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

The landlord had already placed the deposit on the counter; if he couldn't deliver the goods on time, Huang Kun's face would really be hanging on the wall.

The clone grinned, a chilling curve appearing at the corner of its mouth.

Foreigners never suffer losses; if something goes wrong, the blame will always fall on the person in charge.

Huang Kun? He'll probably have to pack up and hide in the foreign concession overnight, and he'll also have to be wary of being shot from behind.

With these two items collected, the task of creating a clone was neatly concluded.

Deep inside the warehouse were piles of radios, raw rubber, special alloys... all valuable goods under the military's nose. Li Wenguo dared not touch them at the moment—a single gesture could send the winds of war through the entire city.

Furthermore, if he really dumps this mess, his clone will most likely be caught. He'll be ruined before he even gets the goods, losing both his wife and his army. Only a fool would do that.

The less trouble, the better.

Not everyone can handle money that's too hot to handle!

The clone peeked out from the side and caught a glimpse of the man in the guard room, who was drinking heavily from a flask, his face flushed.

That's true, moving two things into the space is just a blink of an eye.

He stepped out of the door, tightened the lock behind him with a click, and then deliberately kicked over several iron pliers and wrenches by the door.

Crash—bang!!!

"Who?!"

The man inside, his breath now completely sober, suddenly turned his head and let out a roar.

A dark figure suddenly appeared and darted towards the back wall from the warehouse entrance, clothes fluttering as he moved quickly and steadily.

The security guard grabbed his baton and rushed out the door, pressing the alarm bell as he did so.

Beep! Beep! Beep!

A sharp whistling sound tore through the night.

"Stop right there! You'll break your legs if you keep running!"

As he chased after them, he glanced at the warehouse door: the large brass lock remained unmoved, the bolt firmly engaged. A sense of relief washed over him, and he quickened his pace.

Huh?

That back view... why does it look so familiar the more I look at it?

That indigo long gown, and that slicked-back hair combed back—

Ouch!

Isn't this Manager Hong?

99% sure, you can't be wrong!

"Manager Hong! Is that you?!" he shouted at the top of his lungs.

The clone listened intently, a slight smile playing on its lips—

Become!

He leaped onto the wall in a few quick strides, grabbed a bamboo ladder leaning against it, tossed it over the wall, and jumped down. He kept his back to the pursuers the entire time, not even revealing half of his face.

The bamboo ladder remained outside the wall, and the clothes were put away. With a flash, the figure disappeared into the deep ink of the alley, leaving no trace.

By the time the two patrol officers strolled over, yawning, the soup had long since gone cold.

……

the other side.

The dinner party was nearing its end.

After Li Wenguo paid the bill, he said goodbye to his colleagues one by one.

When it was Mavis Hee's turn, he smiled and asked, "Want to relax? Go see a new movie?"

Although he left no flaws, he still habitually added an iron gate—just to be on the safe side, he felt more at ease.

"Okay!" Her eyes lit up, and she readily agreed.

"rickshaw--!"

The old rickshaw driver who was waiting at the entrance of Bianyifang immediately called out and brought two rickshaws.

The couple was a perfect match, both handsome and charming, and the two rickshaw pullers remembered them better than they remembered their own children's birthdays.

It was past 11 p.m. when I dropped Mavis Hee off at home.

The street was dimly lit, and there were no pedestrians. Only the rumbling of wheels rolling over the bluestone slabs could be heard as people hurried by.

Ordinary people, having worked all day, would soon be snoreling in their blankets; the rest of the people were either puffing away on their pipes or heading to brothels with silver dollars in their pockets.

Li Wenguo turned into the back wall of his own yard, where his clone was already waiting.

"Well done!"

He raised his hand and placed it on the other person's shoulder, lowered his voice and praised him, then with a flick of his wrist—the clone vanished like mist and returned to the space.

The clone cannot enter the space on its own; it must be summoned by the main body.

Unless one dies on the spot, the space will not regenerate.

Having brought back such a large sum of illicit money and two boxes of weapons, Li Wenguo felt light and refreshed, as if every bone in his body was filled with comfort.

He thought to himself, since it's the end of the month and he doesn't have to report for duty tomorrow, he might as well go to Rouge Alley to relax—those girls at Chunyi Garden, with their great figures and charming smiles, just thinking about them makes his feet itch.

In less than five minutes, we arrived at the field.

"Yo—"

"Master Li! You've finally arrived!"

"Our Chunyi Garden is truly blessed today thanks to you; even the threshold is shining brightly!"

As soon as you enter, the madam, with her thick makeup and arched eyebrows, sways her plump waist to greet you, her laughter so sweet it could drip honey.

Li Wenguo caught a glimpse of the madam's slick face and felt a pang of unease, but he forced a smile and asked, "Madam, are there any girls who haven't been deflowered yet today?"

The term "new goods" refers to a virgin who has just started serving customers and is completely untouched.

Every time he visits, he always requests a new woman. The price is high, but he wants her to be clean and efficient.

Even though he was as strong as iron and immune to all poisons, the thought of those girls having just finished with Zhang San and Li Si and then coming to serve him made him feel disgusted.

It felt like chewing a mouthful of leftover food—unable to swallow or spit it out.

"Oh, Mr. Li, you've arrived just in time!" The madam's eyes darted around, and she swayed her hips. "Five of these were just delivered last night, waiting for you to choose—the first tender shoots, so fresh and juicy!"

She had long since figured out Li Wenguo's quirk, and while she inwardly cursed him, her face beamed with a smile sweeter than honey.

"lead the way."

Before long, she led him through the hanging flower gate and pushed open the door to a room with red silk hanging high and wedding candles still burning.

Bright red is the rule—newlyweds must share in this "joyful" atmosphere when they lose their virginity.

Li Wenguo was too lazy to take it seriously and just went with the flow.

As soon as the curtain was lifted, five slender figures filed in. Their rouge was applied thickly and their skirts swayed gracefully, but their brows and eyes were filled with tense, stiff smiles, like paper lanterns that let in light when the wind blew.

He knew perfectly well: which one of them wasn't abducted, cheated, or sold?

A respectable young woman was forcibly shoved into this fiery pit.

No wonder people say that these days are both sweet and stinky – sweet because of the strong aroma of wine and meat, bitter because human life is as worthless as grass.

All five faces were quite handsome, no wonder—who would accept someone who was ugly or deformed? Who would dare to keep them?

Li Wenguo glanced around, and under the madam's meaningful gaze, he went straight for the girl with the most prominent breasts and the most flexible waist.

This world favors flat-chested figures.

From a young age, girls had their breasts tightly bound, causing their ribs to ache, forcibly pressing their round breasts into two thin pieces of paper, just like foot binding—beauty was bought with blood and flesh.

The madam could tell at a glance: this guy has very discerning tastes.

The details of their one-night stand are unnecessary to elaborate on.

The next morning, Xianglan knelt by the bed and helped him fasten the buttons and put on his long robe.

Li Wenguo took out five silver dollars from his purse and placed them in her palm: "Here, this is a reward from your master."

Usually, there are at most two pieces.

This time, he felt truly comfortable—Xianglan knelt low, breathed skillfully, and served him so attentively that he was overjoyed.

Unexpectedly, Xianglan's fingers trembled, and she didn't take it.

Instead, she raised her wet eyes, staring straight at him, her voice as soft as a mosquito's hum:

"Sir...please, redeem me and let me go."

"I can sweep the floor, starch clothes, cook, and serve people."

"If you take me with you, I'll make sure you sleep soundly, eat warmly, and live a comfortable life every day..."

"Please, sir!"

These words struck Li Wenguo like a dagger, leaving him momentarily stunned.

In the previous visits, which girl wasn't shy and smiling, hoping he would come often?

Only Xianglan had an unquenchable fire burning in her eyes—the light of a living person trying to escape.

This place is not a den of extravagance, it's clearly a cannibalistic mill.

If a thousand people trample on it, and ten thousand people tread on it, it will eventually be ground into dust.

Rather than being ruined by scum, I'd rather grit my teeth and stick with him.

Even a fool could do the math.

"Um...actually I don't—"

He had barely opened his mouth when Xianglan knelt down with a thud, her hands gripping his trouser legs tightly, tears streaming down her face. "Master! I'll serve you like a slave! I'll wash your feet, massage your back, serve you tea and water, I'll do whatever you say! I just beg you... take me with you!"

She knew this was her only chance.

Her aunt, who taught her manners, had privately advised her: if the patron on the first night was willing to redeem her, it would be a turning point in her life—perhaps he would really appreciate this blank slate!

She risked her life to fight this time.

Once you're married into the Li family and have a son...

If I can't become the main wife, being a concubine is fine; if I can't rise to the top, getting a title is worthwhile.

It's better than being treated like livestock here.

This was the first time in Li Wenguo's two lifetimes that he had been rooted to the spot by such a pair of eyes.

He was, after all, a modern soul who had transmigrated, and his heart hadn't completely turned cold; he couldn't bear to see living people kneeling like that.

The words of refusal are stuck in my throat, neither coming up nor going down.

Of course, if Xianglan were plain-looking, he wouldn't even lift his eyelids.

Unfortunately, she was exceptionally beautiful: her face was delicate and pretty like a university lecturer, but her figure was voluptuous like a star model. At nineteen years old, she would definitely have been a campus beauty with boys lining up to give her love letters back in the day.

Back then he could only watch from afar, but now...

It seems that as long as you pay, you can bring the school beauty home.

It was totally worth it!

The more Li Wenguo pondered his hesitation, the more it was crushed by the surging, burning thoughts within him.

Finally, Xianglan rushed over and clung tightly to his leg, as if she were holding onto the last piece of driftwood.

That heavy dependence, ironically, became the final, crushing blow that broke through the hesitation.

Li Wenguo clenched his teeth, his cheeks tensing into a hard line.

Fuck!

Take it back!

Anyway, the weather is getting colder every day!

Snuggling up in a warm blanket at night is just perfect!

"Alright, alright, let go!"

"I'll buy it!"

"I'll tear up your contract and release you from your status!"

If you're going to buy it, then be more open about it.

"Thank you, Master Xie!!!"

"Thank you, Master Xie!!!"

"From now on, this servant will serve you with all my heart and soul!"

Xianglan felt a sense of lightness wash over her, and tears welled up in her eyes. She cried and laughed at the same time, looking as if she had just crawled back from the gates of the underworld.

At this moment, in her eyes, Li Wenguo was the light that pierced through the dark clouds, her savior.

In the blink of an eye, Li Wenguo made his intentions clear to the madam: to redeem Xianglan from her servitude.

The madam didn't even lift her eyelids—this kind of thing was commonplace for her.

What does it mean to be in love at first sight, or for feelings to grow over time? She doesn't believe in any of those empty concepts.

Money is the real nut to crack, that's where the real skill lies.

The shrewd madam immediately plastered a greasy smile on her face: "Oh, Master Li has taken a fancy to Xianglan?"

"Indeed, your eyes are brighter than gold!"

"Our top-tier girl, the one with the highest price tag, was chosen by you at first glance."

"I'm convinced, truly convinced!"

Li Wenguo, growing impatient, waved his hand, cutting off the conversation: "Stop beating around the bush, name your price!"

The madam wasn't annoyed at all; instead, her smile widened even more: "That was great! Absolutely great!"

"Master Li is straightforward, and I'm honest too—this is the price!"

She held up four fingers and shook them steadily.

Four hundred silver dollars.

Li Wenguo remained silent, but Xianglan's fingertips turned white with anxiety.

She remembers it clearly: the price she was sold for was only eighty yuan.

The original price was 100, but because of her weak health and high expenses, 20 was cut off.

Now look what's happened! The madam is asking for five times the price!

If Li Wenguo thinks it's too expensive, can't bear to part with it, or really doesn't have that much cash in his pocket... wouldn't I fall back into the mud pit?

With her life hanging by a thread, how could she dare to interrupt? Afraid that a single word would anger the two of them and make things worse, she was so anxious that sweat beaded on her forehead and her heart pounded so hard that her ears went numb.

Fortunately, Li Wenguo offered to negotiate the price.

Xianglan quietly let out a sigh of relief, her shoulders slumping.

Ten minutes or so passed, and Li Wenguo had reached 200 yuan, but he could no longer put down the price.

The madam was determined not to budge—this was her bottom line.

I bought it for eighty silver dollars initially, and after two months of training, cosmetics, clothes, and food, I spent another twenty dollars, totaling one hundred dollars.

The rule in this industry is that the resale price cannot be less than twice the cost.

Even if it's a little less, it's better to play the long game: you can still double your money back in two years. It may be slower, but it's very stable.

Li Wenguo, of course, didn't understand these intricacies, and no one explained them to him in detail.

But he could see it clearly—the madam's eyes were fixed, unmoving.