it nicely, it's being proactive; to put it bluntly, it's offering yourself up—at this critical juncture, what wouldn't you dare to do?" Mother Hu scoffed, her tone carrying three parts mockery and seven parts control.

"Oh no, that's not it! I just happened to run into his dad at dinner tonight!"

Hu Ke'er quickly waved her hand and explained the whole story.

"Let's take him home on Sunday. I haven't properly met him yet."

Mr. Hu put down his newspaper, looked up from the sofa, and spoke in a calm voice.

"Dad, I've invited Jinghan over for dinner this Sunday."

Hu Jiandong interjected.

"No problem, come along."

He paused, a slight smile playing on his lips—he wanted to see what it would be like to see Li Jinghan and Li Guotai, the siblings, sitting at the same table.

This is the courtyard house.

Five days ago, Qin Huairu gave birth to a healthy baby boy for Li Wenguo.

Li Wenguo was overjoyed and immediately named the child Li Guoxuan.

Qin Huairu was overjoyed. Having given birth to a son, she could naturally stand taller, and her husband would surely visit her more often, right?

But life went on as usual—Li Wenguo returned home at the same frequency as before.

It wasn't that he was neglecting Qin Huairu, but rather that Xiuxiu and Jinhua had each had a son and a daughter, and their bedside tables were piled high with baby bottles and diapers; moreover, his eldest son Li Guohua's marriage was also at a critical juncture, causing him a great deal of distress.

"Aunt Qin, look at our little Guoxuan! His nose and eyes are a spitting image of you!"

Li Jingtong held the ten-day-old baby in her arms, her smile gentle and warm.

Qin Huairu was naturally beautiful, but having grown up in the countryside, she missed out on the good times when city girls learned sewing, calligraphy, and strolled in parks when she was fifteen or sixteen. If she had grown up in the alleyways and bathed in sunshine like Xiao Cui, Xiao Ju, and Xiao Xue, she would have been just as charming as them.

Therefore, Xiao Guoxuan's appearance naturally resembles his mother more.

To put it bluntly, Qin Huairu's face is even more refined and clear than Li Wenguo's handsome features.

"Hmm... but this part of my brow bone does look a bit like Wen Guo's; after all, it's his flesh and blood."

Qin Huairu subconsciously replied.

A thought lingered in her mind: she feared that if the child resembled her too much, it would arouse suspicion—after all, there were many people coming and going in this courtyard, including quite a few men, and who knew what others might say.

What she didn't know was that Li Jingtong had long figured out her father's "genetic temperament": all his children, regardless of gender or age, resembled their mothers more than their fathers.

I didn't even consider it from another angle.

Li Jingtong saw through Qin Huairu's cautiousness at a glance and chuckled inwardly: After spending half a month together, she had figured out "Aunt Qin's" temperament pretty well: she came from a farming family and always had a hint of restraint in her interactions with others, afraid that if she said the wrong thing or showed any weakness in her eyes, she would be looked down upon.

By the way, last year, Jia Dongxu also married a girl from the countryside through an old man's matchmaking; at the beginning of this year, she also had a son, whom she named Jia Banggeng.