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

Section Chief Shi, his face ashen, gritted his teeth and spoke.

He's a high-ranking section chief, while Li Guoxiong is just a clerk. How dare he abandon his post right in front of him? Isn't this a blatant slap in the face?

We must make an example of him!

Zhao Ziping, who was standing nearby, rolled his eyes and took a half step closer: "Section Chief Shi, aren't there two sets of materials for tomorrow, one for Director Li and one for Factory Director Zhang?"

"You made Li Guoxiong mistakenly send the portion that should have been given to Director Li to Deputy Factory Director Zhang; and then you stuffed the portion that should have been given to Deputy Factory Director Zhang onto Director Li's desk—when he makes a mistake, the two leaders will immediately give him a good scolding."

"Haha, Ziping, brilliant! Let's do it this way!"

Section Chief Shi immediately beamed with joy and slapped his thigh in approval.

Zhao Ziping turned around and ran to the security room, grabbed the air pump, and vigorously pumped up the tires of Section Chief Shi's bicycle, bowing and scraping as attentive as a dog that had just been washed.

When Li Guoxiong pushed open the door, steam was rising from the stove. Zhao Ziying, wearing an old apron, had already set out three dishes and a soup, with bowls and chopsticks neatly arranged. The weariness on his shoulders instantly vanished in the warm glow.

She was really busy, but she had the robust physique inherited from her father, Li Wenguo. After a day of work, she only felt a little sweat on her forehead and a slight heaviness in her back.

"Guoxiong, go wash your face, dinner is ready."

He smiled and agreed. The room was narrow, the windowsill small, but when the light was on, even the shadows of the mottled paint on the walls felt reassuring.

"First day working in an office, are you tired?"

Zhao Ziying picked up a piece of green vegetable with her chopsticks, gently placed it in his bowl, and asked again.

"Hey, how busy can I be? I just copy a few pages, type a few lines, and make a cup of tea—it's quite leisurely."

He swallowed the dust and grime covering his body, afraid that she would frown if she heard it.

"You're so busy putting food on my plate, while you're just eating plain rice all by yourself?"

He suddenly noticed that her bowl was almost entirely filled with rice, with vegetable leaves floating on top of the soup.

Yes, I ate it.

She lowered her head, quickly picked up a small piece of wilted yellow cabbage stalk, closed her eyes and swallowed it, her throat slightly constricted.

She had already realized she was pregnant, but with the family struggling to make ends meet, she feared that if her husband found out, he would turn around and kneel before his father, Li Wenguo's, door—that stubborn old man, would he admit his mistake? He'd rather have his left hand chopped off.

She planned to endure the next two or three months until she had more money and her belly started to swell. Then, even if she got scolded, she wouldn't have to bow her head and admit to a mistake that hadn't even materialized yet.

Yes! She's the kind of woman who keeps a man's heart hidden in her sleeve.

The next morning.

"This one is for Director Li, and this one is for Factory Director Zhang, understand?" Zhao Ziping didn't even lift his eyelids as he shoved the two stacks of papers into Li Guoxiong's hands.

"good!"

"OK!"

Li Guoxiong took the document, glanced at his brother-in-law's cold face, and turned to walk towards the director's office.

"Hmph, let's see where you put your face now."

Zhao Ziping stared at his back, a smirk playing on his lips.

Office Director Li Jingya is as beautiful as a spring peach, but her actions are as cold as a double-edged sword. She can stare at you for three minutes without blinking if there is a punctuation mistake in a document, and everyone under her calls her "Iron-Tongued Director Li".

Sending the wrong materials isn't a big deal, but in her eyes, it's a sign of a lax attitude and a slippery mind—something she hates the most.

"Thump, thump, thump!"

Li Guoxiong paused at the door and knocked three times.

"Please come in!"

The voice coming from inside the room was clear and crisp, with a familiar, almost indistinct, trailing tone.

Li Jingya is He Shuting's second daughter. She and Li Guoxiong grew up visiting each other between the small villa and Saiguohao Garden. They drank from the same well and shared the same clothesline. They were so familiar with each other that they even knew which breath the other took before sneezing.

"Director Li, hello!"

"Here are the materials you requested."

He entered and closed the door, straightened his back, and steadily handed the documents to Li Jingya's desk with both hands, handling business in a professional and meticulous manner.

"puff--"

She couldn't help but laugh out loud.

"Guoxiong, when you used to see my sister, you would pounce on me and snatch my candy jar."

"What? Your sister got married, and now you're acting like this?"

He grinned and said, "Hehe, it's working hours, so we have to stick to the rules."

"Come on! We're siblings, why are we being so formal?" She got up, walked around the table, and with a flick of her finger, straightened his crooked collar. "There's no one else here, just do it the way it used to be, it's so much more comfortable."

Her fingers were warm, and her movements were light and quick, just like when she tied his red scarf crookedly when he was a child.

"By the way, when I went home the other day, Aunt Wen mentioned it—that Dad kicked you out of the house? Is your head filled with mush or dynamite?"

"Don't you know your father's temper? He can't stand people talking back to him or giving him the cold shoulder, yet you insist on stubbornly going against him. What's the point? Would it hurt to bow your head and apologize? You've made yourself look pathetic, and now you can't even have a decent place to live, having to squeeze into that drafty old house with your younger siblings?"

Li Jingya spoke in a deep voice, without beating around the bush.

"Sigh, I acted impulsively back then, and only remembered to tell Dad after we got the marriage certificate... You know, he's already this old, and he still keeps an eye on everything and controls every little thing. Is it really necessary?"

"Who doesn't talk about free love these days? Love is a matter of free choice, marriage is voluntary—which law says you have to get past that first?"

Li Guoxiong frowned, his voice low but firm. He never bowed his head easily.

"Guoxiong, you were indeed wrong in this matter."

"Think about it carefully. With so many children under your father's command, if they didn't have any influence or manners, could they really keep things under control just by being nice and gentle?"

"I'm so angry I could fall apart!"

"You don't believe me?"

She has a point.

If Li Wenguo didn't maintain his authority and establish rules, this family would have long since descended into chaos—one person would quit today, another would throw a tantrum tomorrow, and the day after that, someone else would talk back; life would be unbearable. Even if it didn't kill him, he'd have to swallow his anger every day, slowly draining his energy.

"Besides, Dad fought his way up from the Republican era, earning us a stable life, providing for our education, and arranging jobs for us. Now that we're independent, shouldn't we at least be a little more compliant and respectful to him?"

"Shouldn't this kindness be summed up in the word 'filial piety'?"

Li Jingya was born in 1936 and is currently 32 years old. She is 13 years older than Li Guoxiong, who is 19 years old, so she naturally has a clearer and more stable understanding of things.

"...Let me think about it some more."

Li Guoxiong lowered his eyes, his Adam's apple bobbing. In that instant, he suddenly remembered his father squatting at the gate of the yard waiting for him to come home from school when he was a child, clutching a piece of candy in his hand; he remembered when he was delirious with fever, his father sitting by the bed all night, applying a cool towel to his forehead—the warmth that had been stubbornly hidden suddenly surged up.

"Think it through carefully, and don't act stubbornly again."

"You're still young now. When you become a father and have a family on your shoulders, your heart will completely change."

After Li Jingya finished speaking, she nodded slightly.

"Well, I'll be going now, sister."

"Go."

She agreed readily, and added, "If the factory has any difficulties, come to me anytime."

"Yes, I know."

Li Guoxiong turned and went out the door.

Li Jingya gazed at the empty doorway, sighed silently, tapped her fingertips lightly on the edge of the table twice, then sat back down in her chair and pulled out a document to read. After only scanning two lines, her brows furrowed sharply—

This isn't my portion!

She immediately stood up and hurried to the corridor, but only saw the slanting light and shadows; the figure had long since vanished. She turned and headed straight for the hall, where she spotted Zhao Ziping in the crowd.

Zhao Ziping was tidying up reports when he suddenly felt the air become heavy. He looked up and saw Director Li standing in front of him, his face as cold as frost.

Without wasting any words, she simply pursed her lips into a sharp line: "When you see Li Guoxiong, tell him to come to my office immediately."

As soon as he finished speaking, he turned and left.

"call--"

Zhao Ziping slumped into a chair, wiping the cold sweat from his forehead...

Director Li's face is even more intimidating than that old steam engine at the factory gate!

But the next second, a sneer appeared on his lips: Hmph, Li Guoxiong, you've really bitten off more than you can chew this time!

On the other end.

Li Guoxiong had already stepped into the deputy factory director's office.

"Guoxiong is here!"

Zhang Ming greeted him with a smile, his face displaying his usual gentle demeanor.

He is the son-in-law of the Li family, but he married not Li Jingya, but the younger sister of another wife, who is thirty-five years old this year.

"Brother-in-law, here are the materials you requested."

Li Guoxiong presented it with both hands, his movements respectful.

Zhang Ming didn't take the document, but just smiled and asked, "How's work going lately?"

"It's reassuring; I have something to do every day."

Li Guoxiong's answer was brief, but his eyes shone.

"What's next? Do you have any plans in mind?"

The words weren't explicitly stated, but the meaning was clear—if you want to move up in the ranks, I'll pave the way for you.

Zhang Ming came from a privileged background, but his family was concentrated in the foreign trade department, which was now overcrowded, drawing criticism from higher-ups. That's why the Zhang family turned to the Li family and forged a new path. His rise to the position of deputy factory director was entirely due to the Li family's connections. Gratitude must be repaid; favors must be reciprocated.

Li Guoxiong was proud to the core and never intended to spend his life writing reports at a desk. He wanted to stand taller so that Zhao Ziying could stand up straight; more importantly, he wanted the Zhao family to see clearly that the young man they once scorned had now risen above their reach.

He looked up and stared straight at Zhang Ming: "I want to follow in my brother-in-law's footsteps."

Zhang Ming paused for a moment, then smiled and nodded, saying, "Okay, I've got it."

Wise people never need to break down or elaborate their words.

In this factory, the fewer words you speak, the more stable you are; the more solid the path, the farther you go.

If you try to understand every single word someone says, your brain will never be able to keep up with the pace of what others are saying.

"Brother-in-law, I'll be going now."

"Don't call me that in front of strangers."

He gave a word of advice.

Since Zhang Ming intended to promote his brother-in-law, the factory naturally couldn't let it slip—if people really discovered this relationship, they would inevitably be gossiped about behind their backs.

Li Guoxiong responded and turned to leave.

As soon as he stepped into the office hall, Zhao Ziping leaned against the table, a forced smile playing on his lips, and said, "Director Li is calling you. Go on."

"Oh, right—good luck."

Is there something wrong with the file?

Li Guoxiong caught a glimpse of his smug expression and the thought flashed through his mind.

But he wasn't flustered at all. Director Li was his sister. Although they were half-sisters, she had protected him since he was a child and doted on him. Why would she scold him to his face?

He walked straight to Li Jingya's office door and knocked.

"Director Li, you wanted to see me?"

"There are no outsiders here, why are you still calling me 'Director Li'? It's so formal."

She rolled her eyes, her tone tinged with helplessness.