A Girl Traveling Through Troubled Times

On Sunday morning, the Marshal, his wife, Sha Yanxiao, Guier, and the three Miss Zhangs set off, and they were indeed escorted by a military vehicle.

After meeting Song Xichen that day, Guier specially bought a small shoulder bag at Wing On Department Store to carry a pocket pistol and a pen.

In order to make the pen less conspicuous, I bought a small palm-sized notebook and put it in my bag.

Thinking that there might be a body search at Marshal Zhang's residence, Gui'er specially made a triangular gun bag overnight. She made it out of brocade and sprayed it with floral water. She put the gun in it and there was a button that could be fastened. In order to prevent it from being in the shape of a gun, she also stuffed some scraps of cloth into the shape of a triangular sachet.

Then he took some loose silver and put it into the bag.

When I put the money down, Sha Yanxiao happened to come in. He didn't notice the secret of the pistol and pen. He smiled and said, "I thought you weren't looking forward to this trip. You've prepared so well. Now that I'm done, I might as well take you for a walk."

Gui Er smiled and said, "That's fine, but let's focus on the business. I don't think Marshal Zhang will agree so easily."

Sha Yanxiao patted her head and said, "Don't worry about these things. We adults will take care of it."

This time they went to Fengcheng in three cars. The three Miss Zhongs sat in the first car, Sha Yanxiao and Gui'er sat in the second car, and the Marshal and his wife sat in the third car. Then there was a large truck behind them with about 20 soldiers armed with live ammunition.

The convoy drove forward along the familiar road. The journey was smooth. Perhaps because the speed was fast, the time it took was even shorter than the last time it took to go from Jiangcheng to the train station.

After entering Fengcheng, Guier saw the familiar yet dilapidated streets again. People on the street saw three brand-new cars followed by a military vehicle, and they all stopped to watch.

Unlike the last time they passed by the train station and quickly left the city, this time after entering the city, they drove directly to the city center. Gui'er observed the city through the car window. Before, she thought it was more shabby than Jiang Cheng's and there were no new shops. Now she found that there were many big opium dens, gambling dens and brothels in this city. Some of them had a big word "gambling" written on the door, or a sign with the word "tobacco" written on it. The brothel was just a small storefront with a certain building written on it, and two or three people in fancy clothes were holding handkerchiefs to attract customers at the door.

Most of the time, nothing is written, but by looking at the people walking out of the door, you can probably tell that it is an opium den, a gambling den, or a brothel.

There is definitely a tall and strong man standing at the door of the tobacco shop. The customers who come out have unsteady steps, as if they have been drinking.

There were two thugs guarding the door of the casino. Some people walked in in twos and threes, and there were chaotic shouting sounds coming from inside.

Brothels are easier to recognize. There are usually beautiful women in gorgeous clothes standing at the door. When they see a man, they will come up to greet him. The man only needs to glance at him, and the woman will come up and take his hand and pull him in.

Wherever there is a lot of prostitution, gambling and drugs, the public security is bound to be poor. Guier saw that most of the people walking on the main road were leisurely strolling, as if they had no purpose, while the other passers-by were in a hurry and extremely alert.

Gui'er shook her head. It would be strange if industrial and agricultural production could develop in such a place. Although Jiangcheng also had these entertainment venues, one Gui'er knew was the flower boat on the river bank, and the other was Chunmanlou, which was almost sold by the Song family. But they were both in relatively remote areas, and it seemed that there were no brothels, casinos or opium dens on the streets.

Seeing Gui'er frowning and looking outside, Sha Yanxiao asked, "What are you looking at?"

Gui'er said, "Why are there so many opium dens and casinos here? The security must be very bad, right?"

Sha Yanxiao smiled and said, "Because Marshal Zhang himself started out as an opium dealer, even after joining the army, he always treated this as a livelihood. Under his leadership, this place naturally became a market."

Gui'er suddenly understood. No wonder. But Fengcheng had such a patriarchal official. The people here were too unlucky. She asked Sha Yanxiao: "Since it's our territory, can't we govern it a little bit?"

Sha Yanxiao nodded and said, "We do have this plan, but our control over Fengcheng isn't very stable at the moment. My father and I both feel that until our foundation is solid, we shouldn't interfere too much with the interests of the local forces."

As they were talking, the convoy arrived at the gate of a large, high-walled compound. Sha Yanxiao said, "We're here. Get out of the car."

Gui'er only realized belatedly that this was actually the Zhang Mansion of Fengcheng. It was located on the edge of Fengcheng's bustling area and didn't cover a large area, perhaps only about half the size of Sha Mansion. However, its location was a bit odd. Behind the mansion was a large, wide lake, and in front was a broad square. Opposite the square was an ancestral hall. Sha Yanxiao said, "This is the ancestral hall of Zhang's family."

Only then did Guier realize that Marshal Zhang was actually a native of Fengcheng. He must have deep roots here. Even if his military power was taken away, he might not be unable to turn things around. Guier suddenly felt like he was walking into a tiger's den.

At this time, several men dressed in long gowns who looked like housekeepers came out to greet them. They bowed deeply to Marshal Sha and his wife and said, "We are sorry for not welcoming you, your Excellency. Please come in."

Marshal Sha nodded and walked into the house with his wife. Sha Yanxiao made a gesture of invitation to the three Miss Zhangs. Miss Zhang Er nodded shyly and stepped into the house, followed by her two younger sisters.

After they all went in, Sha Yanxiao pulled Gui'er in. Half of the guards on the military vehicle stayed outside to guard, and the others followed them in.

Gui'er walked into the courtyard and discovered that Marshal Zhang's mansion was specially designed. So vast from the outside, inside it felt like a maze, winding left and right. What looked like a straight alley suddenly turned a corner. After walking for over ten minutes, she finally reached the courtyard. The walls along the way were decorated with exquisite brick carvings, and the pillars in the corridors were made of thick tree trunks, topped with intricate wood carvings. The entire mansion was filled with Chinese elements, unlike other warlords who adopted fashionable Western styles.

Several housekeepers led everyone into the hall. Seeing a man sitting in the main seat, Marshal Sha laughed, walked forward, bowed and said, "Old Zhang, long time no see."

It turned out that this person was Changda Shuai. He was not a bald man who looked tough at first glance like Sha Dashuai, but he also had a buzz cut and a high hairline, with almost only a little hair left on the top of his head. He had a square face, small eyes, a flat nose, and thin lips. There was a hint of viciousness in his eyes, but the flesh on his cheeks was sunken, making him look a little sickly.

After Marshal Sha saluted him, he stood up two seconds later to return the greeting, clasped his hands and said, "Old Sha, welcome, welcome. Please take a seat. Tea is served."