A Girl Traveling Through Troubled Times

Sha Lili rolled her eyes after hearing this and said with a smile, "Oh, sister-in-law, you are so open-minded. You know how difficult it is to do business nowadays. You have to make arrangements everywhere, and if you are not careful, you will lose all the money you have made. If you are willing to take the risk for us, we will be happy. It's too late."

Miss Tian was stunned for a moment, then immediately smiled and said, "Alas, we are all outsiders in these business matters. Sister, can you tell me what's going on?"

Gui'er sat to the side, completely unable to get a word in. Jin Bao smiled awkwardly and asked quietly, "Are you here to look for your brother? He's in the Marshal's compound?"

Gui'er said, "No, it's mainly because I haven't paid my respects to my mother in the past few days, so I came here specifically to pay my respects to her. She's chanting on the second floor now, so it's not a good idea to disturb her, is it?"

Jin Bao quickly smiled and said, "Sister, you are so filial. No wonder your brother and mother both praise you. Mother has finished her sutra reading today and should be back in her room to rest now."

Gui'er went upstairs after hearing this, and Sha Lili quickly followed. When they reached the corner of the second floor and saw no one else around, she whispered to Gui'er, "What kind of people are they? They try to take advantage of any little benefit, but retreat as soon as they hear there's a risk. Even though they're brothers, they're no better than real partners. I won't let them invest."

The two of them arrived at the lady's room. She was sitting there sipping tea. Seeing them, she didn't even look up. She said slowly, "You two are here? What a coincidence that two sisters came together this time."

Sha Lili quickly smiled and said, "Mother, I ran into Gui'er on the road too. She said she hadn't seen you in a few days. She was worried you might be worried about your father's illness and not taking care of yourself, so she came to ask how you were."

The lady nodded, forced a smile, and said, "You are so thoughtful. The situation in the mansion is not very good now, as you can see. It's just that some heartless people only care about themselves. When your father fell ill, they ignored all sense of propriety and even ignored the mistress."

Gui Er was startled by such harsh words coming out of Madam's mouth. Just as she was about to open her mouth to defend herself, Sha Lili secretly pulled her back with her hand and said to Madam with a smile, "The Fifth and Sixth Concubines are originally from humble backgrounds and don't know the rules. Mother, you don't have to bother with them."

Gui'er finally realized that the mistress was referring to the fifth and sixth concubines. She never liked to meddle in other people's affairs, so she smiled and said, "Dr. He will be taking care of father these days, so you can rest assured, mother. Your health should be the most important thing, and you must not worry too much, as it will harm your body."

The lady nodded and said, "This Doctor He is indeed trustworthy. Why, have you already visited the main hospital?"

"My brother is worried about father's health. He takes me to the main courtyard every day to ask Doctor He about father's condition. My eldest brother and the seventh concubine are guarding the main courtyard. I believe father will get better soon."

The wife said in surprise, "Seventh Sister, she likes to dress up beautifully on weekdays, but at a critical moment like this, she's quite attentive." Then she turned to Sha Lili and said, "I heard your husband's family recently invested in Hong Kong. Is everything going well?"

Sha Lili was stunned for a moment and said, "Oh, it's all because my father-in-law heard from his friends that Hong Kong is a good place, so he sent a few uncles over to check it out. We haven't decided yet. After all, it's an unfamiliar place, and there are many things to take care of. I'm afraid the initial investment will be huge. If one thing goes wrong, we may lose everything."

The wife sighed and said, "We're all family, so we have to help each other. Your brother is now doing business with his father-in-law. How's he doing? Your mother is really resourceful. She found good partners for both of you. But I heard that this in-law is from the same family. When things are going well, it's fine. But when things are not going well, won't you be controlled by his family? Whether a woman is married or not, she still has to maintain a good relationship with her parents' family. If something happens, it's good to have someone to support her."

Sha Lili smiled and echoed her mistress's words, "Mother, you're right. I'll remember that. I'll definitely visit my parents more often in the future, and I'll definitely need your care." She responded sweetly, but inwardly she was thinking that the topic was getting heavier and heavier, so she quickly found an excuse, "Mother, it's getting late. You should take a nap. Gui'er and I won't disturb you."

The lady waved her hand, still without looking up, and said calmly, "Go."

The two of them retreated quietly and returned to the first floor, where they had to socialize with Miss Tian and Jinbao before they finally managed to get out.

As soon as they left the main courtyard, Sha Lili looked around, dragged Gui'er to a secluded place, and then lowered her voice and said, "Well, you should thank me, right? Madam claims to be the head of the family now. She will probably take action against anyone she dislikes or who doesn't please her. I think the fifth and sixth concubines don't usually take advantage of others. I'm afraid they will be kicked out sooner or later. You should be careful to come here from time to time and please her, otherwise she will vent her anger towards Second Brother on you."

Gui'er suddenly realized what was going on and quickly shook Sha Lili's hand, saying, "That's true. Thank you very much this time."

"Alright, if I need anything in the future, don't forget to help me," Sha Lili said with a smile. "I see how sick father is, and the finances are in the hands of my eldest brother. Those childless and helpless people are just eating food for nothing. Mother is very concerned about her reputation. She used to be in the way of father, so now she can use the excuse of 'rectifying family traditions' to clean things up and save herself the annoyance."

She paused, leaning close to Gui'er's ear and saying, "Don't speak for others in front of her anymore, especially the Fifth and Sixth Concubines. Mother can't tolerate any injustice these days, so don't bring trouble upon yourself. It's most important for us to stay out of each other's way and live our own lives in peace."

Gui'er nodded quickly and said, "Thank you for reminding me. I understand."

When she returned to her yard, Sha Yanxiao saw that she was in a bad mood and asked what had happened.

Gui'er had no choice but to tell him what had just happened.

Sha Yanxiao shook his head and said, "Madam, really is. I guess she's doing this just to avoid giving them the property later. Anyway, our courtyard has already been divided. You're in the same courtyard with me, so she can't do anything to you. You can do whatever you want without having to worry about her."

Gui'er looked around and saw that there were no servants around, so she said to Sha Yanxiao, "Brother, I think what Lily said makes sense. Although we've already separated, we still have to maintain the appearance of being a family, so as not to give others a handle to talk about us. Besides, I have a feeling that if something really happens to Father, there will probably be more twists and turns, so it's better to be cautious."