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

The next day, Li Guolei went into Li Wenguo's room.

He explained Cen Weiwei's meaning exactly as it was.

"Hmm? She's going to take your place?"

Li Wenguo frowned.

When a woman has a secure job, she stands tall; once she has money in her hands, her words carry weight. If her son really gives up his position, he might have to consider her wishes even when setting the table. Not to mention, if she turns her back on him one day and throws a divorce bill at him, her son might be left with nothing.

This girl is no ordinary person.

He pondered to himself, but his face remained calm.

No matter how clever an ordinary girl is, she can't shake even half of the pillars of the Li family.

Besides, with him as the father, the son won't suffer any losses.

"Guolei, what are you thinking?"

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

He had always hoped that his son would grow up to be more independent and self-reliant.

"that……"

Li Guolei scratched the back of his head, his eyes darting around as if he were tug-of-war in his mind.

Li Wenguo didn't urge him, but waited quietly.

After a while, he finally spoke in a low voice: "Give it to her. If you don't, she'll make a scene every day, and the house will be in chaos."

Li Wenguo nodded without giving a direct answer, then asked, "So, based on your understanding of her, now that you've given her the job, how do you think she'll treat you?"

"Back in school, she was always the one who loved to stand out—she was the first to raise her hand whenever the teacher mentioned an activity; she was more attentive than anyone else when it came to awards and honors; and she was never ambiguous in her words or actions."

"If Gangzhen falls into her hands, given her personality, I definitely won't be able to hold my head up high."

After hearing this, Li Wenguo's tone turned serious: "If I don't give it to you, there will be unrest at home; if I do, you'll become a supporting character. Which path do you choose?"

"I can't take either route."

Li Guolei answered decisively.

"Given your current situation, think about how you can break this deadlock?"

He scratched his head again, thought for a long time, and finally shook his head.

Li Wenguo didn't blame him, but slowly said, "Guolei, to deal with a woman who has her own ideas and a temper, you need to have something in your hands to keep her in check. Whatever she wants from you, you have to make her give you something in return. Otherwise, today she'll want a job, tomorrow a house, and the day after tomorrow she might ask you to sign divorce papers—and if you can't agree to it one day, she'll kick you to the curb without even saying goodbye."

"I understand, Father!"

"If she wants my job, I have to set conditions; I also need to have a trump card to keep her in check."

Li Guolei nodded.

"So what conditions are you planning to set? And what are your trump cards?"

Li Wenguo's gaze was gentle, yet his eyes were fixed intently.

After a moment's thought, Li Guolei said, "Let her have a baby for me first, and then the job will be hers. Also, tell her that my sister is the deputy director of the factory—from now on, she'll have to listen to me in all matters, big and small, and she won't dare to talk back to me or force me to do this or that."

He is usually quiet and reserved, but he understands things quickly and even takes the opportunity to improve.

Although it wasn't as comprehensive as Li Wenguo's plan, it was enough to make him nod in approval.

"Yes, both of those are good. But why do you insist on staying at home? If you give her the job, I can find you another one, right? Both of you will have proper jobs, and she will realize that the Li family is not a pushover—so she will naturally calm down."

The difference between strength and weakness is never determined by the volume of one's voice, but by the weight of one's presence.

"The quantity!"

Li Guolei chewed those two words in his mouth and swallowed them.

That night, when he returned to his room, he told Cen Weiwei bluntly, "Whenever you get pregnant, that's when I'll give you my job."

Cen Weiwei's face hardened: "Li Guolei! You ruined my reputation, you should compensate me, why should I have to bear your child before I get a change of shift?"

The voice was sharp and shrill.

"The day you get pregnant, Gang will be yours."

His tone was flat and emotionless.

"No way! You went back on your word, so you have to compensate me!"

"The day you get pregnant, Gang will be yours."

"I'm going to sue you! I'll sue you for indecent assault!"

"The day you get pregnant, Gang will be yours."

"..."

Cen Weiwei had been trying so hard to get a response from Li Guolei, but he only replied with this one word, like a stone that could never be warmed up, which made her so angry that she dug her nails into her palms.

Row!

I'll really have a baby for you, and once you've settled down with a job, we'll settle all our old and new scores together!

"Come inside."

She swallowed the words she had been holding back and turned to go inside.

Li Guolei nodded immediately, his eyes shining – his father was right after all!

……

On Liao Zhihua's side.

Clutching the official employee recruitment notice stamped with the red seal, he stood downstairs at Liu Shujuan's house once again.

As soon as she showed up, he immediately handed her over: "Here, this is your security certificate. When the time comes, you'll be reporting for duty."

"Zhihua, thank you so much!"

Liu Shujuan's voice trembled, and her eyes were red. If it weren't for the people coming and going at the entrance of the compound, she really wanted to rush up and kiss him.

With this piece of paper, she no longer had to fear being sent to a military post. Her food rations, medical insurance, and pension for the next few decades were all secured—the Guo family could truly support her until the day she passed away.

"Tomorrow morning, you should make it clear to your parents: Li Guojiang is giving you the employee position as compensation. You will neither marry him nor hold him responsible. The matter is settled."

Liao Zhihua spoke calmly, as if he were recounting a routine matter.

"But... what if they force me to marry them? After all, they all believe that I 'lost my virginity'."

Liu Shujuan lowered her head and clutched the hem of her clothes.

These days, if a girl loses her virginity, she either has to report it to the police or get married. She herself had publicly agreed to the marriage, and her parents and brother had all given their approval—convincing them wasn't something that could be done in just a few words.

"Just tell the truth: you have someone in your heart, and that person doesn't care about these things; Li Guojiang broke the law and should go to jail, that's the best outcome for him."

Liao Zhihua stared at her, speaking slowly and deliberately.

"Hmm... I'll give it a try."

"It's not a trial." He suddenly lowered his voice, a chill running through him. "We must let him in. Ideally, he'd die outside."

Liu Shujuan's back stiffened, and she subconsciously shrank her neck.

The next evening, as soon as her father and brother entered the door, she began to speak as Liao Zhihua had instructed.

He was immediately met with a torrent of abuse: "You've already slept with her, how can you back out? Aren't you ashamed?!"

She didn't argue or make a scene, only repeating one sentence: "I won't marry him, and once I leave, I won't come back."

Finally, he made a tough statement—his luggage was packed, and he would leave at dawn.

Only then did the family members relax.

She breathed a sigh of relief, waiting to confront Li Guojiang the next day.

Who would have thought that after all the twists and turns, things would actually come to this?

Of course, this was just the ending she imagined.

At the same time.

Li Guoyu pushed open the door to his father Li Wenguo's study.

"Dad, Liao Daqiao secretly changed Guojiang's employee position to Liu Shujuan's name."

"Ha, the Liao family is trying to kick Guojiang into a ravine."

Li Wenguo sneered, not even lifting his eyelids.

"Where's the evidence?"

"The copies were prepared long ago. This time, Liao Daqiao has no chance of escaping."

"Tampering with recruitment quotas—at best, they'll be dismissed; at worst, they'll be investigated. Since they struck first, don't blame us for fighting back to the end."

Li Guoyu nodded, his eyes cold and hard.

Dare to touch the Li family? Then we'll crush their bones into dust and stomp them into the mud.

"What about Liao Daqiao's eldest son, Liao Zhixing? Have they found out anything wrong with him?"

Li Wenguo habitually pressed for more information.

Corruption was rampant in later generations, but it's rare these days.

Li Guoyu shook his head: "We didn't find any corruption, but we heard gossip—saying he had an ambiguous relationship with a married woman at the factory, but it's hard to say whether it's true or not."

"Have you got a good lookout?"

"People have been sent out, but so far no concrete evidence has been found."

"Give me that woman's name and address. I'll send someone else to keep watch over her."

Li Wenguo thought for a moment and then said.

With so many people and eyes in the factory, how could anyone dare to have an affair under someone's nose? They would have to run outside.

As long as we catch her in the act—make sure her man sees her there, then call the security guards—we'll have her red-handed and the case will be solved.

No sooner had Li Guoyu left than Wen Keren led her younger sister, Wen Keyi, into the house.

Recently, Wen Keyi has been sulking and ignoring Li Wenguo because of Li Guoxiong's matter.

Wen Keren was afraid that her husband would lose his temper and be even more ruthless towards his nephew, so she had no choice but to advise her sister to humble herself and appease him in order to protect Guoxiong's future.

Li Wenguo played Dou Dizhu (a popular Chinese card game) for three hours straight tonight.

As soon as the sun peeked out, the sky became bright.

As Liu Shujuan walked into the small square in the morning light, she immediately spotted Li Guojiang rollerblading.

This place is now occupied by Xiao Fo and his gang, clearly intended for Li Guojiang to use alone, which is like slapping Liao Zhihua in the face.

A group of street thugs were so angry they were grinding their teeth, and they even started to hate Liao Zhihua, ignoring him completely.

Liao Zhihua himself chickened out and dared not approach any further.

"Guojiang, I need to talk to you."

Liu Shujuan has regular features, and with a little grooming, she is quite attractive.

But Li Guojiang grew up in the factory's staff and family compound and was used to seeing girls with heavy or light makeup. In his eyes, Liu Shujuan was just an ordinary face.

"Speak quickly!!!"

Ever since he realized he'd been tricked by her, all he felt towards her was coldness and disgust. If it weren't for the fact that she was a woman, he would have already taken action.

Seeing this, the guys who were skating with them nearby wisely skated away.

Liu Shujuan felt a chill run down her spine. She had always thought Li Guojiang was just an honest classmate, never imagining he had a gangster boss behind him. If she had known, she would never have dared to have any crooked thoughts.

correct!

If he finds out I took his employee position... will he call his older brother to deal with me?

I was so happy yesterday that I only realized now that I've made a huge blunder.

But the road was already shoved into the mud, and it was too late to pull your foot out.

She took a breath and steadied her voice: "Um... I won't pursue the matter of you 'violating' me anymore, you don't need to take responsibility. I've also persuaded my parents not to sue you, and not to mention marriage. From now on, let's go our separate ways."

"Really??"

"You really don't want me to take responsibility?"

Li Guojiang immediately perked up.

Although he knew he had been tricked, he was still unsure whether anything had actually happened that day, which is why he kept delaying and refusing to admit it.

"Absolutely true. This is a letter of understanding, and my parents both signed it."

This document is absolutely necessary—after all, they used "using employee status to clear their name" as a pretext, and without this document, they could easily sue him for indecent assault.

Li Guojiang took it and glanced at it. The handwriting, fingerprints, and official seal were all there, and he finally felt relieved.

Turning to her, she asked, "Why did you suddenly change your mind?"

"And...did it actually happen that day?"

She said decisively, "Of course it will! Can blood on the sheets be faked?"

The child in my belly will have to take the surname Li and be raised by the Li family; this is something I absolutely cannot renege on.

"As for why I forgave you... I've figured it out. You didn't want to take responsibility at all, and forcing us together wouldn't last long. A forced marriage won't be happy, and we can't argue every day after getting married, can we?"

"Alright, I'm leaving. Don't ever see me again."

As soon as she finished speaking, she turned and walked away. Li Guojiang called after her, "Wait!" but she didn't turn her head back.