A Girl Traveling Through Troubled Times

In the end, Tong Yujun still didn't return the money to her. Tong Yujun refused to accept it no matter what, saying that Gui'er's situation was uncertain and she needed some money to support herself. Gui'er was very touched. Although she felt bad, she still kept the money.

After school, Dali came to pick her up. Gui'er mentioned Sha Lili, and Dali said, "So she's the Seventh Young Lady. She was born to the Fourth Concubine. The Fourth Concubine was very favored in the past. She gave birth to the Third Young Master and the Seventh Young Lady. She's the only one in this mansion who gave birth to a son and a daughter. The other concubines only gave birth to a daughter, and some even had no children. So, apart from the wives, the Fourth Concubine is the one who carries the most weight in this mansion."

Gui Er suddenly realized and said, "I heard you say that there are 10 daughters in the Marshal's Mansion, but how come only one of them is a scholar?"

Dali said, "That was a teacher hired by the Marshal's family to teach them. Anyway, the Marshal doesn't pay much attention to girls. He said that it's enough for women to recognize a few words. Only the Fourth Concubine is more favored. She asked Miss Seven to go to a school outside."

Gui Er thought to herself, "This Fourth Concubine is quite broad-minded. She wants her woman to have more contact with the outside world so that she can broaden her horizons."

She smiled and asked Dali, "Siwutai is so favored, does she have the final say in the mansion?"

Dali laughed and said, "How is that possible? There are so many women in the mansion, and the Marshal is fickle. But because she has a son, the Marshal will still give her some face."

When they returned to the Marshal's Mansion, Sha Yanxiao had not come back yet, so Gui'er found a table in the living room to use as a desk and do her homework.

Taohua brought her a cup of tea. Seeing no one was around, Guier quickly asked, "Are you okay?"

Taohua smiled and said, "It's okay. Actually, there's not much work for me to do. They said I'm too young."

Gui'er finally felt relieved. He told Taohua what he had learned about the Marshal and his concubine in the mansion.

Taohua sighed, "As expected of a warlord family, they are truly wealthy and powerful."

Guier asked her, "Are the housekeepers and servants here easy to get along with?"

Taohua said, "It's okay. The housekeepers and servants in this courtyard are all new. They didn't originally serve the young marshal, but were recently transferred from other courtyards. But Housekeeper Zhang is a nice guy. He told me a lot of things."

Gui'er said quickly, "Then tell me, we'll be staying here for a while, so we need to be alert and not make any mistakes."

Taohua said, "Butler Zhang said that the young marshal was suddenly brought back from outside by the Marshal a few months ago. He doesn't like crowds, so there's only one butler in the courtyard, two old maids in charge of meals, and four or five maids, plus a gardener, a doorman, and servants. It's the least staffed courtyard in the Marshal's mansion. But the young marshal likes to do everything himself and is quite tolerant of the servants, so everyone likes staying here."

Gui'er could guess that Sha Yanxiao didn't really enjoy doing things himself. He simply felt his foundation wasn't strong enough, and didn't want too many people in his compound to avoid the risk of distractions. However, she didn't say it out loud, only saying to Taohua, "I'm glad you're not in trouble. At least we can stay here until the young master returns."

Taohua didn't say anything. After a while, she suddenly asked, "Do we have to go back to the Song family?"

Gui'er was a little surprised and said, "Don't you want to go back?"

Taohua said hesitantly, "I feel like when we were in the Song Mansion, no one except the eldest young master liked us. Here they treat us better, and you can even enjoy the same treatment as a young lady. Why should we go back?"

Gui'er had thought about this problem, but she felt that Sha Yanxiao had not yet established a firm foothold. If something happened, she would definitely be implicated by him. Moreover, according to Tong Yujun, there was a lot of intrigue in the Marshal's Mansion.

Gui'er was hesitating whether to tell Taohua what Tong Yujun said, but she was afraid that she would be scared.

Taohua suddenly asked, "Gui'er, tell me the truth, why is the young marshal so nice to you?"

Gui Er felt that she couldn't bring herself to tell anyone about Sha Yanxiao's past as a bandit, so she told him about how she had run into a pervert at a banquet at the Song Mansion and how Sha Yanxiao had come to her rescue. She then added, "Later, when I was shopping at Wing On Department Store with the Young Master, I ran into the Young Marshal. Maybe after all that time, he thought I was an acquaintance."

Taohua said enviously, "You are so lucky."

Guier smiled and said, "It's our combined luck."

Taohua nodded and said, "Yes, I'm still doing embroidery now if I have nothing to do. I can exchange it for money later."

"When can we have a stable place to stay?" Taohua suddenly said softly, her eyes turning red as she spoke.

Gui'er then discovered that Taohua had been under pressure all along. Come to think of it, she had been displaced ever since she traveled through time. As an adult, she could hardly bear it, let alone Taohua, who was just a few years old. She was sold by her family and encountered bandits. She thought she had met the Song family, a kind family, but she almost lost her life. Now she came to the Marshal's Mansion, and she didn't know how long she could stay there.

Thinking of this, Gui'er also felt sad.

Sha Yanxiao specially returned home early today. Normally, he would train in the military camp until night before leaving, but a little girl suddenly came home, which made him worried all day long.

As soon as he returned to the mansion, he saw two little girls crying together. Sha Yanxiao was startled and rushed over to hold Gui'er's hand. He looked her up and down to make sure she was not injured. Then he asked, "What's wrong? Did you get scolded at school or are you feeling unwell?"

Gui'er and Taohua were feeling sad when suddenly someone rushed in front of them. They were so scared that they just stood there.

Seeing Gui'er didn't say anything, Sha Yanxiao asked anxiously, "Does it hurt anywhere?"

Gui Er finally came to her senses and said, "No, Young Marshal, you misunderstood. We are just sad about our circumstances and miss our family."

Sha Yanxiao finally felt relieved. He comforted Gui'er, "If you miss your family, I can send someone to look for them. Don't be sad."

Gui'er's claim of missing her family was just an excuse. She didn't want to be associated with the so-called family who had sold her body. She quickly smiled and said, "I've been in touch with my family and know they're doing well now, but they're also poor. Even if I told them, they wouldn't be able to help. After all, I have to take responsibility for my own life."

Sha Yanxiao was a little at a loss. He didn't know how to comfort Guier.

Gui'er found Sha Yanxiao's anxious and helpless expression a little funny and said, "Young Marshal, have you eaten yet? I haven't eaten yet."

Sha Yanxiao quickly said, "I haven't eaten either. Let's eat together." He turned to Taohua and said, "Go tell Butler Zhang that it's okay to bloom."

After a pause, he continued, "Your name is Taohua, right? Don't be sad. Just live here peacefully from now on."

Taohua opened her eyes wide in surprise and bowed in gratitude.