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

Dong Xiaohuan sighed heavily, feeling so worried that she didn't know what to do.

"Sister, what's troubling you?" Jia Qingwu smiled and approached. "Can you tell me?"

"It's all about these kids." Dong Xiaohuan felt like she'd been losing a lot of hair recently. "Look, none of them want to get married. Xia Tian is almost thirty, and she runs away at the mention of marriage. Zhang Zhou isn't young anymore, and he told me yesterday to tell people he's engaged. Xiaochu, forget it, let her be."

Xia Chu really didn't need to worry. She could support herself and didn't need to rely on a man. Besides, she wasn't too old, so she would have time in two years.

Xia Tian and Zhang Zhou were both well-off, but neither of them liked to talk about this matter, and no one knew why. When asked, they would either dodge the question or just give a perfunctory answer.

Dong Xiaohuan has been testing Guan Xu lately, fearing that he might be a traitor like his two brothers. Fortunately, Guan Xu is quite honest and said that he is willing to get married, but he wants to find a girl who loves to eat and knows how to eat. "Do you think I should find someone for Guan Xu first?"

Jia Qingwu didn't know whether to laugh or cry. Why did this sound like only one of them had to get married? "His two older brothers haven't gotten married yet. If that's the case, I'm afraid there will be gossip outside. They'll say bad things about Xiaotian and Xiaozhou."

"Oh, that's what I'm worried about. Who hasn't gotten married by the age of 30?" Dong Xiaohuan felt her head starting to hurt again.

Zhang Zhou left home early and returned late every day, either to the academy or to a banquet. He could refuse to attend other events, but it was hard not to go to his classmates. The headmaster had invited him to share his experiences with everyone at the academy, and he didn't refuse. The academy treated him well, especially during his trip to the capital. The headmaster had even written him a letter, asking his friends there to help him get admitted to the academy.

Although the headmaster might not be entirely selfless and might have been motivated by a desire to establish a good relationship, Zhang Zhou still remembered this favor.

The day Xia Tian came back, Zhang Zhou did not go out the next day. The two brothers discussed finding a pub to go out for a drink. Xia Chu happened to pass by and heard them. He looked at Xia Tian with sparkling eyes.

"No." Xia Tian said with a smile: "With your alcohol tolerance, I'm not willing to take you with me."

Zhang Zhou chuckled and said nothing.

"Hmph." Xia Chu shook her head and went to complain, "Mom! My eldest and second brothers are going out for a drink! And they're not taking me with them!"

Dong Xiaohuan was amused when she heard this. Xia Chu sometimes deliberately brought up trivial matters to complain, purely to amuse everyone. She smiled and said, "Mom can't handle it, go find your dad."

Wang Yong was also happy to play along with his daughter, "Dad will take you to find them."

Xia Tian was helpless and amused, "You little snitch, go ahead if you want to."

"I'm not on duty tomorrow, let's go have a drink together." Wang Yong said.

"It's even better if Dad is free." Xia Tian had just finished speaking when another head popped out of the door. The expectant look in his eyes was exactly the same as Xia Chu's just now. "You can't. Children can't drink. You have to go to the academy tomorrow."

Guan Xu stood aside, not saying anything, but obviously wanted to go too.

Wang Yong waved his hand and said, "Let's go, Xiao Xu too."

The brothers' gathering turned into a father-son gathering. When they arrived at the tavern, Zhao Huazhang joined them.

Xia Chu drank the fruit wine specially ordered for her, listened to her father, brother and boyfriend chatting, and yawned.

Not fun, not interesting.

Zhao Huazhang glanced sideways, pulled out a bag of beef jerky from his pocket, and slowly pushed it over. Xia Chu took it very naturally and stuffed a piece into her mouth.

Xia Tian, who was speaking, stopped and everyone's eyes turned to Zhao Huazhang.

"What's wrong?" Xia Chu was stunned for a moment, then asked dully, "Do you want some? The kind I bought last time."

Xia Tian glanced at Zhao Huazhang, who met his gaze calmly. The two stared at each other for a moment. Xia Tian turned his eyes away and reached for a piece of beef jerky, "It's perfect for drinking."

Wang Yong's eyes lit up, "Yes, this thing is perfect to go with wine."

Zhang Zhou looked at his sister, then at Zhao Huazhang, and without saying anything, let Xia Tian pass on. Guan Xu, clueless, chewed the beef jerky, savoring its preparation and ingredients.

Before Xia Chu realized that he was exposed, he really used beef jerky to wash down his wine.

Guan Xu wasn't very interested in his father and brother's wine; it was too spicy and numbed his sense of taste. He poured himself a glass of fruit wine and savored the snacks on the table.

Since Dong Xiaohuan was not around, Zhang Zhou no longer concealed what happened in Beijing.

When they first arrived, some people naturally looked down on them. Fortunately, they had two good friends by their side. Xu Shiqing wasn't a great scholar, but he was very sociable. With him, life wasn't too difficult for them. It wasn't until the first month's exam, when his essay was praised by the teacher in class, that many people changed their minds about him, and their time at the academy became much better.

Some admired Zhang Zhou's literary talent and approached him. Others, upon learning of Zhang Xin's background, also took a different view of them. Xu Shiqing, on the other hand, though his family background wasn't prominent and his writing wasn't particularly outstanding, possessed a good temper and a ready smile. The three of them, along with their mutual support, quickly made many close friends. They would occasionally attend literary gatherings and poetry gatherings with their classmates; Zhang Zhou wasn't one to stand out.

But since he was new here, and because his reputation as a scholar would be helpful for the exams later, he was determined to show off. He made a few appearances, but since he was not the type to show off, he stopped showing off.

When he talked about competing in poetry and writing couplets with others, Guan Xu and Xia Chu looked at him with admiration.

The afternoon flew by, and by the time Xia Chu was ready to go home, her face flushed. She staggered as she stood up, and Xia Tian, anticipating her, grabbed her. Zhao Huazhang pulled his hand back, thankfully unseen. Otherwise, with Xia Chu's father and brother present, his overzealous advances would have been suspicious.

"Then let's go back first." Xia Tian said to Zhao Huazhang.

"Qingsong is outside, I'll give you a ride." Zhao Huazhang was afraid they would refuse, so he added, "Xia Chu is drunk, so it's hard for him to be exposed to the wind."

Wang Yong didn't realize the change in address, but Zhang Zhou looked at Zhao Huazhang again. Something was amiss. It seemed something unexpected had happened while he was away. "Big Brother seems to know something, but with so many people around, it's hard to ask." He was still thinking when he caught a glimpse of Guan Xu looking dazed and confused, and quickly reached out to steady him.

"Okay, thank you." Xia Tian had a good relationship with Zhao Huazhang, and he helped Xia Chu get into the carriage.

Xia Chu wasn't very drunk, and she was a pretty good drinker. She only felt sleepy after drinking too much, and didn't do anything else. Guan Xu, on the other hand, became more talkative. He kept talking about the recipes for the side dishes, saying that next time his father and brothers wanted to drink, he'd make them himself.

After returning home, Wang Yong said something and went back to his room to sleep. Zhang Zhou helped Guan Xu back to his room, Cuihua took over Xia Chu, Xia Tian sat in the living room to sober up, Cuiya made a pot of hot tea and gently put it aside.

"Brother." Zhang Zhou settled Guan Xu down. "What's going on with Zhao Huazhang and...?"