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

Seeing how frightened she was, Liao Zhihua took a few deep breaths, barely managed to suppress his temper, and began to ponder.

After thinking it over and over, I still couldn't come up with a solution.

The real obstacle was the Liu family elders; he couldn't even step through the door, let alone stop them.

But he was still not giving up, and whispered, "Go find Li Guojiang and tell him the truth—the child is his, but you won't marry him; after the child is born, you can give it back to him."

To bring down Li Guojiang, he was even willing to sacrifice his own flesh and blood.

"But...that's your own son, are you really willing to let Li Guojiang raise him?"

Liu Shujuan was stunned, and her voice became soft.

Do you really hate them that much?

She remembered the last time Li Guojiang had someone beat Liao Zhihua badly. But she never imagined that this hatred would escalate to the point of using a child as a weapon.

"The child is mine. He's raising him without my knowledge—that's the cruelest retribution."

Liao Zhihua's lips twitched, but his eyes were devoid of any warmth.

"But what if Li Guojiang's family also forces me to marry him?"

Liu Shujuan raised another question, her tone carrying the usual certainty of her parents—the child is already pregnant, why not get a marriage certificate? Are they really just keeping it as a keepsake?

"Li Guojiang knows exactly what's going on; we've already figured him out. With his temper, he'll never marry you, so you can rest assured."

Liao Zhihua said.

Of course, if the two were truly determined to get married, he couldn't stop them; but he absolutely couldn't say that right now—what if Liu Shujuan got angry and actually turned around and got married?

"Alright."

Liu Shujuan nodded in agreement.

"By the way, Zhihua, my dad ran into some trouble at the chemical plant and has been temporarily suspended. Your dad knows a lot of people there, could you ask someone to put in a good word for him?"

"Your dad's been suspended too?"

Liao Zhihua blurted out, his voice slightly raised.

His father was kicked out of the house the day before yesterday, and in the blink of an eye, Liu Shujuan's father was also arrested—is it really that coincidental?

"Zhihua, what do you mean by that 'also'?"

Liu Shujuan's eyes darkened, and she stared straight at him.

"No, it's nothing. I'll go back and ask my dad right away."

Liao Zhihua's throat tightened, and he dared not utter a single word of the truth—what if she looked down on him because of this and actually went to throw herself into Li Guojiang's arms? How would that end?

The two then parted ways.

"Huh? What time is it? There's still a long time before I get off work."

"And...who exactly did you mean by 'also' just now?"

Liu Shujuan watched Liao Zhihua's hurried departure, her brows furrowing slightly. She wasn't stupid; she was very perceptive.

But with the matter pressing, he had no choice but to suppress his doubts and go find Li Guojiang first.

It's still that same small square.

Li Guojiang was skating absentmindedly, his feet wobbling, his eyes always drifting into the distance.

Now, he was completely enveloped in Cui Jingjing's warm embrace: she was understanding, knew her place, was experienced, and knew how to handle things; even serving him tea and water felt like a silent comfort. For this young man who had never tasted sweetness before, it was like an addiction, impossible to break.

He glanced down at his watch again—every few minutes, hoping the time would quickly reach the point he was counting on.

It's only a little past four o'clock.

Go pick up Cui Jingjing from Hongxing School? It's too early.

"Kunie!!!"

He turned around abruptly, his brows furrowed: What is she doing here again?

"What?"

"I am pregnant."

Li Guojiang froze on the spot, his mind going blank.

A nineteen-year-old who hasn't even figured out what dating is capable of handling something like this.

"So... what are you planning to do?"

His tongue was tied, his voice was weak, and his palms were sweaty.

Liu Shujuan repeated Liao Zhihua's words verbatim: "I've fallen for someone else and won't marry you. I'll give the child back to you after it's born."

The moment he uttered the words "I won't marry you," his shoulders relaxed; but as soon as he said "I'll give it back to you," his heart sank again.

"It's settled then. Go back and explain it to your family. We'll meet here again tomorrow."

Before she finished speaking, Liu Shujuan had already turned around and walked away quickly.

Li Guojiang lost all interest in skating and ran home to tell his father what had happened.

"Is Liu Shujuan pregnant?"

Li Wenguo just came out of Hongyu's house. Li Guojiang pushed open the door and bumped into him. He immediately dragged his father into his mother Jinhua's house.

"Yes, Dad! She said she has someone else in her heart and won't marry me, but the child will be mine after it's born."

Li Guojiang stood there empty-handed, looking completely lost.

"What's the panic? I already told you—that woman has been having an affair with someone else for a long time, and this baby is probably not yours."

Li Wenguo said in a deep voice.

"But... there was blood on the sheets after we had sex last time!"

That was what he saw with his own eyes.

"Chicken blood, pig blood, and some red dye—it's easy enough, isn't it?"

"I really want to know. I'll take her to the hospital to check her gestational age. Whether the dates match up or not, and whether the child is yours, will be clear with a test."

"But is she willing to go to the hospital with me?"

"Stupid! If she absolutely refuses to go, won't they give herself away?"

Li Wenguo rolled his eyes.

"Oh...I understand, thank you, Father!"

Li Guojiang breathed a sigh of relief and turned to leave.

"You haven't been eating at home for the past few nights, where have you been?"

"Oh, sometimes I go to Guoxian's house, sometimes I go to Guotao's house."

"I'm going to Brother Guofang's house for dinner today, I'm off, Dad!"

He's always been adept at lying.

As soon as I stepped outside, I looked at my watch—5:30.

It's time for Cui Jingjing to go home.

His feet tightened, and his heart pounded: He was going to be late!

At the same time.

Hongxing School, Principal's Office.

"Jingjing, the 'Outstanding Teacher' award has been announced for this semester. Are you interested in competing for it? If you just nod your head, it's guaranteed to be a success."

"Besides, losing every year—that's not a matter of luck, it's a problem with attitude."

Principal Zhu, in his forties, wearing thick glasses, with a slightly balding forehead, a round face, and small eyes, leaned against his desk, his gaze sweeping over Cui Jingjing with an undisguised, undisguised look.

Not a single word was explicitly stated, yet every sentence was loaded with hidden meaning, like a knife hanging in the air.

He had known for a long time that Cui Jingjing's husband had sacrificed his life, leaving her a widow. He was also a pretty and capable woman, and he had been plotting against her for a long time. Under the pretext of performance evaluations, assessments, and year-end reviews, he repeatedly tried to get her to talk, probe, and put pressure on her, all in an attempt to pry open her mouth and break down her defenses.

But Cui Jingjing wasn't easy to manipulate. She saw through him and could hold back. Each time, she would just smile and brush it off, neither engaging, nor giving him an out.

Because she was being targeted by her superior and indirectly coerced, she began to focus her attention and secretly added Li Guojiang to her plans.

"Thank you for your concern, Principal Zhu. However, I trust the organization and I believe in my own teaching abilities—you don't need to worry about this."

Cui Jingjing spoke in a flat tone, her brows furrowed, like a fully drawn bow that had not yet been released.

"If there's nothing else, I'll head back to class now."

After saying that, he turned and left without even glancing at that greasy face.

Principal Zhu stood frozen in place, his face ashen, and he squeezed out through gritted teeth, "A widow, putting on airs? Just wait and see, you'll have your day."

As Cui Jingjing turned out of the office and reached the corner of the stairs, she bumped into Teacher Zhao.

In his early thirties, with a square face, a high nose bridge, and bright, burning eyes, he wore a white shirt buttoned up to the top and black trousers in sharp line—looking presentable, but actually exuding a deliberately cultivated energy and spirit.

He immediately feigned concern: "Teacher Cui, did I make things difficult for you just now? What did that old man say this time?"

His eyes swept over her neckline for a moment, then quickly looked up, putting on quite a convincing act.

"fine."

Her answer was brief, her voice cold and hard, and her face remained unmoved.

Everyone at school knows she's like this with everyone—always stern-faced, never smiling, never chatting, never lingering alone. It's not about putting on airs; it's about setting boundaries. A beautiful woman teaching under the noses of a group of men—if she doesn't erect an ice wall, sooner or later she'll be surrounded and devoured whole.

But there are always people who aren't afraid of the cold, like Principal Zhu, and like Teacher Zhao in front of us.

"It's good that you're alright! If you dare to lay a hand on me, just call my name—I'll stand up for you!"

He patted his chest forcefully, as if he were acting.

Cui Jingjing didn't even lift her eyelids, but she had already scoffed inwardly: Who in the whole school doesn't know that your wife has to hand you the bowl and chopsticks when you get home? You tremble at the principal's cough, and you still stand up for others?

"Teacher Cui, I have two tickets to 'Romance on Lushan Mountain' here. How about we go to 'Red Plum Cafeteria' for a meal first, and then go see the movie together?"

He took half a step forward, his mouth agape, his smile both ingratiating and blatant.

"No, I have appointments. You and your sister-in-law should go together."

She took a half step back, her tone not harsh, but her meaning was firm—you have a family, I have no interest in you, stop contacting me.

Teacher Zhao, however, seemed oblivious to human speech and shamelessly persisted, "Jingjing, I've really liked you for a long time... If you just agree, I'll go back and talk to my family about getting a divorce, and marry you in style, okay?"

"Teacher Zhao, please have some self-respect."

Her voice suddenly turned serious, each word clear and distinct: "You are married."

"Jingjing, I'm serious! You don't believe me? I'll write the application tomorrow!"

He panicked and reached out to touch her wrist.

She stepped aside, her fingertips tightening around the bag strap, her voice lower but sharper: "If this gets out, it won't be a small matter for you or for me."

Suddenly, footsteps came from upstairs, thump, thump, thump, getting closer and closer.

The two fell silent at the same time.

Cui Jingjing hurried downstairs. Just as she reached the school gate, a bicycle with a 28-inch handlebar suddenly stopped with a "ding-ling"—Li Guojiang jumped off the bicycle, with half a green water spinach still hanging on the handlebars.

The coldness on her face instantly melted away, a smile spread across her face, and she looked as if she had been washed by spring water.

She sat lightly in the back seat, her hands hanging naturally at her sides, neither touching him nor moving too far away from him.

"I'm sorry, Professor Cui, I was delayed by car repairs on the way. I hope I didn't keep you waiting too long?"

"I just got here too, get out of class just ended."

Her tone was soft and clear, like warmed honey water, completely different from the aloof and unapproachable Teacher Cui in the office just now.

"Should we go to the Dongmen Market?"

"Um!"

After buying groceries, I rode into a quiet alley, with dappled shadows of sycamore trees on both sides.

She suddenly reached out and gently wrapped her arms around his waist and abdomen, her front of her dress silently pressing against his broad back.

Li Guojiang's heart pounded wildly, and he unconsciously stomped his feet a few times, making the wheels spin rapidly.

The next morning, he arranged to meet Liu Shujuan. As soon as he mentioned going to the hospital for a prenatal checkup, she immediately shook her head and refused. Li Guojiang's heart skipped a beat—his father was right, the child really wasn't his.

"Liu Shujuan, the child in your belly isn't mine at all. If it were, why are you hiding from the hospital? Isn't it because you're afraid the ultrasound will expose you—you've been pregnant for more than three weeks!"

His face turned bright red, and the veins on his forehead throbbed.

Being kept in the dark and made a fool of, and then treated as a ready-made sucker, how could he not be furious?

"It's yours! I got pregnant the night you pinned me against the wall! I didn't go for a checkup because I'm afraid of hospitals, afraid of needles, afraid of crowds!"

Liu Shujuan gritted her teeth and spoke slowly and deliberately, insisting that the child was Li Guojiang's.