Divorced woman with child travels through time

Chunlan nodded. Yanxia ate so delicately, unlike her, who finished hers in just two bites. Chunlan also looked at the mooncakes on the table with some longing, but did not reach for them.

Chen Wenfang and Aunt Liu both saw it. Such a sensible child! Chen Wenfang gave Aunt Liu a wink, and Aunt Liu picked up the plate and let her take two more pieces. Chunlan happily took them, but only ate one piece. She found a secluded spot to hide the other piece from people, carefully wrapped it in a handkerchief, and put it in her bosom. Just as Chunlan pulled her hand out of her clothes, she bumped into Zhuantou, who was also hiding snacks. The two looked at each other with flushed faces, their eyes met, and then they quickly went their separate ways.

After the last batch was distributed, everyone received two pieces. Chen Wenfang saw what everyone was doing but didn't say anything. She just explained that they were just starting out and would each receive a box for the festival once the mooncakes were done. For the second batch, Chen Wenfang didn't work on it herself but guided Aunt Liu in baking. There wasn't much else to it, and Aunt Liu quickly mastered it. The second batch of about twenty mooncakes was freshly baked.

Everyone was in high spirits. After sharing the first batch of mooncakes, they cut some to try the second batch. Finding that they were no different, they started making a large batch. Chen Wenfang packed two large food boxes and had Zhuantou deliver them to Chen Ji's restaurant. They cut the mooncakes and gave them to the diners as a way of giving back to their old customers and also as a way of advertising.

Zhuan Tou picked up the food box, mounted the oxcart, and headed to the county. Everyone continued making cakes. The Mid-Autumn Festival was just two days away, and they had to finish at least several hundred boxes. There might even be orders. They made sure to prepare plenty of ingredients. Chen Wenfang also made jujube paste, taro paste, and lotus seed paste, creating four different styles so that each box would look nice.

In Wangjiazhuang, Uncle Tian's calloused hands were covered with cracks, the black fissures starkly contrasting against the tender flesh. Uncle Tian, ​​however, seemed unfazed. He leisurely opened an earthenware jar, poured out a dish of chili sauce, carefully covered it again, and then took out a plate of small, steamed sweet potatoes from a pot. He carefully peeled off the skin, dipped them in the chili sauce, and began to eat with great satisfaction. There were seven or eight sweet potatoes on the plate, and Uncle Tian ate until he was half full. Then he boiled some cabbage and ate it, which made him feel completely full without getting heartburn. It was said that Chen Niangzi had taught him this method.

Uncle Youtian was quite satisfied with the meal, which cost less than a penny. His son had already gotten engaged to a girl from the neighboring village, so he had to be frugal and save money to raise their child. He heard that Madam Chen would be selling chili seedlings next year, so he could make his own chili sauce. Hehe, he wouldn't have to spend a penny then. Uncle Youtian had also heard from Wang Jinshui, the carpenter's brother, that if you dug around the edges of a field where sweet potatoes had been planted, you could find some that had been missed. He said that last time he found half a basket of sweet potatoes next to half an acre of land. Thinking of this, Uncle Youtian quickly stuffed some cabbage into his mouth and went to dig around in the field before it got dark.

Uncle Youtian carried a basket on his back, picked up a hoe, and went to the back mountain. Just like the back mountain of Chen Wenfang's family, these plots of land were close to home, and he arrived in no time. Uncle Youtian quickly started digging along the edge of the plot near the mountain. Sure enough, after only a short while, he dug out sweet potatoes the size of two fingers. Uncle Youtian was overjoyed and buried himself in hard work, digging the entire edge of the plot. Just as he was digging to his heart's content, the sky began to darken. Uncle Youtian stood up, straightened his slightly sore back, and looked around at his small plot of land. He had tended it neatly and there wasn't a single weed in it.

In a corner of the field, he planted some cabbages. The cabbages grew vigorously, tender like new seedlings, delicate and vibrant. "I'll pick some to take home and cook noodles tomorrow," Uncle Tian thought. "And add some chili sauce, that would be delicious." Wait, some of the cabbages over there have fallen over. "Wow, they've been trampled on!" Uncle Tian wondered. "No way!" His land was the most remote, right next to a mountain. Normally, nobody would want this land; he'd practically found it. Uncle Tian walked over, thinking to himself. The cabbages were trampled and bent over, several messy footprints forming a patch on the ground. "What a waste!" Uncle Tian squatted down, feeling sorry for them, and pulled out the trampled cabbages one by one, removing the dead leaves. "We can still cook them tomorrow."

After Uncle Youtian finished pulling up all the trampled vegetables, he dug a few holes, pulled some seedlings from the side, and planted them. By the time he finished, it was almost completely dark. Uncle Youtian loaded the vegetables into his basket and prepared to go home. He inadvertently glanced at the footprints that had come down from the mountain to the edge of the field. Where did these come from? This doesn't make sense. He thought the previous few footprints were just someone accidentally stepping on them. This pile of footprints clearly wasn't from one person. Where did so many footprints come from? He hadn't heard of anyone going into the mountains from here. Even if someone went hunting in the mountains, one person wouldn't leave so many footprints.

Uncle Youtian walked along, his mind a bit agitated. Suddenly, a strange thought crossed his mind: could it be bandits scouting the village? Our village is so wealthy now. Although Magistrate Ouyang has been good at managing things, and there haven't been any vagrants or bandits robbing us for years, there's always someone with such intentions. Uncle Youtian was terrified by his own thought. The more he thought about it, the more frightened he became. Finally, he started running, running as fast as he could back to the village. He didn't even have time to go home to put down his basket before heading straight to the village head's house.

Wang Youcai's family was having dinner, with chicken stewing on the table. When Uncle Youtian arrived, Wang Youcai feigned politeness and said, "Youtian, have you eaten yet? If not, let's eat together." But he didn't get up.

"No need, village chief... I need to talk to you about something urgent!" Uncle Tian was out of breath and panting heavily.

"What's wrong? Why are you in such a hurry?" Wang Youcai picked up a chicken head and put it in his bowl, then slowly started to eat it. "A man should be a leader."

“I saw a lot of footprints coming down the mountain in my village. I’m afraid someone is scouting the area. Village chief, should we take some people to check it out? Our village has become rich in the last two years. I’m afraid someone might be eyeing it. If it’s true, it will be troublesome,” Uncle Tian said honestly and earnestly.

"This!" Wang Youcai put down the chicken head and pondered, "What you said makes sense. We should find someone to check it out. Just in case it's true, we can be on guard. Here's what we'll do: Youtian, go and call the person to the village entrance. I'll be there in a bit."

"Alright, fine." Uncle Youtian didn't mind and left without a word.

Wang Youcai placed the chicken head on his three-year-old grandson's plate, saying, "My dear grandson, you eat it. Grandpa's going to check on things." He then drank the chicken soup in his bowl. The little grandson didn't seem to mind.

"Leave some for me later!" Wang Youcai said to his wife.

"I know, you go ahead. If they really are bandits, it'll be a lot of trouble. I'll save some food for you. All you ever think about is eating meat, you never do anything worthwhile," Aunt Chuntao complained disdainfully.

Wang Youcai had already walked away with his hands behind his back, not listening to her nagging at all.

Before long, a number of able-bodied young men gathered under the big willow tree at the entrance of the village. Chen Wenfang had naturally received the news and sent Brother Nie over. Upon seeing him, Wang Youcai immediately took the initiative to say, "Brother Nie, you look like someone who has been through a lot. Why don't you take them to see what's going on? Just listen to his arrangements. He's a man who used to be a high-ranking official."

Nie Chuming was both amused and exasperated. "Village chief, you're too kind. I was just a lowly soldier, not a high-ranking official."

"Oh, don't be so polite. My old bones can't take any more trouble. You take them with you to see them. Just let me know if anything happens later." Wang Youcai stroked his beard, feigning modesty.

"Then I'll gladly accept your invitation." Brother Nie returned the greeting with his hands clasped. In any case, Madam Chen had asked him to come and take a look, since the Chen family hadn't built the wall yet, and it could be quite dangerous if there were any bad guys around.