Divorced woman with child travels through time

Wangjiazhuang is estimated to have forty households, scattered along the edge of the mountain, one family per courtyard. The scholar's surname is also Wang, named Wang Chengying. Chen Wenfang, being a lone resident, couldn't personally write the poem, so she asked Aunt Liu to help her get it written, giving a packet of Prunella vulgaris as a thank-you gift. There was no other way; this was the only way Chen Wenfang could make money, so she had to take it seriously.

After setting up the signboard, Aunt Liu led Chen Wenfang on a tour of Wangjiazhuang. Wang Youcai, the village head, was considered relatively wealthy in the village; he lived in a three-courtyard, brick-and-tile house and raised two pigs. Aunt Liu emphasized that she was worried about Chen Wenfang, a widow and orphan, and that she could ask the village head for help if anything happened. During the tour, Aunt Liu introduced Chen Wenfang to quite a few people.

The wooden basin and other items were heavy, so they waited until Carpenter Wang finished making the table and delivered it in a few days. They took the wooden bowls, chopsticks, and other odds and ends they had bought, along with six eggs from the only shop in the village, owned by Aunt Chun Tao. They also bought some soy sauce and took the children home. They planned to ask Aunt Liu's chickens to help raise some chicks; Aunt Chun Tao was Wang Youcai's wife, and it was through this connection that they were able to open their shop. They also spent five coins to buy five pieces of maltose candy, one for each of the three children, and one for themselves and Aunt Liu. Aunt Liu was very touched that someone would buy her candy at her age, and laughed, "I'm so old, why would I eat candy? I don't want any."

Chen Wenfang laughed and said, "Why can't you eat it? I bought it for your aunt, so you have to eat it. If you don't eat it, you don't like me. Besides, I've already eaten it. We can't all eat it. You just wait and see, right, Dazhuang and Shitou?"

Dazhuang and Shitou nodded repeatedly, and even Chen Xuanyu, the kid, said yes, yes.

Seeing this, Aunt Liu smiled and ate the candy; it was truly sweet to her heart.

Back home, Chen Wenfang started making lunch again. Today they were having noodles. She mixed flour with water, pinched off small balls, stretched them into long strips, and tossed them into boiling water. After cooking, she rinsed them in cold water, heated oil, added roasted scallions and wild vegetables, then added the noodles, salt, and soy sauce. It tasted pretty good, but unfortunately, there was no chili. Adding some meat would make it even better. Chen Wenfang found herself craving meat; in her previous life, she had never worried about it, nor had she ever thought about it. The gathering was every ten days; she'd have to buy some meat next time.

Over the next few days, Chen Wenfang began collecting dandelions and selfheal. With a hoe, she dug up dandelion roots to plant in the yard. She also collected a considerable amount of mulberry leaves and wild chrysanthemum leaves, though not much, to save for the autumn blooms. Chen Wenfang was slowly becoming familiar with the mountain behind her; she was sure it held many good things.

Because she had made a lot of herbs, Chen Wenfang started chopping firewood again. While she was chopping, she saw a plump old woman in a light red floral dress walking seductively towards her house. Chen Wenfang didn't think much of it, assuming she was just passing by. She carried some firewood home with her child and found the old woman leaning against the wall at the front door.

Chen Wenfang stepped forward, leaned the firewood against the wall, and asked, "What are you doing here?"

The old woman, with her hair styled in a cloud-like bun, laughed so hard she trembled. The large pink silk flower in her hair swayed as she said, "Madam Chen, I am Wang Jinhua. I, Wang Po, have been the matchmaker for at least nine out of ten families within a ten-mile radius. Madam Chen, you are overjoyed!" With that, she flicked her handkerchief, and a cheap perfume scent wafted out.

Chen Wenfang had been here for so long, and when she first arrived, she hadn't even combed her hair, let alone put it up in a bun. She was a child and didn't know how to comb her hair either. The comb she used was one she bought for two coins at the market last time. Now, the most she could do was use chopsticks to make an antique-style bun, which she learned from videos on her phone in her previous life. She was still wearing the old gray clothes with frayed edges that she wore when she fled the famine. Compared to this matchmaker Wang, she was practically a down-and-out.

Chen Wenfang thought to herself, "No way, trying to set me up with someone like me, a homeless man?" So she asked, "Aunt Wang, are you joking? Look at me, so poor and penniless, it's not appropriate for me to recommend someone."

Matchmaker Wang laughed, "Not at all, not at all. Madam Chen is truly beautiful and intelligent, and she knows about herbs and how to make money. Of course, there are plenty of men who would like you."

Chen Wenfang thought to herself, "So, they're after my money from selling herbs."