A Girl Traveling Through Troubled Times

Sha Yanxiao asked Dali to guard the door before dragging a chair over and sitting down. "Director Song, you came here so suddenly. It must be something important, right?"

Song Xichen nodded and said, "I came to see the Marshal this time for two main reasons. One is to report to you that all the personnel involved in the black cargo have been evacuated."

Sha Yanxiao raised his eyebrows, nodded, and said with satisfaction: "Very good, I didn't expect that Mr. Song is so efficient."

Song Xichen smiled and said, "But what I find incredible is that none of the Marshal's personnel have evacuated. Gui'er and Wu Mingqiang are still staying in Jiangcheng. This is a huge loophole. Isn't the Marshal afraid that they will be discovered?"

Sha Yanxiao was stunned for a moment and said, "I have my own arrangements."

Song Xichen said with unquestionable determination, "To be honest, as the chief of the Jiangcheng Police Station, I do know some of the things happening on the ground in Jiangcheng. These past two days, Gui'er was targeted by Sha Yanyao's men when she went to the post office to mail something. I feel like Sha Yanyao has his eyes on her. His men have probably heard about Wu Mingqiang's shipment from all sorts of people and are now looking for evidence."

"Besides," Song Xichen paused and said, "I heard from my father that Madam has repeatedly asked him for actual control of the mine. Because my father followed your instructions and did not hand it over, Madam is very unhappy. She must know that you are the one behind this. If things fall out in the end, she will definitely use every means she can to deal with you. What will happen if she lets Sha Yanyao directly arrest Gui'er and torture her? Jiangcheng is a quagmire. Staying here will only cause trouble. Let Gui'er go, and Wu Mingqiang must leave as well. If you can't make arrangements, I can..."

Sha Yanxiao suddenly grabbed Song Xichen by the collar, anger boiling in his eyes. "Gui'er is mine, how can you give me orders? I, Sha Yanxiao, can't even protect one person, so how can I be worthy of being the commander-in-chief?"

"Can you protect her temporarily? Can you protect her forever?" Song Xichen met his gaze fearlessly. "Sha Yanyao has the entire spy system behind her. Madam holds the power over the mining rights. You're attacked from all sides. How can you protect her? Letting her go is the only solution!"

Sha Yanxiao pushed him away fiercely and growled, "Get out! If you dare to hit on Gui'er again, don't blame me for being rude!" After that, he walked out of the private room, went downstairs, got into the car, and sped away.

Song Xichen's words, however, pierced Sha Yanxiao's heart like a thorn. He also felt that Song Xichen was right. For the next few days, he went to the military camp to handle government affairs as usual during the day. But when he returned at night, he would lock himself in his study, drinking late into the night. The redness under his eyes grew more and more severe. The servants in the courtyard gradually noticed what was happening. Not knowing what had happened, they were all worried. Only Gui'er seemed to know the reason.

That day, Sha Yanxiao was drinking again. Gui'er went to his study with some hangover soup. When she entered, she found him staring blankly at a photo of the two of them on the table. There were several empty bottles scattered on the floor. She put down the bowl and whispered, "Brother, don't drink anymore. It's bad for your health."

Sha Yanxiao turned his head and said in a hoarse voice, "Gui'er, are you willing to go to Hong Kong?"

Gui'er was stunned. She actually already knew that Song Xichen had contacted Sha Yanxiao. She knew that as long as it was good for her, Sha Yanxiao would definitely agree. But when he said it, she still felt a little sad.

Sha Yanxiao smiled bitterly, his eyes reddening. "There's the best medical school over there, you can continue your medical studies. Also, I'll let you take over Director Shen's property that my father seized from the Japanese... It's like leaving you a way out."

He turned his face away, his voice trembling slightly. "I know you don't want to leave this place, but if you stay here, I'm afraid... I'm afraid I can't protect you."

Gui'er looked at his red eyes and felt a pang of pain in her nose. It turned out that this usually tough man also had such a vulnerable moment. She walked forward and gently held his hand: "Brother, I listen to you."

Sha Yanxiao sighed, took Guier's hand, stroked it gently, then put it on his face and kissed it.

Gui'er said, "Brother, please don't be like this. How can I die peacefully if you are so depressed? My brother is very positive and optimistic."

Sha Yanxiao smiled bitterly: "You're right, I just can't bear to leave you. After this separation, I don't know when we'll meet again."

Gui'er said quickly: "When the Anti-Japanese War is won, we can meet again. We will definitely win."

Sha Yanxiao set a date to send Gui'er to Hong Kong, and specifically reminded her: "Don't tell anyone before you leave. The fewer people who know, the better." Gui'er nodded, but she felt like a stone was pressing on her heart - after this trip, she didn't know when she would be able to set foot on the land of Jiangcheng again.

She counted the days and hurried to say goodbye to everyone. She went to her brother's house first, carrying two large bags of things: a set of clothes for each family member, some milk powder, malted milk, and other things they usually didn't want to buy.

Wu Dafu and Wu Dahua were stunned. Wu Dahua said, "Sister, just come if you want to. We are much better off now than before. Why are you still spending so much money?"

Guier smiled and said, "You usually don't bother buying these things. Why don't I buy them for you? You can wear them for a longer time."

After thinking about it, she decided to go to the inner room with Taohua and whispered, "I'm going to Hong Kong to study medicine."

Taohua was stunned for a moment and said, "I was wondering why you suddenly bought so many things when you were fine. But you also went to Nanjing to study before. Are you not coming back this time?"

Gui Er smiled bitterly and said, "The journey is long. I'm afraid I can't go back whenever I want. Besides, my second brother and eldest brother are not on good terms in the Marshal's Mansion. Actually, my second brother secretly sent me out to avoid being blamed."

Taohua's eyes turned red as she said, "I told you that the Marshal's Mansion was a place of trouble. I finally got you into trouble. When will you come back?"

"I can't say for sure, but I probably won't be back in the short term." Gui'er helped her wipe her tears. "Don't tell me about this for now. Tell my brothers and others after I leave." Taohua nodded with a sob, holding her hand tightly and refusing to let go. It was not until the sun was setting that Gui'er hardened her heart and left.

The next day, she arranged to meet He Ruizhu and Tong Yujun at a Western restaurant. He Ruizhu, dressed in a sophisticated suit and skirt, said, "My family is planning to move to Nanjing. I've already had someone check on that relative. He's genuinely interested, but I don't know if he'll ever come back..."

Tong Yujun held the coffee cup and said softly, "I've also returned to Hong Kong these days."

The three of them faced a table full of food, and no one ate much. Tong Yujun forced a smile and said, "I will definitely write to you when I return to Hong Kong."