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

"Guoxin, you're back?"

Zeng Minzhi was sitting on a small stool breastfeeding her seven-month-old daughter. The clay pot on the stove was bubbling, and green peppers were sizzling in the iron pot, with oil sizzling softly. The three dishes and soup on the table were still covered with a thin layer of steam.

She is the kind of person who can live life to the fullest – quietly and meticulously, yet everything is done perfectly.

She's been in Qingyan County for half a year. Li Guoxin, fearing exposure, hasn't stepped foot in Tian Tian's door for a full six months. Tian Tian was growing impatient, which led to the scene at the county government gate today.

"Minzhi, I have to go out tonight, it's urgent."

After finishing his meal, he wiped his mouth as he spoke.

Having worked in the government office for a long time, he developed a habit: he would always stay two nights a month to "work overtime," which actually consisted of nothing more than riding his bike around the city or going to the cultural center to look through old newspapers. This was so that if Tian Tian suddenly came to his door one day, he could leave without any apparent reason—without being abrupt or arousing suspicion.

"Okay, I understand."

Zeng Minzhi lowered her head to clear the dishes, her voice as soft as if she were brushing away a speck of dust.

Li Guoxin pushed open the door and went straight to the row of red brick courtyards in the east of the city.

As soon as she entered the room, Tian Tian leaned against the door frame and smiled. Her dark green silk nightgown was loose and baggy, with the collar slightly open. A silver bracelet on her wrist slid down to her forearm. Her makeup was light, but a touch of rouge at the corner of her eyes made her look like a freshly peeled lychee, dewy and alluring.

Li Guoxin's Adam's apple bobbed. He had to admit that his eye for talent had never been wrong.

Especially after she gave birth, her gentle yet resilient feminine charm was like a willow branch floating on spring water—soft to the touch, yet so inviting.

"Guoxin—" She tiptoed, her red lips brushing against his earlobe, "You haven't come for so long, I've been counting stars all night and can't sleep..."

Before she could finish speaking, she nestled into the crook of his arm, her fingers gently pinching his forearm like a cat tickling him.

"Didn't I say? Minzhi is here, how could I dare to wander around?"

His tone was slightly somber, but his hand had already unconsciously placed on her waist.

I had intended to give her a scolding, but as soon as she got closer, her voice was as soft as honey and her eyes were as bright as embers in a stove—even my toughest temper melted into a gentle thread.

"But..." she looked up, her eyelashes fluttering, "I miss you so much."

Tian Tian, ​​her voice soft, clung to him again. Having been with Li Guoxin for so many years, she had long since figured out his temperament—as long as she acted coquettishly, there was only one part of him that could still hold his nerve; the rest of him would soften, relax, and become chaotic.

"Sweetie, you know perfectly well where I am right now. One wrong step and everything will be lost. If I fail, what will you gain? To starve?"

Li Guoxin lowered his voice, making it less forceful, but he didn't back down either.

"I...I know," she replied, already behind him, wrapping her arms around his waist and pressing her cheek against his back. "But I just missed you. A day without seeing you feels like a piece of my heart is missing."

Before she finished speaking, she leaned closer, her fingertips lightly resting on his forearm: "Guoxin, let's talk about something? Not too much, just come here twice a month, okay?"

"no."

Decisive and unwavering, leaving no room for negotiation.

"Then... just once? Just once, okay?"

Her voice was softer, the last syllable lingering, and her waist swayed gently.

"Where is Jiabing?"

He neither agreed nor disagreed, he only asked this one question.

Tian Tian's heart skipped a beat—there was a chance.

She moved her hand down a little, her lips almost touching his earlobe: "He's fast asleep, snoring like a ton of bricks."

Li Guoxin stayed at her place for a full two hours before getting up to leave.

"Ha... Li Guoxin, Li Guoxin, you'll never get rid of me in this lifetime."

Tian Tian leaned against the door frame, watching his figure disappear into the alley, a chill creeping onto her lips.

She wasn't a woman who rose to power through luck. She saw at a glance that he had powerful backers and immediately agreed to marry him; as his wedding date approached, she secretly became pregnant; after waiting for nearly half a year without seeing him, she took her infant baby and went straight to the county gate, standing in the cold wind for an entire morning—none of these actions were impulsive; they were carefully planned, timed, and executed with precision.

She's not afraid to wait. She can afford to wait, and she's willing to endure the wait.

I'm just waiting for that day when I can rightfully change the word "lover" to "Mrs. Li".

-

In a small, remote valley in the southwest corner of Zhejiang Province, Li Guozhui and Shen Shanshan, along with several other educated youth including Kuai Zhipeng and Ye Xiuli, have been settled there for two months.

Every day, he was either working in the fields turning over soil or squatting by the pigsty mixing feed; he was either weaving bamboo baskets until his fingers blistered and bleeding, or carrying buckets of manure back and forth along mountain paths for seven or eight miles. The most grueling time was going to the public toilet to empty the latrine early in the morning; the stench would seep into his hair and wouldn't dissipate even after three showers.

Everyone was exhausted. When they came back from work, they were too lazy to even take off their shoes. They just collapsed on the earthen bed, closed their eyes, and started snoring.

Shen Shanshan is now filled with remorse. Her once fair face is now tanned and shiny, her hands are blistered and scabbed, and her fingernails are stuck with dirt that she can't wash off. If it weren't for Li Guozhui silently doing half a row of hoeing and carrying two extra loads of manure for her every day after finishing his own work, she probably would have collapsed long ago.

"Li Guozhui, your letter and package!"

"Shen Shanshan, your letter!"

"Kuai Zhipeng—"

"Ye Xiuli—"

"..."

After the calls were made, the educated youth took their letters one by one. In front of Li Guozhui, however, was a bulging sack, its heavy weight causing the wooden table to creak.

"Guozhui, what good stuff did your family send?"

Ye Xiuli sat down next to him, her eyes sparkling as she stared at the bag, her voice carrying just the right amount of excitement.

She had long had her eye on Li Guozhui—tall and broad-shouldered, with sharp features, never slacking off at work, and a small dimple on his left cheek when he smiled. Unfortunately, his eyes were only for Shen Shanshan. But so what? It was still far from over; whoever spoke first would gain the upper hand.

"Quick, open it and take a look!"

Shen Shanshan moved closer, her hair brushing against his arm, causing a slight itch.

The two men sat on either side of him, while the other male educated youths in the room glanced at him sideways, their sourness practically emanating from their nostrils.

"Okay, I'll start now."

Li Guozhui tore open the hemp rope and lifted the oil paper package.

"hiss--!"

A collective gasp filled the room.

Cured pork, sausages, pork cracklings stir-fried with diced meat, canned pork, canned beef... layer upon layer, glistening with oil, the aroma making one's throat tighten. This one bag alone is enough for him to have meat at every meal for two months without repeating a single dish.

"Good heavens! Guozhui, does your family own a butcher shop?"

"How much does this cost? It must be at least two hundred, right?"

"With such a wealthy family, why would you come to the countryside to suffer like this?"

"Exactly! Isn't it better to stay in the city?"

Everyone started chattering, and Ye Xiuli's eyes widened as she unconsciously twisted the hem of her clothes.

Shen Shanshan was the only one who looked down at the small crack on her fingernail. Suddenly, her heart sank, as if something had gently bumped into her.

"I guess my parents heard that people here eat only vegetables for every meal, and they were afraid I'd get too thin, so they forced me to eat that."

Li Guozhui explained with a smile, his tone nonchalant.

—Actually, Xianglan chopped the meat, smoked it, jarred it, and had someone deliver it overnight. Her father, Li Wenguo? He hadn't even opened a single envelope.

"Hey, Guozhui, we're all brothers and sisters in the same pot, sharing the good times and the bad!"

A young educated youth named Wang Dazhu rubbed his hands together, his eyes fixed on the pile of meat. "Look," he said, "isn't this meat meant for everyone who sees it?"

The others immediately echoed, their eyes burning with fervor.

Life in the countryside is tough. We haven't had any meat for two months. The meals consist of plain white steamed buns with pickled vegetable soup, so bland they scrape your throat. Who wouldn't want to smell the aroma of meat and chew on some fatty bits?

Without hesitation, Li Guozhui set up an iron pot for dinner that very evening, slicing meat, stir-frying it until fragrant, the aroma wafting for half a mile. Each meal consisted of a small dish, and everyone gathered around, their chopsticks flying as they devoured the meat, their mouths greasy with oil.

After finishing the meat, they each opened their letters.

Shen Shanshan unfolded the letter, her hands trembling slightly. Her second brother had lost his job; the transfer order had been issued, and he was to be sent to the countryside in Long Province within a specified period—every word felt like a needle piercing her eyes.

She traveled thousands of miles to the countryside, working herself to the bone, all to find a stable job for her second brother so he could get married and settle down. Now, instead of finding a place for him, she's pushed him into a poor, icy mountain village.

I'm getting sunburned here, I should have just listened to my father and married Li Guozhui.

—You reap what you sow.

The word suddenly popped into her head, and she gripped the letter tightly, her knuckles turning white.

"Shanshan? Why do you look so pale?"

Li Guozhui turned to the side and handed over a bowl of well water that had just cooled to a warm temperature.

She looked up, her voice muffled: "My second brother... he's been transferred to Long Province. He's lost his job too."

"Oh?"

He knew perfectly well that his older sister managed personnel at the thermos factory and could dismiss someone with a mere word. But he couldn't say it—to say it would be to expose his own family's secrets and stab Shen Shanshan in the heart.

He simply reached out and placed the bowl more firmly into her hands: "Don't rush, the road ahead is long, take it slow."

Beside her, Ye Xiuli lowered her eyes and blew on the steam from the enamel mug, her eyelashes obscuring the fleeting light in her eyes.

Not urgent.

She has plenty of time and sees opportunities—

For example, the person who always quietly hands someone a bowl of water when they are at their most vulnerable.

Not only did she feel a pang of sadness, but there was another educated youth at the station, a man surnamed Chen, who wore round-framed glasses. He was usually quiet and often liked to read under the eaves. Whenever he saw Shen Shanshan, he would unconsciously adjust his glasses and clear his throat. He had already secretly kept her in his heart, but Shen Shanshan was often seen with Li Guozhui—going to the riverbank to collect firewood together, helping the old accountant copy ledgers together, and even borrowing an enamel mug was done with a smile. He couldn't even get a chance to speak to her.

He could only keep a close eye on things and find a pretext to try and distance himself from the two of them.

This was the reality of life: even the smallest educated youth settlement couldn't accommodate a single piece of paper without a crease. When people gathered together, their minds became active, and in their back-and-forth conversations, barbs were hidden in their words and veiled sarcasm in their smiles.

Before long, a large iron pot of stewed meat was brought to the table, oil splattering everywhere, and the aroma of soy sauce filling the room. Li Guozhui picked up a piece with his chopsticks, saying only, "The saltiness is just right," and buried his head in his food.

Shen Shanshan put down her chopsticks, her brows furrowing into a small knot; Ye Xiuli was even more straightforward, poking at the piece of meat with the tip of her chopsticks and making a soft "tsk" sound.

This pot used up one-fifteenth of the meat ration coupons. At this rate, what would have been enough for Li Guozhui to eat slowly for two months was gone in fifteen days.

Too bad!

Is the whole meal just meat? Are you planning to fill your stomach with fat?

This meat wasn't distributed by the team; it was sent all the way from their own food rations by mail truck. It's fine to freeload, but shouldn't one at least know their limits before taking advantage?

The two girls exchanged a knowing glance—if things continued like this, in less than ten days, not even a drop of oil would splatter in the stove.

So Shen Shanshan spoke first, her tone soft but her words firm: "Guozhui, from now on, when you stir-fry meat, make sure it's no more than half a jin at a time, and spread it out evenly."

Ye Xiuli quickly added, "Don't worry about people saying you're stingy. If we're really on the side, we should be the ones saving and protecting your things, not rushing to eat up and wipe out what little you have."

Li Guo listened to her and immediately made a decision: "Then it's set—one jin a day, not an ounce more."

"Oh my, a pound?" someone immediately exclaimed. "There are about ten of us, and if each of us breaks off half a piece of meat, it's not even enough to scrape between our teeth!"

"Exactly! That's incredibly stingy!"

"How about... we increase it to two pounds?"

"Adding another half pound would be fine too!"