Divorced woman with child travels through time

"What the hell... which kid is so unclean, pooping everywhere!" Wang Xiaopang lifted his foot, looking at the golden soft object above him, on the verge of tears.

Chen Xuanyu scratched his head awkwardly, "I was just about to remind you!"

The others were all suppressing their laughter. Chu Yi thought to himself, "You yourself are still a child."

Wang Xiaopang dragged his feet around on the sandy ground, cleaning the soles of his shoes before leading the people home.

Chen Xuanyu and his friends were in a good mood, humming a little tune on their way home. On the way, they saw their own cow, and on the first day of the lunar month, they untied the rope and led the cow back. From then on, Wang Xiaopang stopped making things difficult for Chen Xuanyu, and the two groups got along quite well.

As for Chen Wenfang's side, there are more than ten acres of wasteland not far from Wang Erniu's house. If we hire people, it would probably not be enough to just hire men. It's all small stones and grass roots, which would be too expensive and not cost-effective.

Aunt Liu then said, "We can hire some young women. The aunties are all from the countryside and they can work just as well as the men. Besides, they are just small stones anyway, so it won't take up too much of the men's time. Let some young women who have nothing to do at home come and help. We'll give them forty coins a day as payment for their work."

“Then let’s not ask a man to do it. There are too many young wives staying at home, and it’s not worth it for a grown man to do it,” Chen Wenfang said. So, she asked Aunt Liu to go to Wangjiazhuang. Aunt Liu then told Aunt Chuntao and arranged a time.

Unexpectedly, a large group of people arrived the next day. Aunt Liu glanced at them and saw about thirty people. She said, "Madam Chen said she has more than ten acres of land, but she doesn't need so many people. If you're free, you can come to Erniu's house to help with the land, collect stones, and weed. Bring your own tools. If you're willing, go to Madam Chen's house tomorrow. I'll be there to help you. Remember to bring your own hoes. The pay is forty coins a day, lunch isn't provided, and the work isn't heavy. You can come whenever you're free. The pay is settled daily. If you have something to do, you don't have to come the next day, so it won't interfere with everyone's work." After saying that, Aunt Liu left.

Everyone was talking about it.

"This is good. Although it doesn't cost much, it's convenient."

"Second Aunt, are you going tomorrow?"

“I’ll go. Let Daya stay home and look after the child for a day. I’ll give it a try. It’s forty coins a day. That’s about the same as what you get working in town.”

"Then I'll go too."

"Sister, let's go together tomorrow. Chen Niangzi is trustworthy; she's not one to give money or not."

"Okay, let's go together."

Early the next morning, more than 20 people came to Chen Wenfang's house. Aunt Liu was a little embarrassed, but Chen Wenfang said, "Let them come. We'll hire them all to work together. More people means more power, and we can finish faster."

And so, one day you come, the next day I come, and after five or six days of work, more than ten acres of land were finally cultivated. Chen Wenfang kept his word and paid for each day he came this year. Everyone saw that Chen Wenfang was honest and hardworking, and that he was quick at picking up stones and pulling weeds. With the help of oxen, the work became easier. Wang Erniu, along with Uncle Liu Hai and Shi Tou Dazhuang, used oxen to pull the plow to turn the land over. Then the three of them leveled the land. With fewer people, it was easier for Chen Wenfang to cook.

After the land was turned over, several people rushed to plant broad beans, soybeans, and peanuts, all of which are crops that can be used to make sugar and pastries later. The vegetable garden was planted with cabbage, spinach, scallions, and so on.

After the land was planted, it was the off-season again, so Chen Wenfang asked Uncle Liu Hai to help hire about ten more bricklayers to build two more rooms. He also renovated the roof, replacing it with tiles and removing the thatched roof. This way, he wouldn't have to worry about rain or the wind blowing the roof off. Since there was no reinforced concrete in ancient times, Chen Wenfang bought ready-made materials—wood and bricks—making construction quick. The bricklayers worked for about ten days, and the house was finished. He then tiled the roof completely, paid the craftsmen, and gave each of them a large red envelope. In short, this house was built entirely with money.

Although the house was being renovated, it was normal to have a housewarming party. However, Chen Wenfang was impatient with this kind of banquet and didn't like having too many unfamiliar people at home. So, she asked Aunt Liu to go to Wangjiazhuang to inform the villagers to come and receive red envelopes on the day the house was renovated. Chen Wenfang and everyone else prepared snacks and pastries as gift bags at home, which included rice candy and red dates.

Following the New Year's custom, adults received 20 coins plus a gift bag, and children received 5 coins plus a small gift bag. Everyone who came received a gift, regardless of kinship. That day, not only Wangjiazhuang, but also people from the neighboring villages, Liujiawu, and Yaowang Village came. The word spread quickly. There were grandmothers with their grandchildren, young wives with their babies, young and old, and even children who ran over on their own. People who didn't know each other came. Fortunately, Aunt Liu was good at handling things. Although people from the surrounding villages didn't know Chen Wenfang very well, Aunt Liu knew them all. Otherwise, some people with bad intentions would have tried to take her away again and again. There were even two hunters from the mountains. When Wang Erniu saw that they were from the same trade, he also warmly welcomed them. Chen Wenfang smiled and gave them coins and gift bags.

Several hundred gift packages were sent out in total. And let me tell you, the people in the village really liked this approach. They didn't have to give gifts; they just gave money and snacks. Over the years, among all the people who have hosted dinner parties, only Madam Chen has genuinely spent money to host dinner parties. So they all praised her as a great philanthropist. The people of Wangjia Village also felt very proud, as she was the only well-known Madam Chen in their town.

By the end, Chen Wenfang's face was stiff from laughing, not to mention Wang Erniu. The two looked at each other with wry smiles. Seeing the villagers' reactions, Chen Wenfang thought to himself that he probably couldn't do it like this in the future. Too many people came, and his reputation was probably overshadowing the other rich people. He would be resented. Moreover, it was fortunate that it was far from the town. If it were closer, people from the town would come, and he would probably attract even more attention and make enemies.

It took more than a month to clear the wasteland and build the house. Only now have these things at home been mostly settled, and I've been able to go to the market less often.

In preparation for this market day, Chen Wenfang bought rice candy, soybeans, and glutinous rice at home, so he made a donkey roll. This is easy to store and you don't have to worry about it not being crispy, but you have to make it at home in advance.

Chen Wenfang, Wang Erniu, and Uncle Liu Hai and his wife spent the whole day at home making a large wooden box filled with donkey rolls and red bean paste, lined with kraft paper. When it was time to sell, they would roll the rolls in cooked soybean powder. Thinking that these two dishes were a bit monotonous, they added some fried peas and salt to the rice they had stored at home, and made a savory fried rice dish. They fried two jars of rice, sealed them with oil paper, and loaded them onto the horse-drawn cart.

He also took the sign made by carpenter Wang, which read "Chen's Pastries, Wholesale and Retail," and rushed to the market early in the morning.