Divorced woman with child travels through time

From a distant street corner, Li Baozhu watched with gritted teeth, "That vicious woman actually dared to send people to burn down my brother's mansion. How can she still have such a man? I will definitely make her pay."

He tossed a bag of silver to his two henchmen beside him and said, "Get this done for me. Take her down whenever you get the chance."

"Understood, Miss." The tall man drooled over her fair neck. This woman was too alluring. She had spent the whole night fooling around with a man last night, and he had been feeling miserable all night listening to her. Why didn't he have such good fortune? It was all his mother's fault for not giving him a better-looking woman. It was a wonder she had the energy to come out and look at men in broad daylight. Little did she know that Li Baozhu had been taking medicine for over a month and had finally recovered. Naturally, she had gone a bit too far.

Another man, seeing that his gaze was too blatant and fearing that he might be punished in return, nudged him with his hand, which brought him back to his senses and made him look away.

Since the incident at the Li family's residence, every household in the town has been taking extra precautions to prevent fires. In just a few days, two large houses caught fire, and it was obvious to anyone that something had happened. It was also quite a coincidence that the fires occurred only two or three days apart.

Wang Erniu was afraid that Li Qingshan would do something outrageous again, so he kept a close eye on Chen Wenfang. She was always accompanied by someone, either Dazhuang or him, so that she couldn't be alone. She also had several men deliver the goods. Perhaps because they hadn't found an opportunity, more than half a month passed. The two families were at peace, and everyone relaxed a bit. With the Mid-Autumn Festival just a few days away, Chen Wenfang was extremely busy. This time, she finally put the oven from Wangjiazhuang to use. She was going to make mooncakes and amaze the world.

Chen Wenfang commissioned carpenter Wang to make mooncake molds. There were many different designs, including peony-patterned ones with red bean paste and salted egg yolk fillings, and others with designs featuring plum blossoms, orchids, bamboo, and chrysanthemums, and phrases like "flowers in full bloom and the moon is round." Fortunately, they had some salted duck eggs on hand, and Chen Wenfang bought quite a few. The egg whites were given away for free to customers to eat with porridge or dishes. Chen's millet porridge and eight-treasure porridge also sold very well. The reason was that a guest staying at the inn saw that the people in the inn were having porridge for breakfast, and casually asked for a bowl. He found it smooth, sweet, and honey-like, so he asked them to sell it for breakfast as well. Normally, Chen's only served lunch and dinner, so they couldn't refuse this customer's request. Making porridge was also convenient; it just required simmering over low heat. Now that they had a stove, they just needed to keep an eye on the pot.

Old Wang was old and especially loved drinking porridge, so Chen Wenfang taught Chef Wang the recipe. Chef Wang then taught Old Wang when to add which ingredients, how long to cook it depending on the heat, and how often to stir it to prevent it from sticking to the pot.

Old Wang was happy to do it. He couldn't help much usually, but now he had a proper job. Last time he discovered the fire, his employer even rewarded him with a tael of silver, which he always felt unworthy of. Now, he had work to do every day. He had to cook several large pots of this stuff in a deep iron basin the size of a small water vat. It wasn't difficult to make, just time-consuming. He cooked it from morning till night without stopping. Everyone loved it. It was soft and tender, and it would melt in your mouth. The elderly and children especially loved it. Plus, Chen's food was always inexpensive, ten coins for a large bowl and five coins for a small bowl. Many people would send their servants early to buy it, or add some syrup during the day to make soup.

Chen's business is getting better and better, and everyone is so busy they barely have time to breathe. However, with the arrival of Hu Chengxin's family, there are three more helpers. Hu Chengxin, despite his small stature, is indeed a natural businessman. In the words of his wife, Aunt Yang, he can chat with a cow for ten rounds. The happiest person is Xiaoling, who finally has a playmate, a sister who is five years older than her. Xiaoke is also very happy, as she is an only child and very lonely. Now, Xiaoling follows her around every day, calling her "sister," and she is very happy.

Chen Wenfang's molds were finished and returned the next day. They were made of high-quality cypress wood, and a total of twenty were made. As expected of the carpenter Wang, he was a master craftsman. The carvings were lifelike, with plum blossoms, orchids, bamboo, and chrysanthemums, which were elegant and graceful, and peonies that were rich and magnificent. What was even more remarkable was that there was a small "Chen" character next to them. Chen Wenfang was delighted with the look and quickly kneaded the dough and cooked the red bean paste. She made two kinds, red bean paste and green bean paste. Since it was mainly a trial, she didn't make too many at first. While making them, she also preheated the oven.

Wrap the filling in the dough, press out the shapes with a mold, and put them in the oven to bake for about half an incense stick's time. Chen Wenfang was very good at making these kinds of pastries in her previous life. Now that she didn't have a watch, she could only make do with the incense stick. She estimated that one incense stick's time was about half an hour. These mooncakes were small, so they normally took more than 20 minutes to bake. Half an incense stick's time would be 15 minutes, and it would be about the same if it took a little longer. The first batch of mooncakes smelled very good. Several groups of people came into the kitchen in twos and threes, all looking to see what delicious food Chen Wenfang was making.

They were all family, so Chen Wenfang didn't care about being seen. They had all signed contracts. Besides, Chen's company paid high wages, and the boss was a kind person. People from Wangjiazhuang and the surrounding villages all knew this, and they were all eager to get in. Of course, those who came didn't want to leave.

Take the mooncakes out after baking them once to set their shape, brush them with egg yolk water, put them back in the oven, and bake them for a few more minutes. Once they're cooked, as soon as you open the oven, a wonderful aroma instantly fills the entire kitchen.

Aunt Liu and the others who were helping out nearby all sniffed in unison. Aunt Liu smiled and said, "Fang'er, why do your mooncakes smell so good? You'll definitely sell them."

"Yes, yes, you're right, it smells really good." Uncle Liu Hai said while kneading the dough.

"It smells so good, it must be delicious," Chunlan said, taking a deep breath of the aroma while kneading the noodles beside her.

"It's sure to taste good. When has our boss ever messed up?" Chahua was rolling peanuts in syrup to make multi-flavored peanuts.

"Alright, come on, everyone wash your hands and come over to have a taste." Chen Wenfang smiled and used specially made thick gloves to bring out the mooncakes. It was her first time making them, and she baked about ten, which made them easy to carry.

Chunlan washed her hands early and stood to the side, waiting for the host to distribute the mooncakes. Seeing this, Yanxia quickly washed her hands and came back to stand to the side as well. The two looked at each other and smiled knowingly.

Aunt Liu glanced at the two of them with amusement, thinking to herself, "What's the use of standing to the side? Fang'er will definitely give it to me first."

Sure enough, Chen Wenfang took off her gloves, washed her hands, picked up a knife, cut a few mooncakes, and served them to Aunt Liu first, saying, "Auntie, have a taste!"

Aunt Liu carefully took a piece with a happy smile, put it in her mouth, and tasted it. "This is delicious, so fragrant and sweet. Fang'er, this must sell for a lot of money, and it took so much effort."

“Everyone, try it and then tell me together if there’s anything that needs to be changed?” Chen Wenfang shouted.

Chunlan reached out and took two pieces, handing one to Yanxia. The two smiled and watched each other eat together.

"Wow, this is delicious!" Chunlan exclaimed.

Yanxia ate it in small bites, nodding repeatedly, "Yes, yes, it's sweet but not cloying, fragrant and soft. My grandmother would definitely like it."