Period drama: Old Cao's carefree life

Chapter 300: How come the gap is so big?

"Master, brother, please chat while I bring you some tea."

Mo He smiled and stood up sensibly, saying...

It is often said that wealth and prosperity nourish the body, and that is absolutely true.

Although Mohe was quite beautiful before, she looked pale and her skin was rough from being exposed to the sun and wind for a long time.

Looking at her now, her skin is delicate and radiant, her complexion is rosy, and she exudes a graceful aura. She is not only completely different from before, but the difference is absolutely enormous.

These things are all built with money. Without a solid material foundation, these things can never be built with just spiritual support.

"Alright, bring your brother a cup of Longjing tea," Fan Wuye said with a smile after Mo He left. "Judging from the girl's spirits, she hasn't been wronged."

"Fifth Brother is joking. Mo He is my woman. I cherish her too much to bear her suffering."

“Speaking of grievances, I’m not trying to criticize you, Fifth Brother, but you have some money now, you should move to a better place. Your current place is really too shabby.”

He had seen the house that Master Fan was renting, and it was really lacking in everything, just like a bare-bones house.

"Hey, I've enjoyed everything in my life, luxury or simplicity, it's all the same." Master Fan waved his hand, pulled a handful of sunflower seeds from his pocket, cracked them open, and mumbled:

"Back in the day, my family was incredibly wealthy. My Fan family were descendants of eight Iron-Capped Princes, and our mansion was much bigger than yours."

"Back then, we were incredibly powerful; the threshold of our mansion was worn down by people coming to see us."

He waved his arms, as if he were still standing before the grand mansion of yesteryear.
"Back then, there were over a hundred servants in the mansion. Before meals, one had to wash their hands with an enamel basin, and maids had to feed them. More than 120 dishes were laid out in the main hall, and each dish could only be tasted three spoonfuls at most. This was the rule, and it was also a matter of dignity!"

How dare you even mention it? You've squandered such a huge family fortune; you've certainly got some skills.

Cao Wei Da secretly rolled his eyes. If you really didn't care, you wouldn't always be reminiscing about the past.

He handed him a cigarette, and was about to continue listening to him when Mo He came in carrying tea and pastries.

She playfully stopped Fifth Master Fan, who was about to continue, "Brother, that's enough. You've said those old, trivial things eight hundred times already."

"Hey, as expected, a married daughter is like water spilled from a bowl. You've only been in the Cao family for a few days." Master Fan smacked his lips, still somewhat unsatisfied, but after Mo He's interruption, he couldn't continue.

Even if I remarry, I'm still your sister.

Mo He rolled her eyes and smiled as she put down the tea and pastries. "You can continue. Just call me if you need anything."

He turned and left, closing the door behind him.

It's all thanks to my matchmaking efforts that brought the girl and Cao Weida together; otherwise, Mo He and I wouldn't have this comfortable life we ​​have now.

He was pleased with himself, praising his previous wise decision. He picked up the moon-white glazed teacup, took a sip, and gently stirred the floating leaves with the lid. His movements were meticulous, a quality ingrained in the old Manchu people. The teacup never left the tray; he only left a small gap for a sip.

"This tea is good, refreshing and helps cut through the greasiness, but it's still a bit lacking compared to the tea from the manor back in the day."

Being fussy and picky!
Cao Weida thought to himself, but naturally couldn't say it aloud. He smiled and poured more tea, saying, "The tea that Fifth Brother drank back then must have been a rare gem."

“Not really,” he said, setting down his teacup and opening the brocade box in front of Cao Weida. “Here, take a look.”

"This is..." Cao Weida's eyes lit up when he saw what was in the brocade box.

Inside the brocade box, lined with dark red velvet, lay a blue-and-white underglaze red snuff bottle from the Guangxu period.

The teapot is small and exquisite, with rich and vibrant blue and white glaze, and the underglaze red is as bright as rouge. A round pearl is inlaid on the lid, making it a fine piece at first glance.

"This item came from the former Qing Dynasty's Imperial Household Department. I spent three days negotiating with the seller in Liulichang to get it."

"It's quite beautiful." Cao Weida picked up the snuff bottle with some fondness and examined it closely, but it was from the Qing Dynasty, which made him feel a little uncomfortable.

"Fifth Brother, how much is the seller asking?"

"Eight hundred silver dollars." Master Fan held up three fingers. "This price is fair. If you find a customer who likes it, it's worth a thousand. Consider it a bargain."

"It's not expensive."

For him now, eight hundred silver dollars is really not a lot of money.

This snuff bottle looks beautiful; it's worth buying.

"Fifth Brother, please wait a moment."

He got up and left with the snuff bottle, then returned a short while later with a heavy cloth bag in his hand: "Here, this is eight hundred silver dollars."

He then handed over a smaller cloth bag: "Here is forty silver dollars, Fifth Brother, please count it."

"What are you ordering? You're just slapping me in the face," Master Fan grumbled unhappily, taking the two cloth bags with him.

"Alright, that's settled then. I'll head out now; the seller is waiting for a reply."

"No, please!" Cao Weida urged, "You've come all this way, and Mo He has missed you. At least have a meal before you leave!"

Although Master Fan likes to reminisce about the past and has a somewhat domineering personality, it must be said that getting along with Master Fan is actually quite nice.

"Alright, alright, let's do it next time. The seller is waiting for a reply, don't keep them waiting." Master Fan insisted on leaving, muttering:

“This seller has a lot of good stuff at home. He likes to spend money lavishly, and he’ll have to sell his things sooner or later. I need to build a good relationship with him so that I don’t miss out on these good things.”

Isn't that just another version of you?
Cao Wei Da felt something was off. He knew without even thinking that the seller must be another Manchu bannerman like Master Fan.

"Alright, I'm leaving now. Eating and stuff aren't important, just be good to my sister."

“These days, many foreigners are collecting old items from our country. I need to go and collect some more for you. We can’t let those treasures fall into the hands of foreigners.”

She straightened her back and went out. Seeing him come out, Mo He asked in surprise, "Brother, are you leaving?"

"Yes, your man wouldn't let me have a meal and insisted that I leave immediately. What could I do?"

Hearing Master Fan's words, Cao Weida, who came out from behind, was speechless: "No, Fifth Brother, that's enough. I'm still here, and you're already trying to sow discord. Isn't that inappropriate?"

"Haha~~ Alright, I'm not teasing you anymore. I'm leaving now, don't bother seeing me off."

As he spoke, Fifth Master Fan strode out of the courtyard, his imposing manner evident in his every step.

I had just seen Master Fan off and hadn't even sat down when a phone call came in.

It turned out to be Du Dan calling, saying that the foot massage parlor was ready to open at any time, and that he, the actual owner, should attend the ribbon-cutting ceremony.

Cao Wei Da had no objection, and after hanging up the phone, he made another call.

"Hello, who is this?"

Xu Hancheng's slightly dissatisfied voice came through the phone, and Cao Weida could faintly hear a woman's soft moans.

The key point is that the voice sounds familiar; it seems to be the same female patrol officer from last time.

He glanced at the sky outside, and his lips twitched.

Damn it, you son of a bitch Xu Hancheng, you've been indulging in debauchery for eight days straight!
Still in the office!
That's really something!
"Director Xu, it's me, Cao Weida. I'm busy right now."

"Oh, it's you, little brother!" Xu Hancheng's displeasure vanished instantly, replaced by a hearty laugh.
He winked at the female patrol officer beneath him, who was yielding to his advances. The patrol officer understood, gave him a flirtatious look, fetched a towel and water, wiped his lower body, tucked a stray hair behind her ear and tied it up with a hair tie, gave him another alluring look, and then slowly knelt down.
Xu Hancheng's expression tightened, then he leaned back in his chair with a relaxed look: "You're never so attentive unless there's something wrong, so you must have something to say to call me, right?"

"Director, you're really hurting my feelings by saying that. What do you mean by 'only being attentive when there's a reason'? It makes me sound like some kind of snob," Cao Weida complained, feigning grievance. However, he knew Xu Hancheng was joking, so he naturally wouldn't get angry.

"The foot massage parlor I mentioned to you before is all set up, the technicians are trained, and it's just waiting to open on an auspicious day."

“I’ve calculated the dates, and the day after tomorrow at Chenshi (7-9 AM) is the most auspicious. As a shareholder of the foot massage parlor, you must come and cut the ribbon to oversee things.”

"Wow, you're pretty quick! It's done already?" Xu Hancheng's voice was full of satisfaction. "Okay, the day after tomorrow, right? I'll definitely be there on time, and I'll bring a generous gift!"

Although he was one of the shareholders, they were, after all, police officers, and couldn't openly do business. Therefore, he had to bring a gift to make it seem like a proper business arrangement.

"Alright, Director, you can continue with your work, but don't neglect the beauty." With that, he hung up the phone before the other end could speak.

In the director's office, listening to the dial tone on the phone, Xu Hancheng was stunned for a moment, then laughed and cursed before hanging up the phone.

So what if he guessed it? He's thick-skinned and doesn't care!

The night, like a coarse cloth soaked in ink, enveloped the entire city of Beiping.

Cao Weida, dressed in black night clothes, crouched down as he came out of Du Shiniang's room. Just as he was about to crouch down and climb over the wall, he suddenly heard a very soft, frightened gasp behind him.

"Master?"

Cao Wei Da's muscles tensed instantly, like a fully drawn bowstring, and he abruptly turned his head to look.

Under the moonlight, Zhong Chunhong was wearing a worn blue cloth jacket, her hair was held back with a wooden hairpin, and she was holding an empty copper basin in her hand. She had obviously gotten up at night to wash herself and had just come out to pour out the water.

She stood three steps away from the wall, the copper basin almost slipping from her hands. Her eyes were wide open, filled with astonishment and a hint of barely concealed fear.

"Cousin?" Cao Weida's voice was extremely low. "It's so late, aren't you resting yet?"

It was already past midnight, and according to normal habits, they should have been asleep long ago.

Zhong Chunhong's lips trembled. She couldn't very well say that she had actually fallen asleep but had been woken up by Du Shiniang's increasingly loud cries that sounded like both crying and joy.

As Du Shiniang's cousin, her room was very close to Zhong Chunhong's; she lived next door.

Her husband was a compulsive gambler who would beat and scold her at the drop of a hat. He spent all his time having fun outside. As a normal woman in her thirties, she naturally had her own needs.

As someone who had been through it all, she naturally knew what that sound was.

She had been suffering from a long drought, and the loud, rhythmic voice kept her awake at all. In the end...
Fearing being discovered the next day, she secretly washed her underwear late at night. Just as she poured out the water, she saw Cao Weida, dressed in black, trying to climb over the wall to get out.

"Sir, where are you going?"

Zhong Chunhong's voice trembled, not from fear, but rather as if she were holding back a surge of energy, "Are you dressed like this to... kill the Japanese devils?"

Cao Wei Da's pupils contracted slightly. This woman looked honest, but her mind was surprisingly clear.

He neither denied nor admitted it. The fact that he was dressed in black and was about to climb over the wall in the middle of the night, combined with the fact that so many traitors and Japanese soldiers had died at night in Beiping during this period, made it hard not to make some connections.

He took two steps forward, trying to make his tone gentle: "Chunhong, there are some things you shouldn't ask. Go back to sleep, just pretend you didn't see me."

Zhong Chunhong paused for a moment, then said, "Sir, lately, there have been frequent disappearances of traitors and Japanese soldiers in the city at night. I'm guessing it's you."

"Also, that bastard Sang Liuji, he probably didn't die protecting something belonging to the Japanese army, but was killed by someone."

Cao Weida's body stiffened, and he stopped in his tracks. He hadn't expected Zhong Chunhong to have guessed it.

Seeing his appearance, Zhong Chunhong said bitterly, "I've been married to Sang Liuji for so many years, how could I not know what kind of person he is?"

"It's one thing to flaunt his power in front of ordinary people, but how could he possibly dare to go against the Japanese devils? Especially since that Japanese devil was some kind of captain."

"When the news of his death came, I knew that scoundrel must have been killed for some other reason."

Cao Wei Da remained silent, which could be considered a silent response.

The expected anger did not materialize. Instead, Zhong Chunhong looked relieved: "That's good. Although a scoundrel like him deserves to die, at least he didn't die while helping the Japanese. I can finally put my mind at ease."

Cao Wei Da was surprised, but after thinking about Sang Liuji's character and what he had heard from Du Shiniang about their relationship, he could understand it somewhat.

He didn't answer, but looked at the sky and advised, "It's good that you know about this, but you must never tell anyone, including Shi Niang, remember that?"

Zhong Chunhong nodded, her eyes resolute, and said, "Director, I understand. I may be a woman with little ability, but I also know about national and personal grievances."

"What you've done is all great stuff that benefits the country and its people, and punishes evil! You're a good person!"

"Don't worry, I will definitely not tell anyone. I didn't see you tonight."

She paused, as if she had made a very difficult decision.
"You need to go out on errands, do you need any help?"

"Although I am just a woman, I am strong and can help you keep watch. I will never hold you back."

Looking at the seriousness in the other person's eyes, he thought of the mourner's character, and then of her diligence and dedication to Du Shiniang in the mansion these past few days.
How can a couple who share a bed have such a huge difference?
(End of this chapter)