A Girl Traveling Through Troubled Times

The next day, Gui'er came to Zhenxiufang and told Manager Liu that she wanted to meet Song Xichen and tell him something about Sha Yanxiao.

Shopkeeper Liu looked at the bustling Liu's Pharmacy and said to Gui'er, "That's perfect. I've already prepared Director Song's medicinal food. You can send it to him. You know the place."

Gui'er immediately understood that Manager Liu felt that there were too many people in the pharmacy and asked Gui'er to go directly to the police station to find Song Xichen.

She nodded, took the medicine package handed to her by Manager Liu, turned and walked out of the pharmacy, and walked to the police station where Song Xichen was.

Gui'er hadn't been here for several years, but everything still looked so familiar. Everyone in the police station stared at her in amazement. The uncle in charge of cleaning and boiling water opened his mouth wide and asked after a long moment, "Are you the little girl who followed the chief around back then? My god, you've grown up so much, but you look the same, still so smart."

Patrolmen from other police stations came over to see what was happening. Those who knew Gui'er rushed to greet her. One female officer even touched her face and said with a smile, "When the chief rescued you, you were only slightly taller than his knee. Now you're a grown woman, and we're getting old too."

Gui'er felt very warmed by these completely unselfish greetings and quickly said with a smile, "Of course not! I see that my brothers and sisters haven't changed at all."

When everyone heard this, they all laughed and said, "Look, this guy has been smart since he was little. He will be very smart when he grows up. His little mouth is so talkative."

Song Xichen heard the commotion and came out to see that it was Gui'er. He was very surprised and asked, "Guier, why are you here?"

Gui'er picked up the medicine bag in her hand, shook it, and said, "Shopkeeper Liu asked me to bring you the medicinal food you requested."

Song Xichen reacted after a second and said, "Oh, so that's what it is. Then come to my office." He turned to the people who were watching and wanted to chat with Gui'er and said, "Hey, hey, hey, what are you doing? It's still working hours. Go back to your work and stop chatting here."

After hearing this, everyone dispersed reluctantly.

Gui'er followed Song Xichen to his office. It was the same office as before, and the furnishings hadn't changed at all. Gui'er sat down in the seat she used to like to sit in when doing homework, and found that the sofa, which she had thought was so spacious that it could be used as a bed, had become narrower. It seemed that she had really grown up.

Song Xichen watched Gui'er's actions from the side, smiling, without saying anything. After a long while, he said, "Manager Liu sent you to see me. Is there a mission?"

Gui'er then remembered the purpose of her visit and quickly said, "Brother Xichen, Brother Yanxiao told me some past events yesterday. He said that when he was about to graduate from Shanghai Medical College, he learned that his adoptive father had passed away. His adoptive father was the head of Qingfeng Village at that time. After returning to Qingfeng Village, he found out that his adoptive father was murdered. The other heads of the village said it was related to your family and even started a commotion to rob the Song family. He had just taken over the position of head, and in order to avoid more casualties, he instead took Miss Song as a hostage and took her up the mountain, hoping to use this opportunity to interrogate Master Song about his adoptive father. As a result, you led a brigade of police to suppress the bandits, and several heads of the village were killed on the spot. He and Dali escaped. Later, the Marshal took him back to the mansion, and he asked the Marshal about his adoptive father. The Marshal said it might be your first act as a new official, but without any solid evidence, he told him not to pursue the matter further."

Song Xichen was surprised to hear this and quickly said, "I really didn't kill the leader of Qingfeng Village. When we were suppressing the bandits back then, those bandit leaders put up a fierce resistance, so I had no choice but to execute them on the spot. But I never saw the leader of Qingfeng Village from beginning to end, let alone what he looked like."

Gui'er frowned, her confusion growing even more intense. "If he wasn't shot by soldiers, how did the eldest master die?" But she was still thinking about resolving the misunderstanding between Song Xichen and Sha Yanxiao first, so she continued, "Brother Xichen, Brother Yanxiao also said that he really didn't intend to harm Miss Tingting at the time. He was just being provoked by his subordinates and had no idea what to do. He originally just wanted to use this method to find out the cause of his adoptive father's death from Master Song. Qingfeng and the other masters all said that the eldest master's death was related to the Song family. He didn't mean to harm Miss Song."

Song Xichen nodded slightly and said, "I see. Actually, I've been observing Sha Yanxiao for years. He's done a lot of practical work, shutting down the opium dens and casinos in Jiangcheng and Fengcheng. After the January 28 Incident, he actively attracted investment from Shanghai to set up factories in the two cities. While the surrounding areas were in stagnation, Jiangcheng and Fengcheng actually experienced development. In terms of military and leadership abilities, he's indeed much stronger than the Marshal, and is more suitable to lead these two places."

Gui'er was delighted when she heard this and said, "Brother Xichen, since you also recognize Brother Yanxiao's abilities, can you two reconcile? If we can guide Brother Yanxiao to join our team, perhaps he can make greater contributions to the country."

Song Xichen pondered for a moment and slowly said, "Gui'er, I agree with your idea, but we can't rush this matter. You have to know that the Marshal has been operating in Jiangcheng and Fengcheng for many years, and his power is deeply intertwined. As his son, Sha Yanxiao will inevitably face great resistance if he wants to change his stance, and the risk factor is also extremely high. Many comrades have accidentally exposed themselves and ultimately sacrificed themselves in the process of persuading others. For example, there is a comrade in our team, Xiao Li, who went to win the support of a local force. Because he was too anxious, his intentions were discovered by the other party and he was brutally murdered. There is also Lao Wang, who was betrayed by a traitor while doing similar work and unfortunately died. Therefore, we must proceed with caution."

Gui'er felt a wave of fear when she heard this, and nodded vigorously, saying, "Brother Xichen, I understand. I will definitely proceed with caution. I will definitely not let my impatience ruin anything."

Song Xichen looked at Gui'er's determined eyes and smiled with relief: "I'm glad you understand. This matter is of great importance, and we must be cautious at every step. If there is any new development, please let me know in time."

Gui'er responded obediently, "Okay, Brother Xichen. I'll keep an eye on the situation when I get back."

Song Xichen nodded and continued, "I have sent the photos you took earlier to my superiors for confirmation. The Duanmu family does have extensive connections in Shanghai, and there is an unexpected person, Mitsui, with whom they interact very frequently."

Guier frowned and said, "Are they doing business with Mitsui? After all, Mitsui is a businessman."

Song Xichen thought for a moment and said, "We discovered an interesting phenomenon during our investigation. The Duanmu family has connections in Shanghai, and they are mainly Japanese or businessmen close to Japan."