Divorced woman with child travels through time

Walking along the path, he soon arrived home. It was nearing evening, and the sky was darkening. The lights in the house came on, and Wang Erniu looked at them, suddenly feeling a little dazed. He remembered how, when he used to hunt late, his wife would leave a light on for him like this when he returned.

Wang Erniu composed himself, put his son down, and knocked on the door. "Bang, bang, bang."

Inside the house, Chen Wenfang was with her three children. There was a large bowl of braised noodles on the table, and the four of them were sitting around the table eating noodles.

Hearing the knock, Chen Xuanyu ran over immediately, smiling as he said, "It must be Brother Shitou..." "Brother Shitou, you..." Chen Xuanyu opened the door, looked at the man in front of him, and didn't say the last question, "Do you want some noodles?"

Seeing this, Chen Wenfang also came over.

"Who is this guy?" Chen Xuanyu wondered, curiously observing them. Wang Hao was also observing this older brother who was a little older than him.

Chen Wenfang looked at Wang Erniu and the child beside him. The tall and burly man was about twenty-five years old. He was decent-looking, with thick eyebrows and sharp eyes. He was simple-minded but not stupid. He looked like a bear. He was leading a cute little boy of three or four years old. He also looked a bit weathered by the sun and wind. Suddenly, it dawned on Chen Wenfang that this could not be Wang Erniu.

Chen Wenfang smiled and tentatively called out, "You're Brother Erniu, right?"

Wang Erniu asked in confusion, "It's me, and who are you?"

Chen Wenfang immediately smiled warmly and said, "Brother Erniu, come in first! Come in first and we'll talk. Have you eaten? You haven't eaten yet, have you? I cooked some noodles. It's cold outside, let's come in and eat while we talk."

After saying this, the two led the children through the gate and closed it.

Wang Erniu, however, was fearless. What was there to be afraid of in his own home? He followed them inside, putting down the bundle he was carrying. He looked around the room, seeing his once impoverished home now filled with brand-new furniture: a chest of drawers, a square table, and freshly painted walls.

"Please sit down for a moment, I'll go get you some bowls." Chen Wenfang smiled and went into the kitchen. At the table, Chu Yi and Shi Wu stopped eating their noodles, and along with Chen Xuanyu, three pairs of eyes stared at the father and son.

Chen Wenfang brought over bowls and chopsticks and said with a smile, "Come, come, sit down and have some noodles first."

Wang Erniu and Wang Hao sat down on the long bench, and Chen Wenfang warmly served them noodles. "Don't be shy, Erniu, eat up. Everyone, eat up. I've heated up some leftover pancakes from lunch in the pot. We'll heat them up later, and you can eat more if you need more," Chen Wenfang added.

Wang Erniu picked up the bowl and started eating heartily; he was indeed very hungry. The moment the noodles entered his mouth, Wang Erniu paused, thinking, "These noodles are so delicious!" They were chewy and springy, the sauce rich and flavorful, and the texture smooth. He devoured them in a frenzy, finishing the large bowl in just two minutes. Chen Wenfang was stunned; he ate them way too fast!

The three younger children stared blankly at him, while Wang Hao remained expressionless, continuing to eat his noodles. Many people had this expression the first time they saw their father eating; he was used to it.

After finishing his bowl of noodles, Wang Erniu noticed everyone staring at him and looked at Chen Wenfang sheepishly, asking, "Can I eat some more?"

Chen Wenfang didn't react for a moment, and stammered, "Of course, you can scoop it out yourself from the basin."

Wang Erniu didn't stand on ceremony. He picked up a bowl, filled it to the brim with noodles, and started eating. You couldn't blame Wang Erniu; he lost his mother at a young age, and his father wasn't a good cook either. His father had once saved an old scholar who had broken his leg on the official road. The scholar, grateful, arranged a marriage between his son and the old scholar. Wang Erniu and his wife were thus betrothed as children. The old scholar had an only daughter, whom he doted on, and he wasn't a good cook either. Forget about good meals; it was already a luxury for Wang Erniu and his father to have a cooked meal at all.

Fortunately, Wang Erniu wasn't a picky eater; he could eat either raw or cooked food. Sometimes when he hunted in the forest, he would eat whatever he caught, otherwise he wouldn't have grown so big. Little Wang Hao took after his father and was the same way. The father and son quickly ate a large bowl of noodles, along with eggplant and dried meat slices, and managed to devour two-thirds of it.

Chen Wenfang and Chu Yi only ate the bowl of noodles they were holding.

After finishing their meal, Chen Wenfang tidied up her things and asked Chu Yi to take the three children to the kitchen to fetch water to wash their feet before resting. She then took two stools, dragged them under the eaves, and said to Wang Erniu, "Brother, come and sit down. Let me tell you about my situation."

Xiao Hao looked at his father, Wang Erniu nodded, and he obediently followed Chu Yi to wash up.

Wang Erniu was a little amused and exasperated by Chen Wenfang's attitude of treating him like the host, but it didn't really matter. Besides, she had just cooked him some delicious noodles, and he felt obligated to help. So Wang Erniu sat down and said, "Alright, go ahead and say it." Chen Wenfang smiled and said, "Brother Erniu, I'm boiling water in the kitchen. You two can take a bath and get some rest when it's done."

A faint smile appeared on Wang Erniu's angular face as he said, "Okay."

Chen Wenfang said embarrassedly, "Actually, it's nothing. When I was fleeing famine with my son, I accidentally fell and hit my head, and then I don't remember much about my past. After I woke up, I ran into your house. I was so hungry that I couldn't stand it. When I ran out, I heard from others that this was your house, so I lied and said that I was your cousin. I had nowhere to go and no money at the time, so I stayed at your house temporarily."

"Later, Aunt Liu helped me and gave me some food. It was the family in front of the corner. They were also fleeing famine, but they came earlier than me. They were a family that was particularly good at farming. After I got the food, I saw that your house was empty, so I thought I would stay for a while, make some money, and then leave."

Wang Erniu listened quietly.

Chen Wenfang looked at Chu Yi and Shiwu and said, "As for the other two children, actually, I don't know them. Their parents are gone, their stepmother beats and scolds them, and even tried to sell them. They ran away and became homeless. They were sick, and I felt sorry for them, so I adopted them. They're so old now, it's just a matter of a bowl of rice. I thought I should help them if I could."

"That's settled then. Of course, I still want to thank you. If you'd like, we can continue to live here, and I'll pay the rent. If not, please let me stay a little longer. I'll rent a house in town tomorrow and then move out with the kids. As for the furniture and stuff, I won't take it with me. I'll leave it with you as a thank you gift for staying here for so long. Is that alright?" Chen Wenfang said, looking into Wang Erniu's eyes.

Wang Erniu looked back at her. The two were very close. Chen Wenfang's big eyes and long eyelashes were like a kitten's. She looked at him softly, and her clear black and white eyes were full of sincerity.

Wang Erniu suddenly felt a little inferior. Without even tidying himself up, he turned his head in a panic, looked down at the ground as if searching for ants, and said earnestly, "No, no, you can stay here. It's free. My son and I don't need much space. The kang is big enough; even a few more people can sleep in it. I can hunt. I'll earn money and bring it back to you. You can cook for us to eat together."

Wang Erniu smiled sheepishly, his smile making him look a little simple-minded, and said, "As long as you don't mind that we eat a lot, you can stay as long as you like."