A Girl Traveling Through Troubled Times

Chapter 806 Sha Yanyao's Merit

"Tong Yujun married into the Song family, the richest family in Jiangcheng. It is said that the Tong family is now in Hong Kong and their business is doing quite well. That's why the Song family didn't regret the engagement. Since they dared to come back, I guess the debt must have been settled."

Gui'er was very happy and said with a smile, "That's great. We can get together then."

He Ruizhu smiled reluctantly and said, "I'll let you know when Tong Yujun comes back. Let's all get together. I'm leaving first."

Guier knew that she was still weighed down by something, but as an outsider, she couldn't say anything, so she could only say a few words of comfort and let her go home to communicate properly.

When he returned to the Marshal's Mansion after get off work that day, he heard the news that Sha Yanyao had been commended for his contribution in eradicating traitors, and his superiors had specially granted him a few days off to visit his family. He would soon be back with his family in Nanjing.

The Marshal was very happy and said with a smile, "As expected of my son, he is really capable. By the way, how is his eldest son? Cheng Gang, come here and let Grandpa take a look."

The Third Concubine hurriedly asked the nanny to bring Cheng Gang to the Marshal. After the little guy had been here for a while, he was treated like a little ancestor in the Third Concubine's courtyard. His personality had become much more lively, and he had grown up to be a big and strong man. His eyebrows and eyes also looked a bit like Sha Yanyao.

The Marshal looked at his grandson, who looked more and more like his own son, and was very fond of him. He kissed him affectionately. Then, noticing that he had no jewelry on him, he said, "How come he doesn't even have a longevity lock? Go make him one, a solid one made of gold."

The Third Auntie was overjoyed when she heard this and quickly said to Cheng Gang, "Quick, thank Grandpa."

Cheng Gang said in a baby voice, "Thank you, Grandpa."

The people around him also laughed along.

When they returned to their yard, Gui'er and Sha Yanxiao saw Dali and Wu Mingqiang already waiting there, with large and small gifts on the table.

"Master, Miss, we are back."

Sha Yanxiao glanced at the gifts on the table, nodded to both of them, and said, "Follow me." Then he turned and walked towards the study.

Dali and Wu Mingqiang quickly followed. Wu Mingqiang turned around and said to Guier, "Miss, I bought those gifts for you while I was out there. Please open them and see if you like them."

As soon as they reached the second floor, the maids and servants all gathered around them, curiously saying, "Hey, Miss, please open it and take a look. What gift did we buy for you?"

Gui'er was also quite curious. Seeing that Sha Yanxiao didn't say anything, she sat down and started to unpack the items one by one. First, a sweet fragrance wafted out - they were two boxes of almond cookies from "Kee Wah Bakery". There were gold-plated foreign words printed on the iron boxes, which made them look a bit more refined than the Shanghai dim sum.

Even more eye-catching was a silver-barreled fountain pen, its cap inlaid with a tiny red agate and its barrel intricately engraved with twined branches—a fashionable style among foreign firms. There was also a small box containing a Hangzhou silk handkerchief printed with a picture of a hundred children, its edges embroidered with a few lines of English. I heard that even the Governor's wife loved such novelties.

She then opened a glass perfume bottle containing amber liquid with "Guangshenghang" written on the label. It was said to be the jasmine scent that Shanghai girls loved most.

Among the gifts was a Swiss pocket watch, its dial inlaid with tiny diamonds, which ticked crisply when opened, and a chain made of twisted pure gold. This was clearly for men, probably a gift to Sha Yanxiao.

Finally, there is a small silver makeup mirror with a picture of a Western lady engraved on the back. The mirror surface is so bright that you can see the scattered hair on the temples, and there is a circle of pearls on the corners.

Gui'er asked Dingxiang to distribute the almond cakes to everyone. She counted the gifts and found that some food must have been reserved for everyone. The ones for the ladies were for herself, and the ones for the men were for Sha Yanxiao. Everyone had a share and everyone was happy. She couldn't help but sigh in her heart that Wu Mingqiang was really a good person.

After a while, Wu Mingqiang, Dali, and Sha Yanxiao came down from the building. The servants and maids all greeted him and said, "Xiao Wu, the almond cookies you brought back are delicious. Thank you very much."

Wu Mingqiang smiled and said, "I'm glad you like it. It's all thanks to you, Young Master." He picked up the Swiss pocket watch and handed it to Sha Yanxiao, saying, "Young Master, I picked this out specially. Do you think it's okay?"

Sha Yanxiao smiled and said, "You've worked hard. Go back and rest for a while."

After they left, Sha Yanxiao waved his hand and asked the servants to leave. Then he took Guier's hand and sat down on the sofa.

His face was a little heavy as he said, "We have found out where my father's funds are flowing. They are in Hong Kong."

Gui Er breathed a sigh of relief and said, "That's good now that you know."

Sha Yanxiao smiled bitterly and said, "It's useless even if I find out. I can't use the money. We need to pay the soldiers and increase equipment, and every piece of money matters. Father is holding up the funds like this, which shows he's being passive and lazy. Japan is such a powerful opponent. If we don't prepare for war now, we'll be vulnerable when the time comes."

"Then go talk to your father and ask him to allocate more military funds to you."

"You're so naive. I've mentioned this several times, but my father always uses various excuses to shirk responsibility. If he knew I had someone investigate his secret fund, he might even turn hostile."

"Then what are you going to do?"

"Let's wait and see, big brother. He will be back soon. Let him come forward to persuade them and see if it works."

Gui'er felt that it was necessary to tell Song Xichen about this matter. She told Manager Zhang when he brought her lunch at noon the next day when she went to the hospital.

In the afternoon, Song Xichen sent an injured patrolman under his command to the hospital for treatment.

Gui'er took the opportunity to meet him.

"Gui'er, you've been in the hospital for so long, are you used to it?"

"It's not bad. I follow Manager Liu every day. No, I should call him Doctor Liu now. I've learned a lot of new things. The most important thing is that I spend less time in the Marshal's Mansion now, so there are fewer intrigues. It's more convenient for me to meet with you. It's much more comfortable than before."

Song Xichen smiled and said, "Old Liu praised you to me, saying that you're very good at handling relationships with colleagues. Furthermore, you're now almost as good as a practicing doctor. You can diagnose common colds, fevers, and injuries on your own. With a few more years of study, you might even be able to become a certified doctor."

Gui'er was very happy to hear this. She felt that her life was more interesting and full of hope when she was with her comrades.

"By the way, I called you here for two reasons. The first is that I heard Sha Yanyao successfully eliminated a major traitor and received a commendation. He'll be on vacation back in Jiangcheng in a few days. The second is, didn't you find out earlier that the Marshal had transferred some money? Sha Yanxiao had someone investigate and found out where it went. But he couldn't raise any objections with the Marshal. He said that the Marshal is currently holding back on funds. Food, wages, and military expenses are all stretched thin. He's worried that this will affect war preparations, so he plans to use Sha Yanyao as a lobbyist when he returns."