A Girl Traveling Through Troubled Times

Duanmu Heng was about to answer.

"Gui'er, Ah Cheng went to the store but didn't pick you up. I asked the people in the store and found out that you actually went out to eat with Master Duanmu." A familiar and low voice sounded from behind.

Gui'er quickly turned around and saw Sha Yanxiao. He had a smile on his face and walked towards the two of them in two steps.

Gui'er was startled and turned around to see Sha Yanxiao smiling gently. However, having been around him for so long, she could clearly sense that beneath his gentle smile, there was actually anger. She quickly explained in a low voice, "Brother, I went to the Zhenxiufang early this morning and forgot about Master Duanmu's invitation yesterday. I didn't expect him to go there, so we came here for dessert."

Duanmu Heng also explained calmly, "Second Young Master, I'm truly sorry. I just wanted to get to know Miss Gui'er better. I heard that Miss Gui'er liked the desserts here, so I thought of bringing her here to try them. I have no other intentions."

Sha Yanxiao sneered and said to Duanmu Heng, "Mr. Duanmu, Gui'er is young and doesn't understand all these twists and turns. As her brother, I have to worry more about her. If you want to ask Gui'er out in the future, please let me know first. It's getting late today, so you should go back early." His tone seemed polite, but it revealed a firmness that would not be refused.

A hint of displeasure flashed across Duanmu Heng's eyes, but he quickly regained his smile. He stood up, bowed slightly and said, "Of course. I'll apologize to the Second Young Master another day." After that, he turned and left.

Without a word, Sha Yanxiao grabbed Gui'er's hand and walked towards the car. Along the way, Gui'er could feel the strength of Sha Yanxiao's grip; he was clearly furious. Once in the car, Gui'er hurriedly told Sha Yanxiao everything she had learned about Duanmu Heng's family.

Sha Yanxiao's face was terribly gloomy. He gritted his teeth and said, "I finally got a mine from my father to provide military funds. There's no way I'm going to give it up. And from what you said, it seems that the Duanmu family is very likely connected to the Japanese. Gui'er, you don't have to pay any attention to Duanmu Heng from now on. The farther away from him, the better."

Gui'er nodded hurriedly and agreed happily: "Okay, brother, I understand." She didn't want to have any contact with Duanmu Heng in the first place. She felt that this family was very dangerous.

However, as soon as he returned to the Marshal's residence, the Eighth Concubine, as if she had smelled something, ran over very attentively, with a smile on her face and asked, "Hey, you two are back. How was it? Did you enjoy your time together today? Do you have any feelings for me? Do you think you are a good match?"

Gui'er was speechless for a moment, not knowing how to start. Sha Yanxiao calmly covered up for her, "Eighth Concubine, they're just getting to know each other, how can they jump to conclusions so quickly? Take your time. Oh, and by the way, were you the one who asked that Master Duanmu to find Gui'er's apprentice at the pharmacy? Don't do that. We're not sure if the relationship will work out yet, and it would be awkward for people to see them together in public."

The Eighth Concubine smiled and scolded, "I didn't expect the Second Young Master to be such a cautious and steady person. Well, I'll ask Young Master Duanmu to pay attention to it in the future and report it to you in advance, but I'm optimistic about them both."

During dinner, Dingxiang came over and whispered, "Master, Miss, I heard from Kuixiang today that Master Duanmu and his wife came to visit the Marshal. They were accompanied by the Eighth Concubine the whole time, and the group chatted for a long time in the Marshal's study."

Upon hearing this news, Sha Yanxiao frowned. Without even finishing his meal, he put down his bowl and chopsticks and immediately went to find the Marshal. When he returned, his expression even more grim. He told Gui'er, "Old Master Duanmu asked the Marshal to take over the two mines in Jiangcheng. The condition was that if the Japanese attacked in the future, they would guarantee that the Marshal would remain the boss of Jiangcheng and Fengcheng. Now it's certain that the Duanmu family is working for the Japanese."

Gui'er knew that in this era, all factions had many lobbyists and spies infiltrating each other, so she hurriedly asked, "What does the Marshal mean?"

Sha Yanxiao said, "The Marshal didn't quite believe what they said and didn't agree, but it was hard to do anything to them. They were so arrogant, they must really have the Japanese as their backers. Now that the war hasn't started, it's not easy for us to take action first. But we still have to be on guard against this matter."

The next day, Gui'er arrived at the Zhenxiu Workshop and told the news to Shopkeeper Zhang. She said anxiously, "Shopkeeper Zhang, this is serious. The Duanmu family is actually asking to take over the two mines in Jiangcheng. Tell Brother Xichen quickly and ask him to think of a solution."

Seeing the seriousness of the matter, Zhang, the shopkeeper, dared not delay and hurried off to find Song Xichen. A short while later, Song Xichen arrived in a hurry. After hearing what had happened, he realized the gravity of the situation. After a moment's contemplation, he pulled out a miniature camera from his pocket, handed it to Gui'er, and said seriously, "Guier, this is an emergency. Find an opportunity to secretly take pictures of the Eighth Concubine, Duanmu Heng, and his parents. I'm going to ask our comrades in Shanghai to investigate their backgrounds and see if they have any hidden agendas. This matter is of great importance, so you must be extremely careful."

Gui'er took a deep breath, nodded solemnly, took the camera and said, "Don't worry, Brother Xichen, I will be careful."

Although the Marshal temporarily declined the Duanmu family's request, he did not dare to offend them and invited the Duanmu family to his mansion for dinner from time to time.

Gui'er took the miniature camera given by Song Xichen and secretly took pictures when she went to the Eighth Concubine's courtyard with the Fourth and Third Concubines. However, the people in the Duanmu family could not find the opportunity because after all, each person had a seat at a table during meals, unlike the Eighth Concubine's courtyard where people played mahjong, listened to music, chatted, and ate melon seeds. She could walk aside and operate secretly without being discovered.

That day, Gui'er heard that the Marshal was inviting the Duanmu family to dinner again, so she quickly took a doll and shaved the back of her head so that the camera could be stuffed in. She adjusted the position and put the lens just against the doll's eyes, then took out the eyeballs of the doll's eyes and used other things to fix the camera. She made a headscarf with a small piece of cloth and wrapped it around the back of the doll's head so that it could not be seen from the outside.

During the meal, Gui'er still sat at the children's table. She adjusted the angle and placed the doll at a position where Duanmu Heng and his parents could be photographed. Then she put her finger through the shaved back of the head and pressed the shutter button hard. Because she was afraid that she would not be able to capture the picture, she adjusted the angle several times to take the picture. Finally, she thought that she had captured everything so she gave up.

Taohua, who was standing next to him, asked curiously, "Gui'er, why do you suddenly like dolls so much? I've never seen you play with them before."

Guier quickly smiled and said, "Oh, I've suddenly started to like it recently."