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

Zhao Huazhang lifted the car curtain and watched Xia Chu walk in. The woman guarding the door had been watching this side vigilantly, as if trying to figure out his purpose.

"Young master, are you going to the military camp?" Qingsong asked.

Zhao Huazhang hesitated for a moment, fearing he wouldn't be back from the military camp that night. What if Xiaochu came looking for him that night? But that was unlikely. "Go home." He'd stop by before dinner. If they ran into each other, he'd invite Xiaochu to dinner.

Where should we eat tonight?

Xia Chu hummed a song as he walked into the garden and met Qiu Niang head-on.

"Miss, Miss Lin sent something over and placed it on the desk in your room." Qiu Niang had just finished her meal and was about to take over Hong Niang's meal.

"Okay, I understand," she replied, turning to walk towards the Red Jade Courtyard. The name came from the maple trees in the garden, whose leaves, in the sunlight, were as clear and beautiful as red jade.

A scroll lay on the desk. Could it be that Lin Lang had painted something again? She joyfully opened it. The painting revealed a single woman. Curled up on a soft couch by the window, golden sunlight filtered through the lattice, casting dappled shadows on her body. A single ray of sunlight shone perfectly on the side of her face. Half of it was in the sunlight, casting a soft glow on her profile, while the other half was in shadow, highlighting the warmth and tranquility of the other side. Her eyelashes, exposed to the sunlight, were painted golden, giving her an elf-like beauty.

Xia Chu looked at it inch by inch and couldn't believe that this was a painting of himself.

Isn’t this too beautiful? The natural lighting effect is comparable to a face transplant.

She couldn't help but look in the mirror. She looked pretty, but not as pretty as the person in the painting.

Is this the master of Danqing?

After lunch, Cuihua saw her daughter staring blankly at a painting. "Miss, you're back?" Could that painting have been a gift from Mr. Zhao? She was looking at it so intently.

"Cuihua! Come and see!" Xia Chu didn't know who to share it with, so he waved quickly.

Cuihua opened her mouth slightly wide when she saw her. "How beautiful! Isn't this the young lady?" The scene seemed familiar, and Cuihua remembered it instantly. "Is it the afternoon when Miss Lin came?"

"Yes! Lin Lang painted it!" Xia Chu said happily, "Lin Lang's painting is so good, it's so beautiful that it doesn't look like a real person."

"Miss, you are naturally beautiful." Cuihua said with a smile.

"I want to hang this painting up!" Lin Lang's painting couldn't be wasted, and she had helped frame it, so it would be a shame not to hang it up. Xia Chu looked around and felt that this place was not suitable. She wanted to take it back home, where it would be safer. "Remind me to bring it with me when we go home later."

"Yes." Cuihua responded.

The afternoon was still quiet, with not many visitors. Xia Chu was about to go home with her painting in hand. As she reached the front door, she noticed a woman lingering in front of the door, seemingly troubled by something. Xia Chu initially ignored her, but the woman, upon seeing her, walked straight towards her and asked, "Ms. Wang?"

Xia Chu stopped and asked, "My last name is Wang, and yours is?"

"My name is Li Tao, and I want to ask you something." Li Tao tugged at her skirt, the back of her rough hands crisscrossed with spiderweb-like black cracks. She lowered her head, as if afraid to look Xia Chu in the face.

"You say." Xia Chu looked at her hand and felt a little touched.

"Can you exchange your story for wine? Any story will do? Wine, can I, can I..." Li Tao pinched the clothes harder, unable to speak.

"Not just any story will do. It has to be interesting, engaging, and unique." Xia Chu had already guessed what she was going to say next. She probably wanted to exchange it for money. It was fine, either wine or money, as long as the story was good. Seeing that she was hesitant to speak, Xia Chu said considerately, "If you don't like drinking, you can exchange it for the equivalent amount of silver."

Li Tao's face was filled with surprise. She raised her head and said, "I have a story! I, I, I don't drink. I want to exchange my story for money."

"Okay, please follow me." Xia Chu turned and walked towards the gate. It was not convenient to tell stories at the gate, so at least he should prepare a cup of hot tea for people.

Li Tao hesitated for a moment before stepping into the large house that she usually wouldn't even dare to glance at. To either side of the entrance stood two clumps of lush bamboo, swaying in the wind and making a rustling sound.

This kind of thing can be seen everywhere in the mountains, but in this garden, it exudes a sense of elegance. Facing us is a hollow screen wall as tall as a person. I don’t know what material it is made of, but it is carved with flowers and birds, which is very exquisite.

Li Tao looked at him in surprise, but didn't dare to look at him any longer for fear of annoying him.

Xia Chu led them to a private room on the second floor of the listening library. Li Tao felt uneasy, feeling a little dirty. Her shoes seemed to be stained with mud. She had walked so far, and the path was prone to getting muddy. She had the urge to remove her shoes before entering. The floor was paved with wood, polished to a gleam. After she had walked, a few spots of mud remained, making her want to find a crack in the ground to crawl into.

"Please sit down." Xia Chu glanced at Cuihua. Cuihua put down the scroll and went to prepare tea and snacks.

"My clothes are dirty," Li Tao said, feeling a bit embarrassed. She had just changed into clean clothes today. But she had been feeling hot all the way, perhaps even sweating. She didn't know if she smelled of sweat. The room smelled fragrant the moment she entered. The young lady before her had not a single wrinkle on her skirt. She was so beautiful and amiable, which made her feel even more ashamed of herself.

"It's okay, sit down." Xia Chu smiled, "I don't know if your story is long, do you want to stand and tell it?"

"My story," was it long? Li Tao didn't know. She wasn't even sure if it could be exchanged for money. She'd heard it from the wife of a village scholar: how beautiful Yin Ge Garden was, how the food there was expensive but delicious. And you could listen to storytelling, and how the owner of the garden had recently arranged to trade stories for wine. She just told it as a curiosity, her words tinged with condescending boasting.

Li Tao heard this and secretly took note. It turns out that stories can be exchanged for wine. But what if she doesn't want the wine? Can it be exchanged for money? Once this idea came to her mind, she couldn't control it. Her mother-in-law has been coughing badly these past two days. If she had money, she could buy medicine.

Thinking of her mother-in-law's medicine, she mustered up her courage. "My story isn't long, nor is it interesting. It's just my mother-in-law's experience. Perhaps," she smiled wryly, "she was just too unlucky to be annoying."

Xia Chu put away her smile and took the paper and pen beside her, "You go ahead."

Li Tao raised his head and looked ahead, but his gaze was unfocused. He seemed to be recalling something, or thinking about where to start.

Cuihua quietly walked in, poured two cups of hot tea, and put down some snacks. She stood quietly behind Xia Chu and listened to the woman's story.