A Girl Traveling Through Troubled Times

Gui'er returned to Sha Yanxiao's courtyard and told him about helping Taohua deliver the embroidery pieces the next day. Sha Yanxiao didn't say anything, but just reminded her, "Be careful on the road."

Ji Yiru was absent today, a rare occasion, and Lulu was not around either. Gui'er finally got a chance to be alone with Sha Yanxiao. She quickly told him what Fourth Miss Zhang had said about her situation and asked, "Brother, will Fourth Concubine really kill Fourth Miss Zhang?"

Sha Yanxiao pondered for a moment and said, "Alas, the Fourth Concubine does have high expectations for her children, but with Yanwen's quirks, which noble lady would be willing to marry him? My father and I considered it carefully before deciding to betroth Fourth Miss Zhang to him."

Gui'er was surprised that Sha Yanxiao and the Marshal knew about Sha Yanwen's opium smoking. She asked, "You and Father both know about this? Then why don't you let him quit?"

Sha Yanxiao shook his head and said, "We have an opium den at home. Most people who get addicted to it can't quit, and some who do die. My father thinks Yanwen's habit is because the fourth concubine indulges them, so he is a little dissatisfied with her."

"What should we do now, Miss Zhang Si? Can we save her?"

"Don't worry about that. I won't watch her get killed. I was the one who persuaded the three Miss Zhangs to come with me, and now two of them have died. If Miss Zhang the Fourth dies too, I'll be so sorry for them."

Gui'er felt relieved after hearing this. As long as Sha Yanxiao agreed to save people, there shouldn't be any problem.

The next day after school, Gui'er came to the Zhenxiufang. Shopkeeper Zhang was already waiting there. Gui'er said to her embarrassedly, "Shopkeeper Zhang, I'm sorry to have caused you trouble."

Shopkeeper Zhang smiled and said, "It's okay, come in first."

After entering the house, Shopkeeper Zhang casually put out an inventory sign.

Guier said, "So the store is taking inventory today. I'm really sorry to bother you."

Song Xichen walked out of the room and said with a smile, "I asked her to put it out because I didn't want other guests to see you and your brother. After all, you are the daughter of the Marshal's Mansion now."

Gui Er was very happy to see Song Xichen, and hurried forward to ask, "Brother Xichen, is your hand okay?"

Song Xichen pinched Gui'er's cheek and said, "It's almost done. I drank all the soup you asked Manager Zhang to make for me. It's very good."

Guier looked at his hand. The bandage had been removed, but the ointment was still on it. She said, "Don't be careless, or you'll easily develop a chronic illness."

Song Xichen touched his head and said, "Don't worry, Manager Zhang is watching over it for me." Then he took her hand and walked into the inner room.

After entering the inner room, Guier saw Wu Dahua standing there and was a little at a loss. He was half a head taller than the last time they met, and his facial features became more three-dimensional. He looked like a half-grown boy before, but now he had the demeanor of a mature man.

When he saw Gui'er, his eyes were filled with surprise. He walked over quickly and called out, "Guier."

Gui'er couldn't really call him "brother," so she forced a smile and said, "You're here? Is everything okay at home?"

Wu Dahua said, "Everything is going well at home, but at the end of last year, my father arranged for my eldest brother to marry. Because he didn't have enough money for the bride price, he sold one acre of land. Now the harvest from the one acre left is not enough to feed us, so my brother and I were introduced to work as apprentices in the city."

Gui'er felt her eyes darken when she heard this. She had sold her daughter because the harvest was poor and she had no food to eat. Now, to marry her eldest son, she was selling the land that provided food for the family. She didn't know what to say. She felt speechless. She knew that no matter what she said, she would not be able to communicate. So she asked him, "What do you want from me?"

After hearing this, Wu Dahai was stunned for a moment and stammered. Song Xichen said, "You guys talk first, I'll go find Manager Zhang to change the medicine." Then he walked out.

Wu Dahua watched Song Xichen leave and took a look at Gui'er. Gui'er was wearing her school uniform, knitted socks, and black calfskin shoes. At first glance, it was clear that she came from a well-off family.

Wu Dahua smiled and said, "Guier, you've grown taller and fatter, and you look much more beautiful than before."

Guier forced a smile and said, "What do you want from me?"

Wu Dahua sighed and said, "I haven't seen you for a long time. I don't know if you are doing well, so I came to see you. Sister, are you still blaming your family?"

Guier said calmly, "I don't remember anything. I fell down while rowing and hit my head. I don't remember anything from the past."

Wu Dahua was stunned for a moment, then said sadly, "Well, this is good. Young Master Song told me that you are now the daughter of a famous family, with noble status. If you have a poor brother like this, people will gossip about you. So he arranged for me to meet you here. I didn't really think about why I wanted to meet you. It's just that I haven't seen you for a long time. I finally made it to the city, so I wanted to see how you are doing. Gui'er, when you were little, your father and elder brother were busy farming, so I raised you and your younger brother."

Gui'er couldn't help but feel sad when she heard this, but she was still a little cautious. She didn't know whether what Wu Dahua said was true or not. But since Wu Dahua was already here, there was no point in being so stubborn. So Gui'er took out a silver dollar and handed it to him, saying, "I'm afraid it will be difficult for you to be an apprentice in the city for a while now. I'll give you this money to support yourself."

Wu Dahua shook his head and said, "My brother and I were apprentices at a carpenter's house. We were provided with food and lodging, but we didn't get paid for the first three years."

Guier remembered that it was mentioned in a book she had read before that craftsmen in the old days all learned their skills from a master, and worked as apprentices in the master's family for a few years for free. If the master and his wife were good, life would be okay, but if not, life would be really hard.

So I said, "You should keep it. If you need money somewhere, you won't have to grope around blindly."

She remembered that she wanted to ask Taohua about her family situation, so she said, "Do you remember anything about the girl I was with, Taohua? She hasn't seen her family since she was sold. I wonder how they're doing now?"

Wu Dahua took the silver dollar Gui'er handed over with a bit of awkwardness, recalled for a moment, and said, "You're talking about Taohua's family. Her brother is still herding sheep at the home of Mr. Liu. It seems her mother ate too much Guanyin soil and died of bloating."

Gui Er was surprised and said, "Didn't you sell the peach blossoms? How did you become rich? And you still want to eat that dirt."

Wu Dahua said, "It was too late. He couldn't poop out what he had eaten. I heard he died after two or three months of bloating. His belly was swollen, like he was pregnant for ten months. Taohua's father and wife died, and his children were sold. He was suddenly left alone. After the funeral, he still had some money from selling his children. Soon, the villagers introduced him to a widow who had fled from another place. The widow had two sons, and now, I heard, she has given birth to another son."

Guier understood that Taohua's father was no longer his father. Guier felt a little regretful that he had agreed to help Taohua find out. In this situation, how could he tell Taohua?