Chapter 244: Decisively Starts Backstabbing
“Hm? Mr. Cao, have you finished talking with Father?” Luo Mengyun joyfully stood up. She had originally planned to go out for a stroll at first, but after finding him with the same interests and hobbies, she felt an urge to speak out and exchange ideas that she couldn’t hold back.
“Yeah, we’ve finished talking.” Cao Weida revealed a smile from the bottom of his heart. He didn’t know why, perhaps due to preconceived notions, but even though Luo Mengyun hadn’t done anything special, he found her so pleasing to the eye.
Could this be love?!
It’s all that guy’s fault, Jian Se, what idea did he have to come up with!
He walked over and curiously asked: “Miss Luo, what book are you reading?”
“Here, Pushkin’s Poetry Collection, I read it every day!”
Luo Mengyun looked at the sky with longing, “I yearn for freedom, yearn for Pushkin’s courage not to bow before life’s hardships, yearn for his optimism in facing life, just like this sky’s cage that seems to bind us, but we must also have the courage to break through the cage.”
“.”
You’re afraid you’re being a bit too literary.
Cao Weida chuckled inwardly, “I prefer his deep attachment to his homeland and people, and of course, I also really like the mindset in his poetry of not losing hope when facing difficulties.”
“I especially like his《If life deceives you》, with its concise and gentle brushstrokes, guiding us to hold onto expectations for the future amid suffering, and its bright and open outlook, yearning for a state of transcending hardship and embracing light.”
“.”
An hour later, Cao Weida bid farewell with the box containing the Yongle cup in his arms.
First meeting, it’s not good to chat too much; he understood the principle that excess leads to deficiency.
Besides, only by making others reluctant to part with you will they look forward to the next meeting even more.
He hadn’t used these tactics on those women of his before, but that didn’t mean he was clueless about them.
Luo Mengyun, however, felt a bit reluctant inside. She had finally found someone she clicked with so well, and she hadn’t chatted enough yet.
It wasn’t until Cao Weida left in the rickshaw that she reluctantly withdrew her gaze, thinking to herself, she didn’t know when Big Brother Cao would come again next time.
She was already somewhat looking forward to the next meeting.
Luo Yunxuan, who had seen everything, had complex emotions in his eyes. What on earth had they talked about in this short hour?
“Mengyun.”
“Hm? Father, what’s wrong?”
“Looks like you two just had a great chat, so reluctant after such a short time?” His words were full of jealousy, and he suddenly regretted agreeing to it earlier.
Just one meeting, and his carefully nurtured daughter was acting like this already—what if it continued?!
“Oh, Father, what are you saying? I wasn’t reluctant at all.” Luo Mengyun coquettishly disagreed, her face blushing like red clouds.
“I just think Big Brother Cao speaks with great cultivation and has profound knowledge.”
“Oh? Really? I didn’t see him as having profound knowledge. I know him; he’s just an uneducated rough fellow, illiterate who barely knows a few characters. What common topics could you have?”
Professor Luo’s eye twitched, and he regretted it even more inside, feeling utterly disheartened.
It had only been this short time, and she was even changing how she addressed him, calling him ‘Big Brother Cao’!!
He thought to himself that something was wrong; it seemed like he saw a carefully tended Chinese cabbage being approached step by step by a greedy wild boar.
So, he decisively began to backstab.
“That can’t be right, Father, are you mistaken?”
Luo Mengyun, unaware that her father’s jealousy was tipping over, didn’t realize the sourness in his words, her eyes full of doubt:
“I chatted so much with Big Brother Cao, whether interpreting poetry and songs, or knowledge of astronomy and geography, or insights on local customs, Big Brother Cao could talk eloquently—how could he be an illiterate who barely knows a few characters?”
“Many of his views were very novel; I was quite enlightened. I think you must have been deceived.”
Luo Yunxuan was somewhat surprised and doubtful: could Cao Weida really be so knowledgeable?
He knew his daughter well; she had been carefully cultivated by him in terms of learning and wouldn’t fail to distinguish true scholarship from nonsense.
Moreover, she had somewhat petty bourgeois tendencies in personality; without real talent, she wouldn’t look at him differently.
‘Could I have misjudged him?’ He felt doubtful inside, then sighed inwardly: ‘Indeed, nothing should be believed on hearsay.’
Even if he misjudged Cao Weida’s knowledge, he could still see what Cao Weida wanted to do!
For a pig trying to dig up his family’s little cabbage, he naturally found it displeasing.
So, he insinuated pointedly: “So his knowledge is that broad, no wonder he could marry five concubines.”
“Ah, Big Brother Cao actually married five concubines?! He’s not that old!” Luo Mengyun covered her mouth in shock, her eyes full of astonishment.
Luo Yunxuan felt triumphant inside; with Cao Weida’s family having five concubines, this barrier in place, he didn’t believe his daughter would still be swayed by that kid.
But he didn’t know that things are unpredictable and fortunes change—who could say for sure what would happen later.
“.”
On the other side, Cao Weida, who had taken the rickshaw away, had arrived at Ono Shiota’s residence.
When Cao Weida took out that Ming Yongle Blue and White Hand-pressing Cup, Ono Shiota looked at him in bewilderment, his eyes saying: That’s it?!
Obviously, he shared the same thought as Cao Weida; he really couldn’t see anything special about this cup.
“Ono-kun, this ‘Ming Yongle Blue and White Hand-pressing Cup’ has been appraised by the most professional experts—it’s truly a rare treasure! Market price can reach 12,000 silver dollars!”
8,000 was his friend’s courtesy price; the market price should be higher.
Moreover, this price wasn’t inflated; for someone who liked it, it wasn’t much.
“What?! Twelve thousand silver dollars?!”
Ono Shiota was stunned, looking incredulously at the small cup in his hand, never expecting this unremarkable cup to fetch such an astonishing price.
“Ono-kun, don’t underestimate this cup. This cup exists only from the Yongle era, with extremely few surviving examples!”
“This cup is called the Ming Yongle Blue and White Hand-pressing Cup. Do you know why it’s called a hand-pressing cup?”
“I’d like to hear the details!”
Ono Shiota shook his head blankly, but his interest was piqued, ears perked up straight.
Joking aside, 12,000 silver dollars—he had to listen carefully to why it was worth so much, so he could brag to others later.
Cao Weida hadn’t known at first either, but Professor Luo was so knowledgeable!
Before leaving, he had specifically asked, so now explaining it, he was full of confidence:
“This cup is named hand-pressing cup because it fits perfectly in the crook of the thumb.”
“Come, let me demonstrate.”
He held the cup in the crook of his thumb. “See, it fits perfectly for a normal person, very comfortable to hold.”
Ono Shiota leaned in to look, and sure enough, the size was just right.
“Secondly, the weight! Very hand-pressing! Here, feel it.”
Ono Shiota took it and weighed it in his hand; indeed, the weight was substantial and hand-pressing, comfortable in the hand.
“This is an Official Kiln piece. You should know about Official Kiln. First commemorative mark, made in Yongle era. Look at the bottom, yes, this one.”
“Before the Yongle era, like Hongwu, there were no marks, no reign dates, and the batch produced was scarce, with even fewer surviving—like phoenix feathers and unicorn horns.”
“To put it this way, fewer than five of these cups survive!”
Ono Shiota nodded in realization: “So desu ne, Cao Sang, I get it—rarity makes value, right?”
“Ono-kun’s intelligence is as always; yes, exactly.”
“Yōshi, this is a treasure!”
After realizing the preciousness of this small cup, looking at the hand-pressing cup again, the more he looked, the more beautiful and likable it seemed.
He solemnly placed the hand-pressing cup back in the box.
“Cao Sang, you’ve done very well! If there are such things in the future, you can report to me anytime!”
“Also, he asked for your help; you put in time and effort. You should know how to earn some drinking money for yourself, right?”
In their joint business, Cao Weida held no shares, and he had helped think of so many money-making ideas before; if he didn’t let Cao Weida make money, he’d feel bad.
“Thank you for your understanding, Ono-kun. Rest assured, even if I don’t speak up, the Lou family won’t be so tactless.”
“Yōshi, that’s good then; I’m relieved. Alright, handle this matter as you see fit.”
“Ono-kun, in Beiping, besides the Eight Great Buildings, Fengze Garden is also highly reputed. How about we have a drink there?”
“.”
In Fengze Garden’s private room.
After eating and drinking to their hearts’ content, everyone parted happily. Afterward, Chairman Lou and Ono Shiota had a secret discussion and reached certain agreements.
When the two came out, the smiles on Chairman Lou and Ono Shiota’s faces were beaming.
It must be said here that such a pleasant atmosphere was entirely because Officer Ono Shiota cared about Beiping’s industrial system and considered Beiping’s industrial development—absolutely not because of the ‘Ming Yongle Blue and White Hand-pressing Cup’!
After finishing, Ono Shiota gave Cao Weida a look, then took the car and left first.
“Mr. Cao, today’s matter achieving such a perfect outcome is all thanks to Mr. Cao’s strong support! A small token of appreciation, please accept it.”
A check for 5,000 silver dollars was pushed in front of Cao Weida.
Cao Weida raised an eyebrow, unceremoniously picked it up, and flicked the paper with his finger, making a crisp sound:
“Chairman Lou is too polite. Then, I won’t stand on ceremony!”
“Hahaha~~ It’s only right! In the future, we’ll still need Mr. Cao’s care!”
“No problem, that’s it for today then. I’ll head out first; I’ll bother you another day.”
“Take care, Mr. Cao! Wude, quick, drive Mr. Cao back!”
