A Girl Traveling Through Troubled Times

It was already afternoon when the train arrived in Shanghai. The fourth concubine sent Sha Yanwen to tell Sha Yanyao that she would visit Director Shen's house another day, and then left with her two children.

Sha Yanyao and his party then got on the car sent by Director Shen to pick them up and returned to the old house in Shanghai which was originally owned by Director Shen.

Guier sat in the car, looking out curiously. Because this section of the road was not affected by the war, it was no different from before, except that the pedestrians on the road had become hurried. In the past, there were fashionable rich ladies strolling leisurely on the road, but now they were nowhere to be seen. Instead, there were many Japanese ronin in kimonos, strolling on the road in a swaggering manner.

Sha Yanyao frowned and said, "It seems that Japan has great ambitions and has already blatantly infiltrated non-war zones."

The car arrived at the gate of the Shen residence. Director Shen and Mrs. Shen were standing at the gate to greet them. Mrs. Shen was all smiles. When she saw Miss Shen getting out of the car, she hurried over and said, "Shu'er, look how come you've become so thin in just a few months?"

Sha Yanyao smiled and said, "I often advise her to eat more, but she misses her parents-in-law and was even sick in bed a while ago."

Mrs. Shen said quickly, "How come this child is the same as when he was little? Still so homesick? Now that you're back, why don't you stay for a while? I'll find a doctor to prescribe some medicine for you, and add some dietary therapy to take good care of you."

Director Shen patted Sha Yanyao on the shoulder and said, "I heard that you and your brother are having a conflict. Is that true?"

Sha Yanyao was stunned for a moment, then laughed and said, "Who on earth is spreading rumors like this? My second brother went to Fengcheng to suppress the bandits, and he hasn't been home for a while. I didn't expect someone to spread the rumor like this. It's ridiculous."

Director Shen gave him a meaningful look and said, "That's good, but now that your leg is healed, it's time to take back all the military affairs. It's also a good idea for you to send your brother out to fight bandits."

Sha Yanyao nodded repeatedly, and then several people walked into the house. No one paid any attention to Gui'er, so she had to follow them into the house like a little maid, holding her small shoulder bag.

As soon as they entered the house, the housekeeper instructed the servants to put the things in the rooms they had arranged for Sha Yanyao and Miss Shen. A servant brought from Jiangcheng asked the housekeeper, "Where should Miss Gui'er put her things?"

The housekeeper was stunned for a moment, and Guier saw that they didn't know in advance that Guier would come with them.

At this time, Director Shen and Mrs. Shen also looked over. Director Shen's face looked a little unhappy. He said directly to Sha Yanyao, "Isn't this your adopted daughter? How come she has grown so big? What's the meaning of bringing her here this time? Are your parents planning to stuff her into your room as a little girl?"

Gui'er was stunned. If she had known this, she would never have agreed to come with Miss Shen. Director Shen had an illegitimate child and thought everyone was the same as him.

Sha Yanyao and Miss Shen were also stunned when they heard this. Miss Shen quickly said, "Father, what are you talking about? I asked Gui'er to come with me."

Sha Yanyao also smiled and said, "Father-in-law, you know that this child originally lived with my second brother. Didn't my second brother go to Fengcheng to suppress bandits? She was alone in the courtyard with no one to take care of her, so we let her live with us."

Mrs. Shen glanced at Director Shen with a look of reproach and said, "Alas, your father is just guessing. Don't take it seriously. The housekeeper can just move the child's luggage to the side room in the west corner."

This house was originally the Marshal's residence. Gui'er lived here when she first came to Shanghai. She knew that the side room in the west corner was originally used to store sundries. The room in that location was the smallest of all the rooms.

Miss Shen felt a little sorry and said, "Is there no other room?"

Mrs. Shen said, "Your father likes a lot of things. He set up several tea rooms, painting rooms and living rooms, and all the rooms are used. Children are active anyway, so they probably don't spend much time in the room. It's okay, right?" The last sentence was said to Guier.

Guier smiled and said, "Oh, I'm fine with it. As long as I have a room to sleep in, that's all I need."

Then the housekeeper asked the servants to put Guier's luggage in the side room.

Mrs. Shen said to everyone, "You all should go back and rest for a while. I will call you when it's time for dinner."

Gui'er knew that this sentence was mainly said to her, and Mrs. Shen must have a lot of private words to say to her daughter, so she tactfully went to the side room.

When I walked into the room, I saw Dingxiang packing Guier's luggage with a resentful look on her face, hanging out clothes, and saying as she packed, "How can anyone live in this room? Look at how old this wardrobe is, the paint is peeling."

Gui'er sighed and said, "Forget it, I'll just stay here. It's just a few days anyway."

Dingxiang said, "Miss, you're so easy to talk to. Ever since I started serving you, you've been the best-fashioned person in the mansion, except for Miss Lily. No one can tell you're not a biological child. Even when you recently moved to the main house, your wardrobe and tables were at best made of rosewood. What's that now?"

Guier knew that she was not necessarily speaking up for herself, but that once the master's treatment was reduced, the servants' treatment or reputation would also be degraded.

I could only smile and say to her, "You know we're at home now, aren't we away from home? How can we care so much when we're guests at someone else's house? Stop talking now. If someone hears me, they'll think I'm dissatisfied with the Shen family, and then there will be more trouble. You've been sitting in the car for so long, and you must be tired. Go and tidy up your bed and have a rest. I'll find you if there's anything."

After Dingxiang left, Guier was bored. As a guest, she would attract attention if she went out, so she had to stay in the room.

Guier remembered that the Song family's villa in Shanghai was behind this courtyard, and there happened to be a window in her room facing the aisle on the side of the courtyard, so she opened the window and stuck her head out to see what the Song family's villa was like now.

Because of the different location, she could only see a small part of the Song family villa. It was very quiet and there were not many people. She stared at the door of the Song family villa for a long time, but not even a servant came in or out.

Gui'er was bored and was about to retract her head. When she turned around, she suddenly caught a glimpse of the housekeeper she had just met standing at a corner of the alley and talking to someone. She couldn't help but become curious, so she leaned forward and stretched her neck to see who it was.

But the man was blocked by the wall at the corner, and Guier couldn't see him at all. After staring for a while and just about to give up, the man took a step forward, and Guier saw that he was wearing a pair of clogs.