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

The sky was just beginning to lighten.

Li Wenguo went out wrapped in a thick cotton robe.

Whoosh—! Whoosh—!

Snowflakes pelted down, and the north wind, like knives, pierced to the bone.

Pedestrians on the street hunched their shoulders and turned their backs, their collars turned up high, and their steps were hurried and fragmented.

Li Wenguo also felt cold, but unlike the others, he didn't shiver.

He is immune to all diseases.

I stood shirtless in the snow all night and still didn't cough, have a fever, or runny nose.

He turned into a quiet alley, flicked his finger, and released a clone.

The man carried his suitcase straight to the bank—he needed to cash the checks he had received the night before the other party reported them lost.

Li Wenguo strolled into the corner teahouse, picked a window seat on the second floor, and leisurely ate sunflower seeds while scanning the street.

The clone was dressed in a sharp suit with a fox fur coat over it, and his gold watch gleamed on his wrist, looking every bit the nouveau riche young master.

Naturally, they became easy prey in the eyes of thieves.

Several thugs and pickpockets loitering near the bank entrance immediately fixed their gaze on him.

Forty-five thousand silver dollars!

That's enough to buy all the dilapidated houses and broken tiles in the entire alley.

If it were a disheveled peddler, the foreigners behind the counter would probably find fault with him in every way possible.

Why should you, a poor wretch, be holding a mountain of gold? I have to say something sarcastic to keep my jealousy in check.

The clone didn't exchange for silver dollars, but only for British pound banknotes.

He turned and went into the bathroom, the banknotes disappearing into the air in the blink of an eye.

If you piled up 45,000 silver dollars, it would weigh almost two tons. Without a cart or helpers, you couldn't even lift it; you'd be robbed halfway there and left with nothing but your underwear.

The pounds are light and easy to carry; you can slip a few stacks into your pocket without even needing to weigh them.

As soon as the clone pushed open the door, he was immediately surrounded by seven or eight dirty hands.

The suitcase was pried open and emptied, the fox fur coat was pulled off and taken away, and even the cufflinks were pried off.

Li Wenguo sat in the teahouse without even lifting his eyelids.

But he was already determined to teach that man with thick eyebrows and big eyes a lesson.

If you swallow your anger after being made a fool of, who will not kick you when they see you in the future?

No one knows who is backing Liu Daikui, but he can't swallow this insult.

If I don't show my claws, this fire in my chest will keep me awake at night.

Down with bureaucracy!

"Return power to the people!"

"Build a new society!"

“…………”

As people were leaving get off work, the student marchers surged onto the streets again.

Li Wenguo paused in his steps.

"I wonder if that female student from last time is still in the team?"

The image of that "enhanced version of Teacher C" girl was already etched into his mind—her bright eyes, her stubborn chin, and the way she glanced back when he drew his sword to protect her.

The thought never faded.

He stopped and squinted to take a closer look.

It's getting closer, and clearer now.

The one leading the way was still that handsome face, and right next to him was, as expected, her.

After a few months apart, her features were clearer, her figure more upright, and the heavy curve of her chest seemed even more eye-catching than before.

Li Wenguo's brow twitched.

As she shouted slogans, she looked up at the leader with burning eyes, as if she were holding some rare treasure.

Oops!

Something's not right!

Could it be that the two of them have been hooking up for a while?

He felt a lump in his throat, like he had swallowed an unripe persimmon, both astringent and stifling.

He didn't come to his senses until the parade had passed by.

"Wait a minute... These days, female students are extremely virtuous; they blush even when holding hands. How can they easily cross the line?"

"The opportunity is still there."

With a change of heart, the depression vanished instantly.

He waved to the side of the street, hailed a rickshaw, and gave them the name of the place:

Horse tooth cavity.

He was going to find his relatives.

Having finally met such an outstanding and agreeable girl, Li Wenguo was determined not to let her go. It would be best if he could marry her properly.

Not long after, the car stopped at the edge of the field.

Upon seeing Li Wenguo, this wealthy man, Ma Yafang immediately beamed with a smile, his lips as sweet as honey.

Li Wenguo smiled and responded with a few polite words.

After all, the two had met before and were as familiar as family.

Whenever Li Wenguo needed to procure something, set up a connection, or act as a bridge, he would be the first person he thought of.

After exchanging pleasantries, they got down to business.

…………

"Innocent?"

"Slender branches laden with abundant fruit?"

Ma Yafang blinked, looking completely bewildered.

"Mr. Li, I understand what it means to be a student, but those last two lines... where did you hear those words from?"

"Oh, so innocent—"

After a moment's thought, Li Wenguo gestured and said, "They look clean and clear, untouched by worldly dust, and their faces are as tender as freshly peeled eggs. You can't tell their age at all."

Ma Yafang's eyes lit up, and he slapped his thigh, exclaiming, "Oh my! It's just a baby face!"

Li Wenguo almost choked, but then he thought about it and realized that the female student did indeed have broad shoulders, a slim waist, and a plump figure, but her face still looked very young. In these days, she could really be described as "a child's face with a huge body"—which wasn't too far off. So he just smiled and didn't say anything.

"And what about the 'slender branches laden with abundant fruit'?"

Ma Yafang pressed for answers.

"That's what it means!"

Li Wenguo tucked his hands into his waist and straightened his chest, vividly demonstrating that delicate and graceful posture.

Ma Yafang immediately understood, and chuckled twice: "Master Li, your taste... is truly unique!"

That's true. Nowadays, everyone is chasing after figures with narrow shoulders, a small chest, and a delicate, slender build.

"Find someone for me quickly, the sooner the better! If we're too late, someone else might scoop up the first pot of soup."

"You can rest assured! How could I possibly be careless about Master Li's matter?"

Ma Yafang patted his chest and guaranteed it.

"Haha, that's great! I feel reassured with you handling things!"

Li Wenguo smiled and praised her, but then suddenly changed the subject: "By the way, how's the negotiation going with that courtyard house at No. 95 Nanluoguxiang?"

That courtyard is the foundation of the mall system and the last line of defense in his escape route; it cannot be taken lightly.

"It hasn't been finalized yet."

"But don't worry, Master Li. When we met a couple of days ago, the headmaster's tone was much more relaxed, unlike before when he was so inflexible. I think it's very likely to succeed."

Not wanting things to drag on, Li Wenguo simply said, "We can be more flexible with the price, show some sincerity, and win people over."

Anyway, he has plenty of money right now.

Ma Yafang readily agreed, nodding vigorously.

After giving his instructions, Li Wenguo got up to take his leave.

Back in her own yard, Xianglan was stir-frying vegetables in front of the stove.

The image of the female student still lingered in Li Wenguo's mind, and his feet involuntarily turned and went into the kitchen.

"Sir, you're back!"

The flames in the stove were leaping high, and the kitchen was as hot as a steamer.

Xianglan draped her thick cotton-padded coat over the back of the chair, her thin clothes covering her body, revealing her curves, both soft and resilient.

Li Wenguo pressed himself against her from behind, wrapping one arm around her waist.

"Sir, the oil in the pan is sizzling!"

"It's alright, you take care of the cooking, and I'll take care of the fire."

"Xianglan will take good care of you again tonight."

"Let's talk about this at night."

More than half an hour later—

"Sir, look at this! The vegetables are all burnt to a crisp!"

Xianglan, her forehead covered in sweat, scolded him with a mixture of anxiety and embarrassment.

"It's burnt, so be it. Let's go out to eat."

"Okay! I want Western food, sausage, corn juice, and that bubbly sweet drink!"

"Didn't you just fill your stomach?"

Xianglan was taken aback, then realized what he meant. Her ears turned bright red, and she turned around and punched him lightly: "Ouch—you're so annoying!"

…………

In the dead of night, in the dark alley near Hepingmen on Wenhua Road, a shadowy figure crouched down and slipped under a high wall.

The wall was five meters high, and the blue bricks were piled up tightly.

But the shadowy figure used some unknown means, and in the blink of an eye, a bamboo ladder was firmly leaning against the wall.

This person is Li Wenguo's alter ego.

He quickly climbed the ladder and leaped into the yard.

In the center of the courtyard stood a large warehouse, with eye-catching fire and smoke prevention signs painted on the exterior walls.

This is Tokuma Trading Company's territory!

This is a time-honored brand with a solid financial foundation and strong backing, including the renowned Xu family of Beijing.

Their main businesses were spinning and weaving, running opium dens and brothels, and they also engaged in some miscellaneous trades.

They also secretly accept stolen goods and black market products of dubious origin.

The group of burly men with thick eyebrows who had previously set a trap for Li Wenguo were thugs employed by this business.

In other words, Tokuma Trading Company was the mastermind behind everything.

Today, Li Wenguo came in person to collect the debt.

Weren't you planning to double-cross me and steal my goods?

Now it's my turn to collect the interest—I'll return the principal plus interest, doubling it all back!

Does it hurt? Is it excruciatingly painful?

The guardhouse faces the warehouse gate directly, completely blocking the guards' view, so the clone can only sneak in by going around to the back wall.

The warehouse is ten meters high.

That ventilation window, perched five and a half meters above the ground, resembled a narrow, cold smile.

Idiot!

They leaned against the bamboo ladder and climbed up in no time.

The windows were made of iron bars, with the horizontal and vertical bars so close together that only a ten-centimeter gap remained, too narrow for a person to squeeze through, just enough for the wind to swirl around.

But this is no problem for clones.

He reached out and gripped an iron bar, his fingertips just beginning to exert force—

The figure flashed by and disappeared.

He was pulled into his personal space.

In the blink of an eye, the clone was already standing in the center of the warehouse.

He glanced up and his pupils suddenly contracted!

The warehouse was filled with neatly bundled cotton cloth bags, as well as even more precious raw silk rolls, each bundle gleaming softly and stacked in perfect order.

"I've struck it rich!!!"

"I've struck it rich!!!"

In Li Wenguo's eyes, these were not just pieces of cloth and thread, but hundreds of thousands of silver dollars, hot money that was hard to come by!

Once this batch of goods is sold, he will be able to stand tall and sit in the position of a lord.

The old saying is absolutely true.

If a person doesn't make a fortune unexpectedly, they'll never be able to turn their life around; if a horse doesn't eat night grass, it won't gain weight!

The clones showed no mercy.

Raw silk, cotton cloth, and even several boxes of tung oil and sealing wax stored in the corner were all swept into the space.

The entire warehouse was cleaned even more thoroughly than if it had been swept with a broom.

Before leaving, he tossed a note on the ground, the ink still wet:

"Empty-flipping is an act deserving of divine retribution!"

Since it's revenge, the other party has to understand that this knife is aimed at you.

However, Li Wenguo did not expect that after the Xu family discovered the theft, they did not consider "revenge from enemies" at all, but instead insisted that it was the work of an insider.

Why?

Dozens of tons of goods vanished into thin air, creating a deafening commotion!

If you rely solely on a handcart, it would take at least thirty trips; how could it be done quietly?

Unless someone inside can pick the lock, keep watch, or scout the area, who could do it?

Even that note was used as a smokescreen to deceive people into crying wolf.

The news of the robbery of Xu's goods immediately changed the atmosphere of the entire capital city.

The patrol officers were in groups, their hats pulled low, their eyes sharp and piercing, staring at everyone as if they were all carrying stolen goods.

Further away, heavily armed soldiers paced back and forth, their leather boots clattering on the bluestone slabs.

What the hell!

The Xu family's backing is much stronger than I imagined!