A Girl Traveling Through Troubled Times

Chapter 498 Telling Taohua the News

Seeing Gui'er remained silent, Sha Yanxiao waved his hand and sent the servants away. Then he said to her, "I don't look down on your brother, but your and Taohua's current status is too different from theirs. Moreover, their status cannot be made public. If it were to be made public, the Marshal's Mansion would have no choice but to support them. If they did, the matter of Miss Zhang Si would be exposed. If we don't support them, those who have grudges against the Marshal's Mansion might secretly attack them."

Gui'er thought it made sense, so she said to Sha Yanxiao, "Brother Yanxiao, since father doesn't agree, let's put it aside for now. Taohua is growing up, and it's inevitable that people will miss her. When that happens, I hope you can protect her."

Sha Yanxiao nodded, which was considered as his agreement.

When Gui'er heard the news, she felt very heavy in her heart. She didn't know how to explain it to Taohua for a moment, so she thought about waiting for two days.

Who knew Taohua would come to find her on her own? Normally, she was so timid that she would never dare to go to the other courtyard on her own.

She came over and greeted Sha Yanxiao with a smile. Gui'er was afraid that if Taohua asked Sha Yanxiao directly, it would make people think that Taohua herself wanted to marry Wu Dafu, so she quickly said, "I've finished my meal. Let's go for a walk outside to help digest the food."

As soon as the two of them walked out of the yard, Taohua couldn't wait to ask, "How is it? Has my brother asked father? When can I leave?"

Gui'er thought hard about the words and said to Taohua, "Brother, I've asked father, and he doesn't agree with you marrying the rich man. He said that you are now the daughter of the Marshal's family. Even if there is a previous marriage arranged in your hometown, it can be cancelled for a few dollars. But the rich man can't give you a decent wedding, nor can he afford the betrothal gift. If you do that, the Marshal's family will be ridiculed."

Taohua was stunned when she heard this. After a long pause, she asked Guier, "What should we do then? Is Father going to marry me off to those old men?"

Gui'er quickly comforted her, "I don't think so. Those who marry into the Marshal's Mansion will also choose a partner who is beneficial to them. Although you and I are nominally the Marshal's daughters, everyone outside knows that we have no one to rely on within the mansion. Besides, Lily is older than us, so she will definitely marry first."

Taohua said, "I know we were sold to a flower boat. We were able to save our lives and have such a glamorous identity, all thanks to the Marshal's Mansion. We should work like slaves to repay them, and we shouldn't pray to marry someone we love." After saying that, she started crying.

Gui'er quickly comforted her, saying, "Don't be too discouraged. Father hasn't been in good health these past two years and hasn't been involved in much. The Japanese are causing great trouble in Shanghai. I'm afraid we'll only have two years of peace and stability. By then, when chaos breaks out, who will care who marries who? Then you can go out and find a rich man."

Gui'er was telling the truth. Although she had traveled through time for so many years, she still clearly remembered the year of the Songhu Battle. If Shanghai fell, this place would not be far behind. The prosperous scene in Jiangcheng now was just a mirage before the disaster. There were still a few years left, and Taohua would not be too old to wait for a few more years.

Taohua stopped crying after hearing this and asked cautiously, "I've heard back home that the situation in Shanghai isn't very good. But precisely because of that, many merchants have come to Jiangcheng and Fengcheng to do business. The Third Wife also said that my father is very happy about this, saying that his territory will prosper and his influence will grow. Will I really be able to leave in a few years?"

Guier smiled and said to her, "Father is old now and doesn't take care of things anymore, so you don't have to take anything he says to heart. Just be careful of him."

"But is the rich man willing to wait for me? He said he has many people introducing him to potential partners."

Gui'er was speechless after hearing this. How could Wu Dafu even say such words to Taohua? She quickly comforted Taohua, saying, "How dare he not wait? Besides, doesn't he have a yard now? Can he take on some furniture work? It's not like he's rich yet. Don't worry, I'll go talk to him. By the way, don't keep telling him about those things about father. If you tell him about things that didn't happen, he'll think the wrong thing of it."

Taohua nodded and said, "I understand. I'll just make more money during this period. If you still need to pay a betrothal gift, I can help Dafuge."

Gui Er smiled bitterly and said, "My brother is so lucky to marry you, such a beautiful, hardworking and capable wife. You are so lucky! Take the money you earn and don't tell anyone. My brother can't afford such a high betrothal gift. Even if he could, he would spend all his money. How would you live?"

Taohua nodded and smiled, saying, "Gui'er, thank goodness you're here, otherwise we don't know what we would have done. But you're not young anymore, don't you have to reconsider? In fact, Dafu Ge also told me that he's worried about you. He's afraid that the Marshal will marry you off to one of those old men as a concubine. He said that those wives are very calculating and worried that you won't survive."

Guier smiled and said, "I plan to continue studying medicine. As for marriage, I'll marry if I find the right person. If not, I won't. Survival is hard enough these days, so why would I even consider marriage?"

Taohua was a little stunned and said, "Is this okay?"

Guier smiled and said, "Why not? I can work and support myself without asking anyone for anything."

Taohua smiled and said, "Gui'er, you went to school and are an educated person. Your ideas are different from those of us. If I don't get married and stay in the Third Concubine's room for a long time, I don't think I will survive."

Gui'er felt that Taohua didn't quite understand the meaning of self-reliance and independence. Perhaps she didn't even have these options in her mind. So she patiently said to her, "You don't have to stay in the Marshal's Mansion. As long as you have a job that can earn you money, you can go anywhere to make a living. After all, I'm still a student, and you can sew and embroider. I think you have more skills than me."

Taohua said embarrassedly: "I'm not that great. I just don't want to marry him and not know how to do anything. I can't help Dafu Ge and I will be looked down upon."

Gui'er sighed, not knowing how to tell Taohua. Perhaps all women of this era have such low self-esteem. She thought for a moment and said, "Taohua, don't always feel that you are inferior to others in everything. What can you do to avoid being despised? You are very good, really very good. When I brought you and my brother together, I was considering our future prospects. I thought that since we both came from poor families, we could support each other and survive. After all, there is strength in numbers. But if I say that in the future, if you two really are not destined to be together, I think you can also have other good prospects."