A Girl Traveling Through Troubled Times

Chapter 1017 Preparing to Return to the Mainland

"Second Brother?" Gui'er stood up abruptly, almost dropping her teacup. "Really? Can I come with you? I want to see him!"

Chen Zhongyu looked troubled: "You're a girl, and that's a war zone, full of gunfire, it's too dangerous."

“I’m not afraid! I can even take down someone like Ouyang Bao.” Gui’er clenched her fists, her eyes reddening. “I haven’t seen my second brother in so long, I just want to see him with my own eyes, okay…” She gently shook Chen Zhongyu’s arm. “Brother Chen, please let me go. I promise I won’t cause any trouble. With a woman accompanying me, maybe the enemy will lower their guard.”

Lin Peishan rarely saw Gui'er so agitated, and was somewhat moved. She chimed in, "Let her go. She hasn't seen her family in so long, and so many things have happened. It would be so miserable for a girl to be here alone. Besides, school is about to let out for the holidays, so it won't interfere with her studies."

Looking at Gui'er's expectant eyes, Chen Zhongyu finally nodded: "Alright, but you must follow instructions on the way and not run around."

On the way back, Gui'er was overjoyed, but Lin Peishan was a little sullen. She said, "If you go to the mainland, you won't be able to attend my engagement ceremony with Zhongyu."

Gui'er smiled and said, "It is a bit of a pity, but I'll bring you back some local specialties from the mainland as an engagement gift. I'll be your bridesmaid when you get married, how about that?"

Lin Peishan, somewhat embarrassed, said, "How can it be so soon? My father insists that we hold the wedding after I graduate. He's not entirely satisfied with Zhongyu yet. He says that although he's handsome and intelligent, his connections here are too weak. His parents are wealthy businessmen, but they're all in mainland China. We don't know what the situation is like there yet. Only one uncle can attend our engagement ceremony. I'm a little worried about what will happen if his parents don't like me?"

Gui'er comforted her, saying, "I've never met Brother Chen's parents, but since he can travel all over the country on his own, he must be a very strong-willed person. His parents probably can't interfere too much. You are a top socialite in Hong Kong, regardless of your looks, education, or family background. You are not unworthy of Brother Chen. On the contrary, he is able to marry a young and beautiful female student like you. He must be the envy of many rich young men, right?"

Lin Peishan's worries turned to joy.

When Gui'er got home, she told everyone the news, and everyone was shocked.

Dingxiang screamed, "Miss, no, you can't go back! Our neighbor, that old lady, has a maid named Mei'er. Her older brother went back to Guangzhou to pick up his wife and children, but he was killed by the Japanese on the way. Do you remember how we got through that? It was a near-death experience. If we had been any less lucky, the bomb would have hit us."

Gui'er was resolute: "I've made up my mind, and this time, I have something to take care of." She dared not reveal that Sha Yanxiao was coming to meet her. What if there was any oversight? It would put him in danger.

“Miss, I’ll go with you,” Ah Si, who usually remained silent, suddenly said.

"But..." Of course Gui'er was happy that someone with such good skills was willing to go with her, but she felt a little embarrassed when she thought about how dangerous it was and the possibility that she might not come back.

"Actually, I also hope that if I have the opportunity to go back to the mainland, I can find my family. If I find them, I would like to bring them to Hong Kong. If I can't find them, I will still come back to stay with you, Miss. Is that okay?"

Gui'er understood his feelings perfectly and quickly said, "Of course you can."

Seeing that Gui'er was determined to go, Wu Mingqiang and Acheng both expressed their willingness to go with her.

Gui'er quickly said, "Brother Cheng, Brother Wu, I appreciate your kindness. But the mainland is so chaotic right now, even if you go, there will be danger, right? Besides, the pawnshop here needs someone to look after it, and Hong Kong is not peaceful either. If we all go back, there's no guarantee that our businesses here won't be coveted."

Upon hearing this, A-Cheng immediately said, "Then Brother Qiang can stay and take care of things. A-Si and I will go with Miss. Having one more person means more protection."

Dingxiang's face turned pale, and she bit her lip, remaining silent.

Gui'er laughed and said, "You'd better not go. What will Dingxiang do if something happens to you? Don't worry, I've killed bandits and sheriffs before. Don't underestimate me. Let's just leave it at that."

Gui'er also gave them their monthly wages in advance, and instructed Wu Mingqiang and Acheng that if she could not come back for a while, she should use the money in the pawnshop's account to pay their wages.

Wu Mingqiang and Acheng lowered their heads and remained silent. Although it wasn't explicitly stated, Gui'er's words were essentially telling them that if she didn't return, the pawnshop would be given to them to deal with.

Finally, the day of vacation arrived, and the school announced the grades. The teachers told the students not to be too lazy during their vacation at home, but actually, very few students listened attentively; they were all quietly discussing what to do during the holiday.

The student said, "My uncle lives in Macau. I'll go there for a few days. I've heard that the atmosphere there is quite different from here."

That classmate said, "Your family is so much better off. Unlike me, I have to take advantage of this holiday to find some work and earn my tuition fees at the same time."

Some students said they wanted to go back to the mainland to visit relatives during the holiday, but most of their classmates advised them not to, saying that the mainland is too chaotic now and they might not be able to come back if they went.

Lin Peishan and Gui'er packed their things and headed out of the school gate. As they walked, Lin Peishan said worriedly, "Are you really going back to the mainland? It's too dangerous there."

Gui'er nodded and said, "Aren't we comrades who deliver supplies in just as much danger? How are the supplies being arranged?"

"The supplies have all arrived. Zhongyu has been running around these past two days. First, he registered the supplies under my father's name at the foreign firm, listing them on the invoice as items not really related to military supplies, such as porcelain and handicrafts. Then, through Detective Long, he found a Chinese comprador working for a Japanese company to issue travel permits, specifying that these were gifts for a high-ranking Japanese military commander. He also arranged for Zheng, the head镖师 (bodyguard/escort) of the镖局 (escort agency), to escort the goods with our comrades. Now it's almost done. He asked me to inform you that we'll be departing the day after tomorrow."

Gui'er nodded and said, "I understand. Oh, and I should tell Brother Chen that my servants will be going with me."

Lin Peishan said with a smile, "I already knew that. I didn't expect that this subordinate named Wu Mingqiang, although he came from the underworld, would be so loyal. I heard that Detective Long was actually reluctant to let him go back to the mainland with you, but in the end he was persuaded by him."