A Girl Traveling Through Troubled Times

Song Xichen came with Mr. Song, and Mrs. Song also came. He and Sha Yanyao were classmates, so he went to greet Sha Yanyao specially. Sha Yanyao also took him to see the child. The two of them were arm in arm, calling each other brothers and seemed very familiar with each other.

When Mrs. Song and Mr. Song were greeting the Marshal and his wife, Mrs. Song stayed a little longer on purpose. The Marshal saw that she was obviously a little excited and even raised her hand, wanting to reach out and shake Mrs. Song's hand, but his wife was quick to grab her hand.

Mrs. Song smiled reluctantly and said a few polite words before following Mr. Song out.

When Song Xichen saw Gui'er, he smiled and nodded. Gui'er also nodded in response with a smile. She originally wanted to go over and chat with Song Xichen, but when she turned around, she saw Sha Yanxiao's gloomy eyes, so she had to give up. She was very puzzled in her heart, wondering why these two people just couldn't get along.

At this time, the guests had arrived one after another and started to take their seats. Some of them had already started drinking, toasting everywhere, and playing drinking games. The scene was very lively.

"Look, that traitor is coming." Sha Lili said suddenly.

Guier turned her head and saw Master Duanmu, his wife, a man in his 30s whom she had never met but who looked very similar to Master Duanmu, and Duanmu Heng walking in together.

Needless to say, this person is the talented elder brother Duanmu Lei whom Duanmu Heng had mentioned before, who manages the mines for the Japanese in Northeast China. Although he and Duanmu Heng are brothers and look alike, Duanmu Lei is more burly. Compared with Duanmu Heng's gentle temperament, Duanmu Lei is more imposing. He wears a suit and has a slicked back hair, a bit like the domineering president in modern dramas.

Guier heard the guests at the next table whispering, "See? This is the eldest son of the Duanmu family. I heard he's highly valued by the Japanese. I didn't expect he's also so handsome."

"But what is he doing here?"

"Is that even a question? We have a mine here."

"Humph, this isn't Manchukuo. You're still trying to covet our mines? You're dreaming. I'm sure the Marshal won't agree."

"Forget it. Whether the Marshal agrees or not, we won't get a cent anyway, so who cares if he gives it to us?"

"Don't worry, the Japanese will attack sooner or later. Maybe their family will be very successful in Jiangcheng by then. I wonder if this eldest son Duanmu has a wife or concubine. I have an unmarried cousin at home. If things don't work out, I can give her as a concubine. What do you think of this idea?"

"Hey, keep your voice down! You're still enjoying Marshal Sha's banquet, and you're already thinking about trying to establish a relationship with the Japanese devils?"

"Don't talk nonsense. He is a guest of honor of Marshal Sha. I heard that his second son is about to be engaged to the Marshal's favorite girl. Besides, your words are nice, but if the Japanese really attack us, you might be more active in building relationships than me."

"Which lady? That's perfect. The ladies' table is right next to ours. Can you tell me who it is?"

Gui'er lowered her head quickly when she heard this. The children of the fifth and sixth concubines who were sitting near her all looked at her. Gui'er glared at them fiercely. They were so scared that they quickly lowered their heads and continued eating.

Gui'er had not met Duanmu Heng since she came back this time, so she couldn't help but secretly keep an eye on their family's movements.

The Duanmu family first came to Marshal Sha and his wife. Master Duanmu congratulated the Marshal very solemnly. The Marshal nodded slightly and said nothing.

Then, Master Duanmu introduced his eldest son Duanmu Lei to the Marshal. Duanmu Lei stepped forward and gave the Marshal a standard 90-degree bow, which was commonly used by Japanese people, attracting the attention of everyone around him.

The Marshal nodded majestically, still without saying a word.

Duanmu Lei seemed to say something again, but Gui'er was too far away to hear. She only saw that while he was talking, Sha Yanxiao walked up to him and said a few words. The atmosphere did not look very good. Then Master Duanmu hurried forward with a smile on his face. It was unknown what he said. Butler Zhao also stepped forward and made a gesture of invitation, and then asked the best man to arrange them to take their seats.

Duanmu Heng looked around and finally found Gui'er. He smiled and nodded at her. Gui'er was hesitating whether to nod in response out of politeness, but suddenly she saw Sha Yanxiao staring at Duanmu Heng fiercely, so she quickly lowered her head and ignored him.

Gui'er had a bad feeling in her heart. It must be nothing good that the Duanmu family showed up again.

The banquet had not yet ended. Gui'er was afraid that some guests would leave and the scene would become chaotic. Duanmu Heng would then take the opportunity to talk to her, so she slipped away first.

She took Taohua back to the general's mansion. On the way, Taohua whispered to her that she wanted to take the opportunity to sneak out and meet Wu Dafu.

Taohua was afraid that Duanmu Heng would follow her. If he used her own brother as a bargaining chip to threaten her, it would be troublesome. So he said to Taohua, "The third concubine's daughter is getting married soon. When she gets married, my second brother promised to find a way for you. You'd better be careful during this period and don't let anyone catch you. If that happens, it will be a reason for the Marshal to refuse you to leave the palace, which will be troublesome. So we won't go this time, right?"

Taohua thought it made sense and agreed reluctantly.

She returned to her own yard. More than an hour later, Sha Yanxiao came back, still smelling faintly of alcohol.

Gui'er quickly asked the kitchen to prepare some hangover tea. Sha Yanxiao sat down on the sofa and breathed a sigh of relief.

Gui'er asked, "Why are the Duanmu family invited today? I heard a lot of people talking about it at the banquet, some even saying that the Marshal's Mansion is on good terms with the Japanese invaders."

Sha Yanxiao sighed and said, "My father personally gave Butler Zhao the guest list. I wasn't paying attention, and I actually sent a message to the Duanmu family as well. They even brought their eldest son, Duanmu Lei, and repeatedly told my father that they wanted to cooperate in mining."

"What is father's attitude? He doesn't really want to let them mine the mine, right? That would be the same as giving it to the Japanese." Gui'er was very worried.

"What is my father's attitude? It doesn't matter. As long as I am in charge, he will never agree to it." Sha Yanxiao said very firmly.

After hearing this, Gui'er felt a little relieved. She then asked, "Is Sister Sanmei's marriage finalized? Has father given his approval?"

Sha Yanxiao frowned and said, "I originally thought that since Father was so happy, he might just agree on a whim, and then strike while the iron is hot and marry Sanmei off. But then, for some reason, Father suddenly became unhappy again. Whether I brought it up or the Third Concubine brought it up, he just kept a sullen face and said nothing. And since this was at a wedding banquet, I didn't want to provoke him to lose his temper. So I had to let it go for now."