Period drama: Old Cao's carefree life

Chapter 217 Hoping for more 'hard times'

"No problem! Of course no problem!"

"Cash or gold, either is fine!"

Yan Zhensheng readily agreed, his heart pounding with excitement.

He was a man with a strong sense of righteousness and a heart full of patriotic fervor!
Faced with this national crisis, as a Chinese citizen, he was willing to contribute his strength to the country!
If it weren't for his age, health condition, and family responsibilities, he would have preferred to join the army and serve his country.

But reality doesn't allow for so many "what ifs." Bound by reality, he couldn't join the army himself, so he could only place his hopes on his son.

But he also knew that war meant death!
Therefore, within his means, he hoped that his son could receive some preferential treatment.

Therefore, finding a way to procure some supplies for the anti-Japanese forces became the best solution he could think of.

Between national duty and his love for his son, this was all he could do!

"As long as the money is in place, I will give you every single piece of supplies," Cao Weida promised with a smile.
He could understand the other party's complicated feelings to some extent. If he were not worried at all about sending his son to join the army, he would never have gone to such great lengths.

Poor parents in the world.

After eating and drinking his fill, Cao Weida left Dongxinglou and got into the rickshaw pulled by Xiangzi. Just as he was about to go home, someone called him back.

"Master Cao!"

"Well, what is it?"

He remembered this person; he was one of Yan San's brothers, named Guo Piezi.

His real name is unknown; everyone calls him Guo Piezi.

Guo Piezi leaned closer and whispered, "Master Cao, my elder brother is looking for you."

Looking for me now?

Cao Wei Da's heart skipped a beat. "Come up here and give me your address."

After giving the address, Xiangzi pulled the vehicle to the location as quickly as possible.

Seeing that it was already getting dark, he waved to Xiangzi to keep his mouth shut and go back first, and the two went into the room.

Inside the room, Yan San, who had been waiting for a long time, quickly stepped forward to open the door after hearing the unusual knocking rhythm.

"Master Cao, you've come to pull it up!"

"Okay, tell me, what happened?"

"Brother Cao, the brothers have found out that Liu Xiangting has been active at the embankment wharf between Datong Bridge Wharf and Qingfeng Sluice Wharf these past two days. He also came to Dachuan Products Company afterward."
We observed from a distance that the Okawa Bussan Company was bustling with activity, seemingly preparing to move things out.

I suspect they plan to transport these supplies via the pier tonight or tomorrow night, so I had to have Guo inform you to avoid any delays!

A quay dock?

Cao Wei Da couldn't help but fall into deep thought.

The so-called pier is just a small, nameless pier. On ordinary days, very few people use such a pier to transport goods, unless it is for smuggling or something similar.

These Japanese devils, when transporting goods, actually bypassed major wharves like Datong Bridge and chose to transport them from remote, deserted embankment wharves instead. How cautious they are!
"You did a great job. I understand. I promise I won't treat the brothers unfairly after this is over." Cao Weida patted him on the shoulder.

The supplies were transported at night in complete darkness, via a quay dock.

Even a fool could tell that this batch of supplies was definitely not ordinary; it must be very important to the Japanese. It might even contain antiques, calligraphy, paintings, or other treasures of Chinese art.

In fact, no matter what it is, he is very willing to sabotage anything that is detrimental to the Japanese.

Yan San seemed to remember something else and hurriedly added, "Oh right, Master Cao, there's one more thing. Yesterday and today, a woman dressed as a man with buck teeth has been frequently going in and out of the Okawa Products Company. The Japanese people there seem to know her very well and are very respectful to her, even saluting her."

Cao Wei Da was taken aback. Why did this sound so familiar?
He pressed further, "Are you sure it was a woman?"

"Of course I'm sure, she's a woman! I'm absolutely certain!"

Yan San nodded immediately and said with great certainty, "It's still very easy to distinguish between men and women. Although that woman looks a bit rough, she doesn't have an Adam's apple and her chest is a bit protruding. If I can't even tell them apart, then all my years in the martial world have been for nothing."

"Okay, I understand." Cao Weida smiled knowingly. If he wasn't mistaken, this person should be Yoshiko Kawashima.

He hadn't expected that even Yoshiko Kawashima would be involved in this matter, which meant that these supplies were even less likely to be ordinary goods.

Fun, really fun.

What exactly are these Japanese devils transporting?

Forget it, who cares what he's transporting?

No matter what goods they're transporting, just seize them and take a look, and we'll know everything.

Do you have a map?

"Have."

Yan San immediately found a map and handed it to him.

"Where is the pier?"

Yan San pointed on the map: "This is it, between Datong Bridge Wharf and Qingfeng Gate Wharf."

Cao Weida followed his finger, examined it carefully for a while, and then pointed to the vicinity of the embankment and dock. After a long pause, he stood up and said:
"Alright, I got it. I'll take this map with me. Also, have all the brothers evacuate. Keep your mouths shut, no one is allowed to utter a single word!"

Yan San nodded firmly: "Don't worry, Master Cao, these brothers are all loyal and reliable. They won't utter a single word about it."

He wasn't stupid; he naturally knew that Master Cao was definitely going to take some action, and that this matter was of great importance, and could easily stir up a hornet's nest.

Cao Weida nodded, patted his shoulder heavily, and said in a deep voice, "I won't hide it from you, this matter is of great importance, and we must not allow any mistakes to occur."

"I trust my brothers' character, but I'm afraid they might say something inappropriate after drinking, so I can only ask them to put in a little more effort."

"Here's what you'll do: gather all the brothers together. For the next two weeks, no one is allowed to go out alone. I'll arrange a courtyard for them to stay in."

"We'll be served the best food and meat every day. We can drink alcohol, but we're absolutely not allowed to drink too much, and we're absolutely not allowed to hire prostitutes!"

"If you have a family, you can call home or have your family stay with you, but once you move in, you are not allowed to leave."

"After this is all over, I'll give each of my brothers a big red envelope!"

If the matter is successfully completed, it will have a significant impact, and he absolutely cannot allow any mistakes to occur!
The best solution would naturally be to silence them, but Cao Wei Da was not the kind of person who would discard someone after they had served their purpose; he would not do such a thing as harming his own brothers.

Moreover, the sudden death of so many people might attract attention, which could backfire.

Transporting them out of the city is also not an option, as it would easily arouse suspicion.

Therefore, the best course of action now is to gather all these people together, treat them well, and give them a generous hush money once the storm has passed.

"Alright, I'll do whatever you say, Master Cao!"

There were only five or six people who knew about this, and they were all brothers, so it wasn't difficult to gather them together and keep an eye on them.

Moreover, you get to be treated to delicious food and meat every day, don't have to do any work, and receive a big red envelope at the end. Where else can you find such a wonderful job?
When the brothers find out, they won't feel bitter at all; in fact, they'll probably all be hoping for more of these 'bitter days'!

Seeing that Yan San knew what was important and urgent, Cao Wei Da patted him on the shoulder again with satisfaction, explained the address of the house, and gave him the key.

After leaving the room, Cao Weida rushed to Lao Luo's address without stopping.

It was already dark, and the streets were exceptionally quiet, broken only by the occasional bark of a dog.

The pedestrians had long since deserted, hiding in their homes and waiting for the dawn to shine upon the earth once more the next day.

After becoming the manager of Ruixin Grocery Store, Lao Luo rented a house in Laojuntang Hutong behind the store.

At this moment, Lao Luo had just finished dinner and was sitting on a recliner in the yard, smoking and quietly watching the stars gradually brighten in the sky.

He had been working underground in Beiping for many years since joining the Red Party.

During his time in hiding, he lived in constant fear and dared not be careless in the slightest.

Because once he reveals a weakness, he will face endless pursuit or inhuman torture after being captured.

But he never expected that Cao Weida's appearance would suddenly change his life.

Not only did they quickly identify and eliminate the traitor, but they also provided such favorable conditions.

While providing the organization with a steady stream of supplies, he no longer had to live in fear as before.

With delicious food and drinks every day, this kind of life is simply blissful!
"I wonder how long this peaceful life can last~~"

He leisurely picked up the teacup beside him and took a sip. Just as he was about to put it down, there was a peculiar knocking sound at the door.

After the final knock, Lao Luo sprang to his feet like a spring.

He quickly stepped forward, opened the door, let Cao Weida in, looked around, and then quickly closed the door.

"Master Cao, what happened?"

Generally speaking, unless there is an emergency, Cao Wei Da would never come to see him after dark; something must have happened.

"Let's go inside and talk."

Upon hearing this, Lao Luo dared not delay and quickly led him into the room.

After entering the house and closing the door, Cao Weida didn't waste any words and went straight to the point:

"Old Luo, there is indeed something urgent I need to discuss with you about Da Chuan on Chang'an Avenue."

After hearing Cao Weida's description, Lao Luo immediately realized that something was amiss.

His expression was grave as he said, "Your analysis is probably correct. The Japanese are being so cautious; this batch of supplies must be extremely valuable!"

"No matter what these supplies are, we cannot let them leave Beiping!"

After a moment of contemplation, he said, "There is a guerrilla unit of our underground party in Beiping. We should act quickly, or things will change. I will go and contact them now to get their cooperation!"

The Japanese might have to move the supplies in the next day or two. Time is of the essence, and they must start acting immediately.

Cao Wei Da nodded, "Okay, by the way, do you need help with the guerrillas' firepower?"

"The Japanese are taking this shipment so seriously that they may not have many people escorting it, but they will definitely have plenty of firepower."

"If we can't deal with them quickly enough to make them realize what's happening, then we're in big trouble!"

(End of this chapter)