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

Li Wenguo handed over the death certificate and, without making a sound, slipped several bulging red envelopes into his hand. Hammer and Lei Sheng exchanged a few words, symbolically rummaged through the cabinets and lifted the bed board, and then heavily drew the character "亡" (death) on the register—and the matter of He Shuting was thus concluded.

"well--?"

Li Wenguo stood in the courtyard, gazing at the blooming roses, and suddenly thought of Xu Wanqing's radiance and Song Caidie's charm.

As the old saying goes: A country cannot be without a ruler for a day, and a palace cannot be without an empress for a day.

These words are surprisingly apt when applied to him.

Of course, he knew very well in his heart: He Shuting would always be his legal wife!

When He Shuting moved out of the Li family and resolutely refused to return, Xianglan and Hongyu immediately became restless. They spent their days hovering around Li Wenguo, making tea, serving water, massaging his shoulders and back, but only saying half a sentence, yet revealing eight parts of their meaning—how could he not understand?

Isn't he just eyeing the position of the legal wife?

But they hesitated to speak up and compete, all because Dong Haitang was pressing down on them.

In terms of background, methods, and confidence, the two of them are far inferior to her. If they were to actually fight it out, they wouldn't even make a sound.

Li Wenguo was so annoyed by the constant pestering that he simply said bluntly, "A legal wife should be respectable and have substance. You two should give up on this idea as soon as possible."

One sentence completely extinguished their hopes.

For a period of time afterward, Li Wenguo traveled back and forth, staying at the small villa in the embassy district for at least two or three days a week to accompany He Shuting in playing with their son, Xiao Guozhi, for fear that the father and son would become estranged.

Wen Keren had a gentle temperament and got along well with He Shuting. Accompanying them were two maids, one old and one young—the old woman handled the rough work, and the maid did the small tasks, so He Shuting only needed to hold the child and didn't have to worry about trivial matters. After all, the little one was still breastfeeding.

Once she had some free time, He Shuting couldn't contain herself any longer. She secretly pulled out her contact code book, pondering how to reconnect. She had a way to do this, but being trapped in the embassy district was like being locked in a glass dome. She had no idea what the winds were blowing outside or whether her comrades were safe. Going out to make contact rashly? The risk was too great. Discussing it with Li Wenguo? He always brushed her off with "wait a little longer" or "no rush," leaving her sighing with frustration.

She gritted her teeth secretly: Once Xiao Guozhi is weaned, she'll make a comeback immediately! She'll also ask her husband to get her a few radio operation manuals so she can learn them thoroughly first.

Li Wenguo didn't want her to stay cooped up in the house all day and get moldy, so he nodded in agreement.

If I could really become an underground telegraph operator in the future, that would be a wonderful thing—no need to show my face or risk making contact, just send messages in the embassy district, safe and efficient!

During this period, Li Wenguo used his connections to force two patrolmen into the embassy's jurisdiction—Liu Shouhou and Sun Gang; he also arranged for Haozi and the guard Dashan to take turns watching over the small villa, never leaving its side.

……

Inside a private room of a club owned by foreigners.

"Stop! This is really not working, let's stop here."

Noticing that Li Wenguo's hand had reached for her waist, Xu Wanqing snapped back to reality, grabbed his wrist, and spoke with a trembling voice but with unwavering resolve.

"hey-hey……"

Li Wenguo scratched the back of his head, chuckled sheepishly, and withdrew his hand.

In just three months, the two had become intimately close, only lacking the final hurdle to overcome—he hadn't missed a single thing: holding hands, embracing, or kissing.

Dong Haitang's actions fueled the flames and catered to his preferences; Song's status as a son-in-law further strengthened their relationship, causing it to heat up rapidly.

"Wen Guo, you... really want me that much?"

She straightened her skirt, looked up and stared directly at him, her eyes clear and calm.

"Of course! Wanqing, you are well-educated, graceful, and have a heart as soft as spring water. I've long cherished you in my heart. If it weren't for my pre-existing engagement with Caidie, I would gladly marry you formally and bring you into the house with great pomp and circumstance."

Sweet words flowed effortlessly from her lips, her affection so deep they seemed to drip with honey, and Xu Wanqing's ears quietly flushed red.

No matter how shrewd and capable she is, or how composed she is, she is still a woman of flesh and blood.

Sugar-coated bullets cannot break rationality, but they can loosen one's guard inch by inch.

She knew in her heart that if Li Wenguo could really help her father become the commander of the Jingbei District and was willing to break off the engagement with the Song family, marrying him might not be a bad idea.

Unfortunately, there is no "what if" in this world.

"Wen Guo, as long as you help my father get this position... I am yours."

She took the initiative to set conditions, speaking softly but with weight.

She had no expectations for the arranged marriage since childhood, so rather than let someone else benefit from it, she decided to give it to the man in front of her who had captured her heart.

"this……"

Li Wenguo's Adam's apple bobbed; he was indeed tempted. However, the position of Commander of the Jingbei District was the most coveted seal in the Jibei region. He was currently just a nominal deputy manager, a real spy, and in the eyes of those big shots, he was not even worth a sesame seed.

"Sigh, Wanqing, you overestimate me—I'm just a lowly assistant in a foreign firm, how could I be qualified to meddle in such matters?" He shrugged, his face full of helplessness.

"I know you can't accomplish anything on your own. But if you marry Song Caidie and speak on behalf of the Xu family as Song's son-in-law, your words will carry a different weight."

Even if you don't get what you want in the end, as long as you've done your best, I'll accept it.

Before she finished speaking, she had already sat sideways on his lap, wrapped her arms around his neck, and her eyes sparkled like a spring river about to overflow its banks.

Li Wenguo took the opportunity to put his arm around her slender waist, his warm palm pressed against her side, but he closed his eyes, leaned back against the sofa, and his mind raced: Is this thing worth taking a gamble on?

Marry Song Caidie? It's a simple matter of a word. Song Qingzhi could make the decision on the spot.

But once he becomes a member of the Song family, the Song family will definitely help him rise to a higher position—the higher the better.

But he knew perfectly well that the Kuomintang was the ultimate winner. The higher he climbed in the Kuomintang regime, the greater the chance he would be sent to Taiwan in the future. Who would willingly leave their magnificent homeland to go to that isolated island overseas?

As for Song Caidie, although she was plump, when it came to that kind of thing, she wasn't even good enough to be a substitute on a football team, which always bothered Li Wenguo.

He also considered using the favor owed by Song Qingzhi to exchange for Xu's father's official position—but if the favor was used, Xu Wanqing would have to enter the family, leaving the position of the principal wife vacant. Could he just leave her hanging and let her marry someone else?

This is tantamount to using the Song family's favor to marry another family's daughter. Could Song Qingzhi agree? Even if he verbally agreed, he would surely be seething with resentment: "You ungrateful wretch! You reject my beautiful niece and instead use my face to curry favor with another woman—you just wait, you'll regret it!"

Isn't this just making people want to die?

Ugh!

It's very tricky.

This is really difficult!

Li Wenguo shook his head inwardly.

"Let me think about this some more—come on, let's drink!"

Let's just put it off for now. Anyway, things change so fast these days, and the situation is like a boiling oil pan, where new things can happen in an instant. Maybe things will take a turn for the better in a while, and things will really go as planned, right?

Xu Wanqing knew that such an important matter couldn't be decided on a whim; it required careful consideration and meticulous planning. She immediately uncorked the wine, took a sip, and then leaned closer to transfer the wine to Li Wenguo's lips.

At 11:00 AM sharp, after saying goodbye to Xu Wanqing, Li Wenguo rushed straight to Mitsui Miri's residence.

The fire burning inside him was already raging and needed to be extinguished on the spot.

Furthermore, Xianglan and Dong Haitang are at a sensitive juncture, Hongyu is pregnant, Xiaocui and Xiaoju have just started their periods, He Shuting and Wen Keren only had their turn last night, and today it's this little notebook girl's turn—that's what you call treating everyone fairly!

Moreover, she spoke with an authentic Japanese accent, which vaguely reminded Li Wenguo of his youthful days when he sat alone in front of the computer, building his empire with his own two hands.

The car came to a stop shortly afterward.

A small courtyard stood quietly before him, somewhat cold and simple. Li Wenguo felt a pang of shame, unworthy of his status.

But Mitsui Miri was determined not to move into the mansion prepared for her, so he had no choice but to let her be.

Although the courtyard was narrow, it was kept clean and quiet, which perfectly matched her usual temperament.

Two hours later.

With the matter resolved, Li Wenguo reclined on the couch to catch his breath. Mitsui Miri leaned against his chest, half-supported, and softly asked, "Mr. Li, who...does your household have people?"

Over the past few months, the two had thoroughly mastered each other's acupoint awareness and sword skills, even exposing the deepest creases in their hearts to the light of day. Mitsui Miri felt the time was right and quietly launched a test.

"Why are you suddenly asking this?"

Li Wenguo had no suspicions, only a slight surprise.

"Look at us, we're in this situation—I have to start thinking about the future, don't I?"

Her eyes were slightly lowered, and her tone carried just the right amount of trepidation.

"It's alright to tell you—there are already six concubines in the family."

"Six...six?!"

Mitsui Miri's eyes widened slightly, and her voice trembled slightly.

"Heh heh, we Chinese are all about saving face. Which rich and powerful man doesn't have three wives and four concubines? I'm still short two spots!"

Li Wenguo grinned, making no attempt to hide it.

"So...are they all staying home to take care of their husbands and children, or are they each busy with their own lives?"

"Don't get me wrong—if I really go there, I won't stay at home like a caged bird; I'll still go out and do things."

Seeing that his expression changed slightly, she immediately added a sentence.

"Oh, one of them is indeed working elsewhere."

Li Wenguo answered truthfully.

—What is her profession?

The words stuck in her throat, and she swallowed them back. After all, that concubine who was "working outside" was very likely the secret service captain.

"Then...would you be willing to let your concubine work in the ** department?"

Why did you suddenly bring this up?

Li Wenguo raised an eyebrow slightly, a hint of suspicion in his expression.

"That's right—if I really intend to marry you, I'll naturally need to become a Chinese citizen. I've heard that the ** department offers excellent benefits, the work is easy, and the risks are low; besides, as a manager of a foreign firm, you have a wide network and many connections, so I also need to plan ahead for my future career."

She had rehearsed these words countless times, making them natural, safe, and logically setting the stage for her next attempt to probe into social relationships.

"Yes, that's fine."

Li Wenguo nodded in agreement.

Mitsui Miri nodded slightly, then changed the subject, chatting about some unimportant matters. "That's enough for today; going too far would only arouse suspicion." Soon after, Li Wenguo rose to take his leave.

He never stays overnight in unfamiliar places, except for hotels—he's afraid something might go wrong at night.

"Bang! Bang! Bang!!!"

Just as the car drove onto the street, several gunshots suddenly rang out ahead.

Ding Xiaoqi slammed on the brakes and turned the steering wheel, preparing to make a U-turn.

"Sigh, if you walk the dark road too often, you're bound to run into a ghost sooner or later!"

Li Wenguo gazed out the window and sighed softly.

This happens roughly every two or three months.

As he reversed, A-Gui glanced out of the corner of his eye and suddenly stared at the alleyway ahead—Old Pan was rushing out of it, followed by three other people.

"Hey! Mr. Li, it's Old Pan and the others!"

He raised his voice and immediately shouted it out.

Li Wenguo glanced around and, sure enough, four figures rushed out of the alley, with Lao Pan and Zhou Zheng among them.

"They're being chased by the same group. Drive slowly, find out how many guns they have first."

His tone was calm, yet it carried a chilling edge.

Ding Xiaoqi and A Gui understood immediately: if the other side had fewer people, they might as well turn the tables and leave them all here.

"Understood, Mr. Li!"

Before he finished speaking, Lao Pan and his three companions had already made their escape, with five dark figures tailing them tightly—the one in the lead was burly with broad shoulders and thick legs, looking like an iron hammer smashed into the ground.

"The hammer's inside!"

Ding Xiaoqi blurted it out.

"Alright, the inside man is in place."

Li Wenguo nodded, his eyes slightly brightening.

"Master Li, let's lure them into that narrow alley, block them from both ends, and trap them like dumplings!"

Ah Gui pointed with his finger, his tone crisp and decisive.

"Dry."

Ah Gui immediately turned on his flashlight and shone the beam at Lao Pan and the others.

"Huh? It's Ding Xiaoqi! And Master Li's car too!"

Old Pan recognized him at a glance, and his voice rose a notch.

He has a very sharp eye; he can see the words on a license plate clearly even from a hundred meters away.

"Hurry up! Don't stop!"

Zhou Zheng grabbed his companion and gave chase.

"Who is this?"

The man in his thirties standing next to him was breathing heavily, his eyes full of suspicion.

"Someone I trust!"

As Lao Pan ran, he shouted, not bothering to explain in detail—the other person's left shoulder was covered in blood, and if he was dragged on any longer, he might faint from blood loss.

Instead of slowing down, the car swerved and plunged straight into the narrow alleyway on the left.

"Quick! Take the shortcut and chase after them!"

Old Pan pushed off with his feet and led the charge.

"Stop! Run again or I'll shoot!"

Behind them, the spies roared, and bullets whizzed past the wall.

But the car in front had already driven far away, its shadow blurred, let alone detect the ambush.

In the blink of an eye, Lao Pan and his four companions, along with five secret agents, all disappeared into the alley.

"Move! Move now!!!"