A Girl Traveling Through Troubled Times

The shopkeeper glanced at Gui'er thoughtfully, then said with a smile, "Okay, okay, take care."

Shopkeeper Liu waved his hand and led Guier away.

After leaving the pharmacy, Shopkeeper Liu said, "I called your Shopkeeper Zhang from her hometown and rented a house nearby. She should have cooked dinner at home by now. Come to my house and eat."

Guier nodded, but she also knew that the couple was in financial difficulty, so when they passed by a restaurant, she packed a glutinous rice and pickled chicken.

Shopkeeper Liu led her through twists and turns, leading her deeper and deeper into an alley.

Seeing them getting further and further away from the main road, Gui'er said to him, "Manager Liu, we're getting further and further away. Can you still make it back to work in time?"

Shopkeeper Liu smiled and said, "There are currently three doctors in this shop, so I only work half a day."

Gui Er was stunned when she heard this. How much is this for just half a day's work? She quickly asked, "Why only half a day? Is your salary enough for you to spend?"

Shopkeeper Liu pointed to a building in the distance and said with a smile, "It's on the third floor over there. Don't worry. Although I only work half a day, I have some regular customers. I bring my customers to that store, so the boss pays me quite well, 3 yuan a month. Although I can make about the same amount as a traveling doctor, now I don't have to run around so much. Some patients who know where I live will come to see me for treatment, and I can charge them for the medicine and the consultation fee. It's much better than before."

As they talked, they arrived in front of a building. From the outside, it looked like a three-story brick and wood structure, with mottled walls revealing the dark green brickwork within. Stepping inside, you'll find that the stairs, floors, and beams are all made of wood. The wooden stairs creak, and the handrails are patinated with shiny glaze. Each floor is crammed with two or three households. Clotheslines crisscross the courtyard, hung with clothes. The window frames are old and covered with rough-edged paper. The residents are ordinary people. The houses aren't large, but they're likely filled with families, young and old, so it's quite noisy. The corridors are filled with the aroma of food and the sounds of children playing.

The two of them came to the third floor, and Guier discovered that their room was located at the angle of the eaves. Although it was called the third floor, it was actually more like an attic. The roof was very low and slanted. Even Guier had to bend her body to reach the lowest point.

Shopkeeper Liu opened the door and said, "Look who's here?"

Gui'er walked in and saw Zhang, the shopkeeper, cooking on a coal stove with a stone slab on the windowsill. When she looked up and saw Gui'er, she quickly put down her work, walked over and said with a smile, "You're here! Thanks to you asking the young marshal to introduce him to this doctor, he finally doesn't have to go from street to street anymore."

Shopkeeper Liu said, "Stop nagging me. Have you cooked the food yet? She's having lunch here today."

Shopkeeper Zhang said, "Well, she's almost done. I made some vegetables and eggs. If they're not enough, go buy some more. She's still growing."

Guier quickly took out the glutinous rice and chicken she had bought and said, "I bought some vegetables here, which should be enough."

Shopkeeper Zhang smiled and said, "This child is still so considerate and thoughtful."

Guier looked around and saw a number of pots, pans, and utensils scattered around the room in a disorderly manner. She asked curiously, "Why are these things placed here and there? Aren't they taking up space?"

Shopkeeper Zhang said a little embarrassedly, "Hey, we didn't pay attention when we rented the house, and we only found out the roof was leaking after we moved in. It rained yesterday, and these things were placed where the leak was to catch the water. It's been gloomy these past few days. Shopkeeper Liu has to go to the pharmacy to work, and I also found a servant. I have to help them cook before dinner every day. I was afraid it would rain when I was not home, so I just left them like that."

It sounded like they were part-time workers who only cooked. Guier smiled and nodded. She felt sad. Shopkeepers Zhang and Liu went from being small bosses with two stores to working as part-time workers and traveling doctors. It was a huge difference from before.

She hesitated for a moment, but couldn't help but ask the question in her mind: "I feel like a lot of stores in Jiangcheng have closed down recently. Could it be that the Japanese are going to attack us and the impact will be so great? Although they said they would attack us, they haven't come after all."

Shopkeeper Liu waved his hand, sending Shopkeeper Zhang to prepare the dishes. He sighed, asked Gui'er to sit at the table, and said, "Actually, it's a loss of funds, Gui'er, think about it. Eighty to ninety percent of the money in Jiangcheng is in the hands of the rich. It's already difficult for ordinary families to save a few dozen dollars. Moreover, most ordinary families work for those rich people. Those people move to the mainland, Hong Kong, or even overseas, and their money is gone, and the people who work for them have no livelihood. The small shop that you and I opened, Shopkeeper Zhang, mainly serves ordinary people. Rich people won't come to buy things like ours. Once our customers have no income, they will stop buying things. Even if they are sick, they will put off treatment, and we will lose business."

Shopkeeper Zhang placed the food on the table and said with a smile, "You don't have to worry about us. We all have skills. Shopkeeper Liu, you can treat illnesses as a traveling doctor. Although it's hard work, it's not too bad. Now you're working as a doctor in a clinic, that's even better. I used to grow crops in the countryside, and now that I have some free time, I go to the city to cook for people. The owner knows I can embroider and has introduced me to some business. It's not particularly hard work, don't worry."

Manager Liu said, "The day after I arrived at Ren'an Hall, Director Song came to contact me and said that if I could establish myself there, we could develop it into a stronghold."

Gui'er said quickly, "What can I do? I originally thought I'd ask my brother to arrange for you to work at the hospital, so I could work there as a nurse. On the one hand, I could continue to study medicine with you, and on the other hand, I could help us with some things. But now that you're at the pharmacy, I'm afraid that won't be easy."

Shopkeeper Liu thought for a moment and said, "Actually, I'd really like to go to the hospital. I'm in the pharmacy right now, and there's a lot of gossip about me. I used to show my skills to the dancers and the girls in the brothels, and they recognized me and came to see me. My colleagues are jealous and often speak rudely to me. You saw it when you came to see me today."

Gui Er said in embarrassment: "I also think it would be better for you to go to the hospital, but my brother..."

Shopkeeper Liu smiled and said, "It's okay. Actually, I have a colleague in the hospital. His family is moving out of town soon, and we've discussed that I will take over his position when the time comes."