Period drama: Old Cao's carefree life

Chapter 248 Have they eaten the gall of a bear and the heart of a leopard?!
"Alright, I understand. I know how much gambling debt Zhao Si'er owes."

Since Little Ear wasn't around, he, as the eldest brother, naturally couldn't stand idly by.

Otherwise, who will be willing to risk their lives for him in the future?

However, once we get them back, we absolutely have to teach them a lesson!

We must teach him a lesson he won't forget!
If he repeatedly fails to correct his behavior, then I'm sorry, he'll have to remove Zhao Si'er from the team.

A gambling addict is capable of anything!
Three hundred silver dollars

"How much?!" Cao Weida's eyes widened instantly, and he scratched his ear in disbelief. "You mean, that bastard Zhao Si actually borrowed three hundred silver dollars from the gambling den?!"

Don't be fooled by the seemingly small amount; he often spends hundreds or thousands of dollars, making three hundred seem like a small sum.

But you have to understand that this amount of money is already an astronomical sum for an ordinary patrol officer!

The police station doesn't pay salaries in silver dollars, but in Union Bank notes!
Zhao Si'er's monthly salary, converted into silver dollars, is only 7 yuan!
Moreover, with the frequent printing of Union Bank notes, purchasing power is gradually decreasing. Even though the government has increased salaries, it is still far from keeping up with the rate of inflation.

Even with those subsidies, its purchasing power is now only about ten dollars.

Three hundred silver dollars, that's a full thirty months' salary!

This means Zhao Si'er lost more than two years' worth of salary and allowances without eating or drinking!

Sun Dahu shrank his neck and nodded silently in confirmation.

Cao Wei Da couldn't help but curse, "Damn it! That bastard Zhao Si has a death wish! Who gave him the guts to borrow so much money?! Has he eaten the gall of a bear and the heart of a leopard?!"

"Does he not want to live anymore, or does he want his whole family to starve to death with him?!"

Seeing Master Cao panting heavily with anger, Sun Dahu shrank back again, not daring to utter a single word.

He wasn't blaming Cao Wei for being angry; in fact, he was quite angry himself. But what could he do? They were brothers from the same trench, and he couldn't just stand by and watch someone die!

After venting his anger with a few more curses, he told Sun Dahu to change into his police uniform.

He then hurried to his office, and when he came out, he had a Browning pistol and a stack of banknotes in his hand, and he had also changed his clothes.

He was too ashamed to wear his police uniform when he went to the gambling den to ransom someone; it was too humiliating!
"Sun Dahu, come on, take me there to ransom them!"

Just as they were about to walk outside, they were spotted by Ono Oda, who had just gotten off the car.

Seeing Cao Wei Da storming out with a gun in his hand, Ono Oda asked in surprise, "Cao-san, what's wrong? What happened?"

Cao Wei Da did not hide anything and recounted the whole story.

"Oh, I see." Ono Oda immediately understood, then turned to the driver who had just gotten out of the car and mumbled something in Spanish, before turning back to Cao Weida and saying:
“Cao Sang, you don’t have a car, and rickshaws are too slow. I’ve already spoken to the driver, so you can just take my rickshaw.”

"Oh, Ono-kun, you're too kind. I can't accept this."

"There's no need for such formalities between us. Cao Sang, you should go now and come back soon. I have something important to tell you."

"Okay, then I won't stand on ceremony. I'll be right back as soon as I'm done! Sun Dahu, get in the car, let's go now!"

On the road.

Cao Weida said, "Dahu, besides being a fellow townsman of Cui Qi, the brigade commander of the security forces, what other information do you know about this Commander Guo? Tell me all of that."

"Yes, Master Cao, we don't know what this Commander Guo's real name is, but he is a big shot in the Seventh District of Beiping."

"As far as I know, he has many businesses, including tobacco shops, gambling dens, and the black market. I've also heard that he's sworn brothers with Liu Changjiang, a notorious bandit leader active in the Changping area outside Beiping, but I'm not sure if that's really the case."

Outside Beiping, there were not only Japanese troops and guerrillas, but also a considerable number of bandits and local bullies running rampant.

After the Japanese occupied Beiping, most of these bandits and local tyrants were incorporated into the local militia, either as security regiments or as police forces.

A small number of them maintained a distant relationship with the Japanese, with no overt contact but an ambiguous relationship in private.

For example, Liu Changjiang with the beard, as mentioned by Sun Dahu.

It is said that he has connections with high-ranking officials in the Beiping municipal government, but no one knows exactly who they are or whether they actually have connections.

A small number of them, who possessed national integrity, were either driven away and forced to flee, constantly hiding, or were eliminated or scattered.

"Oh ho, you have quite a few connections, no wonder you're so arrogant, calling yourself some kind of great commander."

Cao Wei Da chuckled, thinking to himself, "He better not mess with me, or I'll make him understand why the flowers are so red!"

Cao Weida remained silent for the rest of the journey, leaning back in his chair and closing his eyes to rest.

They drove in silence until the car stopped in front of the Baolilai Casino. Cao Weida immediately got out of the car and strode towards the casino.

Sun Dahu didn't dare to delay and hurriedly followed.

Inside the gambling den, a man in his late twenties was bound hand and foot to a chair, his face covered in dried blood.

A man in his forties, with a face full of fat, stood in front of him, smoking a cigar and looking at him coldly.
"Zhao Si'er, it's been half an hour already, and they still haven't arrived."

He was the Commander Guo that Sun Dahu had mentioned. "I've urged you to pay me back several times before, but you kept putting it off. I've given you several chances, but you didn't appreciate them." Commander Guo's eyes were filled with malice.

"Let me tell you, if you still can't pay back the money today, I'll have no choice but to chop off your hand!"

Zhao Si'er was shocked and cried out in pain, "Big brother, big brother! Wait a little longer, Master Lian will definitely come to save me!"

"Ha, I don't believe a single word you say!" Commander Guo sneered, waving his cigar-holding hand lightly: "Beat them!"

"No! Big brother, I'm not kidding you! Ah~~"

Just as Zhao Si'er's face was covered in bruises, a shout rang out: "Stop it!!"

However, Cao Wei Da arrived just in time.

Looking at Zhao Si'er, who was tied up and beaten beyond recognition, Cao Weida looked at Commander Guo expressionlessly, and Commander Guo looked at him at the same time.

Commander Guo grinned with interest: "Oh, so it's Inspector Cao Wei! I didn't expect you to come all this way in person. Please forgive me for not welcoming you properly!"

Cao Weida was not surprised that the other party recognized him. It would be strange if someone with such a dense network of connections as Commander Guo did not recognize him.

"General Guo, you're too kind. Da Hu, untie Zhao Si'er."

With a cold face, he ordered Sun Dahu to untie Zhao Si'er, then took out a few pieces of paper from his pocket and threw them over: "Go, wash your face clean!"

Seeing that it was Cao Wei Da who had come to redeem her in person, Zhao Si'er was deeply moved, but also felt ashamed. Ignoring her pain, she grabbed the paper and stumbled to the toilet.

Cao Weida took out the pre-prepared banknotes from his pocket and threw them on the table. He found a chair, sat down, and lit a cigarette.

Upon seeing this, the henchman immediately questioned, "Inspector Cao, what do you mean by this? We want silver dollars, not banknotes!!"

Upon hearing this, Cao Weida suddenly looked up, staring at him with icy eyes: "You mean to say that you don't accept Lianyin coupons here?"

"Then can I assume that you are openly challenging the Imperial Army?!"

"Hey, trying to play dirty with me, huh?! Brothers, we don't want the money today, just give me the fuck the money."

Cao Wei Da's face darkened, and his hand had already reached into his robes.

Sun Dahu was already ready to fight, his face full of anger.

"Sixth Brother!" Commander Guo stopped him in time. His eyes flickered a few times, and he said in a deep voice, "They've already paid, so this debt is settled."

Cao Weida coldly stared at Commander Guo. After Zhao Si'er came out, he gestured for Sun Dahu to help him up. Then, he stared fiercely at Commander Guo across from him again.

"I hope it's because my good-for-nothing brother is just letting himself down, and not because he's been set up and tricked."

"let's go."

That icy gaze made Commander Guo feel uneasy. After the person left, he summoned Lao Liu, who had just been about to hit someone, with a grim expression.

"Tell me honestly, did that patrolman come to gamble on his own, or did you set him up?"

The sixth man's eyes darted away.

Alright, no need to answer, he already knows the answer!

Taking a deep breath, he slapped the sixth brother on the back of the head, gritting his teeth and angrily saying, "Didn't I tell you to do your research before you do anything, so you don't cause me any trouble!"

The sixth brother seemed to realize something was wrong and quickly admitted his mistake: "Brother, I know, but I really didn't expect that Cao Weida would personally come to our door because of a mere patrolman!"

"Besides, so what if Cao Weida is arrogant? He's just a Japanese dog. What's there to be afraid of?"

"Damn it!" Commander Guo was furious. If only this matter were that simple!

Forget it, there's no point in talking to these idiots, it's a complete waste of time!

Recalling the fierce look in Cao Weida's eyes as he left, Commander Guo felt a chill run down his spine and was secretly annoyed that Lao Liu had caused him trouble!

Seeing that he still dared to make excuses to take the blame, she slapped him hard across the face, her expression ferocious, and said:

"Just do what I tell you to do, stop with all the nonsense!"

"Get out of here! Just seeing you makes me angry!!"

The sixth brother was slapped, but he didn't dare to be angry at all. He quickly covered his face and slunk away.

Inside the car, Sun Dahu sat in the front without any hesitation. Cao Weida took out a cigarette, lit one for himself, and then tossed the rest to Zhao Si'er.

"Thank you, Master Cao."

Although he had washed his face, Zhao Si'er, still somewhat disheveled, took out a cigarette, then offered one to Sun Dahu and the Japanese driver.

Cao Weida took a breath and calmly said, "Tell me, what exactly happened? How did you end up owing so much money?"

"."

(End of this chapter)