Period drama: Old Cao's carefree life

Chapter 14 You trust me that much?

He's a black dog now, but after liberation, as long as he hasn't done anything to oppress the people or commit any evil deeds, the new government won't make things too difficult for him.

Instead, because of the need to govern the city, they were screened before being appointed.

However, the initial screening and suspicion are already troublesome enough, and after the city is stabilized, there will be another round of cleansing.

The mourning stick was executed around that time.

Cao Wei Da had no masochistic tendencies. Just look at how much bullying Duo Men suffered during the screening process in the original novel.

If even the kindest people are like this, what about others?
That's just something that wasn't shown in the TV series.

As someone who knows the future of history, his greatest desire is to weather two changes of dynasty peacefully and achieve the goal of three dynasties of stability.

Leaving aside the KMT side for now, the DPP side is entirely dependent on Zheng Chaoyang.

If enough goodwill is shown now, and the attitude remains unchanged after the Kuomintang occupies Beiping, the Red Party cannot make things difficult for him after liberation.

A thousand thoughts can pass in an instant.

Cao Weida smiled calmly, "I won't play games with you. Like I said, since I've come to you, I'm sure I have my reasons."

"You don't need to worry that I was sent by the Japanese to test you. The Japanese have committed countless atrocities in China, burning, killing, and looting. As a Chinese person with a conscience, I wish I could eat their flesh and drink their blood!"

"Of course, all of this is just empty talk. To show my sincerity, I'll offer you a handle against me."

"You must have heard the news yesterday that a Japanese soldier and two traitors have gone missing."

Zheng Chaoyang was taken aback, then chuckled and said, "Don't tell me you know their whereabouts."

He naturally heard the news, and the search efforts were intensified significantly yesterday.

I heard that Xu Hancheng was also severely scolded by Oda Jiro in his office and slapped several times; the swelling hasn't gone down yet.

Sure enough, he didn't show up this morning.

Cao Weida smiled slightly, "You guessed right."

Zheng Chaoyang paused for a moment, then laughed, "Brother, you can't make jokes like that, it's not funny at all."

Upon seeing Cao Weida looking at him with a smile, his smile gradually faded: "Are you serious?"

He was deeply shocked. How could a cowardly wretch like him dare to kill three people?!
One of them was even a Japanese soldier?!

So, if what Cao Wei Da said is true, then wasn't he hiding his true abilities before?!

What kind of talent needs to hide their abilities?
Naturally, they are people of the same status as him!

That is
In an instant, Zheng Chaoyang remained outwardly calm, but inwardly he was on high alert. Despite the current cooperation between the two parties, they were secretly locked in a fierce battle!
Since the two parties began cooperating, countless members of the Communist Party have been betrayed and persecuted; these are bloody lessons!
But he had some doubts. Spies always kept themselves very hidden, never daring to tell anyone, wishing that others would treat them like air, and would never act on their own without a reason.

Because any action will inevitably leave no trace, which increases the risk of exposure.

A spy's first priority is always to stay alive, not to kill!
The Japanese man who disappeared was just an ordinary soldier; he couldn't possibly have had any important intelligence on him, could he?
"Of course, those three are still nowhere to be found, dead or alive. Shall I take you to see their bodies?"

Zheng Chaoyang's lips twitched. So he really did kill him?
He truly couldn't fathom what Cao Wei meant.

The other party's modus operandi doesn't seem quite right, even if they are a Kuomintang agent.

Who would send such deadly incriminating evidence to him?

If the higher-ups find out, they'll skin him alive!

If he wasn't a spy, then he was a patriotic and passionate man who loved his people.

But the crucial question is, does he really trust himself that much?
How dare you?
Aren't you afraid that you'll turn around and report him to get the reward?
It can't be because of the smuggling evidence he mentioned that there's no real proof, can it?
What exactly does he mean?!

"..." Zheng Chaoyang remained silent for a long time, but finally couldn't help asking, "What exactly do you mean? You trust me that much?"

"Because you are a Chinese citizen with a sense of justice and a sense of public order and conscience!"

Cao Wei Da immediately flattered him, thinking to himself, "If I hadn't watched the TV series and knew your identity, I wouldn't dare to say such a thing."

“I know you. You used to be a patrolman. You have never done anything to oppress the people or extort money.”

At this point, he gave him a deep look, "This kind of behavior is actually very dangerous because it's too similar to the practices of a certain organization."

Zheng Chaoyang was startled. Before he could react, Cao Weida pulled a list from his pocket and handed it to him:
"I have shown you my sincerity, and I hope we can cooperate sincerely."

"This is a list, and I need to sell it within three days."

“All channels have been opened up, including warehousing, transportation, and all aspects of leaving the city. I only want 80% of the black market price.”

"I don't care where these supplies end up, I don't care who buys them, once they leave the city, they have nothing to do with me."

"I have only one request: I want cash! Dollars, US dollars, gold—anything is fine, but don't bring military scrip or anything like that."

Zheng Chaoyang took the package with some doubt, but when he saw the supplies on it, his eyes widened in shock, and he gasped for breath.

"This this."

"Two hundred Type 38 rifles, two basic loads of ammunition; five Type 91 light machine guns, three basic loads of ammunition; two Type 92 heavy machine guns, two basic loads of ammunition; two grenade launchers; and two basic loads of artillery shells."

"Thirty tons of white sugar, ten tons of rubber, ten tons of gasoline, and five tons of tung oil."

Zheng Chaoyang was speechless, his mouth agape.

He admitted that he was stunned by the list before him.

Perhaps to modern people, this amount of supplies is negligible; two large trucks could easily transport it—it's pitifully small. But for this era, these supplies are an enormous sum!
Never underestimate the extent of the blockade of strategic materials during wartime, especially in enemy-occupied territories; it can be absolutely outrageous!

To put it bluntly, all the supplies he's been secretly procuring over this long period of time don't even amount to one-twentieth of this list!

The key point is that none of these supplies are as valuable or scarce as those on this list!

Before he could recover from the shock, Cao Weida handed him another piece of paper.

"Oh right, I almost forgot, here's a list. There aren't many things, so I'll leave these for you. Consider it a small token of my appreciation."

Zheng Chaoyang took it blankly, and when he saw the list on it, his eyes almost popped out of their sockets. He didn't even realize the deeper meaning behind Cao Weida's words.

"50 bottles of Prontosil, 60 bottles of sulfonamides, and 20 boxes of penicillin."

"This, this is... an anti-inflammatory medicine?!"

This is an anti-inflammatory medicine!
This medicine could save lives!

Anti-inflammatory drugs are even more strictly controlled than firearms and ammunition!

On the battlefield, many wounded soldiers could actually be saved.

However, due to the lack of anti-inflammatory drugs, the wound became infected and suppurated, eventually leading to amputation and even death in pain.

Why are anti-inflammatory drugs more expensive than gold?
Because it's directly related to the lives of the soldiers!
Often, an anti-inflammatory drug can save the life of a battle-hardened veteran!
"Yes, this is the money I painstakingly saved up to get married. You guys are getting a good deal."

"These anti-inflammatory drugs are at my house. Do you want them? If so, come back with me after you finish taking them and I'll get them for you."

He certainly knew the price of anti-inflammatory drugs, but to be honest, these drugs didn't really hold a high place in his heart.

In later generations, anti-inflammatory drugs that were many times better than penicillin became dirt cheap, to the point that they were even disliked.

After all, taking too much of this stuff not only doesn't do any good, but it also severely damages your immune system.

Therefore, even knowing that anti-inflammatory drugs are now more expensive than gold, people's mindsets cannot be changed in a short period of time.

Moreover, if he were to make this big deal, he would be more than capable of earning that much money. In his view, using this medicine, which he didn't really need, to gain favor with the Communist Party was a sure-fire way to make money.

If it weren't for the fact that he was just in case, he wouldn't have bothered keeping even the last twenty boxes.

"Yes, of course!"

This is an anti-inflammatory drug that money can't buy; only a fool wouldn't want it!

"Come on, come on, we're going to your house right now!"

"No way, I haven't eaten yet!" Cao Weida was not happy about it. He had exhausted himself last night and hadn't recovered yet.

Zheng Chaoyang was embarrassed. "Yes, I was being presumptuous. You eat, you eat."

"You don't want to eat?"

"I ate it, of course I ate it."

Like Pigsy eating ginseng fruit, he stuffed his belly full in no time, without even tasting it, before stopping and staring longingly at Cao Weida.

He has no time to care whether the food tastes good or not; all he can think about is the anti-inflammatory drug!

Being stared at so intently, Cao Weida could no longer eat and felt extremely uncomfortable.

He quickly ate a couple of bites and said helplessly, "Alright, alright, stop looking. Let's go back now, okay?"

"Okay, I'll go right away, I'll go right away." Zheng Chaoyang couldn't wait any longer and didn't care about formalities.

When they arrived at the courtyard gate, Cao Weida told him to wait at the gate while he went in to get the medicine.

Actually, the medicine is all in his space; nowhere else is it safer to put it than in his space.

But he can't just conjure up the medicine out of thin air.

Not long after, Cao Wei Da came out again with a large cloth bag in his hand, bulging and full.

He shoved it into Zheng Chaoyang's arms. "It's all here. Find a place to put it. Do you want me to take you to see the body again?"

"No need, absolutely no need, this is enough!" Zheng Chaoyang was thrilled. What Japanese corpses, what traitors, none of them were as valuable and convincing as anti-inflammatory medicine!
"In that case, it's settled then."

"Three days, I only have three days, the sooner the better."

"If you're worried, I can take you to see the goods tonight."

Zheng Chaoyang was overjoyed to finally have the medicine he had been longing for.

Hearing these words again now, my mind immediately became much more active.

If these medicines are genuine, then are the other supplies also genuine?

If those things are true, then it would be completely worth it to gamble with one's life, right?

This gamble was absolutely worth the risk!
Looks like I'll have to go see Lao Luo.

"Brother, you've already said so much, it would be too much of a blunder for me to refuse."

"However, this is not a matter that I can decide alone. How about this, I'll go and talk to Master Xian first, and then we'll go to the warehouse tonight so I'll have a better understanding of the situation before I get back to you, okay?"

"After all, this batch of supplies will cost a lot of money."

(End of this chapter)