A Girl Traveling Through Troubled Times

Everyone fell silent after these words were spoken. Wu Dafu quickly tried to smooth things over, saying, "It's been so many years, so it's normal that you don't remember. But a few years ago, his family was considered relatively well-off in the village, with two acres of land. However, the harvest was always poor, and later on, with the addition of many younger siblings, they really couldn't afford to eat. A few months ago, his father was wandering our streets with him and his two younger siblings, and I ran into them. Seeing that he and his siblings all had grass stuck in their hair, I advised his father that the children were already that old, so why sell them off? But our means were limited, so we could only take in one. As for the other two siblings, one was given to an ordinary family without a son as an adopted son, and the younger sister was about nine years old and was later bought as a child bride."

Guier nodded. It was not that she lacked sympathy, but there were too many such things in this era. Not only in Jiangcheng, she had also seen it in Nanjing.

Wu Dafu suddenly said to Gui'er, "Sister, you've grown up. A few days ago, a young lady from a wealthy family asked us to make a few jewelry boxes. I thought the style was quite nice, so I made an extra one for you. Come out and have a look."

When Gui'er heard this, she followed him to the yard out of curiosity. Wu Dafu took out a wooden box from a pile of exquisite stools, cradles and wooden horses. The box was made of sandalwood, the size of two palms, and there were embossed flowers on the lid, which was very exquisite.

Guier likes it very much. The box is a bit delicate, but not particularly luxurious, which is just right for her.

As she was examining it, Wu Dafu suddenly leaned over to Gui'er's ear and whispered, "Taohua and I actually meet secretly from time to time. She'll come to see me when the Third Concubine and her daughter are back home. You two are grown up now, and I'm thinking it's almost time for us to get married. And sister, do you have anyone you like? Don't let the Marshal's Mansion just send you off to those old men."

It turns out that Wu Dafu wanted Gui'er to help him and Taohua get married. Gui'er thought Taohua would definitely agree, but wasn't it a little early? Taohua was the same age as her, only fifteen or sixteen years old, so she said, "Isn't Taohua still a little young?"

Wu Dafu said, "She's not young anymore. You know your brother is very popular now. This year, there have been two or three waves of matchmakers proposing marriage. They are all girls from the neighborhood. I'm embarrassed to tell anyone about this peach blossom thing. After all, she is in the general's mansion. If the news gets out, I'm afraid it will cause trouble, right? So I had to tell people that she was engaged in my hometown. Second brother and second sister-in-law also helped me cover it up, but it's not a big deal after all. I'm just afraid that your general's mansion will marry her off to those rich young men and talented young men from aristocratic families. Then I'll be left with nothing."

Gui Er chuckled and said, "Didn't you just say you were worried about me marrying off to an old man? How come you've become a young talent after meeting Tao Hua?"

Wu Dafu was embarrassed and said hesitantly, "That's not what I meant. The key is that Taohua is really pretty. Ever since I got engaged to her, I've been worried every day for several years."

Gui'er also understood his thoughts, so she said, "I'll talk to Brother Yanxiao later. The only way to marry Taohua to you is through him."

Wu Dafu was filled with joy and said, "Then I'll wait for your good news."

The two men took the wooden box from outside and entered the living room. The people in the room were feeling awkward and uneasy. Wu Dahua nervously rubbed his clothes with his hands.

Miss Zhang Si's two concubines seemed to have aged a bit, so Gui Er asked them, "How's business going in the workshop these days? I see a lot more sandalwood furniture in the yard. Are they all commissioned by other people?"

Wu Dahua said, "That's true. The wood was also brought in by others. We couldn't afford such expensive materials. Our master and his wife's family moved out of town, so some of their customers came to us. Business is better now, and we can finally make a living."

Gui'er said, "That's good. The other two brothers need to be more diligent. Third brother is very eloquent and can take good care of the guests. The whole family depends on you."

Wu Dahua nodded repeatedly. Seeing that the time was almost up, Sha Yanxiao said to Gui'er, "Let's go back."

Wu Dahua, Wu Dafu, Miss Zhang Si, and her two concubines, holding the child, escorted the two out of the courtyard gate. Sha Yanxiao and Gui'er hadn't gone far when they heard the neighbors approach them and ask, "Is this a relative of yours? Judging by their attire, they're definitely not ordinary people. Where did they make their fortune?"

Wu Dafu quickly said, "This is a distant relative from the provincial capital, just passing by to take a look."

Sha Yanxiao and Gui'er returned to the car in silence, started the engine vigorously, and drove towards the Marshal's residence.

Not far from the car, Gui'er saw another smoking den. She couldn't help but say to Sha Yanxiao, "Brother, you used to hate those gambling dens and smoking dens, thinking they were demoralizing and shutting down many of them. How come I see so many new ones opening up again this time when I come back?"

Sha Yanxiao sighed. "Our Jiangcheng economy has always relied on those two mines, but now that war is raging in other areas, we're unable to collect the money we've shipped out for some of our minerals. These casinos and opium dens were opened by people who fled from surrounding areas. They have some capital and connections, and my father said that as long as they pay the high taxes, he'll help out. So for now, we're turning a blind eye."

Gui'er couldn't understand. "But if we open this loophole, I'm afraid it will get out of control. Besides, tobacco and gambling casinos have always been gathering places for desperate criminals. I'm afraid these people will be used by foreign forces."

Sha Yanxiao said helplessly: "Father allowed it, and I can't change it. Besides, Father is smoking opium himself now..."

Gui'er was shocked. She had heard Sha Yanxiao say that the Marshal was so thin because of smoking, but she hadn't thought about it that way. She said, "How could this be? This opium is extremely destructive to one's will. My father, a high-ranking official, has been exposed to this stuff. How can this be?"

Sha Yanxiao frowned and said, "I don't know what happened to him. He suddenly got into this stuff. When I found out, he refused to listen to my advice. His temperament has changed since he started smoking opium. No matter what he did before, he would never be so harsh on Big Brother."

Gui'er thought about it carefully and realized that it was indeed the case. She was a little skeptical, wondering if it was Mrs. Song, but then she realized that Mrs. Song herself didn't smoke.

She felt that the situation in Jiangcheng was becoming increasingly complicated, and she had to contact Song Xichen as soon as possible. On the other hand, she had not heard from Shopkeeper Liu and Shopkeeper Zhang since they returned to Nanjing, and she was very worried about their situation.