Divorced woman with child travels through time

Upon hearing his words, Chen Wenfang's face immediately lit up with a wide smile, her eyes sparkling as she said, "Really? Then we'll stay here, Brother Erniu, I won't mind." In that instant, Chen Wenfang felt like she was possessed by the spirit of the village beauty. How could she be so good at being charming? Tsk tsk.

Hearing her sweet and cheerful voice, Wang Erniu couldn't help but look up at her. But her smiling face made his heart skip a beat. He quickly lowered his head again, afraid she would notice his unusual expression. "How come no one told me she was so pretty in so many people?" he thought. Unexpectedly, his ears turned red. Chen Wenfang watched, thinking that Erniu was quite amusing to tease.

Chen Wenfang asked with a smile, "Brother Erniu, how old are you?"

Wang Erniu said softly, "He's twenty-six."

Chen Wenfang laughed and said, "I'm twenty-four. Brother Erniu is a little older than me."

Wang Erniu gave a low "hmm".

Chu Yi ran over and said, "Godmother, the water is boiled. My brother and Xuanzi have washed their faces and feet, and I've also washed Xiao Hao. They're all lying in bed."

Chen Wenfang patted his head and said, "Chu Yi is great, you're a very responsible older brother." Chu Yi blushed.

Chen Wenfang told Wang Erniu to go take a bath. She then went to fetch another quilt.

Wang Erniu carried a bucket to the kitchen and saw the stove and pots that had been almost completely renovated, the cupboards piled high with rice and flour, the walls almost entirely covered with cured meat, fish, and dried vegetables, and a large rice jar standing nearby. He opened one and saw that it was completely full, which surprised him. Chen Niangzi was truly a very capable woman; she must be an excellent and virtuous wife.

Wang Erniu felt somewhat ashamed, realizing his thoughts were a bit filthy. She could live a very good life without a man; what did that have to do with being someone else's wife?

Normally, on the first and fifteenth of the lunar month, they would fill buckets with water and wash in the large bathtub in the side room. The ancient bathtubs were quite tall, with small wooden stools next to them to stand on. The tubs were also quite deep. Now that it's winter, they usually only bathe once every two weeks, so the large bathtubs are no longer needed. Chen Wenfang got them two lower bathtubs, which they use to wash their feet and bottoms on weekdays.

Wang Erniu, being tall and strong, found it inconvenient to use a bathtub, especially with so many children in the side room. So he simply carried two large wooden buckets of water to the yard, closed the door, glanced at the newly dug well, opened the well cover, lowered a rope from the windlass, and brought up a bucket of cold water. The well water wasn't icy in winter; it was even warm to the touch. Wang Erniu took a bathtub, poured in the hot and cold water, and without any hesitation, stripped naked and washed himself thoroughly outside. Chen Wenfang, hearing the commotion from inside, opened the window and peeked out. She thought to herself, "Brother Erniu is really healthy, washing outside in the dead of winter. Hmm, his buttocks are quite perky; he's got a good figure."

Chen Wenfang enjoyed the view, smiled, and closed the window.

It was cold, so the children returned to the kang (heated brick bed) on the first day of the Lunar New Year. The four children played and frolicked in the warm room, and Xiao Ahao had become completely familiar with them.

Chen Wenfang carried the quilt into the room. Little Ahao was bragging to them about his archery skills. The three little ones listened attentively. Little Ahao stood on the kang (a heated brick bed), hands on his hips, chest puffed out, and said proudly, "My archery is incredibly accurate! I'm great at hunting rabbits, I hit them every time! And let me tell you, my dad's swordsmanship is truly amazing. A hundred times better than mine! My dad used to hunt tigers, you know? He shot an arrow right in the tiger's eye, then ran around the forest until the tiger died of exhaustion."

Fifteen didn't believe it and said skeptically, "Impossible, right? Tigers are so big, how could one arrow take them down? Haozi, can you teach me archery in the future? I want to hunt rabbits too. Besides, even if you shoot one in the eye, it might not kill you, right?"

Chen Xuanyu said, "It's possible. The eye is right next to the brain. If the bullet went into the brain from the eye, he would definitely die, right?"

Chu nodded and said, "I think what Xuanzai said is very true, very likely. If Tiger's brain is broken, he'll be dead."

Xiao Ahao chimed in, "Yeah, its brain's all messed up, it must be stupid. No wonder my dad worked it to death. It shouldn't have run around like that."

Chen Wenfang watched their chaotic analysis with amusement. At Chen Wenfang's insistence, Chu Yi and Shi Wu finally stopped calling Chen Xuanyu "Master." The three of them got along like brothers.

Seeing Chen Wenfang enter, Chen Xuanyu asked her for confirmation, "Mother, do you think a tiger will die if it gets shot in the eye?"

Chen Wenfang laughed and said, "I don't know either. I've never fought a tiger. You can ask Uncle Aniu when he comes in."

When Wang Erniu came in after taking a bath, the children swarmed around him and asked him questions.

Fifteen asked, "Uncle Erniu, did you shoot the tiger in the eye? Or behind it? Is it dead?"

Chen Xuanyu then asked, "Uncle Erniu, did you shoot the arrow through the tiger's eye and into its brain?"

The first-year student asked, "Uncle Erniu, did you really kill the tiger?"

Little Ahao looked at Wang Erniu encouragingly, as if to say, "Dad, tell them and prove it to them."

Wang Erniu then earnestly explained to the children, "I did kill the tiger, but it wasn't just the eye that was hit by the arrow; there were other wounds on its body as well. The tiger was hit by more than ten arrows in total, and the last one finally hit its eye, killing it. It was also because I'm very familiar with our forest. I've played in the forest since I was a child that it didn't catch me. Ordinary people shouldn't try this lightly. As for the arrow piercing its brain, I don't think so. My arrows aren't that sharp; they couldn't have pierced it. The tiger was very big."

The children nodded and said in unison, "So it didn't run away because it was brain-damaged."

Fifteen said, "If we go to hunt tigers in the future, let's all four of us go together. Each of us can shoot a few arrows and it will die."

Chen Xuanyu said with some regret, "I do have a wooden sword. An uncle gave it to me before, but it's not the kind you can shoot. Otherwise, I would have just stabbed it to death." Wang Erniu heard this and looked at Chen Wenfang with some strangeness.

The first-year student raised an objection: "But none of us know how to hunt or shoot arrows."

Little Ahao patted his chest and said, "What's so difficult about that? Let me, my dad, teach you." He originally wanted to say that he would teach, but after looking at his small body, he thought it was more appropriate for his dad to teach.

The children looked at Wang Erniu with great interest, waiting for his reply. Chen Wenfang also looked at him with amusement.

Amidst the enthusiastic gazes of the crowd, Wang Erniu nodded and said, "That's fine, but it will be a bit tiring."

The children all said they had no problem and that they could do it.

Wang Erniu smiled and said, "Then I'll start teaching you tomorrow when I have time."

The children cheered.