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

Within three minutes of entering, his confidence was subtly diminished by three-tenths of his aura, and his previous composure and self-assurance were instantly shattered.

"Guotai, just who is this Aunt Xu...?"

She lowered her voice and secretly dug her fingertips into her palm.

"My father's legal wife."

Li Guotai didn't beat around the bush; this matter would have to be brought up sooner or later.

"The legal wife?"

"Then...where is your biological mother?"

Hu Ke'er frowned slightly.

"My mother was my father's concubine."

He answered frankly and without any blatant disregard. In today's new society, the concept of "born out of wedlock" has long since disappeared, and he never felt inferior to anyone.

"Oh...no wonder Aunt Xu's eyes were full of aloofness."

No matter how she called out to people or how Li Guotai introduced them, Xu Wanqing only nodded perfunctorily, not even bothering to give him a proper look.

"Stop talking, let's go inside."

Li Guotai didn't want to mention her anymore, nor did he want Hu Ke'er to continue asking questions.

Stepping into the Intermediate People's Court, one could see Li Guoxian, the "King of the Kids," already standing in a row outside the hall with a string of younger siblings, craning their necks to wait for them—ostensibly to "welcome the eldest sister-in-law," but in reality, they just loved to join in the fun, seek amusement, and pick on the weak...

"You're going to be our future sister-in-law?"

"Tsk, it's nothing special!"

"My eldest sister, second sister, third sister, fourth sister, fifth sister, sixth sister...aren't they all more beautiful than you? And my younger sisters, they'll all be gorgeous in the future, leaving you miles behind!"

He crossed his arms and sneered nonchalantly.

Hu Ke'er's face flushed instantly, and even her ears turned red.

Indeed, Li Jingxiang from earlier, Li Jinghan from before, and the few young girls behind Li Guoxian who, though not yet fully grown, already possessed striking beauty, were all more dazzling than her. But to belittle her in public like this was far too harsh and inappropriate.

This was the first time in her life she had been humiliated like this.

"Guoxian, that's enough! This is your future sister-in-law, watch your mouth!"

Li Guotai's face darkened, and he immediately shielded Hu Ke'er behind him.

"Ke'er, my younger brother has been spoiled since he was little. He might have a loose tongue, but he's not a bad person at heart. Don't take it to heart—come on, Guoxian, apologize to your sister-in-law!"

He urged him sternly.

"Brother, I'm telling the truth, why should I apologize?"

Li Guoxian pouted, put his hands in his pockets, and looked completely indifferent.

Clearly, in his eyes, this older brother couldn't hold his own at all.

"Speaking like that not only disgraces you, but the entire Li family!"

Li Guotai's voice tightened, "Father always said that good manners aren't just about words, but about character. How can you be so unruly in front of outsiders? What will people think of our family?"

Li Wenguo has many children. Can he raise them all to be gentle and well-mannered? It's difficult. Some children will inevitably go astray, and Li Guoxian is the most dissolute of them all.

"I didn't shout, how would Dad know?"

He scoffed, shrugged, and showed no sign of backing down.

With Li Jinghan not around this time, he became even more unrestrained.

"you--"

"If you don't apologize now, I'll tell Dad everything!"

Li Guoxian was, after all, Xu Wanqing's biological son, and was more precious than others since childhood. Li Guotai could say a few harsh words, but he would never dare to lay a finger on him—if he really did, it would be his mother Xianglan who would suffer.

He remembered that when he was a child, his third brother had a fight with Li Guowen. Xu Wanqing not only did not punish her third brother, but she also didn't bother to ask who started the fight. She turned around and slapped Xianglan eight times. The sound was crisp and loud, and the whole courtyard was silent.

Since then, who would dare to lay a hand on the children in Xu Wanqing's room? At this critical juncture, Li Guotai can only use his father, Li Wenguo, to intimidate people.

"Don't try to scare me with my dad! If you dare tell on me, I'll run to my mom right now!"

"Once my mother has a spare moment, the first person she'll deal with is your mother!"

Li Guoxian retorted defiantly, his eyelids twitching and the corners of his mouth curling up, displaying the utterly arrogant and domineering nature of someone who takes advantage of others.

"you--!"

Li Guotai's face suddenly turned ashen, and his fists clenched so tightly that his knuckles turned white.

"Brother Guotai, forget it... Anyway, I'm definitely not as pretty as your sisters, let's just go in."

Seeing her beloved being forced into this situation, Hu Ke'er felt a pang of anxiety. She quietly tugged at his sleeve and softly tried to persuade him.

"No way! You're my future daughter-in-law, he has no right to step on your nose and insult you!"

Li Guotai stood his ground, his gaze fixed on Li Guoxian's face like a knife. "You think I wouldn't dare? Your arrogant and hurtful attitude has already led your younger siblings astray! You've ruined the family's reputation and disrupted the rules! Even if you bring up Aunt Xu to intimidate us, my father won't turn a blind eye!"

The tension in the small courtyard grew stronger, and the shouts drifted upwards, even faintly penetrating into the main hall at the back. Li Wenguo, Xianglan, and several women sitting on the edge of the kang (heated brick bed) eating melon seeds all perked up their ears.

If it weren't for the children crying and scrambling inside, those words would probably have been heard by everyone.

"That voice...is it Cathay?"

Xianglan recognized it immediately, and her brows furrowed into a knot.

"And Guoxian is right outside."

Xiao Ju, who had been peeking through the crack in the door for a long time, deliberately raised her voice at this moment.

The girls who used to be bullied the most by Xu Wanqing's roommates were Xiao Cui, Xiao Ju, Xiu Xiu, Jin Hua, and Xiao Xue. Now that they had a chance to make Xu Wanqing suffer, weren't they all secretly grinning with delight?

"Could it be that Guoxian is leading a bunch of kids to block the door and cause trouble again?"

Li Jinghan, who was sitting next to Xianglan, suddenly spoke up.

Previously, when her elder brother Li Guohua brought his girlfriend over, and also the time she herself came over, Li Guoxian would nitpick and find fault. At least with her there, he restrained himself a bit; now that she's not here, wouldn't he be completely out of control?

Upon hearing this, Li Wenguo's brow twitched, and his face darkened: "Is that so?"

"I'll go take a look." Li Jinghan had just gotten up.

"No need, I'll go myself!"

Li Wenguo suddenly stood up and strode outside.

In the hall, Xianglan, Xiaoju, Xiuxiu who was holding a baby, and Xiaoxue all smiled at the same time, their lips slightly upturned, like four thin blades quietly unfolding.

in the courtyard.

"Whether my dad sides with my mom or not is none of your business! You dare to tell on me and get me beaten up? Fine—the moment my dad leaves, I'll call my mom and have her drag your mom into the woodshed and give her a good beating!"

Li Guoxian crossed his arms over his chest, chin held high, looking just like a rooster that had won a fight.

Behind him, a row of his younger siblings followed suit, hands on their hips and heads tilted back, their little faces serious, looking exactly like a group of little monkeys looking in a mirror.

This scene was witnessed by Li Wenguo, who was standing at the entrance of the hall.

What is this brat doing?!

Isn't this blatantly setting a bad example for a whole bunch of kids?!

"This is the last time—apologize to Ke'er! Otherwise, I'll turn around and go inside right now!"

Li Guotai stared intently at his younger brother, his eyes burning, and delivered his final ultimatum, word by word.

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw his father standing by the door. He sneered inwardly: Guoxian, Guoxian, no matter how tough you are this time, you'll have to kneel down and take the punishment!

Even if you admit your mistake now, your father has already heard about it!

"Apologize? Dream on! I'm telling the truth—this future sister-in-law, in terms of looks, doesn't even reach the heels of our shoes!"

"shut up!!!"

A thunderous roar cleaved through the air, causing Li Guoxian to tremble and nearly collapse to his knees.

"Father! Father! Father—!"

He turned around abruptly and saw Li Wenguo standing in front of the steps with a dark face. His legs went weak and his tongue got tied. He could only manage three trembling cries that were completely out of tune.

"You bastard, are you even speaking human language?!"

"No manners whatsoever?!"

"How did I teach you?!"

"All those rules, decorum, and sense of propriety, what happened to them?!"

"You really made me proud, didn't you?!"

Li Wenguo strode forward, grabbed Li Guoxian by the back of the neck, and slapped him hard on the head!

“Pah!”

Li Guoxian jumped up in pain, clutching his head and shaking it violently, crying out, "Dad! It hurts!"

"You still feel pain?!"

"You're grimacing in pain, and you still dare to be so arrogant?"

"Are you out of your mind? Is this behavior appropriate? Not only are you setting a bad example for your younger siblings, but you're also blocking the door and causing trouble—who taught you these ridiculous rules?"

"Get your hands off me!"

"Smack!!!"

As soon as Li Guoxian released his grip, Li Wenguo slapped him hard across the face again.

"Ouch—that hurts so much!!!"

"I won't do it again! I really won't do it again!!!"

Li Guoxian's eyes were red, and tears welled up in his eyes, but he stubbornly refused to let them fall.

"Hurry up and apologize to them!"

Li Wenguo's sharp shout made the eaves of the house tremble.

"I'm so sorry! I'm so sorry!!"

"Sister-in-law, I'm a jerk, I'm so rude!!"

Li Guoxian's back stiffened, and he dared not utter a single word in reply, his head drooping faster than a chicken pecking at rice.

"No, it's alright... Kids will be kids, what child isn't naughty?"

"Uncle Li, there's really no need to hit anymore!" Hu Ke'er hurriedly stopped him.

"You brat, open your eyes and look at other people's kids—they know their place and how to behave, unlike you, running wild like a stray dog!"

"Smack!!!"

Another slap landed.

This time, Li Guoxian felt a lump in his throat, and tears finally rolled down his cheeks, but he bit his lower lip tightly, swallowing his sobs back down his throat.

At fifteen years old, kneeling to be beaten is acceptable, but crying out—that would be utterly shameful.

"Get over there! Kneel against the east wall and reflect on your actions! Lunch is out of the question!"

Li Wenguo raised his hand and pointed, his voice as cold as iron.

Li Guoxian didn't say a word, but lowered his head and shuffled over, kneeling obediently on the blue brick floor.

Then Li Wenguo's gaze swept over his dozen or so children beside him, scolding them one by one. His voice couldn't contain his anger, and several of his younger daughters immediately began to sob and wipe away their tears. He made a harsh statement: Anyone who follows Li Guoxian in making a fool of themselves will kneel against the wall, and will not be allowed to eat or get up.

Li Jingfang, who was standing at the door, quietly slipped over to her mother Xiaoju and several aunts, and whispered everything that had happened outside.

Li Jingfen is Xiaoju's eldest daughter, born in 19**, and is twenty years old this year. She has an oval face, bright eyes like morning stars, a high and delicate nose, and light pink lips. Paired with her smooth, creamy skin, she is beautiful and spirited, and her appearance is in no way inferior to Li Jinghan's.

Although Xiaoju and Xiaocui were bought back then, and their names were incredibly rustic, they were anything but vulgar. Their features and figures were all top-notch, and they were as beautiful as Xianglan. Otherwise, Xu Wanqing wouldn't have always called them "seductive vixens," and Li Wenguo wouldn't have dragged them to play cards and poker every other day—in terms of looks, personality, and intelligence, their two children were never inferior to each other.

That little rascal deserved a good beating from the old man long ago!

After hearing this, the concubines all breathed a sigh of relief, feeling as if they had drunk a sip of hot tea, and their whole bodies felt soothed.

The subsequent meetings went smoothly. Although Hu Ke'er was not as bright and dazzling as her own daughter, Xianglan knew in her heart: in such a large capital city, how many people could be more outstanding than her daughters? So she didn't take it to heart.