Chapter 232: Blackmailing Me?!
Hehe, dare to forget one and try?
Cao Weida sneered inwardly.
I can make things succeed for you, naturally I can also make things fail for you!
Moreover, it will fail even more thoroughly!
He laughed haha on the surface, “Then many thanks to Chairman Lou for your concern. Alright, since the matter is settled, I’ll go back and quietly await good news.”
“Sit a bit longer. It’s still early. Stay and have a casual meal.”
“No, no. I’m tied up with official business, not as leisurely as you all. I’ll head out first. See you later.”
Mission accomplished, Cao Weida couldn’t be bothered to stay and exchange false pleasantries with them. Wouldn’t it be better to go back and hold his concubine?
Seeing Cao Weida insist on leaving, Lou Zhenhua hurriedly called out, “Xu Wude, quick, see Cao Ye off.”
This time Cao Weida didn’t refuse. He cupped his hands and smiled, “Then many thanks. You go back.”
After getting in the car, he instructed, “Take me to Sesame Hutong.”
Anyway, there was nothing to do back at the police station. Better to go home and rest.
No way around it. With connections protecting him, he could be this willful.
The car went stop-start along the way. Just as they reached the vicinity of Liulichang, he suddenly said, “Stop!”
The car screeched to a halt. Xu Wude turned back in doubt, “Cao Ye, what’s wrong?”
“I saw an acquaintance. Just let me off here. You go back first.” As he spoke, he opened the door and got out. Before leaving, he tossed Xu Wude a pack of cigarettes and handed over two union bonds of one hundred denomination.
“No, no, no. Cao Ye, I can’t take it. Seeing you off is my duty.” How could Xu Wude dare accept? He was just a driver. Driving and picking up people was his job.
But Cao Weida forcefully stuffed the cigarettes and money into his hands, “Take it. Giving salary is the Lou family’s business. You seeing me off is a personal matter. It’s not much. Don’t look down on it.”
Xu Wude was an old fox. As the saying goes, better to offend a gentleman than a petty person.
He didn’t expect Xu Wude to be grateful. He just hoped he wouldn’t randomly get offended for no reason. He feared trouble most.
Besides, the man had indeed spent time and effort seeing him off. It was just a small favor. He didn’t mind.
Looking at the cigarettes and union bonds in his hand, then at Cao Weida’s retreating figure, Xu Wude couldn’t help sighing, “No wonder he’s so favored by Taijun at such a young age. Look at how he handles people. Tsk, he’s so polite even to someone of my low status. No wonder he soars to success!”
He’d followed the Lou family for many years. They seemed polite to him on ordinary days, but he could tell it was just superficial effort.
Deep down, the Lou family father and son didn’t take him seriously at all.
In their eyes, he was just a lowly inferior to them!
Compared to Cao Weida, the difference was clear!
On the other side, after getting out of the car, Cao Weida locked eyes on a person and quickly walked over.
“Fifth Brother, Fifth Brother!”
“Hm?”
Fan Wu Ye, still wearing his medium-length hair loose, turned at the sound and immediately saw the approaching person. A genuine smile appeared on his face:
“Oh, brother-in-law! Out shopping?”
In the past, Fan Wu Ye’s days were miserably hard. On cold days, he wore the same old jacket every day, without even a change.
If it got too dirty, he’d wash it and stay in the house for a day until it dried before wearing it out.
Now, thanks to Cao Weida giving him work, his money bag instantly bulged.
Especially after Mohe got married, all the money she’d temporarily kept was given to her brother.
Money is a man’s courage. With money, his demeanor gradually recovered. His clothes were clearly made of good fabric, exuding grandeur.
“Hey, what shopping? These days Beiping has been total chaos. Just got back after being busy.” As he spoke, his gaze involuntarily drifted to the thing tucked under Fan Wu Ye’s arm, wrapped in a long black cloth strip.
From the shape, it seemed like a painting?
“Fifth Brother, did you get your hands on something good?”
“Hey, what good thing? Just a broken item with no signature or seal, all rotted away. Just picked it up from Little Liu. But it looks old. Was planning to find someone to ask about it.”
Little Liu was a scrounger haunting the area near Liulichang in Beiping, commonly known as an antiques broker.
He specialized in scouring for antique calligraphy and paintings from the people, buying low and selling high.
“Oh? Can I take a look?” Hearing no signature or seal, Cao Weida’s mind immediately flashed to that calligraphy and painting from the TV series.
Because of that calligraphy and painting, Lan Yigui was forced into hiding. Later, because of this painting, Fan Wu Ye lost his life.
He just didn’t know if this was that painting.
“Hey, what do you mean ‘can or can’t’? With our relationship, that’s too distant.” He glanced to the side, “Come on, Fifth Brother’s treating. Let’s go to the teahouse for some tea.”
Broke Fan Wu Ye’s days were as miserable as could be, but rich Fan Wu Ye was boldly magnificent, every gesture screaming two words: ‘big spender’!
Cao Weida watched with amusement but didn’t preach.
Everyone has their own way of living. No need to force your views on others.
You know, the hardest thing in the world is changing a person’s character.
To put it bluntly, most people can’t even change their own character, let alone others’?
Let people live how they want, as long as it doesn’t harm society or you, that’s fine.
The two entered the teahouse and ordered two cups of tea. Fan Wu Ye pushed the black cloth strip over directly, “Here, look yourself.”
As he spoke, he picked up his tea and took a sip, smoothed the hair draped over his shoulder, and said:
“These days, who knows what’s going on. The little devils are searching and arresting everywhere like they’ve gone mad. I’d already found a descendant of the Eight Banners to talk about their family collection, but it got ruined.”
“Brother-in-law, you work at the police station. Do you know what happened?”
“Hey, we’re in the dark too. But from what I know, anti-Japanese elements hijacked some treasure of the Japanese Army. The Japanese Army command is furious, so they’re conducting a massive search and arrest. Not sure about the details.”
Though he knew Fan Wu Ye definitely wouldn’t tell the Japanese, Cao Weida had no intention of revealing that the thing was gold.
It wasn’t lack of trust, just no need. And impossible to say!
A ruler without secrecy loses his ministers!
As he spoke, he slowly unrolled the scroll painting. A scene of peaks emerging, clouds and mist gathering, streams, bridges, and fishing villages appeared before his eyes.
Cao Weida examined it carefully but couldn’t make sense of it, because he didn’t understand paintings at all, let alone tell good from bad.
As the scroll unrolled, the old, frayed edges from poor preservation were fully exposed, especially the end, which was damaged beyond recognition, like it’d been chewed by a dog.
“Fifth Brother, how much did you pay for this?”
Though he wasn’t entirely sure this was the one from the TV series, it was probably close enough.
“Not expensive. Ten silver dollars.” Saying this number, Fan Wu Ye was utterly nonchalant, as if ten silver dollars was pocket change.
Cao Weida: “.”
Fan Wu Ye, oh Fan Wu Ye, you’re such a prodigal!
Ten bucks for this broken thing?!
He didn’t know whether to cry or laugh. Pure sucker!
In the TV series, that Little Liu said he only spent fifty cents picking it up. You just handed him a twenty-fold profit margin!
If the painting were intact, forget ten silver dollars—even ten thousand would be a huge profit.
But this painting was so damaged it was unrecognizable. If not fake, it was worthless!
Who knows how Little Liu laughed behind his back at Fan Wu Ye being a total fool.
“Alright, if you’re happy, that’s fine.” Cao Weida shook his head with a wry smile, rolled up the scroll, and asked, “Do you know its origin?”
“No idea.” Fan Wu Ye shook his head. He was just a half-baked expert on antiques and calligraphy paintings. Ask him to talk, and he could go on for half an hour.
But ask him to appraise a painting? That was asking too much!
He didn’t have that skill!
“.” Fine, forget I asked.
Putting the painting back in the cloth strip, Cao Weida said, “Is there anyone nearby who’s an expert in this? Best if not in the antiques business.”
“Why ask that?”
“Just say if there is or not.”
“You won’t believe it, but there is one.” Don’t underestimate Fan Wu Ye’s appraisal skills, but after years haunting Liulichang Street, he knew something about anyone or anything related to antiques and calligraphy paintings.
Even if he didn’t, he could find someone who did.
“There’s a professor from Yanjing University living near Liulichang Street. He’s a scholar of vast knowledge, whose only hobby is collecting antiques.”
“A few antiques street bosses who know him and doubt their own eye occasionally go consult him.”
“Though Professor Luo loves collecting antiques, he doesn’t engage in the antiques business trade. Perfectly fits your requirement.”
Professor Luo?
Cao Weida’s heart stirred, “Good, we’ll find him!”
“Hey, no need to rush. The tea just arrived, haven’t even drunk much.”
“Drink some tea first. The person’s right there, won’t run off.”
“True. Let’s have some tea first.”
He took a sip from the teacup, but his thoughts had already drifted to Luo Yunxuan.
If he wasn’t wrong, this was Luo Mengyun’s father, right?
In the TV series, Luo Mengyun was one of the only two women Xu Jin’ge truly admired, a heroine among women.
Especially since she had another identity: Underground Party!
Facing such a heroic woman, Cao Weida naturally wanted to catch a glimpse of her.
After finishing the tea, Fan Wu Ye exhaled comfortably, pulled a ten-yuan union bond from his pocket, slapped it on the table, and shouted boldly, “Waiter, check please. No change needed!”
As he got up to leave, the waiter grabbed him. The waiter said wryly, “Fifth Master, ten isn’t enough. Now one pot of tea plus a plate of sunflower seeds is fifteen.”
“What?!” Fan Wu Ye’s eyes bulged: “I’m telling you, don’t try to scam me. Ten days ago, the same stuff was eight bucks. Just ten days, and you’ve doubled the price?!”
“Extortion?!”
