A Girl Traveling Through Troubled Times

The next day, when Gui'er was about to go home after school, Tong Yujun suddenly ran over and asked her to go to Wing On Department Store for dessert. Gui'er was feeling strange because they usually made appointments as soon as school started, so why did she suddenly ask to go after school today?

Tong Yujun said, "Just accompany me to relieve my boredom. My aunt's child is gone. Didn't you see the looks on the students' faces? They all seemed to be enjoying the show."

Gui'er was a little surprised. Although she was good friends with Tong Yujun, He Ruizhu and others, they didn't stick together all day long.

Firstly, she is not the type of person who must have a companion. Before she traveled through time, she kept a certain distance from her friends and preferred to have her own personal space.

Secondly, all the classmates in the school were either rich or noble. At the very least, their parents worked in foreign companies, or were the owners of some famous shops and companies. Although she was the adopted daughter of the Marshal's family, she felt out of place with these people.

Thirdly, she was an adult before she traveled through time. Although the children who could study in this school were basically worldly-wise, she was still afraid that her overly mature thoughts would be exposed when she was mixed in with a bunch of children.

After Tong Yujun mentioned this, Guier noticed that, indeed, as a popular kid leader, Tong Yujun seemed to have more and more friends around her recently. No matter where she was seen, there were always a bunch of people around her, but today, there seemed to be no such people at all.

Seeing that Tong Yujun seemed quite sad, Gui'er agreed. The two of them got in a car and drove to Wing On Department Store. They went straight to the dessert shop on the second floor and ordered a piece of butterfly pastry and two bowls of ice cream.

Tong Yujun sighed and said, "I'm so angry! Those people are so opportunistic."

Guier said, "The one who's feeling the most miserable right now should be your aunt."

Tong Yujun nodded and said, "My father went to visit yesterday with a doctor. He said that my aunt is young and healthy, so she's fine. As long as she continues to be favored, she will have another child sooner or later."

For some reason, when Gui'er heard this, she suddenly thought of the lines the emperor said to Zhen Huan in "The Legend of Zhen Huan". She smiled and said nothing.

"But my aunt told my father that she wanted to go back to Shanghai to study." Tong Yujun said after taking a bite of ice cream.

Gui'er's interest piqued immediately, as she was also planning to go to Shanghai in the future. She asked curiously, "Going back to Shanghai to study? Does that mean your aunt studied in Shanghai before?"

Tong Yujun said proudly, "Yes, my aunt had been studying at St. John's University. Later, my father said that if she didn't get married, she would become an old maid, so he let her marry the Marshal."

Gui'er didn't think it was right, so she asked, "Your aunt is so educated, she should be very independent-minded. The Marshal is so much older than her, so why would she be willing to do this?"

Tong Yujun said: "Studying in Shanghai is very expensive. You need to rent an apartment, eat and wear clothes. I heard that things are much more expensive there than here. My aunt originally wanted to stay on as a teacher after graduation, but my father said that no matter what, she had to come back and get married first, otherwise he would stop sending her money, so she came back."

Gui'er was so shocked that she was speechless. This was not voluntary at all. She was forced to marry a warlord who was much older than her. She was also involved in a family feud and her newborn baby died because of it. This Eighth Concubine was too pitiful.

Gui'er asked Tong Yujun, "Did your father agree?"

Tong Yujun said: "How could my father dare to agree? He asked my aunt to ask the Marshal. If the Marshal agrees, then there will be no problem."

Gui'er asked, "Will the Marshal agree?"

Tong Yujun smiled and said, "How would I know? Isn't that your father?"

Gui'er finally realized what was happening and said with an embarrassed smile, "I don't know if my father would agree."

Tong Yujun ate a butterfly cake while saying, "Father said my aunt is in good spirits, so she's probably fine. But many of those who tried to curry favor with our family because my aunt gave birth to the fourth young master have changed their ways now. It's really frustrating."

Gui'er didn't know what to say, so she just smiled and lowered her head to eat the ice cream.

By this time, they had almost finished their meal and were packing up to leave.

Suddenly, a young girl dressed in bright colors blocked their way and said with a smile, "Miss Gui'er? Can we talk alone?"

Gui'er was stunned for a moment and said cautiously, "It seems we don't know each other."

The beautiful woman smiled and said, "You don't know me, but I know you. Don't worry, it's in public here, everything will be fine."

Seeing that she was blocking her from leaving, Gui'er said to Tong Yujun, "Then you go first. Go down and tell Dali for me that I will be down 5 minutes later." In fact, she wanted her to go and tell Dali the news, and hoped that Dali could understand.

After Tong Yujun left, the two sat back down at the table. The beautiful woman smiled and said, "Actually, we've met before. Do you remember? At Yunshang Tower. My name is Lulu."

When Gui'er heard her say that, she suddenly remembered that after she and Taohua escaped from the Song residence, they met Sha Yanxiao in Yunshang Tower. He did have a female companion with him at that time, but it was too chaotic and she didn't have time to take a closer look.

Guier looked at the girl in front of her from head to toe. She was tall and well-proportioned, and looked to be about twenty-one or twenty-two years old. She had almond-shaped eyes, a small upturned nose, thick lips, and affectionate eyes. The look in her eyes seemed to be able to squeeze out water. She was wearing a high-slit sleeveless cheongsam made of fine pink and blue satin. The collar, cuffs and hem of the cheongsam were all embroidered with exquisite floral patterns. It was obvious that this was not a common item from a ready-made clothing store, but rather a custom-made one from a high-end clothing store like Yunshanglou. She wore a sapphire blue cashmere shawl around her head and white calfskin high-heeled shoes with stilettos on her feet.

As soon as this elegantly dressed, pretty girl sat down, passersby, whether male waiters or customers, turned around to look at her. However, her temperament was a little more frivolous than that of the average wealthy lady, and much more pretentious than the average prostitute. Guier caught a glimpse of several male waiters in a corner, pointing and talking at her, probably trying to guess her background.

Gui'er usually kept a low profile and didn't want to draw attention to herself, so she quickly asked, "Miss Lulu, what do you want to talk to me about?"

Lulu crossed her legs and gently played with a jade bracelet on her left hand. She looked at Gui'er with a half-smile and said, "Since I met you, the young marshal hasn't come to see me for a long time."

Gui'er was confused: "Oh......"

Seeing that she didn't react, Lulu asked impatiently, "Has he found someone else recently?"

"I don't know about that." Gui'er really didn't know. Usually, when she got home from school, Sha Yanxiao would come back right after her. Gui'er followed the rules of being a servant in the Song Mansion and didn't ask too many questions or be curious about what he did during the day. This was also a strategy for her to protect herself. Otherwise, she didn't know what kind of trouble she would be involved in.

Seeing that she seemed a bit stubborn, Lulu smiled and said, "Recently, a new sister came to our dance hall, her name is Qiuju. It is said that she used to be on a boat, but later someone redeemed her. However, because the man's family opposed it, she couldn't even use the door, so she had to come out and mingle again. She is really a pitiful person."

Gui'er suddenly recalled the days on the flower boat. She must be talking about Qiuju, the madam's favorite at the time. She never expected that she would become a dancer.

Seeing Gui'er lost in thought, Lulu thought she had her under control, so she smiled smugly and continued, "But she actually knows you and knows some of your past. I think we are all sisters, and we should help each other. I finally got the support of the young marshal, and my biggest wish is to no longer have to show up in public and live peacefully in the marshal's mansion as a young lady. I also know that you are very popular with the Marshal and the Young Marshal now. I wonder if you can help me. If I enter the marshal's mansion in the future, we can also take care of each other."

Gui Er sneered and said, "Come to think of it, it's been a while since I last saw Sister Qiu Ju. I didn't expect her to have such an encounter. But we still have to thank her for recommending the madam to hand us over to the bandits. Otherwise, we wouldn't have encountered the officers who were suppressing the bandits and rescued us with no guilt. As for whether it's honor or not, it's all the grace of the Marshal and the Young Marshal. It's not up to me alone to decide. I have a clear distinction between gratitude and resentment, and I hate being threatened the most. Miss Lulu, if you want to see the Young Marshal, why don't you go find him yourself."

After saying that, he got up and left.