A Girl Traveling Through Troubled Times

Sha Yanxiao was a little depressed for the next few days, but he never went to the Rong family again. Instead, he followed the Marshal to pay New Year's greetings everywhere.

Gui'er heard Dingxiang say that everyone below was talking about the cancellation of Sha Yanxiao and Miss Rong's marriage, saying it was a pity. They said that the Rong family's assets were rich enough to rival a country, and they did not discriminate against girls. If the young marshal married her, the assets of the marshal's mansion would increase exponentially. Moreover, the Rong family had contacts with high-ranking government officials and foreign envoys, which would be of great benefit to the Sha family.

Gui'er noticed that Dingxiang had become much more proactive and diligent in her work since she received her red envelope, and she would also take the initiative to tell her any rumors among the servants. It turned out that workers were all the same in any era.

That day, Dingxiang suddenly walked into Guier's room with a mysterious look on her face. She glanced around the door before entering, then closed it behind her. Then she walked up to Guier, took out a red envelope, and handed it to her, saying, "Miss Guier, just now, Housekeeper Liu asked me to clean the door, and then the young master of the Song family suddenly came over and gave me a red envelope and asked me to give it to you."

Guier took it and saw that there was a message on the red envelope: Little Guier, healthy and happy, Song Xichen.

When I opened it, I saw a few silver dollars inside.

Guier picked up the New Year candies on her desk and gave them to Dingxiang, saying, "You've worked hard. Have some of these candies."

After Dingxiang left, Guier walked to the window and wrote a few big words on the hanging calendar: Thank you and Happy New Year.

Song Xichen's actions made Gui'er feel very warm. What made her even more emotional was that she had been in this strange world for more than a year, and she didn't know how her family was doing or whether her parents were doing well.

Just as she was feeling worried, Dingxiang suddenly ran in again and said to Guier, "Miss, Miss, there's a group of people outside, wishing you a happy new year, but it doesn't look like they're here to pay you a visit, it looks like they're just messing around."

Gui'er rushed out upon hearing this, secretly hiding behind a pillar and peering down at the hall. She saw it was packed with people. Besides the servants from her own house, who had been called out to stand guard, the lady, the fifth and sixth concubines, the eldest young master, Sha Yanxiao, and the third young master were all there. Gui'er wondered: Who on earth could this be? They had the Marshal's family on such alert.

After a while, the Marshal led the way and introduced an old man in his 50s with a face full of flesh, goldfish eyes, thick lips, and protruding ears. He was wearing a long gown and a mandarin jacket. The material of the clothes was quite good. Even from a distance, you could see the hidden patterns on it. He also had a jade ring on his hand and a string of yellow beeswax on his wrist. He wore a top hat and a walking stick. Behind him were two personal attendants, both in black suits. As soon as he entered the door, there were five or six followers in black silk jackets and top hats standing on both sides of the gate, looking very stylish.

The Marshal asked him to take the first seat and said to her, "Mr. Ji, your arrival has brought honor to my humble home. This is my wife and three sons."

Mr. Ji raised his head, his eyelids, swollen like goldfish eyes, slightly opened, and he glanced around. He smiled and said, "Marshal Sha, you are too polite. I heard that the second young master is young and talented. Seeing is believing. He is indeed extraordinarily handsome."

Sha Yanxiao smiled politely and said, "Thank you for the compliment, sir."

Mr. Ji waved his hand and said, "Young Marshal, there's no need to be so modest. I won't beat around the bush. I came here just to see you. My niece is very fond of you."

After hearing this, Gui'er realized that this was the gangster uncle Ji Zhongqing whom Sha Yanxiao had met some time ago. Because Sha Yanxiao gradually became close to Miss Rong, he had less contact with other wealthy ladies, and everyone tacitly assumed that Sha Yanxiao had chosen Miss Rong.

I didn't expect that just a few days after Miss Rong's incident, I received the news so quickly. Knowing that Sha Yanxiao and Miss Rong were unlikely to be together, the gang leader even came to propose marriage in person.

The Marshal and Sha Yanxiao exchanged a glance, and the Marshal smiled and said, "My son is so lucky to have won the favor of Miss Ji."

Sha Yanxiao also smiled and said, "Boss Ji, I'm very grateful for your kindness, but I've only met Miss Ji a few times..."

"Oh, so you've met before. What's the matter? Do you dislike my niece?"

"Of course not. Miss Ji is well-mannered and has a noble demeanor. She is truly a rare beauty from a wealthy family."

"Right? I think so too. I see you're handsome and I like you very much. You and my niece are truly a perfect match. I've also heard some rumors about you, saying that many daughters of prominent families are attracted to you. Sometimes young people shouldn't be too indecisive. Look around Shanghai, what other family can compare to mine?"

At this time, the lady said with a smile on her face: "Mr. Ji is absolutely right. It is a blessing for our Sha family to be able to marry into your family."

Gui'er hid behind the pillar and saw everything clearly. The lady and the eldest young master were smiling very happily, and it seemed that they were very happy to see this kind of marriage.

Ji Zhongqing was very happy to see that the Marshal and his wife agreed. He laughed and said, "That's great. I'll go back and tell my niece." Then he walked away, without touching the dazzling array of New Year candies and Yuanbao tea on the table.

After Ji Zhongqing left, the lady smiled and said to Sha Yanxiao, "Yanxiao, I know what you're thinking. Miss Ji has a bad temper and is a little ugly, but you understand the principle of marrying a wife for her virtue, not her looks. We are a family, and the young mistress you marry will affect the future of everyone in our family. You can't be so willful and only care about what you like."

Sha Yanxiao smiled meekly and said, "Thank you for your teachings, mother. You are right."

The lady left with satisfaction. Sha Yanyao said to Sha Yanxiao, "Congratulations, second brother."

Sha Yanxiao smiled and nodded.

The servants standing in the living room were also called away by Butler Liu.

The Marshal patted Sha Yanxiao on the shoulder and went out to greet others and drink tea.

Sha Yanxiao went back upstairs alone and entered his room. Gui'er felt that he seemed a little unhappy, so she came to her room. When Sha Yanxiao saw that it was Gui'er, he shook hands with her and asked her to sit in front of him, and handed her a French chocolate.

Gui'er peeled the chocolate and said, "Brother Yanxiao, you don't like Miss Ji and don't want to marry into the Ji family?"

Sha Yanxiao sighed and said, "Their family is indeed wealthy, but the problem is that they started out as a gangster. They're so powerful in Shanghai that even government officials don't dare to mess with them. I've heard some not-so-good rumors. It seems the Ji family is colluding with foreign forces and doing things that are detrimental to the country. Miss Ji has been spoiled since she was a child. If I marry her, I'm afraid a lot of trouble will arise."

"Then if you don't like it, just refuse it. Our family is not afraid of her."

After hearing this, Sha Yanxiao touched Gui'er's face and said, "Huh, it's not that easy. You know, when Miss Rong got into trouble, the first newspaper to break the news was the Ji family. If I don't agree, I'm afraid that no matter who I marry into, they will end up like the Rong family."

Gui'er hadn't thought of this. So, could Miss Rong's accident also be related to the Ji family? Gui'er didn't dare to think about it anymore.