A Girl Traveling Through Troubled Times

Chapter 990 Lin Peishan is back

“It’s not good for us to stand here. Let’s go to the hotel first,” Chen Zhongyu said.

The three of them silently arrived at the entrance of the Hongyun Hotel.

The arcade pillars were weathered and peeling, and the four characters of the wooden signboard "Hongyun Hotel" were blackened by wind and rain. The sliding doors at the bottom of the arcade were half-open, revealing a dim light from inside. Although it was evening, the hotel was bustling with activity. A woman in a blue cotton shirt led a child, who clutched a crumpled boat ticket in his hand; an old man in a melon-shaped hat strolled in slowly, his hands behind his back, the cuffs frayed—they were all from the inland, their faces dusty from travel, but their voices were loud, asking the landlady in their dialect, "Are there any berths left?"

The landlady seemed quite used to this situation. Without even lifting her eyelids, she ate sunflower seeds and said, "Two cents for a stall. Eight cents for a room. Pay first, then check in."

Everyone else took out their money, but Gui'er and her two friends had no money, so they had to secretly move to the back.

The landlady quickly collected the money, then looked up and saw the three of them standing there. She asked, "Are you three here to stay or looking for someone?"

Gui'er and the others were feeling awkward and embarrassed when Dingxiang's voice suddenly came from behind them: "Miss! Look who's here!"

Turning around, Dingxiang saw a girl in a Western-style dress following behind her; it was Lin Peishan. Her eyes were red-rimmed, and she was carrying a small leather suitcase. Upon seeing Gui'er, she rushed over, exclaiming, "Gui'er! I've finally found you!"

Dingxiang excitedly chattered on the side, "I couldn't find the place Mr. Chen mentioned, but I ran into Miss Lin as soon as I came out of the shop. She came to our house looking for Miss Lin before, and I recognize her."

"Peishan? Why are you back?" Gui'er was both surprised and delighted.

Lin Peishan wiped away her tears: "I was constantly on edge in Macau, so I asked around and found out something had happened in Hong Kong, so I secretly came back to find you." Her gaze swept over Chen Zhongyu, then suddenly froze, tears welling up instantly, "Zhongyu..."

Chen Zhongyu was also stunned. His lips moved, but a thousand words were stuck in his throat. Lin Peishan rushed into his arms first, and the two hugged each other tightly, their shoulders trembling. The fear and longing that had been suppressed for many days turned into silent sobs.

The landlady tapped her abacus behind the counter: "If you want to stay, hurry up and don't block other people's way."

Lin Peishan then came to her senses and took Chen Zhongyu's hand, saying, "Let's not stay here. I know there's a 'Far East Hotel' near the Xingmin Daily office; it's cleaner." She took out her wallet. "I'll go book a room first. You guys wait for me at the street corner and follow me from behind to avoid attracting attention."

After saying that, she turned and walked out, the hem of her dress sweeping across the threshold and stirring up a gust of wind.

The group followed her a short distance away and waited near the hotel diagonally opposite the Xingmin Newspaper Office. Gui'er had Dingxiang pretend to be Lin Peishan's maid and go inside with Lin Peishan.

Not long after, Dingxiang ran back to report: "Miss Lin said she booked two rooms and told us to go in through the side door. They are rooms 307 and 308 on the third floor."

The three followed Dingxiang around to the side entrance of the hotel. The hallway was carpeted with red carpet, much more upscale than the inn. Lin Peishan was already waiting at the door. Pushing open the door, warm yellow light shone in. Inside, there was a leather sofa and a solid wood bed. Although simple, it was much better than the Hongyun Inn they had just visited.

"Rest for a while, I'll have someone bring some food up." Lin Peishan pulled Gui'er to sit down. "I heard about Ouyang Bao from Dingxiang on the way... You've suffered."

Chen Zhongyu walked over from the next room, stood by the window, looked at the lights in the distance, and said softly, "Peishan, we owe you a lot this time."

Lin Peishan shook her head and took his hand: "We're comrades, why are we saying these things?"

A moment later, the waiter pushed the food cart in, with four dishes and a soup on a ceramic tray: the roast goose was shiny and the skin was so crispy that you could see the fine lines; the steamed fish lay nestled in scallions, the soup tinged with amber; there was also a plate of stir-fried vegetables, so green that they seemed to be steaming; and a bowl of slow-cooked soup, the aroma of herbs and meat wafting from the earthenware pot.

Lin Peishan instructed the waiter to divide the dishes into white porcelain plates, and asked Dingxiang to call Xu Jing over, saying with a smile, "Everyone must be starving, come and eat."

Gui'er picked up her chopsticks, took a piece of roast goose, and felt the oil melt on her tongue. Her eyes welled up with tears—she had almost died from this meal, and now she found this ordinary food even more delicious than the finest delicacies.

Chen Zhongyu and Xu Jing didn't stand on ceremony, burying their heads in their rice and occasionally picking up a piece of food with their chopsticks. The sound of them chewing was particularly clear in the quiet room.

"Eat slowly, order more if you're still hungry." Lin Peishan ladled a bowl of soup for Gui'er. "This is stewed pork bones with night-blooming cereus flowers, it's good for cooling down."

Gui'er sipped her soup as she listened to Chen Zhongyu and Xu Jing recount their days of imprisonment: "The warehouse was damp and dark, and all we got each day was a bowl of stale porridge. Ouyang Bao's men would come every few days to interrogate us, and if we didn't answer correctly, we'd get another beating. If Mr. Wu hadn't arrived in time, I felt like I wouldn't have been able to hold on any longer."

Xu Jing added from the side, "My warehouse was even worse. Rats were running around my feet. If it weren't for my elderly mother at home, I'm afraid I wouldn't have been able to hold on."

After the meal, the waiter cleared away the dishes and chopsticks. Chen Zhongyu and Xu Jing went back to their rooms. Dingxiang made do on the sofa in the living room, while Lin Peishan and Gui'er lay on the large bed in room 308, with moonlight streaming in through the sheer curtains.

“After I returned to Macau, my father locked me in my room and wouldn’t let me go out no matter what.” Lin Peishan curled up, her voice as soft as a sigh. “I secretly asked someone to inquire near the police station and found out that you had an accident. I found a familiar boatman overnight and took a cargo ship back to Hong Kong.”

Gui'er recalled the events of the day and felt as if an eternity had passed: "When Ouyang Bao barged in, I really thought it was all over... I don't know where I got the courage from..." She paused, "Now I'm afraid that we won't be able to reach an agreement with Brother Wu. If Longxing refuses to help, we'll still have nowhere to hide. The worst-case scenario is that we'll probably have to leave Hong Kong."

“Mr. Wu is so clever, he’ll definitely be fine.” Lin Peishan held her hand. “Besides, I’ve already asked the old housekeeper to contact some friends at the dock. If all else fails, you can come with me to Macau by boat. We’ll surely find a place to stay.”

Gui'er nodded, but her eyelids grew heavier and heavier. The fear and exhaustion of the day had turned into weariness. She shrank deeper into the blankets, listening to Lin Peishan's soft murmurs, and gradually drifted off to sleep.

The next morning, just after six o'clock, Dingxiang suddenly ran over and shook Gui'er awake: "Miss, Miss, look at that person downstairs at the newspaper office across the street, doesn't he look a lot like Brother Qiang?"

Gui'er, still half asleep, quickly got up and went to the window. She saw that there was indeed a person standing downstairs, but he wasn't wearing Wu Mingqiang's usual clothes. Instead, he was wearing a top hat and a long gown.