A Girl Traveling Through Troubled Times

The Marshal and Director Tian were flattering each other the whole night. Gui'er still sat at the children's table and didn't need to worry about the adults' affairs and just focused on eating. It was said that the table had all kinds of delicacies from land and sea, such as abalone, sea cucumber, shark's fin and bird's nest. She rarely had the chance to eat such delicious food in Nanjing.

After eating, I looked around to watch the fun.

She suddenly noticed that Miss Tian was always looking at Sha Yanxiao with a smile on her face. When Sha Yanxiao saw her, she smiled charmingly. Sha Yanxiao smiled politely and turned his head away.

This situation seemed familiar, as if Mrs. Song smiled at the Marshal in this way. Gui'er widened her eyes, a little bit incredulous, but after thinking about it, it should be impossible. After all, Miss Tian had only been here for two days, and after she came back from Nanjing, Gui'er knew Sha Yanxiao's whereabouts very well. It was impossible for her to have the opportunity to meet Miss Tian alone.

Could it be that after seeing Sha Yanxiao, Miss Tian decided that the younger brother was better? But she was already engaged to Sha Yanyao.

After dinner, they returned to Sha Yanxiao's courtyard. Gui'er called Dingxiang to her room and said to her, "Have you heard anything about Mother, Big Brother, and Miss Tian these past few days since you came back?"

Ding Xiang's eyes lit up when she heard this. "Miss, I'm not gossiping. You're the one asking me this yourself. I heard from the maids in Madam's room that Miss Tian goes out alone every day. On the other hand, Miss Jin Bao only went out for a few days after she arrived, and then she stayed in the courtyard to serve Madam. She also often goes to the eldest young master's room, saying that she wants to learn from him."

"Ask me for advice? Does Miss Tian know?"

"I know. They said they had run into each other once or twice. But Miss Tian was very generous and didn't misunderstand anything. She also said that Miss Jinbao was alone here with no relatives or friends. If the young master was free, he could even accompany her for a walk."

"Ah? What does this mean?"

"Miss, please don't ask me. How would I know? The maid over there heard it. She said exactly what she said. She said Miss Tian was very generous and worthy of being a lady from a wealthy family. Her demeanor was different from that of ordinary people from small families. Moreover, the servants over there also said that Miss Tian was not Director Tian's niece, but his biological daughter, born to Director Tian's concubines outside. So she is very used to those men marrying three wives and four concubines."

Gui'er thought this was a bit outrageous, so she said to Dingxiang, "Just listen to what they say, but don't join them in discussing it. When Miss Tian and Big Brother got engaged, her parents were in attendance. If they bring it up, others will be fine, but you're from our courtyard, so you can't let them get hold of anything."

Ding Xiang nodded, then said a little embarrassedly: "Well, Miss, did you tell the Second Young Master about what you said before you came back?"

Gui'er remembered that she had promised Sha Yanxiao to help her find a marriage, so she said, "I remember that. Have you met your parents since you came back? Have they found a partner for you?"

Dingxiang said hesitantly, "My parents are just looking for some farmers on the farm, or they want to beg the master to release my indenture and marry me off to some tenant farmers who have one or two acres of land."

Guier smiled and said, "It seems you have your own ideas. Do you have someone you like? Tell me about it."

Ding Xiang blushed and said embarrassedly, "I have been following you since you came here not long ago. You are a good person, and I have enjoyed the happiness of following you for two years. I thought, if I could find someone who can be with you, wouldn't that be more convenient and save trouble?"

Gui'er was stunned for two seconds before she realized, "You mean Brother Cheng?" That's right. When she was in Nanjing, only these two people were her own people. The others were from the big house. It wasn't surprising that they were so close. She said, "Could it be that you two have already made an appointment in private? Why are you telling me this now? I'll go tell my second brother right away."

Ding Xiang blushed, waved her hands, and shook her head, saying, "That's not the case, Miss. No, that's what I thought, but I don't know what Ah Cheng thinks. So I didn't dare to say it. I was afraid that if I said it, he would not like it. How can we meet in the future?"

Gui'er understood: "You want me to quietly test the waters for you. If this goes through, then you can consider it as my second brother's matchmaking. Is that right?"

Ding Xiang blushed and said cautiously, "Miss, do you think I'm too shameless?"

Gui'er smiled and said, "How could that be? I'll go ask Second Brother for you. Don't worry, I won't say it was you who suggested it. I'll just say that you two are a good match, and since you're following me, there has to be a place for you."

Ding Xiang said happily, "Thank you, Miss. You are the best person in the world."

Seeing her happy expression, Gui'er thought she looked a bit like the simple girl in the love movies of the 1970s and 1980s, so she decided to help her.

She came to Sha Yanxiao's study, where he was reading a newspaper. Seeing Gui'er push the door open, she smiled and asked, "What's the matter with you coming to see me so late?"

Gui'er chuckled, ran to sit on the table opposite his desk, scratched her head and said, "There's something I want my brother to help me with."

Sha Yanxiao frowned and smiled, "Your tone of voice is unusual. Is it something troublesome?"

Gui'er quickly shook her head and said, "Of course not. What I want to say is, Dingxiang has been with me for many years and is getting old. Isn't it time for her to get married?"

When Sha Yanxiao heard this, he said, "That's right. Then send her to the farm, either with her parents or find a family nearby."

Gui Er was startled and said quickly, "There's no need to send her away. She's been with me for so many years. What I mean is to find someone similar nearby. The two of them are a good match. What do you think?"

Sha Yanxiao looked at Gui'er deeply and said, "Are you talking about Ah Cheng? Could it be that Dingxiang chose her herself? She's not a servant in the Marshal's Mansion, she's employed by me. Besides, Ah Cheng used to be a thug in the Ji family and has been around the world. He's quite capable. How could he be interested in a maid?"

Gui'er was speechless for a moment.

Sha Yanxiao continued, "I don't think Dingxiang has done anything wrong, but she likes to pry around and gossip with people everywhere. She's not very stable. If you go back to Nanjing this time, how about I replace you with a more stable mother?"

Gui'er was shocked. How could this be possible? She knew Dingxiang had these problems, but it was precisely because Dingxiang was young and had these little flaws that she could control her. If she had been replaced by someone mature, steady and experienced, she would be the one being controlled.