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

"Guoshu," Li Guoxin rubbed his hands, his voice a little hoarse, "I can't explain this to you in detail."

"Alright." Li Guoshu waved his hand. "She's at the Holiday Inn, room 308. Come over tonight. She came all the way from Beijing; it wasn't easy for her."

He didn't mention "belly" or "child," he only said "it wasn't easy."

But these three words are heavier than anything else.

"Guoshu, I really can't go. Your sister-in-law found out that Tian Tian has followed me all the way to Shanghai, and she said on the spot... If I dare to see her, she'll immediately tell Dad. I'm forty years old, do you really want me to get a beating and make the whole family lose face?"

Li Guoxin spread his hands, his voice calm and even, without sighing or raising his voice.

Zeng Minzhi had long figured out Tian Tian's tactics: she wouldn't overturn the table unless she was pushed to the brink.

So, starting two years ago, the two began to compete openly and secretly.

The main house is the main house; it has never been inferior to the main house.

"Then... what should we do?"

Li Guoshu frowned and tapped his knee twice with his fingers.

"Please settle Tian Tian down for me first. Find her a decent place to stay and give her some money so she can live comfortably. She's over eight months pregnant and due next month. Please take good care of her."

Li Guoxin speaks slowly, but every sentence he utters is substantial.

He was being watched closely by Zeng Minzhi, and even going out to buy a pack of cigarettes required him to report it.

"this……"

Li Guoshu paused, not responding immediately.

Getting involved in this kind of thing is a thankless and exhausting task.

If my sister-in-law finds out, she'll definitely say I'm "favoring outsiders."

But that's my own brother, and I can't refuse now that things have come to this.

"Okay, I'll do it."

With Tian Tian's matter settled, Li Guoxin felt a weight lifted from his shoulders and turned to ask about their serious business: "How's the land in Huangpu progressing?"

"The foundation has been excavated."

Li Guoshu nodded.

"Are the funds sufficient?"

"enough."

"Still want to acquire land?"

"There's another plot of land along the Hongkou River, about fifty acres, right by the dock, with a great view. I can negotiate the price down... ten million, you can take it."

Li Guoxin lowered his voice. He was in charge of that area.

Li Guoshu did not answer immediately.

Pursuing two plots of land simultaneously will definitely strain cash flow.

Fifty acres of riverside land, once built, are all in high demand.

At worst, I can ask Brother Guoji for help.

"I'll take it."

He gritted his teeth, a decisive and swift motion.

"I'll get the paperwork done as soon as possible."

After the two parted ways, Li Guoshu immediately called Li Jiayu: "Find a place near Huaihai Road, with a hospital, subway, and supermarket nearby, preferably a detached house with a garden, the sooner the better."

He didn't say "villa," but the meaning was clear... Tian Tian is the future sister-in-law, so she can't be lacking in dignity.

Li Jiayu was efficient and replied an hour later: There are old European-style villas for sale on the western section of Huaihai Road. They were built during the Republic of China era and have clean property rights.

Li Guoshu didn't delay and drove straight there.

Rows of small buildings with red bricks and gray roofs stand quietly along the street, with carved window frames and old-fashioned wrought iron railings. They are unassuming but dignified.

"Mr. Li?"

As soon as a Maserati with a Hong Kong license plate came to a stop, a man in a navy blue jacket approached with a smile on his face and reached out quickly and steadily.

"I am Lei Zhenguo. Young Master Li instructed me to wait for you here."

"Hello."

Li Guoshu reached out and shook hands.

Lei Zhenguo paused slightly... This guy may be young, but he has a composed demeanor.

Two hours later, more than 300,000 yuan was transferred out, and two sets were purchased.

One set was for Tian Tian, ​​and the other was for myself.

Staying in hotels for too long can make your back stiff; only by owning an apartment can you truly feel like you've settled into Shanghai.

Before leaving, he instructed Lei Zhenguo to provide a full team that day: a nanny and a driver to oversee Tian Tian's prenatal and postnatal care.

...It was a detached house, and there were people to take care of it. The scale of the event was three times larger than Li Guoxin had imagined.

Li Guoxin only said, "Find a quiet courtyard and give me some money," but Li Guoshu's projects often involved hundreds of millions of yuan. In his eyes, this amount of investment was just a small fraction of an account.

With Tian Tian's belly showing, her quiet demeanor, and her strikingly bright eyes, Li Guoshu felt a sense of compensation: he would take her place since his brother owed her.

Lei Zhenguo was indeed efficient.

The nanny and driver arrived the following afternoon.

The nanny's surname is Zhou, she is 45 years old, has excellent cooking skills, and is quick and efficient; the driver's surname is Chen, he is a retired soldier, quiet, and drives steadily.

In the evening, Mr. Chen picked up Tian Tian and brought her to the villa.

She got out of the car, holding onto the door, and looked up at the three-story building, the arched doorway, and the floor-to-ceiling windows, remaining silent for a moment.

I thought it would be at most a villa with a yard, but I ended up going straight into this place.

Li Guoshu handed over the property certificate and 100,000 yuan in cash. Tian Tian accepted it steadily, but her fingertips were secretly burning.

My heart is beating fast, not because I'm panicked, but because I'm confident.

She had already done the math: a trip to Shanghai yielded her an apartment, a sum of money, and a favor. Worth it.

She lowered her head and stroked her belly, smiling as she agreed with Li Guoshu, "Don't worry, I won't go out. We'll talk about it after the baby is born."

His tone was gentle and his attitude was sincere.

"I live right next door, call me if you need anything."

After Li Guoshu finished speaking, he turned and left.

Tian Tian stood on the steps, not moving.

The setting sun cast its rays, making the cover of the property ownership certificate shine.

She turned to the first page, and the name was clearly printed on it.

"Madam, what would you like to eat tonight? I'll go buy the groceries now."

Aunt Zhou stood upright three steps away, her back straight, her eyes neither humble nor arrogant.

Tian Tian withdrew her gaze, slightly raised her chin, and spoke in a low but authoritative tone: "Steamed sea bass, garlic broccoli, and a stewed old hen soup with cordyceps. The soup should be simmered over low heat for two hours."

Aunt Zhou replied with an "okay" and turned to go inside.

Having worked in this line of work for thirty years, she could recognize him at a glance: this guy wasn't here to lay low, he was here to take charge.

The work was tough, but the pay was good, so she had to hold on.

A week later.

The Guomao Electrical Appliances City, jointly opened by Xu Damao and Li Guobiao, has officially opened for business.

The newspaper ran a GG ad for fourteen consecutive days, and on the opening day, a long queue formed outside the store.

The scene was exactly the same as when the shop opened in Beijing back then.

Before the gate even opened, the line had already circled two street corners.

"Uncle Da Mao, your electronics store is really something else. It's packed with people. It makes me want to invest in it."

Outside the shop, Li Jiayu and Li Guoshu arrived together. Li Jiayu glanced around at the long queue outside, smiled, and spoke with a hint of teasing.

Xu Damao was standing on the steps greeting customers when he heard the voice. He turned around with a smile on his face: "Oh, Brother Jiayu, you flatter me! It's just a small business, barely enough to make a living. Your factory is the real deal. My little stall can't even compare to a corner of their workshop." As he spoke, he waved his hand, his tone familiar, neither humble nor arrogant, flattering the other party while subtly silencing the question... The meaning was clear: don't think too much about it, and definitely don't try to take advantage of it.

Running a factory is a respectable business right now, but selling goods is ultimately a less desirable option.

Li Guoshu picked up the conversation, his voice calm: "Looking at Shanghai alone, it's really nothing. But if you include the more than ten provincial capitals and municipalities in the north, with ten stores in each place, that adds up to more than two hundred storefronts. The scale of the business is expanding faster than we are building buildings."

"Hehe, this matter really needs to be handled through Brother Guobiao's connections." Xu Damao casually mentioned Li Guobiao, his tone light but carrying great weight.

He hadn't forgotten what happened in Tianjing. Li Jiazhen's 15% stake had been quietly swallowed up; on the surface, everything seemed calm, but beneath the surface, the undercurrents had already softened everyone's bones. Human nature is a fickle thing; one can maintain composure on stage, but not necessarily off stage.

Li Jiayu understood and smiled, "Uncle Da Mao, don't worry. You and Uncle Guo Biao are in cahoots. We won't interfere or get involved."

"Hehe!" Xu Damao grinned, but didn't respond. Instead, he changed the subject, "By the way, is the Happiness Residential Area almost finished?"

"The roof was completed the day before yesterday, and now we're laying the exterior wall tiles. Once the scaffolding is removed, we can hand over the property. We'll take our time with the landscaping and public buildings; it won't affect the owners' ability to start their renovations," Li Guoshu answered decisively.

"Okay, just let me know when the time comes, and I'll go take a look." Xu Damao nodded, his eyes lighting up. He kept a close eye on the real estate business; he couldn't afford to be even slightly off.

"No problem."

At the same time, a black sedan drove over the Bund Elevated Road, heading towards Huangpu District. Wang Tingwei sat in the driver's seat, his hands on the steering wheel; Qi Zhendong and Wang Hanli sat in the back seat.

As soon as the car landed at the airport, we headed straight to Guomao Electrical Appliances City.

"Zhendong, this Guomao is no ordinary company." Wang Hanli leaned forward, speaking slightly faster. "Ten in Shanghai, basically covering all the provincial capitals in the north, ten in each place, totaling more than two hundred and thirty."

"I've already reached an agreement with the boss. Venus refrigerators will be put on the shelves for trial sales first. Once it takes off, it will immediately be distributed throughout the entire northern market. This was done by Tingwei's people who scouted the area."

Qi Zhendong's eyes lit up: "Great! That's fantastic!"

He raised his hand and patted Wang Tingwei on the shoulder: "Tingwei, this move was well made."

The most precious thing right now is time. The sooner we get our funds back, the less pressure there will be on our financing gap in the US, and the less risk we'll face if we're forced out of the market.

Wang Tingwei turned his head to the side, his tone calm: "Uncle Qi, you're too kind. Venus products are all original imports, the quality speaks for itself. Even without the electronics mall, we can still stand on our own."

That's what they said, but the certainty in their eyes clearly wasn't just about the product, but also about their identity... Americans and American brands should naturally have an edge.

As the car turned onto Nanjing East Road, the crowds thronging the entrance to Guomao Electrical Appliances City came into view. A dense, black mass stretched from the steps all the way to the street corner.

The three of them exchanged a glance, none of them spoke, but their smiles relaxed.

"The boss is quite knowledgeable." Qi Zhendong nodded.

In his eyes, those people queuing up were not customers, but ready-made orders.

Wang Hanli, with his sharp eyes, spotted the man in the white suit at the edge of the crowd: "Xu Damao is over there!"

Today, Xu Damao was dressed in a simple white suit, blue shirt, and pointed leather shoes, which stood out against the drab street scene.

Qi Zhendong and Wang Hanli got out of the car.

Qi Zhendong knew that refrigerators were just the beginning; there were also air conditioners, washing machines, microwave ovens, and so on. Once this channel was established, the factory's production lines would have to start operating.

But once the car door closed, Wang Tingwei remained seated in the driver's seat.

He stared at the two people next to Xu Damao... Li Jiayu and Li Guoshu.

Why are they here?

When did you get on board?

His face immediately darkened.