A Girl Traveling Through Troubled Times

It was almost evening when the train arrived at Shanghai Station. Everyone got in the car and sped away along the streets where lights were just coming on.

Gui'er guessed correctly. This time they did not live in the small courtyard as before. After all, there were too many people this time and there was no room for them.

The car drove for a long time before arriving in front of a grand gate. A butler wearing a grey gown and slicked-back hair was already standing there to greet them, along with several servants and old maids.

The butler bowed to the convoy, then gestured for it to drive in. The convoy passed through the magnificent European-style gate with Roman columns and entered the courtyard, only to find that the courtyard was at least the size of a football field. The courtyard was completely European in design, with a huge fountain in the middle and flowers around it, shaped in different varieties. It was magnificent. In addition to the main road in the middle, there were some winding cobblestone paths on both sides of the courtyard, and there was a small dome pavilion at intervals. The whole courtyard gave people a feeling of luxury and refinement.

The car drove right up to the main entrance of the building. Guier looked up and saw a building in the style of European Classicism. The three-story building's pure white facade exuded a Greek elegance and grace. The porch and stone columns exuded a geometric beauty. The meticulously carved staircase railings and wall carvings were clearly handcrafted by master craftsmen.

At this time, people began to get off the cars. Although they were used to living in luxurious mansions, they couldn't help but sigh in admiration at the magnificent and majestic building before them. The Marshal walked over to Sha Yanxiao, patted him on the shoulder, and said cheerfully, "This house we bought from the Ji family is really nice."

It turns out that this house was indeed the original property of the Ji family.

At this time, the housekeeper who had been waiting at the door of the villa had returned. He was busy settling everyone down and directing the servants to move the luggage from the car. There were quite a lot of servants in this house, with more than a dozen servants alone. Gui'er recognized at a glance that several of them were Ji Yiru's former followers, and she couldn't help but wink at Sha Yanxiao to let him look.

Sha Yanxiao winked at Gui'er mischievously. It seemed that he had known about it for a long time. Maybe he was the one who arranged it.

According to convention, the best rooms must belong to the Marshal, his wife, the eldest son, his concubine and the ninth concubine, who all scrambled to live in a room closer to the Marshal. As soon as the fourth concubine gave a hint, Sha Lili immediately started making a fuss about wanting to live with her uncle, and the third concubine suggested that Taohua live next to her. Guier knew that the third concubine must want to use Taohua as a servant, but there was nothing she could do about it.

After much fuss, accommodations were finally arranged. The Fourth Concubine got what she wanted, and her two brothers sent a car to pick her up. The Marshal couldn't persuade the Ninth Concubine, so he asked Sha Yanxiao to put her in a room next to his. Taohua's room was also next to the Third Concubine's, while Gui'er's room was adjacent to Sha Yanxiao's. Both were on the third floor, where there weren't as many people as on the second floor, so it was quiet. Furthermore, Sha Yanxiao had a separate study with a telephone, which Gui'er was very satisfied with.

She immediately called Tong Yujun, told her her address, and made an appointment to go shopping at Sincere Department Store another day.

After finishing the call, I returned to my room and found a pile of gift boxes on the table. I asked Dingxiang what was going on?

Dingxiang said that these things were already in the house when she moved in, and she wondered if they were left by the previous owner.

Gui'er noticed the gift boxes looked new and didn't look old. She was just about to ask someone about it when Sha Yanxiao came in and said with a smile, "Didn't I tell you to ask Wu Mingqiang to arrange for someone to buy you some gifts, toys, etc. in Shanghai? Since we left early, I told him not to send them to Jiangcheng and just leave them here."

Gui'er had already forgotten about this matter. She smiled and said, "Thank you, Brother Yanxiao."

Sha Yanxiao said with interest: "Open it and see if you like it?"

Guier sat down and unpacked the items one by one. There was an exquisite tin train model, a doll, a toy horse that could walk by itself when wound up, a beautiful small makeup mirror and comb set, a complete set of comic books, and a large box. When she opened it, she found it was a radio. Guier was overjoyed and quickly adjusted it. After a while, a melodious song with some noise came out of the radio. After listening carefully, she realized it was Shanghai at Night.

Sha Yanxiao smiled and asked Gui'er, "Do you like it?"

Guier said happily, "I like it. Thank you, brother. I'll move this radio to the study so we can listen to it together."

Sha Yanxiao nodded and said with a smile, "Okay, but I'm afraid I won't have much time to accompany you while I'm in Shanghai." Turning to Ding Xiang, he said, "Go pour the young lady a glass of milk and bring some snacks over for a midnight snack."

Dingxiang agreed and went out.

Sha Yanxiao waited until Dingxiang left before saying to Guier, "Father told me to socialize while I'm in Shanghai and see if I can find a suitable young lady to marry next."

Gui'er was very surprised and said, "Shouldn't your father take care of this kind of thing for you personally? Look at my elder brother."

Sha Yanxiao shook his head and said, "My father came from a humble background and didn't know many politicians. My eldest brother's marriage was arranged by my mother. Because we couldn't find anyone better, even though Director Shen had a tendency to collaborate with the enemy, my father was reluctant to give up."

Gui'er couldn't help but sigh after hearing this, and said to Sha Yanxiao, "Brother, in fact, when looking for a partner, why do you have to marry someone who is rich? The previous Miss Ji was indeed very wealthy and had many followers, but she was scattered after the tree fell. Besides, she has a bad temper, and brother has had enough of her. Wouldn't it be better to find someone who is pleasing to you and shares your ideals?"

Sha Yanxiao stared at Gui'er for several seconds, then tapped her nose and said, "I understand this truth, but the world is in chaos right now. If a small warlord like ours doesn't do everything we can to expand our power, we might be swallowed up one day."

Gui'er was stunned for a moment. She had traveled from the future to the past. She knew the final outcome. In all the history of the Republic of China, she had never heard of Sha Yanxiao's name. She suddenly felt vaguely uneasy.

Gui'er took Sha Yanxiao's hand and said, "Brother, I understand you're ambitious, but many things require going with the flow and doing your best. And I'm saying this out of personal interest. You're sacrificing your own happiness for the Marshal's Mansion and for our father, but our father is still in his prime. Maybe there will be brothers born in the future, and Big Brother might not necessarily give up his father's position. I'm afraid you'll end up making things easier for others."

These words really came from Gui'er's heart. In her opinion, Sha Yanxiao was a very capable person who was willing to work for the people. However, the Marshal was often confused, and his wife was also eyeing him covetously. She felt that Sha Yanxiao's future was still uncertain.

Sha Yanxiao sighed, pulled Gui'er over to the sofa and sat down, saying to her, "I know this too, so I've been accumulating my own funds and cultivating confidants, but now is not the right time. I can only do as my father says."