A Girl Traveling Through Troubled Times

Gui'er was startled and said, "How is he going to harm us?"

Xu Wenjie said, "I don't know the details. He's said it to me several times, saying that the Sha family didn't give him face and were glaring at him. He's already thought of a way to deal with you and destroy your family. This isn't the first time he's said this. At first, I thought you were just an adopted daughter there and it wouldn't have much of an impact, so I didn't take it to heart. But this time when he came back from Jiangcheng, it seems he did do something. I don't know what it was, but he's probably wary of me, so he didn't tell me. I can only remind you to be careful and sever ties with the Marshal's Mansion if necessary."

When Gui'er heard this, she knew he was serious, so she frowned and said, "I understand. I'll find a way. Thank you for telling me. If there's any new developments, please let me know. It's easy for me to get out of this alone, but I have a sister who's like a biological daughter and is also an adopted daughter in the Marshal's Mansion. There's no way I'll just leave her alone."

Xu Wenjie said, "I also know that you have been raised by the Marshal's Mansion for so many years, and there must be some people in the Mansion with whom you have established family ties, so I have no choice but to remind you first."

Gui'er felt that what Xu Wenjie said was definitely not groundless, but who should she tell about this matter? If she told the people of the Sha family, then when they asked her where the information came from, she would not be able to tell them.

After much thought, Gui'er decided to investigate on her own. She pretended to be concerned and asked Zhou Huifang, "How is your mother doing recently?"

Zhou Huifang said, "She felt better for a few days after you cupping her, but then the temperature suddenly dropped during the Lunar New Year holiday and she started to feel better again."

Guier smiled and said, "Your mother's frail health is a result of long-term accumulation. It's impossible for a single session of physical therapy to cure her. She needs long-term conditioning and recuperation."

Zhou Huifang felt a little embarrassed when she heard this and said to Guier, "Then can you come to my house every few days to do cupping for my mother? She trusts you now."

Gui Er was delighted to hear this, but she pretended to be calm and said with a smile, "Of course it's no problem. We are all classmates. As long as Auntie doesn't mind my unfamiliarity, it's fine."

Upon returning to the Sha Mansion, Gui'er immediately told Madam that she was going to treat Zhou Huifang's mother. Madam was definitely in favor of it, so Gui'er called Song Xichen in front of Madam and Sha Yanyao and said, "Hello, Master Song, I'm Gui'er. It's been a long time since we last met. I have something to trouble you with. My classmate Zhou Huifang's mother needs physical therapy. She needs a set of cupping equipment and a scraping board. Could you please take a message to Liu's Pharmacy and ask Mr. Liu to send a set to me. The address is XX Street, Baicaiyuan District, Nanjing."

Song Xichen was a smart man, and he immediately said enthusiastically, "Okay, I'll go and pass on a message for you. You're back in Nanjing, is everything okay?"

Guier smiled and said, "Yes, I just came back two days ago. Everything is fine. Thank you for your concern, Master Song."

After hanging up the phone, Song Tingting said sarcastically, "You want equipment, why should I let my brother run errands for you?"

Guier smiled and said, "That's because I was able to learn from a master at that pharmacy because they have a connection with the Song family. Sister-in-law, do you remember Aunt Zhang from the Song family's kitchen? She's Shopkeeper Zhang's cousin. Aunt Zhang used to take good care of me. After I left the Song family, because the school was near the Zhenxiufang, she asked her cousin to take care of me."

Song Tingting was speechless after hearing this and said coldly: "Then you are really likable. Everyone who sees you wants to take care of you."

Gui'er smiled but said nothing. She had taken the initiative to disclose this relationship for a reason. She wondered what reason Director Zhou would use to target the Sha family, but then she remembered Sha Yanxiao had mentioned before that Director Zhou had criticized the Marshal's residence for its ineffective suppression of bandits. Now he might use this tactic again, because it was indeed very deadly. After the previous incident of Xu Wenjie's arrest, Gui'er knew that as long as someone was associated with the Revolutionary Party, they could arrest and imprison someone with just a statement, even without evidence.

So she had to find a way to quickly contact Song Xichen and Shopkeepers Zhang and Liu. The solution she thought of was to use the excuse of asking him to help pass the message to Shopkeepers Zhang and Liu, hoping that Song Xichen could understand what she meant.

Soon, the cupping tools and scraping boards arrived. Guier said to Zhou Huifang, "I received these professional cupping tools from my hometown. They should be more effective than the last ones I used."

Zhou Huifang was very happy and quickly asked, "When do you have time to come to my house and help my mother with cupping?"

Guier smiled and said, "It's all fine. Just tell me when it's convenient for you. I'll bring the tools with me on my way to school that day, and we can go to your house together after school."

Zhou Huifang slapped her thigh and said, "Then why not wait for a day? Let's do it tomorrow."

When Gui'er returned to the Sha Mansion that day, she told her wife the news. The wife was very happy and said with a smile, "Guier is indeed capable. When you go to your classmate's house and see Director Zhou, remember to say hello to Director Zhou for me and your brother."

Guier said obediently, "Okay, mother." But in fact, she felt a little funny in her heart. People have tried every possible way to make trouble for her, and she still wanted to get close to them.

The next day after school, she brought cupping tools and went to the Zhou family villa with Zhou Huifang.

This time, Gui Er not only cupped Mrs. Zhou, but also gave her some acupressure massage. After the massage, Mrs. Zhou said repeatedly, "Really, my whole body feels much more relaxed. You are amazing, little classmate."

Guier smiled and said, "Because I told my master about Mrs. Zhou's symptoms, he taught me how to treat her."

Mrs. Zhou and Zhou Huifang were very happy and quickly asked the servants to bring out snacks and tea to entertain Guier.

They were in the living room, drinking tea and chatting, when they suddenly heard a noise. A woman came back from outside. Zhou Huifang saw her and called out, "Auntie, you're back."

Gui'er was stunned when she heard this. Isn't this the woman that Director Zhou brought with him when he passed by Jiangcheng during the Chinese New Year? She was also a teacher in their school, a wealthy widow named Zhang Yunchu.

Guier nodded politely and said, "Hello."

This Zhang Yunchu looked very different from the one Guier saw during the Chinese New Year. She looked extremely haggard, as if she had aged 10 years in an instant.

Hearing Gui'er calling her, Zhang Yunchu looked up and saw that Gui'er was wearing the school uniform of Jinling Girls' Middle School. Thinking that she was recognized by the students, she nodded and went upstairs.

When she was completely out of sight, Gui'er pretended to chat and asked, "Isn't this Teacher Zhang Yunchu from our school? So she's your aunt. I didn't know she was that."