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

Mo Qingmei looked around, and for some reason, the anger in her heart suddenly dissipated. Neither Xia Chu nor Bai Wuxia asked her what she and her mother had quarreled about, but now she had an even greater desire to talk. She rubbed the embroidery on her cuffs with her fingers, lowered her head and said, "I just asked about my mother's dowry, and she said that I didn't treat her as a mother, and listed all the things she had done for me over the years. In fact, I didn't think of a quarrel, I just asked. But the more I listened, the more I couldn't help it. When did she ever care about me? Those things she said were clearly all for my younger brother."

Xia Chu walked over and gently put his arm around her shoulders, but he didn't know where to start.

"Did she embezzle your mother's dowry?" Bai Wuxia frowned, remembering that Mo Qingmei had no uncle, and only her aunt was left at her maternal grandparents' home. However, her aunt's family had many children, and the family wasn't peaceful, so she sometimes couldn't take care of them.

"I don't know either," Mo Qingmei shook her head. It was only when she mentioned marriage last time that she thought of her biological mother. She had never been poorly treated by her biological mother over the years. Her aunts and uncles also sent her gifts and money, and she had never lacked anything. She had never thought about her mother's dowry. She hadn't expected that after asking about it casually today, her stepmother would scold her for not being able to raise her well.

If she had no regrets, or if she had never touched it, why didn't she just give it to Qingmei? Qingmei was not young anymore. Most girls would have already started looking for marriages by this age. Some would have chosen a family earlier and prepared their dowry in advance. Thinking of this, Xia Chu said, "Qingmei's stepmother's reaction is probably because she either wants to covet the dowry or she has already used a lot of it."

"I think so too." Mo Qingmei smiled with the corners of her mouth. She felt sad because she saw through it.

"You are the younger generation, so it's not easy to find your stepmother. It's better to tell your aunt and uncle, and let them take the lead and get it back for you." Bai Wuxia said.

"Let me think about it again." Mo Qingmei sighed.

"Where is your elder brother? Write a letter to him." Xia Chu suggested.

"I don't know where my brother is." Mo Qingmei said helplessly when talking about his brother, "He sends me a letter every two or three months, and the place he sends the letter to is different every time."

"Brother Mo, you haven't been back for three years, right?" Bai Wuxia recalled Mo Feitong's strange expression, his pedantic air, and his constant sage-like talk. He was incredibly stubborn, having insisted on traveling and studying, kneeling in the ancestral hall for three days and receiving a beating, but he didn't change his mind.

"Yes." Mo Qingmei responded.

Xia Chu and Bai Wuxia offered her several suggestions, the best of which was to tell Mo Qingmei's aunt. She was in the best position to ask for the dowry, and they also considered telling Mo Qingmei's father and aunt.

Mo Qingmei shook his head, looking a little worried.

Xia Chu didn't quite understand, but didn't ask any more questions. Just then, Shi Yue knocked on the door and said lunch was ready, and asked when we would start.

Xia Chu returned home just before dinner. Jia Qingwu had also just returned and had brought her two pearl flowers.

Jia Qingwu likes to buy things for Xia Chu. In just a few months, Xia Chu's two jewelry boxes were full, and she had more clothes than she could wear.

"Thank you, mother." Xia Chu didn't say she didn't want to buy more jewelry because she already had so much. She knew Jia Qingwu wanted to make up for all the years she'd missed her daughter's growth. She put on the pearl flower and showed it to Jia Qingwu. "Does it look good?"

Jia Qingwu smiled as she surveyed her daughter; she loved dressing her up. Seeing her so beautiful, she felt an indescribable sense of accomplishment. "She's beautiful! Our Xia Xia is beautiful. She looks good in anything she wears." It was a shame she'd missed out on such a long time, but at least it wasn't too late.

"Then I'll wear this tomorrow." Xia Chu took off the pearl flower and handed it to Cuihua, who put it away.

Cuihua opened the jewelry box and thought that the young lady might need another box, otherwise it would be full.

After a while, Gong Shang came to call them to dinner. At the dinner table, Dong Xiaohuan told Wang Yong that his son had done something "capable" today.

It turned out that Wang Qiuyu was playing Cuju with An and An in the yard today and accidentally threw the ball to the next door.

He could have just knocked on the door and asked someone to bring it out. But he didn't. He climbed over to someone else's yard with a ladder to retrieve the ball, but he couldn't get back. He didn't even think about how he was going to get back up when he jumped. He just wanted to retrieve the ball quietly so no one would notice. But he forgot that the ladder was on his side of the house, and neighbors wouldn't leave a ladder next to the wall for people to climb.

The servant of the neighboring house saw him climbing the wall and thought he was a thief. He arrested him and questioned him, only to find out that he was a neighbor. He reported the matter and sent the man over. Dong Xiaohuan was so embarrassed that he didn't know what to say and apologized repeatedly.

Fortunately, the other party, mindful of Wang Qiuyu's youth, didn't criticize him too much. He even told Wang Qiuyu to just yell the next time the ball fell over. Falling while climbing over the wall could be a serious injury.

The more reasonable the other party was, the more embarrassed Dong Xiaohuan felt.

Wang Yong glanced at his son and said nothing.

Don't scold your son before meals and don't scold your wife before going to bed.

After dinner, Wang Qiuyu was punished to stand in the corner. Dong Xiaohuan kept nagging him, saying that if he fell from the wall, the pain would be minor, but if he broke an arm or leg, it would take a hundred days to heal, and he would be confined to bed.

Wang Qiuyu was a tough guy, having endured many beatings since childhood, yet he seemed unfazed by pain. Dong Xiaohuan, knowing him well, told him he couldn't move unless he lay down. That was why Wang Qiuyu was afraid; he couldn't sit still except when eating.

There were times when I couldn't sit still in class and the teacher would often pick on me and scold me.

No one at home pleaded for him, as they were used to it.

After Wang Qiuyu finished standing as punishment, he came up to his sister and asked, "Sister, where is Xiao Ma?"

"It's been sent to the horse farm. I'll take you to see it after you take a day off." Xia Chu looked at Zhang Zhou again, "Second brother, yours has also been sent there. I'll take you to see it after you take a day off."

Zhang Zhou nodded and had no objection.

Wang Qiuyu was struck by lightning. He'd had a bad feeling since returning home today and not seeing the pony. Now that it was true, he was furious. But he didn't dare get angry with his sister. He anxiously asked, "Why send them to the stables? I can take care of them at home. Besides, the people at the stables don't know about Ranran and Chifeng's habits. What if they don't get used to it?"

"But there's no place for them to run around at home. They're horses. They need a spacious area to run around freely. They're uncomfortable being tied up in the stable all the time." Xia Chu explained to him, "The people at the stable are all professional horse breeders. There's specially planted pasture and a wide field. The horses are let out during the day, where they can bask in the sun and eat grass, and run around whenever they want. Think about it, isn't it better than being at home?"

Wang Qiuyu listened carefully and felt that his sister was right. But he was very sad. He choked up, looked at his sister for a while with red eyes, then turned and ran away.

"Hey, kid, that horse belongs to your brother and sister, not you. Why are you angry?" Dong Xiaohuan shouted at him. Wang Qiuyu stopped and burst into tears.

Xia Chu hurried after him, but was locked outside. Wang Qiuyu's crying voice echoed from inside the room, and she suddenly felt distressed, wondering if she had done something wrong. At the very least, she should have discussed this with Wang Qiuyu. After all, Wang Qiuyu had been very fond of Xiao Ma since he returned. The first thing she did every day when she got home was to see Xiao Ma. Sending him off without even saying hello seemed excessive.