Period drama: Old Cao's carefree life

Chapter 184 I'm not a sucker!
"Master Cao, take another look at this knife."

"Stop, stop, stop~" Seeing Liu Zhan's enthusiastic appearance, Cao Weida couldn't stand it anymore. What kind of hobby is this!

If it's death by a thousand cuts, then it's death by a thousand cuts; if it's lifeless dismemberment, then it's lifeless dismemberment. Go and introduce it to the prisoner! What kind of nonsense are you talking about?

"Ahem, well, Liu Zhan, I'm short on time, let's get straight to the point and not waste any more time."

"Well, I'll leave two people behind. If you need anything else to prepare, just ask them."

As he spoke, he looked around the interrogation room and saw everyone there.

Everyone's eyelids twitched, and they all took a step back in unison, turning their heads away, none of them daring to meet his gaze.

"Little Ears"

"Brother Cao!" Little Ears was startled and ran outside. "I just remembered I have something to take care of. I'll go right now!"

If it were anything else, he would naturally have no objections, but he simply couldn't bear such a disgusting situation, so he decided to make a run for it.

Cao Wei Da chuckled to himself. He truly had no intention of letting Xiao Erduo stay; he simply wanted to say he was thirsty and ask for a glass of water.
He then looked at the two patrol officers who had dragged the human traffickers in.

The two patrol officers jumped in surprise and immediately ran outside, saying, "Uncle Lian, we'll help you!"

Well, these two can't be relied on either.

Then he looked at the interrogators.

Just as the three interrogators were about to run away, Cao Weida stopped them, shouting, "Stop right there! If you dare to run, I'll break your legs!"

The three interrogators were on the verge of tears, wanting to run away but daring not to.

It wasn't that they hadn't interrogated prisoners before; they considered themselves to have rather extreme methods. But even they thought Liu Zhan's methods were too extreme.
To be sliced ​​to pieces and tortured to death!
Just thinking about it makes me shudder!

"Alright, stop looking so gloomy," Cao Weida said irritably. "You don't need to serve him the whole time. Just hand him a tool when he needs one."

"Yes, Master Cao." The three had no choice but to agree, since he had already said so.

but
"Master Cao, out of the three of us, which two will stay?"

Cao Wei Da scanned the three men, who all looked hopeful, wishing they weren't one of the other two.

He chuckled inwardly, "You three brothers are so close, it wouldn't be good to leave any of you behind. Having more manpower is good too, so you can all stay and help Liu Zhan."

"Ah?~" The three of them cried out in their hearts.

Cao Wei Da didn't care what they thought. He got up and walked out, saying, "Arrange a separate room for Liu Zhan to demonstrate his family's skills. This is an interrogation room, and we still have to entertain those beasts. We can't waste it!"

"Liu Zhan, I'll assign two people to you each day. That should be enough, right?"

Liu Zhan was taken aback for a moment, then shook his head with difficulty: "Master Cao, you may not understand. This slow slicing requires ensuring that the prisoner does not bleed to death prematurely. The process also needs to be meticulous. If it is only a few dozen cuts, then half a day is enough. But if you want to slice the prisoner alive with three thousand cuts, or even the extreme 3600 cuts, then it will take several days."

"No need for three thousand cuts, thirty cuts will be enough!" Cao Weida hurriedly said, even though at first he was so angry that he wished he could cut him three thousand times!

But the thought of ordering someone to be sliced ​​into three thousand pieces made him feel nauseous and disgusted.

It's also bad for one's reputation.

Although most people wouldn't object even if they knew, the fear is that some self-righteous individuals or "saints" would use this as an excuse to attack him.

To avoid any unforeseen complications, it's better to kill them as soon as possible. Slicing them alive with thirty cuts would be a way to avenge those poor children.

Sigh, I'm still too kind.
Of course, there is another reason.

The people handed over by those unscrupulous merchants who sold opium and the like in the last batch would only be enough for him to keep for another two days.

With this batch of troublemakers, he won't have to go out to meet his KPIs for several days. He's in a hurry to use them.

After careful consideration, we've decided to choose the option with the best cost-performance ratio.

"I have one more request: please don't kill anyone. I want to personally get rid of these scumbags in the end!"

"Don't worry, Master Cao, I will definitely handle it well." Liu Zhan naturally had no objection to this. He might not be too confident about three thousand cuts, but did he understand the value of a twelve-generation inheritance with thirty cuts?

But I felt a little disappointed. Thirty cuts was too simple. I couldn't appreciate the true value of the family's traditional skills at all!

"But whatever you want to say, just say it directly, there's no need to beat around the bush."

"Yes, that's right. Ever since the executioners were banned, our family hasn't had a stable income, so we're a bit strapped for cash." Liu Zhan said awkwardly, looking somewhat embarrassed.
"To ensure that prisoners do not bleed to death during torture, medication is necessary, therefore..."

Cao Wei understood immediately. It was simply a lack of money; that was easy. "Of course. I've asked you to help, so I can't expect you to do all the work and effort, only to end up paying out of your own pocket. Just let me know what you need."

He would never do something like a heartless capitalist who makes a horse run but doesn't let it eat grass.

"Master Cao, everything I asked for is on this." Liu Zhan handed over a piece of paper.

Cao Weida took it, opened it, and read it: a special ointment containing hemostatic herbs and anesthetic ingredients, but with a weak anesthetic effect. It works to slow down bleeding and keep the wound feeling fresh and painless.
Upon seeing the word "fresh," certain images involuntarily surfaced in Cao Weida's mind, causing him to shudder.

Keep reading.

Hemp paper or mulberry paper was used to press on wounds to absorb blood and at the same time isolate them from external infection.
A damp cloth is used to wipe blood and dirt from a prisoner's face or around wounds.
Thin hemp rope.
Well, that's why they say they're professionals.

"Okay, I got it. I'll have someone prepare the things in a bit." He stood up and tossed a pack of cigarettes over: "Smoke slowly. If you run out, ask for more. There's plenty."

He then took out ten silver dollars from his pocket and handed them over:
"This is a reward for your hard work. If you survive the slow slicing, I will give you ten silver dollars each. But if you die, then there will be no reward."

He was genuinely afraid that Liu Zhan might accidentally kill one or two of them, because those were his KPIs!
He felt it was a good deal to use money to guarantee KPIs, especially since it was only a small amount.

Liu Zhan was overjoyed. Ten silver dollars for one person?!
Two of those a day, wouldn't that be twenty silver dollars?!

Where else can you find such a good deal: twenty dollars for sixty cuts?!
His father was right after all; his family's skills would definitely come in handy one day!
Look, here it is!

Before he came, Master Lian had told him that there were a dozen or so human traffickers, nearly twenty in total. If they were all executed, wouldn't he be able to earn close to two hundred silver dollars?!
"Thank you, Master Cao! I will certainly not fail in my mission!!"

He was thrilled; with this money, he could finally get married!
The remaining money will be enough for him to eat and drink well for several years!
Just then, the human trafficker who had just fainted woke up and overheard these words.

Instantly, his eyes widened like saucers, and he began to beg for mercy.

Before he could even utter two words, three interrogators, noticing Cao Weida's impatient expression, gagged him.

With its mouth gagged, it couldn't make a sound, only letting out muffled, desperate cries.

Cao Weida was very satisfied with their actions, and he also saw the envious look on their faces when they heard what he had said earlier.

Cao Wei Da was not a stingy person. He always had to give some incentives to those who helped him. "Don't worry, I haven't forgotten you. Find a quiet place right away, and when it's time to collect your monthly wages, each of you three will receive an extra twenty silver dollars."

The three were overjoyed. The slight dissatisfaction they had felt earlier about being forced to take on a task was instantly dispelled by the reward of twenty silver dollars.

Amidst the three men's overwhelming joy and profuse thanks, Cao Weida left the interrogation room.

"Brother Cao." Little Ears walked over with a chuckle.

Cao Weida rolled his eyes in annoyance. "You're pretty good, kid. You run pretty fast."

Little Ears scratched his head, his neck twitching. He didn't want to run either, but just thinking about the bloody scene was unbearable.

He quickly changed the subject, saying, "Brother Cao, that guy named Jia Guangzheng brought you a pair of cloth shoes. He said his wife sewed them by hand, and they're sure to be comfortable. He left them in your office as a thank you for saving his life."

"That old bastard," Cao Weida thought to himself, feeling a bit strange. He wondered if Jia Guangzheng was just incredibly unlucky, with this so-called world correction, getting arrested and nearly killed time and time again.

Or perhaps they were just too lucky, and never managed to save themselves.

However, he was still somewhat gratified that the man had given him a pair of cloth shoes.

You should know that not just anyone can wear Jia Zhangshi's shoes.

Is this some kind of symbolism?
Of course, this was all a joke. The main reason was that he knew the Jia family really didn't have much money left. The only thing they could probably offer was the shoes his wife had made.

"I'm going to the hospital right away to visit that little devil Fujita Sousuke. You go to the Military Police Headquarters first, get the list of people arrested in the last two days, then compile the addresses and such based on the list, and visit them one by one. If you have money, give it to me quickly; if you don't, borrow it for me!"

"If I can't even borrow it, and I have no other choice, then I'll tell them to work for me to pay off my debts!"

“That Jia Guangzheng too. Tell him that not a single penny can be less. Doesn’t he work at the steel rolling mill? Either he borrows money from his boss, or he makes his wife work as my nanny to pay off the debt.”

"Trying to pay off a debt with a pair of shoes? Impossible!"

He will definitely save people, but he can't help them for nothing.

They're lucky that Ono Oda is willing to replace him; if they don't pay, then Cao Weida has to pay!

He is not a sucker.

After explaining the situation, Cao Wei Da rushed to the hospital without stopping.

(End of this chapter)