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

Seeing that they were almost done eating, Bai Wuxia winked at her maid Shiyue. The maid took the order and went to the first floor, "Settle the bill at Mei Pavilion."

The shopkeeper glanced down and said, "It's already been settled."

"Who is it?" Shiyue asked in surprise.

The shopkeeper recalled for a moment, "I don't know, she was also a little maid."

Shiyue's errand was unfinished, and she was about to go back when she noticed several other maids approaching. They exchanged glances, "Are we here to settle the bill?"

Xia Chu smiled as she watched the maids leave and come back, feeling quite proud of her foresight.

The maids whispered to their masters that things had not been done well. Li Yun looked up and saw Xia Chu's expression, feeling both angry and amused.

A few people stood up and walked out. Bai Wuxia didn't take the matter to heart. If she didn't get the check, then forget it. She was thinking about where to go for fun. She liked horseback riding and hunting, but no one else liked it. Xia Chu was back, so she would have some company. So she asked, "Let's go horseback riding some other day?"

"It's been a cold snap these days, so you don't have to worry about getting cold while riding a horse." Li Yun disagreed.

While discussing where to go, they happened to walk to the entrance of the restaurant. Lin Lang was about to say what she wanted to do when she suddenly caught a glimpse of a young man walking towards her. He also saw her and was startled at first, then bowed and said, "Greetings, Miss Lin."

Lin Lang's cheeks flushed, and he knelt down to return the greeting, "Master You."

Hmm? Mr. You?

Bai Wuxia paused and looked over. Li Yun, upon hearing the name, had already guessed who it was. Xia Chu looked over and saw a young man in a pale blue robe, with an elegant face and a gentle demeanor, seemingly good-tempered. She glanced at Lin Lang and saw she had her head bowed, her cheeks flushed all the way to her ears.

There's something fishy going on. Xia Chu noticed that Mr. You's gaze wasn't entirely innocent. His expression didn't reveal anything, but his ears were also red. A man and a woman, both shy, could it be...

"They came to propose marriage, and my father has already agreed." Lin Lang covered his face, afraid to open his eyes under the stares of three pairs of eyes. His voice trembled with shame. "It hasn't...come to that stage yet, so I didn't say anything."

This is understandable. A woman's reputation is extremely important these days, and even the slightest misstep can easily lead to unpleasant rumors. If a marriage fails, the woman is often the one who suffers. The man's reputation might also be affected, but the impact is minor. Therefore, when it comes to marriages, nothing is said until the final decision is made.

"You Shizhen, the fourth son of the You family. He is humble and easy-going. He will take the imperial examination next autumn, right?" Li Yun said softly.

"I think I've seen him at a literary meeting before?" Mo Qingmei thought about it carefully.

"I've met him twice." Lin Lang was so angry that he almost burst into tears. "I don't know why his family suddenly came. My mother asked someone to inquire about it, and then she agreed."

"I didn't expect that Lin Lang would be the first one among us to get married." Usually, Lin Lang seemed so heartless. He was about the same age as me, but he was engaged so early. Xia Chu felt a little sad. He was still a minor. But after calculating, the others should be engaged soon. She didn't know her date of birth before, and only found out after meeting Jia Qingwu. Calculating, Li Yun was older than them, seventeen, and Mo Qingmei was two months younger than Li Yun. Bai Wuxia was the same age as me, but four months older than me. Lin Lang was the same month as me, so I was the youngest.

It’s so fast! Getting married so early. I’m afraid there will be no more happy days like this to play freely in the future.

"Is Sister Yun's family also picking?" Mo Qingmei asked.

Li Yun nodded. It was just that her mother was picky and always wanted to pick the best. She kept picking and choosing but couldn't decide. She sighed inwardly, wondering what kind of person she would choose in the future.

"My mom is also choosing, but it shouldn't be easy." Bai Wuxia scratched her cheek with her fingers, without any embarrassment on her face. "My dad always wants to choose someone with good martial arts skills. My mom is afraid that if someone is too good, I won't be able to defeat him and suffer in the future. My dad doesn't like those with poor martial arts skills. They quarrel about this all day long, it's very annoying."

"..." Xia Chu hesitated to speak. What does it mean to be afraid of losing? Are you getting married or going to duel?

No one else knew how to respond to this. Whose criterion for choosing a son-in-law is whether their daughter can beat him or not?

Li Yun changed the subject and looked at Mo Qingmei, "Where's Qingmei?"

Mo Qingmei looked a little lonely, "I don't know."

Xia Chu suddenly remembered that Mo Qingmei's mother had passed away, and her father had remarried. Her father doted on her, and her stepmother had never openly criticized her. However, their relationship was not close, and her stepmother would probably not sincerely help her choose a husband.

Although she knew she had said the wrong thing, Li Yun was indeed a little worried. "Has your aunt returned recently?"

Mo Qingmei shook her head. Her aunt loved her the most, even more than her father. But when her aunt came back for Chinese New Year, she only stayed for two days before leaving in a hurry. Before leaving, she seemed to have mentioned her marriage to her father. However, as a girl in the boudoir, she didn't want to hear such things, so she avoided it.

"It's okay, we'll figure it out when the time comes." Xia Chu comforted him, "If it doesn't work, we can pick one ourselves."

Li Yun's eyes widened in shock, and she almost covered her mouth. "What did you say? How can you say such a thing!"

"It's nothing. I think I can choose it myself." Bai Wuxia touched his chin. "My father also secretly told me to pick someone I like without telling my mother. I can just tell him when I've chosen."

"Ah?" Lin Lang forgot about being shy. "Is it...is it...still possible?"

Mo Qingmei bit her lip, thinking that what Xia Chu said made sense. But wasn't this kind of thing too outrageous?

"Why should only men choose women? We can choose secretly and not tell anyone." Xia Chu brainwashed them, "This is a lifelong event. There are many young men at this literary and poetry gathering. Let's pick someone we like..." She wanted to say someone she liked, but she was afraid that Li Yun would come over and cover her mouth, so she changed it, "Someone who is pleasing to the eye, and then find someone else to test the waters. If it works out, then fine. If not, better yet, find someone else."

"You...you...how can you have such...ideas!" Li Yun felt her face burning just thinking about it, but Xia Chu said it as if it were as easy as eating or drinking water.

"That's right!" Bai Wuxia patted Xia Chu's shoulder, "Great minds think alike!"

"You..." Lin Lang didn't know what to say. Just one look at Mr. You today made her want to hide somewhere. How dare she choose another man at the banquet! "These things should be done by the elders. We girls can't...can't do this."

"Hey," Bai Wuxia's family has a different family tradition. Her father is a warrior, rough and careless, and his children are raised in a rough way. He holds his only daughter like the apple of his eye, afraid of dropping her, and afraid of melting her in his mouth, and lets her do whatever she wants. Although her mother comes from a scholarly family, she has been subtly influenced by her father over the years and does not restrict her too much. She has been used to freedom since she was a child, spoiled by her elders and protected by her brothers. She is not domineering, but acts according to her heart. "What's the big deal? We can choose it ourselves. We are not choosing in front of others, so what are we afraid of?"