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

She always felt flustered whenever he touched it, but this time she didn't seem to hear the "click" of the lock.

"It's not locked! I'll just ask one question, then I'll leave."

"Go lock the door first!"

"Hey, I told you I have something important to say, hurry up and say it, I'm leaving right away."

He applied a little more pressure to his hand.

"What...what exactly do you want to do?"

Her voice trembled slightly.

"To earn you funding!"

Last time she handed him a list of supplies, Li Wenguo glanced at it and tore it to shreds—did he think he was a sucker?

Although only two boxes of each item were to be ordered, and the quantity was not to exceed the limit, the number of duplicate items was alarmingly high:

Just the handguns alone, five different models, filled ten boxes;

Hand grenades, three or four kinds mixed together, another ten boxes;

Add submachine guns, light machine guns...

They cram two or three different sizes into each category. How is that any different from what they said that night about "making do with seven or eight boxes"? It's pure deception!

Earning funding?

Dong Haitang understood immediately—they were going to interrogate Kato and force him to reveal the location where he hid his money.

"Take it easy! The Japanese diplomat is sitting downstairs, and people from the municipal government are backing him. Kato is very likely to be bailed out. If you accidentally kill him, the mess you make will be impossible for anyone to cover up!"

Dong Haitang immediately lowered her voice to remind him.

Even the municipal officials were fueling the fire; they probably have other dirt on us in their hands!

Li Wenguo's heart tightened, and he immediately realized what was happening.

"You can rest assured—Kato didn't even have to be tortured before he shut up completely; he's a complete coward. If I glare at him, he'll probably reveal every single detail of the pattern on the bib his grandmother embroidered back then."

"How...how could you say such a thing! It's utterly shameless!"

"Hehe, I was never a decent person by nature, and the job I'm doing right now just proves it, doesn't it?"

"You...you...I hate you so much!"

I had just stepped out of the office door

Li Wenguo turned around and handed Kato to Wensan, immediately deciding: "We must get him to talk and find out where the funds are hidden and how much there is."

As for handing over intelligence—the Lixingshe gets the lion's share while he gets the scraps? What's the point of all that effort for nothing?

"I'm a diplomat! I'm a diplomat! You're breaking the law if you lay a finger on me! I need to see the consul! I need to see the consul—!!!"

"Smack!!!"

The whip tore through the air and slammed hard into Kato's back.

"ah--!!!"

"I'll tell you! I'll tell you! All the money is buried in..."

……

"Master Li, this little notebook is the most fragile one I've ever interrogated! Just one lash and its bones are shattered; it couldn't even utter a harsh word. What a disappointment!"

Wen San slammed the door open as he walked out of the interrogation room, spitting as he went, his face full of disgust.

Before, when he was caught with those little notebooks, he would endure until his skin was torn and bleeding before they would let go. He would whip him until his palms were burning and he felt a sense of satisfaction. This time, however, one lash and he was paralyzed like a limp rag, leaving him feeling suffocated in his chest.

"Where are you hiding them? How many?"

This is what Li Wenguo is most concerned about.

"I heard there's something worth over 600,000 yuan in the cellar of an old house in the west of the city!"

Li Wenguo's Adam's apple bobbed, and his heart skipped a beat.

What the hell!

So dark?!

"Wen San, you misheard—it's over 100,000, remember that."

Li Wenguo winked at him, his meaning clear.

"Yes, yes, I misunderstood, it was over 100,000!"

A thin layer of sweat appeared on Wen San's forehead.

Soon, the group arrived at the small courtyard that Kato had provided.

The place was surrounded by low brick walls and a desolate area, with not a single person in sight.

A thick wooden door, its copper lock rusted and worn.

Ding Xiaoqi stepped forward, pried open the lock in a few moments, and pushed the door open to enter.

The stone slab in the backyard courtyard was lifted, revealing the entrance to a dark cellar, from which something dark and straight down fell.

"You guys stay here and keep watch, I'm going down to take a look around."

Li Wenguo waved his hand and went inside alone.

The cellar was damp and humid. He walked around, sweeping the area and stuffing anything that caught his eye into his personal storage space: yellowed files, dusty porcelain vases, several exquisitely framed paintings and calligraphy, and some old objects whose purpose was unclear but which exuded an air of wealth—he would keep them for now and examine them more closely later.

Ten minutes later, he beckoned for people to come down and take inventory.

The place was piled high with things, and it took half a day to sort them out.

This deal was too lucrative, and fearing that Kato might turn on him after being redeemed, Li Wenguo decided to go all the way.

On the eve of the day Xiaobenzi was supposed to pick up the person, he secretly switched to an avatar to take his place. As soon as it was light and the person was picked up, he quietly returned, killed several of the escorts in one go, and finally committed suicide to silence them—leaving all the problems to Xiaobenzi to worry about himself.

Having made a net profit of 500,000 silver dollars on this trip, Li Wenguo was unusually generous and immediately agreed to the supply list that Dong Haitang had previously mentioned, prompting her to ask, "Just how much of their profits did you skim off them?"

He certainly wouldn't answer that—once he opened his mouth, her appetite would only grow bigger and bigger.

Two days later, Niu Dali brought news:

Recently, many young men have been inquiring about his background.

Li Wenguo knew perfectly well: the scheme that Song Caidie set up that night was finally coming to an end.

Fortunately, Niu Dali had already firmly covered up the "top-level confidentiality" label, and those people shrank back as soon as they heard it, no longer daring to dig deeper.

That matter was finally put behind us.

A week later, yet another person who made Li Wenguo's eyelids twitch stepped into the doors of Meifu Trading Company.

"Ms. Xu, hello, how can I help you?"

The person who came was Xu Wanqing from the Xu family.

Li Wenguo thought to himself: They're probably here for Song Caidie—the two are always in cahoots.

"Good day, Manager Li. I've come here today specifically to discuss the purchase of a batch of weapons and equipment."

Xu Wanqing was poised and polite.

Originally, this kind of business was handled entirely by her elder brother, Young Master Xu. But ever since Li Wenguo "took care of" him, she has taken over.

Although the Xu family usually cooperates with the British firm, this time they made an exception and came to visit on behalf of their second brother.

That's right—

Her second brother was also present at the dance that night, hoping to climb the social ladder by marrying Song Caidie. However, a "fiancé" suddenly appeared, and he didn't even get a chance to get close to her.

However, after hearing that her younger sister had found out about Song Caidie's fiancé's background, she specially invited her over to find out more about the situation.

And so, today's meeting came about.

"I see. But I heard that your Xu family has always dealt with the Industrial & Commercial Firm. Why have you switched to our Meifu & Co.?"

Li Wenguo asked with a smile, his tone humble, but his eyes subtly scanned the other person's expression.

He knew in his heart that this was by no means an ordinary purchase.

"Since Mr. Li left, the business of Indley & Co. has been declining, and the dispatch of goods has also been delayed. The ammunition ordered last time was unloaded eleven days late."

While the business downturn is real, the claim of "delayed delivery" is largely exaggerated.

After all, while foreigners may be cunning in business, they always keep a closer eye on contracts signed in black and white than eagles; no compensation for late payments? Not a chance.

"In that case, Miss Xu, please tell me exactly what equipment you need."

Xu Wanqing took a piece of paper out of her handbag and gently pushed it in front of Li Wenguo.

He glanced down and his heart skipped a beat—

Five thousand rifles!

One thousand submachine guns!

Five hundred pistols!

Five hundred thousand bullets!

One hundred 60mm mortars!

Fifty boxes of hand grenades!

Twenty 155mm howitzers!

In addition, various accessories and equipment were also included, bringing the total amount to nearly two million silver dollars!

Good guy!

This is like assembling an entire division!

Li Wenguo's fingertips paused slightly.

This deal was the most substantial arms transaction he had ever handled—the previous ones were, at best, piecemeal deals.

He had heard of the Xu family before: a family with impeccable military lineage, whose current head was Xu Wanqing's father, a powerful army commander who led several main divisions and whose every move shook the military circles of Beijing.

With such a huge appetite, how could he not be suspicious?

Could it be... that war is really about to break out?

According to historical records, the great war should have started in 1937. It has only been 1937 for now, and there are still several years before the full-scale war begins!

He raised an eyebrow slightly and said half-jokingly, "Buying so much stuff, are you planning to pull off a big heist?"

Xu Wanqing covered her mouth and chuckled, her eyes sparkling: "It's no trouble telling you—the newspapers will be reporting it in a couple of days anyway, that my Xu family is about to expand with a new division."

Hey!

They really dared to do that!

Li Wenguo clicked his tongue in amazement.

In that instant, my heart truly felt a surge of warmth.

If I could really marry this girl, I'm afraid even the police would have to show her more respect in the capital.

If anyone displeases him, he can send a platoon to suppress them. He doesn't even need to use his guns; just mentioning the Xu family's name will make the other party's legs go weak.

Not to mention her—bright and elegant, with a voluptuous figure, her features perfectly matching his aesthetic standards; coupled with her family background, she was a hot potato that was both tempting and alluring.

He quickly went through Xu Meijing's gentleness, He Shuting's thoughtfulness, Xiao Guohua's innocent smile, Xiao Jingfen's obedience, and the little one in his belly who hadn't shown up yet, one by one in his mind, before he could suppress that restlessness back into the depths of his chest.

"The Xu family's ambition is truly remarkable!"

He gave a thumbs-up, expressing his sincere admiration.

"Heh, they can only hold their own in this tiny corner of Beijing. Outside of Beijing, who even knows how to write the character 'Xu'? If we're talking about those who truly dominate the whole country, it has to be the Song family—they sit in the center of the country, and with a stomp of their feet, half of China has to listen to them."

Her words were laced with barbs, as if they held a deeper meaning.

Li Wenguo pretended not to hear, lowered his head, picked up his teacup, and gently blew on it.

"Okay! I'll place the order for this batch right away. The quantity is too large; if we ship everything on one production line, it will take at least a month."

"If you want to speed things up, I have a way." He raised his eyes and smiled.

"I'd love to hear your insightful opinions."

"Split half of the order and allocate it to another foreign firm—guarantee that it will all be in stock within twenty days."

Of course, he had his own agenda: Guosai Foreign Trade Company, whose name is derived from his "Guo" and Selena's "Sai," is a game he secretly orchestrated.

Xu Wanqing pondered for a moment, then nodded and said, "Okay, you make the arrangements."

"How about we grab a drink tonight? We can chat while we eat, and finalize the details."

Li Wenguo took the opportunity to extend an invitation.

"good!"

She had already intended to keep the appointment, so she should naturally be quick and decisive.

"Ouch--"

"Grandpa! Hurry! Little Sheng is kicking his legs from hunger, bring him over and feed him!"

Li Wenguo, his belt still loose, rushed to the cradle, scooped up his youngest son who was about to cry at the top of his lungs, and gently placed him in Xu Meijing's arms on the bed.

"Hmph, it's all your fault! Why were you in such a hurry? You almost made Xiaosheng faint from hunger!"

Xu Meijing glanced at him sideways, complaining, but her hands had already skillfully unbuttoned her clothes.

He was going to drink with Xu Wanqing tonight to discuss serious matters, and fearing that he might lose his composure under the influence of alcohol, he decided to go back to his room first for some intimate time—by the time he went out, his mind would be clear and his heart would be at ease.

"I have to go out for a social engagement later, and I really don't want to waste time with those frivolous women. I might as well come find you for some peace and quiet first, hehe!!!"

"You wouldn't want your master to get involved in those frivolous and dissolute ways, would you?"

Li Wenguo said with a smile.

"Hmph, you always have so many reasons! Hurry up and go, don't block Xiaosheng from breastfeeding—"

The last four words were as soft as honey, and her eyes sparkled with doting affection for Xiao Guosheng.

Li Wenguo nodded silently, feeling at ease and reassured.

Since becoming pregnant with this child, Xu Meijing's heart has been entirely devoted to Xiao Guosheng. She no longer sees the sadness and grief she felt after her parents' passing, and she has long since locked away her hatred for Xu Jiancheng deep in her drawer.

This was already excellent for her, but Li Wenguo wanted even better—so he was planning to have another child.

At nine o'clock sharp, he stepped into a highly private high-end club.

Xu Wanqing was already sitting in a booth further inside, waiting for him. She held a wine glass between her fingers, the Lafite in the glass was as clear as a ruby, and she took a small sip, her posture relaxed.

Manager Tong, who was standing outside the booth, gestured to him, and Li Wenguo took a few steps and sat down.

The two started by talking about the business deal they'd made that day, but Xu Wanqing was completely unguarded and handed over all the initiative to him: "You make the decision, I trust you."

Then, without making a sound, he turned to Song Caidie, his words full of hidden meanings and probing questions.

Whether Li Wenguo was prepared or not, he would never reveal the truth—Xu Wanqing immediately understood.