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

Chapter 151

As Xia Chu bid farewell to Wang Yong and the others, she was filled with melancholy. Walking back with her head down, she suddenly heard Jia Qingwu laugh. She tilted her head and unexpectedly saw someone who should have been in the carriage. Her eyes widened in surprise, and she turned back to look for the carriage, but it had already sped away.

"Are you so surprised?" Zhang Zhou flicked her forehead with his finger.

Xia Chu grabbed his arm and jumped up and down in joy. The smile on her face was as bright as a spring flower. "Second brother! Aren't you going back?!"

"Huizhou is home to many scholars, and since everyone was worried about you, I decided to stay." Seeing her so happy, he felt even more confident that his decision to stay was the right one. The next autumn imperial examination was next year, so it was still early. Meeting other students in Huizhou and exchanging ideas would also be beneficial.

Xia Chu was so happy that she didn't know what to say. She threw herself into Zhang Zhou's arms and almost cried.

"What? Are you going to drop golden beans again?" Zhang Zhou touched her head and joked.

"No!" Xia Chu wiped her face on his clothes, snorted, and got into the carriage.

Jia Qingwu couldn't help laughing and quickly followed.

Zhang Zhou smiled and shook his head, then walked slowly along the side of the carriage. The city was bustling with people, so the carriage couldn't move very fast, and had to stop after a while to let pedestrians pass.

"Isn't this the Jia family's carriage?" Qu Pingping was accompanying her daughter shopping and saw a familiar sign as she just left the shop.

"It seems so. Mom, do you think that lunatic is in there?" Sun Zhixia said maliciously.

Qu Pingping turned around and glared at her, then scolded her in a low voice: "Watch your words!"

Sun Zhixia shrank her neck and nodded in agreement.

"I let you take her daughter's name, and you can even get the status of a legitimate daughter." Qu Pingping's eyes were sharp. "You didn't obey and insisted on changing. Now you are even more outspoken. You will cause trouble in the future because of your words. Don't come to me for help!"

"Mom, I was wrong, don't be angry." Sun Zhixia hurriedly hugged her mother's arm and acted coquettishly, but no matter what, she did not regret pestering her father to change her name. She didn't want to use anyone else's name.

Qu Pingping hated her for being disobedient and brainless. She shook off her hand and said to the maid behind her, "Go, stop the Jia family's carriage. That's the one Madam used to ride in. Maybe she's inside so I can go over and pay my respects." She smiled contemptuously, and it was clear that this greeting was more than just a simple one.

The maid responded and stopped the carriage. "I am a maid from the Sun family. May I ask, Madam Jia, is Madam Sun on board?"

The driver was an old man from the Jia family. When he heard that it was a member of the Sun family, his face turned unhappy. "He's not here. Why don't you get out of the way?"

"I heard my wife has returned to the city. May I ask if she's at the Jia residence now?" the maid asked, quietly approaching and, while the coachman wasn't paying attention, lifting the curtain. She spotted Jia Qingwu and immediately knelt down and kowtowed, "Greetings to the wife."

Before the driver could react, Aunt Xu jumped out and shouted, "What are you doing? How can you be so rude!"

Qu Pingping laughed. What a coincidence, she was there. She waved her silk fan gently and walked forward. "Sister is in the car. I came to pay my respects. May I see her?"

Xia Chu lifted the curtains a little. The woman outside was very young, with a charming look in her eyes and eyebrows. Her hair was covered with jewels and jade, and she spoke in a soft and gentle voice. Xia Chu could hear a hint of ill intention. She turned to look at Jia Qingwu and found that she was frowning, obviously not wanting to see the woman outside. "Mom, who is she?"

"Your father's concubine." Jia Qingwu rubbed her forehead which had begun to swell and ache.

"My eldest lady is not in the carriage, please don't make a fuss, Madam Qu." Aunt Xu frowned and spoke in a stiff tone.

"Your eldest lady? My sister has been married for a long time, so now she should be called Madam. It seems that the Jia family really doesn't take the Sun family seriously. Even the servants are so arrogant." Qu Pingping glanced at the passers-by around her and her voice became obviously louder.

As she wished, passersby slowly stopped. A smile crossed Qu Pingping's eyes. Yes, everyone should stop and watch, to see how the Sun family's wife will go crazy. Once the master loses face, he will divorce her sooner or later. When that happens, she will be made the legal wife, and her children will be the legitimate sons and daughters.

Aunt Xu knew that she had said the wrong thing. Listening to Qu Pingping slandering the Jia family, she was speechless and didn't know how to refute.

Jia Qingwu frowned. Aunt Xu said she was not there, so if she stood out at this moment, it would be even more difficult to explain herself.

The visitor had bad intentions. Xia Chu hadn't quarreled with anyone in a long time. She had no good feelings towards the Sun family at all, so she said sarcastically, "Madam Xu, if you are looking for trouble, just give them some money and send them away. Don't delay things."

Qu Pingping was waiting for Jia Qingwu to speak up, but she hadn't expected the voice to sound so young and unfamiliar. But paying her off? Did they treat her like a beggar?

Someone nearby couldn't help laughing, and Madam Xu couldn't help laughing either, but since no one in the carriage saw them, that was fine. She knew who it was, so she naturally wouldn't give them money to get rid of them. But Qu Pingping's words had clearly been exposed, and she calmed down and knelt down to greet Qu Pingping. "Don't be angry, Madam Qu. I'm old and I said the wrong thing. Madam is not in the carriage, please make way."

"She is actually the concubine of the Sun family? Why does she have the habit of stopping people on the road to ask for money? Could it be that the Sun family is so poor that they can't even make ends meet?" Xia Chu continued.

Qu Pingping's face changed, and she hurriedly explained, "Young lady, how can you talk nonsense? I simply saw the Jia family's carriage and thought the lady was in it, so I stepped forward to greet her."

"Looking for the Madam of the Sun family and stopping the carriage of the Jia family to greet them?" Xia Chu chuckled. "This Madam of the Sun family is really smart."

Qu Pingping could only continue to explain, but her words were full of hidden meaning. "Madam has been ill and has been staying at Floating Cloud Temple for a long time. Yesterday, I heard that Madam returned from the temple and did not go back to the Sun family. I think she went to the Jia family, so I came to stop the carriage."

Xia Chu sneered, not giving her any face. "When your wife fell ill, instead of hiring a doctor to take care of her at home, you rushed her to the temple. The Sun family is truly kind and righteous. And you, a concubine, didn't even go to the temple to pay your respects and wait on her. After hearing a few words, I don't know whether they are true or not, you stopped someone's carriage in the street and acted aggressively. You bluntly said your wife was ill in front of everyone on the street. Master Sun is a juren after all, so why are you so picky when it comes to concubines? Aren't you afraid that the child born will be stupid?"

Jia Qingwu grabbed her sleeve tightly and shook her head to signal her to stop talking.

Xia Chu stopped when she saw that she was ahead, "What? Why don't you move away? Do you still want me to treat you to a meal?"

Qu Pingping was scolded for nothing, and before she could even think of a rebuttal, she was expelled. Just as she was about to pretend to cry a few times to show weakness and gain sympathy, another voice came from the carriage, "Madam Xu, it seems she really has no money to eat. Give her some silver and ask her to get out of the way immediately."

"You..." Sun Zhixia didn't understand at first. After a few turns of thought, she realized that the other party was swearing at her. But just as she was about to speak, she was pinched by Qu Pingping.

"I was reckless." Qu Pingping gritted her teeth and motioned for the maid to make way. She thought to herself: Where did this girl come from? She's so sharp-tongued! Jia Wanlin doesn't have such a vicious tongue. Who is it?