Period drama: Old Cao's carefree life

Chapter 45 Brothers, let's take him down!
The following day, after paying the remaining money, I received the land deeds for both houses.

Looking at the land deed in his hand, Cao Wei Da was filled with emotion.

Before his time travel, Cao Weida was just an ordinary worker who never imagined he could own a house in the capital.

Unexpectedly, after more than half a year of transmigrating, buying a house has become as common as buying a piece of clothing.

After walking around the courtyard house, Cao Weida nodded in satisfaction. Renting someone else's house is a different feeling from looking at your own.

"Dates".

"Hey, Brother Cao's here." Tian Zao ran out with a wet handkerchief in her hand. She was leading the little ones in cleaning the house.

"I have a task for you. If you do it well, you'll be well rewarded."

Upon hearing that there was money to be made, Tian Zao's eyes lit up. "Brother Cao, what is it? As long as it's not illegal or taboo, I'm all for it!"

"Haven't you done enough illegal and taboo things?" Cao Weida rolled his eyes and chuckled irritably, making Tian Zao lower his head in embarrassment.

It's a pity, she's still too young; you can see her toes very clearly.

"Alright, stop trying to shut me up," he said, tossing the keys to the courtyard house over.
“A house can’t be left uninhabited. Without people, the house will age quickly. You and your buddies can live in this house for me and help look after it. I’ll give you ten silver dollars a month.”

Hearing this, Tian Zao's eyes reddened. "No, Brother Cao, you don't have to do this, we..."

"Alright, alright, stop talking so much. It's not like I'm not going to pay you or let you help for free. At most, I'll cover your food and drinks. Don't expect me to pay you more. Your brother Cao is so poor, I'm practically peeing blood."

"Let me tell you, I paid you for your help. If you don't keep a close eye on my house, I'll sell it all to you and put it in a cave dwelling!"

"Pfft~~" Tian Zao cried and laughed at the same time, but her heart was warm.

She wasn't stupid; of course she knew that Cao Weida was helping them, but didn't want them to feel like he was giving them charity.

Brother Cao is such a good person.
"Brother Cao, don't worry, I'll keep a close watch on the house, no one can steal it!"

Cao Weida laughed and said, "Forget it. If anyone can steal the house, let them steal it. That would be a testament to their skill."

He took out ten silver dollars from his pocket, thought for a moment, then took out five more and handed them over together:
"After we've cleaned up, I'll give these kids a bath and change them into clean clothes. I don't want them to get dirty again right after I've cleaned them."

"I'll have someone bring you some food later, and you can cook your own meals."

"Alright, I'll head back now."

Behind her, Tian Zao stared intently at Cao Weida's departing figure, her pearly teeth clenched into her chin, and tears welled up in her eyes.

Having done a good deed, Cao Wei Da was led by Xiangzi to find Xiao Erduo, intending to ask him to get some food.

Unexpectedly, before he could even speak, Little Ears spoke first.

“Brother Cao, a brother who has been acting as a spy has come to say that someone has secretly run a gambling den in Banweiba Hutong.”

Banweiba Hutong was under the jurisdiction of Cao Weida, located between Chaoyangmen and Dongbianmen, in a remote corner of the city wall.

Because of its remote location, the rent is cheap, attracting many people from other places. This has resulted in a mixed crowd, with many people making a living through unconventional means.

"What's his background?" Upon hearing that he ran a casino, Cao Weida raised an eyebrow.

There weren't many jobs available in this era, and even those that existed were mostly manual labor.

Those with docks were porters, and those with cave dwellings were coal miners.

These jobs are generally very hard, dirty and tiring, and the wages are extremely low. Not everyone can endure this kind of hardship.

Those who can't endure this hardship still have to find a way to eat.

Otherwise, why are there so many gangs on the market?

But the market is only so big, how can it support so many gangs?
As a result, those who couldn't join a gang became street thugs.

Some clever ones took a different approach, attaching themselves to gangs and working for them. Some specialized in fighting, some in intelligence gathering, and some...
Anyway, there are all sorts of people. Most of them are idle all day long. When they have money, they go to the Eight Great Hutongs. When they don't have money, they just eat cornbread and stare blankly.

These people may seem lowly, but they are daring and aggressive, and as a result, despite being petty thieves, many gangs like to use them.

Little Ears has quite a few people like this under his command, and sure enough, this news came out today.

In this day and age, many people enjoy touching it.

Take the police station for example, there are quite a few people who like to gamble, and the despicable Sang Liuji is one of the representatives.

It's unclear whether Sang Liuji, currently embroiled in trouble, still has the inclination to go to the casino.

Moreover, most of those who run casinos have connections.

Casinos aren't something just anyone can open; officially, the government cracks down on them. But what's the reality?

Everyone knows that running a casino is profitable.

Not to mention ordinary people, even in official circles, many people are envious of the profits from running casinos. Therefore, while they outwardly crack down on them, they are actually colluding and condoning them in secret.

Some officials, seeking personal gain, turn a blind eye to the existence of illegal gambling dens, and even secretly provide protection for them in exchange for huge bribes.

Therefore, in Beiping and even throughout China, the official authorities have never recognized the legitimacy of casinos and have taken some measures to crack down on them, but they have never been eradicated. On the contrary, they seem to be becoming more and more prosperous.

"Brother Cao, don't worry. I've already arranged for people to go in and have some fun a few times. I've also inquired around. This group of people is from Tianjin. There are about a dozen of them. They haven't been here long and haven't paid their respects yet."

"If they really had the ability and connections, they wouldn't have chosen to open a casino in such a poor, remote place."

Cao Weida narrowed his eyes. "Oh ho, you've got some nerve. You have no connections or background, yet you dare to open an illegal gambling den on my turf."
Is this some kind of gift that brings me wealth?

Rivalry is common among businessmen. Officials who collude with illegal gambling dens are very effective in cracking down on illegal casinos without any backing.

They could eliminate their rivals while also gaining a good reputation among the people—how could they possibly miss such a good opportunity?

Therefore, the Beiping Police Department stipulated that when encountering illegal gambling dens, they could conduct raids and confiscations. In order to incentivize everyone, a portion of the money seized could be turned over to the Police Department, a portion could be kept as office expenses, and another portion could be distributed.

The establishment of a regulation will inevitably provide convenience for those who exploit loopholes in the regulation, and this is no exception.

As long as the people conducting the raids all give the same story, who will know how much money you've seized?

Actually, raiding illegal gambling dens is easy; the difficulty lies in taking down the protectors behind them!
Now, a stranger from Tianjin, with no connections or background, dares to open a gambling den. Isn't this just easy prey delivered to his mouth?

Cao Wei Da was immediately tempted. He wasn't short of money, but no one would complain about having too much!

Especially those who run illegal gambling dens, there are hardly any good people among them, so cracking down on them doesn't bother them much!
"Arrange for two people to deliver several dozen kilograms of grain to No. 97 Nanluoguxiang, and also send some brothers with me!"

"That's exactly what we've been waiting for!" Little Ears clapped his hands, and immediately gathered twenty or thirty thugs. Led by Cao Weida, the group headed towards Banweiba Hutong in a grand procession.

Along the way, when people saw this group of people, only the vendors who were familiar with Cao Weida were not afraid; the others who were not familiar with them quickly hid.

The men walked close to the wall, while the women hurriedly ran into the alley to hide, clearly having learned their lesson from being harassed by the gangs in Beiping.

They arrived at Banweiba Hutong in a grand manner, and led by Xiao Erduo's men, they turned east and west until they arrived in front of a courtyard.

Before even entering, I could hear a great commotion inside. Two men with their shirts open stood at the door, their skin dark and exposed.

At this moment, two men were pushing and shoving a short, thin man who was shirtless, emaciated, and had dull, lifeless skin.

"I've already told you, if you're out of money, go find some and stop lingering here, okay?"

"Sir, sir, please give me another chance! I... I still have clothes!"

"Come on, you've already lost all your clothes, are you planning to pawn your pants too? You're not a young lady, we won't get a good look if we pull down your pants. Just keep your pants to cover up your half-ounce piece of flesh, and take them home!"

The two gatekeepers laughed heartily, but when they looked up, they saw a large group of people approaching and were immediately startled. "Hey, hey, stop! Who are you? What are you doing here!"

Little Ears slapped them a few times, and the two of them didn't dare to fight back. After a few slaps, they seemed to see their great-grandmother again.
"Go in."

Cao Wei Da ignored the two of them, and Xiao Erduo's men immediately ran over and opened the door.

As soon as the door opened, the noise grew even louder.

Upon entering the courtyard and looking through the open doors, one could see several gambling tables surrounded by all sorts of people.

The door opened quite loudly, and the people inside immediately ran into the room when they saw so many people coming in.

Before long, a burly man with a shaved head and a face full of scars came out with several henchmen. He was about to greet them with a cupped-hand salute when Cao Weida waved him off:
"Coming to my territory without greeting me or paying respects, and then setting up a gambling den, you've got some nerve! Don't you know that police regulations prohibit the operation of gambling dens?"

"Be smart and come back with me to explain yourself."

The leader glared at him, "I thought he was some kind of deity, but he's just a stinky-footed patrolman!"

The words were blunt, and the contemptuous tone was enough to show the disdain for the patrol officers.

There's no way around it; whether in Beiping or elsewhere, the status of patrol officers is rather awkward. It seems like anyone, human or ghost, can bully them.

If it were any other patrol officer, they might not dare to offend these people. Anyone who dares to open a casino in a foreign land must be either a powerful outlaw or someone who dares to fight and take risks.

But today, this group of people ran into Cao Weida, which means they must have forgotten to check the almanac before going out.

"Damn it, how dare he talk to my big brother like that! Brothers, get him!" At Little Ear's command, the henchmen who had come along yelled and rushed forward with sticks in hand.

(End of this chapter)