A Girl Traveling Through Troubled Times

After several days, Gui'er finally saw Sha Yanxiao. He came back from Fengcheng. When Gui'er saw him coming back, she hurried to meet him.

Sha Yanxiao smiled and said, "I didn't intend to stay that long this time, but it's a newly conquered place, and there's a lot to do, so I stayed for a few days. Is everything going on at home these days?"

Gui'er wanted to tell him that the three Miss Zhangs had no maids, but seeing that he looked exhausted, she said, "Everything is fine at home. Brother, you've been working hard these past few days. Take a rest and eat something."

Sha Yanxiao touched her head and said with a smile, "My Gui'er is still the one who cares about others."

Guier asked the small kitchen to prepare some quick-cooked stir-fries and specifically asked for an egg custard.

Sha Yanxiao sat down and began to eat heartily. Gui'er asked, "Is everything going well in Fengcheng? How come the inspection took several days instead of the planned one?"

Sha Yanxiao ate while saying, "This time, in addition to inspecting the defense, we also have to organize road construction, new water conservancy projects, evacuate refugees, and establish schools. Old Zhang has been entrenched in Fengcheng for decades, but he hasn't done a single good thing. All we have is a piece of land, and there's so much to rebuild."

Gui'er had never expected that a warlord would actually engage in local construction. It seemed that compared with other warlords of the same era, Marshal Sha and Sha Yanxiao were more concerned about the people.

After dinner, Sha Yanxiao brought Guier to the small courtyard. He brought some things from Fengcheng for the three Miss Zhangs.

As soon as she reached the gate of the small courtyard, she saw Miss Ji and the three Miss Zhangs standing in a neat row at the gate. When she saw Miss Sha Yanxiao, she bowed deeply. Ji Yiru was stunned. She grew up in Shanghai, where this etiquette might have been abandoned a long time ago. She couldn't bring herself to do it, so she followed the three Miss Zhangs and looked a little embarrassed.

Sha Yanxiao quickly smiled and said, "I'm just going out for a few days, there's no need to be so polite." Then he helped the three Miss Zhangs up.

Miss Zhang Er said affectionately, "Young Marshal, you've worked hard. I wonder if you saw my father when you went to Fengcheng this time. Is he okay?"

Sha Yanxiao smiled and said, "I see. He is now enjoying his leisure time. He is busy raising birds and singing songs all day long. When I went there this time, he asked me to bring some snacks from Fengcheng for the three of you. Let's go inside and talk." As he spoke, he walked towards the west wing. Ji Yiru's face suddenly turned as black as the bottom of a pot.

Gui'er hurriedly and secretly pulled the corner of Sha Yanxiao's clothes. Sha Yanxiao looked at her, reacted, turned around and walked towards the main house, and Ji Yiru followed him.

Sha Yanxiao handed the things that Marshal Zhang had given to his three daughters to Miss Zhang, and then took out some special snacks that he had bought in Fengcheng. He gave one portion to Ji Yiru first and said to her with a smile, "Thank you for taking care of them during the few days I was away."

Ji Yiru hurriedly said with a smile: "What are you talking about, young marshal? This is what I should do."

Then Sha Yanxiao gave one to each of the three Miss Zhangs and said, "It's all my fault for not thinking carefully. I forgot your maids didn't come with us from Shanghai. I'll definitely ask the housekeeper to pick out a few good ones later."

Ji Yiru interrupted and said, "Actually, there's no need to bother. I think the three Miss Zhangs are quite comfortable with the two maids I arranged for them. They're used to serving us, so why not let them continue to work for Miss Zhang?"

Sha Yanxiao smiled gently, patted the back of Ji Yiru's hand and said, "It's great that you can share my worries like this, but I can't bear to let you suffer any injustice. No matter how you live in Shanghai, I will keep you treated the same."

Ji Yiru was stunned for a moment, then nodded happily, looking very touched.

The three Miss Zhangs also seemed to breathe a sigh of relief and thanked Sha Yanxiao with a smile.

Afterwards, Sha Yanxiao sat down and chatted with Miss Ji and the three Miss Zhangs for a while, told them to let him know if they had any needs, and then left.

After returning to her own courtyard, Gui'er asked Sha Yanxiao, "Brother Yanxiao, how did you know that the three maids of Miss Zhang were Miss Ji's?"

Sha Yanxiao smiled and said, "I have some memories of Ji Yiru's servants, but it would be better for me to appoint the maids for the three Miss Zhangs myself. After all, her family is a gang, and who knows what methods they have."

Guier nodded and said, "I think so too, but I told my father about it. He agreed, but there was no follow-up."

Sha Yanxiao said thoughtfully, "Is that so? Have you told father about this?"

The next day, Sha Yanxiao talked to the steward of the Marshal's Mansion and immediately transferred three older maids to serve the three Miss Zhangs.

Guier finally breathed a sigh of relief and could go to school with peace of mind. After skipping two grades, she found that the content taught in the fifth and sixth grades at this time was already quite advanced, and a lot of knowledge that would only appear in middle school would appear. No wonder the academic qualifications in the past were so valuable.

Now, apart from studying hard, Gui'er can't think of any other way to make herself independent in this era. Fortunately, with the protection of the Marshal's Mansion, if she wants to study well, there is still a lot of help. The teachers and even the principal are willing to provide her with individual tutoring.

Sometimes she would frown slightly in class, and after class the teacher would ask her if she didn't understand. Then he would patiently explain. Only then did Guier understand why rich girls like Sally and Tong Yujun seemed so playful yet had such good grades, while He Ruizhu worked so hard but only got average grades. It was actually because they had advantages in resources.

He Ruizhu has always been very grateful for Guier's previous help, and often chats with Guier when no one is around. He Ruizhu said that her little brother's illness has been cured, and now the whole family is working together to live a good life. She plans to go to her father's shop to help during the holidays. The boss has agreed, and she can pay her half-worker's salary at that time.

Guier knew that the salary of a low-ranking servant was one silver dollar a month, and that of a handyman should be about the same. The salary of a half-handyman might be only a few dozen coins. Even so, this was a rare good job in Jiangcheng.

Gui'er had always imagined that she would have a job and be able to support herself after she became independent. However, when she arrived in Shanghai and came into contact with people from the lower classes, she found that most people with decent jobs could only barely make a living after paying the rent. Their income was not as high as that of a third-rate dancer, and their jobs could be affected by changes in the situation at any time. They were living in a precarious situation.

So Guier decided to make two preparations. One was to study hard and master a skill that would allow her to survive in troubled times. The other was to accumulate wealth in preparation for future independence.

Sha Yanxiao and Song Xichen both gave her some money, which, combined, should be enough to buy a house in Jiangcheng. However, she knew that these were turbulent times, and any factor could cause a wealthy family to go bankrupt in an instant, let alone an orphan like herself. She feared that as long as she remained in this world, she would have to maneuver between various forces to survive.