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

what--

From Madam Xu's side!

DouDing felt a weight lift from his heart.

His tone abruptly shifted, his gaze sweeping like a knife over Duan Youming and Cao Baowei: "Although he struck first, you insulted him first, which pushed him to this point. If you had shown some restraint, would he have bothered to raise his hand? In terms of fault, you are more serious."

Upon hearing this, Duan Youming, Cao Baowei, and the two girls were all stunned, as if a pause button had been pressed.

Even the auxiliary police officers behind Dou Ding exchanged glances discreetly, not daring to utter a sound.

Duan Youming and Cao Baowei's faces darkened, and they turned to glare at Li Guoxian—who had a slight upturn of his chin and a faint, smug smile on his lips.

The situation seemed to have turned upside down in an instant.

The huge weight in Qin Jingru's heart lifted with a thud, and her shoulders relaxed.

The two girls tensed their jaws, their fingers unconsciously twisting the hem of their clothes.

Hmph! Comparing backing?

I want to see whose roots run deeper!

Duan Youming gritted his teeth and blurted out, "Chief Dou, my family lives in the government compound on Chongwen Lane. My father is Director Duan of the Public Security Bureau..."

Cao Baowei immediately chimed in: "I also live in the government compound in Chongwen Lane. My father is the director of the Beijing No. 1 Machinery Factory."

Both of their fathers were officials at the provincial level.

As soon as she finished speaking, the two girls' expressions warmed up, and they straightened their backs a bit; Qin Jingru, however, felt her legs go weak, and her face turned even paler.

For her, the police station chief was already an unreachable official position, and now there were also the public security bureau chief and the head of a state-owned factory—those were top-level figures several steps away.

DouDing frowned slightly.

The position was indeed higher than his, but he wasn't worried about being reprimanded. He was afraid that if this matter reached Master Li's ears, it would make him seem like he was incompetent and lacked judgment.

Although Mayor He Shuting eventually stepped in to smooth things over, how could a few idle words alarm the city leaders? Doesn't that mean that the director of the department has "incompetent" written all over his face?

He raised his voice, his tone resolute: "Listen carefully! This is a police station, a place to uphold the law, not a stage for showing off your family's connections! Comparing whose household has a higher threshold or whose official hat shines brighter only disgraces yourselves!"

"Now, I'm giving you one last chance—shake hands and make peace. Otherwise, you'll all be detained for two days for disturbing public order!"

Both sides have powerful backers, and the matter was nothing more than a verbal altercation escalating into a fight. If it really escalated, it would only damage the harmony. Dou Ding still wanted to calm things down and promote reconciliation. If things really couldn't reach a stalemate, he would naturally have to protect Li Guoxian—he was Master Li's man.

"No! We can't just let this go! At least an apology in person is needed for this to be considered closed!"

Li Guoxian stood his ground, refusing to budge an inch.

Qin Jingru was so anxious that she kept tugging at his sleeve, her nails almost digging into the fabric, and kept giving him meaningful glances: Hurry up and agree, stop resisting! The longer it drags on, the harder it will be to end!

"Yes! He hit me first, so why can he just say 'never mind' and call it quits?"

"Swearing is wrong, but didn't they swear back? Using violence is the bottom line! They must apologize!"

Duan Youming and Cao Baowei were also unwilling to swallow their pride—they had already made their statement, and if they backed down now, where would they put their face?

Young people, who doesn't want to prove themselves?

"Since neither of us will back down, let's treat it as disturbing the peace and detain them all for two days!"

Dou Ding slammed his words on the ground, carrying a mix of intimidation and power.

He never intended to actually detain anyone; he just wanted to use this harsh remark to force both sides to hand over their hands.

What? Jail?

Upon hearing the word "detention," Qin Jingru's mind went blank, and her legs trembled. She thought that once the iron bars were closed and handcuffs were put on, she would really be stuck in jail eating cornbread.

Li Guoxian, with his sharp eyes, noticed her pale face and trembling fingers, as if they were withered leaves in the wind. He immediately stopped her, saying, "What are you trembling for? It's just two days of detention! It's not like you're being executed! Besides, it's the three of us men who are being detained, what are you panicking about!"

Qin Jingru felt a sense of relief, but before she could finish speaking, her heart sank again—it was her fiancé who had been detained!

"Chief Dou, my father is the police chief. Are you really going to detain us for two days?"

"We've done absolutely nothing wrong. Aren't you just blatantly protecting him by doing this?"

Duan Youming and Cao Baowei spoke one after the other, their tone urgent and harsh.

"Even if your father were sitting in Zhongnanhai, I would still act according to the rules—don't try to intimidate me with your family connections!"

Dou Ding glanced at Cao Baowei, then lowered his voice: "Fighting is disrupting public order. It doesn't matter who strikes first; once you start, it all counts."

"Either shake hands and make peace now, or you'll be handcuffed and taken to the station tomorrow morning."

In those days, if you were detained, the neighbors would gossip about you so much that they could spoil half the alley.

DouDing precisely grasped this point, which is why he used this tactic—forcing both sides to back down.

In his eyes, these kids were just hot-blooded brats who would tear the scene to shreds over a pointless argument and even drag their parents into it by pulling strings. They were nothing more than a bunch of immature, hot-headed youths.

He figured that even a seasoned veteran like Master Li wouldn't let Li Guoxian act so recklessly.

"Detain me if you want! Do you think I'm afraid of you?"

Li Guoxian raised his chin, glanced sideways at Duan Youming and Cao Baowei, and a mocking smile lingered on his lips.

He's really not afraid—his reputation? He's long forgotten about it. His father had already told him: after the wedding, he'd arrange an easy job for him, and his wife's workplace was already prepared. What's he after?

On the contrary, the two people opposite, who grew up in government compounds, would not only lose face if they were labeled "detained," but their fathers' reputations would also be tarnished.

If they're afraid of this, then they have to bow their heads and admit their mistakes; if they don't admit their mistakes? Forget about it!

Li Guoxian may be reckless, but he has a sense of justice—otherwise, how could his name be on Peking University's honor roll?

Unfortunately, he underestimated the methods of these privileged children.

Duan Youming nodded to Dou Dingyi: "Director Dou, since the parties involved are all here, the two young ladies should be alright, right?"

DouDing lowered his eyelids and didn't say a word, but he knew perfectly well that they were sending someone to fetch reinforcements.

The children who grew up in the compound were used to interpersonal relationships and power struggles from a young age. How could they be intimidated by a few harsh words? They saw through Li Guoxian's intentions at a glance, but they refused to take the bait.

"Susu, come back to my house quickly and find my brother!"

Cao Baowei grabbed his girlfriend's arm. "Lili, don't delay, come to my house and call me 'Big Brother'!"

This is not begging for mercy, but calling for people to "ransom" them.

"Okay!"

The two girls turned and ran.

Duan Youming and Cao Baowei turned their heads in unison, grinned at Li Guoxian, their eyes full of certainty—they want us to go to jail? No way!

"Guoxian, have your brother come over too."

DouDing rubbed his temples, his tone revealing helplessness.

Since things have escalated to this point, we have no choice but to ask our elders to step in.

But he also knew that the older generation was sensible—they all made a living in government offices in the capital, and even if they were in different circles, they would see familiar faces everywhere they looked, so no one would really break off relations.

"Jingru, go to Aunt Qin's house."

Li Guoxian had just finished speaking.

"Hey hey!"

Qin Jingru nodded hurriedly.

"Lu Gang, take her there in your tricycle and explain everything that happened here."

When Dou Ding said this, it was clearly a show of support for Li Guoxian.

Duan Youming and Cao Baowei exchanged a glance, their teeth clenched.

Lu Gang started his three-wheeled motorcycle with a "putt-putt-putt" sound, and Qin Jingru clung tightly to the side railing of the truck bed as they sped towards the courtyard house in Nanluoguxiang like the wind.

In just over ten minutes, the car had barely come to a stop when the person had already smashed open the gate.

Li Wenguo had just put down his chopsticks and was discussing with a group of people how to leverage their connections to climb the social ladder—he was taking stock of He Shuting's political connections, the influence of the Hu and Jiang families, and the influence of the maternal families behind Li Guofu's wife and Li Guohe's wife.

It's a pity that both Yang Yuerong and Sai Honglian's families have military backgrounds, which separate them from the local system; otherwise, they could have added fuel to the fire.

Qin Jingru rushed in, her hair disheveled, her voice hoarse, and poured out everything in one go.

"That little rascal! He's itching to cause trouble every day!"

Li Wenguo slammed his fist on the table and stood up. Although his words were harsh, he didn't ask for any reason—he wanted to establish his authority as a father first.

"Dad, this really can't be blamed on Guoxian. The other party started the insults first."

Li Guohua quickly chimed in, covering for his brother.

He knew all too well the weight of his father's roar—it wasn't genuine anger, but rather a gesture to give his father a way out, waiting for the next word to smooth things over.

"It was indeed a bit reckless to resort to violence during a major holiday."

The second son, Li Guofu, sighed softly and shook his head.

These five brothers are all married or have children; they're well past the age of impulsive, hot-blooded fighting. In their eyes, fighting isn't about being brave, it's about being reckless; it's not about feeling good, it's about causing trouble. If they get hurt, they're the ones who ultimately suffer.

"Comrade Lu Gang, who are those two who fought with my brother?"

Li Guotai turned to ask Lu Gang, who had come with him.

Since Dou Ding personally sent someone to call for help, the other party is most likely a cadre's son with impeccable political background—otherwise, there would be no need to alarm the institute, let alone for the Li family to step in.

Lu Gang knew perfectly well that the people in front of him were all powerful figures, especially Li Guohua, who held the title of Director of the Municipal Government Office, and whose words carried considerable weight. He bowed slightly, his tone steady and humble: "One of them is named Duan Tianyou, who claims his father is Director Duan of the Public Security Bureau..."

Director Duan?!

Before he finished speaking, several people in the room frowned simultaneously.

Qin Jingru's heart skipped a beat, and she knew something was wrong—everyone's expressions suggested they were truly stunned.

Lu Gang continued, "Another one was named Cao Baowei, who said his father was the director of the First Machinery Factory in Beijing..."

"Cao Baowei?"

No sooner had she spoken than the bright young woman sitting at another table with Qin Huairu suddenly raised her head and looked straight at her.

"You know him?" Lu Gang asked instinctively.

Qin Jingru also turned her head to the side—she recognized her; this was Li Guofu's wife.

"That's my younger brother!"

"What? Your brother?"

Lu Gang and Qin Jingru were both stunned, their mouths slightly agape.

"So... Cao Baowei is Guofu's brother-in-law?"

"The factory manager is Guofu's father-in-law!"

Qin Jingru blurted out, her voice full of surprise.

Li Guofu laughed out loud: "That's not all—Director Duan's eldest son, Duan Tianming, married my second sister."

what?

Qin Jingru's eyes widened.

Good heavens, after going around in circles, it's all the same family!

It's like their own boat crashing into their own dam!

"Come on, come with me."

Li Guofu got up and walked out.

Li Wenguo remained silent throughout the journey. His son was an adult, and there were some hurdles he had to overcome on his own; if a father always took care of everything, his child would never grow up.