A Girl Traveling Through Troubled Times

After Gui'er found out that it was Juxiang, she was worried that she was forced by the Marshal, so she quietly reached into her pocket to feel for the pocket pistol and slowly approached the door of the room.

Suddenly, I heard the Marshal say, "My dear, do you feel comfortable?"

Then Juxiang also responded: "Ah, ah, ah, Master, you are too powerful. Why don't you take me in? I will be your concubine and serve you every day."

When Gui'er heard this, she knew that Juxiang was not forced, so she slowly retreated and tiptoed back to her room.

Just as he was about to open the door, he felt someone staring at him in the dark. He turned around quickly, but saw no one. He had to give up, opened the door quietly, and went into the house.

Gui'er went back to bed and lay down, unable to fall asleep for a long time. There were too many things she couldn't figure out. Juxiang was only eighteen or nineteen years old. Why would she want to be with an old man who was almost 50 years old? Even if he was rich and powerful, she wouldn't do that.

And the Marshal, his own territory is about to be occupied by others, his son is fighting with others in his hometown, and he is living a life of luxury here. Not only that, he seduces other people's wives during the day and goes home to play with his own maids at night. What kind of thing is this?

Thinking of this, Gui'er was a little angry, but there was nothing she could do. She tossed and turned in bed and didn't fall asleep until dawn.

The next day, after much thought, Gui'er decided to go talk to Juxiang to see what she thought. If possible, she still wanted to persuade her. Even someone like the Eighth Concubine, who had a powerful family background and support, was bullied to the point of almost losing her life. She was a poor servant, and if something really happened to her, she would be in great danger.

Gui'er went to find Juxiang and arrived at the servants' room. She saw that there were eight people in one room, each with a small single bed. Under the bed were the bags or luggage they brought from home.

When the servants saw Gui'er, they all smiled and said, "Hello, young lady." Then they smiled and said to Juxiang, "Your work has finally come. You have the most free time here."

It turned out that the other servants would go to the room early in the morning to help their master get up, wash his face and rinse his mouth, and then help prepare things when the master went out. When the master came back, they would go to the door to greet him and get things to make tea.

Gui'er didn't know, so she never asked Juxiang to do anything. She felt that if she could do it herself, she would try not to trouble others.

And Juxiang didn't take the initiative to do it.

She saw Gui'er coming over, walked up to her and said with a smile, "Miss, do you have any instructions?"

Guier said, "I bought some things at the department store earlier. Can you help me sort them out?"

Juxiang agreed and followed Guier to her room.

Gui'er took out the souvenirs she had bought at Sincere Company and asked Juxiang to divide them into portions according to her ideas, writing the names of the people they were going to give them to. She also took out a bottle of floral water and handed it to Juxiang, saying, "This bottle of floral water is for you."

Juxiang took the floral water and said with a smile, "Thank you, Miss."

Gui'er took the opportunity to strike up a conversation with her, asking, "Juxiang, you've been in the Sha Mansion for quite some time, right?"

Juxiang nodded and said, "It's been four or five years. My housekeeper bought me when I was fourteen."

"So, is your family local or out of town?"

"My family lived in Fengcheng, the territory of Marshal Zhang. There were rampant bandits and thieves there. We were just a tenant farmer in the countryside. One year, the harvest was poor and we couldn't even make ends meet. The adults decided to go out and try our luck, or we would have starved to death at home. My eldest uncle and his uncle secretly climbed on top of a train to get to Shanghai. But when the train started moving, my uncle lost his grip and fell off. He was swept onto the tracks and crushed to death. When we went to identify the body, we only got half of it. The police came to our house and demanded a fine for obstructing traffic and paying for repairs. My father didn't have enough money to pay the fine, so he took the rest of us and ran away that night."

The nobleman didn't expect Juxiang to have such a rough past, so he asked, "Then how did you come to the Sha Mansion?"

Juxiang said, "It took us two or three days to walk to Jiangcheng. We left in a hurry and didn't bring anything with us. When we got to Jiangcheng, my father couldn't find a job, so he had no choice but to sleep on the streets. My mother took us to beg for food. After a long time, my parents said that this was not a solution, so they said they would sell me. The money would be enough to support me for a while, and I would also have a place to eat and drink. I was already 14 years old at the time. As soon as I put up a straw sign, someone came to ask about it. My parents found out that the person was from Chunmanlou. You know, Chunmanlou is the brothel. My parents didn't want me to be a prostitute, so they didn't sell me. Some people who didn't look too wealthy wanted to sell me back to be a child bride, but my parents didn't want to. Later, the manager of the Sha Mansion came out to choose someone, and my parents agreed because he was dressed richly."

Guier smiled and said, "Then your parents are quite considerate of you." "That's the truth. After all, the wages at the Marshal's Mansion are higher than those of ordinary wealthy families."

Juxiang said, "That's true. I also saved some money for my parents. Now they have bought a small house in the city and have settled down. However, in the past two years, they have started to worry about my marriage again."

Hearing this, Gui'er quickly interrupted and said, "What kind of person are you looking for? Tell me, and I'll ask the Second Young Master to keep an eye on you."

Because Juxiang had already been bought out, her parents couldn't arrange a marriage for her. Instead, it was arranged by the Marshal's Mansion, usually with a servant. If the man was favored, she might be married to the steward's children. In that case, if her husband inherited the steward's position, she would follow him and become his maid. If she performed well, she would even be free, which was already considered quite good.

However, Juxiang is now involved with the Marshal, and Sha Yanxiao probably has no say in her marriage.

Juxiang smiled and said, "I don't think there's anything good about getting married. Unless you can live a good life, it's better not to get married."

Gui'er was speechless for a moment. She always felt that Juxiang's thoughts were somewhat similar to modern people's views on marriage and love. Then it was understandable that she chose a general who was much older than herself for fame and fortune. However, this move was too dangerous, and Gui'er didn't know how to persuade her.

After packing up her things, Juxiang went back. Guier always had a bad feeling, but she didn't know how to say it, so she had to put it aside for the time being.

Just as Juxiang left, someone knocked on the door. Gui'er was a little surprised. She didn't usually have many visitors, so she asked, "Who is it?"

The person who came said, "It's me, Butler Liu."

Gui'er opened the door, smiled, and invited him in. She left the door open and politely asked, "What do you want from me, Housekeeper Liu?"

Butler Liu smiled and said, "Miss, you've been in Shanghai for quite some time. Are you used to the food and accommodation?"

Guier said, "It's okay. The food here in Shanghai is lighter, I like it."

"Oh, the servants all say that Miss Gui'er is a peaceful person without any airs. It turns out to be true."

"No, no, Butler Liu, please forgive me for making a fool of myself."

"No, no, I tell you, Shanghai is a mixed bag. Although you don't like to trouble others, you still have to bring a maid with you when you go out. I know you are a new woman who values independence. But you can't let your servants be idle. If they are idle, they will cause trouble. You know that, right?"

Guier immediately realized that something was wrong. Was he pointing at her?

So he smiled and said, "Thank you for your guidance, Butler Liu."

Butler Liu hurriedly stood up and waved his hands, saying, "No, no, I dare not give you any advice. It's just that the master is the master and the servants are the servants. I see that you are also approachable, so I am not afraid to say these words. Some servants are just arrogant. If you don't keep a close eye on them, something bad will happen. I hope that the young lady can pay more attention."

Now Guier understood that Butler Liu must have known about Juxiang and the Marshal, and wanted to persuade Guier to stop it, but how could Guier have the ability?