A Girl Traveling Through Troubled Times

Gui'er originally thought that with photos and payment, there would be news soon, but more than a week passed without any word.

She was unwilling to give up, so she asked Acheng to find someone to republish those newspapers.

The day after it was republished, Wu Mingqiang's men who had been keeping watch still hadn't heard anything.

Gui'er was a little disheartened. People who mysteriously disappeared in this era were not uncommon, let alone Zhu Zhiming, who had gotten involved with the Japanese.

Another week passed, and that day when Acheng picked up Gui'er, he happily told her, "Miss, we have news. This afternoon, the people we were staking out saw someone sneaking up to the front desk at the Dahua Hotel and asking to see the boss. After the boss came out, he said he had seen the news in the newspaper and that he knew that person."

"So? Is it really Mr. Zhu? What did he say?" Gui'er asked anxiously.

"No, the owner of the Dahua Hotel fired him, saying that he did have this employee, but he was dismissed for dereliction of duty. So that person left, and our people followed him to his residence. It is said that he is a penniless gambler who has fallen on hard times. Our people are still monitoring him and want Miss to tell us what to do."

Gui'er pondered for a moment: "Let's try to get him to tell the truth by offering him money. But we need to see what the clues are, and we can't expose us."

Acheng nodded and said, "Understood, I'll arrange it later."

He took Gui'er home, then drove off. Dingxiang saw him leaving again and quickly asked, "Where are you going, Acheng? Dinner's almost ready."

Gui'er smiled and said, "I sent him out to take care of some things. You should leave his food for him. I don't know when he'll be back."

She had thought Acheng would be back very late, but he returned in just over ten minutes.

Dingxiang smiled and said, "Miss asked me to save some food for you, but you're back so soon. No need to save any more. Let's eat together."

At this moment, Wu Mingqiang returned and looked up to ask him, "Where have you been?"

Acheng scratched his head and said, "Miss asked me to go to the bookstore to buy her that book, what was it again?"

Gui'er was taken aback when she heard this, and suddenly realized that Acheng didn't want Wu Mingqiang to know, so she smiled and said, "Didn't you find the book 'Treatise on Febrile Diseases'?"

Acheng quickly smiled and said, "Oh, right, that's the name. The shop owner said they're out of stock right now, but I've already told him that if they have any, they'll reserve it for us."

After finishing her meal, Gui'er went upstairs, and soon Acheng followed her up. He said, "Brother Qiang has finally gone back to his room."

Gui'er quickly asked, "How did it go? Did you get any answers?"

Acheng took out a piece of paper that had been folded many times from his pocket: "That person wasn't the person involved. He said he was passing by the police station's bulletin board when he saw this notice, and it looked quite similar. So he thought he'd try his luck and make some money."

Gui'er unfolded the paper and saw that it was a notice seeking the family of a deceased person:

[Seeking the Body] On the morning of the 13th of this month, a male corpse was found in a ditch outside Kowloon Walled City. He was approximately fifty years old, square-faced and beardless, about 5 feet 6 inches tall, wearing a grey cloth long gown, and an old brass watch on his left wrist. There was no paper in his pocket. He appeared to have suffered blunt force injuries. The body has been temporarily placed in a mortuary by a charity. Relatives or anyone with information are urged to come to the Kwong Sin Tong in Yau Ma Tei to identify the body. Otherwise, it will be cremated according to regulations. This is a public notice.

Guangshantang

Next to this text was a small picture. Although it was black and white and very blurry in the newspaper, Gui'er recognized it at a glance as Zhu Zhiming. His hair was messy, and there were some stains on his face, whether from dirt or bloodstains, she didn't know. His eyes were half open and lifeless, and his clothes were covered in stains, probably from being thrown into a stinking ditch.

When Gui'er read the text, she still held onto a sliver of hope. But when she saw the photos, she immediately knew for sure. She felt dizzy, as if she couldn't breathe, and a fire was burning in her heart, slowly rising upwards.

With a sudden "whoosh," she coughed up a mouthful of blood.

"Oh my god, miss, don't scare me! Are you alright?" Acheng panicked.

"I, I..." Gui'er felt a metallic sweet taste in her throat and mouth, and something kept rising up.

"Ugh." She spat out another mouthful of blood.

Without saying a word, Acheng came up, hugged her, and ran downstairs.

Upon arriving on the first floor, Wu Mingqiang heard the commotion and came out. He saw Gui'er in Acheng's arms, paused for a moment, frowned, and stepped forward. Just as he was about to ask a question, he suddenly noticed the blood remaining at the corner of Gui'er's mouth.

"Quick, to the hospital." Wu Mingqiang turned and ran out of the yard to start the car. He opened the door, and Acheng carefully carried Gui'er into the car. Then he stepped on the gas and rushed to the hospital.

Upon arriving at the hospital, Wu Mingqiang hurriedly found a doctor. Gui'er had calmed down a little by then, and she said to the doctor, "Doctor, I should be fine. It was probably just a case of anxiety causing my heart to race."

Wu Mingqiang said from the side, "Doctor, don't worry about her. She tried it once before. Maybe there's something wrong with her that she didn't realize. We must check her thoroughly this time."

The doctor nodded and said, "Okay, let's get an X-ray then, but it's quite expensive."

Wu Mingqiang patted his chest and said, "Money is not a problem, don't worry."

So an X-ray was taken, and the doctor said, "The X-ray shows a niche in the gastric mucosa, which should be a gastric ulcer."

"What is a stomach ulcer? Is it a stomach ailment? How is it treated? Please treat our young lady right away," Acheng said anxiously.

Gui'er suddenly realized what was going on. The stomach is an organ associated with emotions; the successive sacrifices of her comrades had dealt her a severe psychological blow, causing her to vomit blood.

"We'll first use Bletilla striata powder to stop the bleeding, then give her an injection of glucose. She'll stay in the hospital tonight for observation. If things go well, she can be discharged tomorrow. However, she shouldn't eat for the next two days to reduce stomach irritation. Also, she should relax and not think too much." After giving the instructions, the doctor went to make the arrangements.

Wu Mingqiang quickly followed, taking out a thick wad of cash from his wallet and handing it to the doctor. The doctor tried to push it away, but Wu Mingqiang stuffed it directly into the doctor's white coat pocket. The doctor smiled and didn't say anything more.

Then he turned back and said to Gui'er with a smile, "Miss, don't be afraid. The doctor will bring the medicine to treat you soon. By the way, take leave from school tomorrow and get some rest here tonight. Acheng, come out for a moment. I want to discuss with you whether to go back and get some change of clothes for Miss, or call Dingxiang over to serve her."