A Girl Traveling Through Troubled Times

Gui'er felt a little guilty, but seeing that Sha Yanyao didn't seem to doubt her, she felt relieved and comforted him, "Brother, don't be too sad. Father is just old, and you know he's always been active. He's not very mobile to begin with, but he loves to be active, so it's normal for him to fall. It's just that there was no one at home to look after him at the time, which led to his serious fall. I believe that the hospital can invite Doctor He to come out and he should be able to recover."

Sha Yanyao sighed, patted the back of Gui'er's hand and said, "I think that since my father is ill now, no one in the mansion will be worried except you. After all, the money has been divided. However, you are an unmarried daughter, so you still have to wait for my father to arrange a marriage for you."

Gui'er wished that the Marshal would die soon, but she was also afraid that once the Marshal died, the superficial harmony between the two brothers would be broken, and then there would be a life-and-death fight.

She pretended to be sad and said to Sha Yanyao, "Brother, don't let your imagination run wild. Father suffered countless injuries when he was conquering the world in his early years, but he's fine now. He will definitely be fine this time too. If you're worried, why not send a few trusted people to watch over him here?"

Sha Yanyao thought for a moment and said, "That's right, girls are more careful."

As soon as she returned to her yard, Guier breathed a sigh of relief and sat down on the sofa.

Dingxiang came in with snacks and fruit and said to her, "Miss, I heard that the commander had a serious fall this time. The mistress is angry with the servants in the main courtyard and wants to sell most of them off. Several of my sisters and their families are in the main courtyard. I don't know what to do now. If they are sold out of town, I don't know if I will have the chance to see them again in this life."

"Actually, Madam shouldn't have done this. It gave people the impression that you're heartless and ungrateful. The servants in the main courtyard were carefully selected by the Marshal to stay by his side. Now that he's sick, he sent them away after dividing the property. If anyone knows about it, people will laugh at you." Sha Yanxiao said as he came down from the second floor and walked outside.

"Brother, why are you still going out? It's almost time for dinner." Guier asked.

"Yes, Doctor He should be here soon. I'll go and say hello. He used to come to the mansion quite often and has some friendship with the Marshal. We can be considered acquaintances."

She suddenly remembered that Sha Yanxiao was the one who had returned to the Marshal's Mansion to recognize his ancestral roots during her time at the Song Mansion. If they were so familiar, why had she never met this Doctor He? Could it be that they had known each other when Sha Yanxiao was still a bandit?

Thinking of this, Guier quickly got up and followed him to the main courtyard.

The main courtyard was silent, the servants standing in the corridor in silence. Gui'er had just reached the moon-shaped gate when she saw Sha Yanxiao talking to an elderly man. The elderly man had white hair and beard, wore a long gown so washed it was pale, and carried an old suitcase. His eyes were clear, and he exuded a calm demeanor. It was Doctor He.

"Uncle He, I haven't seen you for many years. You are still in good health." Sha Yanxiao bowed and smiled, with genuine respect in his tone.

Doctor He also smiled and replied: "Yanxiao, you are much calmer than before. When I met you that year, you were still a young boy." The two exchanged a few pleasantries and talked about their past friendship. It turned out that Sha Yanxiao was an old acquaintance whom they had known before returning home. No wonder Gui'er had never seen him before.

While joking, Sha Yanxiao suddenly changed the subject and looked serious: "Uncle He, my father's condition..."

Doctor He sighed and looked around. Sha Yanxiao understood and led him to the side room. Before entering, he turned back and said to Gui'er, "Wait for me outside."

Gui'er nodded and stood in the porch, listening to the wind rustling through the sycamore leaves in the corner of the courtyard, her heart in turmoil. About an incense stick's time later, the two men emerged from the side room. Doctor He looked weary, while Sha Yanxiao's brows were furrowed, a subtle melancholy hidden in his eyes.

"I'll go see the patient first." Doctor He carried the suitcase and walked into the inner room. His steps were not fast but steady.

Sha Yanxiao sent him to the door, turned around and said to Guier, "I'll take you back to the courtyard." Along the way, he didn't say much, his jawline was tense. Guier wanted to ask but didn't dare, so she could only follow him back silently.

When they arrived at the gate of the courtyard, Sha Yanxiao spoke: "You eat by yourself and go to bed early after dinner." After that, he turned and left in a hurry, his back revealing an indescribable panic.

Gui'er stood at the door, watching his back disappear into the night, feeling increasingly uneasy. However, there was nothing she could do, so she had to order dinner to be served, just as she usually did when Sha Yanxiao had official business and couldn't come back. After dinner, she read a book in the hall for a while, and only went back upstairs to sleep when she saw that it was almost time.

That night, she tossed and turned, unable to sleep, feeling that something big was about to happen. Around midnight, she heard soft footsteps in the corridor outside her room. She threw on her clothes and stood up. As she opened the door, she ran into Sha Yanxiao, who was cold from the night dew, and his eyes were bloodshot.

"Brother, are you back?" Guier asked softly.

Sha Yanxiao sat down at the table, poured himself a cup of tea, drank it all in one gulp, and then said in a hoarse voice, "Uncle He just said that Father...I'm afraid he doesn't have much time left."

Gui'er's heart sank. Although she had a premonition, hearing it in person was still a shock. She looked at Sha Yanxiao's exhausted face, his knuckles white as he gripped the teacup between his fingers. For a moment, she didn't know what to say to comfort him.

"He said that my father is old, and this injury was already serious. Coupled with the old injuries he suffered during his early years of battle, his health has long been weakened. How long he can hold out depends entirely on fate." Sha Yanxiao's voice was very soft, as if he was afraid of disturbing anything. "I've already assigned more people to guard the place, and the necessary preparations... must begin."

Gui'er stood there in a daze, not knowing what to say. After a long while, she slowly said, "Then my wife and my eldest brother don't know yet. Do I need to tell them?"

Sha Yanxiao sneered: "Do you think I went out just now to prepare for my father's funeral? I went to arrange for the staff to stay in the room. Big brother will take action."

After saying that, he raised his head and looked straight at Guier. Guier felt a little embarrassed by being stared at, so he waved his hand and asked Guier to come over.

Gui'er came to him, and Sha Yanxiao suddenly reached out and took Gui'er into his arms.

Gui'er was startled and subconsciously wanted to struggle. Sha Yanxiao whispered in her ear, "Don't move. It's been a long time since I've held you like this, right?"

Gui'er was stunned for a moment and then became quiet. She nestled in Sha Yanxiao's arms like she did when she was a child, nodded gently and said, "Yeah." But she didn't understand why Sha Yanxiao suddenly did this.