A Girl Traveling Through Troubled Times

After school, Guier said to Ah Cheng, "Brother Ah Cheng, go to Shopkeeper Zhang's place."

Arriving at the inn, Zhang, the shopkeeper, saw her as if he had seen a savior. He quickly took her hand and asked, "How is it going?"

Guier said, "I've already told my eldest brother to ask Director Tian to be flexible and see if 40 gold bars are acceptable."

Shopkeeper Zhang said awkwardly, "I don't even have 40 gold bars."

Guier smiled and comforted her, "Don't worry, take a rest first. We haven't seen each other for a few days, so let's talk about personal matters first."

Ah Cheng and Du Lao Er heard this and said tactfully, "Then you two can chat while we go out for a cigarette."

After they left, Gui'er confirmed they weren't eavesdropping at the door, then said to Shopkeeper Zhang, "Look, Shopkeeper Zhang, I've already met with Xichen and the leaders here. They've raised 40 gold bars for Shopkeeper Liu, and they've handed them over to me today. I'll go back and give them to Sha Yanyao. If anyone asks you about it, just say you borrowed it from a loan shark and will sell those two shops to pay it back."

Shopkeeper Zhang said, "Ah? How can that be? That's our contact point, established for many years. It's the road that has sheltered many comrades passing through."

Gui'er quickly said, "Don't worry. This is Brother Xichen's opinion. He said that the contact point has become semi-transparent. Although they can't find any evidence, they will definitely go there if there is any sign of trouble. So we have to find a new address and establish a new contact point."

Shopkeeper Zhang thought for a moment and nodded, but then she added worriedly, "The contact point is rented, and even if we sell the goods, we won't be able to fetch 40 gold bars. Also, will Director Tian accept half the amount?"

Gui'er said, "You and Manager Liu are just ordinary small businessmen. You can't squeeze out much profit. I believe he knows that. As for the origin of the gold bars, as long as he can get the money, I don't think he will delve into the details of where the money came from. You can just say that you bought the country property and ancestral jewelry."

Shopkeeper Zhang thought about it for a moment and nodded. Seeing that she was still frowning, Gui'er comforted her again before going back with peace of mind.

That night, Gui'er found Sha Yanyao and handed the 40 gold bars to him.

Sha Yanyao took the heavy bag of gold bars in his hand, weighed it, and said, "This shopkeeper Zhang has done his best. How many couples have fled when disaster struck? She is willing to sell her belongings to save her husband."

Guier smiled and said, "They have a good relationship. Besides, Manager Liu is the pillar of their family, so he must be saved."

Sha Yanyao thought for a moment and said, "Actually, I've already told Director Tian that they can't come up with that much, but he meant that they should give as much as they can. 40 gold bars is half of what they need, so it might be a little short. How about you ask her for ten more gold bars?"

Gui'er was anxious and was about to explain to him again that Manager Zhang really couldn't come up with so much money, when she suddenly remembered what Sha Yanyao had said before, that he also wanted benefits.

She thought to herself, "Sha Yanyao hasn't even asked Director Tian for help yet, so why does he want ten more gold bars? Could it be that he wants it himself?" But even so, Gui'er could do nothing about it. However, Chen Zhongyu and Song Xichen had already tried their best, and it would probably be difficult for her to go find them again.

After thinking for a moment, Gui'er said, "Given Manager Liu's financial situation, these 40 gold bars have probably been sold out. She said she's already borrowed money from the bank, some relatives and friends, and even some loan sharks. She's really at her wit's end. How about this? I'll call and ask my second brother."

Sha Yanyao smiled and said, "Gui'er, you really treat Manager Liu as your own. Isn't Second Brother's money our family's money?"

Gui Er said with a sad face, "There's nothing I can do. They can't come up with that much money, and I can't stand by and watch Manager Liu always be suspected of being a communist. It will implicate me."

After hearing this, Sha Yanyao said, "That's right. Sorry for putting it in a difficult position. Then try calling Yanyao."

Gui'er nodded and picked up the phone in front of Sha Yanyao and called the Jiangcheng Marshal's Mansion.

Sha Yanxiao answered the phone and was surprised to hear Guier's voice. He said, "Guier, is that you? Why did you call back suddenly? What's the matter?" Because the phone calls in both Nanjing and Jiangcheng were easily monitored, Guier didn't call back very often.

Gui'er said, "Second brother, how are you doing lately? Are you busy with work?"

Sha Yanxiao smiled and said, "I'm fine. How are you? How are your studies? The holiday is just over a month away. When you come back, I'll have prepared some delicious and fun things for you."

Gui'er felt a surge of warmth in her heart, but she still wanted to get down to business. She said, "Second brother, do you remember when my master, Manager Liu, was arrested?"

Sha Yanxiao paused and said, "Remember, the matter hasn't been resolved yet?"

Gui'er said, "It's almost resolved, but Director Tian wants 50 gold bars before he'll release me. Shopkeeper Zhang sold everything he had and only managed to scrape together 40. Could you lend me ten gold bars? I'll return them when I get back from vacation."

In fact, Gui'er did have ten gold bars and 50 silver dollars. These were the money that Sha Yanxiao had opened for her in an account and deposited in a bank safe when she was in Shanghai. However, it was not convenient to talk about it on the phone, so I could only hint at it and believe that Sha Yanxiao remembered it.

Sha Yanxiao chuckled over the phone and said, "Manager Liu is your master. It's only natural that you want to save him. Let me tell you this: I'll have Wu Mingqiang deliver the gold bars to you in the next two days. You should study hard over there."

Gui'er was very excited and quickly said, "Okay, thank you, brother."

After hanging up the phone, she said to Sha Yanyao, "My second brother agreed and said he would send it over in the next two days."

Sha Yanyao nodded and said, "Your second brother is very wealthy and cares about you. I would like to help you out, but after Director Zhou's previous raid, I'm already short of money."

Gui'er couldn't figure out whether Sha Yanyao was sincere or not, but she had to save face, so she quickly said, "I've already caused you a lot of trouble living with you, big brother. You've also taken care of me in Nanjing. I know about the big things that happened at home. I don't want to pay for it, but Manager Liu, this matter won't go away overnight. It's always a hidden danger. Besides, you're going to work at that club soon, which won't be good for you either."

Sha Yanyao seemed deeply touched by what he heard. He stood up, patted Gui'er's head, and said, "My sister is the only one in this family who cares about others. When I first came to Nanjing, I thought I could make a career, but it cost me a lot just to bribe Director Wang to get the position. In the end, Director Zhou found out and felt that he had lost a lot of money by not asking him for help. He came to blackmail me, and I didn't give him anything, which led to all the trouble later. But don't worry, this time Director Tian has received help from my father in the past, and he must really want to help me. He even married his niece to me. It shouldn't be a big problem. I must take back what belongs to me."