A Girl Traveling Through Troubled Times

Maybe it was because of this box that the guests and hosts were very harmonious and happy at the banquet.

Of course, the dinner was also extravagant. On a carved copper plate, steamed sea bass lay in a silvery broth, its cuts interspersed with ham and thinly sliced shiitake mushrooms. On another plate, braised pork, smothered in rich, rich sauce, was perfectly shaped and plump, its bright red hue radiating a brilliant, sugary sheen. Each cut of meat was distinctly layered, the lean meat crisp and textured, the fat translucent. In a porcelain bowl, a dish called "Buddha Jumps Over the Wall" featured a rich, gelatinous broth, including abalone, sea cucumber, and pigeon eggs. The broth was thick and viscous, and the aroma permeated the air as it steamed. Exquisite side dishes were arranged in a staggered pattern, showcasing a balanced mix of meat and vegetables. Gui'er had enjoyed plenty of good food during her time at the Marshal's residence, but this dinner was undoubtedly her finest, a testament to the Madam's dedication.

As the banquet was coming to an end, everyone was a little tipsy and relaxed. Director Tian and Director Wang both had blushes on their faces.

The wife raised her glass and said to Director Tian, "We originally had no relatives or friends in Nanjing, so Director Wang was the only one willing to look after us. Yan Yao is a cautious child, but he's too young. Sometimes he might offend people without knowing why he did something. It's just like Director Zhou before. We explained to him over and over again about a small misunderstanding, but it was no use. Now that you're here, I hope you'll take good care of him in the future."

Director Tian was already a little drunk, but upon hearing this, he smiled and said, "Don't worry, sister-in-law. These are just some minor misunderstandings. As long as our family is not involved in the Communist Party, everything will be fine. It will be fine in a few days."

When the people present heard this, they immediately understood that Director Tian was not going to pursue the matter. They all breathed a sigh of relief, smiled happily, and thanked Director Tian one after another.

The next day, Gui Er returned to the Sha Mansion from school and saw Wu Mingqiang sitting there. Gui Er was very excited and ran over to Wu Mingqiang and said, "Brother Wu, you're back. Are you okay?"

Wu Mingqiang quickly stood up and said, "Thank you for your concern, Miss. Although we've been beaten a few times, it's nothing serious. We're used to it and can handle it."

Gui'er saw that he didn't have any obvious injuries, but she still said with concern: "Why don't you go to the hospital to check it out, so that you don't develop any chronic illness."

The wife was also sitting beside him, crossing her legs and saying, "Now that you're out, you must be careful and don't cause any more trouble. If there's nothing else, go back to Jiangcheng."

Wu Mingqiang said respectfully: "Yes, I came here mainly to see if the young lady, madam and young master are safe and sound. I'll be relieved if they are all right." After that, he stood up and said goodbye.

Gui'er walked him out to the courtyard. Seeing that no one else had followed him out, she asked softly, "Brother Wu, when you came out, had Song Xichen and Manager Liu been released?"

Wu Mingqiang said, "I was the first one out. From what I heard from the people inside, Director Tian was planning to extort money from the Song family, so he hadn't released Young Master Song yet. As for Shopkeeper Liu, Director Tian felt that he was indeed suspected of being a Communist, so he didn't intend to release him."

Gui'er felt something was amiss, but couldn't say it out loud. She said, "He won't release Manager Liu. Does that mean he still suspects the Sha family?"

Wu Mingqiang shook his head and said, "According to the man who released me, Director Tian was cursing Director Zhou, saying he was full of nonsense and had been trying to get money by tying up with the Sha family. He missed the opportunity to catch the Communists. He said that Manager Liu was still a suspect and that we should continue to follow him."

Gui'er didn't expect that Director Tian was even more cunning than Director Zhou. She was immediately anxious, but she couldn't show it, so she had to smile and send Wu Mingqiang away.

Then she returned to the house and said to Sha Yanyao, "Brother, I heard that Director Tian only released Wu Mingqiang, and hasn't released Manager Liu and Song Xichen yet. Does he have a backup plan? Should we take some more action?"

Sha Yanyao shook his head and said, "Director Tian is quite capable. He saw through this matter immediately. Director Zhou was trying to frame us, so he released Wu Mingqiang first. As for Xichen, he probably wanted to extort money from Song Jia again."

Then he turned to Song Tingting and said, "Call your parents and ask them to prepare the money. I think they'll release him as soon as the money arrives."

Then he turned to Gui'er and said, "As for that Shopkeeper Liu, I know he was your medical teacher, but how did he happen to show up right next to a Communist stronghold? There's no way to deny this, right? Director Zhou used your master-disciple relationship to drag my family into this. Don't bother with this guy; he's just an ordinary citizen. Don't let him get into trouble later."

Seeing that he didn't want to care about it anymore, Gui'er had to go back to her room quietly.

The next day, as soon as school started, Guier went to the teacher's office to look for Miss Shen. Coincidentally, no one else was in the teacher's office, so she said directly to Miss Shen, "Sister Feng Shu, I need to contact Xu Wenjie right now."

After hearing this, Miss Shen quickly said, "Okay, I'll contact them right away. You can go to the school printing room after school."

After school, Guier deliberately lingered until most of her classmates had left and no one was paying attention to her, then she ran to the printing room.

Xu Wenjie was indeed there. Gui'er said to him anxiously, "Wu Mingqiang was released yesterday. He said that if the Song family was willing to pay a sum of money, Song Xichen would be released immediately. However, Manager Liu and Director Tian suspect him of collaborating with the Communist Party and don't intend to release him. He's in a very dangerous situation now. I tried to test Sha Yanyao yesterday, but they didn't want to intervene. They also told me not to get involved, fearing that I would be trapped again. There's nothing I can do about it."

Xu Wenjie frowned upon hearing this, sighed, and said, "Because I was recruited by Director Zhou, and now that Director Tian has arrived, I've been marginalized. I'm just doing clerical work now, and I don't know a lot of information."

Gui'er said, "Can we think of another way? For example, pretend to be sick and take him out for treatment."

Xu Wenjie shook his head and said, "I'm afraid it's going to be difficult. Director Tian is a new official and is keeping a very close eye on things."

Gui Er said angrily, "Are these people mentally ill? The Japanese are already stationed in Shanghai, ready to invade the mainland at any time. How can they still be in the mood for internal strife?"

Xu Wenjie's eyes lit up when he heard this and he said, "I think I heard that Director Shen will be going to Shanghai to carry out a mission later."

Gui Er was puzzled and said, "So what? Just because he's gone, can we let Manager Liu go? What if he comes back to hold you accountable?"

Xu Wenjie shook his head and said, "No, it's because the Japanese are probably preparing to attack the mainland. The higher-ups may have to shift the focus of their work to fighting the Japanese. When the time comes, they'll arrange for medical parole to see if they can get Manager Liu out."