A Girl Traveling Through Troubled Times

Gui'er arrived at the courtyard of the Madam and the eldest son, Sha Yanyao. It was a combined compound with two buildings, one for the Madam and one for Sha Yanyao. The entire courtyard was more than twice the size of Sha Yanxiao's own. The architectural style was entirely European, with a central axis punctuated by a fountain and surrounded by beautifully manicured flower beds, where flowers bloomed year-round. Small pavilions stood at intervals on either side of the courtyard, connected by winding cobblestone paths. The entire courtyard felt both grand and pleasing, perfectly suited to the residence of a warlord's wife.

Gui'er didn't know which house she would be assigned to live in. In the past, when she came to pay her respects to the Madam, she would go directly to the Madam's house and never to Sha Yanyao's. This was mainly because she felt that there was a difference between men and women. She was not a biological child, nor was she even adopted by the Marshal and his wife. If she got too close to the Young Master, others would misunderstand her and think he had other intentions.

At this time, the manager of the courtyard came out and asked with a smile: "Miss Guier, what's the matter with you coming here?" It seemed that he had no idea that Sha Yanyao asked Guier to come and live with him.

Gui'er could only smile awkwardly and said, "Second brother is not here, and eldest brother asked me to come and stay for a while."

The steward was stunned for a moment, then smiled and said, "I see. Please go inside and sit down. I'll go and report to the lady."

Only then did Gui'er realize that she had been a little impulsive. This was indeed the safest place in the Marshal's Mansion, but Sha Yanyao lived with his wife, and he was not married yet. His wife was probably the one who made the decisions in his courtyard, so he should get her approval first. Otherwise, it might arouse her disgust, and the result would be more harm than good.

Just as she was worried, the steward came out with his wife. Guier quickly stood up and said respectfully, "Greetings to mother."

The lady smiled and said, "Why are you here? Did something happen in the courtyard?"

Guier smiled awkwardly and said, "Sorry to bother you, mother. My second brother has been away for the past two days, and I wasn't feeling well today. When I came back, I ran into my eldest brother, and he asked me to move in with him for a few days."

The lady was a little surprised and said, "Did Yan Yao say that?"

As soon as he fell behind, he heard the voice of the eldest young master Sha Yanyao: "Mother."

Sha Yanyao walked over quickly on crutches and said, "I'm so sorry, I was so busy helping Gui'er tidy up her room that I forgot to mention it to you. My second brother is on a business trip, and my sister-in-law is new here. I'm afraid she's not used to it, so I wanted to bring her over to take care of her for a few days."

After hearing this, the lady smiled and said, "Okay, then you can make your own arrangements." Then she turned and went in. Guier couldn't tell whether she was happy or unhappy.

Sha Yanyao smiled and said, "It's my fault. I was so busy cleaning the room that I forgot to mention this to my mother. Come here." Then he led everyone to the building where he lived.

Gui'er took a look and found that the decoration style was similar to Sha Yanxiao's Physics, but it was more luxurious. Just looking at the luxurious crystal chandelier more than two meters high hanging above the hall was enough to make people dazzled.

Sha Yanyao brought Gui'er to the second floor and pointed to a room, saying, "This is it." Dingxiang bowed and took Gui'er's bag and went in first. Gui'er said to Sha Yanyao gratefully, "Thank you so much, big brother, for taking the trouble to arrange this."

Sha Yanyao smiled and said, "Go in first and see if there's anything missing. Then tell me and we can fill it in together."

Guier then entered the room and took a look around. The room was indeed a European-style suite. There was a small living room at the entrance, a study, a bedroom, and a separate bathroom and a small toilet.

At this time, Dingxiang opened the bundle, and Guier hurried forward and said to him, "You don't have to pack. Go down quickly and ask the steward to help you find a place to stay. Does it hurt? If you are injured, you should apply some medicine."

Ding Xiang fell to her knees upon hearing this, crying to Gui Er, "I don't know what happened today. They suddenly arrested me and accused me of murdering the young lady. They beat me without any reason. Luckily the young lady came back quickly. If she had been slower, I don't know if I would have survived."

Gui'er sighed and said, "I was groggy from yesterday until this morning. The school sent me to the hospital. When the teacher called, I didn't tell them I was poisoned. I didn't expect them to be so guilty and find a scapegoat so quickly. Of course I believed you. From last night until this morning, I only ate yesterday's dinner and milk. Think back, were there any suspicious people when you took the food yesterday?"

Ding Xiang tried to recall the past and said, "Usually I'm in the kitchen, waiting for the cook to put the food on the plates. But yesterday, the cook was very unhappy and swearing because she had to start the fire again. So I told her that if she didn't want to cook, she could come and tell the master herself. Then I left. When I came back a while later, the food was already on the plates and the milk was poured, so I just brought it over."

Gui'er asked, "Besides the cook, was there anyone else in the kitchen? Or did anyone enter the kitchen during this time?"

Ding Xiang thought for a moment and said, "Not really."

Guier smiled and said, "I see. Go out first and let the steward arrange accommodation for you."

After Dingxiang left, Guier packed up the clothes she had brought. She came in a hurry and didn't bring many clothes with her. She only brought two sets of replacement school uniforms and clothes she usually wore. She packed them quickly. Guier took out the pocket pistol and put it under the pillow, and placed the hidden weapon pen and other stationery on the desk.

Gui'er breathed a sigh of relief after everything was sorted out. She had a place to stay for the time being. However, apart from eating together, she didn't really get along with Sha Yanyao. He didn't seem to express any opinions on what happened in the mansion. However, maybe it was because of his status as the eldest son of the Marshal's Mansion, but it always felt that his presence was not low. Those servants who did the rough work outside would do things for him as soon as he called them, which showed that he was quite prestigious in the Marshal's Mansion.

When Gui'er thought of this, she suddenly felt very hungry and her body became weak. She remembered that she had not eaten much all day. She was thinking about whether to ask Dingxiang to get some food, but she hesitated because she had just arrived and it was not appropriate to ask for too much.

Suddenly, there was a knock on the door. Gui'er went to open it. It was Sha Yanyao. He smiled and said, "You must be hungry. Come down and eat."

Gui'er arrived at the dining room on the first floor and discovered that the dishes were indeed suitable for children. There were steamed egg custard, four-happiness meatballs, and bean curd and meat rolls. They also prepared milk tea for her, while Sha Yanyao himself drank Longjing tea. Seeing these dishes, Gui'er suddenly felt relieved. She felt that she should be able to live here safely.