Divorced woman with child travels through time

Chen Wenfang took her child to bed just as it got dark. She had no choice; no money, no light, and she was exhausted. The child had played wildly all day and fell asleep the moment their head hit the pillow. Chen Wenfang quickly drifted off to sleep as well.

She slept soundly through the night and woke up as soon as it was light. Chen Wenfang stretched and yawned. It was so good to be young, and the air was so fresh. In her previous life, Chen Wenfang's sleep quality wasn't very good. After becoming a mother, she was always worried. It was so nice to finally get a good night's sleep.

Washing her face by the pond, Chen Wenfang looked at her youthful face reflected in the water and felt a sense of realization. In her past life, she had an average appearance, with an oval face, large eyes, gentle features, and a tall, well-proportioned figure. However, she possessed a gentle yet dignified temperament, and independent, strong women always exuded a reassuring aura. This life, however, was quite different. Her face, ten years younger, radiated youthful energy, and although she was thin, it couldn't conceal her pure and innocent charm.

After washing her face, she took a bucket of water back with her. She was about to make breakfast when she realized she was out of firewood. So she picked up a cleaver and went to the back of the mountain to gather more. The dead branches could be burned directly, while the green ones were broken off and left on the ground to collect later. Looking at the worn-out cleaver in her hand, she felt sorry for it, having used it for both chopping vegetables and cutting branches. Actually, most of the time Chen Wenfang used her hands or knees to break them, much like Meng Er grinning as she broke bamboo. Haha, Chen Wenfang chuckled to herself, amused by her own amusement.

After gathering firewood and returning home, Chen Wenfang washed the pot, added water and cabbage, along with a little salt. Since she had a spatula, she planned to make a thin porridge. Once the porridge boiled, she added a small amount of prepared cornmeal, just enough to make a paste. She also simmered a few kudzu roots in the stove. After cooking the corn and cabbage porridge, Chen Wenfang woke the child for breakfast. The sun was very strong that day, so she took the straw from the bed outside to air it out.

After finishing these tasks, Chen Wenfang took her child to gather firewood. The back mountain was vast and long, probably uninhabited, with plenty of dead branches. After gathering firewood, they went to dig up dandelions. She also picked some selfheal (Prunella vulgaris), which is easy to process—just dry it. In the days leading up to the market, the sun was very strong, so Chen Wenfang stopped digging dandelions and focused solely on gathering selfheal. Since gathering firewood and then cooking it was too much trouble, she wanted to take more herbs to the market to sell. Back home, after drying the selfheal, the kudzu root in the stove was also cooked. She picked it out and ate one—steaming hot, fragrant, powdery, and soft—it was enough to fill her up. She then fed her son another. After eating, they continued working.

Time flies. These days, with food to eat, Chen Wenfang and her son look much better, and they are also very clean and energetic. They make do with whatever they can find. They use wood ash to wash their hair, and when they don't have a change of clothes, they bathe their son first, leaving him in only a single layer of clothing. They let his outer clothes dry in the sun before changing into his inner clothes and washing them. They do the same for themselves. Coupled with the confident demeanor of a modern person from their previous life, they look quite prosperous.

On market day, Chen Wenfang arrived at Aunt Liu's house early in the morning, before dawn, carrying her child and a large bag of herbs, which she carried on a hoe. Aunt Liu's whole family was waiting for her. They had already prepared and were pushing a wheelbarrow loaded with two full baskets of peanuts and some seed packets. When they saw Chen Wenfang coming, they casually stuffed a handful into her child's hand.

"You're here," Aunt Liu said with a smile. "Put your things in the car, and we'll walk over together."

"Okay, thank you for your hard work. These peanuts are really well grown," Chen Wenfang praised.

"Yes, Liu Hai is really good at growing peanuts. Everyone buys them to use as seeds," Aunt Liu praised Uncle Liu Hai.

Uncle Liu Hai was embarrassed by the compliments and changed the subject, saying, "I'll hold the baby, let's all set off together."

Chen Xuanyu replied, "I'm a man now, I can walk by myself."

Everyone laughed together and set off in a lively atmosphere.