A Girl Traveling Through Troubled Times

Chapter 1157 Escape Failure

After they finished cleaning up, Wu Mingqiang, Acheng, and Liujin sealed the cellar door shut.

Wu Mingqiang called over Sister-in-law Aying and the Liu Gen couple and said to them, "Gentlemen, do you have anywhere to go? If not, stay here and guard the villa. We won't treat you badly; we'll give you your salary in advance for half a year."

Sister-in-law Aying and the Liu Gen couple exchanged a glance, their faces filled with fear. Liu Gen rubbed his hands, his voice trembling, "Brother Qiang, where do we have to go? Our hometown was destroyed by the war long ago. We're just hoping to make a living by guarding this villa. Don't worry, we'll definitely take good care of the house and won't let any outsiders in. We'll wait for you and Miss to come back."

Wu Mingqiang nodded, took out a cloth bag from his pocket and handed it to them: "This is half a year's wages, and some rice and canned food. Keep it in the kitchen. Eat sparingly. Remember, no matter who comes, just say the owners have fled and the house is empty. Don't say anything."

Sister-in-law Aying took the cloth bag, tears welling up in her eyes: "Thank you, Brother Qiang, you are such a kind person..."

Wu Mingqiang didn't say anything more, and turned to Gui'er, saying, "Miss, it's time to go."

Gui'er took one last look at the living room—the once bright and luxurious living room had become indescribable; the dim light reflected off the jarringly ornate carpet on the floor, much like the tattered dignity of this chaotic world. She took a deep breath and said, "Let's go."

As the car drove out of the villa, it was already dusk. The gunfire on the street had thinned out, but there were more stray soldiers loitering around, their eyes filled with greed as they saw the car pass by. Ah Cheng drove very fast, honking the horn all the way, barely managing to avoid those who blocked his way.

Upon arriving at the dock, a dense, dark mass of people could be seen from afar, even larger than during the day. Searchlight beams swept across the crowd, while Japanese patrol boats cruised back and forth on the sea, their engines churning, drowning out the cries from the dock.

Wu Mingqiang told Acheng to park the car in a dark spot, while he slipped into the crowd to find the middleman. Gui'er sat in the car, watching people on the dock desperately trying to squeeze onto a cargo ship. Some were pushed into the sea, and even their cries for help were drowned out by the chaos.

About half an hour later, Wu Mingqiang returned, his face pale and a new scratch on his forehead. "Miss, I can't go on," he gasped, his voice filled with frustration. "The middleman said the ship is already overcrowded. Many high-ranking executives from the shipping companies have placed their friends and relatives there to reserve seats. Even the deck is full. Now, only those with tickets are allowed to board. He's inexperienced and can't get involved at all. He almost got pushed overboard while trying to maintain order."

Gui'er's heart sank to the bottom: "Then...what should we do?"

"There's also a small fishing boat, an old acquaintance, who said he could take us to Macau, but it's risky, there's no cover, what if we get spotted by a patrol boat..." Wu Mingqiang didn't finish his sentence, but the meaning was crystal clear.

Acheng clenched his fist and said, "Brother Qiang, how about we take a fishing boat? It's better than staying here. I just heard someone say that the Japanese soldiers went towards the villa area. If we don't leave now, we might not even have a chance to leave."

Gui'er watched as a burst of gunfire suddenly erupted from the cargo ship on the dock, and the crowd receded like a receding tide, leaving a scarlet clearing. She closed her eyes, and when she opened them again, her gaze was resolute: "Brother Wu, let's take the fishing boat. As long as we can get out of here, we'll take any risks."

Wu Mingqiang gritted his teeth: "Fine! I'll go find the boat owner right now. You guys wait in the car, lock the doors, and don't come out."

He turned and rushed back into the crowd, his figure quickly swallowed by the darkness. Gui'er gripped the pistol in her purse tightly, her palms sweating. Outside the car window, beams of searchlight swept across, illuminating frightened faces. She suddenly felt that this dock was like a giant funnel, slowly draining away everyone's hopes.

More than half an hour passed and Wu Mingqiang still hadn't returned. The situation at the dock was about to get out of control. A crowd of people surrounded the boarding gate, and regardless of whether they had tickets or not, they were desperately trying to squeeze on. Many people were trying to slip through the cracks. The police maintaining order drew their guns and managed to control the situation somewhat.

Some people took advantage of the situation to steal or rob in the middle of the river. Every now and then someone would shout that their wallet had been stolen, but with the crowd so dense, where could they look for it? Everyone was in a hurry to get on the boat, and no one paid any attention. Their voices were quickly drowned out by the noise of the crowd.

Ah Cheng's face grew increasingly grim. He turned to Gui'er and said, "Miss, I suspect the situation at this dock is bound to spiral out of control sooner or later. Brother Qiang hasn't returned in so long. If we stay here any longer, we might run into trouble. If we drive this car, people will assume we're rich and there's something to profit from us."

No sooner had he finished speaking than another man suddenly ran up behind their car and opened the trunk.

Acheng jumped out of the car and pointed a gun at his head. He stammered a few words and then slipped away. It was obvious that he was just trying to take advantage of the situation and steal the luggage.

Acheng didn't chase after them. Instead, he took the luggage out of the trunk and put it in the driver's seat at Gui'er and Dingxiang's feet.

Several passersby immediately peered inside, and Gui'er took out her miniature pistol from her purse and waved it, which finally stopped them from peeking in.

Half an hour later, Wu Mingqiang finally returned. He looked helpless, his suit was all wrinkled, and he was panting heavily. Gui'er could tell he wasn't doing well at first glance.

Wu Mingqiang said dejectedly, "Those fishing boats either dare not set sail, or the ones that dared to have been chartered long ago. And I heard that several fishing boats were sunk by artillery shells on the way yesterday. Thinking about it, let's forget it, Miss. Let's go back to the city and hide, and wait for an opportunity to set off again. I bought a house before, and because we need to entertain Zhu Zhiming, I have some grain, oil, rice and flour stored there, which can last us for a while."

Seeing this, Gui'er had no choice but to agree. Wu Mingqiang started the car and drove against the flow of people into the city.

The car had barely turned around when it was pushed almost to a standstill by the surging crowd. Acheng gripped the steering wheel tightly and honked the horn deafeningly, but the crowd was like an impenetrable wall. Only a few people reluctantly moved to the side, muttering curses under their breath.

Further on, the scene grew increasingly chaotic. Several stragglers in tattered uniforms, guns drawn, were stopping a horse-drawn carriage demanding money. The driver was kneeling on the ground, kowtowing repeatedly, and the luggage on the carriage floor was overturned. The street stalls had long been overturned, with rotten fruit mixed with wood chips piled up on the roadside. An old man squatted there, wiping a cracked earthenware pot with his sleeve, sobbing softly; that was probably all his possessions.

The searchlight beams swept across the car windows intermittently, and each time they illuminated, countless hands could be seen reaching out from the crowd—some pushing and shoving, some waving, and others clutching crumpled boat tickets as if grasping at a last straw. Suddenly, a gunshot rang out in the distance, followed by a woman's scream. The crowd surged towards them like an anthill stirred up, and the car lurched violently, nearly veerging off course.