A Girl Traveling Through Troubled Times

“But Miss, if Sister-in-law Ying leaves, you won’t have anything to eat on Sundays, and you won’t be able to go out without a car,” Dingxiang said worriedly.

“I can get up early and prepare all the meals for the day. I’ll leave some charcoal on the stove so that Brother Si can help heat them up. What do you think?” Sister-in-law Ying said quickly.

Gui'er said, "Okay, let's do it this way."

The next day when she went to school, Gui'er hurriedly went to Chen Zhongyu's bookstore to tell him that she had arranged to send all the servants away on Sunday, but the guns and ammunition were too heavy and Chen Zhongyu would have to come to pick them up, preferably with a car.

Chen Zhongyu thought for a moment and said, "I understand. I'll go there myself then."

Gui'er nodded, and the two agreed to meet at the villa at 11 a.m. on Sunday.

Back at the villa, Gui'er remembered Chen Zhongyu saying she could give Sha Yanxiao a letter. That very evening, after Dingxiang delivered the milk, she locked the door and turned off the lights, leaving only the desk lamp on. She wrote the letter to Sha Yanxiao in the study.

Brother Yanxiao

Show Xin'an.

I received your letter, brother, and know that you are well, which has eased my worries. I have been in Hong Kong for some time now, and my work and life are gradually returning to normal, so please don't worry.

I was fortunate to reunite with Brother Chen in Hong Kong. In my spare time, I often helped him, though my efforts were meager, it was still my small contribution to the revolution. The other day, I received a letter from Brother Chen forwarding your letter, and after reading it, I was moved to tears—we have finally embarked on the same revolutionary path, and I imagine you feel the same way.

Lily and the fourth concubine also arrived in Hong Kong, but their relationship was superficial. She repeatedly asked about the funds left by her brother, trying to persuade me to invest in her business or lend her money. I found this uninteresting and gradually distanced myself from her.

A few days ago, I suddenly received a letter and a small sum of money from my elder brother, sent through a messenger from Shanghai. Though the money was little, in these chaotic times, his sentiment was worth more than a thousand pieces of gold. However, my brother is unaware that our mother has passed away and still wants to raise money to return to Wuhan to save her and Jinbao. Reading this letter, my heart ached unbearably. My brother is unable to receive the letter; he can only tell me the details after the war when we meet. Thinking of this fills me with sorrow.

How is the war in Jiangcheng? I worry about you day and night. The Japanese invaders have wolfish ambitions, and the war will surely be protracted. Although I know that you and your comrades are not afraid to sacrifice yourselves, please take care of yourselves, preserve your strength, and do not make unnecessary sacrifices. I hope for your safety and look forward to our reunion someday.

Also, I have a favor to ask: if you have the time, could you please inquire about the current situation of my two elder brothers? Although they are often a burden, blood ties cannot be severed, especially since Peach Blossom has already married my third brother, Dafu. If you can lend a hand, I hope you will help them; if you cannot find them, in times of war, we can only leave it to fate.

There is one more thing. Please give my regards to Brother Song. His younger brother, Xilun, and his wife are doing well. We keep in touch regularly. Brother Xilun is just worried about his parents back home. Whenever he talks about it, he is heartbroken.

As I write this, my thoughts are in disarray, and my words are incoherent. I miss you dearly and long for our reunion soon.

Respectfully submitted by Gui'er, your younger sister.

After writing it, Gui'er read it over again. She felt that she had many thoughts in her heart that she had not yet written down, but she did not know how to express them. She was anxious and uncertain. Finally, she sighed, folded the letter, and put it into her schoolbag.

For the next few days, Gui'er would turn the radio up to full volume every time she returned to her room. Then, using the excuse that she needed to do her homework in her room and didn't want to be disturbed, she would close the door and secretly run to the underground secret room. She would move the boxes of guns and ammunition to the second-floor secret room behind the door, using a method similar to ants carrying grains of sand, so that it would be convenient for Chen Zhongyu to come and hand them over later.

After thinking for a moment, she picked out four handguns and dozens of bullets from the batch of guns and ammunition and put them in a safe. She now lives a life like a high-society heiress in Hong Kong, being chauffeured around every day and having no contact with the underclass of Hong Kong. However, from the murders, extortion cases, rapes, and robberies published in the newspapers every day, as well as her classmates' accounts of various experiences, she knows that the public security in Hong Kong is actually extremely poor and gangs are rampant. Therefore, she kept a few guns for self-defense.

Sunday arrived quickly, and Wu Mingqiang only then heard that Gui'er had given Acheng and Dingxiang a day off, as well as Sister-in-law Aying a day off. He asked worriedly, "Then Miss will have to stay at home alone. How can that be? Although our area is relatively safe, we still need to be prepared for anything. I'll stay home today."

Gui'er was startled, but she still smiled and said, "It's not that serious. The gate is locked, so no one can get in. Besides, I'm not exactly a country bumpkin. Brother Wu, just go do what you need to do and come back early this afternoon. Oh, and take Brother Si with you to get acquainted with him too."

Wu Mingqiang was still a little hesitant, but Gui'er said, "Have you forgotten that I took down bandits when I was a kid? Go ahead and don't worry."

Wu Mingqiang had no choice but to agree. He repeatedly told Gui'er to be careful and said, "I have something to do today, but I will finish it as soon as possible and come back. Then I will go to Huixianglou to pack some sweet and sour pork that you like."

Once everyone had left, Gui'er breathed a sigh of relief. She quickly moved the cardboard boxes containing guns and ammunition hidden behind the secret room door out, intending to carry them downstairs to save some time.

Suddenly, she heard someone knocking on the door on the first floor. Gui'er quickly locked her room door, thought for a moment, and took out a pocket pistol and hid it in her pocket.

Upon arriving at the gate of the courtyard, he first opened the small window and looked out, only to find Chen De standing there.

Gui'er asked in surprise, "Chen Chaofeng, what brings you here? Did something happen at the shop?" Since the pawnshop opened, the employees that Chen De and Wu Mingqiang had arranged to work in the shop had moved to the second and third floors of the pawnshop. One reason was that they didn't have to run around, and the other was that thieves were very rampant in this era, and even if they reported it to the authorities, they might not be able to catch them. So they had them live in the shop to keep an eye on things and prevent thieves from taking advantage of the situation.

Chen De smiled and said, "It's like this. Today, Mr. Wu told me that Miss is at home by herself. I really have a few words I want to say to you, so I took the liberty of coming here. It's still early in the shop, and there won't be too many customers yet. I'll leave after I've finished speaking."

Gui'er was completely confused, but since this was the shopkeeper of her own shop, she let him in, closed the door, and said, "Chen Chaofeng, please come in and have a seat. I'll make you some tea."

Chen De bowed and scraped, saying, "Miss, you're too kind."

Gui'er welcomed him into the hall, brewed tea, and sat down, asking kindly, "Chen Chaofeng, please sit down. You must have something to tell me at this hour."

Chen De sighed and said, “Miss, we both fled from the mainland to Hong Kong. Although I used to work as a clerk in a pawnshop, the owner was targeted by government officials who coveted the shop’s prized possession. They plotted against me, and I was imprisoned and ruined. To avoid trouble, I came to Hong Kong. I was a down-on-my-luck person, but fortunately, Miss took me in and allowed me to return to my old trade. I should have been grateful and repaid the favor, but unfortunately, Ah Gang has started to have wicked thoughts. I brought him in, so I have no choice but to take responsibility. I am truly ashamed of myself.”

Gui'er guessed that Chen De was a smart man and was probably afraid of being punished later, so he came to show his loyalty now.