A Girl Traveling Through Troubled Times

Gui'er shook her head: "How could he possibly say something like this in public?"

Song Xichen frowned and pondered for a moment before saying, "I understand. I'll make arrangements right away. I'll take you back."

Gui'er quickly stopped him, saying, "No, if the other servants in the mansion saw this, they would report it to Sha Yanxiao. He doesn't like you anyway..."

Song Xichen sighed and said, "Okay, then you can leave now. I'll just watch from here."

Gui'er walked back quickly, umbrella in hand, one foot deep, one foot shallow. She felt a gaze from behind her, and she knew it was Song Xichen watching her. So, compared to the time she came, she felt much more at ease this time.

Gui'er returned to the outer house in the rain. Aunt Wang had already quietly opened the iron gate, welcomed Gui'er in, and then took her to the kitchen.

Aunt Wang attentively handed over a towel and asked Guier to take off her wet cloth shoes, saying that she would help her dry them.

Guier knew that she did this just for the reward money, but it really helped her a lot, so she took out two more silver dollars and handed them to Wang Ma.

Aunt Wang happily took the silver dollar, weighed it, blew on it, and put it to her ear to listen. She said with a smile, "I've heard of your great name for a long time. Everyone says you're smart and clever. I've seen you these past few days and I see that you're not only smart and clever, but also beautiful and willing to take risks for your own future. I'm optimistic about you. You'll definitely become the first wife of the Song family in the future."

Gui'er was stunned. It turned out that the old woman thought she was going there for a secret meeting with Song Xichen. But it was safer than doing anything underground. She smiled and said, "Thank you so much, Mom. But I hope you can keep this a secret. Otherwise, we'll all be implicated and it won't end well for us."

Wang Ma nodded and said, "Of course, of course. Miss, you're tired too. Go upstairs and rest. I'll help you dry these wet clothes and bring them up to you tomorrow morning."

Gui'er was very satisfied. Although Aunt Wang was greedy for money, she was also a good person. She completed her mission and finally felt relieved. She returned to the guest room, locked the door and fell asleep peacefully.

The next day, Gui'er woke up early. She was not used to sleeping in an unfamiliar bed, and what happened last night was weighing on her mind. She didn't know whether Song Xichen had sent the information out.

She simply got up and went to the restaurant. Just as she took a sip of tea, Taohua came down from upstairs.

"Why are you up so early? Do you have to sleep in the same bed?"

"It's okay." Taohua looked unhappy.

Guier saw it and quickly asked, "What's wrong? Are you feeling unwell?"

Taohua forced a smile and said, "Nothing, maybe it was the noise of the rain last night that was too loud."

Gui'er was stunned for a moment and said, "Really?" Feeling a little guilty, she quickly changed the subject and said, "Are we going to go shopping somewhere else today? I was thinking of going to see how the wedding dress is going this afternoon. Shopkeeper Zhou originally said it would take three days, and today is the third day. If everything is fine, you can get it tomorrow. Then you can try it on. If it fits, you can notify my brother to prepare the wedding. I've already asked him to prepare a banquet over there, but since we don't have many people, it might be a little quiet, so don't mind."

"How could that be? I can marry your brother and get such a large dowry, which is already much better than I expected. I am very grateful to you and my second brother."

The two of them finished breakfast and went out.

We took a car to the downtown area. The sky had cleared up and the streets were bustling. Zhou Xuan's "Songstress of the Wandering Girl" was playing on the gramophone in the street shop, and the girl on the calendar in the window had a charming look in her eyes, attracting passers-by to stop and look.

"Let's go to Daxin Department Store?" Gui'er shook Taohua's hand. She had spent a lot of money in the past two days and even gave a few silver dollars to Wang Ma yesterday. Although she still wanted to buy some more things for Taohua, she didn't dare to go to a high-end department store like Wing On Department Store. The goods at Daxin Department Store were all produced domestically and the prices were relatively cheaper.

Taohua said, "Okay, I don't have any of those towels, toothbrushes, soaps, etc. I can't just take them from the Marshal's Mansion."

The two of them took a rickshaw to Daxin Department Store.

"This is the daily necessities department." Guier led her into the escalator familiarly.

On either side of the second-floor corridor, enamel washbasins were printed with peonies and phoenixes, and aluminum kettles were engraved with lotus flowers. Taohua stared at the towels on the shelf, asked the salesperson to take down several to feel them, and then bought a mid-range one and selected a milky white soap with the word "Lux" printed on it.

The shampoo counter was busiest. A blonde's long, damp hair shone with a pearly sheen. The salesperson brought out a glass beaker for demonstration. The dark brown liquid instantly transformed into a dense foam when it came into contact with water. Guier ordered the rose and jasmine scents.

When it was time to pay, Taohua was embarrassed and wanted to pay herself, but Guier stopped her and said, "Although these are small things, they can be considered as your dowry. Let me pay."

"Let's go see a movie?" Gui'er suggested, after they finished shopping, and then pulled Taohua out of the department store.

In front of the Ping'an Grand Theater, the poster of "Fisherman's Song" has faded. In the newly replaced stills of "The Big Road", Jin Yan is riding a bicycle and smiling with his fangs showing. Taohua is holding the movie ticket and walking into the screening room on the red velvet carpet. When the screen lights up, she is startled by the train whistle, and is amused by the characters in the play who find joy in suffering and wipe away tears.

It was almost noon when they finished watching the movie. The two of them took a rest in a window seat at Xinghua Tower and ordered some snacks for lunch.

The sweet aroma of sweet osmanthus and candied lotus root mixed with the bitterness of Longjing tea. Taohua suddenly put down the teacup and twisted her handkerchief between her fingers: "Gui'er, I... I saw you last night."

Gui'er's hand holding the lotus root stopped in mid-air.

Taohua continued quickly, "The rain was so heavy, I heard some noise in your room, so I followed you out and saw you heading towards the stone pavilion. I recognized the figure as Young Master Song, and I left only after I was sure you were safe. By then, Aunt Wang had gone back to the kitchen and hadn't noticed me." Her voice trailed off, "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have meddled."

"I thought you were never interested in marriage... but I think you and Young Master Song have known each other for many years. Even after entering the Marshal's Mansion, you still keep in touch... I think you two really... if you can be with him... you will be a hundred times better than other men." Taohua said a lot hesitantly.

Gui'er finally understood, and Taohua also thought that she and Song Xichen were meeting for a tryst.

Just when I was struggling to come up with an excuse, I had one ready-made.