Period drama: Old Cao's carefree life

Chapter 151 My Understanding Darling!
As the saying goes, if you want a horse to run, you have to feed it well.

He was never a stingy person; he wouldn't obey others without some benefit in return.

After the liberation, Xu Hancheng remained the police chief and intelligence specialist of the Bureau of Investigation and Statistics, holding the rank of lieutenant colonel.

This official title is much higher than that of a police chief.

Of course, it's not called the Bureau of Investigation and Statistics yet; it's still called the Military Intelligence Bureau.

With the war against Japan still ongoing and knowing the future situation, he naturally didn't mind building a good relationship with Xu Hancheng in advance.

After the victory in the War of Resistance against Japan, with Lieutenant Colonel Xu Hancheng, Xu Jingge, and his own identity as a member of the Military Intelligence Bureau, wouldn't they be able to do whatever they wanted in Beiping after liberation?

Little Ears' eyes sparkled with gratitude. "Yes, I'll take care of it right away. Oh, by the way, my brother and sister-in-law's wedding is in three days. You must be there."

"Oh, congratulations! I'll definitely be there." Cao Weida agreed with a big smile. If Xiao Erduo hadn't mentioned it, he would have completely forgotten about it.

In a way, he was practically a matchmaker.

Before long, it was lunchtime. Cao Weida didn't go to eat. He had just eaten at the Beiping Hotel and then had fried tofu with Master Fan. He had no room left to eat.

Shortly after lunch, Cao Weida, who was idly lying in a chair smoking, was told that someone was looking for him outside the police station.

"Fifth Master, what brings you here?" Cao Weida greeted him with a smile.

"Hey, you know what, it really was blown here by the wind, and a favorable wind at that!" Master Fan chuckled, stepping forward to put his arm around Cao Weida's and pulling him outside.

"Come on, let's go grab a couple of drinks, I have some good news to tell you."

"What treasure has Fifth Master Fan found this time?"

"You know what, to me, there's nothing more precious than this treasure!"

Upon hearing what Master Fan said, Cao Weida became interested, thinking that Master Fan had indeed found another extraordinary treasure so quickly.

The two found a small tavern and sat down. Cao Weida couldn't wait to ask, "Fifth Master, what treasure is it? What is it? What era is it from?"

Collecting things you like can be addictive. Ever since he saw and touched a Ming Yongle porcelain vase, he has developed an interest in collecting the beautiful heritage left by his ancestors.

It would be such a waste to take such a wonderful product out of the country or to damage it.

"That's a treasure that can understand people's feelings." Master Fan smiled mysteriously, but his words surprised Cao Weida.

What does this mean? What does it mean to be a darling who can understand people's feelings?
Even if those things are priceless or exquisite, they are still inanimate objects. How can they be considered human?

Isn’t this nonsense?
"Fifth Master, please stop joking and just tell me already. Don't keep me in suspense."

"Cao'er, what do you think of our sister Mo He?" As he spoke, his eyes were fixed on Cao Weida.

The message is so obvious; if Cao Wei Da still can't understand it, then he's truly an idiot.

So, without saying a word, she praised her: "Of course she's great. Not only is she beautiful and intelligent, but she's also kind and gentle. In particular, her positive attitude towards life is something I admire very much."

He feigned confusion and asked, "But Fifth Master, why did you suddenly bring up your sister?"

"Of course, she wants to be a celebrity!" Hearing Cao Weida speak so highly of his sister, Master Fan was overjoyed, laughing heartily as he put his arm around Cao Weida's shoulder.

“We’re brothers, and we don’t stand on ceremony. You saved my sister twice, and I’ve always remembered that kindness. But I’m down on my luck now and don’t have any ability to repay you.”

"But it's perfect timing. My sister is quite fond of you. If you're willing and don't mind that my sister comes from the countryside and has a brother like me who's a burden to you, then you can take my sister as your concubine."

"As long as you can guarantee my sister will have enough to eat and wear and won't let her suffer any injustice, I, as her brother, will agree to this. What do you think?"

Cao Wei was overjoyed. How could he possibly refuse? He was more than willing!
Cao Wei Da was a man who loved eating, drinking, and indulging in pleasure, and was also greedy for money and lustful!
From the moment I first saw Mo He, I was already thinking about how to bring Mo He into my fold.

Unexpectedly, before he even opened his mouth, his brother-in-law was already willing to take care of the matter for him!
Brother-in-law, you handled this brilliantly!

It's worth it for me to be so good to you!

Although he was more than willing in his heart, he still had to maintain a certain composure on the surface. "To be honest, I do like Mo He quite a bit, but it would be a bit of a disservice for such a good girl like Mo He to marry me as a concubine."

"Hey, what's with all this grievances?" Master Fan waved his hand to interrupt. "Ever since my family fell on hard times, I've come to understand that in this world, all that talk about wives, concubines, and titles is utter bullshit!"

"As long as life is comfortable, that's better than anything else!"

"I won't lie to you, I've inquired about your character, I know you have two concubines, and I also know that you treat your two concubines very well."

"If I didn't have this background, would I let my sister marry you? Would I dare let her become a concubine?" "With your character, once she enters your family, she won't suffer any losses or be at a disadvantage. I trust you!"

"Don't worry about this or that, just tell me one thing: do you want to marry my sister or not!"

Cao Weida nodded hurriedly, "Of course I want to! I want to so much! Mo He is such a wonderful girl, if I didn't fall for her, would I even be a normal man?"

"Since you want it, then it's settled!" Master Fan, not bothering to hear what he was about to say, smiled broadly.

"Since you want to marry my sister, let's settle things as soon as possible. I think the day after tomorrow is a good day, so let's set it for the day after tomorrow. You can put the bridal sedan chair in front of my yard and carry her back there!"

"...???" Cao Weida was dumbfounded. "No, Fifth Master..."

"Huh?! Still calling me Fifth Master?!" Fifth Master Fan's face hardened.

"Fifth Brother!" Cao Weida immediately changed his address, doing so with remarkable fluency.

Master Fan smiled again: "That's right, we're about to become family, stop calling me 'Master' and all that, it's too formal! Calling me 'Fifth Brother' sounds much better."

"Oh, yes, it's your decision. But Fifth Brother, isn't it too hasty to get married the day after tomorrow?" Seeing that Fifth Master Fan's face was about to darken again, he quickly explained:

"I don't want to change my mind, I just feel that the time is too short and I'm afraid that I'll be unprepared and neglect Mo He."

"Mo He is such a good girl. I'm so lucky to have her be my concubine. I can't possibly mistreat her in terms of etiquette. I should at least make some preparations for her."

Master Fan was quite pleased with Cao Wei Da's words.

It's true that he wanted to curry favor with Cao Wei, but that doesn't mean he was truly willing to wrong Mo He.

In the original novel, he pressured Mo He, saying that he would marry a rich man, regardless of age or physical disability, as long as he received a dowry. In reality, this was all for show, to force Tong Fengquan to fabricate a story for him.

Deep down, he still wanted Mo He to be valued and to live a good life without being bullied.

"Logically speaking, what you said makes sense, but we don't have time, so it's best to get this done as soon as possible."

"Besides, since you can say such things, you will definitely not mistreat Mo He after she marries into the family. We won't care about these trivial matters."

Cao Weida was completely confused. "Fifth Brother, what do you mean by that? What do you mean there's no time?"

"What else could it mean? It's about the Rui family, of course." Fifth Master Fan picked up his small wine cup, took a sip, and then, with a slurping sound, popped a peanut into his mouth.
"Have you forgotten? Rui's second daughter-in-law was made your concubine by Old Master Rui. If she enters the family first, then wouldn't Mo He be the fourth one if she came in later?"

"Although the Rui family has a good relationship with my family, when it comes to girls, I definitely have to fight for it. I have to be ahead of their family in the rankings."

Cao Wei Da was both amused and exasperated. So that's why?
However, he could understand Master Fan's concerns. Although his household was relatively peaceful at the moment, both of his concubines were honest and dutiful and had never caused any trouble.

But who knows if we'll stay apart forever?
If he were to bring all these women to live together in the future, then the order of seniority would be very important.

Don't think that palace intrigue only happens in the imperial palace; rivalries for favor in private residences are also commonplace.

The third child is naturally a head taller than the fourth child; that is an indisputable fact.

So, the fact that he was able to get Mohe so smoothly and so early is not only thanks to his brother-in-law's help, but also to the Rui family's assistance.

Having figured all this out, Cao Wei Da couldn't help but chuckle to himself, thinking, "This is truly a lucky accident."

After thinking for a moment, Cao Weida nodded, "Alright, since Mo He has no objections, then I certainly have no objections either. Here's what we'll do: I'll go prepare the betrothal gifts later and make sure Mo He knows my sincerity."

"Furthermore, I assure you that in my backyard, there is absolute equality, and I will not allow any bullying. In the Cao family, I, Cao Weida, still have the final say!"

There are still certain customs surrounding marriage these days.

Marrying a wife involves giving betrothal gifts, while taking a concubine involves giving a bride price; the meanings are different.

Take the Bai family in the Grand Mansion for example. Yang Jiuhong, an outsider, wouldn't have dared to act recklessly if Huang Chun hadn't died.

Huaihua entered the house after Yang Jiuhong, but was bullied terribly by Yang Jiuhong and ultimately met a tragic end.

While the timid nature of the locust flower might be a contributing factor, it also reflects the importance of the order in which things are done.

But why didn't Yang Jiuhong dare to act recklessly after Li Xiangxiu entered the house?

That's because Li Xiangxiu became the lady of the house after she entered!
If Yang Jiuhong dares to cause trouble, Li Xiangxiu will kill her!

This is also why Mo He was initially unwilling to become a concubine, but after being persuaded, she wanted to compete with Ru Qiulan for the position.

(End of this chapter)