A Girl Traveling Through Troubled Times

When Taohua heard Guier ask her to go together to get the gift that Sha Yanxiao prepared for him, she was a little hesitant and didn't dare to agree.

Gui Er asked the Third Auntie, "Auntie, can I take Tao Hua with me?"

The Third Aunt hesitated for a moment, then smiled and said, "Of course." Then she turned to Taohua and said, "Taohua, Sister Gui'er just got back and is very tired. You should take her things and come back early so that she can have a good rest. Especially don't worry your second brother. He's a very busy man right now, okay?"

Taohua agreed repeatedly and followed Guier out.

When they were quite far away from the Third Wife's courtyard, Gui'er asked Taohua, "What's going on? I just got off the car and saw you standing with the servants. I thought it was weird. Now you have to work for them?"

Taohua sighed and said, "Actually, what Third Auntie said wasn't entirely false. Our courtyard does have the fewest people among all the courtyards. Now that Sister Sanmei is back, they often can't handle everything, so they ask me to do it."

Gui'er remembered that when Sanmei got married, she had two personal maids, so she said, "What kind of work does one young lady have to do? You're too easy to talk to. Didn't Sanmei have two personal maids? Isn't it enough for her to serve alone?"

Taohua smiled bitterly and said, "They all said that the Marshal had no intention of adopting me as his daughter. I only got the status of a young lady because of you. I really regret listening to the instigation of the other servants. They said that the third concubine's daughter was grown up and would get married sooner or later. By then, I would be the third concubine's only daughter and would definitely be her jewel in the eye. Who would have thought that Sister Sanmei would come back one day."

Gui Er said angrily, "No matter what the reason, you are still the Marshal's adopted daughter. How have they treated you so harshly during this period?"

Taohua smiled and said, "Actually, food and clothing are fine, but I still need to work. And those things you sent me last time for the New Year, except for the clothes that didn't fit my third sister, she took everything else. I haven't even seen them."

Gui'er had bought Taohua imported chocolates, various candies, toys, dolls, clothes, and shoes that were unique to Shanghai. Now, it seemed that except for the clothes and shoes, which were no longer suitable for her, everything else had been taken away.

Gui'er sighed. She had originally thought that with Ji Yiru and the three Miss Zhangs entering the mansion, Sha Yanxiao would definitely not have a peaceful time in the courtyard. She thought that if it was possible with the Third Concubine, she would find an opportunity to ask to move in with her to hide, so she prepared gifts for everyone in the Third Concubine's courtyard. Now it seems that this is not possible, and she has to find a way to help Taohua get out of her current predicament.

Gui'er led Taohua back to Sha Yanxiao's courtyard and specifically asked Taohua to greet Sha Yanxiao alone. Then she said to Sha Yanxiao, "Brother Yanxiao, I see Taohua doesn't seem to have new spring clothes yet. How about I give her some of the ones you bought for me?"

Sha Yanxiao looked up at Taohua and said to Guier with a smile, "Look at me. I was so busy that I forgot to buy some clothes for Taohua. Luckily, you two are about the same height. Oh, and didn't I buy you a set of pearl jewelry? I think Taohua would look great in them."

Guier smiled and said, "Okay, I'll give her the earrings too."

Gui'er even asked Taohua to put on the new clothes and pearl jewelry in her room before letting her take her old clothes back. She also instructed her, "When you go back, tell Third Concubine that Brother Yanxiao treats you very well and asks you to come over from time to time. You are very grateful. If Third Concubine still asks you to work after this incident, we will find another way."

Taohua finally understood Guier's meaning and said gratefully, "Guier, thank you so much."

After seeing off Taohua, Guier returned to the courtyard and was surprised by how quiet it was. She had thought that with Miss Ji and the three Miss Zhangs around, it would be quite lively.

When Sha Yanxiao saw Gui'er come back, he patted the sofa next to him and asked her to come sit down. He said, "You are so worried at such a young age. You even care about the Third Concubine's room."

Gui'er knew that Sha Yanxiao had seen through her plan, and smiled a little embarrassedly.

But thinking of Miss Ji and the three Miss Zhangs, Gui'er said, "Brother Yanxiao, you're engaged now and have a concubine. Wouldn't it be inconvenient for me to live with you?"

Sha Yanxiao asked with a smile, "Why do you ask? You are a native of this place, and they are from outside. Can they really drive you away?"

Gui Er quickly waved her hands and said, "That's not what I meant. I was thinking that after you get married, if I continue to live with you, Miss Ji might not be happy."

"Don't worry, if she can't even tolerate you, then I'd rather not marry her."

Gui'er was so frightened that she couldn't speak.

Sha Yanxiao found his expression a bit amusing. He pinched his smooth little face and said, "Don't worry. There's a small courtyard in a secluded place about half a kilometer away from our yard. Although it's a little smaller than ours, it's big enough for the four of them to live together."

Gui'er was surprised and said, "You let them live alone together? What kind of chaos will that cause?"

Sha Yanxiao said seriously, "Since they want to marry me, they should try to get along with each other, otherwise what will happen in the future?"

Guier admitted that Sha Yanxiao's idea was right, but thinking about the fact that Ji Yiru was backed by the Shanghai mafia and what happened to Miss Rong, she had a bad feeling. So she decided to remind Sha Yanxiao: "Brother Yanxiao, don't forget what happened to Miss Rong. Miss Ji seems to have brought a few followers this time, so you should be careful."

Sha Yanxiao pondered for a moment and said to the steward, "Send a few men over to serve Miss Zhang. They'll usually do rough work beside them, like fetching water and sweeping the floor. They need to be trustworthy. If anything happens, have them report back immediately."

The manager agreed and went to make the arrangements.

Sha Yanxiao looked at Gui'er and said, "Now you should feel relieved, right?"

Gui'er nodded embarrassedly, but to be honest, she was still worried. While Sha Yanxiao was busy with other things, she quietly came to the small courtyard that Sha Yanxiao mentioned.

I saw that this was a courtyard that looked a bit like a small quadrangle. Miss Ji lived in two rooms in the east wing, and the three Miss Zhangs lived in two rooms in the west wing. The main room was empty. I didn't know if Sha Yanxiao had other arrangements. The outer circle of shadow rooms were occupied by servants. Although they were not as big as Sha Yanxiao's current yard, they looked clean and comfortable overall.