Period drama: Old Cao's carefree life

Chapter 67 This number is auspicious

Cao Weida looked around and then whispered, "Could you help me find out if there's been a woman with an injured right arm in the last couple of days?"

"A woman with an injured right arm... why does that name sound so familiar?" San'er couldn't help but ponder.

Ok?
Is there a clue?!

Cao Wei was somewhat taken aback. Was it good luck, or was this young woman just unlucky?

He was just taking a shot, hoping for a chance, but he never expected to actually make a profit!
"It's okay, take your time thinking about it, no rush." ​​She said she wasn't in a hurry, but her eyes were fixed on him expectantly.

Although he doesn't need ten or more large yellow croakers, nobody dislikes having too much money.

What's more, this concerns Special Higher Police agents!
San'er, with his honest and rugged face, fell into deep thought, scratching his head for a long time before finally remembering.
"Yes, I did hear about it. Our car dealership's Liu Zi picked up a female passenger in Sesame Alley yesterday when the sun was setting. When he got back, he saw that his seat was stained red with blood. He was still complaining about it when we were chatting this morning."

Cao Wei Da was overjoyed. "Do you know where Liu Zi is right now?"

"He should be here soon. He often waits for customers here. I met him this morning while waiting for customers."

As if on cue, a muscular, strong-looking man with a crew cut pulled a rickshaw and came running over.

San'er immediately raised his hands and shouted, "Liu Zi, Liu Zi, over here!"

The man called Liu Zi was in his thirties. Although the weather wasn't hot, he was only wearing a coarse cloth shirt, which was now soaked with sweat, and sweat dripped down his neck.

Hearing someone call his name, Liu Zi wiped the sweat from his brow with the towel around his neck.

"Come here quickly, Inspector Cao is looking for you."

San'er emphasized the pronunciation of "Chief Inspector Cao"; in front of outsiders, he would never call Cao Weida "Cao'er".

"Chief Cao?" Liu Zi was taken aback for a moment, his honest face showing surprise as he looked around.

"Hey, where are you looking? It's over here!" San'er pulled Liu Zi to Cao Weida's side. "Liu Zi, this is the patrol chief of our area."

Upon seeing Cao Weida, who was not in uniform, Liu Zi became noticeably more reserved. He cautiously pulled out a stack of small-denomination banknotes from his pocket and handed them over, clearly thinking the police station was collecting management fees.

The other party clearly looked pained, unwilling but forced to grit his teeth and give it away, which made Cao Weida feel uneasy.

These are all honest, hardworking people. Who would do this kind of manual labor if they had no other choice?
How could these patrol officers have the heart to exploit them?!
Cao Wei Da remained silent, leaving Liu Zi at a loss. He thought he hadn't given enough, so he had no choice but to take more money out of his pocket.

San'er quickly stopped him and explained in a low voice, "Chief Cao is not accepting money because he has something else to discuss with you."

"Um, boss, what can I do for you?" Hearing that it wasn't about money, Liu Zi's expression clearly brightened. Nobody wants to give away their hard-earned money for nothing.

Cao Weida smiled gently, took out a pack of Sanpaotai cigarettes, pulled one out, and handed it to him, "Do you know how to smoke? Want one?"

"Thank you, boss, but I don't know how." Liu Zi waved his hands respectfully, it was unclear whether he genuinely didn't know how to smoke or was simply afraid.

Cao Wei Da didn't dwell on this. He turned and handed it to San'er, then smiled warmly:

"Don't be nervous, I don't eat people. My name is Cao Weida, and many people around the overpass know me. I don't take your hard-earned money."

San'er chimed in from the side: "Chief Cao used to be my neighbor. Didn't I tell you before that he followed Master Duo? He's a really good guy and never bullies us ordinary folks."

With his "old colleague" San'er acting as guarantor, Liu Zi's emotions calmed down considerably.

However, his attitude remained as humble as ever, and he said cautiously, "Boss, if you ask, I will definitely not hide anything I know."

Cao Weida nodded in satisfaction, glancing around. Many rickshaw pullers were curiously looking in this direction, and there were several Japanese soldiers and puppet troops standing guard at the city gate. It was really not a place to talk.

"You must be tired after running around all morning. Let's find a teahouse to sit down. Thank you, I'll treat you to some tea."

"No, no need, I..." Liu Zi was still clearly very reserved, but San'er pulled him along.
"Don't worry, didn't I tell you? Inspector Cao is a very nice person. With me here, what are you afraid of?"

"Hey, Master Cao, may you be blessed!" Cao Weida hadn't gone far when the plague god Wen San'er suddenly appeared.

Oh my god, how did I run into this plague god again?

Cao Weida forced a smile, "Wen San'er, are you at work?"

"That's right, that's what we do, we have to find a place to lie down, right? What are you doing here?"

"Ah, it's nothing, just wandering around. You go about your business." After saying this, Cao Weida quickly led the two of them away.

Wen San'er has a mouth that can't be shut up. His biggest hobby is bragging. Once he gets into it, you can't stop him.

Especially after drinking, that guy becomes the most formidable person in the world. He's always beating up this person or that person. That guy is incredibly powerful.

It's a pity that we only heard him bragging, but no one actually saw him beat them up.

You can't let this kind of person know any secrets, otherwise, you never know when he'll get you killed!
Seeing Cao Wei Da leave in a hurry, Wen San was a little annoyed. "Hey, why is this kid always avoiding me? It's just that I showed off my skills when I pulled you the first time, and he still remembers it now. Is it really necessary? That's a bit petty."

Inside the teahouse. "Come on, Liu Zi, have some tea to soothe your throat."

"Thank you, boss. You're too kind." Liu Zi was a little uneasy. He had always been the one being bullied and exploited, and it was really hard for him to be treated with such politeness and respect.

Alas, cultivating self-confidence among the Chinese people is a long and arduous task.
Unlike later generations of Chinese, who are fearless when they go out, always wanting to cause trouble.

No matter where in the world, as long as there's something exciting to watch, Chinese people will always be the first to rush over with their clear eyes to enjoy the spectacle.

Liu Zi felt uncomfortable, and Cao Wei Da, without further pleasantries, went straight to the point:

"Here's what happened. I heard from Third Brother that you pulled a woman yesterday and she bled, staining your cushion red?"

Upon hearing that this was the question, Liu Zi nodded vigorously. "That's right. Last night, as the sun was setting, I picked up a client and drove him to Zhengyangmen East Station. As you know, the checks have been strict these past few nights, so I didn't dare to work at night anymore. That's why I was thinking of going back to rest."

"Then a woman called me over. I thought I'd just pull up the covers since I had something to do, but I didn't realize until she got off the bus and left that the seat cushion was stained red with blood!"

At this point, Liu Zi said indignantly with a pained expression, "That was a brand new mattress I replaced. It only lasted one day, and my wife had to stay up all night to clean it. It's such a waste!"

Taking a taxi near the train station, woman, bleeding, that basically matches up!

Cao Weida then asked, "Did you notice where she was injured?"

"I hadn't noticed that. Let me think..." Liu Zi frowned and thought for a long time before saying uncertainly:

"I didn't notice anything else about her, except that she kept frowning. Oh, and she always seemed to be holding her right arm, as if she was in a lot of pain. I guess she must have injured her right arm?"

All correct!
It's her!
Cao Weida hurriedly asked, "Where did she get off the bus?"

Liu Zi thought for a moment and said, "She got off the bus near the Eight Great Hutongs. Yes, it was the Eight Great Hutongs. She was the only customer there that night. I glanced at her and it seemed she was heading towards Xiaguangyuan."

"I'm quite sorry, she was quite pretty, I never expected her to be a prostitute."

"Last night I was wondering if I had been asked to leave by a customer, and then I hadn't served him well and got beaten up by the customer."

"Just a few days ago, Haozi from our team also picked up a prostitute. She was covered in dust, but she wasn't as unlucky as me. Only the mat had some dust on it."

Our ancestors were wise and knew how to enjoy life; those door-to-door services that we see today were already popular more than a thousand years ago.

However, this is usually something only low-class sex workers do. High-class brothels would only take them out if you paid a lot of money.

Cao Weida ignored the rambling that followed; his mind was racing.

He quickly finished his tea, tossed down two small UnionPay coupons, stood up, and said, "Come on, take me to where she got off the bus."

Liu Zi dared not refuse, and hurriedly downed the tea in his cup in one gulp. He then pulled Cao Weida, who was already in the car, and ran towards that place.

After driving for about half an hour, the car stopped at an intersection.

The Eight Great Hutongs, which should be bustling at night, are now crowded with people during the day, but most of them are poor people who look around furtively like thieves.

Cao Wei Da chuckled to himself, thinking that this guy was holding back his frustration and dared not come out at night, so he came to vent during the day.

"Boss, she got off the bus here and went in that direction."

Liu Zi wiped the sweat from his face, his voice steady, clearly still having the strength.

Cao Weida had to admire him. He had run for more than half an hour without stopping, even while pulling the cart. If it were Cao Weida before he time-traveled, he would have been able to run for that long empty-handed and would have been bragging about it for half a year.

He took out six silver dollars and put them in his hand:
"Your name is Liu Zi, right? This number is auspicious, it means everything goes smoothly. Here, this is the fare."

"Boss, boss, this is too much, you don't need so much." Liu Zi was startled. Good heavens, you're only giving Liu Zi six silver dollars?!

This is a huge sum of money!

This money is enough for him to run around for half a month!
"I haven't finished yet." Without giving him a chance to object, she stuffed the money into his pocket.

"That's the end of this matter. I didn't ask you, and you didn't say those words to me, understand?"

Liu Zi was honest, not stupid, and immediately realized that the six silver dollars were hush money!
His heart tightened, and he quickly nodded, "Yes, boss, I know the rules. I didn't tell you anything today, and you didn't ask me anything either."

If I had known, I should have asked my mom to name me Jiu Zi (九子), maybe I could have gotten three more silver dollars.
Cao Weida patted him on the shoulder with satisfaction, "You're sensible, go and do your work."

Watching Liu Zi pull the cart away, Cao Weida then turned his head to carefully examine the surroundings.

The Eight Great Hutongs are a complex network of alleyways. Those unfamiliar with them might think there are only eight hutongs, but "big" is not the case; "eight" is just a general term.

Because of the constant flow of people in this area, almost all traces on the ground have been destroyed. Cao Weida could only follow the direction of the six fingers and search forward, hoping to find some clues.

(End of this chapter)