Chapter 191: Got Nothing To Say, Huh?
Virgins specially selected from the Qingyin Small Class?
Two of them at that?
Cao Weida’s eyes lit up immediately, and the LSP gene deep in his heart instantly stirred.
It could be said that sixty percent of Beiping’s courtesans came from the Qingyin Small Class.
For example, Xinghong had risen to fame from this session of the Qingyin Small Class.
But that didn’t mean the other girls weren’t beautiful; they just fell slightly short in the overall selection.
Even their appearance and figure were no less than Xinghong’s.
After all, those who could compete for courtesan couldn’t possibly have poor appearance and figure.
One possibility was that tastes varied, just like later generations selecting campus beauties—everyone was pretty, but the top campus beauty just had a tiny bit more fans; it didn’t mean the others weren’t beautiful.
Another possibility was that they fell a tiny bit short in music, chess, calligraphy, and painting.
But no matter which possibility, it didn’t matter to him; he only liked women’s looks!
If she was obedient and sensible, taking her as a concubine wouldn’t be bad.
If she was a jealous troublemaker, then just play with her for fun; either way, he wouldn’t lose out.
“Your little girlfriend sure knows how to cater to my tastes. For your sake, I’ll make a trip, but not right now.” Cao Weida stroked his chin, not even bothering to pretend, and said straightforwardly:
“Have your little girlfriend take good care of them, feed them well and entertain them lavishly. I have some business these couple of days; once I’m done, I’ll head over.”
Little Ear grinned and said: “Alrighty, Han Lu will be thrilled to know you’re coming; she’ll sweep the bed to welcome you!”
Cao Weida rolled his eyes: “I’m telling you, that woman is no easy one. Look how quick she has you bewitched and bewildered; watch yourself.”
“Also, don’t think about marrying her. Third Sister-in-law has already found matches for you; once one is settled, get married soon. You’re not young anymore; it’s time to think about descendants.”
Little Ear grinned and said, “Got it, I know what I’m doing.”
“Yeah, you sure know—don’t like innocent young ladies, prefer women with flavor, those young matrons. Your taste is quite refined!” Cao Weida laughed and scolded,
“Alright, no more chit-chat. I’m off; do as you please.”
Taking a rickshaw all the way to Koudai Hutong, he couldn’t help but wonder if he should get a sedan.
But on second thought, he dismissed it—a sedan was too flashy. A patrol officer riding in a sedan would plainly tell everyone that Cao Weida had pocketed a lot of money.
Never mind if Ono Shiota and the others might feel uneasy; after the victory against Japan, those Kuomintang officials would have “corruption” written all over their eyes. Better to avoid trouble.
“How about a bicycle then? Nah, with rickshaws available, why buy a bicycle myself? Get one around liberation time—that’ll be just right, not flashy and convenient.”
“.”
Koudai Hutong.
As the saying goes, distant relatives are not as good as close neighbors.
Why is that?
There are naturally many reasons for it.
One of them is the frequency of daily interactions.
Humans are emotional creatures; to build feelings, there must be frequent interactions and communication, and over time, the bond naturally deepens.
If there’s no contact for a long time, even the closest family ties will eventually fade to nothing.
Right next to the Koudai Hutong where Mohe lived, there was a neighbor who loved to chat.
And right now, she was in Mohe’s courtyard chatting with her.
“Let me tell you, this courtyard of yours used to belong to someone in the grain business. The guy was actually pretty nice; his wife and I were close—we often went shopping and played mahjong together.”
It was Mohe’s fourth day since marrying over. Apart from the old maid who cleaned and cooked daily, she couldn’t go out selling cigarettes anymore, so she was quite bored.
This neighbor auntie seemed quite good; she was willing to chat with her to relieve the boredom.
“Oh, in the grain business? That’s pretty good business, right? Why did they suddenly move away?”
“Sigh, all because the little devils came,” the neighbor auntie said in a deflated tone. “Ever since the little devils arrived, Beiping’s grain has been controlled. Before, money could buy food; now, we can’t even get meat every day. Those buttless sons of plagues!”
Mohe: “.”
Good grief, could she just say that casually?
Way too loose-lipped!
If the little devils overheard, that would be disastrous!
She hurriedly said: “Auntie, you can’t say that. If outsiders hear, it’ll be terrible. They’re grabbing people everywhere on the streets now!”
The auntie looked chagrined, clearly knowing she hadn’t thought before speaking, and inwardly relieved that Mohe was kind. She gave a dry laugh:
“I just let it slip. Mainly, you look like a kind girl, Mohe, so I spoke freely. Outside, I wouldn’t dare say such things.”
Mohe smiled politely. From her observations over the past couple of days, this auntie seemed straightforward and honest. Being with someone like that was actually pretty good—no need to constantly guard against backstabbing.
“Don’t worry, Auntie. I won’t tell anyone. Though my master works at the police station, he’s actually a good person.”
“That’s true. If not for Cao Ye’s reputation, I wouldn’t dare come to your courtyard.” The auntie couldn’t help laughing. She was a talkative one; after just a couple exchanges, she started chattering again.
“Let me tell you, since I can remember, the capital city（ used to be called BJ） already had little devils, though not many.”
“Since ’37, they’ve been coming in droves—some living in the city, some going to the countryside to farm. More and more little devils arriving; who knows if they’re moving their whole population here.”
Mohe wasn’t worried about this at all, because her master had told her the little devils couldn’t hold out much longer—victory in resisting Japan was just over a year away.
Especially around Beiping; starting last year, the surrounding rail transport—especially the Pinghan Railway—had been wrecked full of holes by the people’s armed forces.
The Pinghan Railway was the invaders’ main north-south military transport artery!
Nothing else to say, but Beiping’s skyrocketing prices alone showed the little devils weren’t having an easy time.
Plus, Beiping’s surroundings were occasionally hit by fighter plane attacks; those whirring planes flying overhead couldn’t fool the eyes of Beiping’s people.
“Don’t worry, just endure a bit longer and it’ll pass.”
The auntie thought she meant it’d become habit after enduring; she nodded helplessly: “Endure it then; what else can we do?”
Mohe smiled speechlessly but didn’t explain. No need to spread such things around; if overheard, it could backfire.
But precisely because of this, she sincerely admired and looked up to Cao Weida’s farsighted vision from the bottom of her heart.
The auntie’s eyes darted, and her gossip bubbled up uncontrollably.
“By the way, Mohe, since your master got married, I haven’t seen him come over. What’s up with that?”
At this, Mohe felt a bit aggrieved inside.
She naturally knew her master had other concubines; this Third Concubine was one she’d fought hard to snag, or she’d have been Fourth Concubine.
She knew he’d taken two more concubines after her and had mentally prepared, but she still felt some grievance deep down.
Thinking that he’d been gone three days right after she joined the household made her feel even more aggrieved.
But she had to put on a magnanimous front, smiling: “Auntie, my master is busy with work every day; no choice. Once he’s done, he’ll come.”
The neighbor auntie was gossipy but not stupid; having lived many years, she had sharp eyes.
Seeing Mohe aggrieved yet lost, still trying hard to defend him, she felt some sympathy.
In these chaotic times, as a woman herself, she sympathized but couldn’t really help, so she could only share some life experience:
“Mohe, let me tell you, when your master comes back, serve him well.”
“Men have limited daily stock; the more you use, the less for others.”
“Especially since your master has more than one woman, you gotta compete more. If you don’t, others will snatch it.”
“Once you have a baby in your belly, your future will have support, and you’ll be able to stand tall.”
Hearing such a blatant hint, Mohe’s face immediately flushed red.
Though already a married woman, her skin was still thin; she couldn’t withstand such prodding.
“Auntie, what are you saying? I’ve never thought I need to rely on a man to stand tall. Before marrying my master, I sold cigarettes near Tianqiao and supported myself just fine—my back was never bent.”
There was one thing she didn’t dare say: that limited stock—with her master’s bull-like stamina, it wasn’t easy to drain him dry; more likely she’d collapse first.
“You, you’re just too young; how’s that the same?” The auntie shook her head, inwardly sighing that this girl Mohe was too naive, thinking worldly matters too simply. “We women want to get ahead—it’s hard, and in these chaotic times, even harder.”
“Not rely on a man?”
“If you run into a villain, no need for anything else—just one bludgeon and we women can’t take it.”
“Without a man, no matter how big your achievements, others can crush you with a flick of a finger.”
Mohe opened her mouth but ultimately didn’t know how to retort.
Because the auntie was right; she simply couldn’t refute.
Born into chaos, she couldn’t very well reason or cite law with villains, right?
“See, lost for words.” The auntie was a bit smug; she’d eaten more salt than Mohe had rice. Some truths, you don’t learn without suffering losses.
“Capable men having three wives and four concubines is very normal. My own man is useless, no big abilities. If he had, I wouldn’t mind him taking a second or third wife.”
“You’re lucky, girl. Though a concubine, your master has abilities.”
Just as she was rambling on, a knock at the door interrupted her.
“Miss Mohe, Miss Mohe? Are you home?”
Hearing the voice, the auntie’s face changed. “It’s the little devil next door, Kawakami Kyoju! Why’s he here?!”
