A Girl Traveling Through Troubled Times

Chapter 1144 The Difficult Pre-War Economy

Two more months passed, and things started to look increasingly wrong.

Although Gui'er takes the bus to school every morning, she can still see street vendors, acrobats, and sewing stalls. Clothes are being hung out to dry, vendors are carrying loads, and laborers are carrying wooden boxes, giving people the illusion of a peaceful and idyllic life.

However, even mainstream newspapers have published articles about the continuous influx of mainland refugees into Hong Kong, which has a population of 160 million, far exceeding its carrying capacity, leading to widespread tensions in housing, sanitation, and employment.

With food, fuel, and medicine supplies tightening and even the rise of black markets, the Xingmin Daily reported on the hunger and poverty, malnutrition, and increasing suicide rates among wage earners and refugees.

When Gui'er read it, she could hardly believe it. She went to ask Editor-in-Chief Zhao, who said, "It's true. There's something even worse that we haven't written about yet. The influx of refugees has led to an increase in theft and robbery. The Hong Kong British police force is insufficient and can only maintain superficial order, but this is not allowed to be reported."

Gui'er then remembered that recently some of her classmates had more people picking them up and dropping them off, and several classmates from poorer families had dropped out of school. On the surface, they were going to go somewhere with their families to avoid the chaos, but Xie Boqin said, "They're not going to other places with their families. It's because their families have gone bankrupt. They originally wanted to pool their resources to support a doctor, but now they can't even afford to eat, so they can't afford to."

Gui'er and the others felt very sorry, but she soon discovered that some of the teachers were not paying attention in class.

Some students privately mentioned seeing these teachers doing odd jobs elsewhere. Gui'er asked, "What does 'odd jobs' mean?"

"You don't even know this? It's just for extra money. It's that aloof Professor Chen Muli. I even saw him moving goods at the foreign firm the other day."

Gui'er was stunned. Chen Muli had just offered to sponsor her not long ago.

"That can't be right. He's a professor, and his salary isn't low."

“He donates a lot of money every time there’s a fundraising event, and he also helps students from poor families. Despite his high income, he can’t save any money at all. Everyone says the Japanese are coming soon, and I guess people like him will just starve to death.”

"Are we just going to starve to death? The Japanese are coming, and we don't even know if we'll survive!"

"Anyway, I'm sure I'll survive. My father has already arranged a ship. We'll go to Malaya to lay low once the fighting starts, and then come back after the fighting is over."

Gui'er had no interest in listening to their bickering and quickly asked, "Professor Chen, which foreign firm do you work part-time at?"

"It seems to be the Tai Wah Trading Company in Central. Gui'er, you're not trying to help him, are you? You can't help him with that. If you help this professor, won't the other professors help you too? Our school is looking for part-time teachers outside these days, there are so many professors and teaching assistants. Prices are soaring now, even my father says it's a bit tough, and old customers are complaining too. He doesn't really want to raise prices, but if he doesn't, there's no profit. You have to make money to do business."

"By the way, your pawnshop should be alright, right? A lot of people are selling their belongings now, so you should be able to make a quick buck."

Gui'er was stunned. Feeling a little guilty, she stammered, "I don't usually get involved in our family's shop affairs..."

Xie Boqin chimed in, "What's the big deal? Right now, a lot of people are selling off their possessions and running away. Even if they don't pawn their things at Gui'er's pawnshop, they'll sell them somewhere else. How can you blame them? If they don't have a pawnshop, they can't cash in, and they'll be exploited even more on the black market. Those people on the black market all have gangs backing them up, and some even resort to outright robbery."

One of the male students said, "That's right. My family also has a few antiques to sell. Gui'er, could you do me a favor and have your clerk come to my house to take a look and give me an estimate?"

Gui'er had just been scolded by them, and now she didn't know if they were testing her or what, so she cautiously said, "I never interfere with the shop's business. If you really need it, I'll leave you my phone number. You can have your family call and ask. If the shop can take it, I believe they will be willing to come and check it out."

Seeing that Gui'er was unmoved, the classmate pursed his lips and turned to chat with others about the customs and culture of Malaya. Gui'er breathed a sigh of relief, but her heart was heavy—that someone like Chen Muli had to make a living by carrying goods showed how tough the world was.

As soon as the school bell rang, Gui'er went to the academic affairs office without waiting for Acheng to pick her up. She knocked on the door, and the teacher inside looked up and saw her. She smiled and said, "Looking for Professor Chen? He just finished class and left. He's always like this lately, always in a hurry."

Gui'er thanked the teacher and turned to leave. As soon as she reached the corridor, she heard hushed whispers coming from the office.

"What's wrong with Old Chen lately? He used to be always preparing lessons in his office when he didn't have classes, but now we can't find him anywhere."

"What else could it be? He's short on money." Another voice sighed. "I heard he wanted to find a tutoring job, but he's not good with words and doesn't know how to talk nicely, so the parents don't want him. He had no choice but to work as a porter at the Dahua Trading Company, but that's not a job his hands are suited for."

“That’s right. Last time I passed by the foreign company, I saw him sweating profusely. His glasses had slipped down to the tip of his nose and he didn’t even have time to push them up. The porters next to him even joked about him, saying, ‘Even a schoolteacher is trying to steal our food.’ It made me feel bad for him.”

Gui'er stood outside the door, her fingertips clenched so tightly they turned white. She remembered the way Chen Muli handed her the imported ointment, and his earnest advice to stay away from the conflicts of the martial world. Such a proud man, yet now he had to suffer such injustice.

She walked quickly out of the school gate and said to Acheng, "Go to Dahua Trading Company."

The car stopped in front of the trading company. From a distance, one could see Chen Muli standing beside a pile of wooden crates, wearing a faded white shirt with the sleeves rolled up to his elbows, carrying a large crate with several porters. He was thin and looked particularly frail among the burly men. Sweat streamed down his face, soaking his collar, and his glasses were fogged up. He only managed to wipe his face haphazardly with one hand before gritting his teeth and moving forward.

"Hey! I'm talking to you, teacher, can't you do this or that? If you can't, then don't take up a spot!" A bearded porter shoved him, his tone unfriendly.

Chen Muli staggered slightly, adjusted his glasses, and said in a low voice, "I'm fine." His voice was slightly breathless, but he still kept his back straight.

Gui'er felt a sharp pang in her heart, a deep, aching pain. She wanted to get out of the car to help him, but as soon as she stepped out, she pulled back—given Chen Muli's personality, he would never accept her charity; it would only hurt his pride.

"Brother Cheng, drive home." She got back into the car, her voice a little hoarse.

Back at the villa, Wu Mingqiang was checking the accounts. Seeing her pale face, he looked up and asked, "What's wrong? Did you get upset at school?"