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

Chapter 143

Wang Yong, his wife, and their children packed up and went to sleep in their rooms. After waking up, they all looked much more energetic. Zhang Zhou woke up first.

The house had servants responsible for maintenance and cleaning, and they also greeted and served Jia Sansi's guests. Seeing the guests wake up, they quickly filled hot water for them to wash up. Tea and snacks were also prepared and served. Zhang Zhou was not used to being around people, so he let them go about their business.

Zhang Zhou packed his belongings. He didn't bring much, just clothes and books. He sat under a tree in the courtyard, a flowing canal in front of him and blooming flowers behind him.

He took a sip of tea and turned a few pages of a book, just like he was at home.

After a while, Wang Yong and Dong Xiaohuan also got up, and Guan Xu yawned and walked out of the room. The family gathered together, and Dong Xiaohuan worried about the Jia family's children, "I wonder how Xiaochu and Qiuyu are doing?"

"Don't worry, mother. Judging from how Mr. Jia treats me and how respectful the servants in this house are, they will be fine." Zhang Zhou comforted.

Wang Yong patted his wife's shoulder to comfort her. "Since we're here, we have to pay a visit. Let's rest today and bring gifts tomorrow morning to meet the Jia family."

Dong Xiaohuan nodded, "Okay, I heard that their old lady and old man are still alive, it's time to pay them a visit."

What Zhang Zhou said was right. The Jia family had always been kind to Xia Chu, and after learning that she could cure the sick Jia Qingwu, they became even closer to her.

On the first day, I received gifts from the ladies of several families, and the old lady and the old man also sent gifts.

They weren't invited to dinner together, as they should have been. But Jia Qingwu had been ill that afternoon, and the doctor had advised her to rest carefully. The old lady had ordered everyone to refrain from disturbing her unless necessary, leaving the long-awaited mother and daughter to remain in peace. As long as Jia Qingwu's condition was under control, the others would be seated at the back.

Jia Sansi sent the cook directly to his sister's small courtyard, carefully selecting the ingredients and herbs, and making sure to follow the doctor's recipe to nourish his sister's body. "I can't say she's as healthy as before, but she needs to have some flesh on her body. Now she's just a skeleton, which makes people feel uncomfortable."

That night, Xia Chu slept in Jia Qingwu's bed. Jia Qingwu didn't want to be separated from her, even if it was just in the next room.

Aunt Xu also tried to persuade her, saying that the lady had trouble falling asleep at night and kept waking up. If the lady were to stay with her, she would probably feel better. She would appreciate any extra sleep she could get.

Xia Chu couldn't bear it; Jia Qingwu was simply too thin. She needed to relax, eat and sleep well, so she could slowly recover. This wasn't an easy task, and it would probably take quite a while.

I don’t know when I can go home. Xia Chu hummed a song from her own world as if to comfort a child.

She's actually written a lot of songs over the years. Most of them are songs she loves from that world. Initially, she worried she'd forget them. But then, writing became a habit. She originally studied music, and writing these songs is a hobby.

But she used modern simplified musical notation, which people in this world cannot understand.

Jia Qingwu, who was thought to be asleep, suddenly asked softly, "Xia Xia, Mom is sick, are you scared?"

"Don't be afraid, it will be fine." Xia Chu comforted.

"I'm sometimes very scared," Jia Qingwu said, sleeping on her side, facing Xia Chu, her eyes fixed on her round ears. "I can't control myself. I know my parents and brothers are all very worried about me. Every time they see me, their smiles are bitter."

Xia Chu's heart ached, and he turned around and said firmly: "Everything will be fine in the future. I am mother's medicine. As long as I am here, mother will get better."

Jia Qingwu raised the corners of her lips slightly, "Hmm."

"Go to sleep, Mom. You need to take good care of yourself now. When you're better, I'll take you to Lin'an, okay? See where I grew up." Xia Chu also had an idea. She didn't want to leave Lin'an, but she could kidnap Jia Qingwu! It just so happened that her stepfather didn't care about them, and as for the Jia family, she could come back to visit them often in the future.

What a great idea!

When Jia Qingwu heard this, her eyes narrowed and anticipation rose in her heart. "Great! I want to go see where our Xia Xia grew up. I've never left Huizhou City before. What is Lin'an like?"

Xia Chu described Lin'an to her: the black-sailed boats on the river in the city, the willow trees on both sides of the river lined with "thousands of green ribbons hanging down," the hawkers carrying baskets and hawking all kinds of snacks.

When she recounted her childhood, when she stole flowers from abandoned houses and sold them for money, Jia Qingwu burst into tears. She quickly explained that not long after she started selling them, she met her current adoptive parents. They went from setting up a small stall to renting a shop, then buying one, and now they own two shops.

Her family wasn't wealthy, but they had enough to eat and wear. She also talked about how popular she was, with matchmakers coming to her house every few days to propose marriage. However, she felt she was still young and didn't want to get married yet. Dong Xiaohuan was often bothered by all those matchmakers.

Jia Qingwu laughed when she heard this, "When I was still in my boudoir, matchmakers came to me all the time."

Xia Chu thought of the man from the Sun family. Jia Qingwu probably felt the same way. Her smile slowly faded, leaving only indifference in her eyes. Fortunately, she wasn't in love. That man was so heartless, she should have just dumped him. "I have three older brothers and a younger brother, and they're all very kind to me. My eldest brother..."

Jia Qingwu was so distracted by her words that she stopped thinking about Sun Wujiu. She just wanted to know more about her daughter and how she had been through all these years.

But Xia Chu was already tired, and after a while, her voice grew softer and slower, finally turning into a whisper. Jia Qingwu smiled gently, staring at her face, and began to picture her life from childhood to adulthood in his mind.

Xia Xia is back, back by my side. She's so kind, she doesn't blame me or resent me, and she's even willing to call me mother. She loves the pipa, just like me, and looks a lot like me. This isn't an illusion, this isn't a dream. Mother can see her, and Aunt Xu can see her too. She sleeps beside me, warm and breathing, my grown-up Xia Xia.

Sleepiness gradually settled over her. She closed her eyes, gently held her daughter's hand, and finally relaxed herself and fell into a deep sleep. "Tomorrow, when I wake up, I'll still be able to see my Xia Xia."

Xia Chu must have been exhausted. If she hadn't heard Wang Qiuyu's voice, she probably wouldn't have woken up yet. Just as she was about to stretch, she found her hand was being held tightly, as if afraid she would run away.

Jia Qingwu hadn't woken up yet, her brow furrowed, her sleep restless. Perhaps she hadn't slept peacefully in all these years, otherwise how could she have tortured herself to this point?

Xia Chu sighed softly. The most difficult pain for a mother to bear is probably losing her child.