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

Zhao Huazhang felt that Xia Chu seemed to have changed. Not only the way she looked at him, but also the way she spoke to him, she was more intimate and casual. He didn't know why this change had occurred, but he was very happy.

Xia Chu's illness didn't heal as the doctor had predicted, but it didn't get any worse either. Arriving in another town, Zhao Huazhang simply had all the doctors from the clinics invited over. But there were only four of them. It was a small town, with neither famous doctors nor large clinics.

The doctors said there was nothing wrong with me, just fatigue from the journey and the cold weather, which was why I hadn't recovered. There was no point in taking more medicine; the main thing was to get more rest.

"Why don't we stay in this town for a few days and set off again after we recover," Zhao Huazhang suggested.

Jia Qingwu and Xia Tian both agreed, but Xia Chu was a little anxious. She was afraid that if she didn't return home soon, her family would worry. She also didn't want to waste time because of her own faults. "I'm not tired of traveling. I've been sitting in the carriage and doing nothing. It's only two days' journey left. Let's rest after returning to Lin'an."

Zhao Huazhang seemed to be moved by her words, and Xia Tian lowered his eyes and said nothing.

Jia Qingwu hit the nail on the head, poking at Xia Chu's soft spot, "If I go back with this illness, Sister Dong will definitely be very distressed."

Xia Chu thought of Dong Xiaohuan's muttering and fell silent.

They temporarily stopped in the town and stayed in the largest inn in the town, but even the largest inn was not enough to accommodate all their belongings, so they had to rent two more rooms specifically for their belongings.

I was feeling a bit listless at the beginning of summer, and I was homesick, so I had no interest in going out. I simply stayed in the inn and didn't go out, planning to have a good rest, avoid the cold wind, and get well soon so I could return to Lin'an.

Since it was her daughter's first illness, Jia Qingwu certainly wouldn't go out on her own, so she stayed at the inn to keep her company. To prevent her from getting bored on the road, they had brought some chess pieces and books in the car, so they could have some entertainment at the inn.

Xia Tian went out with Zhao Huazhang, saying that they wanted to find some new and interesting things that were not available in Lin'an and bring them back for Wang Qiuyu to play with. "What about you? Where are you going?"

"Just take a look." Zhao Huazhang said and shook off Xia Tian and left.

What secrets were there? Xia Tian was somewhat puzzled by his attitude, but he was not very curious and did not delve into it.

After lunch, Xia Chu felt sleepy and yawned several times.

"Sleep for a while. Rest more if you are sick." Jia Qingwu packed up her things, asked Cuihua to take care of Xia Chu's nap, and went back to her room.

Xia Chu slept until almost dinner time, and her head felt stuffy. But when she woke up, she felt like she had finally gotten enough sleep, and all the fatigue in her body had disappeared.

After washing her face with a warm towel, she felt more refreshed. She turned around and saw the oil-paper packages piled halfway across the table. She asked, "What are these?"

"Mr. Zhao sent it, but he didn't say what it was." Cuihua was also surprised.

"Take one open and see. I smell something sweet." Xia Chu sat down at the table and picked up one. It was still warm to the touch. He opened it and saw that it was actually a vegetable dumpling. It was white rice mixed with some green vegetables. It was the size of a palm and was pinched into a round shape.

Being a bit hungry, she took a bite. Her eyes widened as she saw the vegetable dumplings were actually stuffed. They tasted like mushrooms, with a bit of minced meat, and were salty and fragrant. Paired with rice and crispy dried vegetables, they were delicious.

"Cuihua, go and invite my mother over." Xia Chu said while eating.

Jia Qingwu's room was right next door, and she came over quickly.

"Mom, try this. Aunt Xu and Cuihua will also eat it. It's just right for each of them." Xia Chu waved her hand. She had a hunch that the others should be delicious as well.

Seeing that she was in good spirits and had an appetite, Jia Qingwu laughed and asked, "What is this?"

"Vegetable dumplings, filled with mushroom and meat filling, taste really good." Xia Chu unwrapped another paper package with one hand, and a fragrant aroma of oil filled the air. Inside was a golden fried fish, only the length of her index finger. It was perfect to go with the rice balls. She pinched one and popped it into her mouth. Even the fish bones were crispy. Although it was cold, she knew that if it had been wrapped hot, it would have stewed and become soft.

"Where did all this come from?" Jia Qingwu watched her unpack each package, eating two of this, tasting a bite of that, smiling as if she had won some great treasure. She asked, feeling both amused and helpless, "Where did this come from? Did you buy it in the summer?"

Cuihua swallowed the food in her mouth and said, "Mr. Zhao sent it."

Xia Chu chuckled, finished the vegetable dumplings in his hand, and ate a lot of snacks from the blind box. He was full. "No need to eat dinner."

Zhao Huazhang really knew how to cater to her needs; he made Xia Chu so happy. Jia Qingwu didn't mind her eating so many small things for dinner. "I had someone make ginseng chicken soup. You don't have to eat dinner, but you have to drink a bowl of soup."

The soup doesn't fill up your stomach, so you can drink a bowl of it even if you have time. Xia Chu nodded, stood up and said, "I'm full, I'll take a walk."

The rooms of several people were adjacent to each other. Xia Chu went to Xia Tian's room first to check, but she hadn't come back yet. Zhao Huazhang was not in the room either. Where had he gone?

She peeked into the lobby downstairs, but couldn't find him. After a quick search, she found Zhao Huazhang in the stable in the backyard, brushing his horse's back.

"Why are you here? It's dirty here." Zhao Huazhang noticed Xia Chu the first time, put down the brush and walked over.

"You've eaten a lot, so you need to digest it." Xia Chu looked at him. Even in the middle of winter, a thin layer of sweat appeared on his forehead. His shoulders were tied with armbands, and his sleeves were rolled up to his elbows. The muscles in his forearms were beautifully firm, and even had a wet sheen from the sweat. Hmm~ I feel a bit erotic about this, so Xia Chu shook off the thought that was getting worse and worse. "Is it hot?"

Just as Zhao Huazhang was about to speak, the horse over there suddenly stamped its hooves and neighed twice. He glanced back and asked Xia Chu to wait a moment while he went to brush the horse. However, compared to his previous seriousness, he was obviously more perfunctory. Not long after, he sent the horse back to the stable, washed his hands, took off the harness, and came over. "Is everything to your liking?"

"They're all delicious. Did you pick them?" Xia Chu handed over her handkerchief, "Wipe the sweat off."

Zhao Huazhang took it and was about to wipe it when he smelled the familiar sweet scent of osmanthus. Suddenly, he couldn't bear to part with it. He stole a glance at Xia Chu, and seeing she wasn't paying attention, he wiped the sweat off with his sleeve and stuffed the handkerchief into his arms. After stuffing it in, he realized that this behavior seemed inappropriate. How could it be like a pervert? But when he had to take it out and give it back to Xia Chu, he felt a little reluctant.

Xia Chu hadn't really noticed; it was just a handkerchief. She had a box full of embroidered pieces of emerald green flowers and emerald green buds. "You..." Xia Chu had just begun to speak when she noticed something was clearly off about Zhao Huazhang's expression, as if he'd done something wrong. Not only was he feeling guilty, but his neck was also red.

But what could be bad? Xia Chu couldn't think of it, and just thought he was too hot from brushing the horse. "Is it so hot? Why don't you go take a shower first?"

"Yeah, okay." Seeing that she was no longer staring at him, Zhao Huazhang nodded quickly.