A Girl Traveling Through Troubled Times

She was startled and heard her name mentioned, so she pricked up her ears and listened.

"What? You want to marry Gui'er? What should I do then? Do you have any conscience? I'm pregnant with your child."

"Didn't you see what happened at the banquet today? No one here takes me seriously. In their eyes, I'm just a dog. No, maybe even worse than a dog. I saw those handsome young masters in handsome uniforms being the objects of everyone's flattery in the venue, while no one paid any attention to me. Even a loser like Sha Yanwen had rich ladies secretly flirting with him. I'm nothing. Look at all the rich daughters who came here today. Is there any one willing to marry me?"

"Then you can't marry Gui'er either. Sha Yanxiao loves his sister so much, there's no way he'll agree to marry Gui'er to you. You should think of another way."

"There's no other way. Although the old man wants me to contact those old men in the army, they have no real power. Even if they did, what status can I use to order them around? They're just being superficial and perfunctory. Because my mother comes from a humble background, it seems the old man doesn't intend to acknowledge my status. Then all I can do for the rest of my life is be a steward to look after their money. Old Zhao has been managing their money all his life, and he's only bought a house. I'm not willing to accept that. If I'm just a steward until the end, I believe you won't follow me."

"...Then what are you going to do? If you really marry Gui'er, it'll be like having an extra spy around you, and it will be hard for us to see each other."

"What kind of waves can a young girl cause? I don't think the old man will have much time left. I have to hurry and do something, otherwise it will be too late. When I seize the real power, you can do whatever you want with this girl."

"Okay, this is what you said. If you can't bear to give it up at that time, don't blame me for being rude."

"How could that be? You are my sweetheart, so you should help me blow the air on the old man's pillow. Okay?"

Gui'er knew it was the Eighth Concubine and Zhao Yingwu from the sound of their voices. She broke out in a cold sweat. This adulterous couple had actually set their sights on her. Were they planning to use her and then murder her? Fortunately, she had heard them. It seemed she had to take precautions in advance.

She quietly walked back to the door of the banquet hall, pretending nothing had happened.

Sha Yanxiao was very surprised. He felt that Gui'er was restless since she came back from the banquet.

"What's wrong with you? We were at the party just now. Who made you unhappy?"

"No, no, no. I'm just a little tired." Gui'er didn't dare to tell the truth. She knew Sha Yanxiao's feelings for her. Judging from his previous behavior, she would definitely find Zhao Yingwu immediately to warn him. Now Zhao Yingwu has the support of the Eighth Concubine and Butler Zhao and is appreciated by the Marshal, but the Marshal is suspicious of Sha Yanxiao. Acting rashly now will be disadvantageous to Sha Yanxiao.

Sha Yanxiao touched Gui'er's head and said, "Then let's go back and rest early."

However, the matter still needed to be resolved. Guier returned to the hospital the next day and immediately told Manager Liu about the matter.

Shopkeeper Liu was very indignant and said, "These shameless people drag innocent people into this just to gain power and profit. Don't worry, I'll tell Old Song in person when I pass by the police station on my way back today."

Only then did Guier feel relieved.

After work, she was about to go back to the Shuai Mansion when Jin Bao came to Donglai Hospital to find her. He said with a smile, "You're off work now. I was bored at home, so I came here just in time for you to get off work. Let's go shopping. I haven't been out for a long time."

Seeing that she didn't bring her youngest son, Gui'er asked curiously, "Why didn't you bring Chengshi with you?"

Jin Bao smiled and said, "The two brothers don't have much time to see each other. I put him in the third concubine's yard so that the two brothers can have a good time together and cultivate their brotherly relationship, otherwise they will become estranged in the future."

Gui'er didn't expect that Jinbao was quite good at educating children, so she nodded. The two of them came to Wing On Department Store, and Jinbao was very generous.

Guier asked her with a smile: "Now that you have given birth to two sons, my brother should be very good to you, right?"

Jin Bao smiled and said, "Your brother is really nice to me, but he also told me not to clash with that Tian girl and to give in to her. Your brother said that after all, the Tian family still owed him a favor. But I thought that in a few years, when your brother climbs up the ladder, maybe the Tian family will support him, and then I can be proud of myself."

Gui'er reminded her, "Miss Tian's family is a family of spies. Their methods are different from those of ordinary people. You'd better be cautious."

Jin Bao smiled and said, "I see. By the way, don't just blame me. How are you? You always said you wanted to go out and work and be an independent woman. I thought you were just joking, but now you're actually working at the hospital. You're putting your thoughts into practice. But you're old enough now. Has the government arranged a marriage for you?"

Gui Er shook her head awkwardly and said, "I'm just an adopted daughter. I have neither money, status, nor political capital. The wealthy families are also very shrewd. How could they possibly be interested in someone like me?"

Jin Bao was selecting imported silk scarves while shaking her head. "Yesterday, I saw you and that young master from the Song family seem quite familiar. You were chatting and laughing at the banquet. He even came to see you twice. He's a famous bachelor in Jiangcheng. You have to seize some opportunities yourself. Isn't that how I got them? You, on the other hand, are too careless about your own marriage. I'm your sister-in-law, and everything I say is for your own good."

Gui Er said a little embarrassedly, "She already has someone she loves, how can I interfere?"

Jin Bao sighed, and suddenly she seemed to remember something. Her eyes lit up and she smiled and said, "By the way, what do you think of Zhao Yingwu?"

Gui'er was startled and asked, "Why are you mentioning him all of a sudden?"

Jin Bao smiled mysteriously and said, "He's quite handsome, and polite. He's also the son of Housekeeper Zhao, and the Marshal has taken a fancy to him. You said you're from a humble background, without a mother, and an adopted daughter, so those truly wealthy families wouldn't look down on you. So, marrying this housekeeper's son isn't bad either. At least he can take over Housekeeper Zhao's duties and won't have to leave the Marshal's Mansion. You have your family to look after you, so he wouldn't dare do anything to you. He might not even take a concubine. It's much better than marrying into a wealthy family, and you can live a rich life, too."

Gui'er wondered if Zhao Yingwu had already won over the eldest wife, so she asked tentatively, "Why are you suddenly saying something like that? It's so out of the blue."