A Girl Traveling Through Troubled Times

In a blink of an eye, Guier had already started school for several days. She had adapted well and was barely keeping up with her studies. However, most of the students in this medical school were very smart and had excellent grades, so she was not too conspicuous among them and was considered to be average.

She became friends with her classmate Lin Peishan and learned that Lin Peishan lived with her aunt in Hong Kong. When Lin Peishan asked her about her family situation, she only vaguely said that her family were businessmen in the mainland, and because of the war in the mainland, they planned to move the whole family here. She was the first one to come here because she had to go to school.

There are some classmates in the class whose families are prominent and well-known in the local area. Acheng reminded Guier that she could build relationships with these classmates, as they might be of use when necessary.

However, Gui'er couldn't do anything too deliberate to please others, so she could only respond politely.

That day, there were relatively few classes, and they ended early. When Ah Cheng came to pick her up, he said with a gloomy face, "Miss, our car needs to be refueled today. Brother Qiang told me where to refuel before, but the gas is quite expensive, about a silver dollar a liter. We need to fill up at least ten liters each time. This time it will cost 10 yuan."

Gui'er thought for a moment and said, "Then let's go. Just in case it comes in handy. But our economy isn't as good as it used to be. Otherwise, I might as well take the bus home. I think there's a bus route that passes through our area. I can get off and walk home in about ten minutes. Many of my classmates also take the bus home."

Ah Cheng hesitated for a moment, then nodded and said, "Okay."

Gui Er took out 10 silver dollars from her savings and gave it to Ah Cheng, asking him to go and fill up his gas tank. She said, "My classmates told me that Queen's Road is very prosperous. I want to go shopping there. Please take me there first. There's a famous coffee shop downstairs from the Xingmin Newspaper Office. When you're done filling up your gas tank, you can pick me up later."

Ah Cheng didn't doubt it, nodded, and drove directly there. Gui'er kept an eye on the road sign in the car. When she saw that they were almost there, she quickly stopped the car and said, "I can get off here. You can come pick me up here later."

Ah Cheng glanced around and saw that the street was indeed quite prosperous. Both sides of the street were lined with arcades and shops. Rich ladies strolled along the street, as did businessmen doing business. Although there were also poor people in rags, there were also patrolmen on the road.

Ah Cheng said: "Then Miss, please be careful."

After Ah Cheng left, Gui'er breathed a sigh of relief. She took out the letter Song Xichen had given her and went to No. 123 Queen's Road Central according to the address on it. She asked people and finally found the door and went in.

When I got to the third floor, I saw the sign of "Xingmin Newspaper Office".

She was very excited and gently pushed open the door. She immediately smelled cigarette smoke. She saw that there was a large room inside with people coming and going. There were many desks, and the desks were piled with things. The people inside were very busy and noisy. Some were proofreading, some were answering the phone, and some were busy finishing manuscripts. The air was also mixed with the smell of cigarettes and ink.

Gui'er frowned, but still walked in, feeling a little uneasy. Should she ask where Chen Zhongyu was? If she did, it would mean she knew Chen Zhongyu, which wouldn't be a good idea.

As she was hesitating, someone suddenly walked past her and said, "Editor-in-Chief Chen, this manuscript is ready."

Guier looked in the direction of the sound and found Chen Zhongyu sitting behind a larger desk in a corner of the room, discussing the manuscript with the person who had just called him.

Gui'er patiently pretended to be looking for someone as she moved closer to him. Finally, the person he had been discussing something with left. She hurried over and said to Chen Zhongyu, "Here's the Wild Grass you requested."

Chen Zhongyu looked up and immediately recognized Gui'er. He was stunned for a moment, then smiled and said, "Oh, so that's how it is. Now that we're here, please come back. By the way, we still have some things to discuss about the manuscript you mentioned. Why don't we go to the cafe on the second floor and sit down."

Guier nodded and agreed happily.

Arriving at the coffee shop on the second floor, she discovered that this coffee shop was actually run by foreigners. The menu was all written in English. Fortunately, Guier had learned some English and was finally able to cope with it.

Chen Zhongyu ordered a cup of black coffee and Guier ordered a cup of hot chocolate.

Chen Zhongyu carefully observed the people around him and found no suspicious individuals. He breathed a sigh of relief and said with a smile, "I didn't expect to see you here again, Gui'er. You've grown up. Ever since that crisis, my superiors felt it was too dangerous for me to continue staying in Nanjing, so they transferred me to Hong Kong. I've heard about your situation, but since you're a student and are busy with your studies, I'm thinking of you as a part-time staff member. You can occasionally help us write reports. This way, you can be considered a part-time job to the outside world, earning some extra money, and the safety factor is also higher. What do you think?"

Guier nodded and said, "I'll obey the organization's arrangements, but I've never written a report before, so I'm not sure if I can do it well."

Chen Zhongyu smiled and said, "It's very simple. With your level of education, it shouldn't be a problem." Then he put away his smile and said seriously, "One thing we need to pay attention to is that although we are in Hong Kong now, we cannot let our guard down. My predecessor was assassinated by spies. This is a newly established contact point. There are only a few people in the newspaper office who are our comrades, so you should be careful when you come here."

Gui'er was very shocked. She didn't expect the struggle in Hong Kong to be so cruel.

"But you don't have to be too nervous. The situation is still uncertain, and since you're new here and unfamiliar with Hong Kong and lack experience in struggle, my suggestion is that you first help spread information from the outside."

Gui'er thought about it and realized it was true. She had just arrived in Hong Kong and didn't recognize the streets. She was still adjusting. She said to Chen Zhongyu, "On my way to Hong Kong, I encountered the Japanese bombing of Guangzhou. I saw those people on the shore being blown away by bombs and shot by machine guns. I was furious, but also felt powerless."

Chen Zhongyu sighed, nodded, and said, "Your emotions are normal, but we will never compromise. We must fight to the end."

Gui'er nodded. She glanced around and said, "Now many people are donating money to the country to fight the Japanese. In fact, when I came here this time, Sha Yanxiao told me about a secret room. Besides money, what else is there in it? There are also Western medicines and some guns and ammunition. I want to donate it."