A Girl Traveling Through Troubled Times

Chapter 1160 Meeting with Zhu Zhiming

Wu Mingqiang didn't return until evening, bringing Zhu Zhiming with him. The two men were carrying two burlap sacks and holding sticks in their hands, looking rather disheveled.

Gui'er and Dingxiang were shocked.

"What happened?" Gui'er asked.

“Gui’er, don’t worry. We went back to the villa to get some grain, oil, rice, and flour. We took a stick to protect ourselves in case we were robbed on the way,” Wu Mingqiang said.

Zhu Zhiming was also panting heavily. He carefully unloaded a large sack, and Acheng quickly took it from him.

“Miss Sha, I am so grateful to you. If you hadn’t sent my sister-in-law and nephew to Macau early on, I wouldn’t know what to do now. Instead, you’re stuck on the island. Mr. Wu said you were worried about me. I’m a grown man, and I can survive no matter what. But Mr. Wu said he had to move so many things, so I went with him to help. Now that the things are put down, I’ll be going now.”

Gui'er quickly stopped him and said, "Brother Zhu, why don't you stay here with us? The country is in crisis right now, and if we all get together, we can help each other out. You probably don't have much food left, do you?"

"However, the matter of my assassination has not yet been investigated. I am afraid that if I stay by your side, I will bring disaster to you."

"What time is it now? I guess those people are too busy to care about that. Besides, we hid you so well before, and no one bothered them. They probably don't know you're still alive."

Wu Mingqiang patted Zhu Zhiming on the shoulder and said, "Old Zhu, why don't you stay? I'm short-handed. If you stay, you'll have one more person to help, and you'll also have something to eat."

Zhu Zhiming nodded awkwardly and said, "Alright then, thank you, Miss Sha and Mr. Wu."

Dingxiang checked the supplies they had brought back from the villa and said with delight, "That's great! At least the few of us can last for a while. Miss, we also brought the refined flour you usually eat, and a lot of your favorite canned beef. But compared to when we could eat fresh vegetables every day, it's still a bit lacking."

Gui'er said with a wry smile, "What time is it now? In a life-or-death situation, it's good enough to have enough to eat. Look at all those refugees, they have nothing to eat or drink."

Dingxiang nodded and said, "That's true." She then began preparing the food.

Zhu Zhiming said, "Let me help out too. I used to work in a hotel and I know how to cook some dishes, but I'm a bit different from the head chef. I hope you don't mind."

Dingxiang smiled and said, "Brother Zhu, our young lady is actually the easiest to please. Even if the food isn't good, she won't have the heart to say anything and criticize you. Don't worry."

Acheng shook his head and said, "Stop arguing and get to work. I'll help too."

After the three of them went downstairs, Gui'er hurriedly asked Wu Mingqiang, "Brother Wu, how's the situation at the villa? And what about Tong Yujun and the others...?"

Wu Mingqiang patted the dirty spots on his clothes, sat down, poured himself a cup of tea, took a sip, and then said, "The villa owners have basically all moved out now, leaving only some servants to look after the houses. Rich people always leave quickly, but there are one or two families who, like us, didn't manage to leave. When Brother Zhu and I finished moving our things and left, we saw them come back dejected, saying they didn't get on the ship and came back, planning to think of another way."

"As for your classmate Miss Tong, I called to ask, and she said that her whole family moved to Macau. You can rest assured now; she left much faster than you."

Gui'er breathed a sigh of relief and said with a smile, "It's good that you're gone."

After a while, she asked, somewhat bewildered, "What should we do next?"

Wu Mingqiang pondered for a moment and said, "Gui'er, don't be afraid. The food I brought is enough for us to eat for a while. I will go to the dock every day to inquire about news. As soon as there is a ship, we will leave. Although the British army is afraid of the Japanese army, I estimate that they can still hold out for a few days. You are tired today. After dinner, you should rest early."

This dinner was quite simple: white rice, green vegetables, and two cans of food.

Since there were no extra rooms on the second floor, Wu Mingqiang and Acheng made a makeshift bed for Zhu Zhiming in an empty room on the first floor using two long wooden benches and a bed board. Fortunately, they had extra bedding, so he could manage to sleep on it.

Gui'er felt a little guilty, but Zhu Zhiming didn't mind at all. He smiled and said, "Miss Sha, don't mind it. This is actually much better. My brother's old newsstand was even worse than this."

As dawn broke the next day, the hushed whispers of neighbors filled the alley, seeping into the houses like a tide. Gui'er, wearing a coat, went to the window and overheard the old lady across the hall muttering to someone, "I heard the New Territories can't be held anymore. The Japanese have already broken through the defenses, and they raised the white flag in Kowloon last night..."

“That’s right,” another voice chimed in. “The British troops have all retreated to Hong Kong Island. They’re firing at each other from both sides of Victoria Harbour. Last night, the firelight turned half the sky red. The Tung Wah Group of Hospitals was packed with people, wounded soldiers and civilians piled together. Their cries could be heard several streets away.”

Gui'er's heart sank, and she turned to Dingxiang, who had just gotten up, and said, "The hospital must be short-staffed, I have to go help."

"Miss, are you crazy?" Dingxiang quickly grabbed her. "There are guns raging outside, and the hospital is full of wounded soldiers. It's so dangerous!"

“It’s precisely because it’s dangerous that we’re short-staffed.” Gui’er pulled her hand away, her eyes resolute. “I’ve learned first aid; I can’t just stand by and watch them go unattended.”

Wu Mingqiang and Zhu Zhiming also came over upon hearing the commotion. Wu Mingqiang frowned and advised, "Gui'er, it's too risky to go to the hospital now. Japanese shells might fall at any time."

"Brother Wu, I know it's dangerous, but those people are lives too." Gui'er picked up her backpack. "I'll be careful. I'll just go and take a look, and help if I can."

Unable to dissuade her, Wu Mingqiang had no choice but to have Acheng take her there, repeatedly reminding her, "Come back immediately if you encounter danger, don't be reckless."

Chaos had already broken out at the hospital entrance. Stretchers were being carried in from all directions, carrying people wrapped in blood-stained bandages, their groans rising and falling. Doctors and nurses in white coats were working non-stop. A young nurse was crouching in a corner, crying, clutching a blood-stained cotton ball in her hand—she was probably terrified; she had probably never seen so many wounded people needing treatment at the same time.

Just as Gui'er was about to step forward, she heard someone call out to her: "Gui'er!"

Turning around, she saw Xie Bolan running towards her with a medicine box in hand, his face covered in dust and his eyes red: "Why are you here too?"

"I'll help." Gui'er took her hand. "Your home..."