A Girl Traveling Through Troubled Times

After three rounds of drinks, the Marshal was in high spirits. He pointed at Zhao Yingwu and said to Sha Yanyao, "Yanyao, let me introduce you to someone. This is Yingwu. He's very smart and I rely on him to take care of everything around me. If you have any problems in the mansion in the future, you can always look for him."

Zhao Yingwu immediately stepped forward and bowed slightly to Sha Yanyao: "Hello, Young Master."

Sha Yanyao glanced at him and said "hmm" indifferently, obviously not taking this "servant" seriously.

Zhao Yingwu felt a little embarrassed when he saw Sha Yanyao's reaction, and retreated back to his original place in embarrassment.

After dinner, Sha Yanxiao took Gui'er to the courtyard of the main house and brought some freshly made snacks.

Arriving at the main room, they greeted the lady first. The lady received them very kindly, which was very different from her usual reserved attitude. She smiled and said, "Now our Yan Yao is also valued by the superiors. Maybe he will soon be on equal footing with Director Tian."

Gui'er quickly said, "I heard from father that big brother received the award for eliminating a big traitor. Big brother, can you tell us how you did it? It was a heroic deed."

Sha Yanyao smiled and said lightly, "The process was certainly tortuous and difficult. Two of my brothers died, which was a pity. I applied for generous pensions for them. Fortunately, the operation was successful in the end."

Jin Bao came up with his youngest son in his arms and said, "Yes, our Yan Yao is really brave."

Guier glanced at Miss Tian. Although there was a hint of displeasure on her face, she didn't say anything.

Sha Yanxiao took out the pocket watch Wu Mingqiang had given him, handed it to Sha Yanyao, and said, "Brother, I asked someone to find this in Hong Kong. It's the latest model and very accurate. It's perfect for you when you're on the move. I'll give it to you."

Sha Yanyao opened the box and saw the exquisite Swiss pocket watch. The dial was inlaid with tiny diamonds. When he opened the lid, he could hear a crisp ticking sound. The chain was made of twisted pure gold. His eyes lit up and he liked it very much. Miss Tian quickly came over and said with a smile, "This must be worth a lot of money. Second brother, how can you not be so embarrassed?"

Sha Yanxiao said sincerely, "I was very happy when I heard that Big Brother was commended, but then I thought, this was earned at the cost of Big Brother's life. Big Brother is Big Brother after all, and you are the legitimate heir to this family. If anything happens to you, what will happen to our family?"

Sha Yanyao was quite moved after hearing this and patted Sha Yanxiao on the shoulder.

Sha Yanxiao continued, "Although I've been entrusted by my father to temporarily manage Jiangfeng and the other two cities, I'm ultimately unable to do so. The situation is critical now, and I'm constantly worried and anxious."

Sha Yanyao smiled and said, "Well, Father is just testing you. Oh, by the way, I have some cigars I brought back from Shanghai in the study. Would you like to try some?"

Sha Yanxiao readily agreed, and the two of them got up and went to the study.

As soon as Sha Yanyao left, Jin Bao asked Gui'er, "How is Cheng Gang now? I just took a look at him while we were eating, and he seemed to have grown a little taller. While we're here, I want him to live in the main courtyard. Is that possible?"

Miss Tian interrupted immediately, saying, "We're all in the same house, why do we have to move him around so much? Our main house and yard aren't very big, and if three children were squeezed together, it would be awful. And your newborn cries every day like someone's died in the house. It's so noisy."

Jin Bao pursed his lips and dared not say a word. His wife also did not speak. It was obvious that although Sha Yanyao brought Jin Bao back with him this time, Miss Tian was the principal wife after all and had the support of her family, so she could still suppress Jin Bao.

Gui Er smiled and said, "Cheng Gang is now living in the courtyard of the Third Concubine. The Third Concubine has no sons and loves him very much. My father treats her well too. When she heard that my brother had received an award, she was so happy that she had someone make him a golden longevity lock."

Jin Bao smiled and said, "Really? Oh, by the way, I want to go see him. Is that okay? Gui Er, can you take me there?"

Guier glanced at the lady and Miss Tian, ​​who didn't seem too interested in getting involved, so she nodded and said, "Okay." Then she stood up, politely greeted the lady and Miss Tian, ​​and then came out with Jinbao.

Jinbao also brought his little son with him.

Guier said, "Why don't you let the little one stay here with the nanny? He's so young, there's no need for him to run around."

Jin Bao smiled and said, "Isn't the New Life Movement popular now? It's about getting more exercise and getting more sun. Come on, let's go." Then, while urging Gui'er, he turned and said to the nanny, "Just walk a distance behind us. There's no need to walk so fast or you'll throw the young master off."

The nanny quickly agreed to walk slowly and was soon left far behind.

Jin Bao glanced back and said, "Humph! How dare I let my son stay with that woman? Don't you know how vicious she is? What if she harms my son? Your eldest brother has made great contributions and now speaks louder at home. He once proposed to take my son and me back to the mansion, but now I don't dare to go back with him. I know that woman surnamed Tian is very afraid of us. I already have two sons, and she only has that sickly precious son. I'm afraid she will dislike my son for blocking her son's way. Who knows what she can do?"

Guier sighed, not knowing what to say.

Arriving at the Third Concubine's courtyard, Cheng Gang recognized Jin Bao as soon as he entered the gate. He hadn't seen him for several months and felt a little unfamiliar. He stood there blankly, not daring to move. Gui Er quickly stepped forward, took his little hand and said, "Mom is here, hurry up and call mom."

Little Chenggang finally reacted, called out "Mom", and threw himself into Jinbao's arms.

Jin Bao burst into tears and said bitterly, "It's all that woman surnamed Tian's fault. If I hadn't been on guard against her, your eldest brother would never have let you send him back home when he was so young."

At this time, the Third Wife heard the noise coming out of the room. Gui Er quickly whispered to Jin Bao, "All right, don't talk nonsense. There are ears in this mansion. It might get back to the main room anytime soon."

She quickly shut her mouth.

Seeing her crying and holding the child, the Third Concubine quickly smiled and said, "You young people are so short-sighted. Cheng Gang is treated like a standard young master in my place. Even my own grandson, Marshal Zhang's grandson, doesn't have as good food and clothing as he does. I'm a better aunt than a real grandmother, right? I've put in a lot of my own money."

When Jinbao heard this, he quickly took out the money from his purse to give to the Third Concubine and thanked her repeatedly. Guier had known the Third Concubine's routine for a long time. She was indeed a person who took advantage of others. It was obvious that the monthly allowance that the Marshal gave to his own grandson was more than twice that of Sanmei's son, but now she had to pay for it out of her own pocket. However, she did not want to offend the Third Concubine. Seeing that Jinbao was now well-off and should not be short of money, she was too lazy to expose the truth.