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

Thanks to He Shuting's political connections, he rose through the ranks quickly and steadily: first, he served one or two terms as county magistrate, or one term as county party secretary, and after seven or eight years, he could be transferred to another city as mayor.

Among the Li family's sons, he currently holds the highest official position—not because he is more capable, but simply because he is older.

Li Guotai was promoted to deputy director of the steel rolling mill after the New Year.

Li Guofu joined the Construction Committee and became its deputy director.

Li Guozhi was stationed at the police station as its director.

Li Guohe works at the tax bureau as a deputy section chief.

After the New Year, Dou Ding will be going to his new post in a local area to take on the role of police chief.

At this moment, Dou Ding was busy with a dispute at the institute. Among the parties involved was Li Guoxian, who was standing at the door of the mediation room holding Qin Jingru's hand.

There were six people sitting in the police station's duty room, three men and three women, the air tense like a taut bowstring.

The three men had bruises all over their faces, bloody gashes at the corners of their mouths, and their collars were askew and buttons were popped off, clearly indicating that they had just been torn apart.

Their eyes glared at each other like knives, neither willing to look away first.

When Qin Jingru stepped into the police station for the first time, her palms were sweaty, and she dared not loosen her grip even as her nails dug into her palms. She held tightly to Li Guoxian's sleeve until her knuckles turned white.

"On the second day of the Lunar New Year, when every family is gathered around the stove to stay up late, you guys—going shopping and having a meal—can cause sparks to fly from a state-run restaurant?"

"Don't you even know the rules? Don't you understand what it means to save face for the group?"

The young police officer in uniform slammed his hand on the table, his voice low but each word resounding.

But Li Guoxian and the other two young men didn't even lift their eyelids, staring intently at each other's chests as if they weren't clothes, but bullseyes.

The police officer's heart skipped a beat: these three men wore Shanghai brand wristbands, had no mud on their trousers, and spoke with a Beijing accent but without any awkwardness; they were probably raised in a compound. He immediately dropped his scolding stance and tried to smooth things over—but the powder kegs on both sides were already lit, and they wouldn't listen to any advice. He had no choice but to quickly greet Chief Douding, who had just entered the room.

As soon as DouDing entered, the police officer leaned in and whispered the details:

Li Guoxian drove Qin Jingru to the distribution center to buy New Year's goods, and they stopped by the state-run restaurant on the way.

Also traveling with them were Duan Youming and Cao Baowei, each accompanied by a girl from the city.

The two girls' newly permed hair, red silk jackets, and sheer stockings shimmered dazzlingly under the light. But when they glanced up and saw Qin Jingru's plain face and faded blue blouse, a wave of jealousy washed over them. They covered their mouths and sneered, "Oh, a country bumpkin like you dares to enter a state-run restaurant? Are you using your ration coupons as New Year's greetings?"

Before he could finish speaking, Li Guoxian grabbed an enamel mug and slammed it on the table with a loud bang. As soon as he uttered the curse, the two young men opposite him jumped up, pushed back their chairs, overturned the table, and rolled up their sleeves—in less than three minutes, dishes were scattered all over the floor, and the waiter was huddled behind the counter, trembling with fear.

Fighting is something that, when you lift it up, can be as heavy as a steelyard, but when you put it down, it's nothing more than a sesame seed.

The weight depends entirely on whether firewood or gasoline is burning in the stove.

As the police officer was speaking, Duan Youming glanced at Li Guoxian and said, "Kid, kneel down and apologize now, and we'll still give you some face."

Cao Baowei crossed his legs, his shoe almost poking Li Guoxian's knee: "Did you hear me? Serving tea, bowing, calling me 'brother'—if you miss one of these, your father's secure job will be smashed to pieces before your very eyes."

"Serving tea? I'd be better off peeing than either of you!" Li Guoxian sneered, his tongue pressed against his back teeth. "Give me your full names, and I'll come knocking on your doors one by one to challenge you—whoever stands taller gets to kneel down and scrub the floor first!"

Duan Youming—the only son of the director of the Beijing Public Security Bureau; Cao Baowei—a close associate of the director of the First Machinery Factory. Both their fathers were high-ranking officials, and in the Liulichang Hutong area, their names were so famous they could shake the rooftops.

Upon hearing this, Duan Youming's pupils shrank sharply, and the veins on the back of Cao Baowei's hand bulged.

"Guo...Guoxian, how about...we apologize?" Qin Jingru's voice trembled like a piece of paper in the wind, her lips were deathly pale, "I heard...I heard that the bureau chief even kicked down the door of the deputy bureau chief when he checked on people at night..."

"Shut up!" Li Guoxian abruptly turned his head, his eyes burning with fury. "The people I protect, do you think you can back down for me? Huh?"

Qin Jingru immediately hunched her shoulders, looking like a little quail soaked by the rain, even holding her breath.

Duan Youming chuckled: "Listen to this, even your own wife is advising you to back down—you country bumpkin, just accept your fate."

Cao Baowei slowly took out his cigarette case and tapped it: "A sparrow without a powerful backer shouldn't try to be a hawk. If things really fall apart, you won't even have a place to cry at your grave."

The two girls smiled at each other, their fingertips tracing the bright red nail polish, their gazes sweeping over Qin Jingru's worn-out cloth shoes, then over Li Guoxian's frayed cotton-padded jacket cuffs, as if they were sweeping over two pieces of outdated old furniture.

"Backing?" Li Guoxian suddenly grinned, revealing a set of white teeth. "Alright—let's see whose threshold is higher, whose bench is stronger! Today, I'm not serving you tea; I want to see who kneels down and licks my shoes!"

He was pampered by his mother since he was a child, and he didn't respect anyone except his father. Why would he be afraid of two young boys who were about the same age as him?

"Heh, it's settled then. Don't come crying and begging for mercy later."

Duan Youming raised the corners of his mouth, his tone full of certainty.

Li Guoxian's angular face and neatly tailored clothes certainly didn't look like someone from an ordinary family; yet he chose a country girl as his partner—in their eyes, this was like putting on a show of wealth, all show and no substance, just a facade.

That's why I dare to be so presumptuous.

"I'm waiting for you two to serve me tea and apologize. Oh, and you two too—you also need to apologize to my fiancée in person."

Li Guoxian's words were crisp and left no room for negotiation.

"Hmph! You want us to bow down and apologize to that bumpkin? Dream on!"

"Exactly! They don't even look in the mirror. Wearing a thick cotton-padded coat and daring to stroll into the city, they're so unfashionable!"

The two women scoffed, their words dripping with barbs.

Qin Jingru's face flushed, her shoulders hunched slightly, and she silently lowered her eyes.

She had only been in the city for a few months, spending all her time in the courtyard helping her cousin Qin Huairu take care of her child, rarely even stepping out of the alleyway. When she suddenly encountered the cold stares and ridicule of the city people, her inherent timidity surged up like a tide.

"Hey, you two are quite quick-witted, but unfortunately you can't speak like human beings—you have such mean faces, how are you worthy of the title 'city people'? I think you should really go back to the village and learn how to speak like human beings."

"Besides, once she's married, she'll have a proper city residency. You guys call her unsophisticated, but aren't you just feeling guilty? Tsk, a city girl being outshone by a country girl—does that mean your ancestors' graves are buried in a mountain valley and the feng shui hasn't changed at all?"

Li Guoxian never suffered a loss; his words were always sharp and cutting. The two girls were so angry that their chests heaved violently, their faces turned from white to green, and their lips trembled.

"You...you!!!"

"Nonsense!!!"

"Youming, are you just going to let him treat me like this?"

"Security, did you hear that? We have to embarrass him on the spot!"

The two women were speechless and could only tug at their husbands' sleeves, hoping they would step in and turn the tide.

"Don't worry, he won't be able to keep this up for long."

At this moment, after listening to his subordinate's report, Dou Ding strode over and stood between the two sides.

He frowned, his voice steady: "It's the Lunar New Year, and this is just another case of gossip causing trouble. Why don't we each take a step back, shake hands, and go home to reunite with our families?"

"no!!!"

"no!!!"

"This matter cannot be left unresolved!"

With the year-end approaching, both families were accompanied by female companions, dressed impeccably, and able to sit in state-run restaurants—they were clearly not ordinary households. They likely had connections and powerful backers. Besides, the whole thing started with just a few words of argument; if you really wanted to argue, it wasn't a serious issue. DouDing had a clear plan: smoothing things over was the safest approach.

If things escalate and involve elders, it will be difficult to resolve the situation.

Since becoming the head of the police station, Dou Ding has long since developed a sense of proportion—he is uncompromising when it comes to enforcing the law strictly, but he also doesn't stubbornly insist on letting people go when necessary. In this matter, settling things peacefully is the appropriate course of action.

Unfortunately, he wanted to turn hostility into friendship, but Cao Baowei and Duan Youming were unwilling to back down, and Li Guoxian was even less willing to cooperate. No one was willing to give in, insisting that the other side bow down and apologize, all for the sake of saving face.

"no!!!"

"no!!!"

"This isn't something that can be easily forgotten!"

Seeing that both sides were adamant, Dou Ding's face darkened.

His gaze swept over the crowd, his tone calm yet authoritative: "So—how exactly do you want to resolve this?"

He knew perfectly well that both sides dared to act so arrogantly because they had some family connections. They weren't after justice; they were after face.

Young people are hot-tempered and easily angered, but this recklessness often turns small things into big problems.

"He started the fight! He should apologize!"

Duan Youming pointed at Li Guoxian and raised his voice.

He did indeed strike first. With four mouths attacking one, Li Guoxian couldn't argue back. In a fit of anger, he shoved the other man, and that's how the fight started.

Dou Ding turned to Li Guoxian.

He didn't recognize the young man—Li Wenguo had too many children; he recognized at most ten percent of them. Don't underestimate that ten percent; a dozen or twenty people would keep him memorizing for quite some time.

Of course, as soon as Li Guoxian revealed his family background, Dou Ding would immediately change his tune and do everything in his power to protect him.

"I pushed them first, that's true." Li Guoxian straightened his back without flinching, "But they were the ones who started the swearing. If they hadn't used those insults, I would never have laid a hand on them—they were in the wrong first, not the other way around."

Logically speaking, both sides are involved in this matter, but if we really want to determine who bears more responsibility, then the person who started the fight should definitely take the lead—after all, if the fist wasn't thrown, how could there be any conflict?

Dou Ding stared intently at Li Guoxian with a stern face: "They're using foul language. You should have called the police or called the police. Why did you swing your arm first?"

As soon as he finished speaking, Duan Youming and Cao Baowei both smiled and their eyes were full of certainty that "you're in trouble now."

Li Guoxian's face flushed red, and his nostrils flared slightly, as if he were holding his breath.

Qin Jingru stood behind him, her palms sweaty, her eyes stinging, and she almost burst into tears on the spot.

Li Guoxian's heart skipped a beat: he had indeed struck first, so he was morally inferior. But to bow his head and apologize? No way! He had no choice but to reveal his trump card: "Uncle Douding, I'm a member of the Li family."

Li Wenguo had repeatedly told the children: if they run into trouble outside, mentioning Dou Ding's name will help.

Li's family?

DouDing's eyebrows twitched slightly, but his expression remained unchanged: "Oh? The Li family...and which other families?"

He needed to find out which branch it was to avoid mistaking someone else for someone else.

"The Xu family."

Li Guoxian answered decisively.