Divorced woman with child travels through time

She was busy until about four o'clock in the afternoon. There were fewer customers now. The people who came for dinner were all businessmen who were staying at the hotel. Chen Wenfang went to the kitchen to check on the children. She hadn't been home all day yesterday, and the child didn't miss her.

"Chen Xuanyu, where is he?" She called out twice, but no one answered.

Chen Wenfang was exhausted after a long day and her temper flared up. "Chen Xuanyu, where have you been?" "Xiao Hao!"

He walked through the door and called out as he went, then looked around but didn't see anyone. "Uncle Youdi, have you seen Xuanzai?"

"No, didn't I go in?"

"They've gone in?" Chen Wenfang went back into the hall. The storyteller had given one performance in the morning and another in the afternoon, but he had already left, and many people had dispersed. Chen Wenfang looked around but couldn't see anyone, so he said to Wang Erniu, "Did you see Xuanzai and the others come in?"

Wang Erniu said, "Didn't I see her? Wasn't she playing in the back the whole time?"

"I just went there, but I didn't see him. Can you ask them to help look for him? Where did he go?" Chen Wenfang hadn't realized the seriousness of the situation.

Wang Erniu was startled and immediately reacted, "Chuyi, Dazhuang, Chunlan, Chahua, let's check everything together, hurry up!"

Chen Wenfang realized what was happening, her face immediately changed, and her legs went weak. Wang Erniu lifted her up by the waist and helped her sit on the bench next to the counter. Chen Wenfang calmed herself down, and with Wang Erniu's help, struggled to her feet. "I want to go find it too!"

"Don't go yet, wait a bit, don't rush, don't worry, I'm here, everything's alright!" Wang Erniu said, still holding her waist with his hand. "It's still early, let's wait until they confirm, then we'll report to the authorities. I have a plan, don't be afraid."

Wang Erniu calmly patted her head, hugged her, and patted her back.

Chu Yi and his friends quickly searched the entire building, upstairs and downstairs, and outside, but found no one. Wang Erniu clenched his fist, his eyes filled with murderous intent, and calmly divided the matter, saying, "Dazhuang, go to the county government and report that our two children are missing."

"What's wrong? Is Brother Xuan missing?" Uncle Youdi led a few people into the lobby and shouted. The guests in the lobby heard this and began to discuss it.

"First day of the new year!"

"Yes!" Chu Yi replied instinctively, startled.

"Go to Nanshi and find an old man named Gao. Ask him about the situation. You should know him, right? Be back within half an hour," Wang Erniu said coldly.

"I know, I'll go right away." Chu Yi had grown up in Lijia Town, so he naturally knew Old Gao.

“Everyone else is minding the shop as usual, each doing their own job, so don’t worry.” Wang Erniu put his arm around Chen Wenfang and helped her sit on the bench. “Fang’er, don’t be afraid, don’t worry. You’ll watch the shop. I’ll go find the children. Don’t worry, I will definitely bring them back. Trust me.”

Chen Wenfang was very flustered, and her hands were trembling slightly. She hurriedly said, "I believe you. You go quickly. Don't worry about me. I'll be fine."

"Okay, I'll be right back." Wang Erniu decisively withdrew and headed towards Nanshi with Wang Hanyang. He was going to find the head of Nanshi and have a good talk with him.

With everyone watching, Chen Wenfang forced a weary smile and said, "Uncle Youdi, you can continue with your work. It's alright."

"Madam Chen, we're so sorry, we weren't watching the children properly." Uncle Youdi and the others who were working felt very guilty. They were all from Wangjiazhuang, and Madam Chen was such a good person. It was all their fault for being too attentive and not noticing the children playing nearby. "I saw them just before I went to the outhouse, but they disappeared in the time it takes for an incense stick to burn. They must have been stolen." Uncle Youdi added.

"It's alright, it's alright, it's not your fault," Chen Wenfang said, trying to remain calm. "Everyone, please eat and drink well. Today is our first day of business, we can't neglect our customers."

After instructing her subordinates, Chen Wenfang went to her room alone, picked up the tea on the table, took a sip, and forced herself to calm down. She kept thinking, what other options are there? What should I do? What should I do? I need to be quick!

If I were the bad guy who stole the child, what would be the first thing I do? Right, the first thing I'd do is run. Take the child and run out of the city. They couldn't have gotten that far in the first few minutes, so the most important thing now is to close the city gates! It's not curfew yet; they definitely can't escape that quickly!

Chen Wenfang had made up her mind. She rushed downstairs, tossed Chunlan a message, and said, "Everyone, watch the shop. I'm going out for a bit!"

"Madam Chen!"

Chen Wenfang couldn't hear anything; she had already run far away. Chen Wenfang wasn't thinking about anything; she only had one thought: faster, faster, and to stay steady so she wouldn't fall. She ran fast and steadily. This scene seemed to have appeared in her dream before, as if something was chasing her from behind. Fortunately, the Ouyang residence wasn't far away. She woke up; she had arrived at her destination.

"Brother, please go and inform them quickly," Chen Wenfang said, panting heavily and with tears streaming down her face.

"This, Madam Chen! Okay, wait for me a moment." The gatekeeper looked at her in surprise, but quickly understood. He ran into the mansion and came out shortly after. "Go quickly, Madam wants you to go in."

"Okay, thank you, sir. Let's go to Chen's for drinks sometime. Thanks for your help." Chen Wenfang touched her face and wiped away her tears, but she still couldn't stop them from flowing.

She strode inside. "Greetings, Madam. Is the county magistrate here?"

"Madam Chen, what's wrong?" Jiang Mingyue had never seen Chen Wenfang so flustered before, and couldn't help but stand up and support her.

"Today is the opening day, there are too many people, and my child is lost. It's my fault for not watching him properly. Are the adults here?" Chen Wenfang felt extremely guilty, and said quietly while shedding tears, wishing she could slap herself twice.

“He’s at the county office, not at home, Madam Chen. How can I help you?” Jiang Mingyue replied quickly. Madam Chen’s crying was heartbreaking.

"Madam, could you please ask the magistrate to order the city gates closed? A stick of incense has been burned in the time it takes for the bandits to disappear. They must not have gone far. They need to find a way to get the child out of the city."

“Alright, Caixiu, go to the county government office and tell them it was me who said it.” Jiang Mingyue agreed immediately.

Chen Wenfang knelt down with a thud, her kneeling sincere, "Thank you, Madam. I have no way to repay your great kindness."

"Madam Chen, get up quickly. I'm a mother too, it's my duty. Please get up, it's alright." Jiang Mingyue helped her up, and another maidservant quickly joined in to help her as well. Chen Wenfang used the support to stand up and said, "Thank you, Madam. I need to go back and wait for news. Thank you for your help."

"Alright, go ahead, I'll have someone take the message to you later."

"Thank you again, Madam." Chen Wenfang bowed and ran off. Jiang Mingyue wasn't angry. Ah, the hearts of parents are all the same. "Caiyin, go tell Ah Li that you must help Madam Chen find her child. Do you think we're made of paper for doing this under our noses?"

"Yes!" Caiyin responded and left.