A Girl Traveling Through Troubled Times

Chapter 1046 Writing an article to expose the crimes of the Japanese devils

He couldn't continue; his shoulders trembled violently. Gui'er took out her notebook, but her pen hesitated to write. Lin Peishan grasped her hand; her palm was sweaty. The sky outside the attic gradually darkened, and the distant clanging of trams made the silence in the room all the more heavy.

After leaving their classmate's house, Gui'er and Lin Peishan both fell silent.

"Everyone says the Japanese will take Hong Kong sooner or later. What should we do?" Lin Peishan asked anxiously.

"Leave it to fate, and we'll fight back when the time comes. Anyway, I killed a traitor this time, so if I kill a Japanese soldier, I'll have made my money back even if I die."

Lin Peishan stared blankly at Gui'er and said, "I really envy you. You are so brave. I also hate the Japanese devils, but I can't imagine what I should do when that moment comes."

Gui'er smiled wryly and said, "It's alright, we'll know when the time comes. Then we'll become real underground party members. We need to be very discreet, just like when I was in Jiangcheng, secretly helping my comrades transport intelligence, supplies, and funds."

Lin Peishan said somewhat embarrassedly, "No wonder Zhongyu said you are an outstanding comrade, so calm and composed."

Gui'er shook her head: "Actually, that's not the case. Your and Brother Chen's social status determines that you can do more. When Hong Kong really falls, those high-ranking people in society will be the first targets they want to win over. That's when you can play a role."

Lin Peishan thought for a moment and said, "That seems to make sense, but I really feel disgusted by those people."

"It's okay. Getting close to them is actually a way to better strike them down."

Back home, Gui'er wrote an interview article overnight and took it to the newspaper the next day.

This time, she went directly to Editor-in-Chief Zhao. After reading it, Editor-in-Chief Zhao chuckled and said, "Not bad, it's written with great emotion and vividness, very moving, but as for publication... oh dear. The situation is unstable right now..."

Gui'er knew he definitely didn't want to publish it for fear of causing trouble, so she quickly said, "Director, you don't have any concerns, do you? This is British territory, there's no need to be afraid of the Japanese."

Director Zhao still had a furrowed brow. Zhou Hong, who was next to him, glanced at the manuscript and said, "It's quite well written, Lao Zhao. Why don't we publish it in one of those gossip columns, as a story? There's very little news about people in occupied areas in the newspapers these days. Publishing this might attract some readers."

Liu Shaolin chimed in from the side, "There are so many Japanese spies in Hong Kong now. If this gets published, I'm afraid they'll settle scores later. Everyone says Japan will attack Hong Kong sooner or later."

Gui'er said, "If the Japanese really invade, this newspaper probably won't be able to stay in business, so what difference does it make whether you publish it now or not?"

Zhou Hong and Liu Shaolin were both stunned; they hadn't expected Gui'er to be so outspoken.

Old Zhao's eyes widened. He was somewhat angry. This newspaper was his creation, his life's work. He opened his mouth as if to say something, but then he thought that Gui'er's words made sense.

Gui'er felt she had been too direct and was a little embarrassed, standing there awkwardly for a moment.

"Thinking about it, this is indeed a point that can attract readers, so let's publish it in the story section. Zhou Hong, you arrange it. By the way, Miss Sha, if the readers' response is good this time, could you continue to write similar stories for us? As for the payment, I can't give too high, but I won't shortchange you on your five silver dollars, how about that?"

Gui'er's original purpose was not to make money, but it would be even better if she could make money.

Once the story was published, it became very popular. Everyone was eager to know about the situation of the people in the mainland. However, the news and newspapers only reported the general situation of the war and did not write about the lives of the residents. Gui'er's interview filled this gap.

Before Gui'er could even go to the newspaper office to find out what was going on, she received a call from Zhou Hong, who wanted to come to her house to discuss commissioning an article.

Gui'er thought for a moment. Although she knew that Zhou Hong was now considered her comrade, she still didn't want Zhou Hong to know about her family background, so she arranged to meet at a coffee shop outside.

Zhou Hong, unusually, didn't withhold her payment, giving her all 5 silver dollars. He even said, "Our newspaper received over 100 letters, all saying they wanted to know more about the lives of ordinary people in the mainland. Some even wanted to use our newspaper to inquire about their relatives in the mainland, or the situation in their hometowns after they escaped. The response was very enthusiastic. We even reprinted over a thousand copies of that day's newspaper. Old Zhao asked me to tell you to hurry up and publish a new one, increasing the payment to 10 dollars per article. How about that? Are you satisfied with this result?"

Gui'er smiled and said, "I've done my part to let everyone know about the situation in the mainland, so of course I'm satisfied."

"Then find someone to interview and write an article as soon as possible. See if you can give it to me tomorrow?"

“No problem.” Gui’er herself had just returned from Guangzhou. She planned to use her own personal experience to create a fictional character for the second story, and then write about the situation in Guangzhou.

Back home, Gui'er immediately picked up her pen and wrote a story about a young girl who fled from Guangzhou to Hong Kong with her family. She wrote about what she saw and heard in Guangzhou, but she slightly changed the part about coming to Hong Kong. She changed the cargo ship with the traitor to the private boat of the smuggler. Because she did not have real experience and was afraid of being exposed, she only mentioned it slightly.

After finishing writing it, she was still worried, so she told Wu Mingqiang about it in advance.

Wu Mingqiang picked up her manuscript, glanced at it, and said with a smile, "Miss, you're really amazing. You're a great writer now."

Gui'er said shyly, "No, I just had a sudden idea. I felt that I should expose the atrocities committed by the Japanese devils. I want to write a story about what we saw and heard during our trip to Guangzhou. Of course, I will make up a character. Wasn't that ship recently discovered? Detective Long should be investigating, right? I'm just afraid that he might read the newspaper and make connections, so I'm letting you know in advance."

Wu Mingqiang nodded and said, "Indeed, I heard that the Japanese embassy has put pressure on the Hong Kong British government. Now, even foreign detectives have joined the case. But it doesn't matter. So many people smuggle themselves into the mainland every day, most of them coming by boat from Guangzhou. This is just a common experience for many people. Even if Detective Long comes to question you, it's just a routine matter. He doesn't want to trace it back to us, because it was he who introduced Lin Zhengfu in the first place."

"But if he discovers anything suspicious, won't he stop trusting you?"