Period drama: Old Cao's carefree life

Chapter 234 Didn't intend to run away? Not a chance!
In the past, the Eight Banners descendants were basically all playboys. Asking them to be both literate and martial was difficult, but if you asked them to listen to operas, raise birds, fight crickets, or play with pigeon whistles, they were all experts.

My grandfather used to be a playboy, and so did Master Fan's father. They were both playboys in Beiping during the same period, so they naturally had to interact with each other on a daily basis.

Upon hearing this, Master Fan chuckled and gave a junior's salute, saying, "Master, Master Fan greets you here."

He and his grandfather were not of the same generation, so naturally they couldn't get along. Although his father knew his grandfather, they weren't close friends.

If Cao Weida hadn't brought him to his door, he would have simply nodded and greeted him politely when he saw him on the street.

However, since he had already come all this way, he naturally couldn't be impolite.

"Get up, get up! Your grandpa doesn't follow the old rules anymore." Although he said that, you could tell from the smile on his face that he was actually quite happy.

The counterfeiters standing nearby, seeing that they knew each other, immediately relaxed and put on a smile: "Oh, so you're my friend, please come in, please come in."

He was really startled; he thought it was someone looking for him.

As the old saying goes, if you have a clear conscience, you have nothing to fear.

But if you've done something wrong, then naturally you'll be afraid.

He was a counterfeiter, and what he feared most was being targeted by the people he had cheated.

Cao Wei Da gave him a serious look, chuckled, and walked in, then closed the door behind him.

Grandpa looked at him at the opportune moment, "Fan Wu, who is this?"

"Grandpa, let me introduce you. This is Cao Weida, my brother-in-law!" As he introduced him, Master Fan couldn't help but puff out his chest with pride.

"Are you Inspector Cao from the police station?!" Before the old man could speak, the counterfeiter was shocked and panicked instantly.

He subtly made his way towards the door, ready to run away at any moment.

Don't think that the police don't care about antique forgery these days. On the contrary, the police have always cracked down on antique forgery.

For no other reason than that forging antiques constitutes commercial fraud!

Actually, that's not the main point. The key issue is that a large portion of these fake antiques end up in the hands of international antique dealers!

Not all international antique dealers are experts on China, nor are they all like Lord Lu. They spent a lot of money but bought a fake. Do you think those international antique dealers wouldn't be angry?
When 'international friends' get angry, they will naturally put pressure on the government, and with that pressure, the government will naturally increase its inspection efforts.

He was involved in illegal business and paid the most attention to news from the police station.

However, I had never met Cao Weida before and didn't recognize him just now.

But as soon as Master Fan mentioned the name "Cao Weida," he immediately thought of Master Cao from the police station!

Now, Cao, the famous Inspector Cao from the outer five districts of Beiping, suddenly stood in front of him. It would be a miracle if he wasn't flustered!

You know, his yard is full of counterfeit goods!

This is catching them red-handed!!
How could he not panic!
As for being reluctant to part with the fake antiques that you painstakingly created in the yard, forget it! Fake antiques are worth less than life itself!

His movements naturally did not escape Cao Weida's eyes. He smiled mockingly and said lightly, "Don't even think about running away. If you dare to run, believe me, I'll drag you back and throw you into the torture chamber to 'enjoy' it?"

The counterfeiter immediately froze, forcing a smile that looked more like a grimace, and stammered, "Master Cao, you're joking. I didn't intend to run away."

That’s weird! !

He kept thinking about running away!

If he could, he would run as far away as possible!
He is now very blaming his mother for not giving him two more legs!
Ahhhhh!
Did I forget to check the almanac before going out today?

How did I get targeted by him and even followed here?!

Waaaaah~~ I don't want to go to jail!
"It's good that you didn't intend to run away. Come on, be good, back up." Cao Weida commanded with a smile.

The counterfeiters were devastated, yet dared not disobey.

Because a Browning rifle was pointed directly at his head.
The old man, who had been smiling broadly, froze upon seeing this scene. He leaped away from the counterfeiters and shouted:
"Boss, let me make this clear first: I've only just met this person today, and I don't know him at all!"

Not familiar with them?!
You think we're not close just because you say so?!

How can it be!

My ten silver dollars were wasted!

He immediately retorted, "Master Cao, he's lying! I know him very well. If you don't believe me, search his pockets. There are ten silver dollars inside, and I gave them to him personally!"

My scalp tingled instantly. Damn it, you bastard, you were definitely up to no good!

He hurriedly protested, "Boss, don't listen to him! I do have ten silver dollars in my pocket, but they're mine. What does it have to do with him?" "Nothing to do with me?" the counterfeiter scoffed. Today, he was determined to link his grandfather to him no matter what, and immediately said:
"Master Cao, one of those ten silver dollars has a cross marked on it. If you don't believe me, ask him to take it out and show it to you!"

From the conversation just now, he could confirm that his grandfather knew the person who called himself Fan Wu, and that Cao Weida was Fan Wu's brother-in-law!

With this connection, he definitely, absolutely, and unconditionally has to get involved with my grandfather!
Perhaps, considering this relationship, Master Cao will spare him?

It can be said that after he believed that Cao Wei had come to capture him, his father was his only lifeline, and he would never let go!

When he heard this, his grandfather was dumbfounded. This bastard was actually trying to pull this trick on him!
He hurriedly took out the silver dollars and looked at them. Sure enough, one of the dollars had a cross drawn on it.
Alright, the evidence is conclusive!

Now, even the old man felt uneasy. He glanced nervously at Cao Weida, thinking anxiously, "Oh no, what if this young boss arrests me as an accomplice to counterfeiting?"

Seeing that Cao Wei Da remained silent, just watching with a half-smile, making no further move, Master Fan was somewhat confused:

"Cao'er, what do you plan to do?"

Before getting into the rickshaw, judging from Cao Weida's tone, he probably didn't intend to bring the counterfeiter to justice.

But now there's no action being taken, so what exactly are they trying to do here?

But Cao Wei Da put away his gun and laughed, "Alright, I didn't say I was here to arrest you, what's the panic?"

"They're not here to arrest us?" The counterfeiter was a little confused. He tentatively asked, "Then, Mr. Cao, are you here to buy antiques?"

"You think I'd buy all these fakes in your yard to eat?" Cao Weida rolled his eyes, waved his hand, strolled around, sat down on a chair in the center of the yard, and asked:

"From which era is this chair modeled?"

The counterfeiter dared not refuse, and with a forced smile and a swaying back, said, "It's an imitation of Song Dynasty rosewood."

"Oh, so it's from the Song Dynasty, huh? Come on, Fifth Brother, with your keen eyes, can you see anything?"

Cao Wei Da didn't have the eye for antiques, but he thought the chair was quite beautiful. Even if it wasn't an antique, the craftsmanship alone should have made it worth a bit of money.

Upon hearing the invitation, Master Fan immediately went up and carefully examined the chair. After a while, he stood up and shook his head, saying, "It's too fake, too new, and lacks historical depth. Even a novice like me can spot the flaws at a glance, let alone a professional."

Upon hearing this, Cao Wei Da immediately revealed a mocking smile: "That won't do either. By the way, what's your name again?"

The counterfeiter sneered, "Master Cao, I'm Lan Gui. People call me Rotten Ghost. You can treat me like this."

"Rotten ghost? What kind of lame nickname is that?" Cao Weida curled his lip in disgust. He crossed his legs, took out a cigarette, lit one, and then pulled out another and offered it to someone: "Want a smoke?"

"No, no, thank you, please keep yours."

"Don't be so polite, just take it." Before he could refuse, Cao Weida handed it to him directly, and then gave the rest to Master Fan: "Your father knows you, so you two can do as you please."

Master Fan didn't stand on ceremony; he was his own brother-in-law, so there was no need to be polite.

Although, according to the old customs, the concubine's brother did not qualify as part of this relationship.
Cao Wei Da lit a cigarette, leaned back lazily in his chair, and said jokingly, "Hey, you lousy wretch, do you think you can make a living with this kind of skill? Aren't you afraid of getting beaten to death?"

Lan Gui smiled awkwardly, unsure how to respond.

If you say his skills are bad, it would be a slap in the face, but if you say they aren't, you're afraid people are trying to trick you into revealing information.

Seeing his conflicted expression, Cao Weida smiled gently: "Don't worry, I told you, I'm not here to arrest you."

"Besides, you've made counterfeit goods, but they won't harm ordinary people anyway, so I'm not going to bother with your business."

He meant it; the police station was indeed strict about counterfeiting antiques, but he was genuinely too lazy to care.

Those who usually buy antiques are the wealthy and powerful, and most of them are not good people. Why would he stand up for them?
He's even considering getting involved.

"You really don't intend to arrest me?" Lan Gui cautiously observed Cao Weida's expression, secretly trying to figure out if the other party was telling the truth.

Cao Weida rolled his eyes and said irritably, "Isn't that obvious? If I really wanted to get involved, do you think you could escape with all these fake antiques here?"

"Do you think I'm crazy to waste my time here just to mess with you? My time is precious, you know."

Seeing that it didn't seem like a lie, Lan Gui breathed a huge sigh of relief. As long as they weren't here to arrest him, that was good!
"So, what brings you here today?"

"Never mind why I'm here today, just answer me first: what you've done, like this chair," he said, patting the back of the chair with obvious disdain.

"Answer me first, is this the quality of everything you make? This is unacceptable! No wonder you're dressed so shabbily!"

Lan Gui was immediately indignant, and after realizing that the other party wasn't there to arrest him, he became bolder:

"."

(End of this chapter)