A Girl Traveling Through Troubled Times

The three of them had dinner in the restaurant. He Ruizhu originally wanted to invite the two of them to go to the theater, but Tong Yujun's family had already sent a car to pick her up, saying that Boss Tong felt that his daughter was about to get married and should not play outside so late.

Tong Yujun had no choice but to say goodbye. Gui'er chatted with He Ruizhu for a while. Ah Cheng also came over and said, "Young Master asked the young lady to go back early and not linger outside."

Gui Er had no choice but to say to He Rui Zhu, "You see, even though we've grown up, we're not necessarily free. How about this, Ah Cheng drives his car over and gives you a ride."

He Ruizhu smiled and said, "It's good to have family who care about me. Ever since my divorce, my parents have been complaining about me. They think my divorce has brought shame on the family. They clearly still need me to maintain the business, yet they still blame me all the time. So I don't want to stay at home anymore. I'm thinking about buying an apartment outside and moving out."

Gui'er called the waiter over to settle the bill while saying, "My parents' ideas are always conservative. If you can't get along, moving out might not be a bad idea. But if you live alone, you still have to be careful about your safety. If you really want to live alone, I can introduce you to some reliable maids and servants."

He Ruizhu said happily: "That's great."

Back at the Marshal's Mansion, Sha Yanxiao was sitting in the living room reading a newspaper. Seeing her come back, he asked, "You haven't seen the second daughter of the Tong family for a long time. How was this reunion?"

Gui'er said, "Yujun went to Hong Kong and has become much more fashionable. They're planning a Western-style wedding this time and have asked me to be their bridesmaid. Their wedding is approaching, and I need to prepare a gift. I don't know what to give, brother. Can you give me some advice?"

Sha Yanxiao smiled and said, "How should I know what you girls like?" He took out a small bag of silver dollars from his pocket and threw it to Gui'er, "But the Song family is a wealthy family, and the Tong family is also in business. Your classmate must have seen a lot of good things. Take this little money, and come back to me for more if it's not enough."

Gui'er picked up the bag and weighed it. There were at least more than a hundred silver dollars in it. Since the family split up, Gui'er had not received a monthly allowance, but Sha Yanxiao would give her large sums of money from time to time, dozens or even a hundred silver dollars at a time. This made her feel a little at a loss. She used to carefully save the few dollars of monthly allowance she received as a start-up fund for her future independence. Now she could get the total amount of her hard-earned savings in one go. Suddenly, she felt a lot more financially comfortable. She also told Sha Yanxiao that she didn't need so much money.

Sha Yanxiao patted her head and sighed, "I just heard them talk about your life in Nanjing. I must have overlooked it. The money they gave you was too little, leaving you so strapped for cash and suffering a lot. Now I'm compensating you. Spend it however you like. If it's not enough, just ask me for more. Your family doesn't need you."

Gui'er felt strange and asked Dingxiang about it. Dingxiang said, "Miss, I haven't mentioned it to the young master, but I have told other servants about our life in Nanjing. I'm afraid that when they were discussing it privately, it got to the young master's ears. Since the young master is kind enough to give you money, just take it. You are the adopted daughter of the mansion. You don't know what will happen tomorrow. Taking a little more money will help to ensure your future life. I know you have always had the habit of saving money. Isn't it for the future?"

Gui'er thought about it and accepted it. She already had a considerable amount of savings, but this amount of money would last an ordinary family for a while, but a rich family would probably not be able to spend it for more than two days. If she wanted to buy expensive gifts, she would probably have to spend it all. So Gui'er thought about it and decided to pick a piece of jewelry that Miss Ji had left her.

Sha Yanxiao didn't object after hearing about it. He took her to the second floor and opened the jewelry cabinet left by Miss Ji. Looking at the dazzling array of luxurious jewelry inside, Gui'er was at a loss for a moment.

Sha Yanxiao picked up a gift box and pulled out a platinum diamond watch. The case was a simple square, rimmed with a ring of tiny diamonds that shimmered subtly in the light. The dial was mother-of-pearl, and the hands were tipped with tiny sapphires. The strap was a rose gold band with tiny rose patterns engraved on the inside, and the area against the wrist was polished to an extremely smooth finish. A small piece of transparent sapphire crystal inlaid on the back of the watch revealed the silent movement within. The gift box also included a card with the words "Time as Witness" written in gold.

Seeing Sha Yanxiao staring at the watch intently, Gui'er asked, "Brother, is this watch a token of love between you and your sister-in-law?"

Sha Yanxiao shook his head and smiled bitterly, "This was a wedding gift from Ji Yiru's brother when she got married. Unexpectedly, in just a few years, everything has changed and only this watch is left. Why not give it to a classmate as a wedding gift? It's quite decent."

Guier took the watch and asked, "How about this? Since it's such a meaningful item, why not return it to Uncle Young Master?"

Sha Yanxiao sighed and said, "That's unnecessary. Their whole family is gone. When Yiru first left, I gave them some money, helped them settle down, and even dealt with a few people who came looking for revenge. But unfortunately, her brother is a good-for-nothing. He smokes, gambles, and visits prostitutes. The family doesn't work and soon they're broke. They came to beg for help, and I gave him money a few times. But after smoking opium, her brother went crazy and hacked our parents to death. Such a serious crime would normally be punishable by death, but the local chief knew that these were my former parents-in-law and brother-in-law, so he gave me a favor and came to ask me what to do. I felt sorry for his family, as they had so few children left, so I said since he was crazy, let him be put in the hospital for treatment. Who knew that after being treated for a while, he woke up and remembered what he had done, and jumped from the third floor and broke his neck and died."

Gui'er sighed after hearing this: "No wonder brother was so moved when he saw this watch. It's because his family is not blessed. In that case, I will give this watch to Yujun."

Sha Yanxiao nodded and said, "Sometimes I think that life is only a few decades long. If Yiru hadn't met me then, would she not have passed away so soon?"

Although Gui'er also felt sad, she didn't think they deserved sympathy. After all, the Ji family was once a gangster family that controlled both the black and white worlds. Even Ji Yiru herself owed a life on her hands. But now dust returns to dust, and there is no point in talking about it anymore. She smiled and said, "You can't say that. Everyone has their own destiny. This is her fate. We who are still alive should be more positive and optimistic."