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

What I hate most is this kind of subtle, veiled rivalry between women.

But no one got the short end of the stick: He Shuting turned around and burst into tears when she protected Xianglan; Hongyu immediately became dejected and lost her appetite when she helped He Shuting.

What does he want? Isn't he just looking for peace and quiet, a warm bed, and a harmonious family that takes good care of him?

It's a pity that the human heart is like a field; if you don't plant rice, thorns will grow.

Even the smallest courtyard can accommodate three undercurrents, each swirling in its own way.

"Well, it's good that Xianglan wants to try something new and change things up."

"Hmm, looks energetic, I like it."

Li Wenguo kept a straight face and spoke in a flat tone, neither warm nor perfunctory, simply making a light request.

But to Xianglan, these words were a reassuring balm.

His back straightened instantly, his chest puffed out even more proudly, and he glanced sideways at He Shuting and Hongyu with a slightly raised eyebrow, the meaning clear: See? I love this style of mine!

The two felt a tightness in their chests and almost gritted their teeth.

Pooh!

Who isn't just two lumps of flesh? Why are you shaking like that?

However, she didn't argue back—her man had already said "I like him," so wouldn't it be a slap in his face to pour cold water on him?

These days, men are the pillars of society. If the roof beams don't collapse, who dares to lift the tiles?

The meal was finished shortly afterward.

"Let's go see our daughter, Xiaohan!"

After finishing half a cup of tea, he casually uttered a pretext that even he himself didn't believe, and grabbed Xianglan's wrist, eagerly pulling her towards the inner courtyard.

Uniform + intellectualism + subtly revealed curves - who can resist this?

Anyway, half of his body had already gone numb.

Seeing her husband's impatient look, He Shuting felt like she had a wad of wet cotton stuffed in her heart. She deliberately stopped him, saying, "Sir, Xiaohan just had her check-up yesterday. It's Guohua's turn today."

"It's okay, it'll be the same if we check tomorrow morning."

"Wouldn't it be the same if Xiaohan watched it tomorrow morning?"

She wasn't really worried about her son; she just deliberately chose this time to upset Xianglan and Li Wenguo.

Different!

Can you make me feel good?

Li Wenguo's stomach was churning, but he remained calm on the surface: "Since you said it's the same, then I can watch it whenever I want."

Upon hearing this, He Shuting opened her mouth, but ultimately only managed to utter, "But..."

Before Li Wenguo finished speaking, he had already walked away with Xianglan in his arms, his hand still blatantly resting on her waist, his knuckles slightly tucked in, as if holding a piece of soft jade.

"dog……"

The thought had barely crossed her mind when her tongue froze, and she swallowed the rest of it back down.

It's easy to curse, but actually uttering those two words makes you feel inferior—it's fine to curse in your heart, but to tear someone apart to their face? She hasn't developed that kind of courage yet.

"Sister, look at that little vixen! People from brothels have no manners at all. Her neckline is plunging to her belly button, and her cheongsam is slit up to her thighs. Isn't she blatantly seducing us? If you don't do something about it, she'll start getting all over us!"

As soon as Li Wenguo and Xianglan entered the room, Hongyu, with her round belly, came forward and spoke in a high-pitched, bright voice, like a taut string.

He Shuting glanced at her sideways, her tone so cold it could freeze:

"I don't care? Did you just let those words at the dinner table go in one ear and out the other?"

"But the master just loves her act. Can I pry open his head and find someone else?"

"If you're really not convinced, you can just follow her example—twisting your waist, throwing your eyes around, and wearing clothes as thin as cicada wings."

"Anyway, everyone knows my temperament."

Hmph! So audacious!

Hongyu curled her lip and shook her head, looking disgusted: "Xianglan came from a brothel, how can I be compared to her?"

"Hongyu, listen carefully—if no one's around and you gossip about her background to me, I'll just listen to it as idle chatter; but if one day you let slip even a single word about it in front of the master or outsiders..." He Shuting's gaze suddenly darkened, "The master will lose face and take his anger out on you. Don't blame me for not warning you beforehand."

"Sister, don't worry, Hongyu knows what's good for her."

"I'm going back to my room."

Before she could finish speaking, she had already craned her neck and shouted loudly towards the gate, "Xiao Cui! Xiao Cui!"

"Oh—Aunt Yang! Coming, coming!"

Xiao Cui's hands were still covered in oil from the stove. She ran over while wiping them and grabbed Hong Yu's arm.

The two of them, one in front of the other, swayed and strolled towards the inner courtyard.

"Tsk."

"Quite the show-off."

From the hall to the bedroom, it's only a hundred or so steps, yet you still need someone to help you. Do you really think you're a pampered noble in the Forbidden City?

He Shuting shook her head, patted her sleeping son in her arms, and turned to go back to her room.

Night fell, and it was exactly ten o'clock.

"Aunt Dong, we've arrived!"

Wen San gently woke Dong Haitang, who was dozing off in the car seat.

Ever since Li Wenguo exposed He Chaomin's affair, the Second Division has been working non-stop, almost every night until ten o'clock. If it weren't for the fact that she was married and a meritorious contributor to the intelligence line, she probably would have been nailed to her chair all night.

Dong Haitang dozed off briefly in the bumpy carriage, then stretched and exhaled a puff of white breath—

With a twist of her waist, her figure came alive: slender enough to be pinched, yet supporting the breathtaking rise and fall of her chest; beneath the high slit of her cheongsam, her two long legs were dazzlingly white, as smooth as freshly peeled lotus roots.

It's beautiful in a way that defies logic, and ruthless in a way that leaves no room for compromise.

Wen San kept his eyes down, staring at the tips of his shoes, not daring to even lift his eyelids.

He knew better than anyone that looking at his master's woman was a recipe for disaster.

After washing up, Dong Haitang changed into a simple velvet bathrobe, stood barefoot on the carpet, and swung her slender legs while sitting on the edge of the bed waiting.

Half an hour passed.

"That's strange?"

Her freshly manicured nails gleamed softly under the light, and her delicate eyebrows furrowed slightly: "Why isn't that old man here yet?"

She knew Li Wenguo too well—he was obsessed with her, almost to the point of madness. He visited her almost every night, sometimes even waiting in her room early in the morning. As soon as she entered, he would take her hand and lead her to the bathroom, where they would do their business in the steamy atmosphere.

This gap today is really unusual.

Little did she know, her husband was being bewitched by another body, lingering in someone else's house.

If she really knew, she would probably secretly breathe a sigh of relief—career is more important, and she would be more willing to save on those little expenses in bed.

After a while, Dong Haitang yawned three times in a row, her eyelids drooping.

"Fine, I'll go to sleep first. If he really comes, I'll just leave him hanging—let him knock on the door himself, humph!"

The next day at the breakfast table, she saw Xianglan wearing a scarlet cheongsam, her curly hair was fluffy like clouds, and her lips were as bright as freshly bitten cherries; when she sat down, the slit was so high that it almost exposed her, and her waist and hip curves were incredibly taut.

Looking at Hongyu's sarcastic face, Dong Haitang paused, finally raising her eyes to seriously examine Xianglan.

What a beauty—no, what a little slut!

Dong Haitang sneered inwardly.

This outfit is exactly like those socialites at a party who attract attention and flirt with men, striking poses and acting coquettishly, without any difference.

But unfortunately—

My husband is totally susceptible to this.

She glanced over instinctively, and sure enough, Li Wenguo's gaze was fixed on the man as if he were nailed to him.

snort!

That worthless lecher!

Dong Haitang was furious and blurted out a curse.

She herself didn't realize that there was a bitter taste in her words.

and many more!

If he's really lured away and never has time to step into his own house again... that would actually save him some trouble?

I can fully focus on my work and won't let promotion opportunities slip away to others.

Her heart skipped a beat, and she felt a faint sense of relief.

"vomit--!"

But before her relief could even linger, a sudden nausea hit her, and she began to dry heave.

"What's wrong?"

"Begonia!"

Li Wenguo immediately turned his head, his voice full of concern.

In this room, he was the only one who would even utter a word to her. The other women had long regarded her as a thorn in their side and couldn't even be bothered to lift their eyelids.

"It's nothing, I just suddenly felt nauseous."

Dong Haitang frowned, her tone hard.

She had never done this before.

I picked up the bowl of porridge and took a sip, but the nausea didn't subside; instead, it surged even more intensely upwards.

"vomit--!"

He Shuting, Hongyu, and Xianglan exchanged glances and immediately understood—this reaction meant she was probably pregnant.

"nausea?"

Upon hearing this, Li Wenguo's gaze swept across the three of them, recalling how they had also felt nauseous at this time when they were newly pregnant.

His eyes lit up, and a smile spread across his face as he said happily, "Haitang, you wouldn't... be pregnant, would you?"

pregnant?

Dong Haitang frowned, but her heart sank as if a block of ice had fallen into it.

Her career is just beginning to take off. If she stays at home pregnant, where will her name be on the list of achievements?

If we falter at this crucial juncture, wouldn't we be handing over our future to someone else for nothing?

Upon hearing this, Xianglan and Hongyu, sitting across the table, couldn't hide their smiles.

Having become pregnant, she naturally could no longer serve the emperor in bed—Li Wenguo would have to find another place to go at night.

Especially Hongyu, who is nearing her due date; once she finishes her postpartum confinement, Li Wenguo will probably stay in her room every day.

As for Xianglan? She didn't care at all.

Only He Shuting's face darkened.

Dong Haitang was a spy planted by the Kuomintang, and they were inherently irreconcilable enemies. She had been plotting for a long time, hoping that Li Wenguo would send her away with a letter of divorce, but now that she was pregnant, the entanglement was even deeper. Trying to get rid of her? It was as difficult as climbing to heaven.

Before long, Li Wenguo summoned Wen San and personally escorted Dong Haitang to Baoningtang for medical treatment.

When Bao Ning Tang was mentioned, Li Wenguo initially looked down on it from the bottom of his heart—in those days, its thinking was outdated, its equipment was rudimentary, and its medical skills were backward. How could it compare to modern times?

Ke Xianglan and Hongyu became pregnant after only one week of treatment; He Shuting's long-standing menstrual cramps were cured after a few doses of medicine.

He had no choice but to admit defeat, giving the doctor a thumbs-up and genuinely gesturing to him.

Thinking about it, it makes sense. That doctor was a former imperial physician who specialized in diagnosing the imperial concubines. He was one of the best gynecologists in the country, and common ailments were no problem for him.

After the examination, the doctor nodded in confirmation: Yes, you are pregnant.

Dong Haitang felt a chill run through her body.

My belly is still flat right now, and I can barely manage to go to work; once my due date comes, I won't be able to go out anymore.

Being a spy is inherently a tough job that involves braving wind and rain.

Chasing and arresting people while heavily pregnant? Who would believe that?

The only option left was to go home and prepare for childbirth.

All those achievements, promotions, and future prospects... have to be given to others.

How could she swallow this insult?

In the dead of night, she finally spoke.

"She's really pregnant!"

"Great! I'm going to be a dad to four kids this time!"

Li Wenguo was so happy he almost blurted out about Maria.

Maria is a month ahead of Ruby in her pregnancy, already nine months along, and is likely due to give birth at the end of the month.

"Sir, I'd like to discuss something with you."

"you say."

Seeing Dong Haitang's stiff expression and her fingers unconsciously twisting the hem of her clothes, Li Wenguo's smile faded, and a warning bell rang in his heart.

"I don't want to keep this child for now. You already have two children, and Hongyu is about to give birth to hers. It won't matter if I'm one less."

Li Wenguo's face darkened.

Dong Haitang gritted her teeth and added:

"If you really want it, it's not too late to have a child for you when I'm in my thirties or forties."

Give birth? Give birth to a ghost!

Having your first child in your thirties these days is almost a death sentence!

The idea of ​​two lives lost is not meant to scare people—in his eyes, the thought is utterly absurd and incredibly stupid!

"No. This is non-negotiable."

"You must keep this child."

Li Wenguo's voice was taut like a fully drawn bowstring, each word striking the air.

"Leave the child behind? How will I build my career then?"

Dong Haitang raised her chin, her voice bright and firm, showing no sign of backing down, but rather exuding a sense of self-righteous confidence.

"Career? What's a career anyway!"

"Tell me, is continuing the family line more important, or is your precarious job more valuable?"

Li Wenguo slammed his hand on the table, his finger pointing directly at her face, his eyes burning with fury.

"They are all... they are all important."

Her voice lowered, like a bamboo branch bent by the wind.

The tradition of women carrying on men's bloodlines has been an unshakeable rule for thousands of years.

She couldn't refute that.