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

"This child has been annoying since he was young!" Dong Xiaohuan said angrily. Who would take off their shoes and wash their feet as soon as they enter someone else's house!

"Don't be angry, Sister Dong. It's okay for boys to be naughty. Our Qiuyu is a filial child, and he will be fine in the future." Jia Qingwu smiled and comforted him, "Besides, it's like going home for me. Let him be."

Dong's mother felt relieved when she heard this, but it was still inappropriate, so she apologized quietly, "I'm sorry."

"Aunt, please don't say that. I'm happier with him like this. I'm sad when you're being distant with me." Jia Qingwu supported the old woman and walked slowly forward. "The flowers and plants haven't been arranged yet, so some of them are bare. When they're all planted, you must come and see them, Aunt."

"Okay, okay." Dong's mother was delighted by her coaxing and nodded repeatedly.

Dong Xiaohuan stretched out her hand and pointed at Wang Qiuyu in the air, warning him with her eyes to be obedient, and then followed him.

"Mom, let me watch him." Guan Xu said, squatted down beside Wang Qiuyu, and scooped some water with his hands. It was cool and refreshing, and it was indeed very comfortable.

Seeing that the elders had walked away, Wang Qiuyu urged secretly, "Third brother, come and try it too, it's so comfortable."

"You can play by yourself." Guan Xu was not like him. Wang Qiuyu was only eleven years old. He was almost eighteen, so how could he be like him?

Jia Qingwu hired two chefs. Normally, they simply cooked for the servants, not demanding elaborate meals. But today, the host was hosting a banquet, and the two chefs were working hard, determined to showcase their skills and impress both the host and the guests.

The banquet was full of color, fragrance and taste, and everyone praised it highly.

Mrs. Dong’s cooking skills are good, but she is far behind these two chefs in terms of the sophistication of her dishes.

Guan Xu has always loved food, and his eyes lit up at the sight of this table of dishes. He ate while trying to guess the ingredients and cooking methods. If it weren't for the difficulty of asking others for advice, he would have definitely gone to the kitchen to ask for help right then and there.

"How exquisite! These dishes are like paintings," Dong Xiaohuan praised. She spoke her mind, not afraid that Jia Qingwu would think she was unworldly. "I can't bear to pick up my chopsticks just looking at them."

"It's useless to have it look good. The most important thing is to taste it. Sister, try it and see if it suits your taste." Jia Qingwu advised.

Xia Chu grabbed a piece, instantly ruining the dish that looked just like the painting. She didn't know what it was called, but it tasted good. It looked like meat, but also like bamboo shoots. "Delicious."

Jia Qingwu and Dong Xiaohuan couldn't help laughing and picked up their chopsticks to eat.

My favorite dish is the Dongpo pork elbow. It's stewed until tender and flavorful, the meat so tender it almost slurps down my esophagus. The skin is like jelly, fragrant but not greasy.

The ham and cabbage soup is incredibly delicious. The rice wine duck has the sweet aroma of rice wine, and the mutton smell of the duck is very clean, making it mellow and refreshing.

After all, such exquisite dishes were rare, so everyone buried their heads in their food and only looked up when they were about 70% full, with a bit of embarrassment on their faces.

"It's so delicious." Wang Qiuyu touched his bloated stomach and felt a little bloated.

"What's your favorite food? Ask someone to make it for you next time." Jia Qingwu said with a smile.

"Hmm..." Wang Qiuyu tapped his finger at his lips, unable to point anywhere. They were all delicious, it was too hard to choose. He frowned, looking very embarrassed.

"I'm afraid there is no dish in this world that he doesn't like." Dong Xiaohuan teased her youngest son.

"Of course," Wang Qiuyu said righteously, "We must cherish every grain and every serving of food."

Everyone was amused by his appearance, and for a moment the front hall was filled with joyful laughter.

Wang Yong and Guan Xu were the only ones at the table still eating. Guan Xu was tasting the food, thinking about how to make it when he got home. Wang Yong simply had a better appetite; he'd always been a big eater. Besides Xia Tian, he was the biggest eater in the family.

Zhang Zhou picked up the teacup and took a sip of the tea. Although he was always restrained, he actually felt a little bloated after eating.

Afraid that the people who were still eating would feel uncomfortable, Jia Qingwu did not put down her chopsticks and would pick up a piece of tofu shreds from time to time to eat.

After the warming wine, Jia Qingwu and her family moved to the new house. There was still one empty room left at the Wang family's house, perfect for Cuihua and Cuiya. Xia Chu had wanted to persuade them to go to Jia Qingwu's place, as it was bigger. But they disagreed, saying they could sleep on the floor in the young lady's room. Sleeping on the floor was definitely not an option; even in the summer heat, sleeping on the cold floor would easily catch a cold. Besides, if they woke up in the middle of the night to see two people lying on the floor, it would be terrifying.

With their new home ready, Jia Qingwu was ready to open her shop. Jia Sansi had already sent over all the goods from Huizhou and stored them in the new house. As soon as the new shop opened, Jia Qingwu became busy again.

Xia Chu was free, so she went to see Mo Qingmei again with the song she had recently written. Mo Qingmei looked a little haggard, and Xia Chu remembered that she had tried to show her affection to her second brother but was rejected, and she couldn't help feeling a little embarrassed.

"Your music style is still so cheerful. I'm so envious." Mo Qingmei said wistfully.

It sounded like there was something unhappy going on. Xia Chu didn't like beating around the bush with her friends, so she asked tentatively, "What's bothering you? Tell me and see if I can help."

Mo Qingmei pulled the corner of his mouth and revealed a bitter smile, "What else could it be."

"Have your aunt and uncle come here?" Xia Chu asked with concern.

"I have been here, but it wasn't smooth. A lot of things were missing from the dowry list, and they were replaced with some worthless items. My father was furious at first, but I don't know what my mother said. He came to me the next day and told me that it had been hard for my mother to run the family all these years, and asked me not to hold on to it." Mo Qingmei tilted her head back and blinked, holding back the tears that were about to come out.

What do you mean by holding on to it? Xia Chu frowned, "Then can you get the rest back?"

"Yes, we've moved everything back. But most of the valuables are gone. My aunt wanted to come over to make a scene, but I persuaded her to go back." Mo Qingmei picked at the nail polish on her nails. "My uncle is a very proud person. I'm afraid that if my aunt upsets him, we'll have a fight."

Xia Chu was silent for a while and changed the subject. "Have you ever thought about running your own business? I remember you have a few shops under your name, which your mother left to you and your brother."

"Myself?" Mo Qingmei was stunned for a moment and shook her head. "I'm just a woman, how can I show my face in public and take care of business?"

"You don't necessarily have to be in the spotlight. Didn't we make quite a bit of money from the music we collaborated on last time? Hasn't the bookstore business improved a lot?" Xia Chu said as several ideas popped into her head. "Look, Sister Yun loves reading and has good literary talent. Lin Lang can paint, so let's have Sister Yun publish a collection of poetry or a storybook! Lin Lang can even create some picture books for children or illiterate people."

The more she talked, the more feasible it seemed. These days, scholars are so cautious about their reputations that they rarely write storybooks. If they do, they tend to be self-important and condescending, tinged with contempt. Xia Chu had read many storybooks, all the daydreams of impoverished scholars. Picturebooks, on the other hand, were practically nonexistent on the market. "You own a bookstore, so you must know there's a huge market for this. If it works, the two of them will get royalties, and your bookstore will be the first to do so, earning both money and popularity."