A Girl Traveling Through Troubled Times

Gui'er couldn't help but feel a little worried after hearing this. She originally thought that since the three beauties were already pregnant, the Marshal would agree even if he had to hold his nose.

This way she could strike while the iron was hot and make arrangements for her romantic affairs, but unexpectedly, she failed at first and now she didn't know what to do.

One day after the banquet, Gui'er thought that she still had a few days left in Jiangcheng, so she went to Zhenxiufang to be an apprentice as usual.

As soon as she stepped into the embroidery workshop, she felt that the atmosphere was a little strange. Before she could think about it, a familiar figure appeared in front of her - Duanmu Heng.

Shopkeepers Zhang and Liu glanced at Gui'er helplessly. Duanmu Xing must have been lying in ambush here early in the morning, but it would be inappropriate for Shopkeeper Liu to chase people away since he had opened the door to do business.

Duanmu Heng walked straight towards Gui'er with a smile on his face.

"Gui'er, I was so busy socializing with the elders yesterday that I didn't have time to talk to you. How have you been lately?"

Gui'er could only force a smile and say, "I'm fine. Thank you, Master Duanmu, for your concern."

Duanmu Heng seemed to be exchanging pleasantries, but suddenly changed the subject, "I heard that the Eighth Concubine passed away. I wonder what the reason was?"

Gui'er's heart tightened, but she remained calm and replied, "He died of illness."

Duanmu Heng sneered and said firmly, "I heard that Sha Yanxiao was the one who killed him."

Gui'er was shocked and wondered why Duanmu Heng made such a ridiculous statement.

When the people in the store heard it, they turned around curiously and listened attentively.

Gui'er stood by Sha Yanxiao without hesitation and said sternly, "Master Duanmu, you can eat whatever you want, but you can't say anything you want. How could the young marshal do such a thing? Your unfounded speculation is truly inappropriate."

Duanmu Heng disagreed and insisted on his statement, his eyes full of ill intentions. Gui Er knew that arguing with him would only lead to complications, so she ignored him and hurriedly left the embroidery workshop.

When she returned to the Marshal's Mansion, she heard that the Duanmu family was becoming more and more arrogant in Jiangcheng and pressing forward step by step. They had visited the Marshal's Mansion many times, demanding that the Marshal fulfill his previous promise and hand over the mine to their family for development.

Not only that, the Duanmu family also went to the Song family and forcefully asked Mr. Song to hand over the management rights of the mine. Mr. Song was overwhelmed and the pressure doubled. In desperation, he went to the Marshal's Mansion twice to report the situation to the Marshal.

However, the Marshal was unable to show up due to illness, and was received by Sha Yanxiao. Sha Yanxiao comforted him with kind words and promised that he would never let the Duanmu family take over the mine currently managed by the Song family, which temporarily appeased Master Song.

However, a series of actions by the Duanmu family led to rumors spreading in the market that the Marshal intended not to resist.

One day, Gui'er and He Ruizhu met in a cafe to drink coffee, and they heard people at the next table heatedly discussing whether it was better to surrender or resist.

One person shook his head and said, "If we surrender, there will be no casualties. We can't resist anyway. Wasn't the situation in Shanghai an example?"

Another person slammed the table and objected firmly: "Nonsense! Manchukuo didn't resist, but the people there are still suffering. My relatives just escaped from there this year. I heard that even eating white flour buns is illegal there, and they will be punished as economic crimes. How can you call that easy?"

Others tried to persuade them, but most of them felt that the Japanese invasion was far away from their lives and only cared about their current lives.

Gui'er became even more worried after listening to these discussions. When she returned to the general's residence, she told Sha Yanxiao everything she had heard.

Sha Yanxiao comforted her, saying, "People are in turmoil right now. Rumors like this are everywhere, not just in Jiangcheng and Fengcheng, but everywhere else as well. We can only try our best to do everything we can."

Meanwhile, Duanmu Heng seemed determined to pursue Gui'er, frequently visiting Zhenxiufang to "chance" encounter her. Whenever he saw her, he would deliberately act overly affectionate, creating the impression that their relationship was unusual. Gui'er, overwhelmed by his annoyance, was forced to resign from her apprenticeship at Zhenxiufang. As the holiday drew to a close, she felt deeply frustrated that none of the tasks she had planned to attend to had been completed.

Seeing Gui'er frowning all day, Sha Yanxiao felt deeply distressed and decided to take her to the park, hoping to cheer her up. The sun was shining brightly that day, and the park was bustling with people. The young marshal and Gui'er strolled along the bluestone path, lined with lush trees and vibrant flowers. The occasional butterfly fluttered among the blossoms, captivating Gui'er, and her mood gradually relaxed.

As they reached the lake, the young commander had a sudden idea and rented a small boat. He confidently took up the oars, ready to show off his skills, but the boat spun in the lake, refusing to obey his commands. Gui'er couldn't help but chuckle at Sha Yanxiao's flustered behavior.

Sha Yanxiao pretended to be angry and said, "Guier is not behaving well this time. She just stood there and laughed at my joke."

Guier knew that he was not really angry and laughed even harder.

With Sha Yanxiao's efforts, the boat finally moved forward obediently. Their figures were reflected on the lake, forming a beautiful picture with the surrounding lake and mountains.

The two of them chatted on the boat, enjoying the scenery. Sha Yanxiao told Gui'er about his childhood in the mountain village, which made her laugh. Before they knew it, the boat had reached the pavilion in the middle of the lake. Sha Yanxiao helped Gui'er up to the pavilion, and the two of them leaned over the railing, gazing into the distance, feeling the breeze and a sense of comfort.

Good times are always short-lived. Just when they were about to finish their stroll through the park, Duanmu Heng unexpectedly showed up again, "pretending to meet by chance." He still looked very refined and polite. Seeing Sha Yanxiao and Gui'er, he pretended to be surprised at first. Then, he walked straight up to Sha Yanxiao, exchanged a few pleasantries, and said bluntly, "Two days ago, your family held a full-moon banquet with many guests. I knew you were busy, so I was understanding. But now the banquet is over, and there's nothing else to do. The Marshal originally promised to preside over our engagement ceremony in the first month of the year, but it's been delayed until the middle of the year. Isn't it time to fulfill your promise? My family has proposed this to your family many times, but you all refused, citing the Marshal's serious illness. But now the Young Marshal is the one in charge, and I believe you won't want to shirk your responsibility, right?"

Upon hearing this, Sha Yanxiao flew into a rage, his eyes bulging red. His hand unconsciously reached for his waist, and he nearly drew his gun and shot Duanmu Heng, saying, "I never promised to marry my sister to your family. Don't let your wishful thinking get you into trouble."

Passersby around him cast curious glances. Seeing this, Gui'er was shocked and hurriedly grabbed the young marshal, whispering, "Brother, there are so many people here, don't be impulsive."

Sha Yanxiao suppressed his anger and said through gritted teeth, "Duanmu Heng, don't go too far!"

Duanmu Heng was not afraid at all and looked at the young marshal provocatively.

Finally, Gui'er dragged Sha Yanxiao away from Duanmu Heng. As they walked away, Sha Yanxiao said bitterly, "This Duanmu Heng is truly despicable! I will definitely find a way to get rid of the Duanmu family. I will never let them act so arrogantly again, and I will never let you come to any harm."