Chapter 46

The two brothers did not need him to give orders; they were exceptionally proactive in their work.

Clearing out trash, moving clutter, sweeping the floor... they were truly putting in earnest effort, which made Cao Cao Weiguo feel quite touched.

The Second Master took the stool home, which made the Second Mistress overjoyed.

"This stool is really quite good. As long as we give it a coat of paint, our family will have added a new piece of furniture."

"This Cao Cao Weiguo really doesn't know how to manage a household; he's actually willing to give away such a good item."

Hearing the Second Mistress's words, the Second Master frowned and said, "Don't talk nonsense. It won't be good if Cao Cao Weiguo hears you. If I hadn't let Guangtian and Liu Guangfu go help him with the work, would this stool have been given to our family?"

The Second Mistress curled her lip and said, "I'm just saying it inside the house; no one outside can hear."

The Second Master said, "Although Cao Cao Weiguo has a solitary temperament, he is a good person and knows how to handle affairs. Maintaining a good relationship with him will do our family no harm."

The Second Mistress said with a smile, "That's true. When he got married, I helped clean up, and he gave me several portions of leftovers that had quite a bit of meat in them."

Those few portions of leftovers had improved their family's diet.

The taste was good and there was plenty of meat—it was heartier than the dishes they had for the New Year.

The commotion of Cao Cao Weiguo tidying up his house soon caught the attention of other residents.

The calculating Third Master wasted no time in bringing his whole family over to help.

Like the Second Master, the Third Master also had his eye on those old pieces of furniture.

Sweeping spiderwebs, wiping windows, moving things... they were busy as a beehive.

Anyone who didn't know better would think the Cao family was tearing down their house.

The Second Master felt a surge of jealousy upon seeing this; this Yan the Westerner was actually coming to snatch benefits away from him.

A single stool could not satisfy the Second Master's appetite; he had his eye on several other items as well.

By this time, the other residents in the courtyard were also itching to get involved, but the Liu and Yan families had already occupied the territory.

The First Master watched the "numerous and powerful" Second and Third Masters, and he felt quite unsettled inside.

These two men had lower wages and less prestige than him, but they had more children.

The older he got, the more he cared about having children; he even dreamed of having them gathered around his knees.

The Sihe Academy

In order to gain benefits, the two masters had practically mobilized their entire families to work actively for Cao Cao Weiguo.

The commotion they caused soon caught the attention of those with ulterior motives.

Qin Qin Huairu, who was currently teaching Song Song Yulan how to use the sewing machine, also wanted to go and take advantage of the situation.

There were quite a few good things among those dust-covered odds and ends.

Song Song Yulan, the mistress of the Cao household, could no longer sit still, fearing that her man would give away everything in the house.

Jia Jia Zhangshi also stopped "fattening up"; although she didn't know what was going on in the back courtyard, she still hurriedly got up and rushed over.

She was just like a hungry wolf that had caught the scent of meat.

Song Song Yulan walked out of the room anxiously, leaned close to Cao Cao Weiguo, and whispered, "Those things can all be used; don't give them all away."

Cao Cao Weiguo said with a smile, "Don't worry, wife, I know what I'm doing."

There is indeed strength in numbers.

The room, which had been piled high with clutter and covered in dust, was soon cleaned up thoroughly.

Cao Cao Weiguo did not stand on ceremony, directing Liu Guangtian, Liu Liu Guangfu, and Yan Yan Jiecheng to help move the furniture.

The dust-covered old tables, chairs, and pickle jars were wiped clean and moved back into the room.

Every time one was moved back, the Third Master felt a pang of heartache.

These old pieces of furniture were all things he had his eye on, intending to ask Cao Cao Weiguo for them.

Song Song Yulan breathed a sigh of relief as she watched the large pieces of furniture being moved back inside.

She had been terrified that her man would "squander the family fortune" by giving away good things.

In order to keep an eye on their belongings, Song Song Yulan no longer had the heart to learn the sewing machine.

She picked up a rag and scrubbed the furniture vigorously, moving one piece after another.

Before long, the room was cleaned and tidy, and the furniture was placed in suitable positions.

As a study, the room was "simple," but it was bright, clean, and spacious, allowing for furniture and books to be added gradually.

Moreover, this study was merely an "excuse" for Cao Cao Weiguo; in reality, he wanted an independent space where he could conduct "secret activities."

He couldn't just "vanish into thin air" in the living room or bedroom; it would be bad if his wife happened to walk in on him.

It wasn't that he didn't trust his wife, but the matter was simply too "unbelievable!"

The room was tidied up, and the noisy commotion had died down.

Cao Cao Weiguo saw that the Liu brothers and the Yan siblings were covered in dust; they had truly put in the effort.

"Everyone has worked hard; take a break."

Cao Cao Weiguo was not stingy; he brought out a plate of candies from the living room cabinet.

Cao Cao Weiguo said generously, "Don't be shy, take whatever you want to eat."

"Thank you, Brother Cao Weiguo!"

"There's milk candy!"

"I want to eat orange candy!"

Jia Jia Zhangshi also reached out to grab some candy, but Cao Cao Weiguo nimbly moved the plate away.

"What's the meaning of this? Everyone else gets to eat candy, why not me, an old woman?"

Jia Jia Zhangshi said angrily, "Cao Cao Weiguo, you are bullying me, an old lady."

Cao Cao Weiguo kept a straight face and said, "Zhang Zhang Dama, this candy is to reward the neighbors who helped out; there is none left for idlers."

Jia Jia Zhangshi's expression turned ugly as she said, "Who are you being sarcastic about when you say 'idlers'?"

Cao Cao Weiguo sneered impatiently, "Whoever is an idler knows it in their heart. As the saying goes, one should not accept rewards without merit; people should have some self-awareness."

After saying this, Cao Cao Weiguo handed the plate directly to the Third Master: "Third Master, you've worked hard. Distribute the candy to everyone; not a single piece is allowed to be left over."

The Third Master smiled brilliantly: "Leave this to me, you can rest assured."

The Third Master was skilled at calculating and was quite adept at dividing things up.

Although they didn't get the old furniture and items they had their eyes on, Cao Cao Weiguo hadn't treated them unfairly.

The plate of candy was distributed completely, and everyone was extremely happy.

Because Qin Qin Huairu had taught Song Song Yulan how to use the sewing machine, Cao Cao Weiguo also grabbed a handful of candy for her.

But as soon as she got it, Jia Jia Zhangshi snatched it all away, not leaving a single piece.

This made Qin Qin Huairu feel so heartbroken she wanted to cry.

Song Song Yulan couldn't help but feel some sympathy for this sister, so she secretly slipped her three pieces of milk candy.

These three pieces of milk candy made Song Song Yulan feel a pang of heartache for quite a while.

The satisfied neighbors went back to their homes, chatting and laughing.

Cao Cao Weiguo and Song Song Yulan also returned to their room.

Song Song Yulan first prepared foot-washing water for Cao Cao Weiguo, then excitedly showed off what she had learned.

Song Song Yulan said happily, "Cao Weiguo, soon I'll be able to make clothes for you."

Cao Cao Weiguo grabbed Song Song Yulan's small hands: "Then from now on, I'll wear the clothes you make."

Song Song Yulan said sweetly, "Then I'll make clothes for you for the rest of my life."

After washing his feet, Song Song Yulan went out to pour the water away.

Cao Cao Weiguo pretended to take a green military satchel out of the bedroom wardrobe.

"Wife, this is for you."

"What is it?"

Song Song Yulan put down the washbasin and took the satchel with a puzzled look.

Cao Cao Weiguo smiled and hugged Song Song Yulan's slender waist from behind: "This is our family's money bag; from now on, it's under your management."

"The money bag!"

Song Song Yulan gripped the satchel nervously, carefully placed it on the table, and opened it.

"So much!"

The thick stack of money and ration coupons in the satchel made Song Song Yulan's eyes widen in shock.

She had never seen so much money and so many coupons in her life.