A Girl Traveling Through Troubled Times

Wu Mingqiang nodded and said obediently, "Yes." Then, he turned around and said goodbye to Guier with a smile, "See you later, Miss. I will bring you a gift next time." Then he turned around and left.

Gui'er was still very curious and hesitated for a moment whether to ask Sha Yanxiao. Then she thought that Sha Yanxiao didn't seem to be as wary of her as Sha Yanyao, so she plucked up her courage and asked Sha Yanxiao curiously, "Brother, what is Xiao Wu doing in Shanghai?"

Sha Yanxiao plopped down on the sofa, took Gui'er's hand, and placed it in his palm. He breathed a sigh of relief, looked around to see if there was anyone around, and then said, "Do you remember those antiques in Shanghai?"

Gui'er slapped her head, forgetting all about it. She said, "I forgot about that. We've got the house deeds back, but haven't we got the antiques back yet?"

Sha Yanxiao smiled indulgently and said, "That old sly fellow, Mitsui, wouldn't give in so easily. He gave it to me in name only, but in reality, he said he could keep it temporarily. So, is he still holding onto it? That's why I saw Wu Mingqiang keeping an eye on him in Shanghai, to prevent him from secretly transferring it to me."

Gui'er frowned and thought, the Japanese will invade in a few years, and Mitsui will probably take the opportunity to steal those antiques. She said angrily, "He is trying to delay time, thinking that the day the Japanese army invades, he can legitimately take those antiques for himself."

Sha Yanxiao was stunned for a moment, then nodded in appreciation: "Sister, after all, you have attended a modern school. You are not like other girls who understand things so quickly."

Guier said unwillingly, "That's so infuriating. We went through so much trouble to find the place, the things, and the people, but in the end we still can't get them back."

Sha Yanxiao sighed and said, "Actually, my father and I had a disagreement on how to deal with this batch of stuff. That's why Mitsui had the opportunity to take advantage of it."

Gui'er asked in confusion, "What's going on? Our family has a disagreement, and it's our own business. Let's get the antique back first. If we leave it in someone else's hands, there will be too many complications and too many variables."

Sha Yanxiao smiled bitterly and said, "Father, he wants to use this batch of things to befriend the Japanese. It's like betting on both sides. He thinks that no matter who will rule the country in the future, Jiangcheng and Fengcheng will still be under his control."

Gui'er was horrified. She shook her head and said to Sha Yanxiao, "Impossible! If Father had defected to the Japanese, he would have been a traitor. Even if he had avoided fighting the Japanese, he would have been eliminated as a traitor. Furthermore, I've read in the newspapers that the Japanese invaded every inch of Chinese territory. If they hadn't resisted and had surrendered Jiangcheng and Fengcheng, Father would most likely have gained nothing but a bad reputation."

Sha Yanxiao sighed, "You're the one who sees things clearly. Ever since father started smoking that thing, his entire mind seems to have become decadent. Sometimes I can't believe that he's the same ambitious Marshal Sha now."

Gui'er quickly said to Sha Yanxiao, "Brother Yanxiao, you must dissuade father. If we cooperate with the Japanese, none of us will end well."

Sha Yanxiao nodded and said, "Father hasn't decided to cooperate with the Japanese. He said he's been considering it. And he actually brought up such an important matter at the dinner table. Look, the third and fourth concubines were so anxious to marry off their daughters. They were afraid that if such a day came, Lily and Sanmei would be harmed by the Japanese if they stayed in the Marshal's Mansion."

Gui'er was stunned for a moment. So there was this layer of relationship going on. She pouted and said, "I was wondering why they were so anxious all of a sudden? Lily did urge me to find a partner, but the Third Concubine didn't say anything. How disloyal."

When Sha Yanxiao heard this, he couldn't help laughing: "Don't worry, I will never let this happen."

Guier nodded happily, but she told the shopkeeper Zhang about the situation when she went to Zhenxiufang the next day.

After hearing this, Zhang Shiguan's expression became serious. He sighed and said, "These warlords have no sense of patriotism. Nothing can be done about what has not happened yet."

Guier said, "I think we should be prepared first. A war between China and Japan is inevitable."

As they were talking, Song Xichen walked over from the pharmacy. Shopkeeper Zhang quickly stood up and called out, "Director Song, you're here to get some medicine. Is your hand injury feeling any better?"

Song Xichen smiled and said, "Much better. There are too many customers over there, so let's wait a moment." Then he found a stool and sat down as if he was familiar with the place.

Gui'er looked at his hand nervously and whispered, "Brother Xichen, what's wrong with your hand?"

Song Xichen smiled and waved his hand, saying, "It's just a minor injury, it's almost healed, don't worry. What were you talking about just now? Why do you look so serious?"

Gui'er looked at Zhang, then at Song Xichen. After a moment's hesitation, she said, "Brother Xichen, it's like this. I heard from Sha Yanxiao that the Marshal seems to be tempted to surrender to the enemy. He wants to use the antiques that were previously seized by the Japanese, belonging to Director Shen, to befriend the Japanese. He wants to play both sides and keep the territory of Jiangcheng and Fengcheng."

After hearing this, Song Xichen's expression instantly turned serious, his brows furrowed as he said, "Is this really true? This is no small matter. If the Marshal really surrenders to the enemy, the consequences will be disastrous."

At this time, Shopkeeper Liu's group had dwindled, so he came over and sighed, saying, "Yes, these warlords sometimes disregard the interests of their country for their own benefit. But now that the matter is unresolved, I don't know what to do."

Guier continued, "I told Brother Yanxiao that if he defected to the Japanese, he would be a traitor and would have no good end. But after the Marshal smoked that thing, he completely changed. Brother Yanxiao was also helpless, but he said he would do his best to stop it."

Song Xichen nodded and thought for a moment before saying, "This matter is indeed tricky. The Marshal commands a large army, and his decision has a huge impact. However, he is a very shrewd man. I think he would only make such a decision when the situation is unfavorable to him. However, the young marshal also has great prestige in the army, so we can work on his ideological work."

Gui'er nodded and said confidently, "You can rest assured about Brother Yanxiao. He will definitely resist to the end."

Song Xichen nodded: "Although our auras don't quite match, I also think he is a man of blood."

Gui'er nodded happily after hearing this. "Brother Xichen, my brother Wu Dafu plans to buy some land in the remote mountains. He thinks we can take refuge there if the situation gets bad. I've already told Brother Yanxiao about it, but he didn't take it seriously. But I still want to tell you. My brother will tell me the location later, and I'll tell you. If the situation gets bad, our comrades can hide there."