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

Li Wenguo was about to smooth things over, but before he could finish speaking, He Shuting interrupted him.

"Sir, you are kind and generous, and you don't fuss over trifles. But this house isn't a thatched hut. In the future, we'll have many children and grandchildren. If there's no order or rules, won't this yard fall apart?"

"I'm not someone who likes to seize power or cause trouble. It's just that you've worked hard outside to build this family business, and as your legal wife, it's my duty to protect the home front so that you can relax as soon as you step through the door and not have to worry about..."

"If you think I'm too controlling, or if you really don't like me, you're welcome to marry another virtuous and kind woman..."

Seeing her eyes redden and her throat tremble slightly, Li Wenguo felt a chill run down his spine and quickly raised his hands in surrender: "Alright, alright, you're right, absolutely right! Without rules, there can be no order—I'll entrust all the affairs of this mansion to you. I have complete confidence and satisfaction!"

"You said those words yourself, sir!" He Shuting immediately cut her off. "From now on, you are not allowed to say a single good word for Dong Haitang!"

"Fine, fine, say whatever you want. Give her a good scolding if you want, whatever makes you happy!"

Li Wenguo had heard this so many times he was sick of it.

Go ahead and curse, curse all you want!

Anyway, she couldn't hear anything.

After dinner, he first went to Xianglan's room for a while—speaking sweet words, holding the baby, and helping her clear her blocked milk ducts; then he strolled to He Shuting's room and, as usual, spent some tender time with her; then he went to Hongyu's room, where her pregnancy was stable, her lower abdomen was round and swollen, and she was almost four months pregnant.

Finally, they returned to Dong Haitang's room.

He Shuting and Xianglan were still in their postpartum period, and Hongyu was pregnant again. Right now, she was the only one who could keep him company.

"Haitang, don't be too reserved at home. They are all your proper sisters."

"We're all family, don't act like there's a layer of paper between us."

"Besides, they're not petty people. They just joined the family earlier than you, and the rules are there for them. How can they bow down to you in everything?"

"Don't you agree?"

Li Wenguo held the handlebars with one hand and spoke slowly.

"There's no need to persuade me any further."

"We're fundamentally on different paths; we can't get along."

"But I promised you, sir, that I wouldn't hold it against them."

Dong Haitang kept a straight face and spoke in a cold tone, but a faint blush crept up her ears, after all, two important places had just been occupied.

Seeing this, Li Wenguo didn't say anything more.

He knew this woman was very stubborn, and forcing her into the inner circle would only provoke a rebellious attitude.

That's it!

Let her be!

He was too lazy to waste his breath.

But the phrase "I won't argue with them" sounded really jarring.

It's as if He Shuting and the other two have really become some kind of filthy stuff.

"Hey! What do you mean by 'not arguing with them'?"

"What's wrong with them?"

"They're all my men, I know that perfectly well!"

Li Wenguo's voice turned somber.

"Sir... could you... could you come up first before we talk?!"

Dong Haitang suddenly became furious.

"What's the rush? I haven't even finished speaking yet."

"Don't panic, there's still plenty of time, hehe..."

The sky had just begun to brighten.

As Li Wenguo, Wen San, and Wu Xiaogou stepped out of the gate, they bumped into Kong Wu, who was dressed in a black police uniform and walking with heavy, hurried steps.

"Master Li, those thugs yesterday were from the Flying Eagle Gang. They sent some tough guys, insisting that you three are illegally possessing firearms, and they'll take it to the provincial authorities if you don't arrest them."

"The bureau chief asked me to bring Wen San and the puppy back to the bureau as a formality."

Kong Wu and several other patrol officers testified on the spot that Li Wenguo was not carrying any weapons.

Wen San and Wu Xiaogou were furious when they heard this.

"The guns were clearly provided by the two of us, how dare they implicate Master Li? We should have shot those bastards dead last night!"

"Yes! Breaking one of their arms or legs is too lenient; they need to suffer enough!"

Li Wenguo shook his head and smiled: "Heh, if they really die from a single shot, it'll be too easy for them—they'll have to endure it in prison, suffering day after day until they breathe their last, that's what matters."

"Alright, alright, Xiao San, Xiao Gou, you two go with Kong Wu. Xiao Qi and Tan Tou can stay with me."

The two followed Kong Wu into the police station.

The police station is a hellish place for ordinary people, but not for them.

With Director Yang Zhengde as a trump card and Kong Wu and his group of acquaintances protecting him, he could be released after surrendering his gun, giving a statement, and being detained for a few days as a formality.

They chose the brightest and cleanest cells, and the meals were always chicken, duck, fish, and meat. If it weren't for their bad reputation, they probably could even arrange for girls to be served.

To put it bluntly, it's not much different from staying in a guesthouse.

Following Li Wenguo, you will never suffer any loss.

"Mr. Li, please bring Xiao Guan and Xiao Jie along as well."

Before leaving, Ding Xiaoqi whispered a reminder, "The Flying Eagle Gang never shows any mercy. If they happen to turn around and attack, we should protect you."

"become."

Li Wenguo didn't hesitate for a moment—he valued his life very much.

With the four men gone, only Liu Shouhou and the newcomer Huang Duoyu, nicknamed "Fish Head," remained at home, guarding the house.

Kong Wu also patrolled the streets constantly, and if anything happened, he would arrive within two or three minutes.

"Xiao Jie, get another rickshaw."

Ding Xiaoqi winked at him.

The vehicle's deck was crammed with submachine guns and grenades; if a real fight broke out, it would be hard to say who would win.

The Flying Eagle Gang did not cause any more trouble. Instead, they hosted a banquet at Mingdexuan Restaurant at noon and invited Li Wenguo to attend.

Go ahead, what else can we do?

If I don't go, I'll look weak, and who knows how they'll manipulate and bully me later. It'll be so annoying.

Li Wenguo arrived at the appointment on time with Ding Xiaoqi and the others. Each of them had two Ninglang pistols on their waists, five magazines on their belts, and two hand grenades in their pockets.

This setup should be sufficient.

Outside the private room stood two burly men, their waistbands bulging with two hard ridges, clearly carrying weapons to anyone with eyes to see.

As Li Wenguo and his group approached, the two men immediately raised their hands to block their way, pointing at themselves twice—the meaning was clear: search them first, and only after passing this checkpoint could they enter.

Li Wenguo was thoroughly fed up with this kind of江湖 (jianghu) trickery.

If guns are removed, won't people become like fish on a chopping board, at the mercy of others?

If he were stupid enough to nod, that would be truly unbelievable.

He merely tilted his chin slightly, and Ding Xiaoqi and Xiao Jie immediately drew their pistols, the dark muzzles already firmly pressed against the temples of the burly man who had come closer.

The two men were surprisingly tough, gun barrels pressed against their foreheads, not even flinching. One of them glared at Li Wenguo, his voice icy: "Rules are rules. If you don't follow the rules, you won't get a chance to see Master Zhu!"

"Snapped!"

Ding Xiaoqi slapped him across the face with a clean, crisp, and loud motion.

"How dare you speak to Master Li like that?"

"Are you tired of living?"

The man was beaten, but he didn't utter a sound. However, his eyes were practically spitting fire as he glared at Ding Xiaoqi, wishing he could tear him apart on the spot.

"Xiao Guan, Tan Tou, keep an eye on these two; Xiao Qi, Xiao Jie, come in with me."

Seeing that the two men had been disarmed, Li Wenguo immediately gave the order.

Xiao Jie pushed open the door to the private room and strode in.

Li Wenguo then followed them inside at a leisurely pace.

The private room was spacious and bright, more than fifty square meters in size. With its carved window frames, blue brick walls, and rosewood screen, it exuded a scholarly atmosphere, as if it were a place where an old scholar held an elegant gathering.

In the center sat a round ebony table, and at the head of the table sat a man in his early forties, Zhu Mancai. Behind him stood two tall bodyguards, their belts taut and bulging—they were armed with guns.

fuck!

After being in a gang for a long time, do you lose all sense of shame?

Li Wenguo cursed inwardly, but secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

Fortunately, I didn't overestimate myself!

Otherwise, if you barge in empty-handed, they'll attack you wherever they point, make you kneel down and hand over money, and you'll still have to thank them.

"I'm here, so speak your mind."

He sat down in the chair that Ding Xiaoqi had pulled out and looked up at Zhu Mancai.

Zhu Mancai, a thick cigarette dangling from his lips, his face ashen, hadn't even spoken when a man behind him barked out, "Who gave you permission to sit down without Master Zhu's permission?!"

"Who do you think you are? You dare to lecture Master Li on manners? Are you tired of living?"

Ding Xiaoqi stepped forward, stiffened his neck, and his voice boomed like thunder.

"You brat, with Master Zhu right here, who gave you the right to talk back? I think you just want a taste of bullets!"

As he cursed, the man reached for his waist, his knuckles taut, clearly about to draw his gun.

Ding Xiaoqi and Xiao Jie had their hands on their holsters, their fingertips taut, their eyes sharp as knives.

The air instantly became taut like a string, ready to snap at the slightest pressure.

This scene is exactly like a standoff between gangsters in a Hong Kong movie.

"Alright."

Zhu Mancai slowly raised one hand, his voice not loud, yet it dominated the entire room.

The two henchmen reluctantly withdrew and took a half step back.

But Ding Xiaoqi and Xiao Jie remained motionless, their hands still on their waists, like two stone statues that could burst out at any moment.

Zhu Mancai's face darkened further, and the corner of his mouth twitched slightly.

"Li Wenguo, you have some nerve!"

He exhaled a puff of smoke, squinted, and sneered, "I've seen plenty of people like this—they think they can ride roughshod over others as soon as there's a little bit of wind around. And what's the result? Every year during Qingming Festival, I go to their graves and pee on them."

A blatant threat, shrouded in the smell of smoke, came crashing down.

"Hahaha!"

"Hahaha!"

The two people behind him immediately burst into loud, shrill laughter, which was both grating and contemptuous.

"Stop talking nonsense! Get to the point, or I'm leaving."

Li Wenguo was too lazy to play along with their act. He got up, picked his ear, and said, "If you keep dawdling like this, it'll be completely dark by now."

Let whoever wants to waste time can waste; he has no time to play these monkey games with this bunch.

"stop!"

Zhu Mancai's voice was cold and sinister, like a snake's tongue licking your eardrum.

He was burning with rage, feeling incredibly stifled. He had planned to outnumber Li Wenguo and easily crush him with his superior numbers and guns, but who knew his opponent was no pushover either, armed and fearless—a direct confrontation? He was afraid he'd end up bleeding profusely.

The original plan was to force him to admit defeat, but I didn't expect this kid to be even more slippery than an eel.

Now I regret not bringing more brothers with me.

"Get to the point quickly, don't waste my time."

Li Wenguo sat down again, crossed his legs, and said impatiently, "The money I earn in one minute is enough to feed your whole family for three years. Don't try to beat around the bush with me."

These words were like a needle, piercing Zhu Mancai's heart.

Grass!

How dare you be so arrogant in front of me?

Sooner or later you'll be begging for mercy on your knees!

"Li Wenguo, drop the charges and release them—send all those dozen or so brothers back to me unharmed; pay me another thousand silver dollars for medical expenses, and this matter will be considered settled."

He put on airs, speaking in a condescending tone, as if this were an immense favor.

"Hold!"

"You had people ambush me, threatening to break a leg and an arm. I haven't even settled that score with you yet, and you're already jumping out here acting all high and mighty? Who gave you the guts to act tough and act like a big shot in front of me?"

"Listen carefully—this isn't over until I get an explanation!"

Upon hearing this, Li Wenguo was furious.

Do you really think I'm someone you can easily bully?