A Girl Traveling Through Troubled Times

Gui'er returned to Jiangcheng and wanted to meet Manager Zhang and Manager Liu as usual. However, she was afraid that the current situation was not good and her meeting with them would arouse suspicion, so she was hesitant.

Sha Yanxiao asked, "Why didn't you say you wanted to study medicine when you came back this time?"

Guier then realized that being overly cautious would only arouse suspicion, so she said, "I was just about to tell you, but I'm a little older now, and I need to understand the ways of the world. I'm afraid that every time I come back, I'll rush to other people's shops like this, will it disturb them?"

Sha Yanxiao smiled and said, "You're helping them for free, so how could you possibly bother them? As for that pharmacy, the one I found for them is in a great location and is now well-known. Many wealthy people in the city come there for treatment, or ask Manager Liu to come to their homes for consultations."

Gui'er didn't expect this, so the next day she asked Acheng to take her to Zhenxiufang.

After getting off the car, Gui'er walked along the familiar alley and saw some people coming towards her. They were carrying medicine. She guessed that these people bought the medicine at Liu's Pharmacy.

When I arrived at the door of Liu's Pharmacy, I saw people coming and going inside, it was very lively. The old furniture that was used before was gone, replaced by brand new mahogany furniture. There were also some banners and plaques hanging on the wall of the pharmacy, some of which read: The Master of Medicine, some read: The disease is cured, and some read: Hua Tuo is still alive.

There were two or three clerks in the pharmacy serving customers. Manager Liu was sitting at a specially set up consultation table next to them, treating patients. There were three or four patients queuing behind him. After Manager Liu finished his consultation and wrote the prescription, he handed it directly to the clerks to get the medicine.

Gui'er felt a little embarrassed when she saw so many people. She walked a little further and came to the Zhenxiufang. Shopkeeper Zhang was selling embroidery pieces and chatting there. When he saw Gui'er, he quickly stood up, smiled and waved, saying, "You're here! Come on in and sit down."

Gui'er walked in and found a stool to sit down. Shopkeeper Zhang had also changed the layout. The original simple furnishings had been replaced by antique mahogany furniture with various brocade cushions. It was very elegant and in no way inferior to the original Zhenxiufang.

After sending the embroidery deliveryman away, Shopkeeper Zhang turned and said to Gui'er with a smile, "You must be surprised. This place is well-located, and there's a Xiuchun Hall in front of it where the girls serve high-ranking officials. Shopkeeper Liu cured a patron of syphilis who was introduced by one of the girls, and somehow it was spread as if he were the reincarnation of Hua Tuo. Once the reputation spread, business picked up. Now we've hired two or three more assistants, and our finances are much better."

Gui'er was a little worried and asked Zhang, the shopkeeper, quietly, "Are these guys our own people? Are they reliable? Don't let them stay here for too long. What did they find out?"

Shopkeeper Zhang smiled and said, "You can rest assured about this. One of them is from the same village as us, and the other two were introduced by Director Song. They are indeed our own people. Now Shopkeeper Liu can even go to the homes of those dignitaries to see patients for them. He can also inadvertently find out what's going on in the city, which is extremely convenient for our work."

It was almost noon, and the pharmacy was finally not so busy. Shopkeeper Liu had sent a few of his employees out to eat. He came over and said to Gui'er with a smile, "I saw you coming a while ago. You were just peeking around and were too embarrassed to come in. Wait a minute. I asked the employee who just stopped by to order us a portion at the restaurant. The restaurant staff should be bringing it over soon. Let's eat together."

Guier nodded happily. Seeing that there was no one in the store, she told them both about Director Tian's mission to Shanghai and the major incident that our comrades in Shanghai had encountered.

Shopkeeper Liu said, "Director Song mentioned this a while ago, telling us to keep it confidential. He said many of our organizations in Shanghai had been betrayed by traitors, and some colleagues had been arrested. I didn't expect the losses to be so great. It's really heartbreaking."

Gui'er said, "Shopkeeper Liu, I see your business is booming. It's a good thing to have so many customers, but you have to be careful."

Shopkeeper Liu smiled and said, "Don't worry about that. We're making more money now, so we've hired two more employees. Director Song and I have already decided that unless there's something absolutely necessary, Liu's Pharmacy won't be used as a contact point for deliveries. It will mainly serve as a front to protect the Zhenxiu Workshop. Now, Shopkeeper Zhang is the main contact point."

Gui Er thought about it and thought this arrangement was more reasonable. She asked Manager Liu, "You are so busy over there right now. Is it convenient for me to go over and study medicine?"

Before Shopkeeper Liu could say anything, Shopkeeper Zhang rushed in and said, "It's convenient. Why not? Your classmate He Ruizhu is now a famous female shopkeeper in Jiangcheng. It's no big deal for our pharmacy to have a female doctor."

Shopkeeper Liu pondered for a moment and said, "Of course you can learn, but I don't want you to show up at the pharmacy all the time. After all, people will definitely ask about your background. If they knew you were a daughter of the Marshal's Mansion, some people with bad intentions might try to harm you. Why don't you stay here with your master and help with the hand-made medicine like before? I'll bring you the pulse records every day and talk to you about them, so you can learn something from me."

Gui'er happily agreed. Seeing that Zhen Embroidery Shop and Liu's Pharmacy were crowded with customers, she knew that it was not a good place to arrange for Taohua and Wu Dafu to meet, so she had to find another way.

After returning to the Marshal's Mansion, she quietly told Sha Yanxiao that she wanted to arrange a meeting between Taohua and Wu Dafu.

Sha Yanxiao was very straightforward and said, "Of course. It's a rare trip back home, so it's only natural for you to see your brothers." Then he suddenly paused and said earnestly, "Taohua is getting taller and taller now, and looks more like an adult. You should remind her not to act like a child."

Gui'er keenly noticed something unusual and asked quickly, "What happened? Or is Father looking for a partner for Taohua?"

Sha Yanxiao smiled and said, "No, father never mentioned it, but he seems to have noticed Taohua now. I see him glancing at Taohua from time to time when we have dinner together. You have to know that the Seventh Concubine was originally the adopted daughter of the Madam, but later became attracted to him. The Madam was so angry that on her wedding day she was forced to force-feed her several bowls of the contraceptive medicine used in brothels. That's why she has never had any children."

After hearing this, Guier felt cold sweat on her head.