A Girl Traveling Through Troubled Times

That day, after school, Dali drove Guier to the entrance of the alley where Zhenxiufang was located. After getting off the car, Guier walked in as usual. Halfway through, there was a sudden commotion. A little boy of eight or nine years old, holding something in his hand, flew past Guier. A middle-aged woman was chasing him breathlessly from behind. After a few steps, she couldn't run any further and had to stop. People around were talking about it.

"There are so many thieves nowadays. Look, they even steal a piece of pork."

"Oh, that's true, but I also blame this world for being so unforgiving. Yesterday I went to buy rice, but I had no money. I spent 50 copper coins on a small bag of rice, carefully carrying it. Halfway along the way, someone tried to rob me. It was a child, but he didn't succeed. I wanted to beat him up, but he cried and begged for mercy, saying that his family hadn't had enough food for three or four days. Well, there was nothing I could do. I softened my heart and let him take a few handfuls and go."

"There are so many people starving now. Can you save them all? I won't save them. I'll eat my own food first."

The middle-aged woman squatted on the ground and panted for a long time before she slowly stood up and prepared to leave with a worried look on her face.

Only then did Gui'er see clearly that the middle-aged woman was actually one of Marshal Zhang's maids, the biological mother of Miss Zhang Er and Miss Zhang San, and now the adoptive mother of Miss Zhang Si. Sha Yanxiao had previously placed them and Miss Zhang Si in a remote and quiet courtyard, which was actually quite far from here. It would take half a day to walk there. I don't know why she appeared here.

Thinking of this, Gui'er hurried forward and called her: "Mother Zhang, please stay."

The middle-aged woman looked up in confusion. After several seconds, she recognized Gui'er and said in surprise, "Sha, Miss Sha? You've grown up a bit. I almost didn't recognize you."

Gui'er asked with concern, "Why are you here?"

Mother Zhang sighed and said, "There's a market nearby where farmers from the surrounding countryside sell their chickens and vegetables. They're a little cheaper than other places, so I walk a little further to buy here every now and then. I didn't expect to run into a thief today and end up wasting dozens of coins."

Gui'er was very puzzled after hearing this. Sha Yanxiao should have given them a considerable amount of money for living expenses. Could it be that it was spent so quickly?

Seeing that the roadside was crowded and not a good place for conversation, Guier said to Zhang's mother, "Let's find a place to sit down and chat. The glutinous rice balls at the dessert shop over there are quite good. I'll treat you to a bowl."

Mother Zhang declined for a moment, but finally agreed. The two of them went to the dessert shop. Gui'er asked the owner to bring two bowls of glutinous rice balls. While eating, she asked, "How is Miss Zhang lately?"

Mother Zhang smiled reservedly and said, "Very well, young lady, don't get me wrong. We're actually doing OK financially, but the situation is so chaotic these days, and there's nothing good to do. The three of us usually do some handicrafts at home, and with the little money the young master left us, it's enough to make a living. But our daughter is getting older, and we can't keep her at home anymore. She needs to find a husband. My sister and I have discussed it and want to marry a daughter from a decent family. If that's the case, it will cost a lot of money, so we save a little on weekdays."

Guier looked at Mother Zhang. Compared with the last time they met, her face looked much rosier and she seemed a little fatter. It seemed that she was indeed living a happier life than before. Guier was happy for her.

Gui'er said, "That's great news. Is there anyone you're interested in?"

Mother Zhang smiled bitterly. "It's not that easy. Our identities are special, so it's hard to tell others. We can only claim that we fled from somewhere else. My daughter was married before, but her husband passed away due to illness." After saying this, she felt that this didn't seem right, so she quickly explained, "Ah, we're not cursing the Third Young Master."

Guier smiled and said, "It's okay. I know that's not what you meant. Miss Zhang and I are acquaintances. If there's anything I can help with, feel free to ask me. I'll help you, too."

Mother Zhang thanked me again and again with gratitude.

After they finished eating the dumplings, they parted ways as they had almost finished chatting.

Gui'er came out of the dessert shop, thinking that she had wasted some time today and was late, so she quickened her pace. When she was still more than ten meters away from the door of Zhenxiufang, she suddenly saw a man standing at the door of Zhenxiufang. He knocked on the door of Zhenxiufang, handed in a square package, and then turned and left.

Gui'er was stunned. It was the first time she saw a man coming to the Zhen Embroidery Workshop. Manager Zhang had told her before that it was always the embroiderers who delivered the finished products to her door, and then she would sell them to various tailor shops and make a profit from the difference. However, she had never encountered anyone delivering anything to her. This time, she encountered a man, which was quite strange.

When I arrived at Zhenxiufang, I was curious about the man who had just arrived, but I found that the pharmacy was busy with several customers getting medicine. Guier quickly got to work and helped to get and prepare the medicine. She had been learning for a while. Manager Zhang and Manager Liu both said that Guier was quick and skillful and could do the job of a clerk.

Gui'er was just getting the medicine according to the prescription when Shopkeeper Zhang suddenly said to her, "Guier, please go to the small utility room next to the main hall of Zhenxiufang. There are a few ginseng stems in the right drawer of the table on the right hand side of the door. Please help me get the smallest one."

Guier agreed and went to the small storage room. She opened the drawer, but did not see any ginseng. Instead, there was a large stack of red, green and yellow things, a bit like the promotional advertisements usually inserted in newspapers.

Guier picked up one and took a look. It was clearly written on it: "Down with the imperialist powers, down with the rule of warlords."

Guier was startled. Wasn't this a clear anti-government slogan? Realizing she might have opened the wrong drawer, she quickly opened another one. Sure enough, there were several ginseng sticks inside. Guier put the paper back as it was and gently closed the drawer.

Then he took the smallest ginseng from another drawer, turned around, and was about to leave the room when he almost bumped into Shopkeeper Zhang who rushed in. Gui'er said quickly, "Shopkeeper Zhang, the ginseng is here. Do you have anything else to take?"

Shopkeeper Zhang looked at Gui'er for a moment, then took the ginseng and said with a smile, "I'll also need some Gastrodia elata and Angelica dahurica."

Gui'er said, "Then I'll help you get it."

Shopkeeper Zhang smiled and said, "Hey, no need. I put them in a rather messy place, scattered here and there. I have to look for them myself. Why don't you go pick up the medicine that I didn't finish picking up."

Gui'er nodded and obediently went back to pick up the medicine. In fact, she was extremely nervous. She remembered the man who came here with Song Xichen before. She didn't find out anything about him later. Now she found such a leaflet. In this era, slogans such as "overthrow warlords" and "overthrow powers" are undoubtedly progressive, but now she herself is a member of a warlord's family. If she was found out that she knew this secret, she didn't know whether she would be killed.