A Girl Traveling Through Troubled Times

Gui'er went back and told Sha Yanxiao the whole story. Sha Yanxiao paused for a moment and said, "How could someone as proud as Lily get involved with someone like that? I'm afraid it was his mother and father's idea."

Gui'er said puzzledly, "What's the point? He has a wife, and there's no way he'd let Lily marry him."

Sha Yanxiao smiled and said, "If you can't be my wife, you can be my concubine. Merchants are allowed to have concubines anyway."

Gui'er widened her eyes. She was very confused. How could the daughter of a great marshal give up being his wife and become a concubine?

Sha Yanxiao looked at her surprised expression, smiled, patted her head and said, "You don't have to accept Tang's invitation anymore."

Guier nodded, and now she can rest assured.

The New Year is just a few days away. The Marshal said that the current situation is unclear and it is not appropriate to be too extravagant. However, since it is the New Year, we have to do something nice, so the villa is still decorated with lights and colors.

It was the 28th of the lunar year, and Sha Yanxiao finally had some free time. He said to Gui'er, "Didn't you say you wanted to visit my alma mater? Let's go."

Gui'er muttered after hearing this: "What's the point of going now? Everyone has gone home for the New Year, and there will only be a few houses to see."

Sha Yanxiao smiled, patted Gui'er's head and said, "It can't be helped. I have too many social engagements."

Dali said from the side: "He doesn't have any social engagements, he's just dating Miss Chen."

When Gui'er heard the news, her curiosity was piqued again. She asked, "How's it going? Has there been any progress between my brother and Miss Chen?"

Sha Yanxiao glared at Dali and said, "I don't know if Miss Chen is anxious about her age, but she keeps showing up at the places I want to visit. She also tries every possible way to find out about my schedule from others, which is really giving me a headache."

Gui Er asked curiously, "Miss Chen is so in love with you, don't you think about it?"

Sha Yanxiao shook his head helplessly and said, "I've experienced women like your sister-in-law. I don't want to find someone who only wants to live a life of luxury and debauchery. Even women should have their own ideals and careers."

Gui Er suddenly thought of Miss Shen and sighed, "Didn't my eldest brother also find someone like that, and they still got divorced?"

Sha Yanxiao smiled and said, "That's all because of my wife. She herself is a worthless person who is not valued by her husband. Naturally, she can't tolerate a dynamic and thoughtful person. Come on, I'll take you to see my alma mater."

So they arrived at St. John's University. As expected, since it was almost Chinese New Year, not many people were around. However, Gui'er felt a sense of peace as she looked at the arcade-style buildings that blended Eastern and Western styles, the modern British-style apartments, the French country villas, the gardens and lawns, and the riverside scenery. She said to Sha Yanxiao, "If I had the chance, I really hope to study here."

Sha Yanxiao smiled and said, "That's easy. Just study hard, and I'll send you over here to study when the time comes."

Gui'er was about to happily say yes, but suddenly she remembered that the Battle of Shanghai would break out in 1937, which was only a few years away. She would not have graduated from high school by then, so she was afraid that she would not have a chance.

Thinking of this, she looked at the beautiful campus with a bit of regret. Sha Yanxiao saw the sadness in her eyes and said, "What's wrong? Are you suddenly unhappy?"

Gui'er quickly said, "No, I just feel a little cold."

Sha Yanxiao quickly took off his coat and put it on her, saying, "I forgot it was so windy outside. Let's go back."

Gui'er nodded, and the few of them walked back.

When they reached the school gate, Sha Yanxiao stood there and looked back deeply. Gui'er saw the reluctance in his eyes and pulled his hand. Sha Yanxiao turned around, smiled at her and said, "Let's go."

Gui'er couldn't help but think that if he had a choice, Sha Yanxiao probably wouldn't become a warlord.

After returning to the villa, Guier began to prepare for the New Year in an orderly manner.

As a result, early in the morning on New Year's Eve, Guier got up and went to the restaurant for breakfast, and found that everyone looked a little strange.

Gui'er hurriedly asked Taohua secretly what was going on?

Taohua whispered, "I just received a call from Jiangcheng saying that Marshal Zhang is dying. I'm afraid it will only take a day or two."

At this time, the Marshal and his wife came over, and everyone pretended that they knew nothing and started eating breakfast.

The lady asked, "Master, what are you going to do about that matter?"

The Marshal sighed and said, "What bad luck! It's New Year's Day, and something like this happened. Let's just ignore it for now and ask the doctor to do his best. We're not doctors, so we'll just go back and stare at each other."

After breakfast, Gui'er was reading in her room when Sha Yanxiao suddenly came over and said to her, "Marshal Zhang's condition has worsened. I need to go back."

Gui'er was surprised and said, "Didn't Father tell the doctor to do his best and that we don't have to go back?"

Sha Yanxiao patted Gui'er's head and said, "We need to be on guard against any unusual movements by Marshal Zhang's men in Fengcheng. I'm going back now, mainly to garrison Fengcheng."

Gui'er was a little worried: "Will it be dangerous?"

Sha Yanxiao smiled and said, "It's just a precaution. In fact, in the past two years, those who were originally loyal to Marshal Zhang have basically been coerced and bribed into changing sides. But now that Marshal Zhang's situation has changed, we still have to be on guard to avoid any unexpected situations that catch us off guard."

Gui'er nodded obediently and said, "Then be careful, brother."

Sha Yanxiao said to Gui'er, "I'm taking Dali with me. If you need anything, go find Ah Cheng. I've also left Wu Mingqiang in Shanghai to continue searching for Director Shen's assets. If you need anything, call Ah Cheng and go find Wu Mingqiang. I'm leaving now."

Gui'er nodded, and Sha Yanxiao took her hand and walked to the gate. Sha Yanxiao didn't bring any luggage, so he got in the car and left.

The Third Wife asked Gui Er curiously, "Where is your brother going? He's out on New Year's Eve and he's not eating the New Year's Eve dinner."

Before Gui'er could answer, the Marshal said, "I asked him to go out and do something for me. Do you want to take care of this? He has so many things to do every day."

The third concubine quickly lowered her head and dared not speak.

In the evening, we sat together and had a sumptuous New Year's Eve dinner. It was strange that in Shanghai, there were no firecrackers or fireworks during the New Year. There were only some children playing in the streets with colorful lanterns.

Gui'er asked the housekeeper curiously, "Why have the customs changed in Shanghai? Don't we set off firecrackers or fireworks during the New Year anymore?"

The housekeeper smiled bitterly and said, "It's not that we don't want to, but we don't dare. The Japanese are so close to us now, watching them closely every day, looking for excuses to attack. We all know it, and we're worried that they'll mistake the sound of firecrackers for gunfire or explosions. If they say we fired shots, they'll take the opportunity to attack us. What will we do then?"