Period drama: Old Cao's carefree life

Chapter 6 Cowardly and Timid

Cao Wei Da shrugged and poured himself another cup. "How would I know? It depends on when the little brat, the Imperial Army, will stop."

Little Ears nodded. These days, the police may seem independent on the surface, but in reality, they still have to listen to the Japanese.

Political power grows out of the barrel of a gun; this law will never be escaped.

After a moment of silence, Little Ears suddenly asked tentatively, "Brother, I'd like to ask if you have any connections to get someone out of trouble?"

"Hmm?" Cao Weida raised an eyebrow and shook his head, saying, "Master Lian, you've asked the wrong person. I'm just a lowly patrolman; how could I possibly have the ability to bail someone out?"

"Brother, don't be so quick to refuse," Little Ears said hastily. "A brother of mine went to the Eight Great Hutongs last night, and the military police caught him on his way back. He didn't do anything wrong."

"..." Cao Weida was speechless, looking at him with a suspicious gaze, "They've all gone to the Eight Great Hutongs, are they coming back tonight?"

"Well, well~~" Little Ears explained with a wry smile, "Since things have come to this, I won't hide anything anymore. I'll just tell you the truth. My brother is a softie. He told his wife that he went out to help me with some business and didn't dare not come back at night. Who would have thought that he would run into that kind of trouble and get caught?"

Cao Wei Da wanted to laugh, but he desperately held it in and managed not to burst out laughing.

Little Ears smiled helplessly, "What bad luck! If it weren't for my brother, I would have burst out laughing."

"After this happened, I also pulled a lot of strings, after all, he's my own brother."

"If it were our own people, it would be easier to deal with, as I can still manage to pull some strings. But I really have no way to deal with the Japanese!"

"But now his wife is watching me closely, saying that he got into trouble because he was helping me out, and she wants me to find a way to get him out. Who can I complain to? I can't exactly tell my sister-in-law that he got himself into this mess because of his womanizing ways."

“That’s true.” Cao Weida nodded in agreement. Telling his wife the truth wouldn’t make any difference, so it was better not to say anything.

However, this also shows that Xiao Erduo is indeed loyal, which explains why he was able to make a name for himself from a small-time hoodlum.

"Forget it, I was too impatient and tried everything in desperation. If you really can't do anything, then forget it and I'll think of something else."

Cao Weida quite admired Xiao Erduo's character.

Of course, this is not a reason to help the other party.

I was planning to come up with a solution when I arrived, and now I have a ready-made reason!
Suddenly, a person came to his mind, to be precise, a Japanese soldier.

If handled properly, there is a possibility of rescue.

If I could get in touch with him, wouldn't I be able to conveniently avoid any future searches or other things that might interfere with my slacking off?

So he asked, "Are you sure your brother has no connection to the rebels?"

Little Ears was very certain, "Of course I'm sure, he's my own brother, how could I not know him?"

"They're good at fighting, but assassination? Impossible!"

"Is that so? To be honest, I do know someone in the Imperial Army who might be able to help, but I'm not sure if it will work. Besides, we'll have to spend some money to scout ahead first, and that money is non-refundable regardless of whether it works out or not. Do you want to give it a try?"

"Really?" Little Ears' eyes lit up. "Don't worry, brother, I know the rules!"

"Regardless of whether it works out or not, I'll keep your sentimental gift ready for you!"

Upon hearing this, Cao Weida laughed, "Master Lian, aren't you afraid that I'm lying to you, taking the money and then denying it?"

"That's impossible!" Little Ears shook his head. "I may not have many other skills, but I do have a good eye for people. Brother, you're not a person who doesn't keep his word."

"Besides, as long as there is any hope of rescuing my brother, I'll accept being scammed. I can't just leave him to live or die."

He knew the brutality of the Japanese. Regardless of whether someone was innocent or not, the Japanese had always believed in the principle of "better to kill a thousand innocent people than let one guilty person go free."

Even if he knew his brother was innocent, if he couldn't find connections, the final outcome wouldn't be any different.

Is he good at judging people?
Cao Weida felt something was off. He glanced at Xiao Erduo's ears. Both of Xiao Erduo's ears were still intact, but if the plot were to unfold, one of Xiao Erduo's ears would be cut off by Jin Hai.

The reason was that Jin Hai failed to keep his promise to release his younger brother, so in a fit of anger, he kidnapped Jin Hai's sister, Jin Ying. In the end, the two had a conflict and Jin Hai cut off one of her ears.

However, he still greatly admired the other party's loyalty.

"What's your brother's name?"

"Sun Dahu!"

"Okay, I'll remember it."

Xiao Erduo went inside and came out with two small yellow croakers in his hand. He put them on the table and pushed them in front of Cao Weida. "Brother, here, these are two small yellow croakers. I'm sorry to trouble you to find a way. Just tell me how much you need. As long as it's within my means, I'll do it without hesitation!"

Turning to Yan San beside him, he instructed:

"San'er, get Brother Cao thirty catties of kidney tonic and twenty catties of star-shaped tonic."

"Ya Yao Zi" refers to blackened rice, while "Xing Xing Shan" refers to millet.

Yan San didn't speak, but he moved quickly, and soon came in carrying two cloth bags, one in each hand. Xiao Erduo said, "These are just a little something from your brother. They don't include the reward for your hard work after the job is done. If you ever run out of food, just tell your brother, and I'll give you the cost price."

Wow, they're really going all out for their brothers.

Cao Wei Da thought to himself, with his loyalty, it's no wonder that the other person has made a name for himself.

“One thing at a time, these grains should be priced as they should be.”

Xiao Erduo naturally didn't want to accept it, but Cao Weida insisted on giving it to her.

After a brief standoff, seeing Cao Weida's resolute attitude, the two had no choice but to accept the money.

"Brother, you're so generous. I'll shamelessly accept it."

"It's only right, Mr. Lian, you're so generous, and I'm not a stingy person either." Cao Weida smiled, and after paying, he realized he had forgotten to bring some for Duomen, so he added, "I almost forgot, how much is another ten catties of cornmeal?"

Just as he was about to take out his money, Little Ears immediately stopped him, saying, "Forget about this little bit, it's not worth it."

This time, Cao Wei Da didn't insist anymore; to be any more polite would have been too disrespectful.

Once they reached a secluded spot and confirmed that no one was around, Cao Weida immediately stored the entire bag into his spatial storage.

It weighs a total of 60 pounds, so carrying it is quite tiring.

Cao Wei Da was in a good mood after buying so much grain at once, humming a song as he walked back to his residence.

But just as I reached the corner, a bright beam of a flashlight shone in my face, followed by a shout:

"Hey, stop right there! What are you doing here?!"

Cao Wei Da was startled, cursing himself for being too careless, and squinted at the spot where the light was shining.

He saw a Japanese soldier, about 1.5 meters tall and dressed in military uniform, holding a Type 38 rifle and warily aiming at him. Two puppet soldiers followed on either side of him, also watching him warily, their guns aimed at him in tandem.

"Sir, we're on the same side, on the same side! I'm from the police station! My ID is in my left pocket, you can check it!" Cao Weida cursed the traitor in his heart, but immediately put on a fawning smile, raised his hands, and looked obedient.

Three guns were pointed at him. Although he was very strong and could scale walls, he was not a superman. If he made any move, at such close range, he did not think he could outrun the bullets.

The Japanese soldier clearly didn't understand what he was saying; he could only speak a few words of Chinese.

For example, 'Stop!', 'Die!', 'What's the matter?'

Only a minority of Japanese can understand Chinese, otherwise, what would be the point of having translators?

However, the two puppet soldiers clearly understood; although they were traitors, they were still Chinese citizens after all.

Upon hearing that they were on their side, the two men visibly relaxed, but they did not let their guard down.

After exchanging a glance, the two men slowly approached, first pinning Cao Weida against the wall, and then began searching his body.

Cao Wei Da suppressed his anger and obediently allowed the two men to search him.

Before long, an ID was found. After comparing it under the light and then looking at his face, a shifty-eyed traitor suddenly remembered and raised an eyebrow, saying, "Are you Cao Weida, the cowardly coward from the police station?"

Cao Wei Da's lips twitched. He was a coward, as were San'er and Zong Xiangfang.

This title doesn't sound good at all, but he never expected his reputation to be so 'famous'.

Cao Wei Da smiled awkwardly and said, "Please forgive my rudeness, it was indeed me."

Another traitor asked in confusion, "You know him?"

The traitor who spoke first sneered: "Not just know them, they're legendary. Just ask around at the police station and you'll know. They're cowards! These three are always timid and afraid of trouble. At the slightest sign of danger, they run away faster than rabbits."

Cao Wei thought to himself, "Damn it, you guys talk like you're some kind of heroes."

Upon hearing this, the traitor suddenly realized, "Oh, he's a coward!"
Their initial wariness vanished instantly, replaced by an arrogant and haughty demeanor as they responded:
"Hey kid, what are you doing out here so late at night? Tell me the truth! If you dare to lie, I'll kill you right now!"

"Ouch, ouch, that hurts! Be gentle, we're all on the same side!" Cao Weida cried out in pain, but instead of receiving any sympathy from the two traitors, he was slapped hard on the head.
"Damn it, behave yourself! Who says you're one of us? You're just a stinky patrolman, you think you're worthy?!"

"Stop talking nonsense. Just answer my questions. If you dare to ramble on again, I'll beat you to death!"

They wouldn't dare to be tough with the Japanese, nor would they dare to fight the Nationalists or the Communists. But when it comes to bullying their own people, they are extremely experienced.

Holy crap, you've started playing the hierarchy of contempt now?

You son of a bitch, what are you so proud of!
"Yes, yes, yes, I'll answer, I'll answer," Cao Weida honestly confessed, "We ran out of food at home, so I came out to buy some."

"Where's the grain!" the traitor asked viciously, his eyes gleaming with greed.

(End of this chapter)