A Girl Traveling Through Troubled Times

Chapter 1081 Making new friends

When Gui'er asked again, he still kept most of it a secret, only vaguely saying, "We found some clues, it seems to be related to the Japanese, but the two people who were in contact with them can no longer be found."

Gui'er's face dimmed instantly. Her lips moved, but she didn't press the matter further. As she turned away, Wu Mingqiang noticed her clenched hands trembling slightly—some things didn't need to be said aloud; they both understood. In this chaotic world, disappearance often meant permanent separation, but neither of them wanted to be the first to utter the words, "I was murdered."

After that, Gui'er resumed her daily life, going to and from school every day, but she and Lin Peishan were no longer as close as before.

Some classmates saw this and found it strange. They asked each other in private, "Sha Guier, did you and Lin Peishan have a fight? You two used to be inseparable, like twins, but lately you haven't even spoken to each other."

Some said, "What do you know? Didn't you see that after Lin Peishan got engaged, she associated with only sons of wealthy families, some of whom weren't even from our medical school? I heard that she was deeply loved by her father, and her parents told her to associate with people of equal social standing, as it would benefit the family business."

Gui'er smiled, unsure how to explain.

"Hey, can you all stop gossiping here?" Liu Lanfang stepped forward and said, "This isn't a game for elementary school students. It's normal that the timing isn't right and they can't play together. Don't make things difficult for Gui'er."

The students then dispersed.

Liu Lanfang comforted her, "Gui'er, don't pay attention to what they're saying. By the way, what exactly happened between you two? I thought you two used to be very close. If there's any misunderstanding, I can help you make peace. You're all classmates, so don't make things unpleasant."

Gui'er smiled awkwardly, not knowing how to explain, but she was still very grateful. She said, "Thank you, Liu. But Lin Peishan said before that after the engagement and marriage, her parents told her to associate more with classmates from similar backgrounds, as this would help the family business. She also wanted to pave the way for her fiancé, so we didn't have as much time to hang out together and gradually drifted apart."

"Oh, I see. Well, I think we're all classmates, so there's no need to be so calculating. I've heard that her fiancé is quite capable, and apparently a progressive young man. Are you familiar with him?"

"We're not that close. I think I met her twice before when I was shopping with Pei-shan." Gui-er didn't know much about Liu Lan-fang, so she chose to answer cautiously.

"Never mind, she's ignoring you. Let's play together from now on," Liu Lanfang said, taking Gui'er's hand gracefully.

"There's no question of whether or not to acknowledge them. We're all classmates, and I think a student's duty is to learn knowledge well."

"You're right. Among the girls in our class, you're one of the top students. My parents want me to associate with classmates who get good grades. If I don't understand something in my studies, can I ask you for help?"

"What's with all this talk about asking for help? Sometimes I don't understand either, but we can all study it together, and if we don't understand something, we can ask the teacher together."

After that, Liu Lanfang would invite Gui'er shopping every few days. However, unlike Lin Peishan, she was a typical young lady who wore gold and silver, used French perfume, and wore Italian leather shoes. She spent a lot of money every day. When she went out with her, Gui'er's expenses inevitably increased as well. Moreover, when she went shopping with Liu Lanfang, she had to dress well, otherwise Gui'er would easily be mistaken for her maid.

Gui'er had no choice but to dig out the custom-made cheongsams she had made in Jiangcheng before.

Dingxiang was very happy and said, "Miss, I brought these clothes all the way from Jiangcheng with great difficulty, but you never wore them. You only wore those plain cheongsams. Now you're finally wearing them again. That's wonderful."

Gui'er picked and chose among the clothes and finally selected two Shu embroidery dresses. The styles were not too complicated or heavy. Who knew that after wearing them out, Liu Lanfang would say, "The cheongsams you've been wearing these past few days are beautiful, but the styles are so old-fashioned. They're all from several years ago. Why don't you buy some new ones?"

Gui'er was very embarrassed. Liu Lanfang innocently said, "I heard before that your family runs a pawn shop. Is it because you have many brothers and sisters that you are more frugal with your food, clothing and daily necessities?"

Gui'er smiled bitterly, "No, actually it's because my pawnshop business isn't doing so well. The whole family's expenses are supported by that small pawnshop. And since I'm the adopted daughter of this family, I'm even more embarrassed to dress too extravagantly. These clothes were made a couple of years ago. They're made of good materials and have good styles. Just one of these clothes is enough for an ordinary person's food for ten days or half a month. I'm quite content."

She didn't know why, but she was always reluctant to tell Liu Lanfang that she was alone in Hong Kong or about her family situation. It might be because of Liu Lanfang's spoiled attitude that made her feel distant. After all, birds of a feather flock together, and Gui'er really couldn't understand why a rich young lady like her would want to get closer to her.

"By the way, I heard from Lin Peishan that you're the only student in your family studying in Hong Kong, and they even bought you a villa in Mid-Levels here to make it easier for you to study. I don't think a family like that would be so stingy. Besides, since you're all alone here, the pawnshop is basically yours alone, so how could it not be enough to cover your expenses?"

Gui'er was taken aback. She hadn't expected Lin Peishan to tell Liu Lanfang about her family situation. Liu Lanfang didn't seem to have a particularly good relationship with Lin Peishan.

"It's a long story. Our house was actually built a long time ago, for the whole family to move to Hong Kong. However, when the war broke out, I was the first to arrive in Hong Kong. The others were temporarily stranded on the mainland and didn't come. Moreover, many of our family's businesses were lost or closed down due to the war. So, our biggest business was just this small pawnshop in Hong Kong. I was young and didn't know how to run a business, so the family appointed a steward to manage it for me. I didn't handle the business myself, so I was unlikely to get any money. Now, the money earned from the pawnshop is used not only to support my own life but also to send back to the mainland to support my family. After all, we have a whole family on the mainland who depend on it for their livelihood."

"Oh dear, tsk tsk tsk, that must be really hard on you, a young girl all alone here without any adults around? Are your family members worried?" Liu Lanfang said in surprise.

"There was no other way. My father was seriously ill and passed away before we set off. After that, my mother also fell ill and never recovered. Naturally, the concubines were also unable to go. Given the current situation in the country, sending a few women on the road would be tantamount to sending them to their deaths. So, we could only risk sending money back every now and then."