A Girl Traveling Through Troubled Times

Miss Tian snorted and said, "You only know how to say nice things. It's always like this, but it's still the same afterward."

Sha Yanyao smiled helplessly and continued to coax: "Madam, this time is really different, I promise. Look, I brought you gifts, all of which you like." As he said, he handed the gift to Miss Tian.

Miss Tian glanced at the gift, and her expression softened slightly, but she still said harshly: "You still have some conscience."

Seeing that Miss Tian had calmed down a bit, Sha Yanyao suggested, "Madam, you are feeling increasingly unwell. Why don't you come back to the Sha Mansion with me? There are servants there to take care of you, and it will be more convenient."

Miss Tian said shyly, "I'm used to living at my parents' house. Now my belly is getting bigger and bigger, and I don't want to move. Besides, my parents can take care of me."

Mr. Tian and Mrs. Tian also chimed in: "Yes, Yan Yao, we can take better care of the child here. It won't be too late to return to the Sha Mansion after the child is born."

Seeing this, Sha Yanyao had no choice but to agree: "Okay then, Madam, if you need anything, just tell me and I will definitely do it."

Miss Tian nodded with satisfaction: "I see. Don't overwork yourself. Take care of yourself. Come and see me and the child when you have time."

Sha Yanyao quickly responded, "Okay, Madam, don't worry, I will come often."

As soon as she went to school the next day, Gui'er immediately informed Miss Shen that Sha Yanyao had returned.

Miss Shen frowned and said, "Actually, Xu Wenjie didn't let me tell you. Earlier this year, due to the betrayal of two traitors, 20 agencies including the Shanghai Central Bureau Secretariat, Organization Department, Propaganda Department, and Jiangsu Provincial Committee were severely damaged. A large number of cadres, including Huang Wenjie, Secretary of the Shanghai Central Bureau, and more than 30 people were arrested.

Through our efforts, we re-established the Shanghai Provisional Central Bureau.

However, during the past two months, the Shanghai Provisional Central Bureau was subjected to a rigorous raid. Important documents, including organizational structure, personnel information, and contact addresses, were seized. Approximately 30 offices were destroyed, and 40 people were arrested. I suspect Sha Yanyao participated in this operation.

We have now received orders to evacuate our personnel from Shanghai, and the Shanghai Provisional Central Bureau has been disbanded. Our losses this time have been particularly heavy. The Central Bureau in Shanghai, the Jiangsu Provincial Committee and its subordinate district committees, as well as peripheral Party organizations such as the Mutual Aid Society, have all been almost completely destroyed by the enemy.

Gui'er was shocked. She knew what the arrest of these comrades meant, and asked quickly, "Didn't the news I gave you at the time reach you comrades?"

Miss Shen sighed and said, "When we received the news in Nanjing, we were only there to receive the arrested individuals and sort out the information. They had already started the arrests there. This time, because of the presence of a traitor, we were caught off guard. Many comrades were in a state of panic, and information could not be passed on to each other in a timely manner. By the time the superiors issued the warning and notified the entire line to evacuate, only a small number of comrades escaped."

Gui'er was extremely worried. "What will happen to the comrades who were arrested? Can we rescue them?"

Miss Shen said, "Don't worry, our superiors will find a way to rescue us. However, they are now planning to expand the search for our comrades. You have to be careful. I think if some comrades escape, it will arouse their suspicion."

Gui'er suddenly remembered the look Sha Yanyao had given her when she was testing him, and a chill ran down her spine. She said to Miss Shen, "When Sha Yanyao first came back, I tentatively asked him if the mission was complete, but he didn't give a direct answer."

Miss Shen became alert and said, "Do you think you are safe? If not, evacuate immediately and we will arrange your whereabouts."

Gui'er thought for a moment and said to Miss Shen, "I don't think it's time to evacuate yet. After all, I'm still the Marshal's daughter in name only. I've lived with them for so many years, so I don't think it's time to leave."

Miss Shen nodded and said, "Okay, but you must always be vigilant. If you notice anything unusual, evacuate immediately. You can go to Xu's Bookstore or come to me."

Guier's colleagues in Shanghai really couldn't help her rescue, and the school was having exams recently and was about to go on vacation, so she had no choice but to concentrate on reviewing for the exam.

Her grades have always been among the best, and this time was no exception. However, the people in the Sha Mansion did not care about this. Instead, they celebrated Sha Yanyao's promotion from an ordinary clerk to a team leader, but he was still Director Tian's deputy.

When Jin Bao learned that Miss Tian was unwilling to return to the Sha Mansion, he suggested, "Since she's not here, I can go back and live with the child. The child is looking forward to seeing his father, grandmother, and aunt every day."

Sha Yanyao said, "I need to think about it."

Then he went back to discuss it with his wife. His wife frowned and said, "You know your wife, she has a strong personality. If she knew you brought Jin Bao and her son back, she would definitely make a scene. How will you explain to Director Tian then?"

Sha Yanyao sighed and said nothing more. He turned around and made Jinbao a set of gold jewelry to fool him.

It was almost time for vacation after the exams. Gui'er felt relaxed and could leave at any time, but Sha Yanyao was in a dilemma. His son must go back, but he didn't know whether Miss Tian could accept Jinbao taking the child back.

To this end, Sha Yanyao took Gui'er to the Tian residence several times and privately told Gui'er, "When you go there, speak well of Jinbao to your sister-in-law and ask her to allow Jinbao to take the child back to meet their father. You are a child, so even if you say something wrong, they may not hold you accountable."

Gui'er secretly groaned in her heart. What kind of excuse was this? Miss Tian didn't care about this at all. Sha Yanyao was clearly just dragging her over to be scolded.

She said no, but she also didn't want to say anything, so she had to play the edge ball and said to Miss Tian: "Sister-in-law, our school is on vacation, and my family is going back to Jiangcheng for the New Year. Do you have anything you need to pack? I'll ask my mother to help you pack it."

Miss Tian said disdainfully, "Really? Do we have to go to a rural place like that every year to celebrate the New Year? It's not lively at all, and the place is small. There's nothing fun to do. There are so few people that there aren't even enough people to play mahjong."

Gui'er had no choice but to smile and say, "How could that be? Didn't you meet a lot of ladies in Jiangcheng before? They all wanted you to come over and get together with them."

Miss Tian sneered and said, "Gui'er, you are here to persuade me to allow that woman to bring her son to Jiangcheng to meet the Marshal. After all, he is the eldest grandson."