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

On his way home, he couldn't help but ask, "Dad, Mom, Kong Liuting clearly already has someone she likes, so why does she still want me to marry her? Can a forced marriage be sweet?"

"How could it not be sweet?"

"After spending a lot of time together and having a few kids, life becomes more stable."

Sai Honglian picked up the conversation, casually tidied the stray hairs at her temples, and glanced at her husband.

She spoke with the most confidence—more than twenty years ago, when she first married Li Wenguo, she didn't even want to look at him twice, harboring resentment in her heart. But over the years, they've shared a bed, raised four children, and experienced the everyday chaos of cooking and cleaning. Now, bickering is common, but every time they finish arguing, she'll hand him a bowl of hot soup. Hatred can be brewed into medicine, and love can be nurtured.

She believes that time is the fairest thing; it is unreasonable, yet it can smooth out harsh edges into gentle curves.

"Sigh... fine then."

Having said all that his mother had to say, Li Guoli fell silent.

After seeing the mother and son into the apartment building, Li Wenguo winked at someone behind him and whispered to Da Yan, "Find out who Kong Liuting likes, the sooner the better—make sure to cut ties."

As for things like losing his virginity, he didn't take them to heart at all.

These days, even couples have to hide when they hold hands, let alone cross any boundaries. The rules are like an iron fence, completely impenetrable.

Big Eyes accepted the order and left.

The old comrades from the guard team, though scattered throughout the capital, remained united. Li Wenguo had long ago helped their children get jobs in government agencies, lining his own pockets and ensuring a secure future for his descendants, so they were all willing to obey his commands.

the other side.

Kong Liuting dragged her heavy body home from get off work. She saw Li Guoyu's car parked at the entrance of her workplace and silently got in.

As soon as the car turned the corner, a dark gray sedan silently followed behind.

Not long after, Li Guoyu took her to the "Romantic" Western restaurant.

It was the same shop that Li Guofu opened in his early years.

Because private operation is currently prohibited, the store has long been registered under the name of Xiangjiang Huanghe Industrial Co., Ltd., and is managed by the state—nominally, it is still a state-owned enterprise.

"Tingting, what's wrong?"

"My soul felt like it was floating the whole way."

"Has something happened at home?"

Seeing that the steak in front of her was still steaming, but her knife and fork hadn't been touched, Li Guoyu frowned slightly and asked softly.

The restaurant was bustling with people, and about 80% of the seats were occupied.

With supplies becoming increasingly scarce, Western restaurants are raising prices exorbitantly to save on ingredients, yet wealthy owners in Beijing still flock to their establishments—some for the sake of their appetites, but many more for the prestige they represent.

"well……"

Kong Liuting sighed softly, tapped her fork lightly on the edge of the plate, and held the knife tip above the steak without dropping it. However, she had already turned the conversation to yesterday's blind date.

"Is it really settled?"

Li Guoyu frowned, his voice tense.

"Yes, it's settled."

He felt a heaviness in his chest, as if someone had gripped his heart, making him feel suffocated, and his fingertips unconsciously dug into his palms.

After a moment of silence, he asked in a hoarse voice, "What...are you thinking?"

She lowered her eyes, her eyelashes trembling slightly: "I just want to live my life with you. But with my dad's temper, I don't even dare to raise my voice in response... I really don't dare to disobey."

"Then I'll go talk to my dad!" He sat up abruptly. "I'll try to find someone, make connections, reason with him—I have to give it a shot and get this marriage called off."

"Guoyu... I'm afraid it's no use." Her voice was as soft as a falling leaf. "My dad is determined. This matter involves the reputation of both families. My mom even tried to persuade me last night—saying that even if it ruins my life, she would never give in."

Li Guoyu's face instantly turned cold, and a hard line appeared on his jaw.

After a long pause, he gritted his teeth and whispered, "Tingting, let's go."

"Go? Where to?"

She froze, almost dropping her chopsticks.

"Go to Hong Kong. My brothers have already settled down there. Their businesses are stable and they have many connections. They can easily support us."

"Hong Kong?" Her finger trembled, and the napkin slipped to the ground. "That's so far... I... I can't even afford a ticket."

"Then let's get the marriage certificate and have the baby there first. Once the child is born and registered, we can go back to Beijing—the die is cast, what can they do to force us to leave?"

He is Li Wenguo's son after all, and he is quick-witted: the documents are issued in Hong Kong and are not recognized in mainland China; the child was born overseas and his household registration is difficult to verify; if it really drags on until then, even if the parents are unwilling, they will have no choice but to accept it.

"this……"

"Let me think about it..." She clutched the hem of her skirt, her knuckles turning white.

"Have some meat first." He pushed the steak towards me. "You'll have the energy to make decisions when you're full."

Outside the restaurant, under the shade of the plane trees, a middle-aged man whispered to his companion, "You stay here and keep an eye on the address. I'll go develop the photos and deliver them directly to Big Eyes later."

Before long, several freshly printed photos were placed on Da Yan's desk.

He was sitting in a rosewood armchair in Sai Guohao's mansion, the tea beside him had gone cold.

"Sir, it really won't work... Please find someone else."

At dinner, Lou Meie poured two bottles of strong foreign liquor into Li Wenguo's mouth. The alcohol made his blood boil, and he was even more energetic than Luffy in Gear Third. Lou Meie was already exhausted and her back and legs were sore.

"Who told you to force-feed him so much? You'll have to swallow the bitter pill yourself."

"But you said the day before yesterday that you would take me to Hong Kong next month!" She frowned, biting her lower lip with her pearly teeth, and beads of sweat appeared on her forehead. "I was happy, so I opened two more bottles—foreign liquor is much stronger than red wine."

Every year without fail, Li Wenguo makes a trip to Hong Kong to have a small gathering with Xu Meijing, Dong Haitang, and Song Caidie. This time, he brought Lou Meie along because she hadn't seen her younger brother Lou Zhenhua's family for three years and was missing them dearly.

"Then you'd better think it over—if I go into someone else's house tonight, I might not come back."

After two hours, Lou Meie really couldn't hold on any longer.

"Okay, I won't do it again next time."

"Hmph!" He snorted coldly, got up and went to Wen Keren's room.

Last night I stayed at He Shuting's place, and the night before I stayed at Wen Keyi's room. Only Wen Keyi's room is left to be used—to be fair to everyone is the only way to be considerate.

"Hey! Isn't this Guoyu?"

"Hey, we're family, and we've caused a misunderstanding!"

Li Wenguo spread out the photos on the table, shook his head, and smiled bitterly.

The next morning, Da Yan brought the developed photos inside.

"What happened to Guoyu?"

Wen Keren was drinking porridge when she heard her son's name, and her spoon stopped on the rim of the bowl.

Li Wenguo then recounted in detail the blind date he had arranged for Li Guoli the day before yesterday.

"Then... what do we do now?"

"Should I try to persuade Guoyu to let go?" she blurted out.

Sai Honglian was a powerful figure in the military, whose status was higher than hers. She immediately suggested that Kong Liuting marry someone else. How could Kong Liuting dare to resist?

In my opinion, there's no need to persuade them at all.

"The Kong family is after a marriage alliance. It doesn't matter who they marry into. They can arrange a marriage with the state or the country—they don't lose any face."

"Why not go with the flow and conquer the world?"

Wen Keyi put down her milk glass, her tone resolute.

Guoyu is her own nephew, if she doesn't help him, who will?

Five years later, she is now the vice president of Peking University. Although she has relied on some connections, she has steadily climbed the ladder to this position in her early forties.

Wen Keren glanced at her sister without making a sound, then looked at her husband—how could she not care about her son's future?

Kong Liuting comes from a prominent family. Li Wenguo had always hoped that his son could marry into a wealthy family, but his current concession was merely a ploy to win her over.

"Hmm, let me think about it some more."

Li Wenguo had already made up his mind—he preferred Cheng Quanguoyu. The two were deeply in love, their eyes sparkling with affection; in contrast, Guoli remained lukewarm towards Kong Liuting, as if observing her through a veil, indifferent to whether or not they would marry. Since that was the case, why force them apart?

If the state insists on marrying no one but her, that would be truly a difficult situation.

Li Wenguo had barely finished his breakfast when he headed straight to Sai Honglian's workplace. This matter couldn't be delayed; the sooner it was settled, the better. If they waited for the Kong family to hold a banquet, send out invitations, and inform all their relatives and friends first, and then changed their minds later, not only would it be embarrassing for both families, but it would also be awkward for both sides.

Nowadays, Li Wenguo has long since given up on affairs, leaving all matters, big and small, to his son. He can go wherever he wants, whenever he wants.

He turned and entered the military compound with its gray walls and deep courtyards—the political work department, logistics department, and equipment department were all clustered inside.

Sai Honglian was a deputy minister there, as was Yang Yuerong, who also held a deputy ministerial rank. During the War of Resistance Against Japan, Li Wenguo escorted truckloads of ammunition, medicine, and quilts to the front lines, earning their merits through substantial supplies, which led to their promotion by the organization.

But this is a military restricted area, and Li Wenguo doesn't have a pass, so he can't get in. He can only ask the sentry to make an inside call and summon someone out.

Upon hearing that it was the commander's wife, the sentry immediately answered the call with swift action.

Sai Honglian rushed out, and upon hearing her husband's words, her brows furrowed immediately: "No way! That's the wife I chose for my son, why should she be given to Wen Keren's son?"

She had long considered Kong Liuting as her own daughter-in-law—she was beautiful and graceful, and she was pleasing to the eye no matter how you looked at her. How could she possibly give her up?

"Don't rush, let me finish," Li Wenguo said patiently. "Guoli and Guoyu are both my biological sons, I won't favor one over the other. But Kong Liuting and Guoyu fell in love first, their feelings for each other are genuine; as for Guoli? He can't even remember how many times he says her name, whether he marries her or not is irrelevant to him. If I force my way in, it will only hurt the two children in the end; going with the flow will make everyone happy—that's the most appropriate way."

"What does 'everyone's happy' mean?"

"I don't like it!"

"What's the most appropriate?"

"I think it's just a waste of time!"

"I disagree!"

"I've decided that Kong Liuting will be my daughter-in-law!"

Sai Honglian raised her voice, her tone resolute.

The conversation went around in circles, but ultimately it all came down to her own words.

Oh shit!

This woman has some nerve, daring to go against me!

Li Wenguo spat inwardly.

If it weren't for the glaring military insignia and the constant flow of officers, he would have grabbed her wrist, hoisted her into his car, taken her home, locked the door, and given her a good talking-to.

"You're a vice-ministerial level official now, can't you think about the overall situation?"

"Can't you put aside your own family and think about the bigger picture?"

He seized the opportunity when an officer with gleaming epaulets entered the room and leaned closer to offer another word of advice.

"I've always been clear-headed about matters of national importance."

"But this is my family's business, and it involves my son. Why should I concern myself with the bigger picture?"

Sai Honglian remained unyielding.

Li Wenguo took a breath and slowed his speech: "Think about it—Guoli doesn't care at all whether Kong Liuting can get married. If he really cared, I would have arranged the wedding immediately without hesitation. But now? He doesn't even ask when her birthday is. Guoyu is different; he only has eyes for her. If this falls through, he'll be devastated, completely deflated, and the atmosphere at home will become tense. Can you bear to see the two brothers become estranged and turn against each other?"

Seeing that her lips moved slightly but she didn't respond, he paused, then lowered his voice and added:

"And there's the most important thing—have you thought about it? What if Guoli later finds out that he married the person his younger brother has been longing for...? Given his loyal and devoted nature, and his tendency to always give in to his brother, won't he secretly blame you, his mother?"

Upon hearing this, Sai Honglian's expression finally changed.