A Girl Traveling Through Troubled Times

After returning to the Marshal's Mansion, Gui'er found a quiet spot and told Sha Yanxiao what Tong Yujun had said.

She hesitated for a moment, and then told the Tong family about her own story after receiving two gold bars. However, she did not mention what Boss Tong said about how difficult life would become as she grew up, for she was afraid that Sha Yanxiao would feel disheartened after hearing it, because he had really been very devoted to her. If he really could not protect her in the future, Gui'er felt that she would not hate him. After all, she had spent a few years of peace under his protection.

After hearing this, Sha Yanxiao burst out laughing and said, "Boss Tong is really cunning. He could have brought it up with me directly, but he went through you. It's obvious that he wants me to see that you and his daughter are classmates."

Gui'er hadn't expected this to happen, so she asked cautiously, "Did it cause you any trouble?"

Sha Yanxiao smiled and shook his head, saying, "Originally, I just wanted the mine, and I don't have any other ideas for the time being."

Gui Er heaved a sigh of relief and said happily, "Then I'll tell Tong Yujun when I go to register for school tomorrow."

The next day, school started and I returned to school early in the morning wearing my school uniform. The classroom was full of chatter, and everyone was sharing what they did during the summer vacation. Then a school meeting started and the principal talked for more than an hour.

It was not until the break after the meeting that Gui'er finally found a chance to chat with Tong Yujun alone and told her what Sha Yanxiao meant.

Tong Yujun was very happy and seemed relieved. She smiled and said, "Then I'll tell my father tonight. He should be very happy. I wonder how my aunt is doing now?"

Gui'er hadn't actually seen the Eighth Concubine since she came back. She had only heard about it from the servants, so she could only say, "I don't know. I haven't seen her since she came back."

Gui'er thought that the family was currently dealing with the issue of Miss Shen, and no one knew what the outcome would be. The matter of the Eighth Concubine was probably put aside, and there would be no danger for the time being. However, Sha Yanxiao was pushing forward the matter of the mine, and she didn't know what he was thinking.

After school that day, Gui'er asked Dali to take her to the alley where the Zhenxiufang was located. Dali asked, "Have you told the boss? Did he agree?"

Gui'er said, "I haven't been an apprentice for a few days and didn't tell anyone. It's only right that I tell them now. Otherwise, they might think I've broken my promise without a good reason, which wouldn't be nice. I believe Brother Yanxiao would agree."

Dali had no choice but to drive her there.

When they arrived at the Zhenxiufang, they found that Song Xichen was there too. Seeing Gui'er, Song Xichen hurried over and took her in for a look. Gui'er was a little puzzled and asked, "Brother Xichen, what's going on?"

Song Xichen smiled and said, "I'm glad you're okay. It's all over the city. Someone from the Marshal's family went hiking and fell off the mountain."

As soon as Guier heard it, she knew he was talking about Miss Shen, so she said, "It's not me, it's Miss Shen who's visiting our house. She was supposed to come here for a blind date with my eldest brother. Didn't you hear?"

Song Xichen shook his head and said, "Although Sha Yanyao and I were classmates, we weren't that close. Especially after he injured his leg, we saw each other even less. What's going on?"

Although Gui'er trusted Song Xichen, she felt that it would be better not to say that Sha Yanyao pushed Miss Shen down if there was no evidence, so she continued to say that Miss Shen slipped and fell.

Song Xichen nodded and said, "If you need anything, you can come to me. It's very chaotic outside right now. The situation is unstable. Many people are struggling to make a living. The public security is much worse. You should be more careful when you go out."

Gui'er has always been picked up and dropped off by car when going to and from school. She has to report before going anywhere. If Sha Yanxiao allows it, he will arrange for her to be escorted. Therefore, her sense of the outside world is not as sharp as when she first came here.

Song Xichen sighed and said, "Many foreign forces are infiltrating here now. The largest foreign force in Shanghai is the Japanese pirates. Although Marshal Sha has been operating here for many years, even with Fengcheng included, it's just two small cities. His boss, Commander Duan, is in poor health and no longer in charge. That's why the warlords under him are in chaos, and that's why Marshal Zhang wants to seize territory."

Gui Er asked Song Xichen curiously, "Is our place very small?"

Song Xichen and Shopkeeper Zhang both laughed. Shopkeeper Zhang took out a map. Guier took a look at it but couldn't understand it because the shape was different from any map she remembered.

Song Xichen said to Gui'er, "Look, this is the map of our province. This is Fengcheng, and this is Jiangcheng."

Guier then discovered that the two prosperous cities in her impression, with railways, minerals, and modern and advanced shopping centers, were actually the size of two county towns. Although they were not small in area, they had more mountains and fewer plains. Almost all the plain areas that could be seen on the map had been developed, and she had been to most of them.

Song Xichen smiled and said, "Of course, Marshal Sha's painstaking efforts over the years have allowed us to survive in this small corner. However, if the nest is destroyed, the eggs will also be destroyed. We don't know how long the current prosperity and peace will last. We can only do our best to contribute to this era."

After hearing this, Gui'er felt a deep sense of powerlessness. She used to live in an era when the country was prosperous and society was stable, and everything was arranged well by the country. After traveling through time, she felt deeply helpless more than once in the face of the turbulent times and uncontrollable personal destiny.

She suddenly thought that Marshal Sha was just the leader of a small local armed force, and Director Shen was an official sent by the central government. Director Shen was probably many levels higher than Marshal Sha. If he really wanted to hold the Sha family accountable, the Marshal's Mansion would probably be finished.

Seeing Gui'er suddenly look worried, Song Xichen smiled and said, "What's wrong? Don't worry, you're still a child. The fate of the country should be taken care of by adults."

Gui Er hesitated for a long time before finally revealing the possibility that Sha Yanyao had pushed Miss Shen off the cliff. Song Xichen was surprised and said, "Is there such a thing? It would indeed be a major crisis for the Marshal's Mansion, but you are innocent. If the time really comes, I will find a way to rescue you. Don't worry."

Guier nodded gratefully, and then she made an agreement with Manager Zhang that she would stay in her shop for an hour or two after school to help her and learn medicine at the same time.

When he returned to the Marshal's Mansion that day, Sha Yanxiao told Gui'er that Manager Tong had already set a time with him to hand over the mine.

Gui'er thought about Miss Shen's situation and said to Sha Yanxiao, "Brother Yanxiao, Director Shen is a central government official. If he blames us, our whole family will be in trouble. How can you still have the energy to take the mineral resources? I guess father doesn't even have the energy to care about the Eighth Concubine anymore, right?"

Sha Yanxiao smiled slyly: "So now is the perfect time to take action."