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

boom! ! !

The gunshot rang out, making the glass vibrate.

Several employees in the lobby looked up in unison—oh no, here they come again?

I can still vividly picture Charlie being shot and falling to the ground last time!

Moreover, they saw with their own eyes that a man in a Zhongshan suit walked in with his head held high, and then there was a loud bang.

boom! ! !

The second shot was crisper and colder.

ah--!!!

People were in an uproar, grabbed their hats, and fled out the door.

The patrol police were blocking the entrance in less than twenty minutes, and the Lixingshe people also rushed over.

The dead man was a foreigner, and the second-in-command of England. This has caused a huge uproar.

The British embassy sent a strongly worded note that same day, demanding that the Beiping authorities issue a public apology, thoroughly investigate the perpetrator, and pay a large sum in compensation. With the foreigners pressing for answers, the government could only swallow its anger—after all, the one who fired the shot was Chinese.

Logically speaking, Lixingshe should definitely take the blame this time.

But the clone had already stuffed the radio, the Japanese codebook, and a secret letter into Nie Wei's drawer.

The letter was unfolded, and every word was an instruction from the Japanese: eliminate Paul within a specified time, and there would be a great reward if successful.

This confirmed his status as a traitor and firmly pinned the blame on the Japanese.

Lixingshe was thus able to extricate itself from the eye of the storm, avoiding being condemned by everyone and bombarded by all.

Of course, Boss Dai couldn't escape getting a severe scolding from the bald man.

Boss Dai lost face, and the agents under him naturally suffered as well—each of them had a dark face, as if they had lost their ancestral home, working from dawn till midnight, barely able to catch their breath...

But what do these trivial matters have to do with Li Wenguo?

He hid himself deeper than a shadow, untouched by the wind or rain.

After dealing with Nie Wei and Paul, Li Wenguo finally felt relieved.

Being alive is more important than anything else.

In the Republic of China of that era, it was truly a life of begging on the edge of a knife.

Without the system's support, without that tiny space to hide in, and without a clone to clear the way for him, he would have died countless times over. Not to mention his current respectable and glamorous life—his wives and concubines each in their proper places, living a comfortable and fulfilling life.

As the saying goes: those who survive a great calamity are sure to have good fortune in the future!

Pshaw—it's still early!

Coincidentally, double happiness comes knocking today.

Hongyu is about to give birth.

Thanks to her daily routine of shopping and taking walks, the baby was in the right position and the delivery went smoothly, allowing her to easily give birth to a healthy baby boy for Li Wenguo.

Li Wenguo immediately decided to name him Li Guofu.

Another piece of good news followed: Xianglan became pregnant again.

She was determined and secretly vowed that this child would definitely be a boy!

Hongyu was in confinement at home after giving birth, and Xianglan and Dong Haitang were also pregnant, so matters in the bedroom naturally had to be put aside for the time being.

Fortunately, there was He Shuting—she finished her postpartum confinement the day after Hongyu gave birth.

Li Wenguo then moved into her room and stayed there permanently.

I indulged in it every night, unable to stop.

In Li Wenguo's heart, He Shuting will always be the most captivating bright spot.

If we only consider facial features, He Shuting, Dong Haitang, and Hongyu are all equally matched, and it's hard to say who is better.

Hongyu's only advantage lies in her appearance; she is pretty but lacks charm. Dong Haitang, on the other hand, is proud and cold like a double-edged sword, making people want to conquer her at first sight—but once she is won over, her sharpness loses its edge and she loses her charm.

Only He Shuting exudes a gentle, scholarly air in every gesture, her dignity concealing resilience, and her tranquility hiding warmth. She doesn't compete or fight, yet she can always smooth the thorns in people's hearts with a soft word or a gentle smile, and gently support their mistakes, as if even if the sky were to fall, she would only offer a cup of warm tea.

After each encounter, Li Wenguo couldn't help but sigh to himself: "Having married this wife, I have no regrets in this life!"

"Sir, how's things going at the new trading company?"

After finishing her gymnastics practice in the evening, He Shuting rubbed her sore back and waist, forcing herself to stay awake and ask.

She didn't say anything these days, but she was complaining inwardly—she could manage every two or three days, but he was unwavering, doing it for nearly two hours every night, it felt like the ground had been plowed three times over! She really didn't know where she got the strength to endure it before.

Perhaps it's because young people are fearless and don't know how to work hard.

Or perhaps they grit their teeth and push their children to get married...

Now she only hopes that Hongyu will finish her postpartum confinement soon so that she can share this heavy burden with her.

Li Wenguo leaned back in the rattan chair, a top-quality Daqianmen cigarette between his lips, the smoke curling and spreading out in circles.

They say a cigarette after sex is better than being a little god.

It really does feel like floating on clouds.

After exhaling the last wisp of smoke, he lazily replied, "I've just sorted things out. Actually, it's not much different from my old employer's place."

He Shuting felt a surge of warmth in her heart, and her eyes instantly lit up.

In that case, arranging a foreign ship to transport goods is not difficult at all!

This morning, the head of the organization, Wang Zhiguo, personally came to her door and asked her to tell her husband: a batch of grain worth 100,000 silver dollars must be transported to the base area overnight—the soldiers on the front line are fighting on an empty stomach, this matter cannot be delayed, and there can be no mistakes!

"We just heard that someone is secretly buying up grain worth 100,000 silver dollars. Such a large quantity is probably intended for the rebels."

"The grain is still in the city. The only way to get it out is by water."

The grain worth 100,000 silver dollars piled up like a small mountain. Could it be transported by horse-drawn carts? Not only would it be a waste of manpower and horses, but it would also be a chaotic mess, visible even to a blind man.

Only shipping is efficient, discreet, and silent, gliding along the river surface so that no one can catch a glimpse of it.

"From this moment forward, keep a close watch on all docks! All members of the naval patrol team must go ashore and board the ships. Not a single cargo ship will be missed, not an inch will be let pass!"

Zhou Dahai slammed his fist on the table and gave the order.

Of course, this only applies to ships from their own country.

A foreigner's ship? Who would dare to lay a finger on it?

Moreover, Britain, France, Germany, and the United States are all pro-China countries and would never help the CCP.

The older brother is indeed loyal to the Communist Party, but his own pockets are emptier than his face... Sigh, let's not talk about it.

In the newspaper manager's office.

Just as He Shuting explained to Wang Zhiguo that her husband could arrange for foreign shipping companies to transport grain, Zhao Hengwei rushed in, sweat beading on his forehead and looking anxious.

"Hengwei, what happened?"

When Wang Zhiguo saw his expression, his heart sank.

Zhao Hengwei walked a few steps to He Shuting's side and lowered his voice: "President, it seems the news has leaked out—the docks are all closed, and the river is full of speedboats from the patrol team. Our shipment probably won't be able to leave Beijing even if it had wings!"

Wang Zhiguo's brows furrowed suddenly.

He Shuting's face turned pale instantly: "How could this be?"

"I don't know either. We handled this batch of grain very carefully, purchasing it separately and storing it in different locations. There's absolutely no trace of it on the market—it's highly likely that the information leaked out from within."

His gaze swept over He Shuting's lowered eyelashes and slightly trembling ear tips. The faint scent of gardenias lingered around her nose, and his heart burned. He quickly lowered his eyes, clenched his fists, and forcefully suppressed the surging restlessness, afraid of losing his gentlemanly composure.

In her heart, she cursed fiercely: Li Wenguo, do you deserve it?

You fucking don't deserve it!

"Which of our people are missing?"

Wang Zhiguo asked in a deep voice.

"It seems...no."

Zhao Hengwei struggled to look away from her temples, his voice dry.

"Since everyone is present, it's not a leak," Wang Zhiguo said firmly. "I trust my comrades."

"So... how do we break this deadlock?"

"The dock was being closely monitored by the Lixingshe, so that batch of goods couldn't leave the port at all."

Zhao Hengwei's forehead was beaded with sweat, and his fingers tapped the table impatiently.

Wang Zhiguo's face was gloomy, and he remained silent.

The ship was already anchored, but the cargo couldn't even get close to the dock.

"How about... I go back and ask Wen Guo? See if he has any connections?"

He Shuting spoke softly.

"Shu Ting, those were the henchmen of the Lixingshe personally staking out the ship. They'd dig up every nook and cranny of the dock before the goods even reached the dock! Could your husband really have managed to sneak the entire shipment into the hold without anyone noticing?"

Zhao Hengwei scoffed, making no attempt to hide his suspicion.

But Wang Zhiguo didn't hesitate for a moment—he stared at He Shuting with burning eyes: "Shuting, then I'm entrusting this to you. Every day we delay means one less grain of food for the front lines. This year there's been a severe drought, and the fields have yielded nothing. The Kuomintang has sealed off the checkpoints like iron barrels, and not a single grain of rice, flour, oil, or salt is allowed to flow into the Red Zone."

"We've been out of food for a long time."

"Okay, I'll go right away."

He Shuting agreed, feeling as if an invisible burden had been placed on her shoulders.

After she closed the door and left, Zhao Hengwei lowered his voice and asked, "President, is her husband... reliable?"

He dared not say it to He Shuting's face—even the faintest affection cannot withstand being exposed.

Wang Zhiguo raised his eyelids, instantly sensing the unspoken meaning: "What, you think Li Wenguo leaked this information?"

"President, he's not one of us, after all. He deals with political figures and business tycoons every day, all deeply entrenched with the KMT. I'm afraid..."

Zhao Hengwei left his words unsaid, stopping short of revealing his true intentions.

Wang Zhiguo slammed his hand on the armrest: "Hengwei! You yourself said that he associates with all the big shots in Beijing—to get to this level, is he a fool or a pushover?"

"For more than a year, he helped us get people out of trouble, procure Western medicine, dispatch trucks, and clear waterways... Didn't he risk his life for every single one of these tasks? Do you really think he couldn't tell that what was printed in the Dawn newspaper wasn't a small article, but a bullet?"

"If we were really going to report them, we should be handcuffed and starving in the basement of the Lixingshe Society by now!"

"Hengwei, you are too vigilant, but your political awareness is still lacking."

"We should thank them properly."

Zhao Hengwei was speechless, his Adam's apple bobbed, but he ultimately didn't speak again.

Wang Zhiguo softened his tone and sighed, "Sigh... I know you've always had feelings for Shu Ting."

"But she's Mrs. Li now. You should put that thought away. Mixing personal feelings into official business will only lead to bigger problems sooner or later."

Zhao Hengwei walked out of the office with his head down, his back slightly hunched.

Wang Zhiguo looked at the door panel and gently shook his head.

Ugh!

How much of what he said actually came to his attention?

In his eyes, the most intolerable thing on the revolutionary road is sentimentality—it can blind people and make them unable to see the wind direction; moreover, it can expose flaws, allowing the enemy to seize their vital points and cause disaster.