Divorced woman with child travels through time

Wang Erniu didn't object to Chen Wenfang buying so much glutinous rice, which surprised Chen Wenfang. She asked, "Brother Erniu, don't you find it strange that I bought so much glutinous rice?"

Wang Erniu laughed and said, "I've been making rice popcorn all day, so I have a pretty good idea of ​​how many kilograms I sold. Besides, you must have calculated how much you bought, so why would I be surprised?"

Chen Wenfang thought to herself, "I didn't expect Wang Erniu, who looks so tall and big and a bit simple-minded, to be such a shrewd person despite his rough exterior." After thinking for a moment, Chen Wenfang said, "Brother Erniu, why don't you come with me to the horse market?"

Wang Erniu asked curiously what they were going to do at the horse market, and Chen Wenfang replied, "Come with me and see for yourself."

When the two arrived at the horse market, Chen Wenfang said, "Brother Wang Erniu, do you know how to pick horses?"

Wang Erniu smiled and said, "I can do that. I can check the bit, the hooves, the coat color, and so on."

Chen Wenfang smiled and said, "Help me pick one..."

Wang Erniu asked, "Do you want to buy a horse?" Chen Wenfang smiled and said, "Yes, we've been busy with business these days. It's inconvenient to travel around all the time. Buying a carriage will make it safer for us to travel on the road."

Wang Erniu took out the two pieces of silver from his pocket and handed them to her, saying, "I don't have any more. I'll hunt some game and exchange them for silver for you. You can take them for now."

Chen Wenfang smiled and pushed his money back, saying, "No need, I have enough."

Wang Erniu's face flushed slightly. He silently took the money back.

As the two were talking, an old man came along, leading a tall black horse that pulled a simple-looking carriage with some ornate tassels on the top. The carriage looked quite spacious and had a sign that read "For Sale" on it.

Upon seeing this, Chen Wenfang quickly went up to inquire. The old man was a butler-like figure, wearing a dark blue silk robe with subtle stripes, which looked quite valuable.

Chen Wenfang asked, "Sir, how much would you sell this carriage for?"

The old man glanced at her sideways and said unhappily, "Who are you calling 'old man'? It's one hundred taels in total, no bargaining."

"It's so expensive!" Chen Wenfang said, naturally complaining about the price.

The old man glanced at her up and down again, and said bluntly, "This horse is a fine steed. Do you even know how to judge it? You can't get it for less than sixty or seventy taels, let alone this carriage. You'll only make a profit if you buy it."

Chen Wenfang hesitated, but Wang Erniu leaned down and whispered in her ear, "This price is acceptable, and this horse is indeed excellent." Chen Wenfang nodded. The black horse was tall and large, clearly an extraordinary breed, and then asked, "Does this horse have a registration? Do you have any proof? Is it from the black market? Are you sure you can sell it?"

The old butler said somewhat angrily, "Our Li family has been a family business for a hundred years. How could we possibly cheat people? Don't talk nonsense. Take it or leave."

Chen Wenfang smiled ingratiatingly and said, "Please don't be angry, sir. This is my first time buying this horse, and it's very expensive, so I naturally have to be careful. I'm sorry you had to ask so many questions."

The old man's expression softened, and he said, "Our master needs to buy some things, but he doesn't have the cash on hand right now. We don't usually need this carriage, so he asked me to sell it. You've gotten a good deal."

Chen Wenfang looked at Wang Erniu again, and Wang Erniu nodded to her. Chen Wenfang smiled and said, "Thank you. Let's get it notarized then." The old man nodded, and the three of them signed the papers at the horse market management office, had it stamped with the official seal, and bought the carriage for one hundred taels of silver.

Chen Wenfang took two silver ingots from her pocket and handed them to the old man. The old man took the money, turned around, and left. Wang Erniu was somewhat surprised by Chen Wenfang's casual act of taking out two fifty-tael silver ingots from her pocket. This Chen woman, why does she seem so indifferent to money? She just puts two ingots in her pocket like that? Someone could easily steal them from her! What a strange woman.

Little did they know that Chen Wenfang had been exhausted from running around Lijia Town every day for the past few days and had been wanting to buy a carriage for a long time. She had already inquired about the amount of money needed to buy a carriage and had prepared it on her person. She was a person who was warm on the outside but cold on the inside and usually kept her distance from people, let alone getting close to people she wasn't familiar with.

Chen Wenfang had no idea about Wang Erniu's little schemes. After Wang Erniu took the reins, she asked, "Brother Erniu, can you drive a horse-drawn carriage?"

Wang Erniu said, "Of course I can."

Chen Wenfang smiled and said, "Then I'll get in first, you can drive."

Wang Erniu led the carriage forward, letting Chen Wenfang climb in. Chen Wenfang wondered how she could get in, but when the carriage door opened, there was a low stool inside, which she intended to use as a footrest. This was perfect. Chen Wenfang sat down. The interior was understated yet stylish; the seat cushions on three sides were all thickly covered with dark blue cotton cloth, and the armrests were thoughtfully padded for protection. Flipping around, she found some hidden compartments for water pouches. Chen Wenfang exclaimed that she had really struck gold. Indeed, buying things depended on fate; if she had really searched, she wouldn't have been able to buy such a fine carriage.

Wang Erniu drove the carriage with Chen Wenfang to the market stalls. The market had already closed and most people had left, so few people saw the carriage.

Aunt Liu thought it was a carriage that Chen Wenfang had rented, so she laughed and said, "Oh, Fang'er is so thoughtful. She knows we're tired, so she rented a carriage for us. That's great! Come on, let's all get in the carriage and go home."

Uncle Liu had already returned the stall's equipment to his rented room. Seeing this, he said to Chen Wenfang, "Then I'll push this cart back and leave it there. Wait for me." Chen Wenfang said, "Okay." She put down her footrest and called the children to get on the cart. Fifteen was nimble and climbed up by himself in no time. Little Ahao was too small and his legs were too short to climb up, as was Chen Xuanyu. Wang Erniu dismounted and carried Chen Xuanyu and Little Ahao onto the cart. The others also got on the cart. Chen Wenfang carried Chen Xuanyu, Aunt Liu carried Little Ahao, and Dazhuang carried Fifteen. Everyone sat in a row. It was surprisingly spacious on the horse; even with so many people, it wasn't crowded.

When Uncle Liu Hai returned, Wang Erniu gracefully mounted his horse, looking quite spirited. He then sat in the driver's seat and couldn't resist showing off. The younger children watching from behind exclaimed in admiration. Chen Xuanyu exclaimed first, "So cool, Uncle Erniu! You have to teach me sometime!" Shiwu and Xiao Ahao, like broken records, echoed, "I want to learn too! I want to learn too!" The three older boys, Chu Yi and Shi Tou Dazhuang, were too shy to compete with the children, but it was clear that they all had a longing in their eyes.

Seeing this, Chen Wenfang smiled and said, "No rush, there's plenty of time later. Uncle Erniu will teach you!"

What does this mean? Everyone was puzzled.

Seeing everyone looking at her, Chen Wenfang kept them in suspense for a moment, and only spoke slowly with a smile when everyone was about to speak up, "After all, this carriage is now our own!"