How can someone travel through time and space and become a beggar?

After spending half the afternoon in the hot spring pool, they came out before dinner and saw You Shaofeng wandering outside.

"Mother, Aunt Jia, and my three younger sisters..." You Shaofeng came forward and looked at Xia Chu with admiration.

Li Xuemu glanced at Xia Chu and saw that she only bowed and didn't even look at her son. She sighed and asked, "Why are you here?"

"I..." You Shaofeng stuttered, "I was just passing by."

Jia Wanlin keenly noticed something and secretly glanced at his cousin.

Jia Wanqing had no impression of You Shaofeng. She looked at him curiously and hid behind her cousin.

Jia Qingwu smiled and said nothing.

"There are only women here, you go and accompany Junting and the others." Li Xuemu wanted to get his son away, but his son was disobedient. He pretended not to hear and followed behind.

In the afternoon, Jia Junting and his brother followed the hunter to the mountain again and killed a deer.

They had venison in the evening, but Xiachu didn't think it was very tasty. She preferred the vegetables grown in the greenhouse; although they didn't grow well, they were still fresh and tender.

Two days passed like this, as if nothing had happened. But the sisters Wanlin and Wanqing seemed very happy. They wanted to soak in the hot springs again before going to bed that night, and when they talked about going back tomorrow, there was a hint of reluctance in their words.

It was okay for the beginning of summer, but it was very warm here. A cold wind blew in the evening, and it was a bit hot lying in the hot spring, but the wind actually felt cool.

The thought of another long carriage ride made Xia Chu feel uncomfortable. He missed modern sedans, which at least had better shock absorption and smoother roads. They didn't make his bones feel loose and numb.

So much so that when Xia Chu boarded the carriage the next day, she subconsciously felt a little reluctant. But seeing her two younger sisters looking at her with confusion, she wondered if she was being too hypocritical. The younger one hadn't said anything, so what was she doing?

"Xia Xia, why don't you come up?" Jia Qingwu lifted the curtain and waited, then asked when she saw that she didn't move.

Li Xuemu went back with them, sitting with Jia Qingwu, while the other two sisters took another car. Seeing Xia Chu hesitate, she smiled and said, "Can't bear to leave here? Stay a few more days?"

"No, it's not." Xia Chu climbed onto the carriage and saw You Shaofeng leading a horse. An idea struck her, and she asked, "Aunt, do you have any extra horses?"

Li Xuemu was a little confused, but still answered, "Yes, you want to ride back on horseback?"

"Is it okay?" Xia Chu's eyes lit up. "The carriage is too bumpy. I'm not feeling well."

"That's fine." Riding back on horseback wasn't close, and it was cold. But Xia Chu had already said that if things got cold, he could just get in the carriage. Li Xuemu ordered the servants to pick out a docile mare and said, "If you can't stand the cold on horseback, you can get in the carriage."

"Thank you, Auntie!" Xia Chu glanced at Jia Qingwu and was even happier when she saw that she didn't object but just handed over a fur-collared cloak. "Thank you, Mother."

"You must get in the car when it's cold. It's uncomfortable if you catch a cold." Jia Qingwu said softly.

"Okay." Xia Chu put on the cloak. His neck was surrounded by the fluffy collar, and half of his face was warm.

You Shaofeng was secretly delighted. "Riding a horse is great!" You could see people on horseback, unlike in a carriage where you couldn't even see their hands. He secretly looked at his beloved's face, which almost matched the color of her rabbit fur collar. Her eyes looked large and bright, and her red lips were even more vivid. She was as beautiful as a fairy in a painting.

"I want to ride a horse, too." Jia Wanqing said enviously.

Jia Wanlin lowered the car curtain and pulled his sister away from the window. "You don't want to."

"I think..." Jia Wanqing sat down reluctantly, "Riding a horse is so much fun."

"Can you?" Jia Wanlin asked a soul-searching question.

"I..." Jia Wanqing choked, "I can ask my cousin to take me with me."

"Just sit still." Jia Wanlin poked her with a finger.

Jia Wanqing groaned and secretly lifted the carriage curtain. She saw her cousin lift her cloak and nimbly step on the stirrup to climb onto the horse. A smile played on her lips, and her heroic appearance was completely different from the gentleness when playing the pipa. She couldn't help but sigh, "My cousin is amazing, as quiet as a virgin, as agile as a rabbit. She can play the piano, compose music, and ride a horse. She really doesn't look like she comes from a poor family."

"How can you talk like that?" Jia Wanlin frowned and lowered his voice sternly, "The Wang family may not be wealthy, but they've never treated my cousin badly. My cousin is intelligent and quick-witted, and naturally learns better than the rest of us. Don't say that again. What will my cousin think of you if she hears it? I know you don't disdain people from small backgrounds, but will she think you look down on her previous place of residence?"

Jia Wanqing covered her mouth. "I was wrong. I, I didn't mean that. I just felt that my cousin's life wasn't as good as ours. She didn't even have a teacher to teach her. Yet, she knows so much more than us. She's amazing."

"I know, but others don't." Jia Wanlin's expression softened. "Trouble comes from the mouth. Think twice before you speak."

Jia Wanqing nodded hurriedly.

It had been a long time since I last rode a horse, and Xia Chu couldn't help but kick the horse's belly to make it run faster.

You Shaofeng was startled and quickly mounted his horse to catch up. "Miss Wang, slow down."

Why go slower? Xia Chu smiled carelessly, loosened the reins, and kicked the horse's belly again, urging it to run faster.

You Shaofeng thought she couldn't hear him, so he shouted, "Ms. Wang, you're running in the wrong direction." He opened his mouth too wide and choked on the air, and You Shaofeng started coughing awkwardly.

……

Xia Chu reined in his horse and turned away angrily. You Shaofeng coughed until his face flushed red, his finger pointing in the other direction.

When he returned to the carriage, he was met with Li Xuemu's teasing gaze and Jia Qingwu's helpless smile.

Having failed to escape, Xia Chu followed the carriage obediently. Not knowing the road was her biggest flaw.

"Miss Wang, you're a great horse rider. Can I invite you out to play next time?" You Shaofeng recovered, his voice a little hoarse. "We're having a horseback riding competition in a few days. It's going to be lively with young masters and young ladies from the circle."

"I'm not an expert, I just know how to ride. Let's not participate in the competition, so as not to make a fool of ourselves." Xia Chu declined.

"How could that be?" You Shaofeng retorted, "I see Miss Wang starts very quickly and stops at the drop of a hat, which is quite impressive. If this horse wasn't a famous breed, Miss Wang would definitely be able to do even better."

"No," Xia Chu refused. She didn't know anyone here, and she had little interest in this kind of competition. Besides, horseback riding competitions were prone to accidents. If she broke an arm or a leg, Jia Qingwu would definitely cry.

"Go ahead. This time the prize is a famous stallion, less than a year old, and very valuable." You Shaofeng continued, "It's not first place, but there are ponies for second and third place. They're not famous, but they're good horses too."

"The prize is a pony?" Admittedly, the temptation was too great. Xia Chu was a little tempted. Bai Wuxia had seen her love of riding horses and even offered to give her one if her family had another pony. But horses were so precious, she couldn't accept it.

But winning it yourself was different. If she couldn't take first place, second or third was fine too. She didn't need a particularly expensive horse, just one was good enough.