A Girl Traveling Through Troubled Times

Shopkeeper Liu nodded and said, "Okay, if you find out anything useful later, please let me know."

Guier nodded vigorously.

In order to find out what Director Tian and his team would do next, Guier went to the main house to pay her respects more attentively.

Miss Tian was the most sarcastic and demanding. Her eyes weren't eyes, her nose wasn't a nose, and she said to Gui'er, "Why have you been coming here so often lately? It's as if you're using my place as your yard. Is there something going on? Or do you have something to ask of your brother? All the girls of marriageable age in this mansion have found partners, but you're the only one who hasn't found one yet. Is it because of this?"

Gui'er quickly said with a smile, "Sister-in-law, what are you talking about? Isn't my brother injured? As sisters, we shouldn't come and see him more often."

Miss Tian curled her lips and said nothing.

The lady and Sha Yanyao who were listening on the side were a little moved.

Madam said, "Gui'er, you've grown up. After all, you've lived with our family in Nanjing for a few years. You're different from the other sisters. In this Marshal's Mansion, only you and the girl from the Fourth Courtyard come to visit. As for Lili from the Fourth Courtyard, that's because her mother calls her. She's always smart, and you're the one she truly cares about. As for the others, like the girls from the Fifth and Sixth Courtyards, although they usually appear cautious, they're actually heartless."

Gui'er smiled but didn't dare to say anything. Instead, she turned to Sha Yanyao and said, "I heard Director Tian say a few days ago that when we return to Nanjing, we will have to speed up the operation. Brother, you have just been injured and need to recuperate. How can you start working so soon? Otherwise, ask for a leave and let someone else do it. It will be the same." She knew that she couldn't ask directly what the operation was, so she could only hint at it.

Miss Tian quickly said, "You're right. It's such a big committee, with such a large group of people, why do you and your uncle have to do such a dangerous job? It's so dangerous. Let someone else do it. I'll go when we get back to Nanjing. I'll ask your uncle to use his connections to find you a sinecure so you don't have to do this dangerous work."

The lady said, "If your uncle was really that capable, he would have transferred himself to a more lucrative position long ago. Why would he rush to the front at his age?"

Miss Tian was so depressed by the criticism that she simply kept silent.

Seeing the two men about to start fighting again, Sha Yanyao said, "Alright, stop arguing. We'll formulate an action plan after we return to Nanjing and see how the situation develops. Right now, I'm just asking my men to keep an eye out. Looking for the revolutionaries, do you think it's that easy to find them?"

Gui'er heard it and was afraid that they would let their men frantically search for suspicious people, so she quickly told the news to Manager Liu and asked Manager Liu to report it to Song Xichen. Song Xichen would naturally notify the comrades in Nanjing to be more vigilant.

She wanted to make a phone call or send a telegram to warn Miss Shen and Xu Wenjie. After all, they were guarding the printing point and it was very dangerous. But she was also afraid of attracting attention, so she was very anxious and hoped to return to Nanjing as soon as possible so that she could help them.

That day, Guier came to the main courtyard again, wanting to find out if there was any other news.

Butler Zhao came over with a list for Madam to review. He said, "This is the menu for a few days. Madam, if you have any questions, please give it to Fourth Concubine for review."

Gui'er was puzzled as to why the banquet menu had to be given to the Fourth Aunt for review. She couldn't help but start gossiping.

But the lady was obviously not too happy to read it. She threw the menu aside and said, "I have a headache and can't concentrate. Please read it to me."

Butler Zhao had no choice but to pick up the menu with a smile and began to read aloud:

Four cold dishes: Crystal Bear Paw Jelly (made of bear paw and agar, crystal clear), Pickled Sea Cucumber, Braised Fish Maw with Ham, and Smoked Venison

Four small dishes: fried dried shrimp, marinated scallops, cold-mixed rock fungus, and drunken crab claws

Four hot dishes: pan-fried prawns, stir-fried conch slices, night-blooming jasmine chicken liver and sparrow slices, and braised bear paws.

Six major dishes: Phoenix Braised Tripe, Roasted Suckling Pig, Braised Duck with Bamboo Shoots, Jiangnan Chicken, Steamed Crab, and Wuliu Grouper

Specialties: Crispy-skinned abalone, Yuanfu roast pork, and scallion-fried black sea cucumber

Main dishes: Crab meat dumplings, Yangzhou fried rice

Soup: Three-strand shark fin soup.

Desserts: Golden and Silver Egg Cake, Snow Clam Stewed with Rock Sugar.

Fruits: Lychees, longans, peaches, grapes and other fresh fruits, carefully arranged on the plate.”

After finishing reading, Butler Zhao stood aside with his hands lowered respectfully, waiting for his wife's instructions.

The lady rubbed her temples calmly before softly saying, "Is the Fourth Hospital prosperous? Why are there so many delicacies?"

Housekeeper Zhao was stunned for a moment, then quickly said, "Madam, this is the expenditure from the mansion's accounting office. How else can I show it to you? It should have been shown to the Marshal, but the Marshal is now..."

"Oh, so that's how it is. Since you also know that the Marshal is unwell and is recuperating, and there's no telling when it will end, and besides, although we are the most powerful family in Jiangcheng and Fengcheng, we shouldn't be too extravagant now that the country is in crisis. How about this, replace those delicacies in here, and let me take a look."

"The four cold dishes are changed to: roasted golden and silver ribs, Fenjiu beef, shredded chicken noodles, and thousand-layer sea bass.

The four small dishes were changed to: sweet and sour spareribs, five-spice duck, salted edamame, and cold jellyfish.

The braised bear paw in the hot dishes has been changed to Dongpo pork.

The soup was changed to: Three Fresh Soup.

The dessert of snow frog stewed with rock sugar was replaced with almond tofu.

As for fruit, don't pick fruit from far away; shipping it in is too expensive. Be frugal and just swap it out for peaches, pears, melons, and the like grown nearby."

My goodness, the madam has removed almost all the delicacies from land and sea, turning the luxurious banquet into an ordinary banquet. These dishes are actually similar to the daily home-cooked meals in the Marshal's Mansion.

Butler Zhao said with a hint of embarrassment, "The rest is easy. But this fruit needs to be shipped fresh from out of town, so it's already been pre-ordered."

The lady rolled her eyes at him and said, "Well, since we can't change it, let it go. The others must be changed."

Gui'er couldn't contain her curiosity and asked, "Mother, who are you hosting?"

The wife said angrily, "It would be fine if it was for someone else's entertainment. After such a huge investment, there must be some reward. But it's a pity that it's the wedding of that foolish son of the Fourth Courtyard. He's found a wealthy in-law, and maybe he'll have to live with them later. Wouldn't that be like losing both the wife and the army? Why would they invest so much?"

Gui'er immediately dared not say anything. If the Fourth Concubine knew about this, she would definitely curse at her. She even regretted asking so much.

She quickly said goodbye and left, and Butler Zhao also came out behind her and went to the fourth concubine's courtyard.

Gui'er slowed down her pace out of curiosity and walked slowly through the fourth concubine's yard. Sure enough, the fourth concubine's angry roar came from inside after a while.