A Girl Traveling Through Troubled Times

After getting on the bus and arriving at Sincere Department Store, Guier first bought some sanitary products at the counter: sanitary belts and toilet paper. She then went to the public restroom and spent some time there. It was probably around 2 a.m. when she finally came out.

When we got to the entrance of Dahuchun, I said to Dali, "Brother Dali, I feel a little hungry and want to go eat something. I think the Dahuchun we went to last time had red bean paste. I want to have a bowl."

Dali said, "Okay, go eat. I'll wait for you in the car."

When Gui'er arrived at Dahuchun, the shopkeeper said enthusiastically as soon as he saw her, "Miss, please go inside." Then he took her to a seat by the window, where people passing by outside could see her clearly.

Gui'er thought the shopkeeper didn't know she was here to see Song Xichen, and was about to explain to him when she suddenly saw Song Xichen wearing a long gown and glasses, sitting in a seat at the back. He couldn't see outside the window from that seat, and his seat was back to back with Gui'er's. So she hurriedly sat down and was about to order food from the shopkeeper.

The shopkeeper smiled and said, "Boss Song, the order has been made. Please wait a moment."

After a while, a small box of cream cake and a cup of milk tea were brought in. Dahuchun sells Chinese dim sum, and it was obvious that Song Xichen brought these in from outside.

Gui'er smiled and said, "Thank you, Brother Xichen."

Song Xichen didn't turn around and said, "How have you been these days?" There was a smile in his voice.

Gui'er ate her cake while saying, "I've contacted Miss Shen twice, but I can't find a reason to go to her house to look for a map. The marriage negotiations between the Shen and Sha families aren't going well either. The Shen family is asking for too much, and the Sha family is too stingy. They might be stuck there. How are the people you sent in to investigate?"

Song Xichen said, "The Shen family has been hosting quite a few banquets lately, and she's been trying to get in a few times, but it hasn't been very successful."

Gui'er suddenly thought of something: "Sha Yanxiao asked Wu Mingqiang to come to Shanghai in a few days. The undercover agent he sent in should be quite successful. Can we use him?"

Song Xichen paused and said, "Of course, it's possible, but this person is also insidious and vicious. We must act with caution. I'm afraid he won't easily cooperate with us."

Gui'er said, "Then I'll come forward and ask him for help."

"No, there's no reason for a child like you to do something like this."

"So what can we do? As long as the blueprints are in his hands, there will be risks."

Song Xichen thought about it for a moment and said, "I'll slowly think of a solution."

Gui Er had no choice but to agree. She said to Song Xichen, "Shall we meet here again next time? If I come to this shop too often, it might arouse suspicion."

Song Xichen thought for a moment and said, "Dagang went to your place and stayed there for the whole morning. I noticed that you have the habit of sending food in the morning. If there's an emergency, I'll send someone in to pretend to be the food delivery person and come find you."

Gui'er said hurriedly, "Then you have to come up with a secret code or something, otherwise how would I know which one is yours?"

Song Xichen said with a smile: "Don't worry, the person sent next time will still be the one who delivered the letter this time."

"Big Steel Brother?"

"Yes, you probably don't know that disguise is his forte."

Gui'er felt much more relieved now. She exchanged pleasantries with Song Xichen, packed up some shengjian (fried dumplings) at the store, and went back.

When they returned to the villa, they ran into Sha Yanxiao as soon as they reached the gate. Dali quickly stopped the car and asked, "Boss, where are you going? I'll take you there."

Sha Yanxiao opened the car door and asked Gui'er, "Have you finished shopping?"

Gui'er nodded and asked Sha Yanxiao as she prepared to get off the car, "Brother, where are you going?"

Sha Yanxiao said, "Wu Mingqiang is here, I'm going to see him."

When Gui Er heard this, she quickly said, "I'll go too. It's so boring at home. If it's to see Little Wu, it shouldn't be a problem, right?"

Sha Yanxiao got in the car, touched Gui'er's head helplessly, and said to Dali, "Let's go."

Dali drove off again.

After a while, Guier discovered that the car seemed to be circling nearby and had not left the area for a long time. She couldn't help but wonder: Is someone following us?

Guier turned her head and looked through the rear window, but did not see any familiar faces.

Sha Yanxiao noticed Gui'er's actions and said with a smile, "Guier is a smart kid. She already knew we were avoiding being followed."

Gui'er said, "But I didn't see any suspicious people or cars."

Sha Yanxiao smiled and said, "It's just to be prepared."

As he was speaking, the car came to an alley and stopped next to an inconspicuous black iron gate deep in the alley. Dali got out of the car, looked around, and made sure it was safe before knocking on the big iron gate.

There was a small window on the big iron gate, which was opened by someone. The person inside took a look and quickly opened the iron gate from the inside and drove the car into the yard.

After getting off the car, Guier looked around and found that it was a small villa with a small garden. The garden was small and could only accommodate two cars at most.

Wu Mingqiang was already standing at the entrance to the hall to greet them. He was very surprised to see Gui'er there, and said a little bewilderedly, "Miss Gui'er, you're here too?"

Gui'er smiled, nodded, and asked Sha Yanxiao: "Brother, why did we come here to meet?"

Sha Yanxiao pulled her inside and said, "Almost all the villas in this area were once owned by the Ji family. These small buildings were for the Ji family's side branches. After the Ji family's eldest uncle passed away, most of the family members fled for fear of retaliation from their former enemies. Ji Yiru and I took over the area together, but I only reported a few of the large houses. The small buildings were rented out to senior executives of foreign companies and foreign employees. Gangs and patrolmen won't offend these people easily, so they're safer. I only kept this one for my own use."

Guier observed and found that the styles of the surrounding small houses were indeed similar. It would be difficult to find them if they hid in like this.

There was also a housekeeper in this small villa, who personally poured coffee for the few people.

Sha Yanxiao asked Wu Mingqiang, "Is everything okay back home?"

Wu Mingqiang nodded and said, "Everything is normal. Before I left, I told my brothers to keep a close eye on the mine."

Sha Yanxiao nodded approvingly. "I called you here mainly because you're familiar with this area. There are some people and things I need you to verify. One is a girl named Chen Wenqi, the daughter of the director of the Railway Bureau, who lives at 46 Ximo Road. Another is Xu Wenjie, a member of the St. John's University theater troupe. Please help me verify his background."

Gui'er was stunned for a moment before she remembered that Xu Wenjie seemed to be the tall male student who called her away when she went to Miss Shen's troupe. She said, "Brother Yanxiao, why did you think of checking his background? We don't even know them."

Sha Yanxiao said, "This person must have an unusual background. I saw that the watch he was wearing was an 18K gold Rolex, which is an imported product and not sold in China. Moreover, most people would not call someone away when they know they have guests, so I am a little suspicious of his relationship with Miss Shen."