A Girl Traveling Through Troubled Times

"That won't work, that won't work." He Ruifang shook her head and said, "Your brother has been farming since he was a child, he's used to hard work. We haven't even held a hoe in our family, how can we farm? I'm afraid that before the crops even grow, our whole family will starve to death."

Gui'er had no choice but to smile and say, "Yeah, so what are you going to do?"

"We have a distant relative in Nanjing, he's a big boss. His only son was originally going to propose marriage to me, but he passed away a few years ago, so my father married me to his eldest apprentice. He recently wrote to me saying he wants to adopt my younger brother as his son. He wants our whole family to move there, saying he's old and has no one to inherit his family, so he can just adopt my younger brother to carry on the family line. My father said it's a good idea, since we're all from the same family anyway. But I'm hesitant. After all, we haven't seen each other in all these years, and we only communicate through letters. I'm not sure if it's reliable."

"Nanjing? Nanjing is not okay, right?" Guier raised her voice reflexively.

"Why do you also feel that something is fishy? I told you it's not that good."

Gui'er quickly said, "What I mean is, it's not necessarily a bad thing, but your family could actually send someone to verify it. If your relatives are in the urban area of ​​Nanjing, it might not be a good idea, but the surrounding countryside might be okay."

"Why? Aren't houses in the city more valuable?"

"Well, this, what I mean is, houses in the city are of course valuable, which means their family is wealthy. There are so many people in your family, why would he choose to consider yours? I think if he is from a nearby town, it may mean that his family is just an ordinary small wealthy family with farmland that needs people to manage, so it is understandable that he would find a large family like yours to go there." Gui'er stammered and tried her best to find excuses, just hoping to help her classmates avoid the disaster.

"That's right, your analysis makes sense. If their family is so rich, why would they come to our family? There are many people who are willing to be adopted by their family. I will ask someone to check it out later." He Ruizhu nodded and said seriously.

Gui'er finally breathed a sigh of relief. She suddenly remembered that she should remind Miss Shen and Xu Wenjie.

So after returning to the Marshal's Mansion, he thought hard and finally came up with the idea of ​​sending them some local specialties and then writing a letter to remind them.

She first asked the kitchen to make a box of sock-bottom cakes, then found an iron can and a piece of oil paper and cut it into a size that could just cover the bottom of the iron can. When everything was ready, she picked up a pen and wrote a letter to Miss Shen and Xu Wenjie.

"Sister Feng Shu and Brother Xu,

Over a year has passed since we parted, and every time I think of the time we spent together in Nanjing, I often find myself unable to sleep late into the night. Since leaving Jinling and returning to Jiangcheng, I've been studying medicine at this hospital. During the day, I attend to patients in the wards, and at night, I bury myself in medical books. Although busy, I feel fulfilled. It's just that without you two by my side, the experience feels a little less fulfilling.

I remember how you two took such good care of me in Ning. I always remember this kindness. Lately, things have been getting tense in Jiangcheng, the market has been sluggish, and all businesses have been in decline. My two brothers nearly lost their livelihood a while ago, and thanks to my brother's secret help, they're barely making ends meet. After much deliberation, they finally bought a small plot of land and built a thatched cottage in a remote part of their hometown, leaving themselves a retreat for the future.

I wonder how things are going in Nanjing these days? Are you two in good health? I heard that land prices in the suburbs of Nanjing are still cheap. If the situation becomes unpredictable, perhaps we could follow my brother's advice and find a place to stay. That would be a foolproof plan. Ultimately, I hope things turn around and you all can live happily ever after.

If we meet again someday, I will tell you two about the scenery of Jiangcheng and talk about the past. I wrote this in a hurry and cannot say everything I want to say.

Sincerely, Guier

After writing, hide the letter at the bottom of the tin can, separate it with wax paper, and then put the prepared shortbread in the tin can. Everything is ready.

The next day she went to the post office to send it in person. She filled out the receipt and paid the money. She also specifically asked the staff when it would arrive, and then left satisfied.

As soon as she walked out of the post office, she saw Sha Yanyao walking towards her. Gui'er was very surprised: "Brother, are you here to mail a letter too?"

"Oh, I'm meeting a friend nearby and passing by here. What's going on? Gui'er, are you here to send something? Who are you sending it to?" Sha Yanyao asked with a smile on his face.

Gui'er had been prepared. She knew her box of pastries would be opened and inspected, so she didn't mention anything Song Xichen had said, instead talking about her biological brother. Although Sha Yanyao had never asked about his biological family, she figured that with his abilities, he would have already thoroughly investigated everything.

"Oh. I'm sending a box of our local specialty crispy biscuits to Teacher Shen. We haven't been in touch for a long time. I wonder how they are doing now?" Gui'er said calmly.

Sha Yanyao was a little surprised. He paused for a moment and said, "Send it to Fengshu. That's right. You two had such a good relationship when you were in Nanjing."

Gui'er remembered what Song Xichen had asked her to find out from Sha Yanyao, so she said to him, "Brother, what are you going to do next? If you have nothing else to do, come with me to the Café de Caesar over there and try their new chestnut cream cake. I heard it's delicious."

Sha Yanyao was stunned for a moment, but without thinking much, he said lovingly, "Okay, I'll treat you."

The two of them went to the Café de Café and ordered the chestnut cream cake that Guier mentioned. Sha Yanyao ordered lemonade and Guier ordered orange juice.

Guier couldn't wait to share the cake, then took a bite and said, "Mmm, it's delicious."

Sha Yanyao took a sip of lemonade and said with a smile, "Don't you usually come here to eat with your classmates? By the way, are you still in touch with your classmates in Nanjing?"

Gui'er's heart skipped a beat when she heard this, and she immediately became alert, but she pretended not to care and said, "Yes, some time ago when my father was still alive, I sent a postcard to Zhou Huifang, but she hasn't replied yet. Then my father became seriously ill and couldn't take care of her anymore. By the way, brother, do you know how her family is doing now?"

"Oh, Old Zhou. You're still the same, so cautious all day long, like you're afraid of everything. By the way, there should be some of your classmates whose families are in business, right? Are they going to pass through Jiangcheng? This is our territory, maybe we can cooperate."

Gui'er was now certain that Sha Yanyao was investigating Zhou Tong's plan to use Wu Mingqiang to haul black market goods. She spoke with a bewildered air, "There are a few classmates who are businesspeople, but they don't care about their own family businesses. I never asked, brother, if you wanted to partner with them. But we don't have anything to collaborate on. Do you want them to give us some goods to sell? I heard the market is terrible right now. Do you remember He Ruizhu, my elementary school classmate? She told me she's selling off her inventory to cash in and isn't buying any more. There's talk of war everywhere, of the Japanese coming. Is that true?"