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

Chapter 184

"Huh? Is this a hedgehog?" Jia Wanqing looked at the ball of thorns in front of her. She had never seen a hedgehog before. She heard that it was an animal covered with sharp spines and would curl up into a ball when frightened.

"These are chestnuts." Xia Chu glanced at them and looked up to find a chestnut tree. He found two, one large and one small, both covered with thorn balls. "Move aside, if this thing hits my head..."

I'll leave it unsaid, but you can imagine it yourself. If the thorn ball hits the top of your head from a high altitude, it will probably poke a few bloody holes.

"Would you like to pick some?" asked the hunter.

Xia Chu looked up and said, "Pick some roast chicken to eat? Who can climb a tree?"

"I'll go up, you guys stay hidden." The hunter volunteered, broke off a branch from the side, and quickly climbed up the tree using his hands and feet. "Get out of the way below." After saying that, he knocked the hanging thorn ball with the branch.

The sun began to radiate heat, and Jia Wanqing was tired. Jia Junting carried his sister on his back. Jia Junjie glanced at his sister and asked, "Do you want me to carry you?"

Jia Wanlin shook his head and smiled, "Thank you, brother. I can still walk on my own."

For lunch, they used the ingredients they brought down from the mountain, including roast chicken with chestnuts, stir-fried bacon with mushrooms, a pot of chicken soup, and several vegetables grown in the greenhouse.

"This is a pheasant shot by my second and third brothers, this mushroom was picked by my cousin, sister and I, and this chestnut was picked by us together!" Jia Wanqing introduced proudly.

Jia Qingwu and Li Xuemu understood and praised it repeatedly. Jia Wanqing shook her head happily, "It smells so good, it must be delicious."

"Then I have to eat two more bites." Jia Qingwu said flatteringly.

"I'll try it too." Li Xuemu smiled.

The two elders picked up their chopsticks, and the younger ones followed suit. Jia Wanqing was the first to try the mushrooms; they smelled the most fragrant. A bite was filled with tenderness, a juicy mouthful that made you want to swallow it whole.

She opened her eyes wide and almost let out a sound of enjoyment. It was so delicious! The food was delicious, and without her mother watching, Jia Wanqing ate until her belly was round. "It's so delicious."

"You must be full." Jia Junting glanced at her, but still couldn't bear to criticize her. "Don't take a nap directly later, move around."

"I know." Jia Wanqing couldn't help but pat her belly and laughed.

"They taste especially better if you pick them yourself." Jia Wanlin was also a little full. There was almost nothing left of the roast chicken and mushrooms on the table, which almost never happened in their family.

Eating until 70% full and eating elegantly and silently are the rules taught by our elders since childhood.

But Xia Chu wasn't too particular; the Wang family didn't have such a rule. When she arrived at the Jia household, Jia Qingwu found her adorable no matter what she looked like, so there was no reason for her to lecture her.

"After putting in the hard work, enjoying the fruits of your labor will naturally make the food more delicious." Xia Chu said with a smile, "What we eat is not just food, but also our sweat."

Jia Wanlin nodded thoughtfully, "What my cousin said makes sense."

"You've been busy all morning, so go take a nap after eating," Jia Qingwu suggested.

Xia Chu glanced at Jia Wanqing and found that her eyes were a little hazy, so she teased: "Wanqing, this girl, has been making a fuss all day and night, and her eyes are almost closed."

Jia Wanqing seemed not to hear and dozed off with her head propped up.

Everyone saw that it was indeed true. Jia Junting stood up and said, "She got up early today, and she probably slept late last night. I'll take her back first. Aunt, please take your time."

"Go ahead." Jia Qingwu waved her hand. "Xia Xia and Wan Lin should go back and get some sleep too."

"Okay." Xia Chu and Jia Wanlin took their leave.

After walking in the mountains for a whole morning, Xia Chu found that her calves were a little sore when she lay in bed. She closed her eyes and fell asleep in a short while.

She woke up early today and found that Wanlin and Wanqing were still asleep. She went to the next yard to look for Jia Qingwu, but found that she was not there.

After asking the servants, I found out that You Shaofeng had also come, and the three of them were in the front hall.

That stupid guy followed? Xia Chu felt a headache when she thought about the way he looked at her.

Isn't it directed at me?

Xia Chu didn't want to go forward, so she called a maid to take her around the farm.

The grass and trees are withered in winter, but there are chrysanthemums and wintersweets planted in the village, which still makes it quite beautiful.

A greenhouse was built near the hot springs, which is used to grow vegetables so that the owner can have food to eat in winter.

Xia Chu went inside to take a look. All she saw was green. It wasn't growing very well, though, probably because the temperature wasn't high enough. It was good that it was growing at all. In winter, there were few vegetables to eat. Back at Wang's house, we only had white radish. Xia Chu figured out how to get some bean sprouts, which gave her another vegetable.

Ordinary families only have dried vegetables dried in autumn, pickled vegetables, and tofu.

If you want to eat fresh green leafy vegetables, you have to wait until spring. In spring, everything comes back to life and many wild vegetables emerge. That is the first vegetable meal for ordinary people in the new year.

What were the Wang family members doing at this time?

Dong Xiaohuan was still busy at the braised meat shop. Ever since the barbecue was introduced, business had boomed again. Since the barbecue wasn't much and was only available in the afternoon, and people didn't have much to do in the winter, a long line formed after lunch.

Everyone gathered in the braised meat shop, drinking pine needle tea, chatting, feeling comfortable and leisurely.

This pine needle tea was Xia Chu's idea. My grandfather collected pine needles in the village, dried them, and brewed them into tea, which had a light pine aroma. Adding sugar to the tea in the summer made it into a sweet soda, only costing a penny, with unlimited refills.

Don’t underestimate this small penny. You will definitely lose some money in the summer because the price of sugar is high. But in the winter, it will be a free gift.

Moreover, the purpose of this tea is not to make money, but to retain customers. No matter how delicious the braised meat is, no one eats it every day.

The braised meat shop has been running for many years and has always been prosperous, accumulating a large number of repeat customers. In addition to the delicious braised meat, the tea that costs only one penny also plays an important role.

Dong Xiaohuan always felt that finding Xia Chu was not a blessing for Xia Chu, but a blessing for their Wang family. Even the Dong family benefited from it. Dong Xiaomao never dared to think that he could open a shop in Lin'an City before.

The Dong family was considered newcomers to the village. Although they had lived there for many years, they couldn't compare to those who had been there for generations. The money they received for collecting pine needles was small, but in the eyes of the farmers, it was like picking up some money for free.

There were plenty of pine needles in the mountains. Chopping firewood, picking mushrooms, and digging wild vegetables brought back a basket, which could be exchanged for a few coins at the Dong family's house. The villagers profited, and the Dong family gained reputation—a win-win situation.

So even though all the girls her age were engaged, some even married and had children, no one in the Wang family forced Xia Chu to do anything. If she didn't want to, she could do it. Raising a lucky star like this for a lifetime wouldn't be a big deal.

I've gone off topic. Dong Xiaohuan has been talking about Xia Chu a lot recently. She's afraid that she won't come back, but she's also afraid that she will come back.

After all, she had raised Xiachu for so many years, and she was a beloved child. Dong Xiaohuan was very uncomfortable at first. There were suddenly two less people in the family, and Xiatian was not there either. She felt uncomfortable all over and the house always felt empty.

She was worried that Xia Chu would never come back. She had been in Huizhou for several days and was afraid she would never see him again.

She was also worried that Xia Chu would come back and see the Jia family's mansion, and then find her own home so small.

In fact, it would be better not to come back. She could stay in a wealthy family like the Jia family and find a suitable husband in the future, and have servants and food and clothing without worries.