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

"Xiao Wu, bring out the dowry. This is the betrothal gift prepared by the Xu family according to custom."

Xu Chengye remained unfazed, describing the forced occupation as respectable and the annexation as delivery.

Tsk—old fox!

Li Wenguo scoffed inwardly.

After Xu Jiancheng left looking disheveled, Xu Chengye took a breath and put on a warm expression: "Young friend, what is your surname? What kind of business do you run?"

"Li Wenguo. Currently the manager of Meifu Trading Company, and also one of the shareholders of Weifeng Machinery."

The tiger skin still needs to be torn off, and the Dong family's flag can be taken along as well.

"The Dong family?"

Xu Chengye's eyelids twitched.

How could he not know about Weifeng Machinery? It had recently expanded its factory threefold and was now the number one machinery factory in Beijing; the eldest son of the Dong family was also a high-ranking official in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, with connections that reached the highest levels.

Li Wenguo nodded in agreement.

Although the Dong family is not as deeply rooted as the Xu family, in terms of influence and real power, they can still be considered a respectable family in the capital.

"I heard that shareholder is actually the son-in-law of the Dong family?"

"Yes, Boss Dong is my father-in-law."

Xu Chengye nodded and said nothing more.

He already had a plan in mind: Li Wenguo was able to take on the position of manager in the foreign firm, so he must be a favorite of the foreigners; he also had a powerful backer by marrying into the Dong family, but not a very strong one. However, the men under his command were all fierce as wolves, with a menacing aura between their brows that kept strangers at bay. Nine times out of ten, they had been involved in the underworld and had been on the fringes of society.

To put it bluntly, he's a character of considerable importance, but one who can't cause a huge uproar.

Is it worth falling out with him over a distant niece?

Xu Chengye is a shrewd businessman at heart, always weighing the pros and cons before making a move.

Unlike his brothers who wore official robes, he valued the family's reputation more than money.

If they were in charge, today's scene would likely have been bloody and unmanageable.

In a blink of an eye,

Li Wenguo then saw Xu Meijing—her face was ashen, her eyes were vacant, and she stood there limply, as if all her bones had been removed.

Although their clothes were wrinkled, they were still neat, indicating that no one dared to have any wicked thoughts.

Indeed, which fool would dare to lay a hand on a girl from the Xu family? They'd be asking for trouble.

Li Wenguo secretly pondered.

Of course, he didn't know that Xu Jiancheng intended to send the person out "untouched"—second-hand goods can't compare to first-hand fresh goods. Every penny lost is a penny less earned.

Xu Meijing was still completely unaware of what was happening, believing she had been sentenced to a "suspended death sentence" and was just waiting to be carried into someone else's house. She even considered biting her tongue to commit suicide, but Xu Jiancheng's words, "Your mother is still hanging on in a medicine pot," completely extinguished that thought.

Until she was pushed to the doorway, she looked up and saw—

Li Wenguo was standing there.

Suddenly, a wave burst forth from the stagnant pool in my heart.

Watching the group disappear into the distance, Xu Jiancheng stared intently at Li Wenguo's back, his teeth grinding together.

"Fourth Uncle, who exactly is that person? Why did you release him without saying a word, and even..."

They even gave up their ancestral property.

He swallowed those words—it would be too undignified to say them.

"You should give up on the idea of ​​revenge as soon as possible. With your abilities, you can't even reach the mud on someone's shoe. Wait until you're in my position, or your father's chair, before you think about it."

Xu Chengye put it bluntly. If it really came down to a head-on confrontation, he believed Li Wenguo wouldn't live more than three days—but the cost would be too high, so high that the Xu family's accounts couldn't even record this deficit.

People like them only ever do business that promises "extremely high profits."

Losing money to gain publicity? That's something only street vendors do.

"Let's pretend this never happened."

Seeing the frustration churning on his nephew's face, he added another sentence.

In truth, he secretly hoped this incident would ignite a fire—wake up the kid, force him to prove himself, and then seek revenge when he actually rises to a high position.

He patted Xu Jiancheng on the shoulder and turned to leave.

He's really busy. With such a large business on his shoulders, he can fill half a table with stamps and signatures every day.

Yes, a very busy person who does everything personally.

"Fifth brother, take my advice—don't get any funny ideas. If you really piss him off, you won't be able to handle it."

Xu Jianwei strolled over, his face displaying a mixture of a smile and a cold demeanor.

In Xu Jiancheng's eyes, that smile was like rubbing salt into a wound.

"Hmph! You're also a member of the Xu family, why are you siding with outsiders?"

"You and they, you wouldn't happen to be in cahoots, would you?"

Upon seeing Xu Jianwei, his blood boiled.

Even if we don't like each other in ordinary times, shouldn't we stand together in the face of an external enemy?

"The words have been spoken; take care of yourself."

Xu Jianwei left after saying that.

Xu Jiancheng was left with his fists clenched, his knuckles white.

"I really don't know how to thank you this time... If it weren't for you, my family would probably have fallen apart. Thank you!"

When I escorted Xu Meijing to her doorstep, she stood inside the threshold, her eyes slightly red, her voice sincere.

Without Li Wenguo, she dared not imagine where she would have ended up.

"Hehe, we've worked together for a while and are colleagues, so I certainly won't stand idly by if I can lend a hand—but..."

"This time, I really spent a lot of money to get Director Jing to personally intervene. Otherwise, how could you have come out so quickly? So..."

Xu Meijing frowned slightly, her heart sinking.

She thought Li Wenguo was about to make demands—was he going to ask for a kiss? Or his body? Or... break off the engagement?

If she didn't agree, she feared he might get angry and abandon her, leaving no one to save her.

Agree? Wouldn't that be selling yourself out?

Just as my mind was in turmoil, I saw Li Wenguo grin, revealing a set of white teeth:

"So—we have to pay more!!!"

Xu Meijing was stunned, her eyes wide and round like almonds, as if she couldn't believe that things were so simple.

She immediately felt her ears burning with embarrassment—he had risked his life and dignity to save her, and she had even suspected him of having ulterior motives…

Ugh!

She quickly replied, "Of course, of course! If it weren't for your help, my life would have been completely ruined—I'll add another ten percent to my dowry, no, twenty percent! It's all yours!"

The original agreement was for 60%, but with these 20%, it's exactly 80%.

That adds up to a full 80,000 silver dollars.

This is no small sum.

Li Wenguo nodded slightly, his tone steady: "Alright, get everything ready as soon as possible, the wedding is tomorrow."

"I'll leave four men here to guard you and protect you."

"Oh, right, this is the property deed we got back from the Xu family. Keep it safe."

This two-courtyard house, worth only two or three thousand silver dollars on the market, and having been the site of a murder, was not worth Li Wenguo's attention at all—besides, it was a place that Xu Meijing had specially reserved for her mother to live out her retirement.

After giving his instructions, he turned and left, his steps brisk and his back view crisp.

Xu Meijing, however, seemed to have wings on her feet, rushing into the house and hurrying towards her mother.

As for his father's body, Xu Jiancheng had already secretly sent people to remove it.

"mother--!"

"mother--!"

"I'm back!"

"mother--!"

Her heart burned with passion. She pushed open the door and rushed into her mother's bedroom, only to find the bed empty. Upon closer inspection, she saw her mother lying slumped on the couch, her clothes disheveled, her eyes unfocused and lifeless.

Her heart clenched, and she collapsed to her knees by the bedside, gripping her mother's arm tightly with both hands, her voice trembling: "Mother! Mother, wake up! What happened?!"

He shouted and shook the machine vigorously.

After a long while, Huang Xiujuan slowly turned her head, her gaze landing sluggishly on her daughter's face.

"Beautiful... Meijing?"

"It's me! Wen Guo brought me out of the Xu family mansion! I'm marrying him tomorrow! Mother, don't be afraid, I'm fine!"

She spoke very quickly, as if afraid her mother would overthink things.

"Good...good...good...my daughter made the right choice...marry him and live a good life..."

Before she could finish speaking, tears streamed down her face uncontrollably.

"Mother! Why are you crying? And... how come there are teeth marks on your neck?!"

Just as Huang Xiujuan turned her face to the side, Xu Meijing caught a glimpse of the purplish bite marks on her neck. Her heart felt as if it had been struck by a heavy hammer, her whole body went cold, her throat tightened, and tears streamed down her face.

"What a terrible thing to do—that beast Xu Jiancheng…last night…he…waaaaah—!!!"

The mother and daughter embraced and wept bitterly, their cries echoing through the house for a long time.

As night deepens, the city lights begin to illuminate the night.

Inside Heyuan Restaurant, steam rose from the heat.

Li Wenguo set up seven or eight large tables to host a banquet for the more than twenty police officers who had accompanied him to break into Xu’s residence that day, along with his clone “Yang Zhengde”. His own guards also sat at a separate table, all sitting neatly together.

Several brothers who stayed behind at the house will later pack up a large amount of meat and vegetable dishes and send them back – not one less, not one less bowl.

An hour passed.

"Director Yang, Mr. Li, we'll take our leave now!"

Apart from Tie Dan, Kong Wu, and Sha Qiang, the other patrol officers all stood up and bowed.

"Alright, take care! Have you eaten and drunk your fill?" Li Wenguo said with a smile, raising his glass.

"Mr. Li, you're too kind! You've really had a good time today!"

"Exactly! We usually just eat cornbread and drink cold water, but tonight we can really eat our fill!"

"Master Li is a true friend! From now on, if he ever needs our help, we'll go through fire and water without hesitation!"

"..."

Everyone chimed in, pounding their chests and banging on the table, as if they wanted to tear their hearts out to show their loyalty.

Everyone knows this Mr. Li: he's got deep pockets, big hands, and a man of his word!

"Haha, everyone be careful on the road!"

After the patrol officers dispersed, Li Wenguo raised his hand to the guards: "You guys wait outside for now." He then called over Ding Xiaoqi and Xiao Jie, "Keep a close watch on the door, don't let any unauthorized people near."

Then he gave the order in a deep voice:

"Tiedan, Shaqiang, in the coming days, take men and keep a close eye on Xu Jiancheng and his fourth uncle—report every move they make to me."

"Yes, Master Li!"

The two agreed in unison.

"Mr. Li, how about we just wipe them all out in one fell swoop?"

Suddenly, Sha Qiang lowered his voice, made a horizontal slash with his right hand, and slashed his neck hard with his thumb.

Although his name is Sha Qiang (meaning "Silly Strong"), he is not stupid at all, and his ruthlessness is terrifying.

He was completely devoted to his doppelganger, Liu Erkui—if Liu Erkui hadn't dragged him out of the pile of knives back then, he would have been a bone in the mouth of wild dogs long ago.

Liu Erkui now pledges allegiance to Li Wenguo because he himself said that Master Li once risked his life to save him.

The benefactor of a benefactor is one's second parents.

At least in Sha Qiang's mind, that's what he always believed.

"Nonsense! The Xu family is not some makeshift gang like the Flying Eagle Gang! They are a prestigious and renowned family in the capital! If you dare to massacre them, the higher-ups will immediately issue a warrant for the investigation, and even the regimental chief of staff at the garrison will mobilize troops overnight!"

"Besides, every one of the Xu family's guards is armed with guns and knives. If we fight head-on, we're bound to suffer losses—and if word gets out, the government troops will surround and suppress us. Do you think you'll still have a chance to live?"

Li Wenguo's face darkened, and he made a firm decision.

"Yes...yes! Master Li is right, I was rash..."

Sha Qiang scratched his head, chuckled sheepishly, and shrank back.

"Take a breath before you use your brain, understand?" came another scolding remark.

"Understood, Mr. Li."

"Alright, you two can leave now."

Tie Dan and Sha Qiang then turned and walked away.