Chapter 300: Why Is The Gap So Huge?
“Master, brother, you two chat. I’ll get you some tea.”
Mohe had a smile on her face and stood up very sensibly, saying.
They all say wealth nurtures people, and this is absolutely true.
The previous Mohe, although quite attractive, had a sallow face, and her skin, due to long exposure to wind and sun, appeared somewhat rough.
Now looking at her again, her skin was delicate and glossy, her face full of healthy glow, and her body even exuded a faintly visible dignified temperament. Compared to before, not to say she was a completely different person, but the difference was absolutely huge.
This was all nurtured by money; without a solid material foundation, it absolutely couldn’t be sustained by spirit alone.
“Alright, get your brother a cup of Longjing Tea.” After Mohe left, Fan Wu Ye smiled and said, “Looking at sister’s spirit, you haven’t wronged my sister.”
“Fifth Brother, you’re really joking. Mohe is my woman; I can’t pamper her enough, how could I bear to wrong her.”
“Speaking of wronging, it’s not me saying this, Fifth Brother, but you have some money in hand now, you should change to a house. Your place is really too shabby.”
The house Fan Wu Ye was renting now, he had seen it, it really had nothing, just like a bare shell room.
“Hey, I’ve enjoyed everything in my life, luxurious or simple, it’s all the same.” Fan Wu Ye waved his hand, took out a handful of sunflower seeds from his pocket and cracked them, mumbling unclearly:
“Back in the day, my family was very prosperous. My Fan family was also descendants of the Eight Great Iron Hats Princes. That mansion was much larger than your courtyard.”
“Those days were infinitely glorious; the threshold of the mansion was worn flat by people coming to seek audience.”
He waved his arm, as if the deep mansion and grand courtyard of those days were still before his eyes.
“Back then, there were over a hundred servants just to serve in the mansion. Before meals, hands were washed in enamel basins, food was fed by maidservants, over 120 dishes filled the hall, and at most three spoonfuls per dish—that was the rule, and also the dignity!”
You have the nerve to mention it; such a huge family fortune was all squandered by you. You’re quite capable.
Cao Weida secretly rolled his eyes; if you really didn’t care, you wouldn’t always reminisce about the past.
He handed over a cigarette, just about to continue listening to him, when Mohe came in carrying tea and pastries.
She reproachfully stopped Fan Wu Ye who wanted to continue: “Brother, that’s enough. You’ve told those old stories eight hundred times already.”
“Hey, as expected, a married daughter is like spilled water. You’ve only been in the Cao Family for a few days.” Fan Wu Ye smacked his lips, quite reluctant to stop, but after Mohe’s interruption, he couldn’t continue.
“Even if remarried, I’m still your sister.”
Mohe gave a pretty eye roll, smilingly put down the tea and pastries, “You two continue. Call me if there’s anything.”
She turned and went out, conveniently closing the door.
Luckily I matched sister with Cao Weida; otherwise, how could Mohe and I have such a comfortable life now.
He felt smug in his heart, giving himself a thumbs up for his wise decision before, picked up the moon-white glazed tea bowl and took a sip, gently skimmed the floating leaves with the lid, the movements carrying the meticulousness engraved in the bones of an old Qiren, the covered bowl never leaving the tray, only leaving a thin slit to sip.
“This tea is good, clear and refreshing, cuts grease, but compared to the tea in the mansion back then, it’s still a bit lacking.”
Poor fussiness!
Cao Weida grumbled inwardly, but naturally couldn’t say it out loud, smiling as he refilled the tea: “The tea Fifth Brother drank back then must have been rare fine tea.”
“Not really, not really.” He put down the teacup, opened the brocade box and pushed it in front of Cao Weida: “Here, take a look.”
“This is…” Seeing the thing in the brocade box, Cao Weida’s eyes lit up.
Only to see the brocade box lined with dark red flannel cloth, lying a Guangxu-era underglaze blue-and-red snuff bottle.
The bottle was small and exquisite, the blue-and-white vibrant in color, the underglaze red bright as rouge, the lid inlaid with a round east pearl—at first glance, it was a good item.
“This is an item that came out of the Qing Dynasty’s Imperial Household Department. I haggled with the seller at Liulichang for three days to get it.”
“Quite pretty.” Cao Weida picked up the snuff bottle with some fondness and examined it closely, but it being from the Qing Dynasty made him somewhat uncomfortable.
“Fifth Brother, how much did the seller ask?”
“Eight hundred silver dollars.” Fan Wu Ye held up three fingers, “This price is fair. If it meets a buyer who likes it, it’s worth a thousand. Consider it picking up a small bargain.”
“Not expensive.”
For him now, eight hundred silver dollars really wasn’t much money.
This snuff bottle looks pretty; buying it is not a loss.
“Fifth Brother, wait a moment.”
Holding the snuff bottle, he stood up and left, soon returning with a heavy cloth bag in hand: “Here, this is eight hundred silver dollars.”
He handed over a slightly smaller cloth bag: “This is forty silver dollars. Fifth Brother, count it.”
“Count what? You’re slapping my face.” Fan Wu Ye grumbled unhappily, but took the two cloth bags anyway.
“Alright, that’s the deal. I’ll head out first; the seller is waiting for a reply.”
“Don’t go!” Cao Weida tried to keep him: “You rarely come; Mohe misses you too. At least eat before leaving!”
Although Fan Wu Ye liked reminiscing about the past and had some masterly airs, it had to be said that getting along with Fan Wu Ye was actually quite good.
“Forget it, next time. The seller is waiting for a reply; don’t keep them waiting.” Fan Wu Ye insisted on leaving, saying softly:
“This seller has plenty of good stuff at home, spends money lavishly and wastefully; the things at home will eventually be sold. I need to build a good relationship with him, or good items might slip through my fingers.”
Isn’t he just another you?
Cao Weida found it odd inwardly; no need to think, this seller must be another Bannerman descendant like Fan Wu Ye.
“Alright, I’ll go first. Eating isn’t important; just treat my sister well.”
“These days, many foreigners are collecting our country’s old artifacts. I need to help you gather more; can’t let those treasures fall into outsiders’ hands.”
He straightened his back and walked out. Seeing him come out, Mohe was surprised: “Brother, you’re leaving?”
“Yeah, your man can’t bear to part with one meal and insists I leave quickly. What can I do?”
Hearing Fan Wu Ye’s words, Cao Weida, who followed behind, was speechless: “No, Fifth Brother, that’s enough. I’m still here and you’re sowing discord; isn’t that inappropriate?”
“Haha~~ Alright, not teasing you anymore. I’m off; no need to see me out.”
With that, Fan Wu Ye strode out of the courtyard, that masterly air vividly embodied in his eight-step gait.
“.”
Just after seeing Fan Wu Ye off, before he could sit down, a phone call came in.
It turned out to be Du Dan calling, saying the foot-washing city was ready and could open anytime, asking him, the actual boss, to attend the ribbon-cutting.
Cao Weida had no objection, hung up and made another call.
“Hello, who is it.”
Xu Hancheng’s slightly displeased voice came from the phone; Cao Weida could faintly hear a woman’s moan.
Crucially, this voice seemed familiar, like that female sergeant from last time?
He glanced at the sky outside, his mouth twitching.
Damn, you damn Xu Hancheng are actually indulging in debauchery in broad daylight!
And in the office!
Really knows how to play.
“Bureau Chief Xu, it’s me, Cao Weida. Busy?”
“Oh, it’s little brother!” Xu Hancheng’s displeased tone vanished instantly, replaced by hearty laughter:
He gave an eye signal to the female sergeant currying favor beneath him. She understood, came to her senses, gave a coquettish look, fetched a towel and water to wipe his lower body, tucked the stray hair behind her ear and tied it with a rubber band, gave him another coquettish look, then slowly squatted down.
Xu Hancheng’s face tightened, then relaxed fully as he leaned back in the boss chair: “You’re not diligent for nothing; calling me must mean you need something?”
“Bureau Chief, saying that hurts my heart. What do you mean ‘not diligent for nothing’? Makes me sound so mercenary.” Cao Weida pretended to complain aggrievedly, but he knew Xu Hancheng was joking and naturally wasn’t angry.
“That foot bath city I mentioned before is renovated, technicians trained, just waiting to pick an auspicious day to open.”
“I’ve calculated the days; the day after tomorrow at Chen hour is the most auspicious. As a shareholder of the foot-washing city, you must come for the ribbon-cutting.”
“Whoa, pretty fast. Already done?” Xu Hancheng’s voice carried satisfaction. “Alright, day after tomorrow, I’ll be there on time, definitely with a generous gift!”
Although he was a shareholder, they were police after all; openly they couldn’t do business, so he had to bring a gift to keep up appearances.
“Great, then Bureau Chief, continue with your business. Don’t neglect the beauty.” With that, without waiting for a reply, he immediately hung up.
In the Bureau Chief’s Office, hearing the dial tone, Xu Hancheng was stunned for a moment, then laughed and cursed, slamming down the phone.
So what if he guessed? He had thick skin and didn’t care!
Nightfall like a coarse cloth soaked in ink enveloped the entire Beiping City.
Cao Weida in black night-walking clothes, crouching low, came out of Du Shiniang’s room, just about to climb over the wall when a very light, fearful gasp came from behind.
“M-Master?”
Cao Weida’s muscles instantly tensed like a fully drawn bowstring, and he whipped his head around.
Under the moonlight, Zhong Chunhong wore a half-worn blue cloth jacket, hair pinned with a wooden hairpin, holding an empty copper basin—clearly she had gotten up at night to wash and had just come out to dump the water.
At this moment, she stood three steps from the wall base, the copper basin nearly slipping from her hand, eyes wide in shock, full of astonishment and a trace of irrepressible fear.
“Cousin?” Cao Weida’s voice was extremely low. “So late, not asleep yet?”
It was already past midnight; by normal habit, she should have been asleep long ago.
Zhong Chunhong’s lips trembled; she couldn’t very well say she had actually been asleep but was woken by Du Shiniang’s cries that were like sobbing yet pleasurable, one louder than the next?
As Du Shiniang’s cousin, her room was very close to Zhong Chunhong’s, right next door.
Her man was a habitual rotten gambler who beat and scolded her at every turn, fooling around outside all day; as a normal woman in her thirties like a wolf, she naturally had needs too.
As an experienced woman, she naturally knew what that sound was.
Already long parched, and with that sound so passionate and undulating, it stirred her so she couldn’t sleep, and finally…
Afraid of being discovered the next day, she secretly washed her panties late at night, and just after dumping the water, she saw Cao Weida in black trying to climb over the wall.
“Master, w-where are you going?”
Zhong Chunhong’s voice trembled, but not from fear; rather like holding back some urge. “This outfit, are you going to… kill little devils?”
Cao Weida’s pupils contracted slightly; this woman looked honest, but her mind was surprisingly perceptive.
He neither denied nor admitted; in the middle of the night, in night-walking clothes climbing over the wall, combined with so many traitors and little devils dying at night in Beiping recently, it was hard not to associate.
He took two steps forward, trying to make his tone gentle: “Chunhong, some things you shouldn’t ask about. Go back to sleep, pretend you didn’t see me.”
Zhong Chunhong was silent for a moment. “Master, lately in the city at night, traitors and little devils keep disappearing. I guess it’s you.”
“Also, that scum Sang Liuji probably didn’t die protecting Japanese Army stuff, but was done in by someone.”
Cao Weida’s body jolted, his steps halting; he hadn’t expected Zhong Chunhong to guess it.
Seeing his expression, Zhong Chunhong said bitterly: “Married to Sang Liuji for so many years, how could I not know what kind of person he was?”
“Strutting in front of the people was one thing, but how could he dare oppose little devils? Especially that little devil who was a captain.”
“When the news of his death came, I knew that rotten man must have been killed for other reasons.”
Cao Weida was silent, which was also a tacit response.
The expected anger didn’t come; instead, Zhong Chunhong looked relieved: “That’s good. A scum like him deserved to die, but at least he didn’t die helping little devils. That settles one worry in my heart.”
Cao Weida was surprised, but thinking of Sang Liuji’s character and what he heard from Du Shiniang about their marriage, he could somewhat understand.
He didn’t answer, just looked at the time and advised: “You know this is fine, but absolutely don’t tell anyone, including Shi Niang. Got it?”
Zhong Chunhong nodded, her gaze firm: “Director, I understand. I’m just a woman with no skills, but I know national and family vendettas.”
“What you do are great deeds benefiting the country and people, punishing traitors and evil! You’re a good man!”
“Rest assured, I absolutely won’t tell. I haven’t seen you tonight.”
She paused, as if making a great resolution.
“If you’re going out on business, need any help?”
“Though I’m just a woman, I have strength and can keep watch for you. I absolutely won’t hold you back.”
Looking at the seriousness in her eyes, thinking of Funeral Stick’s character, and her diligent and devoted service to Du Shiniang these days in the mansion…
A couple sharing the same bed, how can the difference be so great?
