A Girl Traveling Through Troubled Times

"We haven't thought about it that much. Our current income is quite difficult. We'll see when the time comes."

After hearing this, Gui'er felt a little sad and said, "I have now separated from the young marshal. He gives me a lot of cash every month as pocket money. Anyway, I can't spend it all. Why don't you take it back to your hometown and repair the house so that you have a place to go when the time comes. Besides, my brother's place is very remote, and it is unlikely that I will go with them. Instead, you and Manager Zhang can stay with me and rent a place with you. This way, it will be convenient for me to receive instructions from the organization. What do you think?"

Shopkeeper Liu also saw that Gui'er was actually afraid that he wouldn't accept it. After she gave him this reason, he smiled and said, "You, Shopkeeper Zhang, and I are both single, childless, so these things don't really matter to us. If you want to take refuge with us, then fine. We can fix up some things and grow some crops. It won't cost much, so you don't have to pay for it. But Gui'er, I think you could actually further your studies, learn Western medicine, and become able to perform surgery. How about studying with a foreign doctor?"

Gui Er was very excited when she heard this and said, "They should all have received systematic education in medical school. Are they willing to take me as their disciple?"

Shopkeeper Liu said, "If you're willing, I'll talk to the dean later. He'll definitely agree. I think the foreign doctor is also sensible, right?"

That afternoon, the dean personally came to see Gui'er. He said with a smile, "Guier, I heard you want to study medicine with Dr. William? That's great news. You're now Dr. Liu's assistant, so your salary should be increased. Or, why not take advantage of this opportunity to become a full-time doctor and earn the same salary as a regular doctor."

Gui'er quickly said, "Director, I don't want a raise. I want to learn a new skill. What do you think? Does Doctor William agree?"

The dean hesitated and said, "The thing is, ever since Dr. William came back from the last visit to your house to treat the Marshal, he said something happened at home and he had to go back to England, so he has resigned and will be leaving in the next two days."

Guier then remembered that when the Marshal was seriously ill, they wanted three doctors to take turns on duty. The foreign doctor might have noticed something was wrong and had made an excuse to escape early on. Later, it was mainly Doctor He and Manager Liu who were responsible, and finally the dean who was detained for a few days. So the foreign doctor must have been afraid and felt that this place was a place of trouble and wanted to escape.

She was a little disappointed: "Oh, so who will be the attending physician in the hospital from now on?"

The dean stammered and couldn't say anything.

After returning to the Marshal's Mansion, Gui'er told Sha Yanxiao the news.

Sha Yanxiao sighed and said, "It is said that when the Marshal went to Shanghai for vacation, he suddenly fell ill and was treated by Doctor William. The Marshal was impressed by his medical skills and invited him to Jiangcheng to practice medicine. I'm afraid that this foreigner was frightened by the Marshal's incident. Do you really want to study Western medicine? There is a medical school in Shanghai, but the situation in Shanghai is unclear right now, so we dare not send you there. Hong Kong is too far away..."

Having said that, Sha Yanxiao did not say anything further. In fact, the inheritance of Director Shen that the Marshal had taken back before was secretly transported to Hong Kong. He also wanted to find a trustworthy person to go to Hong Kong to look after these properties. However, he was reluctant to let Gui'er leave him and go to such a far place, so he could only avoid talking about it.

Not long after, Song Xichen also discussed these issues when he came to the hospital for a regular meeting.

He smiled and said, "It's good that we're preparing for a protracted war. Imperialist powers, not just Japan, are all eyeing China's fertile land. We're certainly behind now, with less equipment and technology, but we will ultimately win. This requires the people's perseverance and patience to persevere in the long-term war. Therefore, it's essential to make material preparations in advance."

Gui'er quickly said, "That is to say, I think we can establish a base in the hometown of Manager Liu and Manager Zhang, prepare some supplies, and then use it as a refuge or transit station for our comrades."

Song Xichen said approvingly, "Sure, Lao Liu, I'll apply for funding for you right away."

Guier raised her hand and said, "I'll give a little too. I'll have to go to their house and bother them later."

Everyone laughed.

Song Xichen added, "I heard you wanted to study Western medicine, but the foreign doctor left. Have you ever thought about leaving and going to a big city to study? Nanjing is also a good choice. Nanjing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, and Hong Kong all have relatively good medical schools."

Gui'er sighed and said, "I mentioned this to my second brother as well. He said the situation in Shanghai is unstable and Hong Kong is too far away."

Song Xichen's smile faded. He said to Gui'er, "Guier, I understand that you and Sha Yanxiao have been together for so many years. You might have the illusion that they are your family, but you two are from different social classes, which determines your starting points when considering things. From your personal perspective, I think you should go out and think about it carefully. Actually, you can also go to Hong Kong. My brother is also there, so I can ask him to take care of you. I can also help with your tuition."

Gui'er remained silent. In fact, she also felt that the reasons Sha Yanxiao gave were just because he didn't want her to leave. Only she understood the secret feelings between her and Sha Yanxiao, and she was a little reluctant to leave Sha Yanxiao.

Shopkeeper Liu smiled and said, "Old Song, she's a young girl, and she wants to go to such a far place alone. I'm a little worried about her, not to mention her. She went to Nanjing before, and she was taken there by the eldest daughter of the Marshal's Mansion. Although she suffered some grievances, she was protected by someone. You should think about it again. If it really doesn't work out, going to Nanjing is also fine. The eldest son of the Marshal's Mansion is in Nanjing."

Gui'er hesitated for a moment, but still told the story about Sha Yanyao and the seventh concubine having an affair.

Song Xichen sighed, "Sha Yanyao was my classmate. He used to be an ambitious young man, though he was depressed for a while when his leg was injured. But I didn't expect him to become so corrupt after entering the government bureaucracy. From what I know, he even used the name of the Marshal's Mansion to extort wealthy people in Jiangcheng. My father said that even my family had to pay tribute to him. I never expected that."

Shopkeeper Liu waved his hand and said, "I see this much more clearly than you do. No matter how progressive his ideas are, he's still the son of a warlord, and he can't escape the interests of his family. I heard that the current Marshal was once a bandit, but his reputation is actually better than that of the eldest young master. I think Gui'er's long-term presence with him has also had some influence."