A Girl Traveling Through Troubled Times

A few days after taking Taohua to meet the two brothers, Guier sat next to the radio with Sha Yanxiao in the evening as usual, listening to the radio and chatting.

As if suddenly remembering something, Gui'er said to Sha Yanxiao, "Come to think of it, although the Japanese didn't attack us this time, I heard that prices in the market have risen a lot due to the war. Brother, have you sent someone to check on Miss Zhang Si and see how she's doing?"

Sha Yanxiao was stunned for a moment and said, "I was inconsiderate. Let's ask Dali to go over and take a look tomorrow. We gave them a lot of money and they have a place to stay, so they should be fine. If something really goes wrong, they will probably come to me."

Gui'er nodded and said, "I think it's fine. However, after not seeing you for so long, I still want to go and see you in person. Besides, some things are inconvenient for girls, and I'm afraid it's easier to talk about them between girls."

Sha Yanxiao smiled and said, "Gui'er has grown up and is becoming more considerate of others. Let Dali go with you tomorrow."

The next day after school, Gui'er took Dadi's car to the area where Miss Zhang Si and her two mothers lived. When the car drove to the area, Gui'er said to Dali, "Brother Dali, the market has been depressed recently. I've noticed that there are fewer foreign cars on the road. Why don't we not drive our cars in to avoid causing trouble for Miss Zhang Si's family?"

Dali thought for a moment and said, "That's fine."

So the two of them got out of the car and walked there. In fact, Gui'er had already thought about it. She would use this trip to observe which houses in the area were suitable for her two brothers to use as shops and residences.

It was dinner time, and smoke would be seen coming out of the chimneys of almost every courtyard where people lived. Gui'er had memorized the house numbers of several houses along the way, and was thinking of asking Manager Zhang to help her find out when she got back.

When they were almost at Miss Zhang Si's residence, Gui'er saw a dim sum shop on the side of the road and bought two boxes of dim sum as gifts to take with her.

Miss Zhang Si and the two mothers seemed very surprised by their arrival, but they were still very enthusiastic and welcomed them in.

Guier smiled and took out some snacks. "The news of the war a while ago made everyone nervous, and prices in the market have skyrocketed. I wondered if you were doing well, so I took the liberty of coming over to check on you."

The two mothers smiled and said, "Thank you for your concern. Thanks to the Young Marshal, he gave us enough money, so we haven't had to suffer much. We also make some embroidery patterns and sell them to tailors, and we also make some insoles and sell them to shoe store owners, so we can get by. By the way, Ling'er is also helping us with these things now. She's very skillful and is learning quickly."

Gui'er only now realized that Miss Zhang Si's full name was Zhang Ling'er. After not seeing her for a while, she had grown taller and was probably over 1.6 meters tall. Although she was not prettier than before, her manners were much more graceful. She invited them into the house to sit down, made tea, and brought snacks. She was very considerate.

Dali and Gui'er sat for a while longer and were about to leave when Miss Zhang Si's two mothers suddenly stopped Gui'er and said, "We women have something we'd like to discuss with you, Miss."

Gui'er was very surprised, so she said to Dali, "Brother Dali, can you wait for me outside for a while?"

He nodded vigorously and walked out.

Guier asked, "I wonder if the two mothers have anything else to say?"

The two mothers looked at each other and said hesitantly, "Originally, we didn't want to trouble the young lady with this matter, but we women don't have the ability to do it after all."

Gui'er thought they were in some trouble, so she said, "It's okay, Mom, just tell me."

One of the mothers then said, "Look, my daughter is 16 or 7 this year, and it's time for her to find a husband. But we have no old friends or relatives in this area, and we're no longer the same people we used to be, so we don't want to be associated with Marshal Zhang's family. We've tried asking around with some neighbors and shop owners, but they see us as a small family with no one to rely on, so they inevitably have bad ideas and the recommendations are a bit disappointing. So I'm shamelessly asking for help from a young lady."

Originally, they wanted Gui'er to introduce a date to Miss Zhang Si. Gui'er suddenly thought of her second brother, Wu Dahua. Although Miss Zhang Si's looks were average, she was at least a lady from a wealthy family, could embroider, and her two mothers didn't seem like meddlesome people. Surely, she would be better than the family of his master and his mistress, right? However, this was her own idea, so she still had to seek the other party's opinion.

So I asked, "I wonder what kind of person Miss Zhang is looking for?"

The two mothers said quickly, "We don't want to marry into those wealthy families. You know our current situation. We can't afford a large dowry, and we don't have any connections. We're afraid that our daughters will be bullied and looked down upon if they marry into such families. But we also hope that the man can support the family, establish a family, and be responsible. It would be best if he has some skills."

Gui Er thought Wu Da Hua was a perfect fit, so she smiled and said, "I do know someone who has some skills. He's in his early 20s, and although he's an ordinary person, he comes from a simple family and has already lived independently."

The two mothers were very satisfied when they heard this and said, "That's great! Thank you very much, Miss. I was worried that Dali would look down on our daughters. After all, bound feet are not popular nowadays."

"Ah? Dali, oh, you're interested in Dali, Dali is not bad either." Gui'er realized the misunderstanding and hurriedly tried to smooth things over. Thinking that Dali was not bad and usually took good care of her, she was willing to be the matchmaker. She smiled and said, "That's great news. I'll ask Dali's opinion when I get back."

A mother quickly said, "Miss, were you talking about someone else? If you have someone more suitable, please tell me. Don't blame me for being greedy. After all, we only have this one daughter, and we'll depend on her for the rest of our lives."

Gui'er had no choice but to tell the truth, "I originally wanted to talk about one of my brothers. As you know, I'm just an adopted daughter of the Marshal's Mansion. I was born in an ordinary farming family. I have three older brothers. My eldest brother has married and inherited the family land. The second and third brothers came to the city to learn carpentry skills. The third brother is already engaged. My second brother is twenty-one or twenty-two years old. He can make furniture and rattan work. He can weave straw sandals, cages, and rattan chairs. It's just that my family comes from a poor background, so he doesn't have any assets. He only has a skill."

A mother heard this and quickly said, "Miss, this is good, this is even better. It's great to have craftsmanship in this world."

Another mother said, "I think Dali is great. He's in great shape and has great skills. If we marry him, no one will bully us in the future."

The mother at the beginning said, "But he's also a soldier and he's going to fight. If he's not careful, our daughter will become a widow. Ah, my lady, I'm not cursing you. Look at the war now, right?"

It seemed that both mothers were genuinely concerned about Miss Zhang Si. Gui Er said, "Why not ask Miss Zhang Si what she thinks? I think they're both good people. Dali is efficient and skilled, while my second brother is honest and kind."

Miss Zhang Si blushed and said, "How can I choose? I don't know any of them well."

One mother said, "What's the point of being familiar with each other in marriage?"

Another immediately said, "It's a new era now. Don't you listen to those storytellers who say it's a new era, a new life, and they emphasize free love?"

"What do you mean by free love? I think it's free adultery."

Seeing that they were about to quarrel again, Gui'er hurriedly said, "How about this, Dali brother, Miss Zhang has already met, and my second brother, I can also arrange a place for you two to meet from a distance. What do you think?"

The two mothers heard this and smiled and said, "That's great! Miss is very considerate."

Gui'er thought for a moment and said, "How about this? The day after tomorrow, the two mothers will take Miss Zhang Si to the restaurant on the second floor of Wing On Department Store. She has a row of seats by the window, and you can look out over the main road through the glass. I'll have my brother go by there at two o'clock in the afternoon holding a red pinwheel. Miss Zhang Si can hold a red flower and sit by the window upstairs. That way, you can both see what the other looks like."

The two mothers were very satisfied after hearing this and thanked Guier repeatedly. Guier asked Miss Zhang Si if she would like to go and see him, and Miss Zhang Si nodded shyly.