Divorced woman with child travels through time

After leaving the Ouyang residence, Dazhuang became even more excited. "Sister-in-law, I actually ate at the same table as the county magistrate! I'm going to go back and tell Father!"

"It's not appropriate to say that. Our business has grown too big. It's not good to use the magistrate's name. It would have a bad influence, you know?" Chen Wenfang instructed.

"Oh, I understand." Dazhuang was a smart kid, and he calmed down after a while, though he was a little downcast.

Chen Wenfang laughed and said, "But you can tell your dad that we got an order for 500 jin of chili sauce."

"That's true..." Da Zhuang perked up again, now he wouldn't have to worry about selling the chilies.

The two walked back happily. When they passed the shop, Chen Wenfang glanced at it again and thought she wanted to buy it. What should she do?

Back at the stall, Wang Erniu and the others were eating. When Uncle Liu Hai saw them coming, he quickly handed them bowls to eat, but Chen Wenfang waved his hand and said, "We've already eaten at Ouyang's place. You two eat, we'll watch the stall." Uncle Liu Hai didn't stand on ceremony and went to eat by himself.

Dazhuang leaned closer and said, "Dad, my sister-in-law just got an order. Guess how many kilograms it is?"

"Where did this order come from? Didn't we go to the Ouyang residence?" Wang Xiaoguang asked, taking a bite of food. "Could Magistrate Ouyang place an order for us?"

"Could it be Madam Ouyang?" Uncle Liu Hai asked doubtfully.

"Dad's amazing! It's Madam Jiang, she said it was ordered for her brother." Da Zhuang gave Chen Wenfang a thumbs up, just like Chen Wenfang.

"Hehe, that's easy." Uncle Liu was overjoyed to be praised in public. "How many kilograms did you order?"

"Five hundred catties."

"That's great!" Uncle Liu Hai and the others were overjoyed, as were the Wang Xiaoguang and Xiaoming brothers. They had been keeping an eye on these few acres of land every day, and now it all seemed worthwhile. The group whispered among themselves at the table behind them, while Wang Erniu in front also took the opportunity to whisper to Chen Wenfang.

Since the engagement was arranged, Wang Erniu has become much bolder and dared to hold her hand in front of others.

The same thing happened this time. Wang Erniu finished his meal in a few bites, and using the high cabinet to block people's view, he held her little hand and gently squeezed it.

"Fang'er, did you suffer any grievances at the Ouyang family just now?"

"No, what grievances could I possibly suffer?"

"That's good." Fang'er's hands are so soft, Wang Erniu thought to himself as he kneaded them.

"Brother Erniu, there's something I want to tell you." Chen Wenfang was still thinking about the shop and didn't even notice that he was holding her hand.

"What is it? I'm willing to do anything."

"I see a shop up ahead. Let's go see if we can buy it, so we won't have to keep renting a place to store our things."

"Okay," Wang Erniu replied absentmindedly.

"Then, let's go!" Chen Wenfang grabbed his hand and started walking. "Uncle, you watch the stall for a bit, we have something to do up front."

When they arrived at the shop, Wang Erniu realized that she really wanted to buy the shop. He smiled, grabbed Chen Wenfang's hand, and pulled her inside.

This shop is a small, detached building, not as big as Spring Breeze and Autumn Moon. According to the waiter, it used to be an inn. There is a storefront in the front, and the hall is quite large with four tables and some empty space. There are four large dormitory rooms on the first floor, six superior rooms and four ordinary guest rooms on the second floor, and a small courtyard with three thin brick houses, as well as a warehouse. The kitchen also has two stoves, and the toilets are all separate. There is also a well in the courtyard and a jujube tree that has borne a lot of jujubes.

The two were led around by the waiter to look at the place inside and out. Chen Wenfang was satisfied. Having lived two lives, she had always wanted a house. Although this small building was not as grand as those big teahouses, she was still satisfied with it. After all, business is something that needs to be built up slowly.

Before long, the shop owner arrived. Manager Fang, who was nearly fifty years old, especially loved black sugar sachima and had bought it several times. It was fortunate that the three hundred catties of black sugar arrived in time, otherwise they would have run out of stock.

"Madam Chen, have you taken a liking to this place? What do you think?"

"Hello, Manager Fang." Chen Wenfang recognized him; he used to come here often to buy pastries. "I wanted to ask how much this whole building costs?"

"Hey, to be honest, my son has bought a shop in Yingtian Prefecture and needs my help to manage it. So I have to sell this place. It's a painful decision for me. If Madam Chen really wants it, here's seven hundred taels of silver for you."

"Seven hundred taels?" Chen Wenfang looked at Wang Erniu.

Wang Erniu then said, "Manager Fang is joking. Our place is remote. If you use this building as an inn, it's a bit small. If you use it as a teahouse, it will require a lot of renovations. The price is not suitable."

Chen Wenfang cheered for Erniu in her heart. When did Erniu become so eloquent?

Manager Fang smiled but remained silent, looking at Chen Wenfang.

Chen Wenfang thought to himself, "Do you think I'm stupid? Easy to fool?" He then said, "I think you're right, Second Brother. Manager Fang, you're not genuinely interested in doing business. Let's go."

"Hey, hey, don't go!" It's rare for someone to come. To be honest, he was so worried. No one had taken over the business, and he was even thinking that this Mrs. Chen's business was just starting out. He was afraid she was a country bumpkin and he might as well just rip her off.

"I wonder what price you think would be appropriate, madam? I really want to sell it," Manager Fang said with a smile.

Chen Wenfang then looked at Wang Erniu, urging him to put his skills to use. In fact, she had inquired about the surrounding shops before, and estimated that they could be bought for around three hundred taels. After all, Lijia Town wasn't a big town, and this building wasn't large either. At most, it would cost three hundred taels. It was just that this shopkeeper was shrewd and playing with people.

Wang Erniu said, "Shopkeeper, if you're honest in business, give us a fair price. Otherwise, you won't be happy if we haggle wildly, will you?"

Shopkeeper Fang then said, "Then it should be at least four hundred taels. Our location is good. If my son hadn't been urging me so much, I wouldn't have been willing to sell it."

Wang Erniu then looked at Chen Wenfang, who smiled and said, "Manager Fang, as you know, I'm a very straightforward person. You'll charge me 280 taels for this. Your place is worth at most 300 taels. You've been in business for so long, so let's deduct for the wear and tear and give you 20 taels less. That should be acceptable. Is that alright with you?"

"Yes, yes, yes, Madam Chen is quite the shrewd businesswoman. I admire her. So, as you said, let's go to the government office and get the paperwork done." Manager Fang answered easily, though he was also anxious. He had put up the land for over half a month, and very few people had inquired about it. Including Chen Wenfang, there were only three people. The first two people had given him the price and left without even haggling. He couldn't let Madam Chen get away.

"Let's go!" Chen Wenfang was quick and decisive, and bought the items without hesitation. She wasn't short of money, and after Wang Erniu proposed to her and she accepted, she quickly sorted out her money. She had earned about three thousand taels in total. It wasn't good to keep so much money around, unlike in her previous life when she could deposit it in a bank account without fear of theft. She lived far away here, so depositing it in a bank wasn't suitable. It was best to use it to buy a shop, which could also be used as her dowry later.