Time Travel: Female Cannon Fodder of the Republic of China

Strangely, Fang Baozhu's outfit was not as dazzling as when she first came. The beautiful cheongsam was replaced by a gray gown.

It seemed that her eyebrows were not drawn, and even her hair was not as neat as before.

"Miss, Madam Xu wants to see you."

When Fang Baozhu saw Ai Shutong, she nodded awkwardly, and her smile was no longer as bright as before.

"Ms. Ai, can I wait a little longer to pay next month's rent?"

Before Ai Shutong could answer, she said nervously, "Mr. Xu will get his salary in a few days. I will definitely send it to you then."

Ai Shutong could see that Fang Baozhu must have encountered some difficulties, otherwise she wouldn't have fallen into such a state.

"Miss Fang, you are so polite. Please take a seat."

Fang Baozhu hesitated to speak, but finally sat down.

Ai Shutong asked softly, "Did you encounter any difficulties?"

Fang Baozhu nodded, tears welling up in her eyes, "When I first came here, I had 100 yuan on me, but I spent a lot of money recently, and I used it all up without realizing it."

"But don't worry, Mr. Xu said that he will pay his salary in a few days. We will definitely be able to make up the rent by then. Miss, please give us a few days."

Ai Shutong hesitated for a moment, and finally nodded as Fang Baozhu looked increasingly embarrassed.

"Then how many days do you think we need to give you? Give me a specific number!"

Fang Baozhu said impatiently: "Ten days, I will definitely send it to you within ten days."

Ai Shutong, "Okay, then it's settled. I'll give you ten days at most!"

Fang Baozhu then burst into laughter, stood up and bowed to express her gratitude.

Ai Shutong waved her hands, "It's not easy for any of us. Hurry up and wipe your tears and go back!"

After Fang Baozhu left, Mother Lin whispered to Ai Shutong, "Miss, I think you can find a new tenant in advance."

Ai Shutong asked curiously, "Why do you say that?"

Mother Lin sighed, "Ah! If you ask me, Miss Fang Baozhu married the wrong person. Mr. Xu is just a playboy and can't make any money."

Ai Shutong: "What does he do for a living?"

Mother Lin: "What kind of work can a scholar who can't carry anything on his shoulders or hands do?"

"When I first came here, I also looked for Professor Shen, thinking about working at Peking University. Professor Shen asked him for a graduation certificate, but he couldn't produce it."

"Later, he asked Miss Fang for money every day, leaving early and returning late, but he never brought back the money."

Ai Shutong: "How do you know so clearly?"

Mother Lin: "Mrs. Ma, who rented the main house with her family, said so. Do you remember that her husband is an accountant?"

Ai Shutong nodded: "I remember that Mr. Ma's family lives in the suburbs of Beijing. His children are all in his hometown, and he only brought Mrs. Ma to take care of his daily life."

Mother Lin: "Yes, that's his family. Mrs. Ma is not a good person either. She doesn't stay at home to take care of the children. She just wants to have fun with men outside."

Ai Shutong quickly pulled her back, "Mother Lin, weren't you talking about Mr. Xu? Why are you talking about Mrs. Ma again?"

Mother Lin slapped her thigh and said, "Look at my memory. I'm old and my memory is not good anymore."

Ai Shutong... looked very speechless.

Ever since the house was full of people, Mother Lin seldom went to worship the gods. She spent the whole day either visiting one household here or another.

"Yes, Mrs. Ma also said that Mr. Xu could spend five or six dollars a day. I guess he might be smoking longevity cream."

Ai Shutong didn't believe it and said, "No way, he looks quite educated, why would he smoke opium?"

Mother Lin: "Oh my! Miss, how can you say that!"

"The government now does not prohibit the use of longevity cream. Many restaurants are run by the government."

"It is very common to smoke longevity cream now."

Ai Shutong nodded and said, "I know this. Things are not peaceful right now. The newly established government has not banned smoking opium for the sake of military funds. But didn't you tell me before that it's not a good thing?"

Mother Lin glanced outside the door and said mysteriously, "Of course! I can still lie to you. That's really a harmful thing!"

"Many bannermen sold their children because of that thing, and some even sold their wives!"

"Miss, you have to listen to Aunt Lin about this and don't touch that."

Ai Shutong saw that she was anxious and quickly comforted her, "I know, I know, I definitely won't get involved. Go on and talk about Xu Sheng."

Mother Lin cleared her throat, and Ai Shutong quickly poured her a glass of water. Mother Lin took it with a smile, took a sip, and wiped the corner of her mouth with a handkerchief.

"Mr. Xu's daily expenses are not small, but he never brings home a penny. Even the rent is paid by Miss Fang. In just a few months, Miss Fang has fewer and fewer jewelry and has changed her clothes."

"We all guessed that she probably sold it secretly."

"She came to delay the rent today, which proves that she has no money. Just wait, in ten days, she will definitely not be able to pay the rent."

Ai Shutong sighed in frustration, "Will my rent be wasted then?"

Mother Lin: "So I told you to find a new tenant now. If they can't pay the rent after ten days, we'll kick them out!"

"You must stop being soft-hearted. As the old saying goes, help in times of emergency but not in poverty. These two young people don't work to earn money. The longer they delay, the longer they will live here in vain."

"I can't even give you half a silver dollar."

Ai Shutong said seriously, "Well, I understand. If other tenants follow suit, I will be the one who suffers in the end."

Mother Lin gave Ai Shutong an approving look and said, "Oh! It's almost noon. I'll go cook. What do you want to eat today?"

Ai Shutong: "I have a lot to do today, let's go out and buy something. I won't cook."

Mother Lin: "Okay, there's a new roast duck restaurant on the street. I'll go buy half a duck and bring it back for you to try?"

Ai Shutong nodded: "Let's have a whole one, and we can eat it together!"

Mother Lin shook her head. "That won't do. I can't sit at the master's table."

Ai Shutong: "Then you can buy some food."

Only then did Mother Lin respond with a smile.

In the afternoon, Shen Jiaxing came to teach Ai Shutong.

He first checked yesterday's recitation homework. Ai Shutong had memorized it all, and he nodded with satisfaction.

It turns out that I made the right choice to recruit this female student. She is not only smart but also has a great talent for languages. I believe that it won’t take long before she can translate some short stories on her own.

"Well, that's good. Your English has improved very quickly, but your Russian is a little worse. In the future, spend more time on Russian instead of English!"

Ai Shutong nodded, but was complaining in her heart, "In just a few months, I have gone from just learning the alphabet to being able to read short passages independently. Where can you find students who learn so quickly, and you are still not satisfied!"

Seeing that she was distracted, Shen Jiaxing knocked on the table to attract her attention, "What are you thinking about?"

Ai Shutong lowered her head quickly to hide her unconvinced look.

"Teacher Shen, I want to ask you something."