A Girl Traveling Through Troubled Times

Miss Shen said: "Family disgrace should not be made public. I can't say such a shameful thing. Besides, Yan Yao is my husband after all. He is trying desperately to change his situation now, and I can't help him."

Gui'er was quite surprised. She originally thought that Miss Shen didn't like Sha Yanyao at all.

Miss Shen saw Gui'er's surprised expression and smiled, "Your eldest brother and I actually have a pretty good relationship. He's quite talented, but he's just unlucky and injured his leg. He told me that in order to consolidate his position in the Marshal's Mansion, Mother asked the Marshal to bring your second brother back. Unexpectedly, your second brother is so outstanding. In just a few years, he has gained the support of most of the army and has made great contributions. He has no choice but to work so hard to get a position in Nanjing. Mother is also feeling guilty about agreeing to let your second brother come back to take over her son's position, so now she is doing her best to help him."

Gui'er was surprised to hear this for the first time and said, "This is the first time I've heard of this, but hasn't my second brother always been very humble? He went to Fengcheng before, and although he didn't say anything to me, I know he went there for the sake of family harmony."

Miss Shen smiled and said, "Your second brother is indeed quite humble, but his strength is there, and he can't stay under someone else's command for long. When your eldest brother returned to the army, he found that most of the officers supported your second brother, and only obeyed your eldest brother for your father's sake. Under such circumstances, if your father passed away one day, your eldest brother would not be able to take over the position of Marshal, so he chose the right time to move to Nanjing to seek a position."

After hearing this, Gui'er suddenly realized that it was not easy for Sha Yanyao either.

After returning to the Sha Mansion, Sha Yanyao said with a smile, "We played outside for most of the day today. I'm sure you had a lot of fun."

Before Gui'er could speak, Miss Shen smiled and said, "The movie was great, and then we went shopping in the department store and had something to eat."

In the evening, after dinner, Gui'er was reading a newspaper in her room when Yulan walked in. Director Wang often came over recently and was very close to her. Sometimes he simply didn't avoid anyone in the mansion. But seeing that Director Wang liked her, the lady treated her very well, and the servants in the mansion naturally treated her with respect.

She beamed with joy and said to Gui'er, "Sister Gui'er, look, this is the necklace Director Wang gave me."

Guier really didn't know what to think of Dingxiang. Such a person was completely beyond her comprehension. She seemed unfortunate, but not a kind person in the traditional sense. Guier could foresee that her future ending would definitely not be good, but for some reason, she couldn't hate her.

Gui'er thought about it and decided to give her some advice. She said to her, "Sister Yulan, my mother brought you back because she wanted to win over Director Wang. I estimate the money we've spent on this could have bought 100 of these necklaces, but my brother still hasn't secured a position. If one day, my brother and mother become discouraged and stop seeking a position, what will you do? I advise you to think carefully about your future."

After hearing this, Yulan fell into deep thought.

Two days later, Director Wang came to the Sha Mansion for dinner again. That evening, Yulan came to see Guier again. She said to her mysteriously, "Sister Guier, after you told me last time, I tried my best to persuade Director Wang to give you the position, but Director Wang wouldn't say yes or no. What should I do?"

Gui'er was extremely worried. Although Yulan was beautiful, she was not very smart. She should have known not to choose her.

Seeing Gui'er's distressed expression, Yulan quickly said, "Tell me, could it be that I wasn't serving you well enough?"

Gui'er sighed and said to her, "Sister Yulan, I'm just a child. I really don't understand what's going on. Maybe you could ask mother. On the one hand, mother is an adult and knows more. On the other hand, this way, she will also know that you are actively contributing to the family."

Yulan slapped her thigh and said, "Oh, that's right, why didn't I think of that? I'll go find her right away."

Gui Er quickly stopped her and said, "Sister Yulan, when you tell Mother, don't mention me. Just say it was your idea and thought. Mother doesn't like children to have too many ideas."

Yulan patted her chest righteously and said, "Don't worry, sister Gui'er, I know what's going on." Then she turned around and went out to look for the lady.

Gui'er shook her head. Actually, what she meant last time was that she wanted Yulan to think of her own retreat, but she didn't expect that she would think of another way. Now she couldn't explain it.

After Yulan left, Dingxiang came in with a pot of calming tea and poured Guier a cup. She said, "Miss, I'm not saying anything bad about you, but you should spend less time with Yulan. Even the servants look down on her. Don't let others misunderstand you and ruin your reputation."

Gui'er sighed and said, "What else can I do? Mother brought her back and arranged for her to live on the same floor with me. I can't refuse her. Mother needs her right now and it's the right time to be good to her. If I refuse, she might even blame me."

Dingxiang sighed, and Guier said to her, "Please call Ah Cheng over for me. I want to send him out to buy some things."

After a while, Ah Cheng came over, and Gui Er asked him, "Has Wu Mingqiang replied?"

Ah Cheng shook his head and said, "I go to Brother Qiang's place every morning and evening. Brother Qiang said that the Young Marshal is busy lately and he has returned to Jiangcheng. However, he is very busy living in the barracks and I am afraid he may not be able to take care of this matter. Brother Qiang is worried that something has happened to the young lady, so he wants me to ask her. He wants to disguise himself as a servant and sneak in to protect her safety."

Gui'er quickly shook her head and said, "No, you are all Miss Ji's subordinates. You have all been in the Marshal's Mansion before. Even if Mother and Big Brother don't recognize you, I can't guarantee that others won't recognize you. I don't want to complicate things. Please wait patiently. If there is anything I need, I will notify you again."

Ah Cheng nodded and said, "Okay, Miss, if you want to do something, I hope you don't worry. We brothers are skilled. We used to do dirty work in the gangs. We are efficient and will never leave any handles."

Gui'er was stunned for a moment, and immediately understood that Ah Cheng wanted to ask him whether he wanted to get rid of Director Wang.

She shook her head and said, "Don't resort to violence unless it's absolutely necessary. Director Wang is a high-ranking government official. If anything happens to him, we might all be buried with him. There's no need for that."