A Girl Traveling Through Troubled Times

"The young lady is a good person. She has already found a job. If it doesn't work out, I will go to Shanghai to look for Brother Qiang. He took a lot of bankbooks and banknotes from the young lady. This money alone is enough for us to spend in Hong Kong for many years."

"No, you can't go. Do you know how scared I am that Miss will let you go to Shanghai with Wu Mingqiang? Shanghai is so dangerous right now."

"That's all I'm saying. I think Brother Qiang can definitely handle it. He has some ideas. Please don't say these things in front of the young lady, or she might be upset."

"Of course I know that."

Guier understood that it was Dingxiang and Acheng who were talking. She had left Jiangcheng and the Marshal's Mansion, and had no relatives or friends here. Even the servants felt insecure. But she could also understand that these people had to rely on themselves to make a living after all.

Thinking of this, Gui'er felt a little fortunate that she had this full-time or part-time job as a newspaper writer. Next, she should study harder and strive to become a doctor in the future. This way, she would have an income and be able to support herself, so those who followed her would not have to worry.

Starting from the next day, Gui'er took the tram to and from school. Acheng was worried and insisted on going with her. Gui'er agreed. She listened to his conversation with Dingxiang and knew that Acheng was indeed loyal to her, which comforted her.

However, she still didn't dare tell Acheng about her underground work. The main reason was that she felt that if Acheng knew, Dingxiang would definitely know too. Although they were both standard proletarians, their ideological awareness might not reach that level. So for safety's sake, it was better to keep it secret.

She told Ah Cheng that she had to go to the newspaper office to submit her manuscript after school.

Ah Cheng said, "Miss, why bother? Just give the things to me now and I will send them to the editor-in-chief for you."

Guier smiled and said, "Not only do I want to hand over the things to him, I also want to ask him for a new job, so I have to go myself."

The next day after school, Gui'er walked into the newspaper office clutching a manila envelope. Chen Zhongyu was sorting through manuscripts. When he saw her, he came out and said, "Let's go to the coffee shop on the second floor. It's more convenient to talk."

So the two of them came to the private room in the coffee shop on the second floor. The waiter had just added lemonade and the ice cubes were gently clinking in the glass.

Gui'er handed the envelope over, whispering, "Everything's inside." Chen Zhongyu first pulled out the forged documents and flipped through them, his fingertips tracing the edge of the seal. He nodded and said, "The layout is neat, no flaws to be found." He then picked up the advertisement and birthday announcement, read them silently for a moment, his brows relaxed. "These are well-written. The merchants will surely be satisfied." He counted out three silver dollars from his wallet and said, "One dollar for each. You deserve it."

Guier took the silver dollar and pulled a small cloth bag from her handbag, pushing it toward him. "This... is my donation to the organization." She untied the bag, revealing five gold bars, which weighed heavily on the table. "Whether it's for party dues or to buy ammunition, it's a token of my appreciation."

Chen Zhongyu paused with his fingertips on the gold bars and looked up at her: "You've donated everything. Do you still have enough money?"

"It's enough to spend." Gui'er looked out the window at the street scene and said softly but firmly, "The newspaper reported on the war in Shanghai. There are broken walls and ruins. I saw many buildings when I passed by Shanghai a few years ago. Now they are all in ruins... If I don't do something, I won't be able to sleep well at night."

Chen Zhongyu was silent for a moment, then picked up the gold bar and carefully wrapped it. "I want to thank you on behalf of my comrades. By the way, the newspaper is holding a charity dinner the day after tomorrow. The money raised will be sent to the front lines. You should come and watch, and then go back and write a press release."

Gui'er nodded immediately: "I'll go. It's my duty to do something for the brothers in Shanghai."

After the two finished their discussion, Gui'er was about to leave when Ah Cheng suddenly approached, bowed to Chen Zhongyu, and said, "Mr. Chen, I am the young lady's bodyguard. My name is Ah Cheng. I knew you were a capable person back in Nanjing. Now our young lady is stranded alone in Hong Kong, without any relatives or friends. Although our young master has provided some financial support, it is not a long-term solution. I know this is very abrupt, but please take care of me, Mr. Chen."

Chen Zhongyu looked at Ah Cheng in surprise, then at Gui'er. Gui'er hadn't expected Ah Cheng to do something like this. She shook her head slightly in confusion, then turned to Ah Cheng and said, "Brother Ah Cheng, what's wrong with you? Isn't Brother Chen helping me now? He even gave me such a good part-time job."

Ah Cheng lowered his head and didn't answer Gui'er's question. Instead, he said to Chen Zhongyu, "Thank you, Mr. Chen, for taking care of my daughter. Perhaps you didn't understand what I meant. Mr. Chen, you must know a lot of people from all walks of life working at the newspaper. I want to say that I, Ah Cheng, also have some skills. Since Mr. Chen can introduce a part-time job for our daughter, I wonder if you have any connections to help me find some part-time jobs or jobs that can make money quickly."

Chen Zhongyu smiled and said, "It's amazing that you're so loyal. I'm a little worried about Gui'er being all alone here, so I introduced her to this part-time job. Since you want to make some quick money, there are some. I know some wealthy businessmen and some important people who often travel between Guangzhou and Hong Kong. Wasn't Guangzhou bombed recently? I heard that there's chaos in Guangzhou, and the public security is worse than before. So when these people go back, they want some bodyguards with better skills. I think you should be able to do it. You can usually earn five to ten yuan by following these bosses back."

Gui'er quickly said, "How can we do this? It's too dangerous."

Ah Cheng shook his head and said, "Don't be afraid, Miss. You forgot, this is what I do."

Chen Zhongyu smiled and said, "Okay, I'll tell you if I have any news."

On the way back, Gui'er blamed herself and said, "Brother Cheng, why don't we just not do this job? It's too dangerous. If something goes wrong, how am I going to explain it to Dingxiang?"

Ah Cheng shook his head and said, "Don't be afraid, young lady. I, Ah Cheng, was sold to the Ji family and trained as a thug when I was eight years old. It's only in the past few years with you and the young master that I have had a peaceful life. I am willing to repay you. Besides, I also want to make more money. When I start a family in the future, it will be very expensive to raise children. I don't want my descendants to have to live like this." After saying this, he hurriedly said, "Don't misunderstand me. I don't mean to leave the Sha family. I want to ask you, young lady. If Ding Xiang and I get married, can you release our future child from slavery?"

Gui'er finally understood his thoughts and quickly said, "So that's what you're thinking. Don't worry, I've never treated you and Dingxiang as slaves. When you get married, I'll write the release documents for you. Although your indentures are not in my hands, I'm still your master and should be able to make the decision."