A Girl Traveling Through Troubled Times

Chapter 592: Concubine 8 suddenly wants to introduce a partner to Guier

Just as Gui'er and Sha Yanxiao were keeping a close eye on the Eighth Concubine, she unexpectedly showed up on her own, followed by a maid carrying a box of steaming dumplings. Upon entering the courtyard, she first glanced around curiously, then said with grace, "Oh, I didn't expect the Second Young Master to have such a tidy courtyard. Oh, there's even a swing set. Is that for my sister? Really nice."

The steward quickly and politely invited her into the living room.

Sha Yanxiao and Gui'er were both very surprised. Sha Yanxiao quickly calmed down and said with a smile, "How come the Eighth Concubine has time to come to my courtyard today?"

The Eighth Concubine said with a smile, "That's right. Since I came into the mansion, I've been to all the other courtyards. I often visit the Fifth and Sixth Concubines' courtyards, but I felt it was a bit inconvenient for Second Young Master's courtyard because there was no mistress. But then I thought, we're all family, so why should we be so particular? So I came anyway. I heard that Gui'er likes to eat shengjian (stir-fried dumplings). This place has plenty of ingredients and tastes great. Usually, there's a long queue to buy them. Today, I asked someone to queue up early to buy them. Gui'er, come and try them."

As she said that, her maid placed the food box on the table. As soon as she opened the lid, the aroma of freshly baked dumplings wafted over. Gui'er guessed that no matter how stupid she was, she couldn't put drugs in the food and then openly take it to someone else's room and let them eat it. This would be too easy to be discovered. So she took one and ate it with confidence. It tasted really good.

I smiled and said, "It's delicious. Thank you, Eighth Auntie."

The Eighth Concubine smiled sweetly and sat down gracefully on the sofa next to Sha Yanxiao. She crossed her legs and said to him, "Although Gui'er is polite and calls me Auntie, there's not much difference in age between us. Now that Lili's marriage is settled, it's Gui'er and Taohua's turn next. The Marshal said he would personally decide Taohua's marriage. He's just a little worried about Gui'er. After all, she grew up with you, Second Young Master. I wonder what you think, Second Young Master?"

Neither Gui'er nor Sha Yanxiao had expected that she came here this time for Gui'er's marriage.

Sha Yanxiao smiled slightly and said, "My sister is still young and studying."

The Eighth Concubine smiled and said, "It's indeed not big, but you have to find one first. Those outstanding young men are always quickly betrothed. Look at Lily, she found a very good one and got engaged and married in her prime years. It was all thanks to the care of the Fourth Concubine. Of course, I also know that Second Young Master, you are busy with official duties all day long, and Gui'er is usually studying in Nanjing, so naturally it is not a coincidence."

"The Marshal told me that he had helped find a young man from the Liang family before, and he was okay, but that young man had a strange personality and got into trouble. It was a pity that he died in an accident. Now the Marshal wants to find a good husband for Guier again, and asked me to come over to ask Guier what she thinks. Guier, what kind of husband do you want?"

Gui'er looked at the Eighth Concubine, smiled foolishly, and pretended not to know how to answer, but her mind was working rapidly.

First of all, the Marshal couldn't be so democratic as to let him find whatever he wanted. Judging from the incident with Young Master Liang, what kind of character was the man? The Marshal didn't care at all, only considering what benefits the marriage could bring him. In other words, the other party's family background was the most important. But this time, he was able to ask the Eighth Concubine for his opinion. This was really a bit unrealistic.

Gui'er guessed that it was the Eighth Concubine herself who suggested finding a husband for Gui'er, but she just used the Marshal as a cover.

"Eighth concubine, you see, she is still young and silly, how can she understand these things?" Sha Yanxiao said with a smile.

"Oh, that's right. Gui'er is the flower in the greenhouse. She grew up under the care of her father and brothers and is ignorant of the world. It seems that our elders have to worry about her." The eighth concubine stretched out her green fingers and gently patted Sha Yanxiao's shoulder.

Gui'er watched the Eighth Concubine's actions. She knew that the Eighth Concubine must have some hidden agenda, so she decided to wait and see.

Sha Yanxiao seemed oblivious to the Eighth Concubine's advances. He smiled faintly and said, "So that's how it is. I thought my father was so preoccupied with work that he didn't care about his children's marriages at all. I didn't expect he'd actually entrust this matter to the Eighth Concubine's daughter. I'm a widower who spends all day in the military camp, so I really overlooked this matter. You women are really attentive."

Seeing that Sha Yanxiao didn't refuse, the Eighth Concubine's eyes flashed, and she moved closer to him imperceptibly, saying with a smile, "When I was studying in Shanghai, there was a classmate named Duanmu Heng. He was a handsome middle school teacher. Gui'er loves studying so much, they should get along well. His parents are also in business and have business dealings with the Liang family. I told the Marshal that this man is especially suitable for Gui'er. The Marshal said that Gui'er is his favorite of all his daughters and he couldn't bear to see her marrying far away. It's a pity that Duanmu Heng is the second son in the family. His parents don't restrict him from going anywhere, so he can settle down in Jiangcheng when the time comes."

Judging from the man's conditions, he is quite good, and it seems that the Eighth Concubine has put a lot of effort into finding him. However, Gui'er is a modern person, and she felt something was wrong when she heard the name.

So Gui'er said, "Is his last name Duanmu? That double surname is a bit strange."

The Eighth Concubine was stunned for a moment, then smiled and said, "This is a noble surname. Confucius's most famous disciple, Zigong, is their ancestor. I heard that their family was a family of scholars, but their family fell into poverty and they had no choice but to go into business."

Now it was Gui'er's turn to be stunned. She couldn't tell whether what the Eighth Concubine said was true or just an anecdote she made up. She turned her head to look at Sha Yanxiao, hoping he would help her out.

Sha Yanxiao's face was very calm. He said, "Eighth Concubine has done her best for our Gui'er. I thank you. But now is a new era. In the past, even the Chairman wouldn't have approved of blind marriages. Besides, the situation in Shanghai is complicated now, and Gui'er is still young. I'm afraid it won't be convenient for her to go. It's getting old, and I can't leave. It seems we'll miss each other."

This was actually a polite refusal. Gui'er and Sha Yanxiao had been together for many years, and she could see that although Sha Yanxiao seemed calm on the surface, he was actually very unhappy. She thought that Sha Yanxiao might also feel that the surname Duanmu was too suspicious.

The Eighth Concubine was met with a rebuff, but she wasn't discouraged. She beamed, took Sha Yanxiao's hand in hers, squeezed it gently, and then released it before saying, "I've always said the Second Young Master loves Gui'er the most. Shanghai is in such a mess right now, how could he bear to let her go so far? So he's already sent Duanmu Heng and his parents over."