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

Seeing his hesitation, Xu Yaling slid down onto his lap, leaned forward, and her warm breath brushed against his ear: "Guangdong, we're going to be fathers soon. Your father was saying that it would be more lively if we had more children."

I won't touch a single penny of that dowry; I'll save it all—for the children's milk powder, clothes, and education. And when they get married and start their own families, buying houses and getting married—all of that will cost money. I don't have a job, so your meager salary will be our livelihood, right? Don't you agree?"

As she spoke, she gently swayed her body, like a cat rubbing against a pillar.

Li Guofang's already weakened defenses crumbled instantly when warmed by these gentle words and touched by this soft body: "Then... then okay."

snort!

A piece of cake!

Xu Yaling felt a surge of joy, like a sparrow flapping its wings. With the money bag firmly in her grasp, wouldn't Li Guofang be at her beck and call from now on?

The next morning, after Li Guofang finished peeling the fried eggs Xu Yaling had made, he wiped his mouth and headed to the factory.

Xu Yaling strode down from the fourth floor and headed straight for He Yushui on the third floor: "Sister Yu, shall we go to the market together today? How about we have some braised pork for dinner?"

He Yushui is due to give birth next month and is resting at home; she hasn't been going to the factory for a long time.

Xu Yaling chose the fourth floor because she wanted the land outside the main entrance of the building—she could decide where to come and go, hang clothes, pile baskets, and set up sheds as she pleased.

The two had just gotten together to buy some vegetables and radishes when they struck up a conversation. They both immediately sensed that the other was no pushover: sharp eyes, quick hands, and few words, but every one of them hit the nail on the head. From then on, they would smile and offer each other sunflower seeds, but each of them kept a watchful eye on their own.

However, being related by marriage and neighborly ties, their interactions remained fairly frequent. He Yushui suddenly remembered something and said with a smile, "Yaling, I have to go to the People's Hospital for a prenatal checkup this afternoon. Guo Guotao's sister is the vice president there. Why don't you come with me? I'll introduce you two, and it'll be much easier for you to register, be admitted, and find specialists when you get pregnant."

"Okay, thank you so much, Sister Yu!"

Xu Yaling's eyes lit up. The Li family was well-off, and she had long wanted to figure out how to get to them; this opportunity had come knocking, so why wouldn't she seize it? Besides, she had connections at the hospital, so she wouldn't have to wait around for minor ailments, and if a serious illness came, she could be saved.

In the afternoon, as the two stepped into the hospital's outpatient building, they bumped into Li Wenguo, who was helping Xiuxiu, who was also there for a prenatal checkup—she had almost miscarried last time and was here for a follow-up examination.

Although it was a chance encounter, Li Wenguo kept a straight face, only nodding slightly and not bothering to say much. Xiuxiu, afraid of displeasing her husband, quickly nodded to the two of them and then lowered her eyes without saying a word.

It was Li Jingfen who came forward, smiling and taking their hands, which warmed up the awkward situation.

Of course, when they heard that Aunt Shen was pregnant, they were all shocked – Li Wenguo was already sixty years old, yet he could still become a father; his energy was no less than that of these young men.

Time flies, and next month is already here.

He Yushui gave birth to a baby boy safely.

The child was exceptionally adorable: thick, dark eyebrows, bright eyes, a high nose bridge, and fair, delicate skin—a spitting image of Li Guotao.

Indeed, in terms of looks alone, Li Guotao is more outstanding than He Yushui.

Xu Yaling gazed at the rosy little face in the swaddling clothes and unconsciously stroked her still flat belly—she was pregnant too, only three weeks along.

On the day the baby turned one month old, Sha Zhu went to the supply and marketing cooperative early in the morning.

He picked out a whole cart full of things: milk powder, malted milk powder, candied fruit, hawthorn candy... and a bag of dried longan neatly wrapped in red paper.

The car creaked and groaned as it drove into the residential area of ​​the government offices and stopped downstairs.

He had just locked his bicycle and was carrying his bags up to the third floor when he bumped into Yi Zhonghai, who was passing by the courtyard.

"Huh? Sha Zhu bought so much stuff, where is he going?"

"A gift? Or a date?"

"No way! We can't let him succeed!"

Yi Zhonghai was determined to bring Sha Zhu and Lin Meili together.

His eyelids twitched, and he immediately turned around and followed.

Before long, Sha Zhu was already standing at the door on the third floor.

Yi Zhonghai, hiding behind the corridor window, saw the door open a crack, and a woman with her head down, holding a child, came out to greet him.

"hiss--!"

"Keeping a mistress in a gilded cage?!"

"They even have kids?!"

He gasped for breath, his heart clenching as if it were being squeezed.

All these years, they've planned it out perfectly—to let Sha Zhu take care of them in their old age, serving them tea and water, and looking after them until their death.

If Sha Zhu marries someone else, who will care about a bowl of hot soup or half a piece of cake?

He stood on tiptoe, craning his neck as far as he could, hoping the woman would raise her head.

Seeing her chin slightly raised, Sha Zhu grinned and leaned forward, tugging at the baby's tiny hand while laughing, "Oh my, your little hand is clenched so tightly!"

He covered his face completely by blocking it with his body.

"Damn it! It was so close!"

Yi Zhonghai was so anxious that his fingernails dug into his palms.

In the blink of an eye, the two had entered and locked the door.

"Who is it?!"

His mind was buzzing, and he wished he could kick down the door and drag the adulterous couple out on the spot.

But he froze as soon as he lifted his foot—he couldn't afford to break off relations.

Decades of groundwork laid, culminating in the simple promise, "I'll take care of you in your old age," all thanks to the kind and gentle face of this elder.

"The plan... needs to be moved up."

He turned and left, his steps quick and heavy, heading straight for Lin Meili's house.

He had just turned the corner when a dark green sedan silently pulled up in front of the building.

Li Wenguo and Xiaoju got off the bus side by side.

Even though Li Wenguo disliked He Yushui, he couldn't show a cold face to his own flesh and blood when his grandson turned one month old.

He brought Xiaoju with him, carrying a blue cloth bundle containing two tiger-head hats he had sewn himself and a pair of soft-soled cloud-patterned shoes.

Upstairs, Sha Zhu was holding Xiao Jiabang up in the air and swaying it around.

"Tsk tsk, that nose, those eyes, that face—he's a spitting image of Guotao as a child! He'll definitely be even more handsome than his dad when he grows up!"

He laughed so hard that wrinkles appeared at the corners of his eyes, and his mouth stretched almost to his ears.

With such a bright and intelligent nephew, he can stand up straight.

"How could that be? Jiabang is only a month old and can't even speak yet. How can you tell if he looks like him or not?"

He Yushui declined verbally, but her face clearly showed her smugness.

The name "Jiabang" was chosen by her.

Li Wenguo had established a rule long ago: the character "家" (jia, meaning "home") should be used for all grandson boys, signifying "country"; while the character "金" (jin, meaning "gold") should be used for girls, signifying "a thousand pieces of gold".

For example, Li Guohua's second daughter is named Li Jinlan, Li Guofu's eldest daughter is named Li Jinfeng, and Li Guotai's second daughter is named Li Jinhan...

"Hehe, your brother has a really good eye!" Sha Zhu shook the child. "Come on, little Jiabang, call him 'Uncle'! Call him 'Uncle'!"

"Brother, he's only a month old, how can he greet people?" He Yushui said with a smile and a reproach.

"Don't worry! Just listen to it until you're familiar with it, and the first thing you'll say will definitely be 'Uncle'!"

"jingle--!"

The doorbell rang suddenly.

"Is Guotao back?" Shazhu asked.

"It's probably Ya-ling," He Yu-shui said as she stood up. "She has nothing better to do than hold the baby all day long, even more so than I do."

When the door opened, she froze on the spot.

Standing outside the door were Li Wenguo and Xiaoju.

"Father... Mother..."

Her voice was strained, and her fingertips secretly twisted the edge of her apron.

Since marrying into the Li family, Li Wenguo has never made a single visit.

She knew her father-in-law disliked her, but she never expected that he would personally come to visit her on the day of the full moon celebration.

However, considering that today is Li Jiabang's one-month birthday, it would be only natural for Li Wenguo to visit – after all, he is his own grandson.

"Um!"

Li Wenguo's reply was brief and lacked warmth. He then asked, "Where's the child?"

"Master, he's probably fast asleep."

His face was frosty, but Xiaoju didn't have that cold expression. She had no idea that He Yushui had already set her sights on her son.

As Li Wenguo walked through the corridor into the living room, he immediately saw Sha Zhu holding Xiao Jiabang, frozen in place with his eyes almost popping out, looking as if he had seen a ghost.

"Who is this person?"

When Xiaoju saw the strange man holding her child, her brows immediately furrowed, and she turned to stare at He Yushui.

"Mother, this is my brother, He Yuzhu. Today is the baby's one-month celebration, and he came especially to see his nephew."

He Yushui quickly tried to smooth things over.

Xiaoju's expression finally relaxed a little.

"Mr. Li, Madam, I am truly sorry to have disturbed you."

Sha Zhu felt extremely guilty, fearing that Li Wenguo would misunderstand and think that he and his sister had already reconciled—if the other party thought that he hadn't listened to advice and was still seeing each other in private, he might be punished in the future. He quickly put on an apologetic expression and bowed even lower.

"Okay, bring the baby over here."

Li Wenguo didn't lash out. What he really cared about was blocking those people in the courtyard from using Sha Zhu to curry favor with him; as for how the brother and sister interacted behind his back, he couldn't be bothered to care.

"oh oh!!!"

Sha Zhu hurriedly handed over Xiao Jiabang.

This is the courtyard house.

The old man had just bumped into Sha Zhu when he turned around and went to find Lin Meili, telling her the whole story.

"What should we do then, old man?"

Upon hearing this, Lin Meili felt a tightness in her chest.

Sha Zhu was her family's only hope for survival; thanks to his help, they hadn't gone hungry. If he were to turn his back on her, become crippled, or get involved with someone else, her entire family would be left starving!

"Okay, do as I say..."

The old man's idea was straightforward: Lin Meili would lure Sha Zhu to a secluded spot, where he would then "coincidentally" run into him with his men—not to catch them in the act, but to "catch them." Once word got out, to protect Lin Meili's reputation, Sha Zhu would have no choice but to accept the marriage and marry her.

"But my mother-in-law, Jia Zhangshi, is determined not to let me remarry..."

Lin Meili's voice trembled as she recalled the harsh words her mother-in-law had uttered.

"Don't worry, I'll personally talk to Jia Zhangshi."

An old man named Yi Zhonghai patted his chest and agreed.

soon.

On a night without stars or moon.

Lin Meili met with Sha Zhu, saying she had something urgent to discuss. She was dressed lightly with her neckline slightly open.

The same old trick: borrowing grain.

Having recently tasted the sweetness of success, Sha Zhu nodded in agreement upon hearing this, but then, with a lecherous grin, he made a condition: "Let me touch it a couple of times to satisfy my craving."

Lin Meili lowered her head and bit her lip, half-heartedly and shyly agreeing.

Sha Zhu was instantly overcome with passion, and pulled her into his arms, kissing and caressing her while his hands were also restless.

Little did he know that he was stepping into a trap that she and the old man had dug together.

Just as he was wondering why Lin Meili was being unusually agreeable today, even willing to lift her shirt, a blinding flashlight beam suddenly shone directly into his face—

"Who's there? What are you doing?!"

Yi Zhonghai's voice crashed down on him, and Sha Zhu froze on the spot. His mind went blank, and only two words exploded in his ears: It's over!!!

Actually, Sha Zhu was willing to be exploited by Lin Meili's family partly because he was soft-hearted and couldn't bear to see them starving; the other part was because he coveted her body and had long wanted to take advantage of her, which is why he kept paying money to provide her with food.

But would he really marry her? He hadn't even considered it.

Otherwise, he wouldn't have gone on so many blind dates in the original story.

If caught red-handed now, the worst outcome is being arrested for hooliganism and imprisoned; the worst outcome is having to take responsibility, marry a widow, and raise two children for someone else.

Fortunately, Li Guozhi was the head of the police station, and the old man didn't dare to make a scene, fearing that he would really send Sha Zhu to jail. He could only put pressure on him behind closed doors, forcing him to marry Lin Meili.

Sha Zhu was caught in a dilemma, and with Yi Zhonghai both coaxing and intimidating him, he had no choice but to accept his fate and take on this burden along with two others.

The elderly man, Yi Zhonghai, finally felt relieved.

Of course, he had to get to the bottom of the rumors that Sha Zhu had a woman and a child outside—otherwise, with this threat hanging over his head, he wouldn't be able to sleep soundly.