A Girl Traveling Through Troubled Times

At night, the typhoon truly unleashed its power. The entire villa shook as if a giant hand were shaking it, and the doors and windows creaked and groaned, as if they might fall apart at any moment. Gui'er lay in bed, listening to the crisp sound of tiles being blown off, the muffled thuds of trees breaking, and the loud crash of someone's roof collapsing in the distance. She couldn't sleep all night.

As dawn broke, the wind subsided slightly, but the rain continued. Pushing open a crack in the window, I saw half a roof frame that had somehow blown into the courtyard. Several precious camellias had been uprooted, and the water in the pond had overflowed its banks, mixing with the mud.

The wind and rain didn't gradually stop until the afternoon.

After the typhoon, Acheng went to check the streets and returned saying that everything was in chaos. On the main roads, trams were overturned, power cables were tangled like broken snakes around tree trunks, shop signs were blown down to their frames, and shards of glass, rotten planks, and mud were piled up like small mountains. Rickshaws were scattered everywhere, their wooden frames and signs gone, and drivers were trying to identify their vehicles one by one. Many of the roadside vendors' stalls had collapsed, their goods mixed in with the mud—their losses were devastating.

Gui'er was worried, so she asked him to drive her to the pawnshop.

The scene on the road was indeed as shocking as A-Cheng had described.

Suddenly, Gui'er saw through the car window a large area in the distance that looked like a garbage dump.

She asked curiously, "We don't usually see garbage dumps. Did we take a different route today?"

Ah Cheng turned his head and glanced at it, saying, "Miss, it's the road we usually take. This is a slum area. Originally, this area was full of tin-roofed and wooden houses, so the damage was particularly severe."

Gui'er quickly leaned against the car window and looked into the distance. She finally saw clearly what was happening. The scene was shocking. Almost all the shacks made of sheet metal and wooden planks had been destroyed. Amid the ruins, the disaster victims were rummaging through the mud and water for any usable belongings. Several children were sitting by the roadside crying, clutching their soaked bedding. In the distance, the sirens of ambulances could be heard, sharp and piercing.

She arrived at Juzhen Pawnshop. Wu Mingqiang was directing the clerks to clean up the broken glass. When he saw her, he came up to her and said, "Miss, what brings you here? Don't worry, the shop's losses aren't too great." He pointed to the second floor, "Only the windows on the second and third floors were blown apart, and rainwater got in and soaked some of the pawned items—but they're just clothes and quilts, not worth much. We can afford to compensate for them."

He then led Gui'er to the basement. The water at the entrance had just been drained, and the floor was still wet. "Luckily, we were prepared in advance. The valuable gold and silver artifacts and jade items were all placed on high shelves. The water only reached our ankles, and none of them got wet," Wu Mingqiang said, patting his chest. "It'll just be a bit of a hassle to clean up, but we can resume normal business in a few days."

Chen De and A Ming were taking stock of the damaged pawned items when Gui'er said, "Everyone has worked hard, but after such a disaster, the market may not be safe, so we must be careful."

Wu Mingqiang nodded approvingly and said, "I didn't expect that Miss, even though she is still a young lady, would understand some principles. These days, life is already hard enough. When disaster strikes, some people become particularly reckless after losing everything. They were originally kind people, but they have turned into desperate criminals. Pawnshops like ours really have to be on high alert to prevent people from robbing us."

Chen De and A Gang nodded quickly and said, "Don't worry, Miss, we will be careful."

Back home, Dingxiang handed me a newly arrived newspaper. The front page, printed in bold black font, proclaimed: "The Jiaxu Typhoon! Over a thousand dead and injured in Hong Kong and Kowloon, countless homes destroyed." Inside were photos: fishing villages razed to the ground, streets submerged in floodwaters, and rescue teams searching through the rubble. The text read, "Dozens of fishing boats sank in Victoria Harbour, half of the stilt houses in Kowloon Walled City collapsed, leaving victims homeless. The government appeals to all sectors to contribute money and effort to disaster relief."

Gui'er thought of Chen Zhongyu's bookstore, which had just opened not long ago, and wondered if it had suffered any losses. She also wondered if it had affected Tong Yujun and the others, so she decided to make another trip.

As Acheng was preparing the car, Liujin came to report, "Miss Gui'er, Mr. Song and my wife sent someone to pay their respects, and they are waiting at the gate."

Gui'er hurriedly came out, and a man who looked like a servant stood properly at the door, holding a box of pastries in his hands.

Upon seeing Gui'er, he smiled and said, "Miss Gui'er, it's good that you're safe. The young master and young mistress were very worried about your safety. They specifically asked me to come and check on you. Is there anything we can do to help you at home? I'd like to go back and report to the young master and young mistress."

Gui'er smiled and said, "Our household has not suffered any losses. How are Mr. Song and your young mistress?"

The servant smiled and said, "Our household is safe and sound. Thank you for your concern, Miss. Now that you are all well, I will return home."

Gui'er quickly said, "Thank you for making this trip. Dingxiang, please give this brother a couple of tea coins. Please tell your young mistress that I will visit your mansion in a few days."

The servant took the money from Dingxiang, thanked her profusely, and left.

Seeing that the man had left, Gui'er was about to take Acheng's car to Chen Zhongyu's bookstore.

After getting into the car, before the door was even closed properly, a group of people suddenly rushed in through the open door.

There were four or five young men, dressed in rags, carrying wooden sticks and kitchen knives. They immediately struck Liu Jin on the head with a stick, and Liu Jin fell to the ground.

"Ah!" Sister-in-law Aying screamed and ran over, trying to protect Liujin.

He was immediately grabbed by that group of people, and a kitchen knife was held to his neck.

"What do you want to do?" Acheng shouted.

"Sir, please don't panic. We are disaster victims. Our homes have been destroyed, we are penniless, and our families can't survive. We just need money."

“What does it have to do with us if you can’t survive? Behave yourselves and leave right now, or else…” A-Cheng pulled out a pistol from his waist. The men were stunned when they saw the pistol.

However, since they had Sister-in-law Aying and Liujin in their hands, neither side dared to make any rash moves.

Gui'er got off the carriage and said to them, "If you are really disaster victims, why did you injure my servants? You are clearly bandits."

"Enough with the nonsense. We've already robbed several groups of people on the road today. It's troublesome when men resist, so we have to take them down first. If you don't give us the money, then you can forget about having these two servants." As he spoke, the man who had held the cleaver to Sister-in-law Aying's neck raised the cleaver.

“Wait, we’ve also been affected by the disaster and don’t have much money. Take these few silver dollars and release them. Otherwise, Brother Cheng, just shoot them all.”

As she spoke, Gui'er took out a few silver dollars from her purse and threw them forward forcefully.

A young man who looked a bit younger quickly picked it up. The group of people, holding Liu Jin and Sister-in-law Aying hostage, slowly retreated to the doorway, then shoved them forward and ran away.