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

Zhou Dahai's eyes were bloodshot, and he picked up his gun, ready to shoot this good-for-nothing idiot on the spot!

Before he could finish speaking, the captain's brother-in-law was kicked to the ground, groaning as he fell.

"Brother-in-law, wait! Xiaohui is my wife's younger brother, her only son. If you really kill him, my wife will definitely try to kill herself!"

He had no choice but to grit his teeth and bear the consequences of his brother-in-law's mess.

"Then let her hang herself! It'll be peaceful if she's dead, and you won't have to plead for this good-for-nothing!"

Zhou Dahai's face turned purplish-red as he roared at his brother-in-law Cao Ming, as if he wanted to expel all the pent-up anger in his chest.

Cao Ming's face burned from the yelling, and he didn't dare to lift his head—his brother-in-law was in a rage, and saying another word might backfire, not only failing to save others but also getting himself into trouble.

Fortunately, Zhou Dahai didn't actually kill him.

But he still rushed up and kicked Xiao Hui hard in the stomach and thighs several times, leaving boot marks embedded in his flesh.

Xiao Hui curled up on the ground, not daring to even breathe.

Cao Ming secretly wiped away a cold sweat, his heart finally settling back into place: his life was saved.

Once Zhou Dahai had caught his breath, Xiao Hui shakily got to his feet, repeatedly kowtowing, "Thank you, Team Leader Zhou, for sparing my life! Thank you, Team Leader Zhou, for sparing my life!"

"Stop talking nonsense! Tell me, who are those people who were released? Where do they live?"

Zhou Dahai's voice was still loud enough to make your eardrums buzz.

"ah???"

"This...this..."

Xiao Hui looked miserable – so much time has passed, how could he possibly remember his name and address?

When Zhou Dahai saw his cowardly appearance, a red flag immediately flashed in his mind: He must have forgotten!

"big eater!"

"Where are they? Surely you remember their faces!"

Xiao Hui stammered for a long time, his head shrinking back to his chest:

He just kept marking crosses on the list, and the police officers who released the people were patrol officers from the police station. He didn't even catch a glimpse of their backs a few times!

"If you keep dawdling, I'll send you to the Western Paradise right now!!!"

"It was the patrol officers who released them! Director Yang Zhengde must know that!"

He blurted it out, his back drenched in cold sweat—afraid that if he hesitated even a second, his forehead would be split open.

"waste!!!"

"Get out of here and drag that Director Yang here for questioning!"

Zhou Dahai roared like thunder.

This book is first published on 111k.com, providing you with a reading experience without errors or disordered chapters.

Swish-!

Xiao Hui scrambled out with his men to find "Yang Zhengde".

It was a wasted trip—everything others said about Yang Zhengde was true.

The "Yang Zhengde" that Su Mei wrote was like looking at flowers through a fog, leaving them chasing his shadow all over the city.

"Father-in-law, may the door open wide and bring you good fortune! Wishing you prosperity!"

Today is the day that Dong Haitang's father's new factory is completed. As a shareholder and son-in-law, Li Wenguo naturally arrived early.

"Wen Guo, you're not just my son-in-law, you're our family's lucky star! Without your investment and equipment upgrades, how could this new factory have risen from the ground?"

Boss Dong smiled so broadly that his eyes crinkled with wrinkles, and his face was beaming with joy.

With the capital injected by Li Wenguo and the batch of brand-new foreign machinery, the old factory was completely turned around.

The new factory occupies more than three times the area of ​​the original one. Once it is operating at full capacity, its output will increase tenfold, and its costs will drop by more than half.

From then on, money flowed in continuously, and wealth was abundant.

No wonder Mr. Dong was beaming with joy, as if the throne of the richest man in Beijing was already firmly in his grasp.

"Father-in-law, you flatter me. The credit goes entirely to your daring and enterprising spirit. I merely moved a few pieces of metal over."

Li Wenguo smiled and waved his hand.

"Dad, that's right! The new factory's success is all thanks to your decisive decision."

"It really has little to do with certain people."

The one who spoke was Dong Feiyue—Boss Dong's son and Dong Haitang's younger brother.

His words were barbed, blatantly silencing Li Wenguo.

After saying that, she glanced sideways at this "cheap brother-in-law," her eyes full of disdain.

This Dong Feiyue is a typical rich playboy, arrogant and overconfident.

He spends all his time in the circle of second-generation rich kids and looks down on Li Wenguo, the deputy manager of the foreign firm, from the bottom of his heart.

That innate arrogance had long clouded his judgment.

"Feiyue! How dare you talk like that? You have no manners!"

Although Boss Dong scolded him, his voice was weak and he didn't even lift his eyelids, let alone ask his son to apologize.

"Tch, we'll redeem all the shares within a year."

"At that time, the entire factory will belong to the Dong family."

Dong Feiyue scoffed, turned and strode away, not even deigning to give him a second glance.

"Haha, Wenguo, Feiyue is young and doesn't understand things, don't take it to heart!"

"Come on, let's learn from the Western style and go cut the ribbon together!"

Boss Dong showed no embarrassment on his face, but anyone with eyes could see the indulgence in his eyes.

Li Wenguo scoffed inwardly. Although he didn't particularly like his brother-in-law, he wasn't really angry either.

On the contrary, he was secretly pleased with himself.

He didn't pay a single penny for the shares in the new factory; it was a complete get-rich-quick scheme.

He had previously raided the warehouse of the Indigo Group, and the machinery happened to be inside. With a few simple arrangements, he easily converted the money that Boss Dong had spent on the equipment into investment capital—several hundred thousand silver dollars, which fell into his own pocket without him even having to say thank you.

As soon as the firecrackers stopped and the ribbon-cutting ceremony was completed, the flashbulbs of cameras kept going off as reporters captured everyone in group photos.

Just as Li Wenguo was about to leave, a young woman blocked his way.

He glanced up and his eyes lit up immediately.

The woman who stopped people had delicate features, a porcelain-like oval face, and fair, translucent skin. Her light blue dress made her look refreshing and neat. Her figure was just right—a slender waist that could be encircled with one hand, full in the right places and slim in the right places.

"Hello Mr. Li, I am Yang Yuerong, a reporter from the Morning Post. Could I spare a few minutes for a brief interview?"

That evening, Li Wenguo invited Yang Yuerong to a Western restaurant in the west of the city, where they ordered thick-cut black pepper steak.

Ever since he was captivated by her straight shoulders and calm eyes during the last interview, his deep-seated "respect for teachers" has quietly resurfaced, and once the thought took hold, he couldn't stop himself—he absolutely had to marry her.

Regardless of whether she and He Shuting worked at the same newspaper, and without caring about party affiliation, he started pursuing her directly.

In the past, the women he wanted were always paved with money: Xianglan, Hongyu, He Shuting, Dong Haitang, without exception.

But Yang Yuerong doesn't play by the rules—she's from out of town, honest and upright, neither greedy for money nor seeking fame, so money won't work; she can only rely on sincerity.

After several attempts, he discovered that the other person had no interest in dating at all, and even making excuses to ask him out for a meal.

Finally, he had to resort to the oldest trick: he would have someone pretend to flirt with him, then he would appear in time to defuse the situation. Only after this maneuver did Yang Yuerong agree to the appointment.

"Mr. Li, given how weak our country is, how can it truly become strong?"

Yang Yuerong asked her questions earnestly, her tone full of the sharpness of a professional journalist.

Li Wenguo pondered for a moment, then said solemnly, "If we don't want to be bullied, the first priority is to unify our thinking. If people's hearts are scattered, their strength will not be united, and the great powers will be able to defeat us one by one."

"Secondly, we must reform the old system, promote education, strengthen industry, refine science and technology, and consolidate national defense—learn from others' strengths and discard our own dross. Within ten years, the nation's situation will surely undergo a major transformation."

Yang Yuerong listened intently, nodding repeatedly, her eyes shining.

Li Wenguo changed the subject, his voice lowering slightly: "That's true in theory, but it's incredibly difficult to do in practice."

"Take the phrase 'unity of thought' for example; right now, no one can achieve that."

"Exactly!" Yang Yuerong replied quickly, her brow furrowing slightly. "On the surface, everything seems calm, but in reality, the path is becoming increasingly skewed, completely incompatible with the nature of this land. Many of those officials these days are just puppets, coasting along; some are even worse, colluding with foreign merchants and selling out to foreign enemies, trading the nation's lifeline for their own personal wealth—they're utterly inhuman!"

She clenched her handkerchief, feeling both angry and frustrated.

"Alas... Our land is shattered, what can we do but lament?" Li Wenguo sighed in response, his voice heavy with melancholy.

Seeing her passionate enthusiasm, Li Wenguo readily donned the persona of a "patriotic and indignant young man," slamming his fist on the table in fury to denounce the corruption of officialdom, vehemently criticizing the tyranny of foreign powers, and then sprinkling in a few golden quotes on governance from later generations, speaking eloquently about how to rectify official corruption, how to support farmers and workers, how to establish new schools, and how to forge an iron army...

Yang Yuerong breathed softly as she listened, as if she could already see a brand new and bright future slowly unfolding in Li Wenguo's words.

At that moment, she was certain in her heart: people with such courage, vision, and foresight are the backbone that supports the nation.

Hey!

You little brat, you think I can't handle you?

Seeing the light in her eyes as she looked up at him, Li Wenguo's lips curled into a slight smile, confident and assured.

However, he also knew that a modern woman like Yang Yuerong wouldn't be a suitable concubine.

The only way is to first get her to willingly come closer, and then gradually make it a fait accompli.

He had already planned his backup plan.

At that moment, two men wearing top hats strolled in through the restaurant entrance and walked past Li Wenguo's chair.

Because his back was to the door, he only caught a glimpse of one of them out of the corner of his eye—he recognized him.

He was the owner of a large opium den, surnamed Liu, who specialized in reselling high-quality opium from foreign firms.

In secret, they were the eyes and ears of the Japanese.

His goods were extremely harmful, so he simply entrusted all the most potent ones to Dong Haitang—of course, this was on the condition that she only needed to sit in command and have her subordinates keep an eye on her.

After all, it had been two months, and she was now the captain of the action team. If her subordinates made a capture, the credit would still go to her. Why should she risk her life herself? But who would have thought that just as the two of them stepped into the private room on the second floor, another pair of figures strolled in through the door.

Li Wenguo glanced up and his eyelids twitched—oh no! It was his wife, Dong Haitang.

Her features were exquisitely sculpted. She wore a sky-blue cheongsam embroidered with begonias, which accentuated her waistline and had a high slit that reached her thighs, revealing glimpses of her fair skin. She wore a pair of black pointed high heels, which made her look tall and dashing.

The moment she entered, all the light in the hall seemed to converge on her, and the ladies dressed in gold and jade instantly paled in comparison.

It's fucking blinding!

Hey!!

You idiot Dong Haitang, didn't I tell you to stay in the office?

Good riddance, coming here to show your face!

It's still this kind of dangerous job—if you cause any harm to the baby, I'll skin you alive!

Li Wenguo was furious.

This woman got promoted thanks to him, and then she completely ignored his words. She's gone too far!