A Girl Traveling Through Troubled Times

Gui'er quickly said to Sha Yanxiao, "Brother, there's no need to bother. I'm grown up now and know all the rules. I don't need Mom to teach me. I think Dingxiang is a good person too. Since she has set her eyes on Brother Cheng, we, as the boss, can help ask her if she's willing. It all depends on Brother Cheng."

Sha Yanxiao nodded and rang the bell to call Ah Cheng.

Ah Cheng came to the study room with a confused look on his face, glanced at Gui'er, and asked Sha Yanxiao respectfully, "Young Marshal, do you have something to talk to me about?"

Sha Yanxiao pondered for a moment and said, "Acheng, you've been following my sister to Nanjing for the past two years. It's been hard. You're 25 now, right? You're always in an unfamiliar place, with no one to take care of your life's major events. Has your family helped you arrange a marriage? You've finally come back recently. If so, you can take some time off to deal with it."

Ah Cheng blushed a little and smiled, "Thank you for your concern, young master and young lady. My family used to work for the Ji family to make a living. When the head of the Ji family, Master Zhongqing, passed away, his enemies came to seek revenge and killed my father and uncle. My sister and mother live in the countryside and rely on my meager income to send back home. How can we afford to arrange a marriage?"

Sha Yanxiao nodded and said, "Since that's the case, I thought you'd be going to Nanjing with Gui'er anyway, so how about betrothing Dingxiang to you? It's a good opportunity for the two of you to be in the same place."

Ah Cheng was stunned for a moment, then bowed to Sha Yanxiao and Gui'er and said, "Thank you for your understanding, Master and Miss. However, Ah Xiang is illiterate and a servant. I still want to find someone from an ordinary family. In the future, I want to send my children to school, just like you."

After hearing this, Gui'er didn't know whether she should admire him or feel sorry for Dingxiang. However, Dingxiang did have good vision and thought that Acheng was a positive and good man.

Sha Yanxiao smiled and said, "Since you have your own ideas, then go find someone yourself. When you find someone to marry, let me know and I'll pay for two tables of banquets for you."

When Acheng heard this, he was very touched and thanked me profusely.

Sha Yanxiao smiled and nodded, letting him go back. Then he turned around, tapped Gui'er's forehead and said, "See, I told you not to mess around with other girls."

Gui'er had no choice but to go back and tell Dingxiang tactfully that Acheng wanted his family to find him a girl who could read and write.

Ding Xiang was stunned for a moment after hearing this, then smiled and said, "Ah, I knew that people with such ability would definitely have requirements. Thank you very much, Miss."

Gui Er comforted her and said, "If you find anyone else you like, you can tell me and I will continue to ask for you."

Ding Xiang smiled helplessly and said to Gui Er: "Thank you, Miss. You have helped me a lot. I will go back and discuss it with my parents."

Gui'er saw that she was unhappy, and didn't say anything more, so she let her go back.

The next day, just after breakfast, Miss Tian came over and said that she had made an appointment with Gui'er to go out and play. Gui'er originally wanted to use her to find Song Xichen, but later learned that there was a banquet tonight and the Song family should also come, so she didn't have to go with her. However, it seemed that she had nothing else to do in the mansion, so since she had made an appointment, she might as well go.

Miss Tian glanced around and said, "Where's your brother?"

Sha Yanxiao went to the military headquarters after breakfast early in the morning. Gui'er said, "He went to the barracks a long time ago. Does sister-in-law need anything from him?"

Miss Tian said with a bit of regret, "Oh, so that's how it is." and said nothing more.

The two went to the exhibition hall of Dah Sing Department Store to look at the exhibition first, and then went to the top-floor theater of Wing On Department Store to watch a play.

Gui'er hadn't seen a play in ages. Inside the theater, octagonal glass lanterns hung high, illuminating the entire room. On the stage, the curtains rose, and the troupe took the stage. The actress's sleeves fluttered, her voice melodious and clear, piercing the cacophony of voices, drawing applause from the audience. The audience erupted in applause, some clapping vigorously with both hands, others throwing tips onto the stage, which the servants hurriedly collected.

When the leading actor reached a climax, the gentlemen in long gowns rose to their feet, swaying their heads and humming along. The wealthy ladies also dropped their reserve, waving their handkerchiefs and joining in the singing. Waiters shuttled between the tables, serving tea and water. The sounds of shouting, laughter, and opera music intertwined, creating a lively atmosphere.

Gui Er was a little surprised. When did Jiangcheng produce such a popular figure? So she pricked up her ears carefully, wanting to listen to what the people around her were talking about.

Sure enough, not long after, I heard someone say, "Look, Boss Jin's singing voice is getting better and better. So many people are coming to support him."

"Being a good singer is one thing, but more importantly, he charmed the former young marshal's wife. Look at all those ladies, who didn't come for this? They all wanted to see what kind of person he was."

Gui'er felt embarrassed when she heard this and quickly looked at Miss Tian. She should have heard it too, but seemed not to hear it. She was drinking scented tea and watching the performance on the stage with relish.

After the play was over, the audience dispersed like a tide. Gui Er also stood up and prepared to leave, but Miss Tian said, "Don't leave in such a hurry. I think the boss of this opera is quite good. Let's go backstage and take a look."

Gui Er was stunned on the spot. How could such a thing happen? She quickly said, "That's not good. The audience can't enter there."

Miss Tian pulled Gui'er to the door of the dressing room backstage without saying a word. The servant guarding the door was about to step forward to stop her, but Miss Tian handed him two silver dollars, and the servant immediately hid aside with a smile on his face.

The two walked into the dressing room behind the stage. It was Guier's first time to come to such a place, and she looked around curiously.

The first thing I saw was a long table lined with cosmetics. Colorful costumes hung on hangers along the wall, and pearl and jade headdresses shone brightly on a nearby shelf.

At this time, the actors were busy removing their makeup. Some had already changed their clothes and were smoking and preparing to go out. They were all men, and Guier couldn't recognize who was who on the stage just now.

"Boss Jin, you sang really well today. The moment you opened your voice, the charm was mellow, the tone was graceful, the pronunciation was clear and round, and the singing and breathing were all perfect. Every move and gesture showed your Peking Opera skills. It was wonderful!"

While watching, she saw a circle of people surrounding a person who was removing makeup. Guier saw that the makeup on his face was not yet removed, and recognized that it was the one who had just sung the role of Huadan on the stage.

Gui'er also recognized the people who were surrounding the stage. They were the ones who had just led the cheers from the audience and thrown money onto the stage. Most of them were wearing silk gowns. Some were fat and big-eared, while others were very thin. There was a sweet smell on their bodies, and Gui'er knew it was the smell of opium. Needless to say, they were all rich people or playboys.