Chapter 128: Hope You Don’t Go Back On Your Word And Get Fat
Cao Weida smiled wryly as he helped several little devils onto the vehicle and watched them leave. Then he turned to Xian Yi and asked, “Miss Xian, where are you planning to go? I’ll give you a ride?”
“Oh, Big Brother Cao, don’t call me Miss Xian, it sounds too distant. Call me Ba Wan, my nickname. Everyone familiar calls me that.”
“.” Are we that familiar? Whatever, whatever, it’s just a form of address, and calling me Ba Wan isn’t too intimate either.
“So Ba Wan, where are you planning to go? I’ll give you a ride?”
“Hee hee, no need, I’m going to an interview, and there’s a car to pick me up.”
“Oh? What are you planning to do?”
“Me? I’m going to become a glorious reporter!” Xian Yi proudly stuck out her neck. She glanced at the departing Japanese Army vehicle, wanting to say something, but in the end, she didn’t. She smiled and waved her hand:
“Alright, Big Brother Cao, I’m off to my interview. Remember to come to my house to play!”
“Good, definitely.” Cao Weida chuckled and waved his hand, watching the skipping Xian Yi leave with a knowing smile.
This maid really comes up with one idea after another, but that lively, cheerful, innocent, and cute personality really appealed to Cao Weida.
After arriving at the police station to check in, Cao Weida called Little Ear over. “Have Sang Liuji’s cronies all been arranged away?”
When the emperor changes, the ministers change. Now that Cao Weida was in charge, he naturally had to clean out all of Sang Liuji’s cronies.
This included that Xiao Zhou who had confronted him.
“Big Brother Cao, rest assured, they’ve all been removed from the team.”
“Good, gather all the brothers.”
Soon, all the brothers in the team assembled together, whispering to each other, not knowing why Cao Weida had called them over.
“Little Ear, is everyone here?”
“Big Brother Cao, everyone’s here.”
“Good,” he picked up a bag by his feet and handed it to him. “Go, distribute one month’s pay to each person according to their salary.”
Ah, this.
Little Ear was stunned for a moment, then reacted and nodded hurriedly, distributing one month’s pay to each patrolman as instructed.
The patrolmen who received the money stared at it in a daze, looking at each other, not knowing what Cao Weida was up to—why was he suddenly handing out money out of nowhere?
Before understanding the reason, many felt the money was hot to the touch, not even daring to put it in their pockets.
After all, there’s no such thing as a free lunch in this world, let alone free banknotes!
“Ahem, has everyone received the money?” Once the pay was distributed, Cao Weida coughed twice, drawing all attention to him.
“Most of you were following Sang Liuji. I’m somewhat familiar with your situations—not locked up for three days and starved for nine meals, but at least one hungry meal and one full one.”
“But now, I’m your captain. I won’t mistreat you all like Sang Liuji did, and I’m not someone who likes to eat alone.”
“Compared to eating alone, I prefer to share fortune and hardship together! This kind of allowance will be every month from now on!”
At these words, the patrolmen on site became excitedly jubilant.
“Cao Ye, is what you said true?”
“That bastard Sang Liuji should have stepped down long ago!”
“Exactly, he only cared about making money for himself and never gave a damn about the brothers’ lives!”
Cao Weida was quite satisfied with their reactions. He pressed his hand to signal quiet and said with a smile:
“Rest assured, I, Cao Weida, mean what I say—one spit, one nail.”
“However, let me put the ugly words upfront: I can give you this money, but it’s not without conditions.”
The patrolmen immediately felt their hearts sink. They knew there was no such thing as a free lunch—how could he give them so much money for no reason, and every month too?
It couldn’t be that he wanted them to risk their lives, right?
They looked at Cao Weida anxiously, wondering what he would say next.
Cao Weida saw the unease in their hearts, smiled faintly, and reassured them:
“Rest assured, it’s not asking you to kill or arson, nor to do anything dangerous.”
“My requirements are actually very simple. First, once you take this money, you absolutely must not privately extort black money from small vendors anymore, and certainly not bully the good people.
If I find out about any of it, they’ll be expelled from the team without exception! You’re all my men, and in the end, the people will hold me accountable too! I don’t want to be cursed behind my back by the fellow villagers because of some people’s selfish desires.”
Hearing the first requirement, the patrolmen felt immediate relief. This group of patrolmen weren’t inherently that bad; if not for having no other choice and needing to support their families, they wouldn’t want to lord it over the fellow villagers.
But circumstances were stronger than people—if they didn’t extort some money, their whole family would have to go thirsty.
If Cao Weida could give them a month’s salary allowance every month from now on, with that money, why would they need to extort small vendors?
To put it bluntly, it really didn’t yield much—most of the time, not even half of what Cao Weida was giving.
No one is born a masochist; no one wants to be cursed behind their back every day, pointing at their backbone.
“Second, besides me, absolutely no one is allowed to take outside money, especially black money.” Cao Weida leaned back in the chair, his gaze sweeping over them like lightning.
“I know some shady businesses often give kickbacks to certain people, saying things like paying them to cover for them. Past matters are past, but from now on, if I catch anyone again—especially colluding with those opium sellers—I’ll break their legs on the spot!”
The patrolmen shuddered under his gaze, especially a few of them, who guiltily buried their heads low.
They really hadn’t known before that Cao Weida had such pressure—just coldly looking at them made them feel immense pressure.
Cao Weida ignored their reactions; he’d already put the ugly words upfront. If anyone still dared to act recklessly, he didn’t mind finding a chicken to kill to warn the monkeys among these patrolmen!
Better to let them know that his words weren’t empty talk or farting!
“Third, and most important: if you take my money, you have to work properly and obediently listen!”
Cao Weida stood up and said solemnly:
“If you take my money, you’re eating my rice. I don’t expect you to be grateful, but at least on the surface, you must obey me!”
“I won’t ask you to fight to the death for me, but for things within your job scope, please don’t pretend to obey but disobey in reality!”
“I like to be a villain first, then a gentleman. I like to put the ugly words upfront.”
“If anyone breaks my rules, I can only say sorry first.”
The way to control subordinates is nothing more than carrot and stick—giving money is the carrot, but without the stick to enforce discipline, people will think you’re easy to bully.
After giving them a deep look, Cao Weida asked loudly, “Did everyone hear that clearly?”
“We heard clearly!” No matter what they thought inside, no one dared to contradict at this moment; they shouted crisply one after another.
Cao Weida nodded satisfiedly. “I’ve noted your words. I hope you won’t go back on them and get fat.”
After sending them out, Cao Weida called Little Ear over.
“Send someone to watch Zhou Si’er and Chen San’er. If they pretend to obey but disobey in reality, tell me.”
“Good, I’ll send someone to watch them right away.”
After Little Ear left, Cao Weida lit a cigarette and leaned back in the chair smoking.
The vast majority of patrolmen were actually relatively honest, but that didn’t mean all patrolmen were honest.
When the woods are big, all kinds of birds appear, let alone among people with complex minds—there will always be some greedy and ambitious ones.
There’s a saying: once a person loses their conscience, they can make a lot of money.
Some patrolmen, while others were eating coarse food and vegetables, had already made a fortune.
Just like Zhou Si’er and Chen San’er that Cao Weida just mentioned—they had colluded with certain underground deals during Sang Liuji’s reign, making at least several dozen silver dollars a month.
For them, the one month’s allowance from Cao Weida was negligible compared to what they earned.
Once they abided by the new rules, their income would shrink drastically—anyone with a bit of ambition wouldn’t be willing to give it up.
And what Cao Weida wanted was exactly this result. He kept these people precisely to use them as the chicken to kill to warn the monkeys.
Sure enough, just two days later, a piece of news reached Cao Weida’s ears.
Two veteran patrolmen took black money from the gang, helped the gang smash a silk shop, and extorted and blackmailed a large sum of money.
And this shop had previously sent “respect” to Cao Weida.
Hearing this news, Cao Weida immediately laughed. “Little Ear, go grab those two patrolmen for me!”
Little Ear’s efficiency was impeccable—not long after, he brought people in dragging two patrolmen: none other than Zhou Si’er and Chen San’er.
“You two have quite the courage. I just set the rules, and you dare to break them right away—commendable bravery!” Cao Weida smiled and patted their faces, not even interested in hearing their explanations, directly signaling to Little Ear.
Little Ear understood, said nothing, and went up for a brutal beating.
The two police officers were held down, without a chance to fight back, screaming miserably.
“Scream! Scream your mom’s scream!” Little Ear got furious listening to it and kicked them hard twice. “You treat Big Brother Cao’s words as farts, huh! This old man will beat you to death!”
The two screamed miserably under the beating, soon beaten beyond recognition even by their own mothers.
Seeing they were about to be beaten to death, Cao Weida lightly waved his hand. “Alright, Little Ear, don’t actually beat them to death.”
“Big Brother Cao, beating them to death is what they deserve!” Little Ear stopped, panting, but his eyes glared fixedly at the two, clearly wanting to continue.
