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

Wen Keren, however, softened her posture and smiled, "Sir, when I was taking a bath yesterday, my upper and lower body... how about you point them out yourself?"

"My old eyes are failing, it takes me two or three hours to count."

"Don't worry, after drinking your 'energizing soup,' I'm getting more and more energetic the longer I stay up."

"Hmph! Tonight I'll make sure you can't even remember your own last name."

"I've long forgotten. In my eyes and heart, there's only one man I recognize."

The next day after get off work.

Li Guoxin finished dealing with several urgent matters before leaving the municipal government office.

At 29, he was the deputy director of the office at the deputy division level, and he was poised to be promoted to a full-fledged position within two years—a true young backbone.

Not long after, he turned into a quiet alley and stopped in front of a black lacquered wooden door.

The small courtyard with its blue bricks and gray tiles, and its single entrance, looks ordinary, but it is actually a property under the Li family's name.

However, the property certificate is registered under the name of a company in Hong Kong.

When he stepped into the living room, Tian Tian had already set out the food. She was tall and slender with delicate features, sitting quietly at the table like a gentle porcelain figure.

To outsiders, they would surely look like a newlywed couple—the wife has prepared a hot meal, waiting for her husband to come home from work.

As soon as Li Guoxin's gaze fell upon her, he subconsciously glanced at her lower abdomen. The fabric was smooth, and nothing could be seen.

But he saw it with his own eyes last night: her belly was slightly protruding, soft and firm, not bloating, she was really pregnant.

"Tian Tian, ​​I have something to tell you."

"Let's eat first, and talk about it after we've eaten our fill."

Her voice was soft, and the corners of her mouth were slightly raised, giving her the appearance of a thrifty housewife.

This sight made Li Guoxin's brow furrow – things were probably going to be difficult.

After the meal, he said bluntly, "You have to go to Hong Kong."

Tian Tian shook her head on the spot.

Who wants to leave their hometown? Those who leave their hometown are those who can't survive.

She has a house to live in, food to eat, and a secure job here. Her life is as peaceful as a warm quilt. Why should she go to that place she can't even hear clearly?

Not to mention what Hong Kong was like; she knew absolutely nothing about it. How could a timid woman like her dare to gamble with her life?

"What else can you do if you don't leave?"

I'm getting married next month.

"We should have cut ties completely a long time ago."

That's all.

Li Guoxin stared at her, his tone unwavering.

"Guoxin, don't send me away... I swear, I won't cause any trouble. I'll stay in this house. You can come and go as you please, but I won't leave the house or disturb your family."

Please!

She grabbed his right hand tightly, her knuckles turning white, and her voice was extremely low, like a spider's silk trembling in the wind.

Tears welled up in her eyes, threatening to spill over at any moment—as if he nodded and she would live, and if he shook his head and she would die.

Li Guoxin's heart softened, but then he thought to himself, he's twenty-nine, not a young lad. He composed himself and began to persuade him:

Hong Kong is great! All the Li family relatives are there. Back then, life was all about luxury.

Living in a Western-style house, driving a car, and walking a foreign dog, life was as easy as drinking honey water.

He described Hong Kong as a paradise on earth.

Unfortunately, in the early 1970s, information was extremely limited. He was telling the truth, but Tian Tian ignored him completely.

Don't say she didn't believe it; in the entire capital, nine and a half out of ten people shook their heads.

She was convinced he was just trying to coax her into running away with him, and she refused to admit it no matter what.

Li Guoxin, worn down by his temper, finally snapped: "If you don't leave, I'll immediately take back your employee status and vacate the house."

Tian Tian was from Qingyan County, a suburb of Beijing. That year, Li Guoxin went to the countryside for an inspection with his team leader, and within three days he got in touch with her. At the age of 26, he had his first taste of romance, so he simply brought her back to Beijing, arranged for her to work in his unit, and registered her household registration, making her a city dweller.

He made it clear from the beginning: he wouldn't marry her. Tian Tian nodded in agreement.

If she is dismissed from her post and her house is taken away, she can only pack her bags and return to the county town—unemployed and without a household registration, she can't even step over the threshold.

No matter how he pressured her, Tian Tian only had one reaction: crying, making a scene, collapsing on the ground, hugging his legs and begging, her face covered in tears and snot, but she just wouldn't agree.

Li Guoxin finally couldn't hold back any longer. He stood up abruptly and said coldly, "Starting tomorrow morning, you're suspended from your duties. Pack your bags tonight, and I'll send you back to Qingyan County first thing tomorrow morning."

Before the words were even finished, the person had already turned around.

"Fine! Since you're so heartless, I'll hang myself from this roof beam tonight! Two lives lost, you can wait to collect the corpses!"

She screamed, her voice cracking.

Li Guoxin suddenly stopped, closed his eyes, gritted his teeth, and the veins on his forehead throbbed. His face alternated between stiffness and relaxation, as if being torn apart by two hands.

These words were too harsh, and too accurate—they struck right at the spot he feared most.

Even if there's only a sliver of a chance, he can't afford to lose.

Men of this age dare not gamble with their lives, much less with their future.

He slowly turned around.

Tian Tian immediately rushed forward, wrapping her arms around his waist and pressing her face against his chest, as docile as a tamed cat: "Guoxin, please don't treat me like this... okay?"

He looked down at her, his Adam's apple bobbing. "Alright. I'll take you to Qingyan County. It's the closest to the capital. I'll buy you a courtyard house—houses can be bought and sold these days; I'll also ask someone to find you some work."

Tian Tian looked up, and the light in her eyes clearly showed her unwillingness to accept defeat.

……

"This is my bottom line."

He stared at her, his eyes as deep as well water, his voice cold and hard.

The imposing aura unique to mid-level managers spread silently.

Tian Tian's heart tightened, her gaze instinctively darted away, her shoulders hunched slightly, and she lowered her eyes.

Her voice was as soft as a feather: "Will you... come to see me again?"

"We'll see."

As soon as he finished speaking, Li Guoxin turned and left without leaving any room for negotiation.

"Guoxin! Don't go, I want to stay with you a little longer..."

Tian Tian kept calling out to him, clinging to him like a stubborn plaster. Li Guoxin felt his head throbbing and his temples throbbing with annoyance; he couldn't muster any interest whatsoever.

Around 7 p.m., instead of returning to the municipal dormitory, he went straight into his own courtyard.

"Sister! Brother-in-law!"

As soon as she stepped onto the steps, she bumped into her eldest sister, Li Jingye, her brother-in-law, Lin Guoze, and three children—her eldest nephew, who was thirteen years old, and the other two following behind their mother.

Today I'm here to have dinner at my father-in-law Li Wen's house.

"uncle--!"

The children shouted in unison, their little faces beaming with smiles.

"Guoxin, you look terrible. Are you exhausted?"

Li Jingye immediately noticed that something was wrong.

"It's nothing, I've just been busy with work lately, and I've been staying up a few nights."

He casually brushed it off.

Keeping a mistress is something you must never let your family know about.

"I think you're a bit overheated!" Lin Guoze joked with a smile. "But don't worry, the wedding is next month, and you'll naturally feel better."

Li Jingye immediately pinched her husband's arm and lowered her voice: "Sleep in the study tonight!"

"Oh dear, oh dear, I admit my mistake! I surrender!" Lin Guoze raised his hands, pretending to be distressed.

Don't forget to come to the wedding next month!

"It's getting late, you should head back now."

After saying that, Li Guoxin hurriedly pushed open the door and went into the house, his back view revealing a sense of urgency.

"Do you think Guoxin's acting a bit strange today? He seems preoccupied?"

Li Jingye watched her younger brother's retreating figure as he closed the door, her brows furrowing slightly.

"Really?" Lin Guoze picked up his youngest daughter and asked in return.

"You call yourself a senior prosecutor, and you can't even see this?" She shook her head, took her eldest daughter and son's hands, and turned to leave.

"I'm a prosecutor, not an interrogation officer," he muttered softly, his tone a mix of helplessness and submission—over the years, he had long been completely submissive to his authority.

"Is it settled?"

Li Wenguo leaned back in his rattan chair and slowly took out a Guba cigar. Wen Keren immediately reached for the gold-plated lighter on the table, and with a "click," the flame leaped up and steadily approached.

"ha--!"

He took a deep breath, the smoke billowing around him.

"Hmm...that's about it."

Li Guoxin's answer was vague, his eyes darting around, clearly lacking confidence.

After all, he was twenty-nine years old, and he had to keep some dignity in his words. If it weren't for his fear of his father, he would never have uttered a single word about this.

"You little brat! Let me tell you this upfront—if you make a mess of things, I'll break your legs!"

Li Wenguo raised an eyelid, his tone gloomy, but he didn't press the matter further. His son was already an adult, his personality was set, unlike those immature boys from Xiao Cui, Xiao Ju, Xiao Xue, Jin Hua, and Xiu Xiu's families, who were still waiting to be manipulated.

"Father, don't worry, I'll be careful!"

Li Guoxin quickly agreed, finally feeling relieved.

Wen Keren also quietly breathed a sigh of relief.

"Remember this: your future path is one of officialdom, and women will inevitably become stumbling blocks. Think it over carefully."

After saying that, Li Wenguo said no more.

That evening, he went to Lou Meie's room.

As the clouds dispersed and the rain ceased, Lou Meie nestled against his chest, her fingertips gently tracing the lines of his clothes: "Grandpa, when do you think our country will truly be able to unleash its full potential in developing the economy?"

"It'll be soon, it'll be soon. Just eight more years and we'll be in the 1980s—then Guobin and Guokun will be able to come back and make a big splash."

Li Wenguo's tone was somewhat perfunctory.

Lou Meie came from a merchant family and had business acumen ingrained in her very being. She had long ago sent her eldest son, Li Guobin, and second son, Li Guokun, to Hong Kong to gain experience in her younger brother Lou Zhenhua's company, waiting for domestic policies to loosen so she could lead her team back to seize market share. That's why she kept asking and urging her.

"Sigh...we still have to wait eight years."

She sighed softly.

"Stop worrying about those two older ones. Guoyao is twenty-two this year; it's time to start looking for a wife."

Li Wenguo closed his eyes and spoke in a low voice.

Li Guoyao, Lou Meie's youngest son, was born in 1950 and is currently at the age to start a family and build a career.

"Sigh, that kid is really wild. He's obsessed with acting and is always traveling all over the country with the film crew—we just finished filming in Lingnan, and then he's off to the Gobi Desert in the Northwest, and a few days later he's hiding in the deep mountains and forests. How can I possibly control him?"

"What if something unexpected happens on the way..."

Lou Meie was full of complaints whenever she talked about her youngest son.

He had previously gone to Hong Kong and saw a woman filming in Mavis Hee's room. After that, he became determined to join the film studio.

He was tall and handsome, and was spotted by several veteran directors in the factory as soon as he appeared. Now he is busy filming black and white war movies, playing tough characters like Dong Cunrui, Huang Jiguang, and Qiu Shaoyun.

Lou Meie felt increasingly unhappy.

She was determined to keep her youngest son by her side.

Influenced by the old customs of the Republic of China era, she and Xu Wanqing, Hongyu, Xianglan and other women, no matter how many sons they sent away, they would always keep one by their side.

But now even this last one has vanished without a trace, and we can't find him to arrange a marriage for him.

She couldn't sleep soundly at night without her son by her side.

Hearing her continue rambling on, Li Wenguo frowned, turned over, and pinned her down. "Damn it, why don't you just have another one?"

Suddenly, another series of crackling sounds rang out inside the house.