A Girl Traveling Through Troubled Times

Gui'er sighed. It was too late to go home and write now, so she went downstairs to the coffee shop, ordered a drink, sat down, and quickly wrote down a short report:

"【Student Protests and Clashes in Hong Kong and Kowloon】This morning, students from various schools in Hong Kong gathered for a march, chanting anti-Japanese slogans. They were stopped by police along the way, and a scuffle broke out between the two sides. Several students carrying banners broke through the police line. In the end, the police arrested several students on the grounds of "disturbing public order," and the rest dispersed. The scene was chaotic, but the city has temporarily returned to calm."

She took the short report to Editor-in-Chief Zhao. Editor-in-Chief Zhao smiled and said, "Right, that's the right way to write it, but it would be best to remove the words 'anti-Japanese' as well."

Gui'er couldn't take it anymore and said, "Then I don't know how to write it. At the very least, I have to describe the events clearly. It seems I can't earn this money. Editor-in-chief, why don't you find someone else to write it?"

Editor-in-Chief Zhao chuckled and said, "Alright, alright, this is basically fine too, let's just publish it like this."

Since the protests, Lin Peishan's feelings for Chen Zhongyu have grown even stronger. She goes to the bookstore almost every day, even if it's just to buy a newspaper. She has to find a reason to talk to Chen Zhongyu before she's satisfied.

However, she was very puzzled because Gui'er, who used to be very keen on going to bookstores, had stopped going recently.

She had always suspected that Chen Zhongyu and Gui'er had a close relationship, but their conversations didn't seem to be emotional exchanges, yet they had some kind of tacit understanding, which made her very puzzled and bothered.

That day, as usual, Lin Peishan invited Gui'er to go to the bookstore after school.

Gui'er refused, saying, "I'm going to the pawnshop today, so I won't go."

"You've been acting strange lately. Didn't you used to love going to bookstores? Why haven't you gone at all recently?"

Gui'er said calmly, "I've been busy with part-time jobs and studying lately. But I ordered a copy of the Kangxi Dictionary there. I don't know if it has arrived yet. If it has, I can go and pick it up."

“The Kangxi Dictionary?” Lin Peishan thought for a moment and said, “When I went there yesterday afternoon, Brother Chen seemed to have written on the blackboard at their door that the Kangxi Dictionary had arrived.”

"Really? Then I'll go with you today," Gui'er said excitedly.

"Why are you suddenly so happy? When do you need to use the Kangxi Dictionary? Are you studying classical Chinese?" Lin Peishan was completely confused.

"Well, I just suddenly became interested recently." This was actually a safety signal agreed upon by Chen Zhongyu and Gui'er, and Chen Zhongyu's bookstore was finally off guard.

The two arrived at the bookstore, and Chen Zhongyu greeted Gui'er with a smile, saying, "The Kangxi Dictionary you requested has arrived. I've brought it upstairs for you."

Gui'er quickly said, "Then I'll go up and help carry it too, that thing is really heavy."

Chen Zhongyu nodded and smiled at Lin Peishan, saying, "Then, Miss Lin, I'll trouble you to help look after the shop."

The two went up to the second floor, which served as both a storage room and a bed, which became Chen Zhongyu's bedroom.

"How is it? Is everything alright? Did you manage to contact the person you were looking for? Things were so chaotic back then, I was quite scared," Gui'er said, glancing at the stairwell.

“Gui’er, have you forgotten our rules? You can’t know too much about things that are not within your authority. I called you here to let you know that we are not under surveillance and it is safe here,” Chen Zhongyu said seriously.

Gui'er, feeling a little guilty, said in a low voice, "Of course I know I shouldn't ask, but I'm just a little worried. You're not going to contact Xu Jing and Meng Haoliang, the initiators of this movement, are you?"

As soon as she finished speaking, she looked up and saw Chen Zhongyu's surprised gaze, and she knew she had guessed correctly.

"It really is those two? These two are too high-profile. They don't look like underground workers at all. They're practically sticking their necks out. I feel like they're bound to attract attention. Is it dangerous for you to contact them?"

“They are student movement leaders with high prestige among students, so they can’t hide themselves. However, they have also developed many comrades for us, some of whom are even their direct contacts. So I can only contact them. I have already made initial contact with them. That’s all I can say. Don’t worry about this matter, and don’t get too close to them. I’ll handle things here, okay?” Chen Zhongyu said with a serious expression.

Gui'er had no choice but to nod and say, "Okay, by the way, I read my brother's letter. He said that the conditions for them to fight as guerrillas in the mountains are very tough. Here is some money he prepared for me to live on in Hong Kong. I can donate it, but I hope that when the supplies are distributed, more can be given to them in Jiangcheng."

Chen Zhongyu smiled with satisfaction and said, "Comrade Gui'er, you have a high level of awareness. This bookstore was mostly opened with your funds. But you should think about yourself. As an orphan, you probably won't do well in Hong Kong if you don't have some money to rely on. I heard you mentioned that your servants opened a pawnshop. How's business?"

Gui'er said, "Business is alright, but they said the pawnshop's profit cycle is relatively long, so we haven't broken even yet. Also, let me tell you, the money my brother left me was actually for the Marshal's Mansion to use when they can't stay in Jiangcheng and have to move the whole mansion here, so it's quite sufficient. You don't need to worry about me. I'm just worried that Brother Song and my brother are in too harsh conditions in the mountains. War is about risking your life, and if their living conditions aren't up to par, and they even lack guns and ammunition, how can that be? By the way, my family has a few boxes of guns and ammunition hidden away. I'll try to get them out, and you can help me send them back to Jiangcheng. I'll also write a letter back to my brother and take them back with me, okay?"

Chen Zhongyu said in surprise, "You still have guns and ammunition at home? That's great. But it will be difficult to transport them back from here. I need to plan this carefully. Let's leave it at that for today. It's not good to drag this out too long. Let's go downstairs first."

The two went down the stairs to the first floor, where Lin Peishan was at the counter, acting like she was helping a customer pay for a book. After the customer paid and picked up the book, Lin Peishan enthusiastically took a brown paper bag, put it in the bag for her, and said, "Here you go."

The customer took the book and said, "Thank you, ma'am."

Lin Peishan's face flushed red instantly. Gui'er glanced back at Chen Zhongyu, who was also a little shy. Gui'er sensed that Chen Zhongyu actually had feelings for Lin Peishan, but he was too afraid to express them because of his status.

Lin Peishan finished her work, turned around and saw the two of them, and said with a smile, "You're done? There's nothing else, let's call it a day, Gui'er, let's go."