A Girl Traveling Through Troubled Times

Wu Mingqiang smiled and said, "Okay, Marshal, the young lady is really smart."

Gui Er said embarrassedly, "I actually came up with this idea after seeing the job advertisement in the newspaper."

Wu Mingqiang took the newspaper from Gui'er, glanced at it, and said in surprise, "This foreign company does store goods inside. The people I sent there once carried a box with their company name on it."

When Gui'er heard this, she said happily, "That's great. I'll apply right away."

Sha Yanxiao picked up the newspaper and looked at it. He said, "Judging from the name, this Mitsui & Co. company should be run by Japanese. Can you go there? Besides, you're not old enough."

Gui'er said to Sha Yanxiao seriously, "Brother, I feel like I meet all the requirements listed above. Besides, where can you find someone who meets the requirements in such a short time? Otherwise, we'll have to make a long-term plan. As for my age, Brother Wu knows so many people around here. He can find someone to make some fake documents for me to pass the test. It shouldn't be a big problem. At the very least, I see that the recruitment contact person listed above is Mr. Zhang. I have a feeling that he's not the boss, but some kind of manager similar to a shopkeeper. You can ask Brother Wu to find some of his friends who he doesn't know well and spend some money to use their connections to let me in and do this job. It will give me an extra helper."

Sha Yanxiao, Wu Mingqiang, and Ah Cheng were all very surprised when they heard this. Wu Mingqiang said admiringly, "That's a brilliant idea, young lady. I think it's a good idea. What do you think, young commander?"

Sha Yanxiao was still a little hesitant: "But I have to work under the Japanese. There are few clean Japanese in China now. If they find out what you are doing, I'm afraid..."

Sha Yanxiao's worries were not unreasonable. In the past few years, Japan was preparing for a large-scale invasion. Almost all of them were soldiers, and many foreign companies also played the role of spies, or the people in the foreign companies were spies themselves, but their external identities were the bosses of the foreign companies. If Gui'er was found to be under investigation by them, no matter what the reason was, she would probably be silenced.

Wu Mingqiang also reacted at this time and quickly said: "No, that's too dangerous. Let's go find someone outside. Spend more money, and there will always be brave men under a big reward."

Gui'er waved her hand and said, "Don't take it too seriously. I won't force anything. At worst, I can prepare for both scenarios. I'll apply first. If I can't find anything within a few days, I'll pretend to be incompetent and ask him to fire me. The new employee may not have access to important information, but I just need to find out who is responsible for this matter and tell Brother Wu, and he can start with that person."

Wu Mingqiang slapped his thigh and said, "This method is good, Miss, you are so smart." As soon as he finished speaking, he saw Sha Yanxiao staring at him, so he shrank his neck and dared not say anything else.

Sha Yanxiao frowned, thought for a long time, and finally nodded and said, "Okay, Wu Mingqiang, tomorrow morning you go find someone who makes fake IDs to get Gui'er a new identity, and then go investigate Mr. Zhang from Sanhe Foreign Trade Company."

Gui Er said to Wu Mingqiang, "Little Wu, when you help me get my ID, you don't need to change my name. Just use my original surname. That way, it won't be too awkward when others call me, and I won't have to remember a new one."

Wu Mingqiang nodded and said, "I understand."

After that, Guier returned to her room and wrote a resume overnight. She did not exaggerate too much because she was afraid of being exposed. She just said that she was indeed a recent graduate, and that she knew English and could write documents.

The next morning, he gave the resume to Wu Mingqiang and asked him to forge his identity and academic certificates according to the instructions on it.

Sha Yanxiao took it, glanced at it, and said, "Being a clerk in a foreign company is a respectable job, so there should be a lot of competition. You wrote that you were a student and had never worked before, so I'm afraid people won't be interested."

Guier nodded and said, "I've considered that, so my idea is to find Mr. Zhang, who's in charge of recruiting, and use the back door."

"That's all we have to do." Sha Yanxiao handed the resume to Wu Mingqiang and instructed, "Hurry and get it done."

Wu Mingqiang took his resume and walked out quickly.

Sha Yanxiao said to Gui'er, "It's a rare opportunity for you to come to Shanghai, let's go out for a walk, and I can buy you some clothes to wear to work."

Gui'er's thought was spot on. They got in the car and went for a stroll. Gui'er peered out the window. Shanghai was still bustling as ever. People talked about the chaos and the rampant Japanese, but the streets were still bustling with all sorts of people. Rickshaw drivers trotted along, carrying men in suits and ties or modern women in cheongsams. Street shops lined the streets. Silk shops were hung with gorgeous fabrics, while grocery stores were stacked with dried goods from all over the country. Newsboys held newspapers high and shouted the day's news. Trams clanked through the streets, honking horns and shouting. Foreigners strolled leisurely with their hunting dogs, while vendors squatted by the roadside selling snacks.

Guier suddenly found that there were many more Japanese shops on the street, but they were not very obvious. You could only tell by the names, such as: Kyoto's only food store, Miura Company, etc. Although there were flashing neon advertisements, few Chinese people went in. Moreover, the closer to Hongkou, the more Japanese people you could see. They were wearing kimonos, men, women, young and old, and some even took their children walking on the street, giving people a feeling as if this was not China, but Japan.

The two drove around the street for a long time. Gui'er didn't say anything. She could guess that Sha Yanxiao also wanted to see the current situation in Shanghai. After driving around for a long time, they finally stopped in front of Daxin Department Store.

The two walked in and came to the clothing area. Seeing their smart clothes, the salesperson came over warmly. Sha Yanxiao asked, "What styles do you have that are suitable for female employees?"

The manager glanced at him, then at Gui'er. Sha Yanxiao was wearing a double-breasted suit imported from France, while Gui'er wore a pearly white satin dress with a subtle floral pattern. They looked like a young man and a wealthy lady. He smiled and said, "We have a lot of imported dresses here, and they're very popular with our female employees. Every month, there are women who come early to buy the new stock. Take a look."

As he spoke, he took out several sets of dresses that looked very expensive. Guier saw that they were clearly worn by a rich lady, not a female employee. She said to him, "I want something quieter and more low-key, preferably at a cheaper price."

The manager took the dress back and took out a navy blue cheongsam with a high collar and piping. It had some small embroidery on the collar and hem. She said seriously, "Miss, this one is right. Many female accountants and teachers wear this style. It's elegant, decent, and charming. If you think navy blue is old-fashioned, we also have pearl gray."