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

"Yes, it's still three parts: 100,000 silver dollars to be handed over, 250,000 to me, and the rest to be divided among you."

With 250,000 silver dollars in his pocket, Li Wenguo suddenly felt that being a spy was much better than sitting on the sidelines as a manager in a foreign firm—one successful job was worth three years of hard work in the firm.

He almost packed his bags and jumped ship to become a professional spy.

But then I thought, this Western-style suit of the foreign firm is not only respectable, but it can also help to track down wealthy Japanese spies, and even secretly pass messages to the local party and hold the enemy by the throat—this job is far more than just making money.

That's it! When it's time to close the net, why don't we just have Haitang "let" me handle those fat, greasy Japanese spies?

Haha, I'm fucking clever!

As for someone being jealous and reporting it?

Absolutely impossible. Everyone in this line of work is dirt poor. Why would they hesitate to take the money? Besides, they'd already pocketed the money; reporting them would be like sticking evidence of their crime on their own forehead!

Even if someone really wanted to sue, they'd have to be alive to submit it!

You're not going to take it? What if it "accidentally" disappears halfway through the journey? Do you believe me?

As soon as the spoils were divided, Li Wenguo casually pulled out the land deed for the courtyard, grabbed a handful of small silver dollars, ten heavy bills, and several stacks of US dollars and British pounds from his own share, and threw them at Wen Keren's feet like rags.

"Here, dress yourself up nicely, I'll come see you when I have time."

The words weren't explicitly stated, but the meaning was as sharp as a knife: You are now under my protection.

"Okay...okay, okay!"

Wen Keren understood immediately and nodded hastily. She also subconsciously glanced at Wen San, Xiao Jie, and the other spies—they were carrying silver dollars with their heads down, their backs straight, but their ears seemed deaf.

They had heard most of the noise in the bedroom during the earlier search of the house, but now they pretended not to hear it.

In their eyes, this man was always a womanizer, so this was perfectly natural.

No one else dared to gossip.

As for the Lixingshe Society? It's better not to go. The scenes of torture are too gruesome; Li Wenguo doesn't want to be woken up by nightmares in the middle of the night.

Besides, with so much valuable stuff, we should first take it back to our own backyard.

I arrived in the Volkswagen Beetle belonging to the Lixingshe Company, which was perfect for using a company vehicle for personal purposes, so I took the opportunity to steal something.

"Riding in a car is much more comfortable than pulling a rickshaw."

He gazed at the fleeting street scenes outside the window and sighed softly.

Speaking of which, I'm considered a prominent figure in Beijing, and owning a car is a fitting way to reflect my status.

How much does one cost?

Three thousand silver dollars?

Okay, I'll get one!

Wait a minute—it's time for our wives to have a makeover too!

Let's take all five at once!

Five cars cost only 15,000 silver dollars, which is not even a fraction of the gold mountain confiscated from the Yagyu family.

He Shuting took the day off today to rest at home and wait for the doctor to come and check her belly.

Upon seeing the ground covered in glittering gold, white, and green hard currency, her bright eyes nearly popped out of their sockets.

"Sir, you've gone out to 'rob' again?"

When Li Wenguo swallowed Yan Ming's fortune last time, he casually said it was "robbery," and she remembered that phrase.

He asked that question, but he didn't believe it at all.

"Absolutely! This time the robbery was lawful and aboveboard, with everything clearly documented and stamped. Why does fate always seem to shower me with good fortune?"

Li Wenguo spoke with such confidence that he didn't even blush.

"Sir, just keep joking!"

He Shuting rolled her eyes.

"Poverty? This is called wealth—extreme wealth!"

He was in a good mood after a good day's earnings, and his words became more playful.

"Sir, let me say something—we can keep these ill-gotten gains with peace of mind; but you must never touch the hard-earned money of ordinary people, otherwise your children in the future… humph, you should think it over!"

She lowered her voice, her words carrying a hidden barb, both a reminder and a test.

As a member of the local party, she cared deeply for her country and its people; she was also afraid that her husband might make a wrong step, ruining his future and breaking his conscience.

"Hey! You shrewish woman, how dare you curse me? Even if I fall into a mud pit and roll around in it, I will never lay a finger on the common people, not even a grain of rice!"

"Snapped!"

Before she could finish speaking, a hand gently slapped her on the buttocks.

"Sir, please don't... there are still people here!"

Her cheeks flushed, and she shrank back in embarrassment.

"Hmph, serves you right for daring to talk back to me!"

She immediately fell silent, fearing he might do something outrageous again, and quickly called to Liu Shouhou and Sun Gang: "Shouhou, Sun Gang, quickly carry these hundreds of pounds of goods into the warehouse!"

They used to lock their money in safes, but Li Wenguo kept accumulating more and more, and the safes were already overflowing, so they had to clear out a room to use as a vault.

He had so many US dollars and pounds that it was too much to keep at home, so he stuffed them all into a secret compartment he carried with him.

Once the warehouse door was closed and the two men had neatly arranged the items, He Shuting whispered, "Skinny Monkey, Sun Gang, take ten thousand silver dollars and send it to the newspaper office."

"Yes, madam, don't worry, I'll go right away!"

Liu Shouhou and Sun Gang didn't even blink, and immediately handed over 10,000 silver dollars.

This had happened before, and Liu Shouhou had secretly reported it to Li Wenguo. But Li Wenguo knew perfectly well that his wife controlled the purse strings, so he simply said, "All the money in the house is at your wife's disposal."

……

Liu Shouhou never asked another question after that.

The ten thousand silver dollars weighed heavily, a full five hundred catties, and filled five camphor wood chests.

The group of men struggled to carry the rickshaw, their shoulders chafed raw.

As I passed by the pavilion, I bumped into Dong Haitang, who was admiring the plum blossoms in the snow with her round belly.

Those old plum trees, with their gnarled branches, bloomed defiantly against the snow, their fragrance wafting in the air, just like her—tough, striking, and never bowing her head.

"Um?"

She glanced at him sideways, her voice slightly raised, "Where are we going to send all this cash?"

Her professional instincts kicked in, and she beckoned Liu Shouhou over, asking him a casual question.

"Reporting to Fourth Madam, it's a private gift that Madam sent to her family."

He Shuting had whispered these words in his ear beforehand. There was a spy lurking in the house; they couldn't afford to be careless.

"Ha, incredibly stupid, and they can't even tame them!"

"The indenture is still in my hands, and you're using my money to subsidize your maternal family? Have you lost your mind?"

"If it were me, I would have cut ties completely with them long ago, leaving no trace!"

Dong Haitang's face darkened instantly, and he spat through gritted teeth.

Last time, when Li Wenguo forced her to serve tea and apologize, she outwardly complied, but inwardly she already hated He Shuting to the core.

He shook his head and sighed, "I really feel sorry for you, Grandpa, for wasting this money!"

Liu Shouhou stood to the side with his hands hanging down, his ears burning, and his toes digging into the mud.

"By the way—does the master know about this?"

She suddenly looked up again.

"Yes, Fourth Madam, the Master is aware of this."

Liu Shouhou answered crisply.

—Besides her alluring face and supple body, what other skills does that woman possess? Why does the master indulge her like this!

Dong Haitang's heart was in turmoil, and she was too lazy to look anymore, so she waved her hand to send him away.

After Yagyu was captured, everyone associated with him was subjected to rigorous interrogation by the Rikgyōsha (Rikgyōsha).

But these people were dirt poor, and there was nothing to squeeze out of them. Li Wenguo didn't even bother to look at them. As soon as he stepped out of the Lixing Society's gate, he immediately split his forces into two groups:

Wen San and Xiao Jie led their men to arrest people; he himself went around in circles and went straight to Wen Keren to relax.

With four wives in the family whom he couldn't touch, at least he had a gentle and kind woman to satisfy his cravings and calm his temper.

After the items confiscated from the Liu family were handed over, Director Song personally came to inspect them, but after searching high and low, he couldn't find the items he wanted.

They had no choice but to stop and turn their attention to the next Japanese spy target.

A few days later, having squeezed all the profits out of Liu Sheng, Li Wenguo immediately gathered his team and turned to attack Sun Youtian—the guy who had once tried to turn "Yang Zhengde" against him and was now running a cotton quilt factory.

Frankly speaking, taking action against Sun Youtian at this time would be like forcing a duck onto a shelf, and it would also go against the consistent rules of the Lixingshe Society.

They have always liked to bury the line, raise fish, and wait for the big fish to swim into the net on their own.

The network of relationships behind Sun Youtian has not yet been fully understood. Taking action rashly could very likely miss more clues about Japanese spies.

This is like using intelligence as firewood; it's a terrible waste.

But we absolutely have to find what Director Song asked us to find—no matter how reluctant we are, we have to make the sacrifice.

We've put all our effort into capturing a string of Japanese spies. Even if we end up empty-handed, we can at least proudly say: We risked our lives to do this.

President Song understood that the Lixing Society had done its best, and perhaps that thing wasn't even in the capital.

But if two weeks pass and not a trace is found, he will definitely think that Li Wenguo is just being perfunctory and will overturn the table on the spot.

Before long, a group of men, looking menacing, rushed straight to Sun Youtian's cotton quilt factory.

Before setting off, Chang Binghui pulled Li Wenguo aside again and whispered, "That factory is a real piece of meat! Its prospects are bright, and more importantly—it's involved in military supplies!"

"Padded coats, cotton trousers, cotton hats, military blankets... all the essential supplies that the front lines desperately need."

At this point, it's almost a veiled statement: if you take it, military orders will pour in, and silver dollars will pile up like mountains.

Indeed, when you look at it this way, it really does qualify as a strategic location.

Finally, Chang Binghui stated unequivocally: "Classify them directly as Japanese spies!"

Upon hearing this, even Li Wenguo gasped – it was too blatant, too shameless. To seize industry, they were openly throwing dirty water.

He couldn't help but feel fortunate: the wealth he had accumulated over the years had been quietly transferred overseas to purchase real estate. If he had kept the factory in China, and it had grown too large one day, wouldn't he have been implicated and stripped of everything?

Ding Xiaoqi also got on the bus this time.

On the way, he leaned closer to report on the progress of Chung-Kook Bank:

"Mr. Li, one of the tellers I've been training leaked the word—the bank was planning to take action a while ago, they even moved the printing press into the vault, but then they suddenly stopped, and they've been keeping it under wraps ever since, without making a sound."

Ding Xiaoqi finished speaking.

Three words instantly popped into Li Wenguo's mind:

Actions, machinery and equipment, call to a halt.

The bank is currently pushing forward a confidential mission, but it has been forced to come to an abrupt halt due to the theft of a key item.

That object clearly involves core equipment—could it be the key device to start the entire system?

Or perhaps not a single design blueprint was ever left behind?

Or perhaps, even the mold was taken away?

Anything related to equipment will almost always fall into these three categories!

"Xiao Qi, can we follow this trail and find out exactly what this machine is making?"

He asked in a low voice.

"I subtly inquired with that employee, and he said that such confidential information was beyond his reach. However, I did catch a glimpse of a corner in a hidden compartment when I was delivering documents for the manager once."

Ding Xiaoqi answered decisively.

"Have you inquired whether anything has been stolen from the bank recently?"

"We weren't robbed at all!"

That item wasn't lost in the bank!

"Is it possible to get information out of those at the bank manager level or above?"

Li Wenguo squinted.

"I'll give it a try."

Ding Xiaoqi nodded.

"Go ahead, don't worry about the expenses, the department will reimburse you for everything."

He smiled easily, but he knew perfectly well what was going on in his mind—since he wasn't the one paying, the most important thing right now was to find out exactly what Bank Manager Song had lost.

In the blink of an eye, the convoy had stopped at the entrance of the cotton quilt factory.

Sun Youtian had been under surveillance for several days: every day at nine o'clock sharp, he would step into the factory gate without fail.

Follow the old rules—

Li Wenguo stayed in the car to oversee things, while Wen San, Xiao Jie, and Yu Tou led their men in separate raids: one captured people, one ordered production to stop, and one took control of all the workers on site.

Don't underestimate the workers these days. If they really start making trouble, it's not just a matter of shouting a few words—they'll fight you to the death!

This time, Ding Xiaoqi also went into the factory.

But just ten minutes later, a gunshot suddenly rang out in the factory!

"Oh no!"

"Back up! Get away!"

As soon as the car stopped in front of the factory gate, Li Wenguo sensed something was wrong and immediately urged the driver to turn back...

If the other side is carrying a grenade launcher or a light machine gun, you'll be a sitting duck!

Before the words were finished, a figure climbed over the factory wall.

Li Wenguo looked closely—it was Ding Xiaoqi!

"Xiao Qi, what's the situation inside?"

As soon as he landed, he grabbed him and asked.

"Master Li, Sun Youtian has been subdued by Wen San in the office."

"But there are still a few Japanese spies buried in the factory! Just as Xiao Jie and Yu Tou gathered the workers and called for a halt, they suddenly attacked—one of them was killed on the spot, and Yu Tou was also hit in the left shoulder by a burst of bullets."

"The two sides are currently at a stalemate, and neither dares to make any rash moves."

Ding Xiaoqi spoke rapidly, finishing her sentence in one breath.

"Damn! That's tough? Definitely a Japanese soldier, maybe even an active-duty veteran!"

A thought flashed through Li Wenguo's mind: the group of Japanese special forces soldiers found in Yan Ming's house three months ago.

Sun Youtian's spies are probably the same kind of people. As for why they've been entrenched for so long without leaving, he couldn't be bothered to figure it out—in any case, ruthlessness equals cunning, and being tough enough makes someone a worthy number one opponent.