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

There are always guests on the first floor of the listening library no matter what day it is.

The young ladies were idle at home anyway, so if they went to other teahouses to listen to stories, they would be surrounded by men, which would be inconvenient. They were also not allowed to go to those places frequently, as it was not very convenient.

Ever since they discovered that Yin Ge Garden also had storytellers, these young ladies had flocked there whenever they had free time. Furthermore, Yin Ge Garden not only only catered to women, but also chose stories that were more appealing to women. Furthermore, there were no men in the area, so they could chat or drink tea without any concerns, and their families were also comfortable letting them spend time there.

Xia Chu had lunch at Yin Ge Garden and spent the afternoon reading on a soft couch on the second floor. Perhaps the afternoon sun was too warm, and she accidentally fell asleep. Cuihua had been watching from the side. When she saw that Xia Chu hadn't moved for a while, she brought a thin blanket over and covered her. She also stood guard outside the door, not allowing anyone in for the time being.

When she woke up, Yin Ge Garden was about to close. She heard Qiu Niang's voice downstairs, as if she had encountered some difficulties. She stuck her head out of the window and said, "Sister Qiu Niang, what happened?"

Qiu Niang looked up, realizing she had woken everyone with her voice. She waved Bai Lu away and went upstairs. "There's a young lady at Bai Lu Courtyard who arrived this morning. She's been alone all day, drinking and not eating. No one's looking for her at this hour, and she's passed out drunk. Bai Lu came to ask me what to do."

"Is that young lady still here?" Xia Chu heard Bai Lu say that morning, ordered some wine, and cried as she drank. At that time, she was worried that the young lady would commit suicide, so she asked Bai Lu to keep an eye on her. She didn't expect that she would stay here all day? "I'll go check."

The young lady from Bailuyuan had already fallen asleep, her face flushed from drunkenness, her eyes slightly swollen, perhaps from crying. She was dressed in a light yellow dress, with her hair in a half-up bun, and looked young, perhaps fourteen or fifteen.

"She came alone? Where's the carriage? Did she walk?" Xia Chu was puzzled. The prices here weren't cheap. It was such a small courtyard, and just to sit in it cost one or two taels of silver. The snacks and tea were all good, so naturally they were quite expensive. Lunch was about the same as at a restaurant outside.

Women from lesser families wouldn't come in at all, and if they did, they mostly went to the listening room. There, besides tea and snacks, there were no extra charges. Those who requested the courtyard were mostly wealthy women, and when they came, they were accompanied by maids and nannies, and carriages were indispensable.

"I asked Fifteen, and she walked over." Qiu Niang had heard Bai Lu say she was drinking, so she went to ask Fifteen. If the young lady was drunk, she could ask someone to help her back.

"That's strange." Xia Chu saw her lying on the table, in danger of sliding under it at any time, so he called Bai Lu to help her get on the couch. "Close the door first. If anyone comes looking for her, send her back. If no one is here, let her sleep here for the night."

"Yes." Qiu Niang and Bai Lu answered yes. Bai Lu took a blanket and covered the man with it, and decided to stay here at night.

The next day, Xia Chu was still thinking about the little girl from yesterday, so he had breakfast and went to Yin Ge Garden.

Fifteen just opened the door. After greeting each other, she took out the big sign that said "No Men Allowed" and placed it outside, then stood at the door.

Fifteen and Sixteen were originally Bai Wuxia's female guards, but as they grew older, their indentures had expired. He was about to let them leave the palace, but when Bai Wuxia learned that Xia Chu was in need, he asked them what they wanted.

Here they worked to earn money and could marry as they pleased. The two agreed and moved here together. They fell in love with the place and settled down to guard the gate.

Besides Shiwu, Hongniang and several maids also came. If there were guests, someone would be sent to lead them in.

"Was that little girl taken away yesterday?" Xia Chu looked at Hongniang.

"No, she fell asleep in Baishuang Courtyard. She got up in the middle of the night to settle the bill, and then said she was hungry, so I made her a bowl of noodles." Hongniang replied.

"Are you still in Bailuyuan? I'll go check it out." Xia Chu said, waving to the others.

At Bailu Courtyard, Chen Qianqian drank two bowls of porridge with pickled radish. She then thanked Bailu, "Thank you for taking me in. I'm sorry to bother you." She took a piece of silver from her purse, placed it on the table, and turned to leave.

When Xia Chu arrived, she saw her leaving. The little girl's hair was a little messy, her clothes were wrinkled, and her face was pale, looking very pitiful. She couldn't help but call her, "Guest, are you leaving?"

Chen Qianqian paused, turned around, and saw that he was indeed talking to her, "I'm leaving soon. I'm sorry for disturbing you last night."

Xia Chu smiled and said, "I heard that the young lady didn't have a carriage to come. Why don't you wait until you have washed up, and I will ask someone to take you back."

Chen Qianqian glanced down at her wrinkled sleeves. She couldn't see what her hair looked like, but she could guess. After a brief consideration, she agreed.

Bai Lu invited her back to the courtyard, fetched some water for her to wash, and combed her hair again. There were no clothes here, so she had to make do with what she had.

Watching Bai Lu busying around, she took a sip from a cup of steaming water. A few tiny osmanthus flowers floated in the water, and the water had the fragrance of osmanthus and the sweetness of honey.

Chen Qianqian's eyes welled up, and she almost cried again. They were just a few strangers, yet their eyes were filled with concern. And none of her family had come looking for her after she'd been missing all night. Her heart felt as if it had been soaked in cold water, completely chilled.

After seeing the person off, a sentence suddenly popped up in Xia Chu's mind: I have stories, do you have wine?

She was thinking about setting up a bar in the garden, where they could exchange wine for stories. She also wanted to ask the owner for his opinion, and if so, she could change it to a storytelling venue.

As long as someone comes to tell stories, the stories will never stop at Li Yun's side and Yin Geyuan's side.

However, the bar wasn't allowed to serve strong liquor; it could serve non-intoxicating flower and fruit wines. As long as the story was good, the drinks were free. If the story was fabricated and illogical, you'd have to pay for the drinks yourself.

Xia Chu spent a day with the girls from Yin Ge Garden and finally made a decision.

However, if a new house was being built, the shop would have to be closed. After all, the craftsmen were all men, making it inconvenient for them to come and go. But building a house wouldn't take a day or two, and Yin Ge Garden couldn't afford that.

It is best to choose a yard directly, even if it is a bit remote.

Xia Chu expressed her thoughts, and Qiu Niang and Hong Niang thought about it carefully. Although they would lose some money on drinks, if they had a constant supply of stories, it wouldn't be a big loss.

"How is Xiaomanyuan?" Qiu Niang had a map of Yin Ge Garden in her mind, and she got the answer after a little thought.

"Yes, Xiaomanyuan is bigger than other courtyards." This is what Hongniang was thinking of.

"After you've changed it, add it when introducing the next time guests come." Xia Chu pondered for a moment, "Also change the plaque to: Stories and Wine."

Qiu Niang and Hong Niang agreed.