Traveling through the Republic of China: Spy Shadow Enters the Game

The 29th year of the Republic of China.

Shanghai in 1940.

"Sir, would you like a ride?"

"Please, sir."

A woman in ragged clothes and with messy hair was begging from passers-by with a broken bowl.

The surrounding streets are lined with tall buildings, trams pass slowly by, and there are cloth signs in front of every store, fluttering in the wind.

The women wore cheongsams or Western dresses, and the men wore suits and Mao suits.

A rickshaw puller flashed by, as did a man wearing sunglasses riding a bicycle, and a driver honking his horn arrogantly.

You can even hear the sound of some records and the shouts of men and women. In this bustling street, you can also faintly hear the sound of gunfire.

Seeing this scene, Lin Ruotang was struck by lightning.

Although her clothes had few patches, they were badly torn. She squatted on the side of the road, looking no different from a beggar.

If there was any difference between her and others, it was that her eyes were exceptionally bright, even though the dirt on her face was scabby.

At this moment, Lin Ruotang looked dazed, holding a worn-out bundle and sitting in the corner, his mouth twitching.

"Why did the time-traveling god take a fancy to me?"

She is not as good as the old and not as good as the young, so she is ready to live a miserable life.

Lin Ruotang spent a year as a lazybones in her hometown after graduation. Unexpectedly, God saw that she was too comfortable and threw her directly into this era where life is worthless.

She closed her eyes for a moment, then opened them again. It was still the same scene, the same street.

Lin Ruotang's heart finally settled down.

Originally, Lin Ruotang had nothing, and her family were refugees, and she was the only one who survived.

At this time, Lin Ruotang was in the French Concession. The French Concession was still relatively safe and was still in the hands of the French. Japan was not yet ready to go to war with Europe.

However, the concession only had less than two years of peace.

Thinking of this, Lin Ruotang's heart sank. The prosperity and glamour of the concession and the shabby and poor streets outside the concession seemed like two different worlds. This was why the original owner insisted on entering the concession.

Lin Ruotang sat on the side of the road, feeling miserable and looking even more miserable.

"Cuckoo..."

Lin Ruotang touched her stomach, and when she stood up, her legs felt like two noodles, shaking constantly.

She suspected that her original body died of starvation.

The beggar woman just now asked for half a pancake, which was left over from someone else's meal. She didn't mind it, and quickly took a bite, then ran back to Lin Ruotang's side.

Lin Ruotang looked to the side where a dying child was sitting. It was hard to tell how old the child was.

The woman fed the pancake to the child, glanced at Lin Ruotang warily, and ran away with the child in her arms.

Lin Ruotang was envious. A child with a mother is a treasure. No wonder people say that a child would rather follow a beggar mother than a government official father.

She stood up and took a step when her legs went weak and she sat down on the ground with a plop, her stomach aching.

Lin Ruotang guessed that even her stomach acid had dried up at this moment. If she didn't eat something, she would starve to death again.

She was struggling inside, who would want to die if they could live?

"Isn't it just begging for food?"

She took a deep breath, her eyes wandering over those gorgeously dressed people, silently cheering herself up in her heart.

As soon as she stepped forward, she was pushed away by the woman holding a child next to her.

After looking at the big-headed child, Lin Ruotang walked away silently.

Lin Ruotang saw a pair of leather shoes stopped in front of him, with his trousers underneath his long gown visible. He even smelled a scent of Chinese medicine on him. Lin Ruotang guessed that he was a Chinese medicine practitioner, or worked in a pharmacy.

She looked up and saw a man who was about forty years old. He had gentle features and looked like an intellectual. He spoke slowly:

"From the north?"

"Yes."

Lin Ruotang spoke weakly, but her eyes were bright as she looked at the man in front of her.

The man took out a sesame cake wrapped in oil paper.

Lin Ruotang was captivated by the aroma of wheat and her eyes were fixed on Shaobing.

Zhang Zhenhua gave the cake to Lin Ruotang with a loving look. If his daughter were still alive, she would probably be this old.

Lin Ruotang stuffed the biscuit into her mouth and almost choked.

When Lin Ruotang came to her senses and looked at the middle-aged man's back, she hurriedly chased after him.

"Sir, my name is Lin Ruotang. I will come and thank you when I find a job."

Zhang Zhenhua was still very surprised when he heard Lin Ruotang say this. There are few female students who have received education nowadays, and it is obvious that this girl has read a lot of books.

He felt sorry that if it were a peaceful era, he would probably have a good job, a happy marriage, and a life of peace and happiness.

"My name is Zhang Zhenhua, and I work at the Jirentang in front."

He just nodded slightly, said no more, and strode away into the crowd.

Lin Ruotang's tears flowed down the corners of her eyes and her nose was red.

She appeared calm on the surface just now, but her heart was a mess. She was shrouded in a dark fog and had no idea where the road ahead lay.

Before traveling through time, she was just an ordinary person. Now is a chaotic era. Not to mention ordinary people, even those from prominent families will suffer at this time.

Lin Ruotang remembered her grandmother, who was a young lady from a wealthy family. When the Japanese invaded, she fled for her life with her family at night and even broke a toe while running.

Her grandmother's father was a famous local businessman. Faced with all this, he had no choice but to take his wife and children and flee across the mountains overnight.

Thinking of this, Lin Ruotang couldn't help but shudder. Can she really survive in this world?

After Lin Ruotang finished eating and had some strength, she started to think about what to do next.

She thought of an idea and went from house to house along the street to ask if there were any shops hiring.

"Excuse me……"

Before she could finish her words, the store staff kicked her out, waving their hands in disgust.

"Go away, don't dirty my land!"

Lin Ruotang asked a lot of questions, but people didn't even let her finish her words. She felt more and more that Zhang Zhenhua was a good person.

It was getting dark, and the French Concession police station was patrolling at night. If you were discovered, you would be kicked out.

Lin Ruotang looked around, trying to find a place to hide, but all the places available were already occupied.

She dragged her feet, her expression confused, like a puppet.

It was just the beginning of spring and the weather was still a little chilly. She was hungry and cold, so she held the bag tightly in her arms.

At this time, several policemen in black clothes appeared, holding sticks and riding bicycles. Lin Ruotang was so scared that he ran around.

Zhang Zhenhua was in the store. Seeing Lin Ruotang panicking and not knowing where to hide, he sighed and said to his apprentice Li Fu:

"Isn't there an abandoned firewood shed in the back street..."

"Master, you are so kind. Let's..."

Li Fu wanted to say something, but Zhang Zhenhua glared at him. Li Fu immediately shut up. Zhang Zhenhua looked serious.

"If you can't control your mouth again, I'll get you out of here!"

Li Fu lowered his head, feeling reluctant to leave the bustling and prosperous life in Shanghai, and could only smile foolishly.

"Master, please don't send me away."

His eyes were dark and his face had a simple and honest look.

Zhang Zhenhua took out two mung bean cakes from the drawer. They were given to him by a friend who came to buy medicine. He handed them to Li Fu.

Li Fu came out and found Lin Ruotang. He said with a stern face:

"follow me!"

Lin Ruotang felt strange in her heart, as if this person's eyes did not have much kindness.

She stared at Li Fu with alert eyes, and was a little afraid to take the mung bean cake. What if this man wanted to sell her out?

"There's a shed behind our store. You can stay there first."

Li Fu was impatient and pointed at the pharmacy. Only then did Lin Ruotang realize that he had walked to the door of Jirentang.

She saw that the person behind the counter was the man who gave her the pancake.

Lin Ruotang could only bow to Zhang Zhenhua to express his gratitude.

Lin Ruotang followed Li Fu to the back of the store. The back street was very narrow and it was very crowded for the two of them to pass through.

The street is next to the river and there are not many people. There are only a few dilapidated sheds scattered on the mud pile by the river.

The shed was crooked, with some straw scattered everywhere. It looked like no one had been there for a long time. There were some messy firewood and coal slag inside the house. It was an abandoned woodshed.

Lin Ruotang didn't despise her. If it weren't for Zhang Zhenhua's kindness, she would have been driven out of the rental area and might even have lost her life.

Lin Ruotang took out the kettle from the tattered bag and drank the water carefully. He looked at the mung bean cake in his hand, which looked like a priceless treasure, and sipped it in his mouth.

She has to eat frugally because she has no idea where to eat tomorrow. She can't always rely on others, otherwise she will really become a beggar.

She sat in the corner of the straw hut, pondering the memories in her body.