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

"Oh, Guoxuan, this is my only birthday once a year! Just sit with me for a bit, even if it's just for a bowl of noodles!"

Su Leilei tiptoed, her voice as soft as freshly steamed rice cake. If they weren't at the office door, she probably would have already reached out to tug at his sleeve.

"this……"

He remained hesitant.

Cao Ying, who was organizing documents, paused for a moment, and her brows furrowed slightly.

Who in the bureau doesn't know that she and Li Guoxuan are dating? To steal someone else's boyfriend right in front of her, without even a hint of discretion, what kind of etiquette is that?

A surge of anger welled up inside me, and I couldn't suppress it.

She walked over in a few steps, stood between the two, smiled at Su Leilei, and said in a calm but slightly sarcastic tone, "Since it's Comrade Su Leilei's birthday, how about I treat you? Let's all go to a state-run restaurant for a nice meal?"

She turned to look at Li Guoxuan, blinked, and asked, "Guoxuan, are you free?"

"Yes, yes, yes! It's your birthday, of course we should treat you!"

Li Guoxuan immediately chimed in, speaking so quickly as if afraid of missing a single word, his face flushed with a shy blush, looking exactly like someone who believed "the wife has the final say."

Su Leilei quickly glanced at Li Guoxuan, then at Cao Ying, who stood there with a straight back and bright eyes—in terms of looks, she was no less attractive than herself; in terms of presence, she was more composed.

Taking down Li Guoxuan? Difficult. Really difficult.

But her brother's words still echoed in her ears: "There's no room for discussion—she must marry into the Li family. Methods? Whatever's convenient."

Her parents died in a factory accident ten years ago, and her older brother raised her from a young age. If her brother told her to go east, she dared not go west; her brother said that Li Guoxuan was a big tree that could shelter her from the wind and rain, so she had to hold on tightly to the branches of that tree.

Moreover, upon meeting Li Guoxuan in person, she did feel relieved and even secretly delighted—which girl wouldn't be attracted to such a tall, handsome young man with thick eyebrows and wrinkles around his eyes when he smiled?

I originally thought that with my face and figure, I could easily win over an honest young man.

Unexpectedly, Cao Ying appeared out of nowhere, and they were evenly matched.

For now, all we can do is grit our teeth and prepare for the long term: arrange more private meetings, serve more hot tea, and have more intimate conversations.

Men, being young and vigorous, how can they resist gentle words and charming smiles?

If all else fails, add half a spoonful of sugar to the wine, or ask someone to find some old recipes to refresh him... In short, you have to make him remember you.

On the other end.

Li Guojiang pedaled his old-fashioned bicycle, turned the handlebars, and stopped in front of a red-lacquered, mottled courtyard gate, raising his hand to knock three times.

"Uncle Guojiang!"

The door creaked open, revealing a young face, in his early twenties, with slicked-back hair.

"Ash, come and see what new stuff we have lately."

Li Guojiang nodded and stepped over the threshold.

Xiao Zhi is Li Jiacheng's errand boy; he's sweet-talking, hardworking, and attentive to everything.

There were more than a dozen bicycles parked haphazardly in the yard. Li Guojiang casually leaned his own bicycle against the wall and stepped into the house.

The floor inside the room was piled high with cardboard boxes, at least three or four hundred of them.

There was an empty space in the middle, with an old wooden table on which stacks of ten-yuan bills were neatly piled up. A rough count would probably not exceed one hundred thousand.

Several hardcover ledgers lay open nearby, the ink still wet.

Li Jiacheng was leading a dozen or so young men in work clothes and watches as they squatted on the ground sorting goods.

They all came from the compound, earning a monthly salary of thirty or forty yuan, enough to buy two jin of meat and three feet of cloth. But to dress decently, eat well, and have extra money in hand, relying solely on their salary? That was just a dream.

So, led by Li Jiacheng, connections were made with Hong Kong, and batches of in-demand goods were shipped in like a flowing stream—Dacron shirts, plastic sandals, milk candies wrapped in glass candy wrappers…all without coupons.

Whatever is lacking domestically, the people will scramble for it.

What they sell are precisely the things that others queue up for ages to get their hands on.

Business was booming, and money was pouring into their pockets.

"Uncle Guojiang!"

Li Jiacheng looked up and saw him, then immediately stood up to greet him.

"Uncle Guojiang!"

The other young people at the table also put down their pens and shouted in unison.

Li Guojiang was just an ordinary worker, but because his surname was Li, he was a legitimate uncle of the Li family.

The children of the compound respected not him as a person, but the Li family's reputation, and even more so, Li Wenguo behind Li Jiacheng.

"You guys go about your business, I'll just pick a few things to take back, don't worry about me."

Li Guojiang waved his hand and walked inside with a smile.

He's not short of money, and he doesn't touch this kind of thing—it's too hot to handle.

After all, it's 1976 now, and there's still a long way to go before the "reform" is implemented.

"Yingying, you keep the books, I'm going to get something for my uncle."

Li Jiacheng patted the girl behind him on the shoulder.

Yingying was his college classmate and the first person he had ever seriously dated. She was quick-witted, skillful, and had impeccable accounts, never making mistakes on her invoices.

Besides serving him personally, they can also keep an eye on things and win people over.

There's something else that wasn't explicitly stated: Xiao Zhi, who guards the gate, is Yingying's older brother.

The brother and sister have been following Li Jiacheng ever since he graduated, so they don't have to go to the factory to report for work or swing a sledgehammer in the workshop.

Among these third-generation scions in the capital, Li Jiacheng stands out—not only does he know how to flaunt his power, but he also understands how to turn power into tangible benefits.

Because he was one of Li Wenguo's eldest grandsons, he was often personally taken to the study by his grandfather when he was a child, where he was taught sentence by sentence: "Filial piety comes first, respect is the foundation, and the word 'family' must be engraved in your bones."

"...Uncle Kunie, the tape you requested is here."

"All of these are brand new, just arrived items."

There were only a few popular singers in the 1970s, and the songs were the same ones over and over again. The neighbors were all familiar with them, so there's no need to go into details.

Li Guojiang never thought about climbing the corporate ladder in the factory. He went to work and left work on time every day, and spent the rest of his time either squatting in his room watching black and white TV or listening to Teresa Teng and Liu Wenzheng with headphones on. He lived a relaxed and contented life.

After selecting the tapes, he casually remarked, "Oh, and also, get me two tape recorders—a colleague asked me to bring them over."

"Alright!"

A short while later, Li Jiacheng packed the machine and handed it over. In the entire supply and marketing cooperative, only Li Guojiang was willing to have Li Jiacheng personally pack and deliver the machine.

"How much in total?"

Li Guojiang pulled a stack of brand-new ten-yuan bills from his pocket. His fingers were short and stubby, but they were neatly folded.

"Uncle, don't pay, just take it."

Li Jiacheng smiled and waved his hand, his tone sincere and without a trace of pretense.

"What nonsense are you talking about? Do you think I'd be short of that much? Besides, these two were specifically requested by my colleague. They're clearly priced, so I have to charge them."

Li Guojiang pushed the money forward, his voice low but firm.

"Alright, I'll just charge for the tape recorders—one hundred and eighty for one, three hundred and sixty for two."

Without saying a word, Li Guojiang counted out three hundred-yuan bills and one thirty-yuan bill, not even asking for change, and turned to leave.

"Uncle, wait!" Li Jiacheng stopped him. "How do you plan to sell these two units to those two colleagues?"

"Isn't it 181?"

Hey!

Li Jiacheng's heart skipped a beat, and he raised his hand to press his temple.

"Uncle, do you know how much the distributor is asking for?"

"Oh dear, I really didn't notice that."

Li Guojiang scratched the back of his head and shook his head.

"You idiot!"

"We also need to add an industrial voucher!"

"Huh? The distributor dares to sell it for such a high price?"

Li Guojiang was taken aback and subconsciously smacked his lips.

The items were exactly the same, brand, model, and packaging hadn't been opened, yet the price difference was seventy yuan—enough for a month's salary for him; for a young person just starting out in the factory, it would be equivalent to two months' wages. Not to mention the ration coupon—going to the grain station, queuing for half a day, and asking someone to exchange it for one would cost at least two packs of cigarettes and half a pound of candy.

"So, what do you think will happen if we sell it for 180 yuan at the original price?"

Li Jiacheng spread his hands and stared straight at him.

"They...think I'm too honest?"

Li Jiacheng's eyelids twitched, and he almost burst out laughing.

"Pfft—"

The young men from the compound sitting at the table couldn't hold back and all burst out laughing.

Sitting at the very edge, Hu Yeming slammed his enamel mug on the table and said, "Uncle, that's half right and half wrong. If you really sell it for 180, believe me, tomorrow morning, those two will be blocking your workshop door with their money, ordering four more units—then resell them at a higher price, making a 70 yuan profit for nothing, and becoming your 'long-term customers.' From now on, you'll be their purchasing station, making money off them that you didn't, while you become their errand runner."

He paused, picked up his mug, took a big gulp of tea, and continued, "So when you sell it to them, you have to pay at least the same price as the distributors—250. But for us, it's a uniform 280. It's 30 more, but we save on coupons; besides, this batch is the Hong Kong version, with a bright sound and stable speed. The factory technicians have all tested it and say it's good, and it's already sold out."

He is the eldest son of Hu Jiandong and Li Jinghan, the cousin of Li Jiacheng, and the nephew of Li Guojiang. The smooth transport of this batch of goods into Beijing was thanks to his father's connections in the railway bureau.

"Oh... I see."

Li Guojiang nodded, his face showing no surprise, but rather as if he had just understood a phrase in dialect, a look of sudden realization, relief, and a touch of embarrassment.

He was born in the era of state-controlled purchasing and distribution, where the rules for buying and selling were written in official documents. Even privately dealing in a few cassette tapes was a risk of being summoned for questioning. He had never even touched this kind of shady business of making money while appearing legal on the surface.

"Uncle Guojiang, here's what you'll do—sell the tape recorder for 280 yuan, and make it clear to them: whoever brings you a buyer will get 10 yuan back on the spot, cash on delivery."

Li Jiacheng leaned forward slightly, slowing his speech as patiently as if teaching someone to ride a bicycle, "You can still accept the money; you can still ship the goods; as for the errands, let Xiao Zhi handle them for you—he delivers them all over town on his old bicycle, faster than you taking the detour to the factory gate after get off work."

He added at the end, his voice lowered, with a hint of coaxing: "Uncle, helping me is helping me make a living. The more distribution channels I have, the more dozens of units I can sell; the more units you sell, the more money I earn. Don't you agree?"

"this……"

Li Guojiang rubbed his hands together, hesitated for a moment, and finally nodded, "Okay, let's give it a try."

Since it was his own nephew who spoke up, and his own nephew was listening nearby, how could he, as the uncle, refuse?

Watching Li Guojiang carry his cloth bag and sway as he left the courtyard, Li Jiacheng leaned back in his bamboo chair and let out a long sigh.

"Jiacheng, your uncle clearly doesn't like doing this, why are you dragging him into this? What's the point?"

Weihao sat down with his lunchbox, rummaging through the rice in his bowl, looking puzzled.