Period drama: Old Cao's carefree life

Chapter 106 Do you think I'm some naive fool who's never seen the world?
"So, what exactly are you trying to say?" Cao Weida's expression was strange. "Whether they're pitiful or not is none of your business. If you don't tell me, I'm not going to listen."

"Ahem. Actually, it's like this." Little Ears fidgeted and said awkwardly, "As you know, my younger brother is simple-minded and straightforward, but also has a fierce temper. He hasn't found a wife or anything all these years."

“I saw that Ma Dongmei inside looked like an honest and simple person, and she was good at housework and taking care of people. I was thinking, if possible, could I give her to my younger brother?”

I was thinking that if my brother had a woman to keep him in check, he might not have acted so impulsively. At least he would have to leave a lineage to continue the family line.

Lian Hu is simple-minded and not very intelligent; to put it bluntly, he is somewhat foolish.

Of course, they're not really stupid; they at least have basic discernment.

He had considered finding a decent woman for Lianhu, but everyone around knew that his younger brother was mentally challenged and that Xiao Erduo was a gangster with no future. Who would be willing to marry their daughter to his brother?

Therefore, even now, Hu doesn't have a woman or anything.

As the older brother, he saw this and was very anxious, but he couldn't bring himself to forcibly abduct a woman.

Now that he has finally met someone suitable, he naturally wants to try his best.

Cao Weida's expression was strange. "Is this your idea or your brother's?"

"This is what I meant." He quickly added, "Of course, my younger brother saw it before and liked it too."

Cao Wei Da nodded slightly, thinking that this was not a bad ending.

Although Lian Hu is mentally challenged, he is not truly stupid; he still understands things to some extent.

For example, Lian Hu was quite respectful and obedient to Cao Wei Da. As long as he wasn't deliberately provoked, he was usually quite good-tempered.

Ma Dongmei, a woman fleeing famine, was all alone in Beiping. If she didn't find someone to help her, it wouldn't be easy for her to stay in Beiping.

Besides, a lonely woman like her could be targeted at any time.

After a moment of contemplation, he said, "This is between you two, I don't care. But I've made it clear beforehand that you must get their consent and be willing to do it. Moreover, you can't coerce or bribe them. Just say what you mean and talk openly and honestly."

Little Ear immediately said, "Brother Cao, don't you know me? I'm the most reasonable person. I would never do something like coercion or bribery."

Cao Wei Daxin, a man of the underworld, said this. He had never met anyone more reasonable than Xiao Erduo. Xiao Erduo would never stoop to such low-down methods.

"If they agree and come inside, as long as they haven't made any serious mistakes, you can't yell at them for no reason, and you can't make them feel bad."

He patted Xiao Erduo on the shoulder and said, "We are men, and we should take responsibility as men. A man who relies on beating women at home to show off his power is not a real man."

"I hope my brothers are all upright men, not cowards who bully their own kind."

Seeing that Cao Weida had agreed, Xiao Erduo was overjoyed and quickly nodded, saying, "Brother Cao, don't worry, none of my brothers and I are cowards. If we have the ability, we'll show off our power in bed! Those who only know how to beat women and show off their power at home, I even despise Cuihua!"

“只要马冬梅同意跟我弟成家，她就是我弟媳，我弟弟要是敢犯浑，我第一个揍死他！”

Cao Weida laughed and said, "If he's just showing off in bed, I really won't interfere. If he has that kind of ability, I'll give him a thumbs up!"

"Alright, go in and talk to him yourself."

"Alright!" Little Ears happily went inside.

About ten minutes later, he came out with a smile on his face.

"It seems they've agreed?" Cao Weida was not surprised by this outcome.

Xiao Erduo now has some wealth, and with Cao Wei Da protecting him, he has plenty to eat and drink. In this day and age, that's considered top-tier living conditions.

Although Lian Hu is somewhat mentally challenged, people like him are actually quite easy to appease in daily life.

Besides, Ma Dongmei isn't exactly a virgin; she's already twenty-six or twenty-seven, and her looks aren't exactly top-tier. Even if she were to look again, what good ones could she possibly find?
She used to be someone's mistress, so finding someone like Lian Hu is already quite good.

Little Ears beamed, "Agreed! Lianhu's lineage is now secure."

Cao Weida smiled and said, "Then congratulations! Let me know when you come in; I'm going to Lian Hu's wedding!"

"Absolutely, absolutely. Not to mention that you are Lian Hu's benefactor and elder brother, you are practically my brother's matchmaker for today's matter. We can't do without you, no one else!"

"Haha, it really is. Alright, your brother's matter is settled. Take me to see Tong Mazi and the others."

An interrogation room.

A flickering incandescent light illuminated the interrogation room, casting a dim, yellowish glow.

The light barely illuminated the interior, and the surrounding heavy shadows, under the flickering light, resembled the claws of a demon.

Various instruments of torture were laid out around him: handcuffs, shackles, and chains, one end of which was connected to the wall and the other end to Tong Mazi, who was tied to a cross.

The mottled bloodstains on the whip and wooden stick were black, the residue of dried blood.

The branding iron was placed in the charcoal brazier, its tip glowing a frightening red. Next to it were a tiger bench, a pepper spray bottle, and bamboo skewers.

The walls bear marks of impact and scratches, evidence of violent interrogation.

Tong Mazi, with a bulge on his head, was weakly tied to the frame, his eyes filled with fear as he dared not look directly at Cao Weida, who sat not far in front of him.

He was filled with regret at this moment. He had also learned Cao Weida's identity. He was the one who had forcibly seized Xiaguangyuan, yet Fudecheng was somewhat wary of him and dared not retaliate directly!
At the same time, he strongly suspected that Fu Decheng was killed by Cao Weida!
After all, why was everything alright before, but he was killed after Fu Decheng caused trouble for Ruixin Grocery Store?
The one who killed him was Wu Dalaizi, who went to cause trouble for Cao Wei Da!
What a coincidence!

"Master Cao, I... I admit defeat, but listen to me, it really wasn't my fault. It was all that bastard Fu Decheng who instructed me to do it."

"Please be magnanimous, I'm just a dog, a pile of shit, don't defile your hands."

He was extremely panicked at that moment, and just looking at the torture instruments around him almost made him wet himself.

Cao Weida remained silent, smoking expressionlessly. The flickering flames from the charcoal brazier beside him illuminated his face, making it appear as if it were coated with butter.

Seeing that Cao Weida did not answer, Tong Mazi shut his mouth in fear, but his heart sank little by little, so much so that his legs began to tremble uncontrollably, and the valve trembled as if it wanted to loosen.

It felt as if a thousand-pound boulder was pressing on his chest, making it hard for him to breathe.

After finishing his cigarette and stomping it out on the ground, Cao Weida slowly spoke: "I heard that you used to help Fu Decheng with his dirty business of trafficking women?"

Tong Mazi was startled and was about to explain when Cao Weida waved his hand to interrupt him. "I don't want to hear your explanation. You just need to tell me exactly what you did and hand over all the money you've earned over the years. I can promise to give you a quick death and let you die well-fed."

Tong Mazi's expression changed instantly; his already ferocious face trembled uncontrollably, like countless centipedes crawling across it.

He knew that Cao Wei Da had no intention of letting him go and was determined to kill him!

As the fear of death gripped him, he trembled and asked, "Master Cao, I have offended you, but I was only following orders. You are also someone who does errands, so you should understand this principle."

"If we put that matter aside, we can be considered to have no past grudges or present hatred. It's always good to leave room for maneuver so we can meet again in the future. As long as you can let me go, I promise to give you all the wealth I've accumulated over the years!"

Cao Weida slightly raised his eyelids, his bared teeth gleaming coldly under the light. "Oh? Looks like you've really made a lot. Well then, name a number and see if it can tempt me."

Upon hearing that there seemed to be a chance, Tong Mazi was overjoyed. "Master Cao, I may not be very capable, but I have saved up 13,000 silver dollars. As long as you are willing to let me go, I will immediately hand over every penny of this money with both hands!"

"Thirteen thousand? That doesn't make sense." Cao Weida's face darkened, and he said coldly, "Thirteen thousand silver dollars? You dare to covet Xiaguangyuan? Are you trying to fool me into thinking I'm some naive fool?"

In top-tier brothels like Xiaguangyuan, the price for redeeming a good girl can easily range from several hundred to two or three thousand silver dollars, while prostitutes in Qingyin Class can earn around three hundred silver dollars a month.

To buy a top-class brothel, you simply can't do it without 20,000 to 30,000 silver dollars!

Thirteen thousand?

Want to eat fart!

Even if some coercive measures are used, it certainly won't be just this much.

What does this mean? This bastard wasn't telling the truth!

"Don't try to brush me off with excuses like 'this was Fu Decheng's instruction' or 'he paid for it.' Guess if I haven't investigated?"

survey?

What kind of investigation is he supposed to have? Fu Decheng was killed by that scoundrel Wu Dalaizi back then, where would he have gotten to investigate?

However, that doesn't stop him from being a bit impulsive.

She stood up. "I heard you say before that you used to scoop money out of boiling oil and walk barefoot across the red-hot coals on the street."

"I have great admiration for your skills. I am a man of limited knowledge and would like to see them for myself."

"Perfect timing! We have some glowing coal briquettes here. How about you give us a little performance, Mr. Tong?"

"Little Ears, call two of your brothers, dump the coal briquettes on the ground, and let Grandpa Tong give us a little show!"

"Alright, Brother Cao, just you wait and see!" Little Ears revealed a cruel smile. "Come on, Master Tong is going to perform a special skill for us today, so we can't let him down. Go, press him down, and pour the charcoal brazier on the ground, make sure it's evenly distributed!"

The two henchmen stepped forward with grins, grabbed Tong Mazi without saying a word, and then one of them dumped all the charcoal from the brazier onto the ground.

Little Ear tilted his head and said, "Come on, Master Tong, let us see what you've got to see."

Cold sweat poured from Tong Mazi's forehead, his legs thrashed wildly, and the valve he had been holding so tightly suddenly gave way, gushing out like a bursting flood, with a stream of water flowing down his pants and onto the ground.

He admitted he was scared, he was really scared!

What I said before was nothing but bragging!
All those tricks involving scrambling for money in boiling oil or stepping on red-hot coals are just street performers' tricks!
He's just a mortal, how could he possibly dare to do such a thing!

Isn't that just plain suicide?!
If he were really trying to make money by deep-frying, his hands would have been fried into chicken feet by now!
You'll burn the soles of your feet through them from stepping on those red-hot coals!
Seeing that he hesitated to move forward, and even wet his pants in fear, Cao Weida waved his hand in disgust, "What are you standing there for? Master Tong doesn't want to perform, don't you know how to give him a hand!"

(End of this chapter)