Divorced woman with child travels through time

It was late October, and winter had already begun. The air was crisp and cold. Chu Yi woke up early. The bed was warm and cozy, and it was quite comfortable to lie there. After a while, he heard a sound coming from the next room. Chu Yi put on his cotton-padded coat. He tucked Shi Wu's quilt in, opened the door to take out the chamber pot, then opened the courtyard gate, emptied the chamber pot into the outhouse's latrine bucket, took the chamber pot to the river to rinse it, and put it away when he returned. He found that Shi Wu was already awake, so he helped him get dressed.

Chen Wenfang had already dressed Chen Xuanyu and went to boil water for breakfast. Chu Yi followed her to the kitchen to help with the fire. Chen Wenfang boiled water in the pot and then went to the kang (heated brick bed) to get the sourdough that had been proofing yesterday. She took out a large lump of it, added flour and warm water, kneaded it into a smooth dough, and put it into a pot without a fire to proof again. She also took out the water that had been reserved yesterday from another pot; it was still warm, so she had Chu Yi add some firewood, just enough for washing her face and brushing her teeth.

After Chen Wenfang finished washing up, she called out, "Chen Xuanyu, Shiwu, come wash your face and brush your teeth!"

Without being called, the first-year students all followed Chen Wenfang's example, fetching a basin of water and tidying themselves up. This child is exceptionally sensible.

The two little ones ran out laughing, and Chen Wenfang said, "Chuyi, keep an eye on them, don't let them get their sleeves wet."

I went to the kitchen to make steamed buns myself. The dough had already doubled in size, so I took it out and kneaded it again to remove the air bubbles. I cut it into long strips, brushed some oil on the steamer, placed the buns on it, let them rise for another half an incense stick's time, and then steamed them over high heat for about ten minutes.

After waiting a while, I put the steamed buns in a basket and took out a dish of my own pickled radishes from a small jar. Breakfast was done.

After instructing the children to eat, Chu Yi watched over the two younger ones, then took a bite of a steamed bun and went to find Aunt Liu. They had arranged to meet today to discuss hiring someone to dig a well.

Upon arriving at Aunt Liu's house, after explaining the situation, Uncle Liu Hai said, "If Sister Chen trusts me, I'll go to Wangjiazhuang to discuss it myself. I inquired about it yesterday; digging a well, including materials and labor, would cost at most ten taels of silver. If Dazhuang and I work together, we can save two workers. What do you say?"

Chen Wenfang smiled and said, "Of course I trust Uncle. Then you can help me negotiate. You can help me buy the materials and arrange the staff. Both of you will be paid wages, and there can be no shortfall. Otherwise, I won't let you help me. Aunt Liu will help me cook."

Aunt Liu said, "Sure, your uncle and I will come to work at your house together, you rich lady."

Chen Wenfang laughed and said, "You can't call me that, or people will start thinking about me again."

Aunt Liu quickly replied, "Yes, yes, I have to be careful about that, especially with my mouth."

Uncle Liu Hai tidied up and said, "Sister Chen, I'll take Dazhuang to Wangjiazhuang. I'll go to your house after we've finished talking."

Chen Wenfang said, "Okay." Then she went over with Uncle Liu Hai and Da Zhuang to discuss which corner of the yard would be suitable for digging the well.

Upon arriving at Chen Wenfang's house, Uncle Liu Hai, Da Zhuang, and Chen Wenfang stood in the yard discussing for over ten minutes. Chen Wenfang felt the right side of the yard was better, while Uncle Liu Hai thought the left side was better. They still couldn't decide where to dig the well. Chen Wenfang then said, "Uncle Liu, why don't you go to Wangjiazhuang and find Uncle Youdi? He's an expert in this, he'll definitely know."

Uncle Liu then took Dazhuang with him.

No sooner had Uncle Liu left than someone knocked on the door. Chen Wenfang went out and saw that Master Zhang from the blacksmith shop had brought over a kiln.

"Master Zhang is here! Please come in, please come in!" Chen Wenfang hurriedly opened the courtyard gate.

Zhang the blacksmith said, "Madam Chen, your oven has been delivered to you."

Zhang the blacksmith's two young apprentices pushed a cart and unloaded the oven in the yard.

Zhang the blacksmith said, "Madam Chen, can you take a look and see if there are any problems? And this small box too."

Chen Wenfang examined it carefully. The oven was very well made, enlarged to scale exactly according to the blueprints. Although she hadn't marked the length herself, she had only given him a rough estimate. She hadn't expected Zhang the blacksmith to make it so well.

"No problem, you did a great job, you're amazing!" Chen Wenfang looked at the grid below and saw that there were basically no gaps; it was all sealed tightly with clay, which was truly impressive.

Chen Wenfang took out her money pouch from her pocket, took out two taels of silver and handed it to Zhang the blacksmith, but Zhang the blacksmith waved his hand and said, "Madam, please wait a moment, I have something I want to discuss with you."

Chen Wenfang asked in confusion, "Master Zhang, please tell me?"

"It's like this, this oven, the blueprints, could you part with your money and sell it to me?"

"Oh, what do you need this for?" Chen Wenfang asked.

“I want to make this oven and sell it to someone else. I know that you made this for Lord Ouyang. I made two and found that in addition to baking food, it can also boil water. It’s very practical. To be honest, a customer has already ordered one. Please, madam, part with it. I would be very grateful.” As he spoke, he took out a bag of loose silver from his pocket and said, “Here is twenty taels of silver. I hope you will accept it.”

Chen Wenfang thought to himself, if it weren't for the fact that Ouyang's name was mentioned, Master Zhang would probably have swallowed the blueprints and made them himself. In this day and age, there's no such thing as copyright awareness. If he really wanted to do it, there's nothing Chen Wenfang could do to stop him. So he reached out and took the blueprints, saying, "Master Zhang thinks highly of me. You can take these blueprints. Selling them to others in the future will benefit the people and make winter easier."

Having said that, he recalled how poor his family was when he was a child, and how they used to boil water in the winter. He said, “Master Zhang could also make some small stoves and sell them cheaper so that poor families could use them. They would be even better if they could be bought for just a few coins.”

Zhang the blacksmith became interested and asked, "How about a smaller one?"

Chen Wenfang said, "It's simple. Just make two cylindrical iron buckets. There's an iron frame at the bottom with a solid iron grid in the middle to collect ash. Then, use clay as a base in the middle of the cylindrical bucket, making the one next to the other cylindrical bucket thinner. This way, you can put an iron kettle on top to boil water or cook in a pot. The cylindrical bucket next to it can be covered to boil water. It's a bit time-consuming, but it's very practical to have hot water in the cold winter."

After listening, Zhang the blacksmith pondered for a moment, then suddenly exclaimed, "Madam Chen, you are truly talented!" He stood up and bowed, "Please accept my greeting! On behalf of the poor people, I thank you, Madam Chen. If I make this water stove, I will not sell it for a high price, out of respect for you. If I have any heart of greed for wealth, may I be struck by lightning!"

Chen Wenfang was startled by Zhang the blacksmith's sudden and excited oath, and quickly said, "Then just do your job well, I won't charge you for the rights."

Chen Wenfang didn't know that once this water heater was made, it would definitely be an essential item for every household. Even if it was sold cheaply, Zhang the blacksmith would still make a fortune.

Zhang the blacksmith didn't care at all about the printing fee she mentioned; as long as she agreed, he could do the work. Since Madam Chen had agreed, there was no need to worry about the Ouyang family. After thinking for a moment, he asked, "Then, Madam, how much do you think would be a suitable price for that kind of water heater?"

Chen Wenfang said, "I don't know about these things. Master Zhang, what do you think is the minimum amount that should be?"

Zhang the blacksmith gritted his teeth and said, "I can only make a little profit if it's at least eight hundred coins. The materials alone will cost at least half a coin, not to mention the labor and time, which will reduce my profit."

Chen Wenfang did the math in her head and thought it was about right, so she said, "Eight hundred coins is also reasonable. You can make two kinds, one larger or one more exquisite, and sell them for a higher price. People have different preferences, so naturally you'll earn more."

Zhang the blacksmith bowed again and said, "Thank you so much, madam. I will never forget Madam Chen's kindness."

Chen Wenfang smiled and said, "Master Zhang, you're too kind. I also come from a poor family. It's good to be able to do something for everyone."

Zhang the blacksmith clasped his hands in thanks and said, "Thank you for your kindness, madam. I'll take my leave now and go home to make a small stove."

Chen Wenfang returned the greeting and saw Zhang the blacksmith off. The three little ones were already curiously touching and exploring the furnace.