Courtyard House: The Road to an Industrial Power

That afternoon, the deaf old woman, leaning on her cane, slowly walked into the dilapidated courtyard house.

Unlike last time, there were no guards at the gate this time, only the rustling of the wind blowing through the weeds on the courtyard wall.

Pushing open the slightly ajar wooden door, a stack of papers was already laid out on the octagonal table in the main room.

The middle-aged man in the brocade robe pointed to the paper on the table when she came in: "Everything you wanted is here."

The deaf old woman walked over quickly, picked up the paper, and carefully looked through it.

The document contained various information about Widow Li, each entry causing her to frown.

According to the testimony of fellow villagers who fled famine with her, Widow Li was originally from Cangzhou, Hebei, and her surname was Liu, not actually Li.

She fled famine all the way to Beijing, always accompanied by a tall man who was said to be her distant cousin, but in reality, he was her lover.

This man was ruthless. Anyone who tried to harm Widow Li along the way was either beaten with broken arms and legs or simply thrown to the side of the road, their fate unknown.

Strangely, the day before entering Beijing, the man suddenly and inexplicably died in a dilapidated temple, without any wounds on his body, as if he had been poisoned.

What's even more alarming is that some villagers who fled famine vaguely revealed that Widow Li had stayed on Black Wind Mountain near Cangzhou when she was young.

Black Wind Mountain was a notorious den of bandits. More than a decade ago, it was besieged by the government. The bandit leader and his henchmen were either captured or killed, with only a few managing to escape.

The villagers speculated that Widow Li was very likely the bandit leader of Black Wind Mountain back then, or even the woman of the bandit leader.

However, there was no solid evidence, and since everyone was fleeing famine and preoccupied with their own survival, no one dared to investigate further.

The deaf old woman's heart sank more and more as she looked at the scene.

She was right; this widow Li was not only of suspicious identity, but also a ruthless person.

She was most likely responsible for her lover's death, so that she could sever ties after entering the city and find her own opportunities.

The deaf old woman held up the note in her hand and said, "Thank you for your hard work."

The middle-aged man then said, "Are you sure you don't need me to get rid of him? Are you really comfortable having someone like that around?"

The deaf old woman stood up and said, "She's just a little girl. The only thing I, an old woman, can control is profit."

"Besides, I still have a great use for this person. I'll come back to you when I'm done with him."

The middle-aged man smiled and nodded, saying, "If you need anything, feel free to contact me anytime."

The deaf old woman didn't say anything more and turned to leave the dilapidated courtyard.

It was already evening when we returned to the courtyard house.

Widow Li was cleaning the yard when she saw the deaf old woman return. She quickly and respectfully greeted her, "Grandma, you're back."

The deaf old woman did not respond and went straight into the house.

Widow Li followed them into the house and closed the door behind her.

"Sit down." The deaf old woman sat down in the chair and pointed to the stool opposite her.

Widow Li hesitated for a moment, then sat down, placing her hands on her knees, looking docile.

The deaf old woman stared at her for a long time before slowly speaking, "You're from Cangzhou, Hebei, and your surname isn't Li, right?"

A flicker of panic crossed Widow Li's eyes, but she still managed to remain calm as she said, "Grandma, what are you saying? I am Widow Li, from Cangzhou, Hebei."

"Still trying to pretend?" The deaf old woman sneered.

He pulled out the piece of paper with her information from his pocket and threw it in front of her. "Liu Cuihua, the wife of the bandit chief of Black Wind Mountain, this is your real name, isn't it?"

"You poisoned your lover with your own hands, didn't you?"

With a "whoosh," Widow Li suddenly stood up, her eyes instantly turning fierce.

There was no trace of docility left.

She stared intently at the deaf old woman: "You're investigating me?"

"How can I keep you by my side without investigating this thoroughly?"

"Let me tell you, I've lived this long, what storms haven't I weathered? Your tricks are no match for me."

Widow Li secretly clenched her fist, ready to strike at any moment.

She never expected that this seemingly inconspicuous old lady could find out so much.

"Don't even think about killing me."

The deaf old woman said slowly, "If I die, within three hours your identity will be known throughout the entire city of Beijing. Then the police will be everywhere looking for you. Do you think you can escape?"

Widow Li stopped moving.

She knew the deaf old woman was telling the truth. She was now extremely nervous, and once her identity was exposed, she would have nowhere to escape.

Seeing her hesitation, the deaf old woman softened her tone: "I'm not here to cause you any trouble. On the contrary, I want to cooperate with you."

"Cooperation?" Widow Li looked at her in confusion.

"What's there for us to cooperate on?"

The deaf old woman stood up, walked to the window, and looked out at the courtyard house.

"I won't hide it from you anymore, I used to be a concubine of Prince Gong."

"Later, my family fell into poverty, and that's how I ended up here."

"I have a lot of treasures and many former subordinates, but I don't dare to be too ostentatious because of the current atmosphere."

She turned around and looked at Widow Li: "I know what you want, nothing more than a sum of money and a peaceful old age."

"If you help me clear the obstacles in the courtyard house, I will give you a huge sum of money, enough for you to live a life of comfort and ease."

Widow Li was stunned.

She never imagined that the deaf old woman had such a powerful background and a huge sum of money.

This is exactly what she has been dreaming of.

But she didn't agree immediately. Instead, she asked warily, "What makes you think I should trust you?"

The deaf old woman sat back down in her chair. "Because I can find out your identity, I can also keep you safe."

"I know you're a smart man, you know what you should and shouldn't do. Cooperation will benefit both of us."

Widow Li fell silent.

She figured in her heart that the deaf old woman had connections and treasures, and could give her a huge sum of money.

She had the means to help the deaf old woman deal with people. This deal was indeed a good one. But she wasn't stupid; she couldn't easily trust others.

"I can help you."

"But I also warn you if you dare to lie to me or break your promises."

"I'll kill you first, then run away. With my skills, the police won't be able to catch me."

"At worst, I'll just be wandering around."

The deaf old woman scoffed inwardly, but smiled outwardly: "Don't worry, I keep my word. As long as you handle things well, I won't shortchange you a single penny."

The deaf old woman then asked, "Where do you plan to start?"

Widow Li said while wiping the water off her hands with a rag, "Let's start with He Daqing."

"He Daqing?"

"He's just a lecherous old man, with no real skills. Is he worth all this trouble?"

"It's precisely because he's incompetent and lecherous that he's easy to control."

"I didn't take him seriously before, thinking he wasn't worth anything."

"But things are different now. He's Shazhu's father. As long as I have him under my control, I can influence Shazhu through him."

"It's not impossible that Sha Zhu will serve you again in the future."

She paused, then continued, "Moreover, I also plan to find an opportunity to bring Jia Zhangshi over."

"That fat pig is stupid, impulsive, and always trying to take advantage of others. She's easy to control. With her help, things will be much easier for us."

The deaf old woman nodded in satisfaction: "Okay, we'll do it your way. But remember, do things cleanly and don't leave any evidence against you."

"Don't worry, I know what I'm doing," Widow Li said with a smile.