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

As the curtain was lifted, two women strode in, both with bright eyes and white teeth, dressed in off-the-shoulder evening gowns, their gait swaying gracefully.

One of them had heavy makeup and exquisite features that were flawless, but there was a layer of familiar powdery skin around her eyebrows and eyes, making her look like a seasoned veteran who had been in the nightlife scene for many years.

She sat down next to Yan Ming with a graceful demeanor, leaning slightly closer, as if they had been intimately entwined a thousand times over.

The other woman wore only light makeup, but her delicate and exquisite face, with its refined beauty and undeniable sharpness, perfectly captured Li Wenguo's most secret aesthetic standards, as if tailor-made for her.

"Hello Manager Li, my name is Yao Yao. It's our first time meeting, please take good care of me!"

She sat down beside him with composure and grace, a slight smile playing on her lips, and nodded in greeting. Her every move exuded the poise and elegance befitting a lady of high birth.

Ah!

Is this bullet, coated in honey, trying to soften me into a piece of candy?

But since it was sweet bait offered by Japanese spies, Li Wenguo was too lazy to keep up appearances and decided to play along with their lively and interesting show—he wouldn't lose out either way.

Unfortunately, the other party had a far-reaching plan, targeting him as a big fish, intending to play the long game and catch a slow fish.

Only allow fingertips to brush against it, never let the teeth taste the fish; only feed it three-tenths full, deliberately keeping its appetite whetted, never giving it a chance to bite.

"She's a respectable girl."

"They're just here to keep us company and help us pass the time; they don't mean anything by it."

"They have regular jobs; they just lend a hand occasionally to earn some pocket money."

Li Wenguo curled his lip upon hearing this.

On the surface, she appears innocent and pure, but after a few drinks, her true colors are revealed: she feigns indifference, speaks with hidden barbs, and smiles with a seductive edge—she's nothing short of a vixen in a velvet coat.

It's not so bad as to make you nauseous, but it's really disgusting!

If you want me to take the bait, at least show me your hand and reveal some real substance, right? Just keeping me hanging like this, what kind of sincerity is that?

……

As the drinking party ended, Li Wenguo stood at the club entrance, watching Yao Yao, her skirt swaying gently, step gracefully into a rickshaw, its wheels creaking as it drove away.

"Hey, looks like my net worth is going up."

"The Japanese devils have even come to our doorstep?"

"They've even prepared a script for turning people against their masters?"

"Tsk tsk, what a pity—you've picked the wrong master. I, Li Wenguo, am a secret agent appointed by the Party and the State. If one comes, I'll lock him up; if two come, I'll tie them up!" He curled his lips, but his smile was as cold as frost.

Of course, he wasn't in a hurry to close the net.

Instead, he should hold the fishing line tighter and let it slip little by little to his wife, Haitang, so that she can make a name for herself, get promoted, get a raise, and steadily climb the ladder of success.

After all, Chiang Kai-shek had just taken the top position, and the Kuomintang would have to hold on for another 20 or 30 years. Half his life was spent on this game.

"Master Li, shall we return to the manor?"

Ding Xiaoqi opened the car door and asked in a low voice.

"Hmm... let's go see Director Yang first."

After Maria was discharged from the hospital, she had just stepped into the garden villa in the embassy district when Li Wenguo pulled her into his spatial dimension; then he disguised himself as her and boarded a ship to leave Shanghai and sail across the ocean.

Halfway through, he split off and leaped into the sea, silently swimming back into space—Maria, this hot potato, was finally completely rid of.

The pair of exquisitely beautiful mixed-race twins are currently being cared for by "Yang Zhengde".

After all, they were his own flesh and blood, and whenever Li Wenguo had a spare moment, he would sneak over to take a look.

"Little one, do you miss Daddy?"

He had his right arm around his brother Alex Lee and his left arm supporting his sister Alice Lee, his voice so gentle it could melt water.

But the two children slept soundly, not even lifting their eyelids. Instead, he gently shook them, and they smacked their lips, falling into an even deeper sleep.

Choosing foreign names was clearly a deliberate decision—they would definitely be sent abroad in the future.

Don't forget, he had already planted many seed industries in the United States: steel mills, textile mills, shipping companies... They grew bigger and bigger, and sooner or later they would become a force to be reckoned with.

This family business cannot be entrusted to anyone but trusted confidants, and one's own flesh and blood are the most reliable helmsmen.

"When are you sending him away? You know my identity is about to be exposed—a nephew from my hometown came to stay with me the other day, and I almost got caught red-handed!"

The clone spoke from the side, his tone becoming somewhat somber.

"Don't worry, I've already planned it out: once Hongyu finishes her postpartum confinement, I'll bring her to the villa, and she can take care of the two kids perfectly."

As Li Wenguo spoke, he gently placed the child into the cradle.

"Great! Hongyu just gave birth, her milk supply is plentiful, feeding two more won't be a problem. Honestly, our judgment is spot on!"

The clone winked at him, a hint of smugness in its expression.

But Yang Zhengde already had small eyes, and when he squeezed them, his eyelids almost folded into a thin line, making him look like a kitten that had just opened its eyes, both comical and cute.

"How's the massage going with Niu Dali?"

"We've thoroughly investigated the origins of our ancestors' underwear, don't you think?"

"Alright, I have to go—I'm burning up from Yao Yao's teasing, and if I don't go back to He Shuting to cool things down, I'm afraid I'll burn my pants off!"

"Oh, there really is such a thing."

The clone's expression turned serious as he spoke.

"speak."

"The newly appointed deputy director of the railway bureau has been inviting me to dinner several times recently, and he always brings along a business owner named Sun Youtian, who specializes in cotton quilts and military uniforms. He's been giving me red envelopes and inviting me to clubs; his intention to befriend me is obvious—he's probably a spy from Japan trying to turn me against him."

"Sun Youtian?"

"That name... sounds familiar!"

Li Wenguo frowned slightly, as if searching for something deep in his memory.

"Aren't you a regular customer of the foreign firm?"

The clone spoke up to ask.

Li Wenguo didn't answer, but only frowned, his fingertips unconsciously tapping the table, as if tapping on a long-forgotten story.

It wasn't until his thoughts drifted back to a year ago—that meticulously planned scheme that dragged Hong Liutao into the mire—that the floodgates of memory were suddenly opened.

"Oh... I remember now." His voice deepened slightly. "Sun Youtian is indeed a long-time customer of the Indelli & Co., but the person in charge has always been that kid Hong Liutao."

"As soon as Hong Liutao was arrested, Sun Youtian immediately cut off all contact and never set foot in the foreign firm again."

"Tsk, hiding faster than a rabbit—probably a spy planted by the Japanese." Li Wenguo said decisively, his brow furrowing. "Why would someone with nothing to hide be so cautious?"

He paused, his gaze darkening: "We'll have to go through the ledgers later and see who quietly withdrew their orders or switched sides after Hong Liutao's downfall."

"Okay, I'll arrange for someone to sort it out right away—specifically targeting those customers who have suddenly disappeared."

Sure enough, the moment the thought crossed my mind, the other party picked up on it perfectly.

"Um!"

"Be quiet when you're investigating, don't scare the mice," Li Wenguo said in a low voice. "These Japanese spies have very sharp ears; if the slightest sound comes from them, they'll immediately retreat back into their dens."

"Nonsense, I'm not stupid—I'll hold it in my hand until it's warm before I move it." The clone scoffed, a sneer on its lips.

"You're saying the one leading this is the deputy director of the railway bureau?" Li Wenguo's face turned cold. "That Zhang guy, he was already dragged into this mess?"

Before he could even utter the word "traitor," a layer of frost had already formed in his eyes.

In his eyes, traitors who sell out their country for personal gain are more despicable than the rotten mud in a stinking ditch.

"Yes, Zhang Chengzhi." The clone nodded. "Judging from the way he and Sun Youtian are arm in arm, they've probably been inseparable for a long time."

Before he could finish speaking, he lazily added, "Or, how about we send him on his way right now?"

"Keep him in check." Li Wenguo waved his hand. "He's just a deputy director. It's too conspicuous to touch him—if we alert him, all the fish behind him will scatter in fear."

He suddenly leaned in slightly and winked at his clone: ​​"Hey, guess what happened today?"

"Like me? Being followed? Are you about to get dirty water thrown on you?" The clone blurted out without even lifting his eyelids.

He then chuckled, a slightly sly grin on his face: "Let me think... she's probably a slender-waisted, curvy Japanese woman, here to seduce you, right?"

"Ha, we even saved on tea money." Li Wenguo nodded. "The Japanese played this game very carefully—if I hadn't found out their secrets early on, I might have actually married her and treated her like a virtuous wife and loving mother."

"When the time comes, the underground party members, secret agents, and Japanese spies will all be tangled up together, hey, the chaos will be unbelievable!"

The clone sneered, "Hmph, having run into us, they're probably going to come up with nothing this time—they won't even get a scrap of dust."

"Hehe." Li Wenguo grinned, a sly glint in his eyes. "Then let them lose both their wives and their troops."

After saying that, he got up and left, his steps light and quick, heading straight for He Shuting to put out the fire, needless to say.

a few days later.

The main hall of the Lixingshe office.

"Bang--!"

He kicked someone so hard they fell flat on their face.

"ah--!"

Before the scream had even finished, Zhou Dahai had already drawn his gun, the dark muzzle pointed directly at the figure curled up on the ground.

The one who got kicked was the spy who had taken the money and secretly erased the list.

Zhou Dahai was furious!

The credit for intercepting the underground party's grain supplies worth 100,000 silver dollars last time was already a foregone conclusion.

But strangely enough, the capital was surrounded like an iron barrel, so tightly that not even a sparrow could fly out, yet the grain simply vanished into thin air!

They swore a solemn oath: all intersections, docks, warehouses, and city gates must be firmly blocked, and not even half a sack of bran, let alone a whole cart of grain, could escape!

Everyone was convinced that the grain was hidden in the capital and would be found sooner or later!

And the result? An urgent telegram arrived from the informant in the base area—the grain worth 100,000 silver dollars was all stored in the granary, not a single grain missing!

He was given a severe scolding by his superiors, which not only made him lose face but also led to questions about whether he was just a freeloader!

The fire was already burning in my throat.

This time, another secret report arrived: a key member of the underground Communist Party, an expert in radio broadcasting, was about to arrive in Beijing. Although his name was unknown, his arrival time was precise, almost like he was on a tightrope—perfect for a sweeping raid, detaining all the passengers that day; the fish was surely in the net!

This is a big fish! A radio operator, always carrying a codebook, his head brimming with intelligence—catching him would be a major achievement!

But no matter how many times they searched and sifted through the information, they couldn't find a single suspicious person.

Enraged, Zhou Dahai immediately summoned the day's action team—the first squad led by his brother-in-law.

That said, the team expanded too quickly, and manpower was stretched thin. The other two squads were just empty shells, with only three or four people combined, practically useless. The situation was similar at the Second Division.

The first squad, however, was the only one with everyone present, guns gleaming, and backs ramrod straight.

We should keep the good stuff within the family.

Then they called everyone in one by one for questioning.

Once the stance of "leniency for confession, severity for resistance" is adopted,

The problem has finally surfaced.

The number of people arrested doesn't match the interrogation records; several are missing!

What the hell!!!

That local party member must be mixed in with the group that was released!

boom--!!!

The anger that had been building up for so long exploded instantly!