A Girl Traveling Through Troubled Times

After leaving Sha Lili's house, Wu Mingqiang asked Gui'er, "Miss, is there anywhere else you'd like to go? Or should we just go home first?"

Gui'er said, "Oh, I want to go find Tong Yujun." Originally, she wanted to establish a relationship with Sha Lili so that they could look after each other, but in the final analysis, it was just a matter of interests. If this relationship had to be maintained by giving money, then she would rather save the money and find a way to give it to the revolutionary party to buy two more guns.

Wu Mingqiang coughed and said, "It's getting late now. Why don't we go home first? We can have lunch first."

Guier thought about it and felt that it was indeed a bit abrupt to visit someone else's home during dinner time, so she nodded and agreed.

Wu Mingqiang seemed to be in a good mood. He smiled and asked Gui'er, "Miss, you should have just spoken to the young master on the phone, right? What did the young master say about the pawnshop?"

Gui'er then realized that Wu Mingqiang probably wanted to get the funds from her. She thought about it and said, "Brother agreed. I'll open the safe and find the funds for you when I get back."

What she had just said to Sally was not just a prevarication. The funds in the Shanghai banks and bank accounts had to be withdrawn quickly. Otherwise, as the war progressed, the passbooks and banknotes would most likely be invalidated due to bank closures.

When they returned to the villa, Aying's wife had already prepared the meal. Wu Mingqiang ate very quickly, and after finishing his meal, he sat aside with a smile, waiting for Guier.

Gui'er understood what he meant and quickly took a couple more bites before putting down her bowl and chopsticks. Dingxiang saw this and said, "Miss, you haven't even eaten a few more bites of food today. Is the food not to your liking?"

Guier smiled and said, "It's okay, call Ah Cheng over."

After Ah Cheng arrived, Gui'er said to Wu Mingqiang and Ah Cheng, "Little Wu mentioned opening a pawnshop. He agreed. But we're new here and don't have any connections here. I'm afraid it will be difficult. I think it would be better if Little Wu and Ah Cheng could do it together. Little Wu would also be more free to go out and build relationships."

Wu Mingqiang was a little surprised when he heard this. He looked at Gui'er and asked, "Is this what the young master meant?"

Gui'er certainly couldn't say this was her own idea, but it was an extra layer of insurance because she felt Ah Cheng didn't particularly agree with some of Wu Mingqiang's actions. And Sha Yanxiao had also said that he was a trustworthy person.

She smiled and said, "It's like this, Brother Cheng has been my bodyguard for a long time, and Dingxiang is my personal maid. They protected me and came to Hong Kong, and my brother arranged for them to get married. Starting a family definitely requires money. If he also works in the pawnshop, he can get an extra salary, which can help support the family, right? Besides, Brother Wu, you can also take some time out to make some connections in the local area."

Ah Cheng and Ding Xiang were very surprised when they heard this. Ding Xiang blushed and said to Gui Er, "Miss, thank you so much."

Ah Cheng also nodded, patted his chest and said, "Don't worry, Miss, I will do my best."

Gui'er said to them, "Since my brother is bringing you two together, I should get you married as soon as possible. However, we just arrived here and are unfamiliar with the place. I think we should wait a while until everything is settled before holding the wedding. What do you think?"

Ding Xiang and Ah Cheng looked at each other, bowed and said, "It's up to you, Miss."

Seeing this, Wu Mingqiang knew he couldn't say anything, so he smiled and said, "I didn't expect the young master to think so highly of Ah Cheng. This is really great news. Congratulations to you two. When the time comes for the wedding, I will definitely go and have a couple of drinks."

Gui'er quickly said, "Little Wu is old enough, but I'm young and don't have any connections. If you can find someone you like and start a family, I'll tell my brother and ask him to pay the bride price on your behalf."

Wu Mingqiang turned his head to look at Gui'er, smiled and said, "Thank you, Miss."

Gui'er took Wu Mingqiang and Acheng to the study in her bedroom, took out the key in front of them, opened the safe, and took out the Shanghai passbooks and banknotes she found in the secret room.

She said to Wu Mingqiang, "Little Wu, a large portion of the property my brother gave me consists of passbooks and banknotes from Shanghai banks and other financial institutions. There's a war going on there now. Do you think there's any way to cash them in?"

Upon hearing this, Wu Mingqiang was stunned, and even Ah Cheng frowned.

"Miss, the situation over there is so chaotic right now, it might not be easy to cash in. Why would the young master give you these things? Isn't this just creating problems for you?"

Gui'er pretended to frown and said, "I'm afraid there's nothing I can do. When the Marshal passed away, the eldest wife got a large portion of the family fortune. There's some money in the safe from Standard Chartered Bank of Hong Kong. But the bankbooks and banknotes from the Bank of Shanghai will become worthless if we don't deal with them. Since Little Brother Wu wants to open a pawnshop, we can use the money."

Wu Mingqiang scratched his head in annoyance, then sat down to count the bankbooks and banknotes Gui'er had given him. There were actually several million in total. He muttered to himself, "That's right. These several million are enough to open several pawnshops. It would be a waste if I don't take care of them. Okay, I'll think of a way."

Gui'er was also worried about the money. She had thought that if the money could not be cashed, then the pawnshop would have a reason to close. Now that Wu Mingqiang said that she could give it a try, she couldn't help but look forward to it. After all, if the money was donated, it could be exchanged for a lot of guns and ammunition.

She handed all the passbooks and banknotes to Wu Mingqiang.

Wu Mingqiang thought for a moment and said, "In that case, I have to go back to Shanghai. However, since you just arrived, I'm still a little worried if I leave. How about this, Ah Cheng, I'll take you to meet my young men this afternoon, and take you around to familiarize yourself with the environment here. I'll be back in ten days at the earliest. During this time, you must cheer up and protect the young lady."

Ah Cheng nodded solemnly and said, "Okay."

Gui'er wasn't too worried. She felt that she was low-key enough. Hong Kong had been relatively peaceful during this period in history. As long as she didn't cause trouble, nothing serious should happen.

After explaining these things, Guier found the address that Tong Yujun gave her. She and Song Xilun lived in Mid-Levels, Central. Guier asked Wu Mingqiang and Acheng to take her to find Tong Yujun first.

As expected, this was another wealthy neighborhood. Stone steps wound up, and Western-style villas nestled amidst lush greenery. Red brick walls featured pointed roofs, columns were covered in bougainvillea, and wrought-iron gates were carved with family crests. A black sedan was parked in front of the wealthy businessman's residence, servants tended the lawn, and in the distance, the ships of Victoria Harbor could be seen.