A Girl Traveling Through Troubled Times

Gui'er returned to Sha Yanxiao's courtyard. Sha Yanxiao was sitting on the sofa in the living room. Seeing her come in, he said, "The eldest wife just came to tell me that she's going back to Nanjing tomorrow and asked if you want to go with her. I accepted it for you."

Gui'er was very surprised and asked quickly, "Why is it so sudden?"

Sha Yanxiao smiled and said, "I guess Big Brother has wanted to go back for a long time. After all, his wife in Nanjing is urging him to go. Father was still injured, so it was naturally inconvenient for Big Brother to go. But now that the Eighth Concubine is pregnant, he's overjoyed and must have agreed without any hesitation." Seeing Gui'er's hesitation, he said, "What's wrong? Don't you want to go back to school? School has already started there. Didn't your teacher call a few days ago to urge you to go?"

Gui'er was naturally anxious to go back to school. She wished her life could get back on track immediately, but she felt that things here were not over yet, and it felt weird if she just left like that.

Sha Yanxiao pulled her to sit next to him and said, "Are you worried that father is still angry? Don't worry, the Eighth Concubine's pregnancy is enough to make him feel better for a while."

Gui'er thought about it and nodded, saying happily, "Okay then, I'll let Dingxiang pack up, but I'm going back to Nanjing, so Taohua..."

Sha Yanxiao smiled and said, "Don't worry, I will ensure Taohua's safety. Since I promised her marriage to Wu Dafu, I will definitely do my best to facilitate it. Besides, my father is now fully focused on the male fetus of the eighth concubine. I don't think he will turn his attention to other women for a while."

Gui'er thought secretly, if that's the case, then she might as well find a way to get out of here, relax and enjoy herself, and avoid the entanglement of the Duanmu family.

Having made up her mind, she quickly arranged for Dingxiang to pack her luggage, and then she went to the third concubine's courtyard to look for Taohua.

When the Third Auntie saw Gui'er coming over, she smiled and said, "Guier, I heard that you've gotten much better these past couple of days, right?"

Gui Er said politely, "Thank you for your concern, Third Aunt. I'm much better now. I saw you in Eighth Aunt's courtyard today."

The Third Concubine seemed to suddenly remember something when she heard it, and said with a smile: "Oh, yes, yes, yes, you are here to look for Taohua, right? Taohua has been staying in the yard these days, but I don't want her to go out and cause trouble."

As he spoke, he walked to Gui'er and said softly, "Actually, everyone in the mansion knows about that matter. Alas, actually, I know you will definitely blame me for not stopping it at that time, but I have little influence in this mansion. I only have one daughter, Sanmei, unlike the fourth concubine who has a son. At that time, the Marshal married my Sanmei to an old man who was almost the same age as his father, and I couldn't say a word. Now that the Marshal wants to marry someone else, it's the same. Gui'er, I know you are smart, educated, and capable, but I might as well tell you the truth. Even if something like last time happens again, I can't do anything." As he spoke, he wiped the corners of his eyes where there were no tears.

Gui'er looked at her and knew that she was actually making excuses, but what she said was indeed the truth. However, according to what Taohua said last time, the third concubine was even a bit of an accomplice to the evil, so Gui'er decided to give her a warning.

She pretended to be very sad and said, "I also know that the third concubine must be a good person. I also know how sad you have been in the Marshal's Mansion for so many years. You have worked hard to take care of Taohua all these years. I believe that Taohua will be full of gratitude to you when she gets married. After all, in this Marshal's Mansion, you are her adoptive mother. If she does well in the future, she will definitely repay you. Even my second brother said that the third concubine may seem timid, but she is the most generous to others."

The Third Concubine smiled reluctantly and said vaguely, "Oh, how can you say that? Well, this is what I think. Since you and Taohua are so close, it's okay for you to take her to live in your courtyard."

Gui'er was stunned. The third concubine actually planned to get rid of her. Gui'er frowned. She was going to Nanjing soon. It might not be a good idea to take Taohua to Sha Yanxiao's courtyard without his permission. The Marshal was angry with Sha Yanxiao for standing up for him. However, if she ignored him, she was worried that Taohua would be in a bad situation and be bullied in the third concubine's courtyard.

She smiled and said, "I'll go see the peach blossoms first." Then she turned and went to the peach blossom room.

The room was very dark. Gui'er was surprised because it was not like this when she came here before. She looked around and found that the windows were replaced with dark and thick curtains.

Taohua was sitting in a corner of the room, embroidering flowers with her head down.

"Peach Blossom." Gui'er called softly.

Taohua slowly raised her head and saw Gui'er quickly put down what she was holding, walked over and said, "I went to look for you the day before yesterday, but the Second Young Master said you were sick and wouldn't let us meet. I was worried about you, are you okay?"

Guier smiled and waved her hand, saying, "I'm much better now. I came to see you. I'm going back to Nanjing to go to school tomorrow."

Taohua was very surprised to hear this, and even had a hint of panic on her face. Guier saw this and remembered what the Third Wife had just said, so she asked, "Since that incident, have the people in this courtyard given you any trouble or bullying?"

Taohua smiled and said, "It doesn't matter whether I'm bullied or not." Then she lowered her head and picked up the embroidery again. As she embroidered, she said, "It's better for you to leave, away from this place of trouble. If I weren't there, you would definitely be better off."

Seeing her say such depressing things, Gui'er felt something was wrong. She quickly stepped forward, held her hand, and said, "Don't think like that. If I didn't have you, I wouldn't have made it this far. You're closer to me than my own brother."

She thought for a moment and realized that she couldn't return to Nanjing in this situation. She stood up suddenly and said to Taohua, "I'll go ask my second brother and ask him to think of a solution."

Then she hurried back to her own courtyard. As she entered the yard, Dingxiang came over with a smile and said, "Miss, everything has been packed. Go and take a look yourself. If there is anything missing that needs to be added, or if there is anything that needs to be purchased, we can take advantage of the time now to quickly buy it."

Gui'er nodded and said, "I understand. I need to go see my brother first."

Ding Xiang smiled and said, "The Second Young Master is in the study."

Gui'er hurried to the study and was about to open the door when Wu Mingqiang came out. The two almost bumped into each other and were startled.

Wu Mingqiang saw Gui'er and looked her over from head to toe before he breathed a sigh of relief: "Miss, I'm glad you're okay."

Guier guessed that he must have known what had happened to her, so she smiled and said, "I'm fine, Brother Wu, thank you for your concern."

Wu Mingqiang hesitated and said, "Miss, please take good care of yourself. If I can ever be of any use to you, I will repay you with all my heart and soul."

Gui'er was stunned for a moment. This was too exaggerated. Wu Mingqiang was not like this usually.

"Gui'er, is that you?" Sha Yanxiao asked in the study.

"Miss, I'll take my leave now." Wu Mingqiang said and turned away.