A Girl Traveling Through Troubled Times

Chapter 1119 The Fourth Concubine and Her Daughter Came to Request Freebies

"What kind of tone is that, child? I'm your elder, would I harm you? Look at you, you're not young anymore. Look at Lily, she's been married for several years. You don't have any other elders here, so I can only worry about you. But I don't have many connections, so after thinking about it, Lily's husband's cousin seems like a good match."

Shali chimed in, "Yes, Gui'er, he's my husband's cousin. When you came to our shop to see me before, he happened to be helping out there and saw you. He's interested in you and doesn't mind that you're an orphan. He asked us to act as matchmakers. We're all family, wouldn't it be great if we could become even closer?"

“Gui’er, listen to me, this isn’t just any family we found for you.” Fourth Madam pulled her down to sit, her tone deliberately warm. “He’s Lily’s husband’s cousin, named Guo Qiyuan. He came to your brother’s funeral too, remember? He’s the young man in the gray suit with gold-rimmed glasses.”

Sally nodded quickly and continued, "Yes, yes, that's him! He's helping his father with the family business now, managing quite a few things. His family owns a rice shop with three stores in Yau Ma Tei, so they're quite well-off. Most importantly, he's a good person. My husband says he's steady, doesn't smoke or drink, and is filial to his elders—think about it, how hard is it to find a young man like that these days?"

Fourth Madam wiped her mouth with a handkerchief, her eyes glancing at the jade bracelet on Gui'er's wrist: "Besides, he knows you're a young lady from the Marshal's mansion, but he doesn't look down on you at all. He even said he admires a girl with such a strong will. He asked us to say that if you're willing, you should meet him for a meal first, so you can get to know each other. We're all family, it'll make our relationship even closer, and we can look after each other in the future, wouldn't that be great?"

Sha Lili chimed in, "Yes, Gui'er, it must be so tiring for you to run such a large business all by yourself. With Mr. Guo's help, life will be much easier. Besides, he's related to our family, so he's more reliable than an outsider. If anything happens in the future, we can help each other out."

Gui'er picked up her teacup, her fingertips slightly cool. She vaguely remembered the man named Guo Qiyuan. The last time they met, he was quiet, his glasses were as thick as bottle bottoms, and his eyes held a hint of unease when he looked at others. At first glance, he did seem like an honest man, but after Gui'er finished offering incense and stood close to him, she noticed what appeared to be worm-eaten hair loss on the back of his head. His scalp had multiple round or oval patches of hair loss of varying sizes and irregular borders, resembling sparse, "worm-eaten" hair loss. The hair at the edges of the bald patches was loose and falling out, a clear sign of syphilis.

She felt extremely uncomfortable, but since it was her brother's funeral, she couldn't show it and quietly moved a little further away. She never expected that the fourth concubine and Sally would introduce such a person to her.

"Thank you for your concern, Fourth Aunt and Lily," Gui'er put down her teacup, her tone flat. "My mind is currently focused on my studies, and I don't want to think about these things for the time being. Besides, I don't know Mr. Guo at all, so it might not be appropriate."

The smile on the fourth concubine's face faded a little, and she tied a knot in her palm with a handkerchief: "Can studies put food on the table? A girl will eventually get married, and finding a stable husband is the most important thing. Your second brother is currently missing, and your eldest brother is far away in Shanghai. As an elder, I can't just watch you all alone."

Sha Lili leaned closer and lowered her voice: "Gui'er, let me tell you something from the bottom of my heart. Although Mr. Guo's family can't compare to the former glory of the Marshal's Mansion, they are still quite prominent in Hong Kong. If you marry into that family, your life will definitely be stable. Besides..." She glanced around, "You need a man to keep an eye on all those businesses you own, otherwise you won't even know if you get scammed."

Gui'er sneered inwardly. After all that, they had come back to the topic of property. Moreover, she didn't believe that these two people would be so kind as to worry about her property. She was afraid that once she married them, the property would be used as dowry and would be divided up by them.

She stood up and walked towards the door: "I don't need you to worry about my affairs. As for Mr. Guo, please ask Fourth Aunt to politely decline on my behalf. I'm still in school and haven't thought about these things."

Fourth Madam's face darkened, and she patted the sofa armrest: "Can going to school put food on the table? You're a young lady, you need someone to rely on. Besides, I ran into Mrs. Song on the street the other day and learned that your second brother... sigh, he's also missing." She sighed, but then suddenly changed the subject, "Now there are hardly any men left in the Marshal's Mansion. I'm your elder, and I can't ignore your situation."

Sha Lili immediately chimed in, "That's right! My mother is the most senior in the family now, so you should listen to her. Besides, those villas and pawnshops you own are all part of the Marshal's Mansion's assets, right? Biyun is also a member of the Sha family, so according to the rules, she should have a share too."

Gui'er suddenly realized why the mother and daughter had been so friendly today; it turned out they had come for these things. Looking at the fourth concubine's self-righteous face and then at the greed in Sha Lili's eyes, she sneered inwardly: "Fourth concubine is joking. These properties were left to me by my second brother for working capital. If we're talking about inheritance, it's not up to anyone else. Besides, during my time in Hong Kong, I used most of my assets to buy various supplies and send them back to the mainland to support my second brother's war effort. Now all I have left is a pawnshop and a house."

"What? How could you? Such a large sum of money, just to buy supplies and give them away? Have you lost your mind?" The fourth concubine pounded her chest and stamped her feet in frustration.

Sha Lili calmed down a bit: "Even if you calculate it that way, you still have this house and pawnshop, right? My brother is also your brother, and Biyun is his only daughter! Everyone with the surname Sha has a share in the Marshal's Mansion! What kind of image is it for an unmarried young lady to guard so much property? Why not hand it over and we'll keep it for you? We can share the wealth, and you'll have someone to rely on."

Gui'er was almost laughing in anger. When had she ever been able to rely on them? It was good enough if they didn't cause her any trouble. When she first came to Hong Kong, she also had illusions, thinking that at least nominally they were family, and that she should still do the proper etiquette. But it turned out that they were always just after her money.

Gui'er thought for a moment, then smiled and said, "If you two feel that the property left by my brother belongs to everyone, then isn't the property that Fourth Concubine brought out from the Marshal's Mansion also belonging to everyone? Why don't you divide your property and I divide mine, and we can all share it evenly?"

She had heard Sha Yanxiao mention it before. When the fourth concubine married into the Marshal's Mansion, she had a dowry, and she was favored in the mansion for so many years. She owned five or six shops in Jiangcheng alone. After her son and daughter got married, all of these were transferred away. She should have a large amount of property in her hands.