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

Xia Chu missed Lin'an in her heart, but she didn't show it on her face, and she didn't plan to ask Jia Qingwu when she would go back.

When she was in Lin'an, Jia Qingwu rarely mentioned wanting to return to Huizhou, probably because she was afraid of embarrassing him. But didn't she miss home?

Of course he does, otherwise he wouldn’t be beaming every day when he gets home.

Old Madam Jia would send a bunch of things over whenever she had time, regardless of whether it was food or daily necessities. If she thought Xia Chu liked it, she would send it over.

When Mrs. Jia heard that she was engaged, she asked the shopkeepers in the family who were related to the happy event to bring the best-selling goods for Xia Chu to choose.

Xia Chu was busy all the time, selling rouge, powder, lipstick, eyebrow cream, head ornaments and jewelry, clothes and fabrics... Only then did she realize that the Jia family's business was almost all-encompassing.

Xia Chu and her friends went to the fireworks display in Dongshan in the evening.

They arrived just as dusk fell. A servant had booked a private room in the Moon-Picking Tower. Looking out the window, they could just see the fireworks exploding across the sky.

Not only were there fireworks, but we also invited craftsmen to make iron flowers.

There is no curfew these days, and fireworks and iron flowers alternate at the foot of Dongshan Mountain, as bright as day.

"There are so many people." Jia Wanqing leaned against the window and saw the bustling Dongshan. "It's so lively. I want to go there to play too."

Jia Junting immediately dissuaded his sister from joining the party. "There are too many people here. You can't join in the fun."

"You can see it clearly from here." Jia Wanlin comforted.

"Yeah, it's nice to look around here." Xia Chu looked at the lanterns outside the window that looked like stars in the sky, and thought with a dismay that with so many people around, if someone fell down, they might not be able to stand up.

Jia Wanqing puffed her lips, realizing her brothers and sisters were right. She stopped talking about wanting to leave and said, "These lanterns look like a flowing river of stars."

Xia Chu looked over as he heard the words. Lanterns were flowing outward from the city, converging into a circle at the foot of East Mountain. In the center of the circle were dazzling iron flowers, and in the sky were brilliant fireworks, which were dazzling for a moment.

They sat on the third floor of Zhaiyue Tower, drinking sweet fruit wine and eating snacks.

The fireworks display would last an hour and a half, but many people couldn't stay that long. As the tourists' lanterns began to flow into the city, Jia Junting suggested going home to avoid being stuck in traffic.

Jia Wanqing was a little sleepy. She didn't speak for a long time and looked a little dazed.

Even if they returned early, the crowds were inevitable. When they got downstairs, they realized the streets were packed. Red, festive lanterns lit up everywhere, seemingly brighter than if it were late at night. Xia Chu suddenly felt like she'd stepped back into modern times, into the bustling night market.

A cold wind blew past, and Xia Chu shrank her neck. She raised her hand to put on the hood of her cloak and said, "Let's go back. It's a bit cold."

"It's so lively, can't we play for a while?" Jia Wanqing was awakened by the cold wind just now, and looked at her brother eagerly.

"It gets colder as time goes on. You'd better go back early to avoid catching a cold." Jia Junting disagreed. He asked the servants and maids to keep an eye on the young lady and not let her get lost. He also asked someone to bring the carriage over.

The accompanying servant looked at the crowded crowd and said, "Master Ting, I'm afraid it will be difficult to bring it here. Why don't we go directly to the back and get in the car and leave."

"Yes." Jia Junting nodded.

They walked back, Xia Chu holding Jia Wanqing. She was young, and if she got carried away and ran off somewhere else, it would be hard to find her again.

The servants pushed through the crowd in front to let their masters pass. It took them a quarter of an hour to walk the short distance from the front door to the back door.

It was cold just now at the beginning of summer, but now it feels a bit stuffy.

There are lanterns everywhere, it looks a bit dangerous, if you are not careful and catch fire...

Bah, bah, bah, children's words are unbridled.

With so many people here, if a fire breaks out and a stampede occurs, who knows how many people will be injured.

Fortunately, her worries did not come true. At least she didn't hear any fire in the city the next day.

Jia Qingwu didn't leave early that morning. She had dinner with her mother first, then returned to spend time with her daughter. She had eaten at Grandmother Jia's, now only holding half a bowl of bird's nest. She looked at Xia Chu and asked, "Did Lin'an send a letter?"

"Yes, Zhao Huazhang's." Although Xia Chu didn't plan to mention it, he didn't plan to hide it either.

Jia Qingwu calculated the days and realized the Lantern Festival would be in three days. In a blink of an eye, it had already been over half a month since she returned. "We're going back after the Lantern Festival?"

Xia Chu raised her head and said, "Mom, don't you want to stay a little longer? I'm not in a hurry."

Jia Qingwu smiled and said, "You are not anxious, but someone else is."

She almost mentioned Zhao Huazhang's name, Xia Chu raised the corner of her mouth, "Who cares what he does."

"Of course I will." Jia Qingwu knew she was being hypocritical, so she didn't expose her. "I'll go tell your grandmother later that we'll be back after the Lantern Festival."

Xia Chu thought about how long Jia Qingwu hadn't been home, and how hard it was for the family to be together. Besides, her grandparents were old and not particularly healthy, so she thought, "Why not go back in February?"

"Don't worry about me," Jia Qingwu said with a soothing smile, "I miss Qiu Yu and Sister Dong a little too. And your garden, even though the manager is capable, it's not a good idea for her to be away for too long."

"I'm not worried about that. Before I left, I asked Qingmei to go check on me if she had time. I also told Hongniang and the others to go home to see my parents if anything happened." Xia Chu had almost finished eating and simply put down the bowl. "I told them not to do business during the New Year holiday and to spend the New Year behind closed doors. After a busy year, they always need a few days off to rest."

Jia Qingwu pondered for a moment, "It's better to close it. We're overwhelmed with New Year banquets in various mansions, so I don't think business will be good."

"Then we should go back in February. I'll write a letter to Zhao Huazhang and tell him about it." Xia Chu said, tapping the tablecloth with her fingers. "Actually, Mom can just live in Huizhou. If you miss me in the future, I'll come to see you. After all, your grandparents can't bear to leave you." After she said that, she didn't dare to look up at Jia Qingwu, for fear that she would think she wanted to drive her away.

The smile on Jia Qingwu's face faded, and she seemed a little hurt.

Xia Chu was anxious and explained: "I really like my mother to be by my side. I can see her whenever I want."

Jia Qingwu had thought about it, but she just couldn't make up her mind. Seeing Xia Chu's anxious look, she laughed and said, "I think it's a good idea, but my daughter is getting married and the dowry is not ready yet. Let's talk about other things later."

The news of Er Yue's departure spread throughout the family. Jia Wanqing looked at Xia Chu with resentment in her eyes. "Cousin, why are you leaving so soon? I haven't even played the piece I practiced recently for you yet."

"We're not leaving right away. There's still half a month left." Xia Chu smiled at her, "There's still plenty of time. Why don't you let me hear it today?"

"Okay!" Jia Wanqing became excited again and hurriedly asked the maid to go back and get her pipa.

Before the pipa was brought over, Jia Wanlin arrived first. She heard from her mother that her aunt and cousin Eryue were leaving.