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

The third floor of the outpatient building of the People's Hospital.

"Jingfen, where's your Aunt Shen? Is she feeling better?"

Li Wenguo clutched the hem of his clothes, sweat beading on his forehead, and anxiously pressed his second daughter for answers.

Li Jingfen glanced around—people were coming and going in the corridor, and the white coats were dazzling. She grabbed her father's arm and quickly pulled him into her office.

A nurse witnessed this scene.

It was Zhao Yao. The one who was publicly reprimanded by the dean last time because of the trouble caused by Li Guoxian, Duan Tianyou, and Cao Baowei.

"Dad! Why are you doing this again? This is ridiculous! Aunt Shen is only three months pregnant. Even if you're in a hurry, you have to hold back—you almost, almost caused a miscarriage just now!"

Li Jingfen frowned, her tone urgent and heavy.

"Are you really alright?"

Upon hearing this, Li Wenguo's eyes suddenly lit up.

Just now at the state-run hotel, he was seething with anger and had nowhere to vent it. Seeing that Xiu Xiu came from a poor family and had a soft personality, he resorted to his old habit of pinching and yelling. It wasn't until she curled up and cried out in pain that he snapped back to his senses, grabbed his coat, and rushed to the hospital.

"You got lucky this time, but you might not be so lucky next time."

Li Jingfen tapped the table with her fingertips, her face cold.

She's a doctor, and she can't stand such foolish things that treat lives like a joke.

If it were someone else, they would have already started yelling and cursing.

"Never touch her again—until she safely gives birth."

Li Wenguo was resolute.

"Dad...we have several concubines in the family, why did you choose this time and this particular person?"

Li Jingfen's ears burned, and she lowered her voice to a whisper.

Despite her words and advice, he was still her father, and their lives were intertwined; she couldn't pretend not to see it.

"Alright, alright, stop nagging! I know what I'm doing."

Li Wenguo waved his hand, turned around and walked towards the door.

A father has to maintain a certain air about him, otherwise his children will eventually lecture him.

Li Jingfen watched her father's retreating figure and sighed silently.

As soon as he turned the office doorknob, an elderly woman in her early sixties stood outside: short, silver-gray hair, a plain white lab coat, and eyes as sharp as knives. Behind her was Zhao Yao.

"It was him, Dean! I saw it with my own eyes—Vice Dean Li led this man by the hand all the way into his office!"

Zhao Yao spoke in a high-pitched tone, enunciating each word clearly.

Back then, when men and women held hands, it was a tacit understanding of intimacy.

Li Wenguo and Li Jingfen are father and daughter.

Ah!

We've finally caught you red-handed!

She sneered inwardly.

The reason she was punished last time was because Li Guoxian was Li Jingfen's younger brother; since she couldn't cause trouble for Li Guoxian, she turned all her hatred on Li Jingfen.

Li Wenguo lifted his eyelids, his gaze sweeping over Zhao Yao before landing on the dean's face, a barely perceptible smirk playing on his lips.

Oh……

Is someone targeting my daughter?

Then don't blame me for being ruthless.

He turned to Zhao Yao, his tone calm yet barbed: "Nurse, helping others and lending a hand is perfectly normal. How come in your mouth it's like catching someone in the act?"

The dean frowned immediately.

Li Jingfen also stepped out from inside the door and stood quietly behind her father.

"But how do you look like a patient? You're impeccably dressed in a suit, your shoes are gleaming—you don't look like someone who needs injections or medicine at all!"

"Besides, how many eyes are watching outside the ward—Vice President Li leading you into the room is not only improper, but it also makes people think! What shady things did you two do behind closed doors?"

His hatred was written all over his face!

No need for any preamble, just reveal everything yourself!

Li Wenguo chuckled inwardly, but remained calm on the surface: "Nurse Zhao, people in white coats need to be evidence-based when they speak. To label someone without understanding the situation is foolish. Luckily, we're innocent; otherwise, we'd be taking the blame for nothing!"

"Injustice? I saw it with my own eyes! Several other colleagues saw it in the hallway!"

She simply brought out witnesses.

snort!

Let's see how you cover this up now!

"So what if we saw it with our own eyes? We were only talking about Aunt Shen's pregnancy and blood test results; we didn't even touch her. If you keep spouting nonsense, I'll sue you for defamation."

These days, spreading rumors can land you in jail.

"Heh, discussing your illness? And you're even holding hands like that?"

Zhao Yao stiffened her neck, and the more she spoke, the more crooked her head became.

These words carried immense weight, each one like a knife, clearly implying that the two had already crossed the line, becoming so intimate that they held hands in public without any restraint.

"What nonsense are you talking about?"

Upon hearing this, Li Jingfen's fair and delicate face instantly turned bright red. Before she could finish speaking, she sternly shouted to stop him, but her father, Li Wenguo, gently raised his hand to stop her.

……

He turned abruptly, his gaze fixed on the hospital director, a deep sense of indignation pressing between his brows: "Director, this nurse in your hospital has gone too far! Without any evidence or proof, she has launched a vicious attack, maliciously slandering and sowing discord, causing extremely negative consequences. In my opinion, the one who should be turned over to the police station is none other than herself."

"You're the ones who should be arrested! Li Jingfen, you're the dean's wife, sneaking into the office in broad daylight and holding hands with some random man, have you no shame?"

Nurse Zhao Yao's voice trembled, her eyes were red, and she was on the verge of losing control of her emotions.

"Comrade Zhao Yao, shut up immediately!!!"

The words became increasingly harsh, and the dean finally lost his temper, letting out a sharp shout that seemed to freeze the air for a moment.

……

"Flirting? Comrade Zhao Yao, where's the evidence?"

The dean questioned in a cold voice.

She didn't believe in such things, but she was afraid that her daughter-in-law would be too beautiful and attract envy, so she came to find out for herself.

But when she opened the door, she saw that the two people inside were fully dressed, and their teacups were still warm. How could they have had time to do anything? Zhao Yao insisted that it was all a fabrication.

"Evidence? The fact that they're holding hands is irrefutable proof!"

Zhao Yao quickly answered.

"What does holding hands really prove?"

The dean shook his head, turning his gaze to Li Wenguo and Li Jingfen, "But—you two really held hands?"

I had long believed in Li Jingfen's innocence, but that entanglement was like a fine thorn, pricking my heart with a slight itch and a soreness.

Li Wenguo was in his early thirties, with strong features and an upright posture; he exuded a sense of composure just by standing there. The two of them standing together certainly made people think a lot.

"Yes, I did. He is my father. We just ran into each other in the hallway. I was afraid that outsiders would hear about my illness, so I pulled him in to talk in detail."

Li Jingfen coldly swept her gaze over Zhao Yao, each word spoken clearly and crisply.

Father... Father?

Zhao Yao was struck dumb, all color drained from her face, and her lips trembled so much she couldn't speak.

"Hello, in-laws, I am Jingfen's father, Li Wenguo."

He extended his hand to the dean, his palm broad and his fingers well-defined.

"Oh, my dear in-laws! How are you?"

The dean was momentarily embarrassed and hurriedly clasped his hands together, his smile warm and sincere.

"My dear in-laws, what should we do about this nurse who wrongly accused my daughter?"

His tone was calm, yet carried an undeniable weight.

"Given his inappropriate words and actions, he is no longer suitable to remain in our institute."

As soon as she finished speaking, Zhao Yao's legs went weak, and she collapsed to the ground, her fingertips icy cold.

No one reached out to help her, and no one even glanced at her.

Xiuxiu stayed in the hospital for two whole days before the fetus finally stabilized.

After much deliberation, Li Wenguo finally nodded and agreed to the marriage between Xu Yaling and his son, Li Guofang.

This time, he understood: Xiu Xiu had a weak family background and a soft personality, always yielding; while Xu Yaling was a rich young lady, and marrying into the family would at least allow Li Guofang to stand tall and have a stronger voice in the factory—let her be.

This can be considered a belated compensation for his wife, who was always bossed around by him and had to be careful even when she was breathing.

Ingredients? In the eyes of the Li family, it was just idle talk.

As for whether he will be tightly controlled after marriage—that's Li Guofang's own choice.

If someone is truly overwhelmed and needs their father's support, Li Wenguo will not hesitate to help; if someone is willing to submit and humble themselves, he won't bother to intervene.

Furthermore, he knew Xu Yaling's temperament: having witnessed her father-in-law's power firsthand, even if she gained the upper hand, she wouldn't dare to act recklessly—after all, Li Wenguo was the mountain behind Li Guofang.

Fearing that Li Wenguo might change his mind, Xu Yaling took the initiative to sleep with Li Guofang ahead of time, and they quickly got their marriage certificate ten days later.

Back then, that was definitely a "lightning marriage".

Because Li Guofang and Li Guotao were not well-liked sons in the factory, Li Wenguo simply hosted a few tables of drinks, inviting all the workers of the machinery factory, as well as the deputy factory director Cao Baoguo.

Cao Baoguo's sister married Li Guofu, so they were family and naturally attended.

Li Guofang's older brothers also came.

Xu Yaling, a wealthy young lady, had a keen eye and could tell at a glance that her uncles were extraordinary, with the composure and authority of leaders in every gesture. When even the deputy factory director came to visit in person, she was secretly alarmed and immediately put away all her pride. At the banquet, she spoke gently and smiled, behaving properly, just like a well-educated and virtuous wife.

When allocating apartments, considering the sensitive nature of Xu Yaling's family background, she and Li Guofang were arranged to move into the same apartment building as Li Guotao and become neighbors.

The courtyard was crowded and noisy, which was really inconvenient.

When Xu Yaling first stepped into this exquisitely decorated suite, her eyes lit up: a bright and spacious living room with high ceilings, four well-designed bedrooms, and the master bedroom even had an ensuite bathroom—clean, private, and respectable.

She almost fell in love with this place on the spot.

Night had just fallen.

Li Guofang was embracing his newlywed wife, Xu Yaling, and was about to engage in their usual intimate moments when she suddenly raised her hand and pressed down on his wrist, asking with a smile, "Guofang, about the dowry my father gave us, are you keeping it or should I keep it?"

Before he could speak, she continued, "Here's my plan—you work at the machine factory every day, swinging wrenches and carrying iron parts, and you're exhausted to the bone when you get home. As for me, I'll be a full-time housewife from now on. I'll take care of everything: buying rice and flour, cooking soup and rice, buying pots and pans, providing cigarettes, alcohol, and pastries for the elders during holidays, and all the miscellaneous expenses like water, electricity, and gas... I'll handle it all. With the money in my hands, the accounts are clear, and I'm efficient. You can just relax and rest without worrying about anything."

Their words are sweet, but their true intentions are firmly nailed down—this isn't about sharing household chores; it's about tightly gripping the family purse strings. Once the salary is handed over, they feel half-submerged; once the purse is empty, their backbone weakens.

"this……"

Li Guofang's Adam's apple bobbed, and he hesitated.

He didn't think much of the bride price being her responsibility; he also let her have the two thousand yuan his parents gave him; but the thought of handing over his monthly salary of forty-odd yuan made his heart skip a beat. He wasn't a blockhead, he just didn't like to argue, but everyone knows: a man without money in his pocket speaks with a weak voice.

These were the words his father, Li Wenguo, had said to him a couple of days ago, patting him on the shoulder: "Let your wife keep the bride price and the money given by the elders for good luck; but you must keep your pay stub! Otherwise, you'll have to watch her face even to make a cup of tea."