Period drama: Old Cao's carefree life

Chapter 194 You'll Get Used To It

On the rickshaw, seeing Mo He's hands unconsciously clenched and her face filled with trepidation, Cao Weida couldn't help but laugh:

"What, worried about your future life at home?"

"No, no." Mo He's words seemed somewhat insincere, and her gaze darted away.

"Don't be afraid." Cao Weida took her hand and patted it. "The reason I haven't taken a wife yet is because I'm afraid you'll feel disappointed."

"Don't worry, I can't say I'll treat everyone perfectly equally, but I will definitely try my best to treat each of you fairly."

“I don’t like a chaotic and smoky atmosphere in my inner quarters. From now on, you will all be sisters.”

"I don't expect you to be as close as sisters. There will definitely be minor squabbles, but I don't want you to have any irreconcilable conflicts. We're all family, so let's just get along well."

“I will tell all of you sisters this: I'll take care of everything.”

Hearing this, Mo He felt inexplicably at ease. She hummed in agreement, nodded obediently, and gently rested her head on his shoulder. The worry on her face subsided considerably, and a slight smile appeared on her lips.

It's so nice to have a kind old man who cares about her.
The rickshaw arrived at No. 8 Sesame Alley. As the two entered the courtyard, Ru Qiulan and Liu Rusi, who had been notified, came out with small, quick steps.

"Master, you're back."

Then, her gaze fell on Mo He, and she said with a coquettish smile, "Oh, these are my sisters! They are all so beautiful and intelligent. Master, why don't you introduce them to them?"

Cao Weida smiled and introduced, "She is my third concubine, Mo He, and from now on she will be your third elder sister."

Then she introduced them to Mo He: "Mo He, the lady on the left is the fourth concubine, Ru Qiulan, and the lady on the right is the fifth concubine, Liu Rusi."

Ru Qiulan and Liu Rusi gently squatted down, offering a respectful greeting: "Hello, Third Sister."

Mo He hurriedly returned the greeting, "Hello, Fourth Sister, Fifth Sister."

Seeing that Mo He was still a little reserved, Cao Weida was about to say a few words of comfort when Ru Qiulan very sensibly stepped forward, took Mo He's arm, and led him inside, giggling as she went:
"Third sister, don't be shy. From now on, we'll all be family."

"Besides, if we're talking about being reserved, it's us two younger sisters who are reserved, you're our older sister."

Liu Rusi also took the other arm and echoed, "Yes, yes, if we really have to talk about it, we have to watch your eye. Third Sister, don't bully us in the future."

Mo He was a little flustered by the two sisters' enthusiasm. "How...how could that be? Master is working hard outside, we sisters should love each other."

"Oh dear, if you weren't our elder sister, no wonder Master would call your name in his dreams. You are such a well-behaved and sensible person, no wonder Master is so fond of you."

Tsk.

Cao Weida followed behind, watching their close-knit family-like demeanor, and sighed inwardly. No wonder they came from prominent families; both Ru Qiulan and Liu Rusi were more experienced than Mo He in dealing with people and building relationships.

Sure enough, in the short distance from the door to the living room, Mo He had already overcome her initial unease, and the tension on her face turned into a smile, calling her "little sister" repeatedly.

Cao Wei Da naturally had no objection to this; on the contrary, he was happy to see it happen.

He hoped that the inner quarters would be harmonious.

It's okay to use some tricks, as long as they're for good.

"Master, Third Sister hasn't eaten yet, has she? I'll have someone prepare dinner right away," Ru Qiulan commanded with the poise of a magnanimous lady.

Born into an official's family, and later spent so many years in the residence of Prince Rui...
Although he had never managed a household, he had been influenced by his surroundings and his every move exuded the demeanor of a great family.

Liu Rusi could be considered to have a distinguished status, but she lacked sufficient background and was deficient in this aspect.

Therefore, although she and Ru Qiulan had only spent two days together and usually lived separate lives, she had unconsciously come to not find any of Ru Qiulan's management style inappropriate.

Since she was like this, Mo He had even less to say.

Cao Wei Da, who saw all this, did not feel dissatisfied. The position of the principal wife in the harem was vacant, but there always had to be someone to lead it.

Otherwise, if everyone did things their own way, that would be real chaos.

"Master, ladies, the meal is ready," the maid said humbly as she placed the food down.

These maids were all hired by Cao Wei Da with his own money.

It's not that he particularly enjoys living a luxurious life, but rather that with a large house, all sorts of problems inevitably arise.

The women in the back courtyard needed someone to take care of their food, clothing, housing, and transportation so that they could focus on their own lives and domestic affairs.

The workload of cleaning the house, maintaining the courtyard, and organizing items is quite large and requires dedicated personnel.

At the same time, maids were needed to assist with tasks such as preparing and serving food in the kitchen to ensure the smooth operation of the inner quarters.

It's not like he can't afford to pay, nor can he not support his women. If he can solve the problem with money, he can also give his servants a job and support more people. Why not do it?

He's a person who enjoys life and doesn't want to do everything himself; that would be exhausting.

During the meal, the three women behaved very well, and all three wanted to get along well, so the atmosphere was quite warm and harmonious.

After the meal, the maids neatly cleared away the dishes.

Mo He instinctively wanted to go and help, but Liu Rusi stopped her and said with a smile, "Let the servants do these things. I have already ordered someone to heat the bath water. Third Sister, go and take a bath."

“But…” Mo He looked at the maids who were tidying up, feeling that it wasn’t right for them to be waited on hand and foot without helping at all.

"Mo He." Cao Weida shook his head slightly. "Go wash up. Let them do these things."

"Alright then." Mo He didn't insist too much. She was just used to doing the laundry, cooking, and washing dishes herself, and she couldn't change it in a short time.

In addition, she was kind-hearted and felt that it was inappropriate for the maids to do all the work while she was just sitting back and doing nothing, so she thought of lending a hand.

However, since the master thought so, she naturally wouldn't stubbornly insist on going up to help.

Mo He felt a little shy while washing up. Not only was the bathwater prepared and filled into the tub, but the maids were also ready to serve her while she washed up.
"Um...you guys can go out, I can do it myself."

In fact, there were women's bathhouses in Beiping as early as 1914. By 1944, there were a total of eight women's bathhouses in Beiping.

Compared to the more than 120 men's bathhouses, there are fewer women's bathhouses because very few female customers visit them, making it a niche consumer scene.

There are many reasons for this, including limitations imposed by traditional ideas, spending power, and the availability and distribution of facilities.

It can be said that most women in Beiping during this period had never been to a bathhouse, and Mo He was one of them.

She used to just clean and wipe things at home, which was very inconvenient.

She only had a proper hot bath right before she got married.

But now, not only can someone help prepare the hot water, but they can also help scrub your back.
This made it difficult for her to adapt at first.

The two maids exchanged a glance and chuckled softly, covering their mouths. "Third Madam, you must be having trouble getting used to it. It's alright, you'll get used to it eventually." "From now on, you'll need to bathe every day, and there are many areas that are inconvenient for you to scrub. You'll need our help."

"You just need to relax, and we'll take care of the rest. That way, you'll get a better wash."

These days, high-ranking officials and nobles love to enjoy life more than anyone else, especially the powerful and wealthy people of the Qing Dynasty, who were extremely adept at it.

The key point is that they are all very rich.

Where there is demand, there is a market, and places that train these skills naturally emerge.

These maids were all specially trained, and each one was a master of their craft, serving the servants with remarkable ease.

However, their salaries were not low either. For example, the two of them needed to exchange 15 silver dollars a month.

Of course, those who do cleaning, washing clothes, and washing dishes will be paid less, around 10 silver dollars.

The mansion hired a total of ten maids and servants, and their monthly wages alone cost over a hundred silver dollars.

Mo He hesitated for a moment, but finally nodded and accepted the treatment.

She is no longer the down-on-her-luck Manchu descendant cousin who had to sell cigarettes on the street; she is now a married woman, a concubine in the Cao family.

She had no problem living alone in Pocket Alley before, but now that she has moved into the master's mansion, she has to gradually adapt to these habits so as not to embarrass the master.

"Third Concubine, your skin is so beautiful, it's like you could squeeze water out of it! You're so pretty, and your figure is so graceful. Master is truly blessed to have married you." The maidservant kept praising her as she served her bath.

"It's just that your palms are a little rough, but it's nothing to worry about. It's good for your health, and it will get better after a while."

"I know an old traditional Chinese medicine doctor whose medical skills are superb. I'll get you two doses of medicine tomorrow and brew them for you to soak your hands in. I guarantee it will make your hands as soft as jade."

Sitting in a bathtub filled with flower petals, enjoying a meticulous scrubbing and listening to endless praise, Mo He suddenly understood what her cousin meant by the luxurious life he had described before.

I lifted my hands, which were wrinkled from being soaked in water, and looked at them. There was a thick layer of calluses on my palms, knuckles, and fingertips from years of cooking and working.

She hadn't thought much of it before, but now she suddenly found it somewhat of an eyesore.

"I suppose the master also likes my delicate hands." After becoming Cao Weida's woman, she had unknowingly become concerned about her master's preferences.

"Thank you very much. Could you please bring two sets back for me tomorrow?"

The maidservant said with a smile, "Third Madam, don't worry, I will definitely get it for you."

"How much? I'll get it for you in a bit."

"Third Madam, don't worry. Master gives the accountant a sum of money every month. I'll just go to the accountant and let them know. You don't need to pay anything."

'So this is what life is like for the wealthy.' Mo He gained a better understanding of the lives of rich families.

In the study room.

Cao Weida leaned back in his chair, smoking a cigarette, carefully recalling what he needed to do during this period and in the next few days, while his other hand scribbled on a piece of paper.

The bigger the operation, the more things you need to consider; it's a mentally taxing task.

Actually, he himself didn't expect things to suddenly spread so far.

In the past, he simply wanted to improve his life and then, within his means, help more members of the Communist Party.

At first, he was worried about wanting to eat more fine food, so he had to go to the black market in the middle of the night to buy some.

It seems that we've all come to this point by sudden inspiration, then broadened our path a bit, then had another sudden inspiration, and broadened it even further. Some of these efforts were proactive, some were reactive, and before we knew it, we'd become what we are today.

"Let's stabilize the current situation first and secure our basic base. We can't afford to come up with any other ideas on a whim." Cao Weida scratched his head and pointed to the cooperation between the Japanese army and navy.

He never intended to make any money from this business deal from the beginning; he even planned to work for free.

For no other reason than to avoid attracting the attention of Ono Oda and his group.

This business is too big, and the profits are astonishing. Even if it only accounts for half a percent, it will be an astronomical figure.

He loves money, but he values ​​his life even more, especially now that he is no longer a single man, he needs to think twice before acting.

Having too much money without strong protection can be a death sentence!

It's like a child carrying a gold brick crossing a busy street—can they be safe?
Therefore, the wisest choice is not to take anything and to give them all the benefits.

"What a pity." Cao Weida resisted the temptation, shook his head regretfully, and made a note on it.

I was writing and drawing like that when, after some time, there was a knock on the door.

"Master, the third concubine has finished washing up."

"I understand." Cao Weida tossed the paper into his spatial storage and stood up, stretching.

Having just been brought in, he hadn't returned for three consecutive days, so Cao Wei Da naturally had to make amends.

Therefore, tonight, Ru Qiulan and Liu Rusi obediently gave up their space and time to Mo He.

When Cao Weida arrived at the bedroom, Mo He was already lying on the bed, covered with a thin silk quilt, revealing half of her breasts and her beautiful face.

"Master, it's late." As she said this, Mo He's throat was a little itchy, and her voice trembled.

Although she had already experienced the pleasures of marriage and was beginning to enjoy them, she was still quite shy as a newlywed.

Looking at her rosy cheeks, Cao Weida couldn't help but smile. He walked to the bedside, lay down, and pulled her close, whispering in her ear, "It is indeed late. I'll make it up to you tonight."

Mo He's cheeks flushed even redder, like a brilliant sunset on the horizon, but her eyes were gazing at her master with a dreamy look.

Sensing the faint scent, I felt a sudden, inexplicable flutter in my heart.

"."

The next morning, Cao Wei Da got up feeling refreshed and washed up with the help of his maids.

During the meal, Cao Weida instructed, "Leave some food for later and send it over to Third Concubine after she wakes up."

"Yes, sir," the maid replied.

Hearing this, Ru Qiulan chuckled sweetly, "Oh, it seems that Third Sister was quite busy yesterday, she still hasn't woken up yet."

"Master, you really don't know how to cherish Third Sister."

"Exactly, exactly, it made me not sleep well last night." Liu Rusi yawned, her eye bags slightly dark.

(End of this chapter)