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

After meeting each other's parents, and due to certain circumstances, they chose a date that was barely acceptable and held the wedding.

After the marriage, Zhang Qian was truly amazed—the Li family's wealth far exceeded her imagination. As the legal wife, Xu Wanqing's extravagance was astonishing: two whole boxes of gold jewelry, stacks of brand-new "Great Unity" banknotes, totaling ten thousand yuan; and two properties, all clearly documented with black and white paper and a solid red seal.

Zhang Qian's hands trembled as she accepted the gift, barely daring to touch it.

She'd never even touched a thousand-yuan bill in her life, let alone ten thousand; and gold was sold by the box? This wasn't getting married, it was practically entering a gold vault.

For the first time, she understood that "wealth and honor" were not words, but something heavy and weighty, pressing down on one's palm.

Of course, Li Wenguo had already secretly made several trips to the relevant departments to register and file these betrothal gifts one by one—fearing that he would be labeled as "embezzling and accepting bribes" in the future, which would ruin his reputation for no reason.

Just over a month after his marriage, Li Guolin tasted the sweetness of having "someone backing him up." His father-in-law, who was the office director, promoted him to senior clerk (equivalent to section chief) without saying a word, clearly paving the way for his promotion to deputy section chief next year.

at the same time,

The great tide has quietly arrived.

A large number of young people are about to leave the capital and head to the mountains and countryside to contribute to the country's development in the most impoverished areas.

Li Guoyu directly canceled the official positions of Liu Shujuan and Liao Zhihua, and then turned to the clerk to report their names to all the sub-district offices in the jurisdiction.

The neighborhood committee had already gotten wind of it and immediately made a decision: send them to the most remote, most impoverished, and worst-condition place.

That afternoon, people from the neighborhood committee came to Liu Youtian's house.

"Comrade Liu Shujuan, the train departs for the southernmost mountain village at nine o'clock tomorrow morning. Please pack your things tonight." The clerk handed over a train ticket and several pages of stamped documents.

"What?!"

"I'm going to the countryside?!"

Liu Shujuan stood there, stunned, her mind going blank.

"Yes, it's you."

The staff member spoke in a flat tone, his gaze sweeping over her delicate face, and he sighed inwardly—it's really tough to put such a fair-skinned young girl into that godforsaken, remote mountain village.

They must have offended someone, right?

"No, no! Comrade, I have a permanent position at the Second Garment Factory!" Her voice trembled with anxiety. "I shouldn't have gone to that place!"

"Are you sure you haven't mistaken me for someone else?"

"No mistake."

The other person shook their head, pulled a piece of paper out of their bag, and said, "This morning, the Second Garment Factory came specifically to register—your position has already been cancelled."

"Don't believe me? Go ask the factory yourself."

"Farewell, Comrade Liu Shujuan."

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

She was left alone in the room, her face turning deathly pale.

She believed this person wouldn't lie to her.

—Her livelihood is truly gone.

"No, I have to go to the factory right away and find out! Let's find Liao Zhihua first, and go together!"

She grabbed her coat and rushed outside.

At the same time, people from the neighborhood committee also came to Liao Zhihua's home, handing him the same train tickets and documents.

"How...how could this happen?!"

His face instantly turned pale.

"What else can we do?"

His father, Liao Daqiao, slumped into a chair and gave a bitter laugh: "It must have been that person's doing."

"ah!!!"

Liao Zhihua jumped up abruptly, slamming his fist on the corner of the table as he roared, "Big brother, who the hell did you offend?! You've fucking killed me!!"

He thought it was his elder brother Li Guojiang who caused the trouble, which led to his exile to the Northwest Plateau. The wind and sand, mixed with ice shards, stung his face. The terrain was so treacherous that even sheep would slip. The weather was unpredictable, making survival difficult, let alone returning.

"I don't want to go! Dad, help me! Please help me!!"

He knelt down with a thud, trembling all over, tears and snot streaming down his face. He had never suffered any hardship since childhood, and just hearing the name of that place made his legs cramp.

"Go to the Second Garment Factory first and check if the position is still available. I'll ask around to see if there's any room for negotiation," Liao Daqiao said in a hoarse voice.

"Okay! Dad, you absolutely have to get me out!"

He stumbled and rushed out the door.

Not long after, Liu Shujuan arrived at Liao Zhihua's house, only to find him gone. She gritted her teeth, turned around, and headed straight for the Second Garment Factory.

Liao Zhihua had already arrived at the factory gate. The gatekeeper recognized him but, unaware of the situation, let him through as usual.

He navigated the factory area with practiced ease and headed straight for the office hall.

Li Guojiang was sitting behind his desk, leisurely sipping tea, with a newspaper spread out on his lap, his fingers lazily resting on the edge, but his eyes not falling on the words.

Yes, his brother got him a job in the factory office as a clerk half a month ago.

Li Guojiang?

What's he doing here?

Could it be that he's really started working?

But wasn't that position already taken by my dad through connections?

What gives him the right to come?

His family is just an ordinary working-class family.

Liao Zhihua felt a lump in his throat, a mixture of sourness and burning sensation.

What's infuriating is that his family is so much poorer than mine, yet he's still sitting comfortably in the factory; what's burning is that this position should rightfully be mine.

"Zhihua?"

"How did you get in?"

A clerk looked up, recognized him, and casually asked a question.

His father used to be the office director, and he knew many people in the same compound, including Brother Sun.

As soon as he finished speaking, several pairs of eyes turned to him—including Li Guojiang's eyes, which seemed to be smiling but not smiling.

Liao Zhihua's throat tightened, and he turned to Brother Sun: "Brother Sun, I want to confirm again... is my employee slot really gone?"

"Really, it's gone. Didn't the security department just contact you?"

Clerk Sun answered decisively, though her tone carried a hint of reluctance.

He knew that Liao Zhihua had not only lost his job, but also had to pack his bags and go to the mountains in the far northwest—where the wind and sand would lash his face, he would suffer from acclimatization problems, and even sending letters would be difficult.

Who offended whom to make the Liao family suffer so much?

"Really...really gone?" His voice trembled.

"It's really gone." Brother Sun nodded.

—He himself was the one who notified the street office to handle the procedures; it was Deputy Factory Director Li who personally instructed him. He didn't say this aloud.

Liao Zhihua's face instantly drained of all color.

That's it, there's no escaping it this time.

Ah!

Liao Zhihua, you've tasted this bitterness too? Serves you right!

Li Guojiang stared at his ashen face, feeling a great sense of satisfaction.

He had already heard from his brother Li Guoyu where Liao Zhihua and Liu Shujuan were going.

It was at this moment that he caught sight of Liao Zhihua staring intently at him.

His eyes were like knives, wrapped with fire, wrapped with ice, wrapped with a crazy, reckless spirit.

Liao Zhihua suddenly pointed at him, his voice cracking: "What about him? Wasn't Li Guojiang also expelled?!"

"Why is he still sitting here drinking tea?!"

"I refuse to accept this!"

"He should have packed his bags and gone up the mountain like me!"

"Why?!"

"Why?!"

The clerks in the room were all stunned, looking at each other blankly, and no one said a word.

Others may be afraid, but Li Guojiang is not.

He tapped his teacup lightly on the table and laughed frankly: "You don't know? Li Guoyu, the deputy factory director, is my own brother."

Liao Zhihua froze on the spot.

The next second, his lips turned blue and cold sweat beaded on his forehead.

He got it.

I understand completely now.

It wasn't that their father offended anyone, nor that their eldest brother caused trouble; it was his own doing—the moment he reached out to scheme against Li Guojiang, he dragged the whole family into the mess.

With a department-level official standing behind him, how could a mere upstart like him possibly mess with him?

Regret felt like boiling water being poured into his throat, scalding his eyes and making them sting.

He wished he could turn back time and go back to that day, so he could bite off his tongue and never touch Li Guojiang's finger.

But there's no going back.

Liao Zhihua walked out of the factory gate in a daze. Just as he turned the corner, he bumped into Liu Shujuan, who was running towards him breathlessly.

"Zhihua!!"

"How is it? Is it true?" Her chest heaved, and her voice was weak.

Actually, there's no need to ask—just look at his face, and the answer is already written all over it.

"Wrong... completely wrong." He smiled bitterly. "From the very beginning, we shouldn't have touched Li Guojiang."

Only now did he truly come to his senses.

"But what's the point of saying this now that we've already made a mistake?"

"Tell me quickly, is the job really gone?" Liu Shujuan stamped her feet anxiously.

"Gone. You didn't know, did you? Li Guoyu, the deputy factory director, Li Guojiang's older brother. The two of us tried to fight a losing battle with eggs, and ended up smashing ourselves to pieces."

Liao Zhihua's voice was as dry as sandpaper rubbing against wood.

"What?! Guojiang's brother is the deputy factory director?!"

Liu Shujuan's mind went blank, and the world spun around her.

No wonder, no wonder Li Guojiang dared to have street thugs beat up Liao Zhihua, no wonder he casually tossed her three hundred yuan for an abortion—his roots were so deep and so strong.

I regret it so much! I regret it to the point of despair!

"It's all your fault! You're the one who instigated me to go against Li Guojiang! It's all your fault!"

Liu Shujuan stared intently at Liao Zhihua, her eyes burning with fury. She clenched her fists and pounded them against his shoulders and chest until her knuckles turned white.

"Shujuan! Shujuan! Don't do this—you're carrying a baby! Calm down, don't hurt the baby!"

Liao Zhihua grabbed her wrist tightly, his voice trembling.

"fetal?"

"Oh……"

"You still don't know?"

"I sent the child away a long time ago."

"You have nothing left now."

She gave a cold, smirk.

But inside, it felt like a red-hot iron was pressing down on me, burning me intensely.

"What?!"

"You...you really...aborted the child?!"

Liao Zhihua's legs went weak, and his vision went black.

He had just received a notice that he had to set off tomorrow morning to stake out a remote mountain village in Northwest China—a place where the wind and sand are biting, and life hangs by a thread. If he really didn't come back, the child in Liu Shujuan's womb would be the last bloodline of his Liao family.

But now, it's empty.

The blood has gone cold, the sky has collapsed, and even the shadows have faded to the point of being invisible.

"Why did you abort it?!" His voice cracked.

"Have you forgotten? My dad made a mistake that time, and the factory fined him three hundred yuan. I asked you for a loan, but you refused. Li Guojiang turned around and came to my door with three hundred yuan, saying, 'Abort the child, the money is yours, and your dad will keep his job.' — I did as he said."

She lowered her eyes and spoke calmly.

"Li Guojiang...it's him again!"

Liao Zhihua let out a roar.

"Wait a minute!" He looked up abruptly. "How did he know my dad had to pay three hundred? Even the workshop foreman only mentioned it briefly at the meeting!"

Liu Shujuan was taken aback and frowned—she was so panicked back then that she didn't have time to think things through.

"Ha...ha..." He suddenly threw his head back and laughed, his laughter dry and shrill. "I understand...it was all his scheme. It's my retribution, my deserved retribution!"

Before he finished speaking, he let go of her hand, turned around and left, his back swaying violently, as if his spine had been pulled out.

The next morning, Liao Zhihua and Liu Shujuan sat side by side in front of the Civil Affairs Bureau window, their faces as white as two old sheets of paper.

Shortly after he stepped into the courtyard last night, the family of the section chief in the same courtyard, with whom he had been engaged, sent someone to deliver a letter of termination of the engagement.

To the outside world, they only said that his daughter caught Liao Zhihua holding hands and talking to another woman at the gate of the compound, implying that the family's conduct was improper.

But who doesn't know the answer?

The real breakup happened when he fell into the mud and couldn't get up, and offended someone like Li Guojiang—if he continued to associate with him, he might get burned.

This is how the world has always been.