A Girl Traveling Through Troubled Times

"Zhongyu, is it true that you have so many guns and ammunition? Enough to equip a whole company. I didn't believe you when you told me!" one of Chen Zhongyu's male colleagues said excitedly.

"Stop talking nonsense and hurry up and move the things to the car. If we stay any longer, the rest of the family will be back." The three men quickly moved the guns and ammunition from the second floor to the first floor. Since they were all iron, they were quite heavy. After making two or three trips, Gui'er stood in the yard, nervously looking left and right, afraid that someone would come to visit or that Dingxiang and the others would suddenly return.

After finally finishing moving everything, everyone breathed a sigh of relief. Chen Zhongyu turned to Gui'er and said, "We shouldn't stay any longer, so we'll be leaving now. Take care of yourself."

Gui'er quickly took out the letter she had written and handed it to Chen Zhongyu: "This is my reply to my brother. Please ask a comrade to pass it on for me."

Chen Zhongyu nodded and took it, folded it in half, and put it in the inside pocket of his coat. Just as he was about to get into the car, he suddenly saw Gui'er's worried face and asked curiously, "What's wrong? Did something happen?"

Gui'er had no choice but to tell Chen Zhongyu what Chen De had just told her, and said, "Wu Mingqiang and the others used to be gangsters. If they see that their living conditions are not good now and want to go back to their old ways, what should we do, Brother Chen?"

Chen Zhongyu pondered for a moment and said, "Now that the country is in crisis, we must unite regardless of our profession or faction. Moreover, the people around you are all highly skilled. If they can be used for good, it will be very beneficial to us. Try your best to persuade them first. If it really doesn't work, then tell me and I will think of a solution."

Gui'er could only nod. Chen Zhongyu turned and got into the car. Gui'er quickly opened the door, and Chen Zhongyu and the others drove away quickly.

As Gui'er closed the courtyard gate and was about to turn back into the house, someone suddenly started knocking loudly on the gate.

Gui'er was startled and quickly ran over to open the small window to look out. To her surprise, Wu Mingqiang had returned.

Gui'er opened the door and asked curiously, "Brother Wu, why are you back so soon?"

Wu Mingqiang waved for Ah Si to drive the car into the yard. He walked in himself, glanced around, closed the door behind him, and said, "I saw it was almost noon, and I was worried that you wouldn't know how to eat by yourself, so I got some dishes from the restaurant to go. Who was in the car that just left our house?"

Gui'er paused for a moment, then immediately said, "Oh, that's Brother Chen and Lin Peishan. They went to see a movie and came over specifically to ask if I wanted to go. How could I possibly join in their fun?"

Upon hearing this, Wu Mingqiang didn't say anything more. He and A Si set out the food they had packed themselves and asked Gui'er to sit down and eat.

Gui'er sat down and absentmindedly ate her rice, her eyes darting around to look at the places Chen Zhongyu and the others had just moved things through, looking for any oversights. She immediately noticed several shoe prints of varying depths on the ground, the patterns of cloth shoes, clearly not the leather shoes Chen Zhongyu usually wore.

Gui'er quickly looked away. She planned to go over and wipe the footprints off the ground when no one was looking, right after she finished eating.

However, Wu Mingqiang had already seen the footprints on the ground by following Gui'er's gaze. He paused in his chopsticks, put them down, got up and walked to the footprints. He squatted down and examined them for a moment. There were three footprints, each with a different pattern on the sole, indicating that they came from different people.

“Miss,” Wu Mingqiang turned around, his tone calm but scrutinizing, “what’s with these shoe prints?”

Gui'er's heart skipped a beat, and she tightened her grip on the chopsticks. She tried to remain calm and said, "Oh, when Brother Chen came earlier, his shoes were muddy, and he walked back and forth here a few steps... I was thinking of having Dingxiang clean them later, but I didn't have a chance to say anything."

Wu Mingqiang stared at her for two seconds, then didn't ask any further questions, only saying calmly, "Let's eat, the food is getting cold."

Gui'er breathed a sigh of relief, but lost her appetite and quickly ate a few bites before putting down her chopsticks.

In the afternoon, Dingxiang and Acheng returned from outside, both beaming and in high spirits. Dingxiang chattered excitedly to Gui'er, "Miss, we went to see a movie and also went to an amusement park. Oh my, the amusement parks in Hong Kong are much better than those in Jiangcheng. There are so many new and interesting things. You should go and try them next time."

Gui'er nodded, smiled, and asked her to call Acheng to her room. She closed the door and asked in a low voice, "Brother Acheng, you've known Brother Wu for a long time. Has he been seeing any special guests lately? Especially... female guests?"

Acheng paused for a moment, scratched his head, and stammered, "Why did you suddenly ask this, Miss? Well... I did hear Brother Qiang mention someone named Rumeng. Speaking of which, Brother Qiang used to like to associate with people in the entertainment industry when he was in Jiangcheng. I thought he was just doing it for fun and didn't take it to heart."

Gui'er's heart sank even further. If it were just a normal social gathering, it wouldn't be a problem, but she was afraid it might involve something else. After thinking for a moment, she said to A-Cheng, "Tomorrow, come with me to see the alleys in Shitang. Let's keep a low profile."

The next day, Gui'er wore a homespun blue jacket and no jewelry. She had Acheng drive her to the vicinity of the pawnshop, and then walked to Shitang. The alley was hidden behind the bustling city, so narrow that only two people could walk side by side. On both sides were densely packed buildings, which seemed much narrower and older than the main street. The air was filled with a strange smell of fish and sweat. There were piles of rotten vegetable leaves and some household garbage at the base of the walls. Several barefoot children chased each other in the mud. When they saw strangers, they timidly hid behind the adults. The adults curiously looked at the unfamiliar faces that did not often appear here.

Suddenly, Gui'er saw a building ahead with two slightly worn red lanterns hanging at the entrance. The walls were peeling and mold was showing through. Gui'er felt that it was similar to the brothel where Yulan had once taken her to her sister's place in Nanjing. She had a vague feeling that it must be that kind of place. So she walked straight over.

The two carefully ascended the stairs, which creaked underfoot. Each floor was divided into seven or eight small rooms with curtains hanging low, revealing glimpses of perfume and intermittent laughter. Even during the day, no sunlight could penetrate the room; only dim yellow lights illuminated the space, creating a feeling that was both oppressive and eerie. At a corner on one floor, a listless man in a short jacket leaned against the stairwell, dozing off.

Seeing them approach, the man rubbed his eyes, recognized Acheng and Gui'er, and stood up, saying, "Brother, are you here to enjoy yourself or to rent a room?" Clearly, he found Acheng and Gui'er's combination a bit strange. If they were here to solicit prostitutes, why would they bring a woman along? So he suspected they might also be here to settle down and do business.

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