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

"So what do you think?"

I was going to urge him to refuse, but when I saw the silly boy's wandering eyes, I suddenly had an idea: why not use this to force him to grow up a bit more self-reliant?

"Um... I really don't know."

He scratched the back of his head, rubbing the tips of his shoes on the ground.

Li Wenguo's throat tightened, and after a moment of silence, he asked again, "So, do you like her?"

"Hmm... I quite like her, she's really pretty."

Li Guolei scratched the back of his head, his ears turning slightly red.

"Would you like to lend her a hand?"

Li Wenguo picked up the enamel mug, blew on it, and asked again.

"Well……"

He stared down at the tips of his shoes, remaining silent for a long while before slowly raising his eyes. "I want to help, but I'm afraid that helping will only harm myself."

"How so?"

Li Wenguo didn't urge him, but simply placed the jar on the table and waited for him to continue.

"I like her, so I want to do something for her; but if I actually reach out, I'm afraid I'll ruin my future."

Li Guolei's voice was not loud, but every word he spoke was the truth.

He wasn't indecisive; he just had too many ideas, which made him feel overwhelmed.

Li Wenguo nodded, then asked, "So what are you planning to do in the end?"

"this……"

He opened his mouth, but couldn't reply.

Seeing his brows furrowed in worry, Li Wenguo sighed: "Guolei, stop getting so caught up in the 'help' or 'not help' dilemma. You can break down what you want and what you're afraid of—pick out what you want, get rid of what's holding you back, and you'll be all set, right?"

"Dad, you mean... I can help her without hindering myself?"

Li Guolei's eyes lit up, as if he had suddenly found a door latch.

Just as Li Wenguo opened his mouth, the bathroom door creaked open a crack—Xiao Cui's bright face peeked out. Seeing that her son had his back to them, she gently pushed the door open. Her outfit was dazzling: a strapless top that barely covered her waistline, a pencil skirt that accentuated her curves, fishnet stockings that covered her long legs, and patent leather high heels.

This outfit was specially made by Li Wenguo when he was in charge of factories in Hong Kong in his early years.

Xiao Cui put it on because she came for him.

Sure enough, the moment his gaze fell upon him, his heart began to burn, and he no longer cared about continuing to teach his son how to make a decision.

—Let's talk about it later.

He waved for Li Guolei to leave.

He didn't know that his words, "We'll talk about it later," were interpreted by his son as a sign of tacit approval.

On the street.

The sky was leaden gray, and a light rain was falling silently.

The pedestrians pulled their collars tighter and walked with hurried, fragmented steps.

There was a tall young man with a transparent plastic sheet haphazardly draped over his shoulder to shield himself from the rain. He carried a worn-out snakeskin bag in his left hand and a pair of iron pliers in his right. He was sweeping along the roadside with his head down—empty bottles, crumpled newspapers, broken pieces of wood, old sheet metal… anything that could be exchanged for money was gathered into his bag.

Unbeknownst to him, a blue sedan was parked quietly a hundred meters away, its window half-rolled down, and a pair of eyes were constantly following him.

"Sir, can you really bear to see Guoxiong rummaging through trash on the street?"

Wen Keyi clutched her handkerchief, her eyes reddening, her voice trembling.

As soon as he uttered the words "scavenge," Li Wenguo shook his head: "Don't talk nonsense. This is about collecting scrap metal, weighing it at the recycling station, and exchanging it for money."

But even though he was exchanging money, in Wen Keyi's mind, the young master bending down to pick up bottles was no different from cleaning a sewer.

The child she cherished from childhood is now standing in the mud scavenging for trash, even more pathetic than a street sweeper—it feels like a dull knife is cutting into her heart.

"Sir, I beg you... please let him go home!"

Her voice was hoarse, almost trembling with tears.

"Call him here, let him admit his mistake in person, and I'll open the door and let him out."

Li Wenguo spoke in a flat tone, as if he were talking about the weather.

He really doesn't care.

Having many sons hardens one's heart; moreover, he had personally witnessed how many people in later generations started their businesses by collecting recyclables, building houses, buying cars, and sending their children to study abroad—in his eyes, this profession was the first piece of ice in a snowball.

"this……"

Wen Keyi's lips moved, but she didn't say anything more.

She knew Li Guoxiong's temperament all too well: he was stubborn, even more so, and would rather starve than bow his head.

Besides, there are still nine days until I get my registration certificate from the instrument factory—back then, who would do this job when you had to wear work clothes, get food coupons, and take the shuttle bus?

"It's good to temper your fiery temper."

Li Wenguo started the car. "Let's go, I'll take you to the Education Bureau."

"Three dollars and two jiao, please take your order."

Li Guoxiong spread several crumpled banknotes on the counter of the purchasing station.

Back then, the word "sell" wasn't used; people only talked about "exchanging." If you said "sell," it was considered speculation and profiteering.

"Earning thirty-odd yuan in ten days? That's almost a hundred a month!"

After counting the money, the corners of his mouth unconsciously turned up slightly.

"But... I'll be starting soon, this job is coming to an end."

He could never escape the constraints of that era: being a worker meant a secure and respectable job; scavenging was a clandestine activity, and even the three old men had to cover half their faces with old straw hats when they went out to collect recyclables.

If Zhao Ziying's rice jar hadn't run out and he hadn't only had 27 cents left in his pocket, Li Guoxiong would never have gotten involved in this line of work.

It's all because of the pressures of life.

Life is something no one can defy.

the other side.

Li Guolei believed he understood the deeper meaning behind his father Li Wenguo's words, and immediately went and got a marriage certificate with Cen Weiwei.

"Thank you, Guolei, I really don't know how to thank you enough."

"Don't worry, if something really happens to my boyfriend, I'll be your wife without any worries."

Cen Weiwei looked at Li Guolei, a smile playing on her lips, but it didn't reach her eyes.

She rolled her eyes inwardly: What a stupid bookworm! How dare he agree to something like that? Fine, she could use him as a front to slowly pick a girlfriend from a privileged background!

That's right—she never had a boyfriend who joined the army. It was all made up. What she was after was always the children of government officials who grew up in government compounds.

She was beautiful, quick-witted, and ambitious, naturally looking down on ordinary people. But she was caught off guard by a thug and had nowhere to hide, so she hurriedly pulled Li Guolei into her scheme; on one hand, she wanted to rely on him to avoid the storm, and on the other hand, she clung to her innocence, waiting for an opportunity to climb the social ladder.

Having been classmates for four years, she knew Li Guolei all too well what kind of person he was: he was oblivious to everything else while studying, even following the person in front of him in line for meals; he relied entirely on imitation in his interactions with others, nodding when others nodded and grinning when others laughed, never making a single decision on his own.

What's even better is that he has a permanent position, so he has no worries about food and drink, and his wallet is always full, so she can just ask for money. Even if she can't find a suitable one in the end, or if people think her family is too poor and don't want to bother with her, it doesn't matter. At worst, she can just marry him and live a stable life.

She had a very clear understanding of the situation.

"It's okay, but you'll have to live with me. I haven't told my dad about this," Li Guolei said.

"I didn't tell my family either," she answered readily.

The two parted ways. Li Guolei immediately approached Li Wenguo and recounted the whole story.

"What?!"

"You and that female classmate... got your marriage certificate?!"

Li Wenguo was stunned. His words were meant to encourage his son to be more independent, not to urge him to get married quickly.

If the Li family wants to choose a daughter-in-law, do they need to resort to this kind of fake-act-to-real trick?

He was about to blurt out, "Let's get a divorce in a while," but then he thought better of it and held back—since this was the first time his son had made his own decision, he might as well let him test the waters.

So he simply asked, "What are your plans next?"

"Dad, get me an apartment. We can move in. Then... we can force the issue, get her pregnant, and become husband and wife. That way, it won't interfere with my future plans."

Li Guolei spoke in a flat tone, as if he were talking about how many ounces of rice he had eaten that day.

Yoho!

As expected of my son, Li Wenguo!

This ruthlessness is just like when he won over Mavis Hee back then!

Li Wenguo was delighted and readily agreed: "Sure! You can choose whichever apartment you like best."

The next day, Li Guolei took Cen Weiwei to Room 502, Building 19, Wangfujing, Dongcheng District, a government office building.

"Guolei, is this... arranged by your family?"

Cen Weiwei stood at the door, her eyes wide open.

She never expected that Li Guolei's family was so wealthy.

Wasn't it said that his father was just a retired old man? How come he occupies such a bright and spacious apartment in the heart of Wangfujing?

Could it be a welfare apartment allocated by the old work unit years ago? Now that the son is getting married, it's only natural that it's being vacated? Hmm, that's probably it!

She had heard people talk about these kinds of apartment buildings before—quiet, clean, and with neighbors who knew each other well, unlike her own kind of mixed-use courtyard where seven or eight households shared one stove, and the fumes mixed with the smell of onions and garlic would pierce her nose and make her head ache!

At that moment, a thought quietly popped into her mind: Could she persuade Li Guolei to transfer the house to her name in the future?

Anyway, he's stupid. If she doesn't take advantage of him, he'll be tricked by someone else sooner or later!

She was plotting how to manipulate Li Guolei, but little did she know that he was also plotting against her.

Late at night.

"Waaaaah—!!!"

"Li Guolei! You're inhuman! Didn't you agree to a fake marriage? What right do you have to touch me? This is indecent assault! I'm going to sue you!"

Cen Weiwei huddled under the covers, her shoulders trembling and her voice shaking.

She never expected that this usually timid and bookish nerd would actually dare to make a move; she was also caught off guard and ended up losing ground completely.

"What's done is done. You're my wife now. We've got the marriage certificate, we live in the house, and what we've done is exactly what a married couple should do—it's perfectly legal. Go ahead and sue me, nobody will believe you, and nobody will arrest me."

Li Guolei remained unfazed.

He may lack ideas, but that doesn't mean he's brainless. He understands that principle.

Besides, he has people looking after him at the police station, so what is he afraid of?

Cen Weiwei was taken aback and fell silent.

That's something... there's really no way to refute it.

She could only stare intently at him, her lips pale: "You—"

"You broke your promise!"

"This trick was taught to me by my father."

Cen Weiwei's heart skipped a beat: Is this still the same Li Guolei who blushes even when the teacher calls his name? Why is he suddenly so stubborn and accurate?

"You...you have to pay me back!"

"What are you going to compensate me for?" Li Guolei asked.

Cen Weiwei's eyes darted around slightly as she began to make her plans.

Her body had already been taken by Li Guolei, and her path to becoming a cadre's spouse in the government compound was completely blocked. Right now, she could only cling to the most tangible benefit—and she also harbored a deep resentment: in her eyes, Li Guolei was just a hothead, utterly foolish.

"I want your permanent position."

"Well... I'll have to ask my father first."

When he couldn't make up his mind, he always went to his father, Li Wenguo, for a definitive answer.