A Girl Traveling Through Troubled Times

Chapter 1143 Reunion with Detective Feng

Seeing that Acheng had already explained, Gui'er gave Wu Mingqiang Detective Feng's address and contact information, and repeatedly instructed him, "Don't force anyone. We just need to protect ourselves."

Wu Mingqiang nodded and said, "Don't worry, Miss. I think these private investigators are all shrewd people. They wouldn't be so clueless about when to back down."

Gui'er thought that made sense, but a few days later, Wu Mingqiang came back and said to her, "Gui'er, this guy surnamed Feng might be difficult to deal with."

Gui'er asked, "What's wrong?"

“He didn’t want to leave, saying that he had finally settled down in Hong Kong and had accumulated some real estate assets, but now that the Japanese were coming soon, he couldn’t get rid of them.”

Gui'er frowned and said, "If the Liu family really finds out, it will implicate us."

Wu Mingqiang laughed and said, "He probably wouldn't dare. I gave him two small yellow croakers and told him that we know where his wife and children are. He had his children late in life, and he usually does this kind of work. He's afraid of being retaliated against, so he usually hides his wife and children. He just didn't expect that I would find out."

Gui'er felt a little relieved after hearing this.

The situation in Hong Kong is indeed becoming increasingly turbulent. The British Hong Kong government has banned newspapers and films from openly opposing Japan. Words such as "resistance against Japan" and "resistance against the enemy" are not allowed to appear in newspapers. Progressive newspapers such as Ta Kung Pao can only use literary works in their supplements to express the idea of ​​national salvation. Small newspapers like Xingmin Daily are not allowed to write anything at all. They can only write some romance novels and gossip. Editor-in-Chief Zhao tries to occasionally reveal a sentence or two of anti-Japanese remarks in these articles. Gui'er has also written one or two articles about the stories of middle-class families caused by food control and other issues, but Zhou Hong was unwilling to publish them. In the end, it was Editor-in-Chief Zhao who read them and approved them.

Editor-in-Chief Zhao said with a worried look, "Our newspaper is in dire straits right now. Everyone is saying that the Japanese could attack at any time. Several of my old friends have told me to shut down the newspaper as soon as possible to avoid being retaliated against by the Japanese. I'm not willing to do that, Xiao Sha. If I am punished for my words, I might have to trouble you to save me."

Gui'er quickly comforted him, "Editor-in-Chief Zhao, don't be so discouraged. We're all working hard. I believe that if we are united as one, we will definitely drive the Japanese out of China."

Editor-in-Chief Zhao nodded and said, "I've heard that you students have all sorts of activities."

"Yes, some students in our school organized charity sales and performances to support the war effort in mainland China; some students even went to the mainland to get the latest war reports, wrote them into tabloids and circulated them secretly so that everyone could know about the war situation on the mainland."

"Really? That's great! There's still hope for our country."

Zhou Hong, who was standing nearby, suddenly leaned over and asked, "Really? Where were they held? Who participated?"

"They are all classmates from our school, but since we are all students, we don't have much money and can't raise much funds. Occasionally, one or two business people will participate and give a little more money."

Zhou Hong said, "That is commendable, after all, you have also contributed to the fight against Japan. Could you write down the specific names of the people involved, the activities, the time, and the location for me so we can report on it?"

Gui'er remembered how she almost got caught when she participated in a protest before, and became cautious. She smiled and said, "Aren't our newspapers not allowed to publish this kind of content anymore? I'm afraid of causing trouble for Editor-in-Chief Zhao."

Editor-in-Chief Zhao said helplessly, "That's true. These kinds of things can't be published anymore. But the Japanese newspapers like the Hong Kong Daily and the Wang Jingwei regime's South China Daily keep spreading the message of 'British-Japanese friendship.' In November, the Japanese consul in Hong Kong even held a 'friendship' reception and sent us a letter asking us to attend and report on it. In reality, it's just a smokescreen of peace. It's a headache."

Gui'er sighed, not knowing what to say, and had no choice but to take her leave. Just as she stepped out of the newspaper office, she encountered a familiar figure hurrying over. It turned out to be Detective Feng.

She glanced around and quickly said to Detective Feng, "Detective Feng, I heard from Brother Wu that he told you to leave, why are you still here?"

Detective Feng rubbed his hands together, his face showing some anxiety: "Miss Sha, how could I not want to leave? But the leases on those shops under my name haven't expired yet, and the buyers are driving down the prices drastically. It's practically taking advantage of my misfortune. I'm not willing to accept this."

He glanced at the newspaper office entrance and lowered his voice: "But I've already asked someone to buy boat tickets for my wife to take the child to Macau first. I've asked a friend to look after them. It's just that everything costs money there, rent, food, everything is expensive. They have no relatives or friends there, so as their father, I need to save up more money to feel at ease."

Gui'er looked at the sorrow in his eyes, and it didn't seem fake. In this day and age, who isn't struggling in chaotic times?

"So, what brings you here...?" she asked.

"It's just a matter of seeing if there's any work we can take on." Detective Feng sighed. "We can only try to take on as much work as possible, and earn as much as we can. If all else fails, we'll have to accept the loss, sell the shop at a low price, and take the money to Macau to meet up with them. We can't wait until the Japanese invade and not even have the capital to run away."

He glanced at Gui'er, his eyes probing: "Miss Sha, if there's anything else you want to investigate, just let me know. The price is negotiable. I know these things are dangerous, but I'm quick and efficient, and I won't make any mistakes."

Gui'er shook her head: "I'm all set for now. You should take care of your business as soon as possible and leave in peace."

Detective Feng didn't press the matter, simply nodding: "That's true, I really can't get involved in the affairs of people like you. I'll get back to work now, Miss Sha, please take care."

After saying that, he turned to leave. But after taking two steps, he stopped and said to Gui'er, "I've accepted Mr. Wu's gold. Although I shouldn't accept something for nothing, I'm still very grateful to him. Don't worry, no matter what happens, I will never betray you." After saying that, he turned and walked into the newspaper office.

Gui'er stood there, feeling a pang of sadness. Detective Feng wasn't exactly a good person, but he wasn't utterly wicked either; he simply wanted to protect his wife and children and earn a stable living in this chaotic world. But in this world, even that simple hope had become a luxury.

She turned and walked towards Acheng's car. When she got in, she found Acheng staring blankly at the sign of the Xingmin Daily.

"What are you looking at?" Gui'er asked.

Acheng turned around, frowning, "Miss, how long do you think this newspaper can hold on? Editor-in-Chief Zhao is a good man, but going against the Japanese is too dangerous."

Gui'er didn't speak, but just stared out the window. Across the street, the fabric shop had put up a "Big Sale" sign, and the shop assistant was standing at the door, enthusiastically calling out to customers, but hardly anyone came in. A few students in school uniforms walked by, carrying books, whispering amongst themselves, their expressions serious.