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

Five brand-new, gleaming cars were lined up in front of him. Li Wenguo smiled slightly and nodded in approval.

It's a Ford brand—made in their own factory. If they don't promote their own brand, whose brand are they promoting?

He climbed into one of the cars, and frowned as soon as he got behind the wheel: the gears were stiff, the clutch was slow to engage, and the steering wheel was on the right, making it uncomfortable to drive, but he could manage.

The guards, on the other hand, were grinning from ear to ear, gesturing wildly as they test-drove the car.

From now on, I won't have to pull carts or carry sacks anymore, and I won't have to be a human mule anymore!

"How dare you! Order another one for me!"

Xu Meijing's side must not be overlooked—a bowl of water must be held perfectly.

"Alright, Manager Li!"

When the convoy drove back to the mansion, the five cars parked in a row outside the gate, immediately attracting a crowd of onlookers from all around.

In the blink of an eye, the alleyway was completely blocked.

Li Wenguo didn't want his guards to rudely drive them away—all the neighbors were familiar faces, and forcing them would only cause trouble. In the end, he had to ask Kong Wu, who was patrolling the street nearby, to intervene and disperse the crowd. That very night, he made a decision: a side gate would be built in the neighboring yard so that cars could drive directly into the yard.

"Sir, you're really generous! You've quietly acquired five rickshaws!"

He Shuting's words sounded like a compliment, but her tone was like a needle pricking one's eardrum.

That's true. For an ordinary family, one car is enough to get around. Although there are many people in them, two cars are more than enough. Why would they need five?

Isn't this just wasting money?

Wouldn't it be better to use this money to support the revolutionary cause?

"Sir, let me guess—is it one car for each person?"

Hongyu's eyes lit up, and she eagerly chimed in.

"Hehe, my Hongyu is still the cleverest!"

"Pop!"

Li Wenguo not only praised her with a smile, but also gave her a loud peck on the cheek affectionately.

"Sir, can you take me for a drive? I've never ridden in a car before!"

Hongyu tilted her head back, her eyes filled with joy.

"How about tomorrow? I'll have Ah Gui drive you around."

"But it's already getting dark."

Li Wenguo shook his head in refusal—dinner was about to be served.

"boom--!!!"

The Ford on the far left suddenly shuddered, its engine roaring, and the car slid backward like a fish wagging its tail, gliding lightly to Li Wenguo's side. It braked smoothly and stopped precisely in one go.

Everyone looked closely—it was Dong Haitang!

What the hell!!!

This woman is incredibly bold!

With a baby in her belly, what if she suddenly turns the steering wheel or accelerates and the car flips over? What would she do then?

Li Wenguo's heart tightened, and he secretly broke out in a cold sweat.

"Sir, would you like a ride around with me?"

Dong Haitang rolled down the car window and asked with a smile.

"Haitang, you're so steady. If the steering wheel shakes and the car jolts, what if you blow out the tires?" he said, trying to scare her.

"ah?!"

"Can a car ride really kill a child?"

"Then I won't sit!"

Before she could finish speaking, Hongyu, who was holding her husband's arm, turned pale and instinctively protected her lower abdomen.

"whispering sound--!"

Dong Haitang lifted his eyelids, stepped on the gas pedal to the floor, and the car disappeared into the alleyway in the blink of an eye, kicking up a cloud of dust.

"What the hell!!!"

"That shrew!"

Li Wenguo was instantly furious.

"Xiao Qi, drive after them!"

"Yes, Master Li!"

"Damn it, there's never a moment's peace!" he cursed as he strode out.

"Sir, look at the kind of person you've married! She has no sense of propriety at home, and even less restraint in public. She's utterly lawless!"

He Shuting wasn't about to let this opportunity slip by; her words were barbed.

"If this continues, we'll squander our entire fortune and ruin our reputation sooner or later!"

"Alright, alright, let's go inside and eat. The food's getting cold."

Li Wenguo refused to listen any longer and walked into the house.

Fortunately, Dong Haitang knew what was important and returned shortly afterward, just in time for dinner.

"By the way, where's Meijing? Didn't she come today?"

Li Wenguo looked around but couldn't find anyone, so he casually asked.

"Xiaoju, go and invite Aunt Xu back for dinner," He Shuting instructed.

"Reporting to Madam, Concubine Xu left early this morning..."

"We haven't seen a single person yet," Xiaoju replied, head bowed.

"Sigh...they're all getting more and more unruly."

He Shuting sighed, but her gaze swept sideways towards Dong Haitang, her words laced with sarcasm, clearly a veiled attack.

Pooh!

He Shuting, you bitch!

Dong Haitang sneered inwardly.

Li Wenguo, however, was worried about Xu Meijing—last night's incident must have deeply hurt her.

Immediately after the meal, he sent Ah Gui with some people to visit her at her parents' home.

It wasn't until 9 p.m. that Xu Meijing staggered into the room, her face ashen and her eyes vacant, as if she had lost her soul.

"Mr. Li, something's happened!"

"Fifth Concubine's mother... hanged herself last night!"

Ah Gui rushed in right behind her, his voice trembling, sweat beading on his forehead.

"What?!"

"How could this happen?"

Li Wenguo's heart tightened, and his voice became taut.

Xu Meijing had just lost her father, and yesterday he had forced himself on her. Today, she lost her mother—these successive calamities were suffocating her. He grabbed his coat and rushed into Xu Meijing's room.

"Meijing! Meijing! Meijing!!!"

He pushed open the door and found her sitting stiffly on the edge of the bed, like a clay statue whose soul had been ripped out. Her face was ashen, her eyes vacant, and she didn't even blink. Li Wenguo called her name three times, but she was completely unresponsive, as if her ears had been sealed shut.

He sat down next to her, and she didn't even flinch.

"Meijing, what happened to Mom...?"

"How... was he murdered?"

Li Wenguo spoke very softly and reached out to grasp her hand.

His hand was frighteningly cold; the chill seemed to seep into his palm, as if he were clutching a piece of blue stone that had just been pulled from an ice cellar.

The warmth slowly seeped in, and she snapped back to her senses as if struck by an electric current.

She slowly turned her head, tears streaming down her face, leaving two wet, glistening ravines.

"My mother is dead!!!"

"ah--!!!"

"My mother is dead!!!"

She screamed, but having not eaten or drunk anything all day, her throat was hoarse, her voice cracking and dry, like a broken gong scraping in the wind.

Seeing that she had completely broken down, Li Wenguo pulled her into his arms and held her tightly.

He soothed in a low voice, "Meijing, don't panic! Don't panic!"

"Your mother is gone, and my heart aches like it's being cut by a knife!"

"But the dead cannot be brought back to life; even the most heart-wrenching cries cannot bring them back!"

"By the way, have Mother's funeral arrangements been made...?"

"The most important thing right now is to send Mother's body away with dignity!"

"The last bit of filial piety we children can show is through this funeral—to ensure her peaceful and dignified passing!"

"This is the last thing we can do for her!"

"From now on, every year during Qingming Festival and Winter Solstice, we will go to her grave to burn paper money, set up offerings, and speak with her, so that she will not be lonely or ashamed in the afterlife!"

He could only use the "funeral arrangements" as a thread to forcefully pull Xu Meijing back from the brink of collapse.

"Yes...yes! I need to take care of Mother's funeral arrangements first!"

She took a deep breath, as if regaining some strength, and struggled to sit up straight from his embrace.

"Meijing, it's already completely dark. You're feeling very weak. I'll send someone over to make arrangements first, and we'll go together tomorrow morning to take care of things."

Li Wenguo half-supported and half-pressed her back to the bedside—she was swaying precariously, and it seemed she would fall if she didn't take a single step.

"You rest first. I'll have the kitchen cook some porridge and steam two soft cakes to fill your stomach and replenish your energy so you can see your mother off on her final journey tomorrow."

He poured her a glass of warm water, held it to her lips, turned and went out. While instructing the kitchen to prepare food, he called over Ah Gui and asked him to take a few reliable people to the Xu family that night to tidy up the mourning hall and purchase items.

Xu Meijing listened silently. To prepare for the situation tomorrow, she finished her porridge, washed her face, and changed into simple clothes. She seemed to have recovered, but the deep, unyielding sorrow in her eyes remained.

"Meijing, sleep peacefully. Tomorrow morning, I'll go with you to send our mother off in style."

Li Wenguo tucked the blanket in and turned to leave.

"Wait...wait a minute!"

She suddenly spoke, her voice as light as a feather, yet carrying a sense of desperate determination.

"Just tell me what you need to say, I'm listening, and I'll definitely do my best to help."

He stopped immediately and turned around.

"Wen Guo...I want to ask you for a favor."

"Could you... help me kill Xu Jiancheng?"

She stared at him, her eyes pleading and bloodshot.

Before she could finish speaking, she reached out to unbutton the buttons on the table. "Don't you like my body? I'll give it to you."

"As long as you kill Xu Jiancheng for me, I am willing to be your proper concubine, sleep with you, bear your children, and be subservient to you for the rest of my life, serving you tea and water without daring to be negligent in the slightest."

Li Wenguo grabbed her wrist, the force not strong, but as steady as an iron clamp.

He had no interest in her and would never touch her at this moment.

"Meijing, let's not rush, let's take it one step at a time—tomorrow, let's send our mother off properly first."

"We'll talk about other things after Mother is laid to rest. Trust me, I will give you an explanation for this."

His tone was plain, yet every word he spoke carried weight.

"well."

She finally relaxed, slowly lay down, closed her eyes, her breathing gradually became even, and soon fell asleep.

The next morning, Li Wenguo, accompanied by Xu Meijing and a large entourage, went to the Xu family home to personally arrange the funeral for his mother-in-law, whom he had never met before.

As evening approached and the mourning hall was just being tidied up, A-Gui sneaked up to Li Wenguo, pulled him to a corner of the courtyard, and whispered, "Master Li, the old master who came to collect the body last night secretly told me... Fifth Concubine's mother was pregnant, and now both she and her unborn child have died!"

"What?!"

"Really...really?"

Li Wenguo stood there, stunned, his mind going blank.

This matter is definitely not as simple as it seems on the surface.

If she really did have an affair and became pregnant, and remarriage is so common these days, there's no need to kill her to cover it up.

What remains the possibility...?

It wasn't until nightfall that the arrangements for the mother-in-law's funeral were finally settled.

As soon as Li Wenguo stepped into the house, He Shuting came to greet him. Having heard about Xu Meijing's situation, at the dinner table, she placed a tender piece of braised duck leg into Xu Meijing's bowl and gently offered a few words of comfort.

Xu Meijing was clearly burning with anger. Her eyes were fixed on Li Wenguo. She didn't even touch her teacup before turning around and walking into her room.

"Meijing, the fortune teller who performed our mother's burial yesterday mentioned that your mother is pregnant. Do you know anything about this?"

Seeing that she was lucid and calm, unlike yesterday when she was completely out of her mind, Li Wenguo simply got straight to the point.

"What?"

"My mother...she's pregnant?"

Xu Meijing's eyes widened suddenly, and she gasped in shock.

Li Wenguo immediately concluded that she truly knew nothing.

"So...that's how it is...that's why Mother ended up like this!"

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

"It was him! Xu Jiancheng! That beast Xu Jiancheng did this!"

What?

Xu Jiancheng is involved?

A flash of inspiration struck Li Wenguo, and he suddenly understood!

Sure enough, Xu Meijing choked up as she revealed the truth—how Xu Jiancheng had humiliated her mother and driven her to desperation… Every sentence confirmed his deduction.

Who would have thought that Xu Jiancheng would have such a discerning palate!

Of course, Xu Meijing was already beautiful; her mother was only in her early forties, and her eyes still retained a touch of gentle charm, just like a half-opened begonia—it wasn't entirely unreasonable for Xu Jiancheng to have impure thoughts.

"Wen Guo, I beg you! I beg you to kill Xu Jiancheng with your own hands! I'll do anything you want, I'll even kneel and crawl to serve you, as long as... as long as you kill my enemy for me!"

As she spoke, her fingers reached towards her clothes, her fingertips trembling.

"Okay, I agree! I'll definitely teach him a lesson for you!"

"However, I must allow myself to plan carefully and not act rashly."

"Even... it wouldn't be unreasonable to kidnap him and do it yourself."

This time, Li Wenguo agreed readily and didn't try to stop her.

Whether it was to completely win her heart, to seek justice for his mother-in-law whom he had never met but who had been brutally abused, or simply to eliminate this cancer based on his conscience—he had no choice but to do so.

Xu Jiancheng, who was merely a bully, was no match for him; killing him was nothing more than crushing a bug.

Before taking action, Li Wenguo secretly made up his mind: first, he would get Xu Meijing pregnant.

Her distraught state last night was truly chilling—he had no doubt that she might take her own life.

After all, she had already lost everything: her father was gone, her mother was gone, and she herself was almost torn apart by grief.

There was nothing left in this world worth holding onto.

Therefore, Li Wenguo wanted to give her reasons to live—not one or two, but many.