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

Inside the police station, Li Guoxian sat facing Duan Tianyou and Cao Baowei with stiff expressions, ignoring each other.

He had no idea that the two people opposite him were his cousin's brother-in-law's younger brother and his future brother-in-law's younger brother.

You can't blame him—he had met Cao Baowei's sister and Duan Tianyou's brother, but he had never met these two younger brothers; no one in the family had ever gossiped about "who your sister married" or "which family your brother married," so naturally he was completely clueless.

"Here, have some water to soothe your throat."

DouDing poured three cups of warm water for each of them and pushed them in front of the three people.

Seeing the bruises all over their faces, he silently shook his head.

They should have shaken hands and made peace, then taken home a bottle of liniment to apply. Why swing your arms and legs on the first day of the Lunar New Year? It's just pointless fuss.

"Knock knock knock! Knock knock knock!"

Suddenly, a series of hurried footsteps sounded outside the door, approaching from afar, with the sound of heels clicking crisply on the concrete floor.

The one who rushed in was Cao Baowei's elder brother, Cao Baoguo—who was closest and fastest.

"Hello, I am Cao Baoguo, Cao Baowei's older brother!"

He quickly stepped forward and offered his hand.

"Dou Ding, the police station chief."

DouDing stood up to greet him and shook hands with him.

"During the Spring Festival, our comrades are still on duty, ensuring that we ordinary people can live peacefully. It's truly not easy!"

Look at this, this is the true style of a high-ranking official – before even understanding the situation, they bow to the grassroots cadres in respect.

"I heard what happened from Lili. Don't worry, I won't make you work overtime for such a small matter."

Cao Baoguo spoke with certainty. He had already heard from his younger brother's girlfriend, Lili, that Director Douding not only didn't show favoritism, but actually protected Li Guoxian. Someone who could be so protected by Douding must have a powerful background. To turn on someone over a few words and then resort to violence? It's simply not worth it.

After hearing this, DouDing smiled slightly and nodded in satisfaction—that's what you call being sensible!

Thank you for your understanding.

On the bench, Cao Baowei grimaced as he listened.

"Brother, is this all over?"

He understood what his brother meant: let's not pursue it, let it go.

"I haven't even said anything about you yet! Getting into a fight on the first day of the Lunar New Year, aren't you ashamed?"

Cao Baoguo sternly reprimanded him, then glanced at Li Guoxian, quickly running through his mind—he had never seen this face before, it didn't look like a relative of his brother-in-law Li Guofu, and it certainly didn't look like any other familiar members of the Li family.

He had asked Lili before: What kind of person is this?

Lili was also completely confused, only saying that her surname was Li, and later vaguely mentioned that "it seems to be related to the Xu family as well."

Cao Baoguo was even more confused—there weren't many families with the surname Li in the capital, and one of them was actually a family he had married into. He needed to figure out which family's Li this woman in front of him belonged to.

If Duan Tianyou's brother were to come, it would be easy to recognize him—the two had met years ago and would be able to match their faces at a glance.

When Li Guoxian saw the other person's gaze sweep over him, he curled the corner of his mouth and remained silent. The other person made their attitude clear as soon as they entered the door, adopting a conciliatory stance—since they weren't targeting him, he had no reason to go out of his way to cause trouble.

He has always been able to distinguish between gratitude and resentment, and he will not blindly categorize people as enemy just because they have some kinship or connection with him.

"Thump! Thump! Thump!"

"Thump! Thump! Thump!"

Suddenly, two light footsteps sounded outside the door, their rhythm relaxed and without any anger.

In the blink of an eye, the three of them stepped in side by side.

"National Fortune!"

"Brother-in-law!"

"Brother Guofu!"

Cao Baoguo, Cao Baowei, and Duan Youming spoke in unison, their voices still warm.

Li Guoxian was about to call out "Second Brother" when the words caught in his throat, and he froze on the spot.

What is that?

He never expected that all three of them would recognize his second brother.

But Cao Baowei's words "brother-in-law" were like a thread, pulling him back to his memories—yes, his second sister-in-law's surname was Cao, and she was a daughter of the Cao family.

that……

They're actually relatives?

Li Guoxian felt as if a muscle had been pulled out of his body. He felt a mix of amusement and unease: after all that fuss and heated arguments, he found out that everyone involved was one of his own. It was a slap in the face that was both loud and comical.

"Brother Guoxian, you really didn't expect this, did you?" Qin Jingru leaned close to his ear, her voice extremely low. "Uncle Guofu married the second daughter of the Cao family, and his second sister married the eldest son of the Duan family. These two families have long been connected to our family."

Done!

This time, I've completely lost face!

Upon hearing that Duan Youming was also related by marriage, Li Guoxian sighed inwardly, a bitter taste rising to the tip of his tongue.

Director Douding, who was standing to the side, had already figured out the trick: all three families were related—it was just a case of their own family members bumping into each other.

He couldn't help but want to laugh, but he only sighed lightly and let the matter drop without mentioning it again.

"Brother-in-law, you..."

Cao Baowei had already guessed seven or eight parts of the truth: Li Guofu was probably there for Li Guoxian. His gaze fell upon Li Guoxian, the very man who had just fought with him, and he immediately lost face, his ears burning with embarrassment.

Duan Youming also realized what was happening, his neck stiffened, and he looked embarrassed.

Li Guofu and Qin Jingru entered the door together, the meaning of which was already quite clear.

"Guoxian is my younger brother. It's all a misunderstanding."

Li Guofu spoke with a smile, his tone gentle, like a breeze brushing across the water.

Cao Baoguo nodded and laughed heartily: "Since we're family and it's all a misunderstanding, the three of you should shake hands and move on."

After saying that, he turned to Lili, whose face had turned pale, and shouted in a deep voice, "Hurry up and apologize to her!"

On the way, Lili dared not hide anything and told the whole truth—she and Susu had first made fun of Qin Jingru for being a country bumpkin, which caused this whole incident.

Now that the kinship ties have been laid bare, how could Cao Baoguo allow the two younger generation to continue putting on airs? An apology must be given face-to-face and decisively.

"I'm sorry...it was my fault."

Lili was just the daughter of a minor section chief; in terms of status, how could she compare to these three families? Bowing her head and admitting her mistake was the only thing she could do.

"It's okay, it's okay, it's alright to talk it out, it's alright to talk it out."

Qin Jingru hurriedly waved her hand, repeatedly offering words of comfort.

The weight on my heart finally lifted, and I slowly let out a sigh of relief.

Li Guoxian watched silently, saying nothing.

Since they are relatives, continuing to hold grudges would only make you seem petty.

Xu Wanqing came from a prestigious family, and the weight of her family bloodline was etched into her very bones. Li Guoxian, having been influenced by her from a young age, naturally kept this sense of propriety in mind as well. At this moment, his thoughts shifted, and his resentment dissipated completely—as long as he didn't lose face, that was enough.

"Thump! Thump! Thump!"

There was another burst of hurried footsteps outside the door, causing the ground to tremble slightly.

Everyone knew without guessing: the Duan family had arrived.

Sure enough, the next second, Su Su led a man in his thirties into the room in a hurry.

"National Fortune!"

"Brother Baoguo!"

Duan Tianming first bowed to the two men, then nodded slightly to Director Dou Ding.

Cao Baoguo was the older one, thirty-two; Duan Tianming and Li Guofu were the same age, both thirty.

His gaze swept across the three men, their faces bruised and swollen, and he frowned slightly.

"Brother Tianming!"

"elder brother!"

"Sister, brother-in-law!"

Li Guoxian opened his mouth and shouted, his throat tightening, his toes curling fiercely inside his shoes, as if he really wanted to carve out a three-bedroom, two-living-room apartment.

"What am I supposed to say to the three of you during the Lunar New Year?"

He sighed heavily, then softened his tone, "Oh well, never mind—we become friends through conflict, after all."

His words conveyed helplessness, and even more so, a sense of disappointment and frustration.

Su Su, however, was still completely oblivious, standing there dumbfounded, her mind buzzing.

Who would have thought that these people in front of us were actually legitimate relatives of the Duan family?

Even I find it absurd to say that.

Finally, Su Su honestly apologized to Qin Jingru.

Standing there, Qin Jingru truly felt for the first time the immense influence and influence of the Li family in the capital. The thin layer of timidity she felt from her rural roots gradually crumbled away without her realizing it.

"Guoxian, we were wrong this time, we are truly sorry."

After the matter was clarified, Cao Baowei and Duan Youming took the initiative to step forward and sincerely apologize to Li Guoxian.

As relatives, they should be on good terms; moreover, they were in the wrong for speaking first and making sarcastic remarks—they were in the wrong and had no way to argue.

Children living in government compounds are always clear-headed and know how to behave appropriately towards their own family members.

When Li Guoxian extended his hand to shake hands, he frankly said, "I also bear responsibility, after all, I was the one who struck first."

The misunderstanding was cleared up, and past grievances were put to rest.

The three were of similar age and got along well. They eventually became playmates, hanging out together every day. It was just like the old saying goes, "No fight, no friendship."

Then they rushed to the hospital together, eager to get some medicine to apply to their faces.

With the Lunar New Year approaching, who wouldn't want to hide the bruises and swelling on their face? Otherwise, they'd be too ashamed to hold their head high when visiting relatives and friends for the New Year.

"Guoxian, you've got real strength! Even the two of us combined couldn't subdue you!"

Duan Youming rubbed his numb arm and sighed.

"Exactly! Guoxian, you haven't been secretly practicing all this time, have you?"

Cao Baowei also came over, his eyes full of surprise.

Since they were relatives, they chatted and laughed all the way, and once the conversation started, their relationship immediately warmed up.

"Train? I've never really trained properly. It's just that I grew tall early, so my bones are strong and my muscles are solid, and my strength naturally followed."

After all, his father, Li Wenguo, had his genes adjusted by the system, giving him a very solid foundation.

"Sigh, to be honest, I'm so envious of your family—Guofu is so handsome, and you're so tall and dashing, even my sister-in-law is unbelievably beautiful. May I ask, is Uncle Li himself exceptionally outstanding?"

Duan Youming blinked, his meaning clear: If Li Wenguo wasn't so good-looking, how could this whole family have such good looks?

"Uh... well, I guess... I guess so."

Li Guoxian pictured his father's face, which was only slightly heroic, but he didn't want to mention that he resembled his mother's side of the family, so he could only give a vague reply.

Before the words were even finished, the three of them had already reached the hospital entrance.

Just then, a dark green jeep roared out of the yard. The car was stable, the engine was heavy, and the people inside were all in military uniforms.

The three instinctively stopped and stepped aside to make way.

But just as the car slid up to them, it suddenly came to a stop.

The car window slowly rolled down, revealing a sharply defined face in the passenger seat—sharp eyebrows and calm eyes.

"Guoxian? What happened to your face?"

"You got beaten up?"

Li Guoli frowned as he glanced at him, then looked at Duan Youming and Cao Baowei behind him, his brows furrowing even more.

His first thought was that his brother was surrounded, or that the three of them were fighting with outsiders—who would have thought that the injuries were from each other's hands? If it were really a group fight, why would they come side by side?