Divorced woman with child travels through time

Chen Wenfang laughed and said, "Then aren't you afraid of me like this?"

Wang Erniu looked at her tenderly and said, "What's there to be afraid of? You can protect your child. You are an amazing mother. You should have a monument erected for you. You are a role model for all women in the world."

Chen Wenfang chuckled and said, "What monument? I'm not dead yet, what's with the joke?"

Wang Erniu asked curiously, "What does 'hanging up' mean?"

Chen Wenfang said cheekily, "It's hanging on a tree!"

Wang Erniu was even more confused, "Why hang it on a tree?"

Chen Wenfang laughed heartily, "Just kidding!" and ran off. Wang Erniu smiled indulgently and helplessly. This girl... But, this is more like a young lady.

Early the next morning, Chen Wenfang and Wang Erniu did what they always did. Soon after steaming the glutinous rice, Uncle Liu Hai came to Chen Wenfang's house. Uncle Liu Hai helped Chen Wenfang and Wang Erniu wash and dry the rice. Then, Wang Erniu drove the horse-drawn cart with the children to town. Now, Chen Wenfang usually didn't let Chu Yi and the others show their faces; they would sit inside cutting paper and ropes.

It was already December 15th, and there were only half a month left until the Lunar New Year. Chen Wenfang thought she would set up her stall for another week or so, and then stop to prepare some New Year's goods and have a good holiday. So Chen Wenfang asked someone to write a sign, which was placed next to her stall and read, "This stall will be open until December 20th."

Unexpectedly, as soon as the sign was put up, many people came to deliver syrup the next day, and Chen Wenfang accepted them all. The syrup that couldn't be finished was not wasted, as it could be made into other candies later. In the spring or summer, it could be made into fruit candies. Now, as long as there is a market, Chen Wenfang can set up a stall. Moreover, now that there is a horse-drawn carriage, it is convenient and the round trip does not take much time.

It had only been three days since Chen Wenfang had gone to see Wang Erniu. Two nights ago, Wang Erniu went out after returning home. On the third day, after seeing Chen Wenfang, Wang Erniu had already processed her household registration. Seeing Chen Wenfang in the kitchen, he brought it to her. Chen Wenfang was very interested in this kind of thing and asked him, "Brother Erniu, how did you do this?"

After all, he had only ever gone to the police station before, and it was done in no time. He didn't understand the need for relatives to witness the case or for a middleman. Wang Erniu laughed and said, "It didn't take much trouble. I just asked the village head, Wang Fugui, to go with me to get a certificate, and the county issued it."

Speaking of hiring people, Chen Wenfang remembered the money she had given Wang Baogui before, and asked, "Didn't you give him a kickback? He would definitely have asked for it."

Wang Erniu chuckled and said, "It wasn't much. He wanted five taels of silver, so I gave him two."

Chen Wenfang suddenly remembered the two taels of silver he had given her before. He refused the money Chen Wenfang offered, but he still managed to get everything done. Now Wang Erniu probably didn't have a single penny on him. What a fool! Chen Wenfang immediately took out ten taels of silver from her pocket and gave it to him, saying, "You've really worked hard. Here, take this money as a reward for your hard work."

Wang Erniu refused to take it, but Chen Wenfang insisted on giving it to him, saying, "How can a grown man like you not have any money on you? You can use it in case something happens. Here, take it."

Wang Erniu found the fierce-looking Chen Niangzi particularly cute, so he looked at her and grinned foolishly, "I'll ask you for it again."

"I don't care, you can take it first. I'm still keeping your wages safe. Just take this and keep it on your person."

Wang Erniu just grinned sheepishly and asked Chen Wenfang to hold the money for him. In her haste, Chen Wenfang blurted out, "If you don't hold the money, how will you get married in the future?"

Upon hearing this, Wang Erniu's face flushed red. He quickly stuffed the silver into his pocket, glancing shyly at Chen Wenfang, wondering if she was hinting at something. Chen Wenfang smiled but remained silent. As long as he had taken the money, that was enough. She then recounted the events of the first and fifteenth of the month to him. Erniu said, "That's easy. Tomorrow, find Wang Fugui and have him act as a middleman. Just draw up a written agreement. Wealthy families don't usually buy children like this. You're clearly doing a good deed; he'll agree." Chen Wenfang agreed. The following evening, she took the children to Wang Baogui's house, bringing him an ounce of silver and a pound of rice candy. The matter was quickly settled.

Chen Wenfang touched the household registration certificate, which read "Chen Wenfang, independent household, with son Xuanyu, and servants Chuyi and Shiwu." This was his household registration, making him a true person of ancient times.

These days, Uncle Liu Hai not only repaired the road leading to Chen Wenfang's house, but also built a fence around Chen Wenfang's vegetable garden.

The cotton-padded clothes that Chen Wenfang asked Aunt Liu to make for the people in Wangjiazhuang have all been finished. Chen Wenfang also paid all the people in Wangjiazhuang their wages, which were the same as what she usually earned as an embroiderer in Lijia Town. The young wives in Wangjiazhuang also received a considerable sum of money. Now the people in Wangjiazhuang are very polite to Aunt Liu's family. They can send them not only syrup but also vegetables on a regular basis, and Chen Wenfang will accept whatever they can.

Of course, Chen Wenfang also settled all the wages owed to the workers hired by Uncle Liu Hai. With the New Year approaching, she couldn't let them down. Chen Wenfang calculated that, based on the amount of work done by Aunt Liu and Uncle Liu Hai's family, the two of them could probably earn about six or seven taels of silver over these days.

On December 19th, Chen Wenfang renewed the lease for another month, as she planned to set up a stall during the Lantern Festival in the first lunar month and earn a considerable amount of money in the meantime. Therefore, Chen Wenfang put her belongings back in the rented room, and used a horse-drawn cart to transport the syrup and dried rice back home.

On December 20th, ten days before the Lunar New Year, Chen Wenfang led her children and Aunt Liu's family to the market to buy New Year's goods. They mainly bought clothes, snacks, and food for the children and adults, giving each person a brand-new outfit from head to toe. She also gave Aunt Liu a silver hairpin, and Aunt Liu reciprocated with a pair of exquisite embroidered shoes—clearly from a wealthy family. Wang Erniu and the other children were also surprised to discover they had so many clothes; they had no worries about having nothing to wear.

After settling the children in, the next day, Chen Wenfang took Wang Erniu and another person to buy New Year's goods in an empty cart. Chen Wenfang calculated the money she had earned and estimated that she had made more than a hundred taels of silver after deducting the cost of materials. So she was very generous and bought a lot of chicken, duck, goose, pork and mutton. She bought half a pig, two chickens, two ducks and two geese, and a basket of fresh fish for Aunt Liu and the others. She also gave each of them a tael of silver as a New Year's red envelope. Shi Tou and Da Zhuang each received half a tael of silver. The main point was that everyone should get something. Aunt Liu and the others happily accepted the gifts and became even closer to Chen Wenfang.

Chen Wenfang felt it wasn't right for her to keep taking Wang Erniu's money, so she pulled him aside for a detailed talk. She gave him ten taels of silver as wages for making rice cakes and selling rice puffs, based on the money he earned from them. Wang Erniu quietly accepted the money. Chen Wenfang figured he must have come to his senses and was now saving up for his future wife. She also gave him a red envelope containing one tael of silver, and fifty coins per child, so they could spend their money without worry and have a good New Year.