A Girl Traveling Through Troubled Times

Gui'er watched from the side and noticed that Lin Peishan kept glancing at Chen Zhongyu while flipping through the book. She felt a little confused, but didn't think much of it. She picked up a copy of "Surgical Nursing" and said to Chen Zhongyu, "Brother Chen, I'll take this one."

Chen Zhongyu responded to the bill, and Lin Peishan finally came to her senses. She hurriedly picked out two books and handed them over. When she paid, her fingertips accidentally touched Chen Zhongyu's hand. She pulled back as if she had been burned, and her ears turned even redder.

As they left the bookstore, Lin Peishan kept turning back, pulling Gui'er's arm and smiling, "Gui'er, do you often come here to buy books? The owner looks quite young, very refined, and kind. Is he... married?"

Gui'er watched Chen Zhongyu tidying up books inside the bookstore and breathed a sigh of relief, but teased him, "You've only met him once and you're already asking about this? Could it be that you've taken a liking to him?"

Lin Peishan playfully punched her, then said embarrassedly, "No, I was just asking casually."

After that, every few days Lin Peishan would find an excuse to take Gui'er to Xinmin Bookstore. Gui'er was happy to accompany her, as this way she wouldn't have to find an excuse to meet up with him.

When class ended that day, the teacher suddenly said, "Because there's a typhoon coming up, students should be careful when going out these next few days. If you really can't come, you can ask for leave on the waiting list."

Gui'er, who came from inland, asked Lin Peishan with some curiosity, "It's so great that they allow leave during typhoons here, so some classmates must be taking the opportunity not to come."

Lin Peishan glanced at her and said seriously, "You're from inland, you've never experienced a typhoon before. The typhoons here can blow cows into the sky! My aunt's family has already boarded up all the doors and windows, otherwise they would have been blown away by the wind."

Gui'er realized that something was wrong, and after school she said to Acheng, "Brother Acheng, I just heard that there will be a typhoon here. They say the wind can blow cows into the sky. Should we reinforce the warehouse or something at home?"

Acheng nodded and said, "Miss, don't worry, I've heard about it too. I've already arranged for Liujin, Sister-in-law Aying, and Dingxiang to help with it at home. We've also bought some grains, oils, and vegetables. Apparently, when a typhoon hits here, all businesses will have to suspend operations, and some people won't even be able to leave their homes. I've also prepared some kerosene and firewood. Oh, if you don't mind, I'd like to go check out the pawnshop now."

Gui'er naturally agreed. At that moment, she noticed that the wind was slowly picking up, but it hadn't started raining yet. The sky was grayish-blue, and the clouds could be seen moving rapidly with the naked eye.

Upon arriving in the bustling downtown area, Gui'er discovered that pawnshops along the street were nailing wooden railings to their glass windows, and some shops had even sealed off their doors and piled up sandbags at their entrances.

When we arrived at Juzhen Pawnshop, the windows on the second and third floors already had wooden railings on the outside, indicating that they were prepared.

At that moment, Wu Mingqiang was calling people over to bring a cartload of sand. They filled the sand into burlap sacks, sewed the sack openings shut, and used them to block the entrance.

Upon seeing Gui'er, Wu Mingqiang smiled and said, "Miss, you've arrived. Don't worry, I've made all the preparations. I'll also arrange for my two men to stay here. They can handle any unexpected situations that may arise."

Chen De walked out from behind the pawnshop counter, cupped his hands in greeting to Gui'er, and said, "Miss, I haven't seen you much lately. I've been busy at the pawnshop. I'm here to give you my regards."

Gui'er noticed a young man beside him, about eighteen or nineteen years old, with fair skin, large, round eyes, and a clever look. She asked, "Chen Chaofeng, is this your relative?"

Chen De quickly pulled the young man over: "Miss, this is my nephew A-Ming. He just came from the countryside and knows a few words. When I was working as a clerk in mainland China, he worked as a shop assistant. The pawnshop has been busy lately and we need an experienced hand to help out, so we let him learn how to do the job. He can help with bookkeeping and inventory management."

Amin quickly bowed and greeted her, his voice timid: "Greetings, Miss."

Gui'er said, "I have entrusted the pawnshop business entirely to Brother Wu and Brother Cheng. Ask them for their opinions. If more manpower is needed, then keep them."

Wu Mingqiang walked over and glanced at it, then said with a smile, "That's fine. Although the two guys I found, A-Guang and A-Zong, are hardworking and strong, they have no experience in the pawnshop business. It would be good to find someone experienced. Let them live on the third floor together."

As they were talking, the sky suddenly darkened, and the once clear sun was swallowed by thick, dark clouds. The wind picked up abruptly, and the billboards along the street were blown so hard they seemed about to fall, swirling up dust that rushed towards them. Wu Mingqiang looked up at the sky and frowned, saying, "It looks like the typhoon is coming early. Miss, let's go back to the villa quickly. We'll keep an eye on things here."

As soon as Gui'er got into the car, large raindrops began to pelt down, so densely packed they seemed to shatter the car windows. The car drove extremely slowly, the gale-force winds howling with the torrential rain, the banyan trees along the roadside being whipped about like mad dancers, their branches and leaves lashing wildly, and several slender kapok trees were even snapped in half.

Gui'er had never seen anything like this before, and even A-Cheng was a little terrified. However, he calmed down and drove the car slowly forward. Many people on the road were blown over by the wind, and they couldn't even hold up their umbrellas. The roadside signs were not fixed, and after a few gusts of wind, they swayed in the air. Some even fell down completely and almost hit their car.

As Acheng slowed down, he said to Gui'er, "Miss, we're safe in the car, no matter how heavy the rain. This car won't be blown away, so please don't open the windows. We'll be home soon."

After finally returning to the villa, Dingxiang ran out to greet Gui'er with an umbrella.

But the rain was too heavy, and before she even got to the car, her umbrella was blown away. Gui'er didn't care about that and hurriedly opened the car door and staggered out of the car.

"Miss is finally back!" Dingxiang wiped the rain from her face. "The wind is getting stronger and stronger. I didn't expect the typhoon in Hong Kong to be so terrifying. Luckily, Brother Qiang had everything prepared in advance. However, the window on the third floor, even though it was nailed shut, was still blown apart. Water is flowing down the stairs. I was just sweeping it up, but with the wind and rain so strong, there's still water left after I finish sweeping. We can only wait until the rain stops!"

"Hey, stop talking, hurry up and let the young lady in, she's soaked to the bone," Acheng said anxiously from the side.

Several people braved the typhoon to enter the house and then worked together to close the door.

Normally, their villa area had access to water and electricity, but now everything was cut off, so they had to turn on kerosene lamps.

Using the firewood Wu Mingqiang had prepared beforehand, Sister-in-law Aying managed to cook a meal, and after everyone ate, they all went back to their rooms.

Gui'er was worried that the secret chamber might leak underground. She even went to check it out, only to find that there was none at all. Standing inside the secret chamber, she couldn't even hear the howling wind outside.

Seeing that nothing was wrong, she was about to leave when she suddenly saw the boxes of guns and ammunition. As if possessed, she grabbed a Browning pistol and a few magazines, took them back to her bedroom, put them under her pillow, and then went to sleep.