Divorced woman with child travels through time

After Uncle Di and Zhuan Tou left, Chen Wenfang counted out the wages, gave them to Uncle Liu Hai, and added sixty coins to the amount.

He said to Aunt Liu, "Auntie, this is your wages. I'm paying you the same rate as a cook in town. You don't mind, do you?"

Aunt Liu quickly waved her hand and said, "I don't want it. What would I do with it? I'm here to help, how can I take money? Besides, Shitou and I are eating here, how can I take money?"

Chen Wenfang feigned anger and said, "I asked you to come and help, so of course I have to pay you. If you don't accept it, I'll get angry."

As Aunt Liu was about to leave, Chen Wenfang stepped forward and forced the money into her hand. Aunt Liu felt very ashamed.

Chen Wenfang ignored her and went to discuss digging a cellar with Uncle Liu Hai.

"Uncle Liu, Uncle Liu, I want to dig a cellar in the side room. Which place do you think would be suitable?"

Uncle Liu pondered for a moment and asked, "Fang'er, where do you want to dig?"

Chen Wenfang said apologetically, "I don't know anything about these things either. Uncle Liu, you can decide what to do. I'm just thinking that the vegetables and such can be stored for a longer time in the future."

Uncle Liu Hai said, "In that case, we'll dig from under the room outwards, towards the outside of the wall, digging along the bottom. It'll be easier for you to get things that way. What do you think?"

Chen Wenfang said, "Sure, Uncle Liu Hai, you decide. I'll pay you the normal wages here, and I'll have Dazhuang come and help out too."

Uncle Liu nodded, and the next day he brought Dazhuang over. Aunt Liu, having nothing to do at home, also brought over her shoe uppers. She and Chen Wenfang made shoes together in the house.

After Dazhuang came over, he sneaked into the house and said to Chen Wenfang with great embarrassment, "Sister-in-law Chen, could you please call that brick from last time to come and help us? That way we can dig faster."

Chen Wenfang asked curiously, "That young man from last time?"

Dazhuang nodded shyly and said, "He only has an old mother at home. Her eyesight isn't very good; she's almost blind, and he takes care of her all by himself. It's very pitiful." Actually, Dazhuang was still thinking of finding some benefits for Zhuantou, helping him as much as he could. Now it's winter, and no one can find work. Zhuantou also has an old mother to support. At least he eats well working at Sister Chen's house, and Dazhuang feels sorry for him. His mother's pancakes are indeed terrible. Because she can't see clearly, she can't even tell the difference between raw and cooked food. His own mother used to be just as bad as Zhuantou's. If he hadn't learned some skills from Sister Chen, he would be making terrible pancakes now.

Chen Wenfang glanced at Aunt Liu, who looked at her blankly. It seemed it wasn't their idea; it was Dazhuang's own sudden decision. Chen Wenfang nodded and said, "That's fine too. Having one more person means we can finish sooner."

Dazhuang happily went back to digging, telling Uncle Liu Hai, "Dad, Sister-in-law Chen agreed that Zhuantou can come and help tomorrow. I'll ask him to come after we finish work." Uncle Liu Hai sighed. He understood Dazhuang's little scheme, but he was too embarrassed to ask. He and his son were already indebted to Sister Chen, and she was paying them so much. How could he ask for more people? Digging a cellar was usually enough for one person, but Sister Chen was kind enough to let them do it and pay them extra. Now, with three people, they'd have to dig a bigger one. He thought to himself that he could only try to finish as quickly as possible. Otherwise, he wouldn't be able to repay Sister Chen's kindness.

The next morning, before Aunt Liu and the others arrived, Chen Wenfang opened the courtyard gate and saw Zhuantou sitting outside. This startled Chen Wenfang.

She said, "Why are you here so early, child? Come in quickly! It's cold and humid outside; you'll easily catch a cold."

Brick hesitated and said, "How about we wait a bit? Let's wait for Dazhuang and the others to arrive before we go in together, Madam Chen."

Chen Wenfang said with a smile, "It's alright, come in first."

Chen Wenfang opened the courtyard gate, leaving it wide open so that Zhuantou could sit in the main room and have a clear view of the outside world.

He poured him a sip of hot tea and said, "Don't come so early next time. It's already winter, and it's cold. If you get sick, the money you earn won't be enough to cover medical expenses. It's not worth it."

Zhuan Tou took a sip of tea to warm himself up and said, "Thank you for your guidance, Madam Chen. I have learned a lot." Chen Wenfang nodded. So Zhuan Tou's name was Wang Kai Cai. He came from a well-educated family. She then said, "You haven't had breakfast yet? Why are you here so early?" Thanks to Chen Wenfang's influence, everyone in Wangjiazhuang and even Lijia Town now uses the word "breakfast." Even wealthy families eat three meals a day.

Brick immediately stood up and waved his hand, saying, "I've already eaten, thank you Madam Chen. I ate something this morning."

Chen Wenfang smiled and said, "Then you sit down first and wait for them to come over before you get busy."

Chen Wenfang went to wash up. Zhuan Tou sat and finished drinking tea, then went to the side room. He saw the steps leading down the floor and the tools next to them, grabbed something, and went inside to start digging.

Chen Wenfang didn't see him when she came out, so she guessed he had gone to dig the cellar. She went to check the cellar and, sure enough, he was inside. She smiled; this young man was really diligent. It was worth hiring him. About the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, Aunt Liu and Uncle Liu Hai arrived at Chen Wenfang's house with Dazhuang and Shitou. Yesterday, one-fifth of the cellar had been dug. Today, another person joined them. The three of them dug together. In less than three days, the cellar was finished.

After the excavation was completed, Uncle Liu Hai showed it to Chen Wenfang. They dug down more than ten steps, leading to a point three meters deep and four meters wide on the right. A person standing inside wouldn't bump their head; the depth was about 1.8 meters. It was almost like a small room. It was a cellar, clearly a small basement. Chen Wenfang was very satisfied.

A few days later, Chen Wenfang went down to the cellar to put things away. Finding it rather dark, she bought some lime and had Uncle Liu Hai plaster it to disinfect it. Seeing that she had extra lime, she bought more and used it to plaster the interior walls of the house as well, hoping to earn more money for the three of them. Uncle Liu Hai noticed the roof wasn't very airtight and, fearing a snowfall and change in weather, repaired it with thatch.

After the walls were plastered, the charcoal was delivered today, so I asked the three of them to help me put it in the basement.

After setting out the charcoal, having dinner, and settling their wages, Zhuantou went back to Wangjiazhuang. Chen Wenfang took a few sweet potatoes and lit them on the grill, teaching Uncle Liu Hai how to roast them. Once the charcoal was lit, the rest was simple. Just flip the sweet potatoes every now and then.

Before long, the sweet potatoes began to emit a particularly sweet aroma. Not to mention the three little ones, Dazhuang and Shitou, Aunt Liu and Chen Wenfang all sat around the stove waiting. Aunt Liu said with a smile, "You know what, in winter, if you had a stove like this where the whole family could sit around and warm themselves, it would actually be quite nice."

It's already late October, and winter is approaching. The temperature difference between day and night is large, and it's definitely getting a bit cold.

Chen Wenfang said with a smile, "Of course, it's so cold in winter without this stove. It's not easy to get through the day either."

Aunt Liu asked, "This stove must cost a lot of money, right?"

Chen Wenfang said, "This is a grill, we use it for business, no, it's for you to use for business, it's a specially made thing. You don't need such a big one for a real fire."

Uncle Liu stood up, turned the sweet potato over again, and said, "Fang'er, we can't take this. We've already received too much kindness from you. This stove must have cost several taels of silver. We can't take your things for nothing."

Chen Wenfang laughed and said, "I won't take it for free. Consider this stove a loan to you. Return it to me after you sell the sweet potatoes at the market. Uncle, if you really feel bad about it, you can consider it a rental. Give me twenty coins a day, how about that?"

Uncle Liu laughed and said, "I'll give you thirty coins, twenty coins is too little." Aunt Liu also said that it had to be thirty.

Chen Wenfang smiled and said, "Anyway, if you two are willing to give more, I'll just keep it. I don't mind if it's a little more money."

Everyone laughed.