A Girl Traveling Through Troubled Times

Chapter 777: Making a Sachet for the Young Marshal

Gui'er felt a little guilty. She rolled her eyes and said, "Maybe he is not following me, but is keeping an eye on everyone in our mansion. It's just that I just came back from another place, and they haven't found out about my situation before, so they have to conduct a special investigation around me." By saying this, she brought the conflict to the entire Marshal's mansion, and she could hide behind it.

After listening to this, Sha Yanxiao frowned and said, "What you said makes sense. I heard that in some sister cities, the central government also sent spies to monitor the warlords there. The purpose is to prevent them from defecting to the Japanese or having contact with the revolutionaries." After saying this, he looked at Gui'er meaningfully.

Gui Er averted her eyes guiltily and said, "Oh, that doesn't matter. We don't have anything to feel guilty about, so let him check it out."

Sha Yanxiao breathed a sigh of relief and said, "That's true, but we still have to be careful. Who knows what their purpose is?"

Gui'er nodded and hesitated for a moment. She wanted to talk about Wu Mingqiang, but she didn't know how to start the conversation with Sha Yanxiao.

Seeing that she seemed to be hesitant to speak, Sha Yanxiao waved his hand and asked Acheng to go out first.

"What's the matter? Is there anything you want to tell me?"

"Well, it's about me asking Brother Wu for help without asking you. Are you angry? I'm sorry. I heard from the servants that you were very busy and sometimes very depressed when I was not home, so I didn't want to cause you any trouble."

Sha Yanxiao was stunned for a moment, then sighed and said, "Actually, I'm not mad at you. I'm just a little sad that you didn't come to me first when you had something to do." He walked over to Gui'er, took her hand, and said, "Okay, since you're thinking about me, I don't feel so sad anymore. But if you have any problems in the future, please tell me first, okay?"

Gui'er quickly agreed: "Okay, if anything happens, I will definitely tell you first."

After talking it out, Gui'er felt a lot more relaxed. The housekeeper came up and said, "Master, the lady's meal is ready." So the two of them went to the restaurant and sat down, preparing to eat.

Suddenly, Butler Zhao from the main courtyard walked in. Sha Yanxiao quickly and warmly greeted him, "Butler Zhao, have you eaten yet? Come sit down and have something to eat with us."

Butler Zhao said politely, "Thank you, young master and young lady. It's not necessary. The Marshal sent me here to ask if you've finished reading the list of names that the Eighth Concubine gave you last time. Have you chosen a woman you like?"

Sha Yanxiao was stunned for a moment, and after hesitating for a few seconds, he said, "I've been busy with military affairs lately, so I haven't had time to look at it yet. I'll talk to my father later. Thank you so much."

Butler Zhao bowed slightly and said, "Okay, then I'll take my leave now and not disturb the young lady and young master from eating."

As soon as Butler Zhao left, Sha Yanxiao's face immediately became gloomy. The servants were most familiar with Sha Yanxiao's temper, and they stood by tremblingly, not daring to say a word.

Gui'er said to him, "Brother, I'm hungry. Let's eat first."

Sha Yanxiao sighed, his expression softened a bit, and said, "Okay, let's eat first."

After dinner, the two sat on the sofa in the living room. Sha Yanxiao frowned, took out the roster, and looked through it one by one.

Gui'er felt a little uncomfortable. She forced a smile and said to Sha Yanxiao, "I see that all the young ladies here are very beautiful, and their families are all very wealthy. Although some of the young ladies' families may not look so wealthy, their elders all hold official positions, so they are all good choices."

Sha Yanxiao smiled helplessly, shook his head, and said, "You only know one side of the story. All those who come from merchant families here are merchants who used to rely on the Marshal's Mansion to make money. Those who are in politics are just minor officials and can't bring much income. As for those from other places, some are the daughters of other Marshals. What's more, I found out that there are adopted daughters of Japanese people here."

Gui'er was shocked and said, "How could this happen? This is unacceptable. What if we have to go to war with the Japanese in the future and you marry a Japanese daughter? What prestige will you have in the army? You'd better choose another family."

Sha Yanxiao nodded and said, "You have a point, but I am tired of it now. It was when I married Ji Yiru last time that I realized that arranged marriages are not that easy to arrange. If it weren't for the fall of the Ji family and her illness, I'm afraid I would have ended up like my eldest brother. Besides, you are grown up now. When you were young, Ji Yiru couldn't tolerate you. If I marry a girl from another family now, I'm afraid your life will be difficult again. I don't want to repeat the same mistake."

Gui'er was moved and terrified. She said, "But if you can't pick any, how will you explain this to your father?"

Sha Yanxiao said helplessly: "There's nothing we can do about it. We'll talk about it when the time comes."

Both of them had something on their minds, so they went back to their rooms early that night.

Gui'er returned to her room, still feeling depressed. She didn't know what was wrong, but she really didn't want Sha Yanxiao to go on blind dates with those girls. She didn't want to think too much about this strange feeling in her heart, and just attributed it to the shadow cast by her past relationship with Ji Yiru.

Out of boredom, she caught a glimpse of the brocade she had put aside, intending to make a sachet for Sha Yanxiao. Since she had nothing to do now, she decided to make one.

She sat at a carved pearwood table, gently unrolling the half-foot-long brocade. The soft light poured down, illuminating it with a shimmering, dreamlike sheen. With slender fingers, she gently picked up the scissors and carefully cut along the outlines she had drawn. The gentle click of the scissors, as they opened and closed, was particularly clear in the quiet night. Each cut was precise and cautious, fearing that even the slightest deviation would ruin this carefully selected material. After she had finished shaping the sachet, she selected a strand of multicolored silk thread from her sewing basket, twisted it thinly against the light, and then delicately threaded it through the eye of the needle.

Gui'er began sewing the sachet. She wasn't particularly skilled at needlework, but since it was for Sha Yanxiao, she had to do her best. She lowered her head slightly. The light cast a soft shadow on her profile. Occasionally, she would pause and examine the finished piece. If she found something she wasn't satisfied with, she would patiently undo it and resew.

After making the sachets, Guier started making purses. As someone who usually doesn't do much needlework, her hands are a little sore now, but she just can't bear to put it down.

Finally, she finished a simple purse. She wanted to make it more complicated, but she really didn't know how to do it. Fortunately, the brocade was very colorful, making the purse look particularly high-end and luxurious.

Finally, Gui'er prepared to make a tie for Sha Yanxiao. She spread the silk on the table and measured the dimensions according to her memory of Sha Yanxiao's figure. Once she had the measurements, she began sewing. She paid particular attention to detail, ensuring the tie's lines would appear even more sleek. She carefully selected a thread that matched the color of the silk, making the seams nearly invisible and ensuring the perfect finish.

As the night deepened, when she finally finished these three things, she felt her eyelids were about to droop, so she hurriedly changed into her pajamas and lay down to sleep.