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

"Father, which way do we go next?"

"Should we just remove Liao Zhihua and Liu Shujuan's spots?"

Li Guoyu filled Li Wenguo's glass while pouring wine for Gao Zhiyuan.

"Thank you, brother-in-law."

Gao Zhiyuan quickly bowed.

Li Wenguo tapped his fingers lightly twice on the edge of the table before speaking: "Don't move for now. We'll remove it the night before **."

"Understood, Father."

Li Guoyu understood perfectly: his father wanted the two of them to go there personally.

You forced Guojiang to go, so I'll let you step in on your own.

What's worse is yet to come—they'll go back and pick the toughest jobs and the most dangerous places, and throw them in there. Whether they survive or not is up to fate.

"Father-in-law, how am I here?"

As soon as Gao Zhiyuan finished speaking, his shoulders and back tensed up involuntarily.

The father-in-law was in his early sixties, but looked like he was just over thirty; when the two walked out side by side, who would believe they were father-in-law and son-in-law? They would just look like brothers.

Not to mention the heavy, oppressive force that makes your throat tighten and you have to think twice before you breathe.

"You can leave Liu Youtian out of the picture for half a month. Then have his daughter abort the child, and let bygones be bygones. He can go to work as usual."

Now that we have the leverage in our hands, we can manipulate it however we want and do whatever we want with it.

The first slash was aimed at Liao Zhixing, the second slash was chopped at Liao Daqiao's neck, and the third slash landed on Liu Youtian—even though he was dragged down by his daughter.

The fourth move by Li Wenguo was aimed at Liu Shujuan: to force her to have an abortion, thus severing Liao Zhihua's lifeline.

"Alright, father-in-law!"

Gao Zhiyuan agreed readily and immediately started planning the day, fearing that he would mess things up on his first attempt.

After the meal.

Fifteen-year-old Li Guoxuan silently collected the bowls and chopsticks, tiptoed, and stacked them in the sink.

Thirteen-year-old Li Jinghua sat on a small stool, holding her younger sister with one arm and peeling an orange with the other.

Li Wenguo led Qin Huairu into the inner room.

Her belly had swelled up again, but he didn't do anything else. He just pressed her down on the edge of the bed and personally made her a Sichuan-style chicken dish.

At the same moment, Liu Shujuan was whispering to Liao Zhihua, "Guojiang said this morning that he would accompany me to my prenatal checkup... but I didn't dare to go."

Liao Zhihua's eyes darted around, and he gripped her wrist tightly: "Bite to death! The child is mine!"

Before he could finish speaking, a chubby girl with a dark face walked past the courtyard gate—it was the one who had been engaged to Liao Zhihua.

She stared at the two of them, and blood rushed to her head!

"Liao Zhihua!! You have some nerve! You're cheating on me with another woman behind my back? Are you looking for death?!"

Before he could finish speaking, the person had already rushed over, his fat jiggling loudly.

Liao Zhihua and Liu Shujuan froze on the spot, their faces turning pale, their feet seemingly rooted to the ground.

"Adulterous couple! You dare to cheat on me right under my nose? I'll tear you apart today!"

"Snapped!"

Liu Shujuan was fair-skinned and delicate, with a pretty figure. The chubby girl targeted her face with slaps—eight loud slaps, her hair was pulled painfully, and her clothes were almost torn.

Liu Shujuan dared not fight back, only clutching her stomach tightly, her voice trembling: "No... please stop hitting me..."

Liao Zhihua stood rooted to the spot, his throat dry: "You...you stop first..."

"You dare to say another word?" The chubby girl tossed her head and spat. "Your dad's gone, your brother's in jail! I'm already being kind by not kicking you out! And now you've learned to stop me?"

The chubby girl's eyes widened, and she pointed at him and yelled.

While she was opening her mouth, Liu Shujuan disappeared in a flash.

My heart sank.

What?!

Zhihua's father and older brother were both kicked out of their workplace?

this day.

As usual, Li Guojiang strolled to the entrance of Hongxing School right at the end of his workday to wait for Cui Jingjing to get off work.

Only after getting together with Cui Jingjing did he finally understand what it meant to live a meaningful life—the previous decades had been like eating half a lifetime of dry bread in vain.

All fame, fortune, promotions, and wealth cannot compare to a single glance, a soft word, or a night of tenderness from her.

"Brother Guojiang, are you here to pick up Teacher Cui again?"

Several of his younger siblings came over to tease him.

They were all the children of the Li family, living together in the same courtyard house.

"Hey, you really dare to date Teacher Cui? Aren't you afraid your dad will grab a broom and break your legs?"

Shh—anyone who tells anyone gets plenty of candy!

Li Guojiang quickly lowered his voice and covered her mouth.

There was no way around it; he had too many younger siblings, and they all studied at the same school, so they were bound to run into each other sooner or later. Fortunately, the younger ones were smart enough not to whisper anything in their father Li Wenguo's ears, otherwise—a widow, especially someone like Cui Jingjing who had only recently become a widow, Li Wenguo would have definitely beaten her to a pulp at the gate of the courtyard.

Just as he had managed to shoo the group of kids away, a plump woman in a bright red sweater, walking with a brisk pace, swept past Li Guojiang without even lifting her eyelids, and strode straight into the school gate.

"Should we go in and find Jingjing too?"

I stopped calling her "Teacher Cui" a long time ago. After all these days, the intimacy has seeped into our bones.

He stared at the figure's back, took a half-step forward with his toes, and then abruptly stopped.

Want to see her? Desperate. But no matter how urgent the situation, I have to hold my breath.

"Wait ten more minutes. If she doesn't come out, I'll go in."

After all, it's a school; she's a teacher, and he's an outsider. If word gets out, it'll ruin her career.

Meanwhile, in the corridor outside the teachers' office building—

"Jingjing, promise me! If you agree to marry me, I'll go home and get a divorce right away!"

Teacher Zhao gripped Cui Jingjing's wrist, her voice trembling.

He had it all planned out: as long as she gave in, he could use the excuse of "negotiations" to stall his wife at home; the longer he dragged it out, the more legitimate it would be to get close to her, and the easier it would be to seduce her. Once it became a reality, she wouldn't have the luxury of being picky—obediently remaining in his inner circle would be the safest path.

That's right, he never intended to divorce.

His wife, Fangfang, is the only daughter of the director of the Education Bureau.

Leaving her? It's like cutting off your own life force; you wouldn't even be able to stand steadily on the podium.

But he also disliked Fangfang for being fat, for being fierce, and for having a powerful family that made him feel suffocated. That's why he relentlessly pursued Cui Jingjing.

"What?! You bastard, you want a divorce?!"

"He'll turn around and marry this vixen?!"

"Are you tired of living?!"

A thunderclap suddenly came from the stairwell.

Fangfang—Teacher Zhao's wife and the daughter of the Education Bureau Director—was already standing at the corner, her face flushed purple and her chest heaving violently.

"ah?!"

"Fangfang? You... what brings you here?"

Teacher Zhao's face turned deathly pale, her shoulders hunched, and she stammered, "No, no, no! Absolutely not! I was just joking around, just kidding with Teacher Cui! It was really a joke!"

"You're kidding me! I think you're just itching for a beating around the block!"

"Smack!!!"

The slap was hard and crisp; Teacher Zhao's head was turned halfway to the side, his neck stiffened, and he dared not move.

"I'll settle the score with you when we get home!"

He stood there, rooted to the spot, like a wilted radish with its core removed.

Fangfang whirled around, her triangular eyes piercing Cui Jingjing, her voice sharp as a knife: "Shameless vixen! Slut! How dare you seduce my man? You don't even deserve to wear that schoolteacher's uniform!!"

"Smack!!!"

Another slap rang out, silencing the entire corridor for a moment.

"I didn't! I really didn't! He's the one who keeps harassing me, sending me WeChat messages, and bringing me things... I push him away every time! You can ask him if you don't believe me!"

Cui Jingjing covered her burning face with one hand, her voice trembling, but she didn't cry.

She didn't dare to really argue back.

Who is the other party? The daughter of the director of the Education Bureau.

One sentence was enough to make her pack her bags and leave.

At this moment, several teachers poured out of the office and gathered at the entrance of the corridor to watch the commotion.

One of the female teachers had a slight upturn at the corners of her mouth and a cold look in her eyes.

It was she who, upon hearing Teacher Zhao confess his feelings to Cui Jingjing in the hallway that day, immediately turned around and dialed Fangfang's number.

She was jealous of Cui Jingjing's face, jealous that she had won over Teacher Zhao's heart without saying a word, and even more jealous that she lived a brighter life than anyone else despite being a widow.

"Smack!!!"

Upon hearing this, Fangfang slapped Cui Jingjing again with her backhand, her fingernails scraping across Cui Jingjing's cheek, leaving three light red marks.

"You slut, you seduced my man! You vixen! You lowlife! I'll tear your face to shreds today!"

Fangfang, that fat woman, had been bullying others since childhood and had long disliked Cui Jingjing's innocent appearance. She didn't care about right or wrong—she just hit her first to vent her anger.

"Ah! Stop hitting me!!!"

"It wasn't me! It was Teacher Zhao who kept bothering me..."

She grabbed Cui Jingjing's hair and slapped her eight times with both hands.

Cui Jingjing desperately tried to block with both hands, but Fangfang was strong and powerful. Her long black hair was pulled so hard that her scalp tingled, and she staggered backward, clearly unable to defend herself.

The principal rushed over upon hearing the noise, and upon seeing that it was Teacher Zhao's wife, he froze in place.

He knew that she was the only daughter of Director Lu of the Education Bureau.

If I anger her, and her father says one word, my position as principal will be completely ruined.

So he could only stand three steps away and watch helplessly as Cui Jingjing was beaten.

The bystanders all shrank back, and not one dared to step forward to break up the fight.

Who doesn't know that Fangfang has a powerful backer who's incredibly strong?

Since ancient times, power has oppressed people, and profit has silenced dissent. Dissatisfied? Then shut up.

At the school gate, Li Guojiang waited anxiously, the hands of his watch moving slower than an ant.

The students had mostly left long ago, with only a few dawdling around until they finished their homework before sneaking out.

"Why aren't you out yet?"

People deeply in love feel like they've been up all night if they're not seen for even a minute. The more he thought about it, the more restless he became: "No, I have to go in and find her."

As soon as they stepped onto the stairs, shouts, slaps, and Cui Jingjing's heart-wrenching cry of "Don't hit me!" erupted from upstairs!

Li Guojiang's expression changed drastically. He rushed forward in two strides and immediately saw Fangfang grabbing Cui Jingjing's hair and swinging her arm violently.

"fuck your mother!!!"

"Let go!!!"

He strode forward and kicked Fangfang hard in the right waist with his right foot.

"Ouch--!"

The woman screamed and her large body collapsed to the ground.

"Jingjing! Where are you hurt?!"

He grabbed her and quickly ran his fingers across her cheeks, ears, and the back of her neck, his eyes bulging as if they were about to burst.

"I'm fine."

"It's good that you're alright." He gritted his teeth and turned to stare at Fangfang, who was curled up on the ground. "If you dare to touch her, I'll make sure you're bedridden for three days."

Before he finished speaking, he raised his leg and kicked Fangfang in the buttocks and the outside of her thighs.

There was dead silence all around.

Everyone stared at this hothead, their minds buzzing: You dare to kick Director Lu's daughter from the Education Bureau? Oh no!

But when Fangfang hit someone, no one offered a hand; now that Li Guojiang has made his move, seven or eight people have suddenly surrounded him to stop him.

The world is cold and indifferent; it only recognizes appearances and doesn't care about right or wrong.

"Call the police! Arrest this thug immediately!"

Fangfang sat on the ground screaming, her finger poking Li Guojiang's nose:

"These thugs must be severely punished! Ten years! Eight years is too lenient! Did you hear me? I am the daughter of Director Lu from the Education Bureau office! Anyone who dares to protect her will be held accountable!"

When she arrived at the police station, she became even more energetic, standing with her hands on her hips and her belly sticking out, acting as if she were the station chief in charge of the area.