A Girl Traveling Through Troubled Times

After finishing the banquet and returning to the courtyard, Taohua saw the servants in the young marshal's room eating. The meal was surprisingly rich, with fish and meat. Taohua said, "Because there is a wedding in the mansion today, the servants' meals have also been served."

Gui'er found a chance when no one was around and told Taohua about her encounter with Mr. and Mrs. Song and the young lady at the banquet.

Taohua listened and said nothing for a long time. She just lowered her head and kept fiddling with the handkerchief she was embroidering. After a long while, she said, "Did the young lady ask about me?"

Only then did Gui'er remember that Taohua and the young lady had a deep affection for each other. She thought carefully and realized that Song Tingting had not said a word from beginning to end. When Mr. and Mrs. Song apologized to her, she also kept her head down and said nothing.

I could only shake my head and say to Taohua: "She didn't say anything."

Taohua smiled sadly and said, "I understand." Then she picked up the needle and thread and started embroidering as if nothing had happened.

Gui Er saw that she was sad and comforted her, "Maybe there are too many people at the party, so some things are not convenient to say in public."

Taohua said without raising her head, "I've seen through it all. She told me we were sisters and would grow old together. If there was anything delicious from the kitchen, she would definitely give me half. When the bandits came to arrest people, they didn't intend to arrest me, but I saw that the young lady was really scared, so I followed them. At that time, I really thought I could trust her with my life, but I didn't expect that she would alienate me with just a few words. She didn't say a word when the mistress wanted to kill me. What does it have to do with me if she can't get married? This is clearly her own fate."

Gui Er didn't expect Miss to be so angry. She sat down to comfort her, but found her eyes filled with tears. She quickly hugged her and said, "Okay, okay, let's not think about her anymore. It's all over."

Taohua suddenly asked, "Are you still waiting for the young master to come back?"

Gui'er didn't see Song Xichen at the banquet, so she guessed that he didn't come back. She believed that if Song Xichen was there, he would never let the eldest lady send the two of them to be sacrificed alive.

Taohua said, "Even if the young master comes back, it's not convenient for us to go back to the Song Mansion in this situation. Besides, you're like a half-rich lady here, and my income here is higher than over there, and the food and clothes are better than over there. I heard that our servants can get credit at restaurants if they say they're from the Marshal's Mansion. Why should we go back?"

Gui'er didn't say anything. Tong Yujun had said before that several concubines in the Marshal's Mansion died inexplicably. She believed that the Marshal's Mansion was not as harmonious as it seemed.

She also remembered the famous words of the Queen of the Broken Head: All the gifts given in life have already been marked with a price. Now that the Marshal's Mansion treated her so politely, she didn't know what price she would have to pay. When she thought of this, she felt a little panic.

But she had no way to tell Taohua, and Taohua probably wouldn't understand.

But she felt that Taohua was right. She used to love and rely on Song Xichen, probably because Song Xichen saved her from the vicious bandits, so she had a strong filter for him.

After all, this time, it was his own parents. It was impossible for Song Xichen to fall out with his parents for a servant. Gui'er was not sure whether she would encounter the same thing if she returned to the Song Mansion again.

It is true that he cannot go back to the Song Mansion, but staying in the Marshal's Mansion is not a long-term solution. If he goes back to find the so-called biological family of this body, he is worried that they will sell him out again.

Gui'er couldn't help feeling sad. The world was so big, but there was no place for her to stay.

The next day, after school, Sha Yanxiao was waiting for her, saying they were going to dine with the Marshal's family. Gui'er, thinking she had finally made it through the banquet to marry a concubine, was now about to have to join them for dinner, and she began to feel a little nervous.

Sha Yanxiao saw this and smiled, saying, "There are three days a week when we have to eat with our father. You don't have to worry. You'll be sitting with my sisters anyway. They won't do anything to you for my sake."

The two of them took a car to the dining room. Some people had already arrived. Several concubines and young ladies were chatting in groups of three or five. Sha Lili was also there. She sat there calmly, and the other sisters beside her chatted with her cautiously. Guier found that several young ladies were wearing cheongsams made of coarse cloth, and some concubines were also dressed rather shabbily. She couldn't help but wonder, could it be that they took out their most treasured clothes from the wedding banquet before, and they were not so luxurious normally?

When Sha Lili saw Gui'er coming, she smiled and pulled her over to chat. They talked about nothing more than what style of cheongsam was popular in Shanghai recently, or what new movies had been released recently. The other ladies next to them just smiled and agreed with them.

At this time, the Marshal arrived, bringing with him his newly married Eighth Concubine, Tong Yujun's aunt. The Marshal asked the Eighth Concubine to sit next to him, and it seemed that she was in great favor. However, the Eighth Concubine looked tired. The Fourth Concubine jokingly said, "It seems that my sister's body is a little weak. Why don't I ask the kitchen to stew some tonic for you and send it to you to replenish you, so that you can have more strength to serve the Marshal."

The Marshal's wife still didn't show up. The eighth and fourth concubines sat on the Marshal's left and right. The Marshal and his concubines sat at one table, the three young masters sat at another table, and the young ladies of the Marshal's mansion sat at another table.

Because Sha Yanxiao had said before that Gui'er would eat with the young ladies, Sha Lili pulled her to the table and sat down consciously.

Soon all the food was served. Guier found that the dishes looked familiar. They were the same as those in the restaurant upstairs in Wing On Department Store. They must have invited their chef to prepare them.

The Marshal picked up his chopsticks, looked around, and suddenly said, "Gui'er, little one, your table is too crowded. Why don't you go sit with the guys?"

Gui'er was not very willing to do so. At least she would not feel uncomfortable sitting at the same table with the young ladies. Besides, some of the Marshal's daughters were about the same age as Gui'er, and she wanted to build some relationships with them.

The fourth concubine smiled and said, "Marshal, it's not convenient for a little girl like her to sit at the same table with the brothers."

The Marshal glared at her, and the Fourth Wife quickly lowered her head and stopped talking. The Marshal said, "We're eating together, not sleeping together. What's inconvenient?"

Gui'er had no choice but to stand up quickly, bowed to the Marshal and said, "Thank you, Marshal." Then she walked to the young master's table and sat down.

Sha Yanxiao touched her head, and the eldest son Sha Yanyao said with a smile: "Sister Gui'er, it's okay, just be as you please." The third son Sha Yanwen also said: "Sister Gui'er is so thin, you need to eat more." Gui'er hurriedly thanked the two sons again.

The Marshal looked around again and said, "Yiman, Erfeng, and Sanmei, the three of you should get ready. Marshal Zhang said that his first wife will die in the next two days. When his wife passes away, after the seventh day, he will bring you three to his mansion. You should compete with each other. Whoever gives birth to a boy first will be promoted to the first wife."

Gui'er was stunned when she heard this, but everyone else looked calm, as if this was a very common thing, and there was complete silence.

The Marshal glanced around, picked up his chopsticks and said, "Let's eat." Everyone started eating in silence.

Suddenly, a concubine who was sitting far away from the Marshal and was wearing a blue homespun cheongsam whispered, "Marshal, Sanmei is only fifteen years old and has only been learning calligraphy for two years from the teacher in the mansion."

The Marshal said nonchalantly, "You were 15 when you married me. It's enough for a girl to be able to write her own name. A woman's virtue lies in her lack of talent. Marrying her to Marshal Zhang is also for the benefit of our Sha Family Army."

The concubine whispered, "Well, I really don't have the money to give her a dowry now."

The fourth concubine spoke up: "Oh, Third Sister, you have been in the Marshal's Mansion for so many years, living frugally, and you can't even come up with a dowry? No wonder, after all, you come from a poor family. How about this, I will give you 100 silver notes. It will be enough for the three beauties to spend for a year."

The Marshal said, "How about this. I will give each of you 300 silver dollars and an old maid as a dowry. The rest will depend on how much your mothers give. Enjoy your meal."