Divorced woman with child travels through time

Aunt Wang Qi said again, "How are these steamed buns made? They're so delicious, fragrant, soft, and sweet. I've never eaten such delicious steamed buns in my entire life."

Da Zhuang laughed and said, "This is Madam Chen's secret recipe. I didn't know it." Aunt Wang, who was standing to the side, had already finished eating.

Da Zhuang put the syrup away, took the key from his waist, and said, "Auntie, your syrup is very well made and very clean. How about we charge you thirty-eight coins a jar?"

Aunt Wang Liu laughed, "That's good, that's a great price. We only sell it for thirty-two coins in town." Aunt Wang Qi thought to herself, "This silly sister of mine..." She then said, "Of course, ours is better made, young man, you can rest assured."

Da Zhuang smiled gently as always, "It's alright, you get what you pay for. You did a good job, so we naturally buy it at a high price. We welcome all the aunties to send us more syrup. We also buy peanuts and peas. The price is no lower than at the market."

Aunt Wang laughed heartily, "Okay, okay, I'll bring it over to you as soon as I have it, but the steamed buns we just ate don't need to be paid for, right?"

"No, this is for you to eat. Thank you for coming all this way!"

"Oh, Brother Liu is sure to have a great future!" Aunt Wang flattered.

"Then I'll take your kind words. Here's the money, please keep it." Da Zhuang handed the money to the two men and saw them off.

In the next room, Wang Erniu gave his seat to Aunt Liu and followed Uncle Liu Hai into the inner room. Chen Wenfang was boiling malt syrup. Seeing them come in, she said, "We just ran out of fried rice. Let's make some fried rice after breakfast." The two nodded.

After everyone finished their breakfast, they cooked the syrup and then fried 300 catties of rice until noon. Usually, people came to pick up the goods in the morning, while in the afternoon, some people delivered rice and flour, some delivered jars, and some villagers brought small amounts of syrup.

Dazhuang gave away the doors to the two houses that were used as shops. The courtyard gate was open, and anyone looking for them could come in directly. Chen Wenfang and Aunt Liu were making lunch. Wang Erniu and Uncle Liu Hai squeezed into the kitchen. Wang Erniu was tending the fire, while Uncle Liu Hai sat idly by and watched.

Chen Wenfang stewed a pot of wild boar meat, fried a plate of cured fish, stir-fried bean sprouts, and fried some tofu. After the main road was repaired, the families in Wangjiazhuang who specialize in making tofu now pass by Chen Wenfang's door when they sell their tofu. Whenever Chen Wenfang sees them, she buys a few pieces as a side dish.

While everyone was eating, Chen Wenfang spoke up, "Auntie, do you know any reliable people you can hire for me? We don't have enough people here, so we might not be able to go to the market."

Aunt Liu put down her bowl, took a breath, and said, "How many people do you need to find? I'll think about it carefully."

“We need at least two, ideally one male and one female, both of good character and good at keeping secrets. It’s not easy for us to make this business work.” Chen Wenfang said after taking a bite of food. “Uncle, could you also help us find a few more people? We need to build another kitchen next to our main kitchen, and we also need to get two more pots. I also want to make an oven.”

Aunt Liu said, "No problem, I'll take care of it." Before Uncle Liu Hai could speak, Da Zhuang said anxiously, "Sister Chen, can we send Zhuan Tou? He's a very nice person, I guarantee his character."

"Brick, he's alright. This kid is quite honest. Let's have him come over tomorrow. Two taels of silver a month."

"Okay, thank you, Sister-in-law Chen!" Dazhuang happily added another bowl of rice. "Don't be so polite, child," Chen Wenfang said with a smile.

"Why don't you find Wang Deming's eldest daughter, Chunlan? She's been strong since she was little and is a great help in the family. She can even farm. I just don't know if her mother will agree," Aunt Liu said.

"You make the decision. You're very strong. The main thing is that I want to make fried rice at home, but I can't find anyone to help. I need to give the girls a way out."

"Fang'er's idea is good. I'll go ask her later."

“Yes, once Uncle Liu Hai has built the kitchen and there are more stoves, we can hire two more,” Chen Wenfang added.

Uncle Liu Hai finished his meal in big mouthfuls and said, "Then I'll go to the village and tell You that I'll come tomorrow."

Chen Wenfang nodded, and seeing that Wang Erniu hadn't said anything, she asked, "Brother Erniu, what do you think? Why aren't you saying anything?"

Wang Erniu paused for a moment and said, "Why don't we build houses on that open space behind the house? Including the kitchen, we should be able to build three more rooms." He then looked at Chen Wenfang, reached into his inner pocket, and pulled out a bag of silver. "I've kept all the money you gave me. Let's take it all and build the houses behind the house. It'll save us from having to build again when our business gets bigger and we find we don't have enough space. It's not worth it to have to host several parties at our house!"

Chen Wenfang smiled and said, "Brother Erniu is right. You can keep the money. I have plenty. I'm a rich woman. You can't touch your money. It's settled then. Uncle Liu, I'll have to trouble you again." Wang Erniu had no choice but to put the money away again. He had saved up fifty taels.

"Fang'er, you're too kind. I'll go right away!" Uncle Liu Hai really enjoyed arranging these things, so he put down his bowl and went to Wangjiazhuang.

Everyone went about their business, and the next day, Zhuantou and Chunlan came to work. Originally, Chunlan's mother was not very happy about her daughter showing her face in public, but when Aunt Liu offered two taels of silver a month for wages, plus lunch, she immediately agreed. Two taels of silver! She had heard that the village head, Wang Fugui, only received one tael and two mace of silver a month. She certainly couldn't let her daughter suffer like that. She definitely had to take this opportunity. Moreover, it was at Chen Niangzi's house, where she would only be working in the inner room and wouldn't have to come out. She was even more happy about it and specifically told Chunlan to work hard before letting her come.

Needless to say, Zhuan Tou is usually as close to Da Zhuang as they are, and it's even better when he works at Chen Wenfang's house, where he gets to eat well.

On weekdays, Zhuan Tou helps Da Zhuang with tasks such as making dried rice, frying rice, and collecting syrup. Chun Lan learns to make syrup and fry rice candy from Aunt Liu. Chen Wen Fang also teaches Aunt Liu how to make maltose. After Chun Lan came, Aunt Liu started teaching her how to make maltose. Da Zhuang and Zhuan Tou also do the heavier work such as making donkey rolls, cooking red bean paste, frying soybeans, and grinding flour.

Both of them had signed confidentiality agreements with the village chief, Wang Fugui, before coming over, so Chen Wenfang was quite confident in using them. They picked things up quickly, as they were used to farm work and were very efficient. In just three days, they were almost ready to work without Aunt Liu watching over them.

Uncle Liu Hai's side was also quick, but this time he found a few more people to help. Five people came from Wangjiazhuang, three from Liujiawu, and only two from Yaowang Village. With Uncle Liu Hai and the others, Chen Wenfang had money, so the materials arrived quickly, and the work started quickly. The next day, all the people he had hired arrived, and Chen Wenfang didn't have to worry about anything. Uncle Liu Hai was taking care of them, and they were all acquaintances.