Period drama: Old Cao's carefree life

Chapter 227 Doing a Favor While It's Going By—He Doesn't Mind Doing It

"Master Cao, please calm down. There's nothing we can do. The Japanese soldiers sealed off the city gates. It's not the delivery guy's fault."

Lu Ju gave Xu Jingge a wink, signaling him to leave quickly.

He had previously held Cao Wei in some awe.

For no other reason than that, the fact that he dared to shoot Sergeant Dong Xiaozhen right in the police station compound, and that he got away with it afterward, shows how lenient and tolerant Ono Taijun is towards Cao Weida.

He was taken away from the police station office in the morning and released at noon. Moreover, he smelled strongly of alcohol when he spoke, clearly having eaten and drunk well.

Just thinking about this kind of relationship is exciting!

Now that he has the opportunity to do someone a favor, he naturally doesn't mind doing it.

He's just a small vegetable vendor. There are so many people in the lockdown area, one more won't make a difference!
Little did he know that by doing a favor, he had let go of the only rebel he was looking to capture, and a big one at that!
Xu Jingge, who was in disguise, quickly put on a fawning smile and said, "I'm leaving now, I'm leaving now."

He breathed a sigh of relief as he carried the load on his shoulder.

Thank goodness, I'm not destined to die!

He was just about to resist during the checkpoint inspection; he either escaped or was shot dead on the spot.

Unexpectedly, I was lucky enough to run into Cao Weida!

He glanced back; this was a life-saving favor.
After being persuaded by Lu Ju, Cao Weida seemed to have calmed down. He took out a pack of cigarettes, lit one, and stuffed the rest into Lu Ju's hand.

"This this"

"Hey, what's with all this formality? We're all colleagues and brothers, why are you being so polite with me?"

"Then thank you, Master Cao!" Lu Ju smiled broadly and took out a cigarette, lighting it up. A pack of cigarettes wasn't worth much, but it showed his attitude!

He lit a cigarette, took a puff, looked at the chaotic cordoned-off area, raised an eyebrow, and asked, "What's going on? How did you know there were insurgents inside?"

"Hey, I heard they're trying to arrest some kind of Kuomintang spy. Apparently, he has some kind of secret on him and is hiding in this cordoned-off area." Lu Jumei smugly puffed on his cigarette.
"We don't understand anything else. We just follow the orders from above."

"By the way, Mr. Cao, you're well-informed, do you know what they were searching for during the ten days of city lockdown?"

"To be honest, the guys down below complain to me every day. They're searching all day long, but they don't even know what they're searching for. They've been grumbling about it for ages."

"How would I know? But I heard at the Bamboo Bureau today that some treasure was lost, but I dare not ask for details." At this point, Cao Weida paused, then patted his shoulder earnestly:

"Let me give you a piece of advice: we're all just living off our salaries to make a living and support our families. It's best to know less and just mind your own business."

Being too curious isn't necessarily a good thing.

"Yes, yes, Master Cao, you're right," Lu Ju chuckled. "I was just curious for a moment. I'll definitely keep my mouth shut from now on."

Cao Wei Da smiled and said, "Don't be nervous. I didn't say anything. It was just casual conversation between brothers."

Lu Ju nodded with a dry laugh. In his mind, Cao Weida was someone he couldn't afford to offend even more than Director Xu Hancheng.

Given the relationship between Cao Wei Da and Ono-sama, a few bad words spoken in private could be fatal!

Moreover, just this morning at the police station, Xiao Erduo and others dared to confront the Japanese soldiers from the Bamboo Bureau with guns, which shows that Cao Weida has no shortage of brothers who dare to fight!
With connections above him and brothers below him, how could he dare to offend such a person?

Therefore, his strategy was to befriend them but not offend them!

After finishing his cigarette, Cao Weida threw the butt on the ground and stomped it out: "Alright, you guys go ahead with your work, but I have to remind you that Beiping is becoming increasingly turbulent, and the resistance elements are becoming more and more active."

"If you don't want to be targeted, don't go too far. We're all Chinese, right?"

Lu Ju nodded hurriedly, understanding the meaning behind the other party's words. "Yes, yes, Mr. Cao, you're right. We're all Chinese, I understand."

Then, he turned to the patrol officers who were yelling at the people and yelled, "You all better behave yourselves! You think you're so high and mighty just because you're patrol officers!"

The patrol officers: "??????"

What's wrong with us?
Hasn't it always been like this?
We've even become much more restrained than before.
Cao Weida chuckled inwardly, but had no intention of staying any longer. "Alright, Inspector Lu, you're busy. I'll take my leave now."

"Okay, you're busy."

Just as Cao Wei Da was about to leave, a joyful shout rang out: "Master Cao, Master Cao!!"

Cao Weida turned his head and looked, and instantly felt terrible.

Damn it, it's him again!
Lu Ju tentatively asked, "Master Cao, do you know him?"

“He looks so familiar!” Cao Weida laughed, slapping his forehead. “He was arrested before. Last time at the police station, he was one of the people that idiot Dong Xiaozhen arrested.”

Lu Ju thought carefully, and the scene from that day vaguely appeared in his mind. He suddenly realized, "Oh, I remember now, his name is Jia."

"Boss, my name is Jia Guangzheng!" Jia Guangzheng ran over breathlessly, smiling humbly.

"Yes, yes, it's you." Lu Ju finally remembered, and said speechlessly, "What are you doing here?"

Jia Guangzheng said with a mournful face, "Boss, I didn't want this either. We've run out of food at home, and my son is even swollen from hunger. I heard there's some cheap mixed grain for sale nearby, so I came here to buy some."

"But who would have thought that instead of buying the grain, they would be stuck here and unable to leave?"

Lu Ju: "." That's really bad luck. He asked Cao Weida, "Master Cao, what do you think?"

"Let him out. Do you really believe he's a rebel?" Cao Weida sighed. He now seriously suspected that Jia Guangzheng was cursed with bad luck. Why was it always him?

Could there really be some divine will at work?
"Okay, let's come out that way."

Whether you graze one sheep or two, it's all the same. Given Jia Guangzheng's cowardly nature, he certainly doesn't seem like a rebel. It won't be difficult to curry favor with him.

"Thank you, Master Cao! Thank you, Boss!" Jia Guangzheng was overjoyed and rushed out, bowing repeatedly to the two men.

But then he looked at Cao Weida hesitantly and asked, "Um, Mr. Cao, could I ask you for a favor?"

"What's the matter?"

Cao Weida rolled his eyes and asked listlessly.

He really didn't want to talk to this guy; he was afraid the other person would pass on his bad luck to him.

But since we'd already met, and especially seeing his pitiful state, I just couldn't bring myself to refuse.

Well, I've helped them so many times already, and I've made quite a bit of money off them, so it would be really unreasonable not to help.

"Um, Master Cao, could you help me get some grain?" Jia Guangzheng's face was full of pleading.
"The children at home are so hungry they can barely walk. If we can't buy any more food, I'm afraid..."

As she spoke, tears streamed down her face.

Because of him, the family is heavily in debt.

Nowadays, grain prices in Beiping are changing every day, especially during the ten days or so of the blockade, when prices have doubled.

Even if you have money, you might not be able to buy food.

His family was already going hungry, and now they hadn't eaten for two days. If they couldn't buy any more food, he was afraid that people would starve to death.

If we're talking about the talented people he knows, besides Cao Wei Da, there's no one else.

But he really didn't have the guts to rashly ask Cao Weida for help.

If he hadn't run into Cao Weida today, he really wouldn't have dared to approach him.

It is said that men do not easily shed tears, but if there were any other way, he would not have done so.

"Alright, alright, you're a grown man, who are you trying to impress with all this crying?" Cao Weida impatiently interrupted the other man's spellcasting. He hated grown men crying the most.

Even though I know the other person is helpless and desperate, instead of crying, I should think of a solution.

Do you expect a solution to fall from the sky if you're always crying and looking miserable?
Or is it just to cry in front of me and gain my sympathy?

After being reprimanded like this, Jia Guangzheng immediately became meek and dared not cry anymore, but the bitterness on his face remained.

"Alright, alright, go to the police station and find Little Ear. Just tell him what I said and ask him to sell you a few pounds of mixed grains."

As time goes by, grain in Beiping has become increasingly precious, and its price has gradually increased.

Even without the ten-day lockdown, the continued rise in food prices could not be contained.

These days, you're lucky if they give you some mixed cotton; don't even think about pure grain.

Although Cao Wei Da was kind-hearted, he was not a saint.

"Thank you, Master Cao, thank you, Master Cao. You are like a second parent to the Jia family."

"Stop it!" Cao Weida waved his hand impatiently to interrupt. "You call yourselves reborn parents? I don't have any sons or grandsons as old as you. Don't try to get close to me."

Turning to Lu Ju, he said, "Inspector Lu, I'll be going now. You're busy."

After leaving the scene, Cao Weida did not rush to the police station, but instead changed his route and headed towards Sesame Alley.

Just as he arrived near his home, a figure carrying vegetables appeared before Cao Weida.

"Cough cough."

Cao Wei Da coughed, and seeing that he had been noticed, he turned and walked into a small alley.

Before long, Xu Jingge, disguised as a vegetable deliveryman, crept over.

"Master Cao, thank you for today. I owe you another favor." Even now, Xu Jingge still felt a lingering fear. If Cao Weida hadn't appeared, he would have been exposed today.

"Alright, we're all on the same side, don't be so formal." Cao Weida waved his hand with a smile. After the victory against Japan, Xu Jinge was quite a figure, and given that he was grateful for kindness, Cao Weida was very happy to accept the favor.

"But what exactly happened today? How did we end up stuck here for no reason?"

According to Lu Ju, they deliberately sealed off the area, or rather, they completely sealed it off. Even if they didn't know about the existence of anti-Japanese elements, they at least had great suspicions.

This absolutely cannot be a coincidence.

(End of this chapter)