A Girl Traveling Through Troubled Times

He Ruizhu was shocked when she heard this and said, "Even your family dares to blackmail you. How high-ranking an official must you be?"

Gui'er smiled bitterly and said, "There are always people above you. Our family isn't a communist party. Don't believe their nonsense. By the way, did Tong Yujun write to you?"

He Ruizhu said, "Yes, she is. She is studying in Hong Kong now. It seems that her fiancé visits her from time to time. Moreover, the Song family has moved some of their business to Hong Kong. I'm afraid this is specially prepared for the second young master to settle down in Hong Kong in the future. She is really lucky. She also asked about you and said that she wanted to write to you, but was afraid that you wouldn't receive it."

Gui'er sighed. "I'm studying in Nanjing and living with my adoptive mother. She's quite strict and always interrogates me about everything. When the time comes, please write back to her and tell her I miss her a lot. I'll also send her a postcard later. Her address should still be the same as before, right?"

He Ruizhu nodded and said, "Yes, their family built a large compound in Hong Kong. It's very impressive, and their business is doing very well. However, after her father moved there, he married two concubines and also married her sister to the leader of a local Hong Kong gang. He seems to be in his fifties or sixties, but he is very powerful. It is said that even the Governor of Hong Kong has to give him face."

Gui'er sighed and said, "It feels like the carefree days when the three of us were in school together are gone forever."

He Ruizhu was stunned for a moment, then said helplessly, "It's impossible for a person to be a child forever."

Guier smiled and said, "That's right."

The two of them finished their cakes and left. Before leaving, Gui'er said to He Ruizhu, "If you need any help, you can come to the Marshal's Mansion to find me. If I'm not here and have gone to Nanjing, you can find my second brother."

She felt that after He Ruizhu's father passed away, although the He family had both men and women, they were all elderly, weak, women and children, and there would probably be some twists and turns.

After coming out of the shop, He Ruizhu called a rickshaw and left. Ah Cheng came over and asked, "Miss, are you going home now?"

Gui'er nodded, and he drove the car over. Originally, Gui'er wanted to find an opportunity to meet Song Xichen, but she didn't find one. She couldn't look for Song Xichen openly, so she could only return home first.

As the car slowly drove forward, Gui'er suddenly realized that the streets were indeed more prosperous than before. There were many more shops and restaurants, and more people were walking on the streets. She couldn't help but say to Ah Cheng, "Why do I feel that the streets are so lively? In the past, it seemed that there were only so many people during the Chinese New Year."

Ah Cheng smiled and said, "I've heard from other brothers in the mansion that the situation in Shanghai is not good, and many factory and shop owners have fled to the surrounding areas, so our rural area has benefited. They think that we are different from other places. We have never fought a war. Even when Marshal Zhang wanted to attack us, it was resolved peacefully by the Young Marshal in the end. With such a capable official, there will definitely be no problem."

Guier smiled. Although Ah Cheng's words contained some flattery to Sha Yanxiao, it was also true that due to the bad situation in Shanghai, this side benefited from it.

She was admiring the scenery outside the car window in a trance, and seeing this, Ah Cheng slowed down the car.

Suddenly, Guier discovered that there were flags with large opium pipes hanging in many alleys. She was a little shocked. Since Sha Yanxiao took charge, he has always had the attitude of banning casinos and opium dens as soon as they were discovered. How come they are quietly appearing now?

Could it be that there is a new force in this city that even Sha Yanxiao is afraid of?

Gui'er learned her lesson this time. She did not ask Ah Cheng directly, but returned to the Marshal's Mansion calmly.

When Sha Yanxiao returned from the military headquarters that evening, Gui'er suggested going to see Wu Dahua and Wu Dafu. She smiled and said, "I bought some things at Xinxin Department Store today, and I'm going to take them with me. Their children should be quite old now."

Sha Yanxiao agreed and said he would take her with him tomorrow.

The next day, Sha Yanxiao brought Dali, drove a car, brought gifts and Guier to Miss Zhang Si's house. In order not to attract attention, Sha Yanxiao wore casual clothes and parked the car on the main road. After walking for ten minutes, he arrived at the alley where their house was.

The courtyard gate stood open, a plaque hung at the entrance, inscribed in red on a black background: "Wu's Furniture." Stepping into the courtyard, several wooden lattice windows greeted her, letting in dappled light. Rows of unpainted table and chair blanks lined the walls, and sawdust littered the floor. At a large desk in the center, Wu Dahua, wearing an apron, was intently sanding a carved bedstead. The plane steadily pushed through the wood, sending shavings curling down. Nearby, a half-grown child, one Gui'er had never seen before, busied himself drilling holes in furniture parts, the sound of a hammer pounding incessantly.

There were several customers in the store, some of them stroked the tables and chairs to feel the texture, while others discussed the style with Wu Dafu.

Seeing someone enter the courtyard, Wu Dafu looked up and saw Gui'er. He was very surprised. Just as he was about to greet them, he glanced at the guests in front of him and had to smile at them. Then he said to the inner room: "Someone from my hometown is coming. Come out quickly."

After a while, Miss Zhang Si and her two concubines came out holding a child. Seeing Sha Yanxiao and Gui'er, and then looking at the guests in the courtyard, they hurriedly said, "Please go into the living room and sit for a while."

Miss Zhang Si's identity cannot be revealed to anyone, as everyone knows it, so they all have a tacit understanding and walk into the living room with a smile without saying a word.

Gui'er placed the biscuits, malted milk, and several bags of gifts prepared by Sha Yanxiao on the table. Miss Zhang Si said happily, "When did you come back from Nanjing? I see you've grown a lot taller now, like a grown-up girl."

Guier smiled and said, "School is on vacation, so I came back for a vacation." Then she reached out and teased Miss Zhang Si's child. The child looked half like his father and half like his mother. His nose was flat, but his big round eyes were particularly bright. Guier smiled as soon as she touched his little face.

At this time, the customers who came to view the goods left. Wu Dafu and Wu Dahua hurried in from outside and asked Sha Yanxiao and Guier to sit down. The two concubines of Miss Jiang Si hurried to make tea.

Everyone was sitting together in a cheerful mood. Sha Yanxiao said, "Your business is doing well now. You've even hired help."

Wu Dahua and Wu Dafu were stunned and asked Gui'er, "Sister, don't you recognize him? He's the youngest son of Wang Gou'er, the family at the entrance of our village. He's only a few years younger than you. When he was little, he used to play right behind you."

How could Gui'er possibly remember? When she traveled here, her biological father had already bought her aboard a flower boat, so she had no memories of her past. She smiled and said, "I injured my head when I first came to Jiangcheng, and I've almost forgotten everything about my childhood."