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

Two days later, word got out.

Chang Daman, the section chief of the scrap yard, received a transfer order from the steel rolling mill: effective immediately, he would be transferred to a county under the jurisdiction of Beijing to serve as the section chief of a certain department.

Nominally a lateral transfer, but in reality a demotion—from a municipal unit to the county level, anyone with eyes to see knows this is a half-level demotion.

Why did this happen all of a sudden?

"Who exactly did I offend?"

Chang Daman stared at the notice, his face pale and his lips trembling slightly.

No one answered him.

He might come to his senses later, but right now his mind is in turmoil and his thoughts are a mess, so how can he possibly make sense of what happened?

When Cui Mingming heard that Chang Daman had been "exiled" to the county, she was dumbfounded: What will happen to my sister now that he's gone?

He was secretly planning to use his sister's marriage as an opportunity to climb the social ladder and secure a better future. But...

It wasn't until I pushed open the door and saw my sister sitting there with a cold face that I snapped back to my senses.

She only said three things: "Chang Daman was transferred down through my connections. If you dare to make connections or introduce people to me again, he'll be the next one to be transferred down."

Before he could finish speaking, the person had already turned and left, without even glancing at him out of the corner of their eye.

"Wait! Hold on!!"

"Since you have the connections to get Section Chief Chang removed, why not just promote me to division chief? That would solve everything!"

"Feed—!"

Unfortunately, only the empty stairwell remained at the entrance.

Cui Mingming's mouth was open, her throat was tight, and she could only wail inwardly.

Qingyan County.

Half a year has passed quietly.

Zeng Minzhi moved in with her husband Li Guoxin two months ago, bringing her five-month-old baby with her.

To avoid being exposed, he never set foot in Tian Tian Courtyard again.

After all, Zeng Minzhi's family had deep roots and was on par with the Li family; this marriage was personally arranged by her father, Li Wenguo. If the truth were to come out, the Zeng family might not say a word, but Li Wenguo would probably already be wielding his stick.

Li Guoqing, on the other hand, remained inseparable from Huang Xirou.

But his sweet days are coming to an end—next month, he will have to marry the girl that his sister-in-law, Zeng Minzhi, has chosen for him.

That night at the end of the month, after it was all over, Li Guoqing put his arm around her shoulder and said calmly, "Xirou, I'm getting married next month. Let's... end it here."

She had expected this day, but hearing it with her own ears still felt like a fist was being squeezed in her chest. A surge of resentment and reluctance welled up inside her.

Having finally climbed a big tree, she didn't want to let go and wanted to climb even higher.

But she also knew that if she persisted, she might be kicked away. So, she gritted her teeth, neither crying nor making a scene.

"Don't worry, I remember how devoted you've been to me all these years. I'll talk to my brother and get you promoted, with the starting salary of a full section chief. Your future promotions will be smoother than others'."

"Thank you, Guoqing."

Huang Xirou lowered her eyes and agreed, her voice very soft.

He paused, then finally raised his eyes and added in a low voice, "Guoqing, if you ever need me again... come find me anytime. I'll still be the same as before, serving only you and never touching anyone else."

Li Guoqing waved his hand, "Never mind, no need. Besides, let me give you a piece of advice—while you're still young, find a suitable person to settle down with and live a stable life."

If Huang Xirou hadn't been so gentle and tactful, serving him so well and comfortably, he wouldn't have uttered these heartfelt words.

"You don't need to worry about that. But I'd like to ask, after you get married, you'll definitely be having children, right?"

"From pregnancy to postpartum confinement, that's eleven months. Can you endure it?"

Before she finished speaking, her fingertips had already quietly slid down.

"this……"

His heart skipped a beat, and he suddenly remembered his older brother, Li Guoxin—when his sister-in-law was pregnant, he would frequently visit Tian Tian. The thought made him hesitate.

A whole year... Can you really grit your teeth and endure it?

Seeing that his expression relaxed, Huang Xirou immediately replied, "Guoqing, don't worry, I will never disrupt your family."

That's right, what he feared most was being exposed. Keeping a mistress outside was shameful, not to mention if his father found out—he would definitely get a severe beating, and might even lose his marriage.

"...We'll talk about it later."

Hearing that he didn't refuse outright, a glint of light flashed in Huang Xirou's eyes, and she immediately bent down.

A few days later, she was promoted to section chief. But she was too inexperienced, and if she wanted to move up a position, she would have to wait at least a few more years until she was twenty-seven or twenty-eight years old before she could hope to become the head of the county bureau.

But she was already content.

"Ha, who would have thought that being sent down to the county level would lead to a faster promotion? This was truly a lucky accident."

"Just you wait, I'll be back in the capital."

"And when I went back, I wasn't some lowly clerk anymore."

When she was first sent to this remote county, she was filled with resentment, hoping that one day she could return to the capital and finally triumph.

As for revenge? She didn't even dare to think about it—the difference in their social status was too great, and she extinguished any hatred that even surfaced.

As long as she could return to the capital and vent her anger, she had no other desires.

Will Li Guoqing come again? She wasn't worried at all. Men, they're like cats, what man doesn't crave a fishy smell?

Unless he has too many women around him and is too busy to look for new love, he won't bother to find someone else.

Sure enough, he came again two months later.

My wife just found out she was pregnant, and we stopped having sex for a whole month. In the end, I couldn't resist and touched her again.

This matter naturally could not be kept from Li Guoxin.

He immediately called Li Guoqing over and gave him a severe dressing-down: "Break up with that woman immediately! Don't forget you're married, and your sister-in-law is pregnant. If you continue like this, you'll ruin your life sooner or later!"

Finally, his voice was as deep as iron: "Did you hear me?"

"Brother Guoxin, don't worry, I'm being careful, Meiqin will never notice."

"Besides, when your sister-in-law was pregnant, didn't you often go to Tian Tian's place?"

Li Guoqing shrugged, seemingly unconcerned.

Li Guoxin's temples throbbed with anger: "How can they be the same?!"

"Your sister-in-law was in Beijing at the time, while your brother's wife lived in the same county as you! Can you guarantee with your hand on your heart that you'll never be exposed?"

Even the most meticulous plans can have flaws. If you get caught red-handed, you're finished, and I'll be in trouble too!

"Oh, Brother Guoxin, you're a county magistrate, why are you babbling on and on with me? I know what I'm doing."

Li Guoqing frowned, looking impatient.

"Others don't deserve to listen to my rambling! And you find it annoying?"

"Okay, okay, it's my fault. I'll be careful and cautious, and I will never implicate you in the slightest."

"Sigh... You'd better watch yourself."

Li Guoxin waved wearily.

He couldn't be persuaded or convinced—he himself had gone through the same thing back then, so how could he have the face to be a role model?

In the end, I betrayed my father's trust.

At this time, the father, Li Wenguo, was in a state of utter distress.

It all started because of my son.

Just as he finished with Xianglan, his youngest son, Li Guozhui, pushed open the door and came in. The two of them were stunned when he opened his mouth.

"Dad, Mom, I want to go to the countryside."

He was born in 1955, is eighteen this year, and just graduated.

"Have you misread your books? What do you mean by 'going to the countryside'?"

Li Wenguo's eyes widened.

Going to the countryside meant grueling work of wielding a hoe and carrying buckets of manure in the fields. Many people would feel weak in the knees and need to urinate just hearing about it, but he gave up his secure job and voluntarily jumped into the mud pit.

Was the teacher right? Are you really planning to respond to the national call to go to the countryside?

"Yes, I want to go to the countryside to respond to the country's call and contribute to the construction of our motherland."

Li Guozhui straightened his back, his tone resolute.

He had just finished speaking, and before he could catch his breath—

"Smack!!!"

Li Wenguo strode forward and slapped him hard on the back of the head, raising his voice: "What nonsense are you spouting, you little rascal? Why not live a peaceful life instead of burying yourself in the mud?"

"I've never seen such a shameless person like you!"

He was genuinely angry, that's why he spoke so harshly.

"Guozhui, tell me honestly, why do you insist on going?"

Xianglan had just returned from her morning exercise; her face was still flushed, but her brows were furrowed.

"I... a female classmate I like is leaving, and I want to go with her."

Li Guozhui's voice was weak, and his shoulders shrank involuntarily—he had just been beaten and dared not raise his eyes.

My crush!

Li Wenguo and Xianglan exchanged a quick glance, their understanding unspoken.

Oh, this silly son of mine!

Other people go to the countryside because they have no other choice, but you are different—your family has already paved the way for you, but you insist on running after others?

That's incredibly stupid!

Now that we've figured out the root cause, things are actually easier to handle.

If you like someone, just marry them and live a peaceful life together. Why bother with that kind of hardship?

Besides, Li Guozhui is honest and not the type to shoulder heavy responsibilities. As long as the woman comes from a respectable family and is a decent person, that's enough for him.

Li Wenguo slapped his thigh: "You like her? Then invite her over to our house. Your mother and I will meet her. If she's a good match, we'll get you married right away. Isn't that better than going to the countryside?"

"Dad, I mentioned it to Shanshan... I said I have a job, and if she marries me, she won't have to leave. But she... she insists on going to the countryside to contribute to the country's development."

Li Guozhui spoke softer and softer, his head almost buried in his chest.

Li Wenguo's face darkened, and Xianglan pursed her lips.

Sigh, I've run into a clueless young woman!

Willing to jump into bitter water and soak in it?

"She's stupid, and you're stupid too?"

Li Wenguo glared and roared.

"I...I really like her. She said that if I went to the countryside with her, she would marry me when we came back. So...I agreed."

He shuffled his toes along the floor tiles, his eyes fixed on the tips of his shoes.

"Going to the countryside is arranged by the neighborhood committee. Do you think you two planned to go out for a stroll together? You really think you'd be assigned to the same place?"

Li Wenguo deliberately put on a cold face to scare him.

"ah?!"

"Then... Father, could you ask someone to arrange for me and her to be assigned to the same place?"

Li Guozhui pressed for an answer.

"cannot!!!"

Li Wenguo uttered two words, crisp and decisive.

Then, lowering her voice, she continued, "Do you know how many educated youths have married locals within six months of arriving in the countryside? What's the point? To do less work, earn more work points, and have someone to help them at home. If your Shanshan can't handle the hardship, she'll still find a farmer to marry and let that man earn her food."

"By then, what will you be doing going to the countryside?"

Xianglan chimed in, "Yes, Guozhui, if that's the case, it's no use you going. You can't keep him, and the marriage won't happen."

"this……"

Li Guozhui bit his lower lip, his fingers unconsciously twisting the hem of his clothes.

That girl with a ponytail and eyes that curved into crescents when she smiled had indeed taken root in his heart.

"Father, please teach me, how can I marry Shanshan?"

"I can't teach it."

Li Wenguo waved his hand dismissively, his tone curt.

He wouldn't dare take a wife who was so impulsive and naive.

That girl is full of idealism; if she actually went to the countryside, she'd be crying and regretting it within three months.