Divorced woman with child travels through time

As a result, Chen's business was booming. The front building was designed for a lively atmosphere, with a small stage in the middle where storytelling took place in the morning and operas in the afternoon. From morning tea to lunch, the flow of people was constant. The back building, on the other hand, was designed for tranquility, with a simple and elegant decor. Most of the rooms were separated by bamboo curtains, which was suitable for customers who preferred to eat in peace. Wang Hanyang estimated that there were about one or two hundred customers just eating there every day. Lijia Town was also a necessary route for people traveling north and south. With its growing reputation, almost every merchant who came to try the food would make a special trip. The total number of customers was around four or five hundred every day, so the business was getting better and better.

Uncle Liu went to the horse market to look at horses, while Li Huanqiu followed Chen Wenfang and the others into the shop, intending to eat something and have some porridge before going out. Chen Ji's pan-fried pork buns were so delicious that Li Huanqiu especially loved them; he could eat seven or eight buns by himself. There were also pancakes, baked to a crispy exterior and tender interior, filled with juicy, tender pork—they were incredibly delicious. They were all made with old dough, a unique feature of Chen Ji, and only available in the mornings. Chen Wenfang personally taught Chef Wang's wife, signing her to a five-year contract. Chef Wang's wife then taught Hu Si's wife, not to mention the other aunties in Wangjiazhuang. It could be said that with Aunt Liu around, anyone willing to learn could be taught. Now, every woman working at Chen Ji was a skilled cook, and even those who weren't very good at it could learn by following along every day.

As soon as Chen Wenfang entered the door, many regular customers recognized her and greeted her.

"Madam Chen is here!"

"Hey, Master Zhang, welcome for some tea. Waiter, bring us an extra plate of peanuts."

"Thank you very much, Madam Chen. You are so generous."

"You're too kind, please enjoy your drink."

"Hey, Mr. Liu, you've got time to come over for some congee today?"

"Yes, I rarely have free time, so I came to join in the fun."

"Please drink slowly, be careful it's hot." Chen Wenfang greeted each familiar customer with a warm and friendly demeanor, chatting and laughing... Wang Erniu looked at her with affection, liking her confident charm.

Back upstairs, Chen Wenfang beckoned Chu Yidao over and said, "Add a line to the new signs we're putting up today: 'Tea-frying recipes cost thirty taels each.'"

"So cheap? Godmother, tea is an important thing. If it were in other people's hands, it would be worth a fortune. Won't we be ruining their livelihoods?" Chu Yi couldn't understand it at all.

"It's alright!" Chen Wenfang looked at Wang Erniu, and the two smiled at each other. Chen Wenfang patiently said to him, "I didn't sell this for money in the first place. Besides, the tallest tree in the forest is the first to be felled by the wind. Some things are too profitable, and we can't protect them, understand?"

Chu Yi understood immediately. Thinking of the bandits from yesterday, he sighed and said, "I know!" He picked up his pen and added it in. He thought to himself, "Our family is still not strong enough. We need to hire some people to guard the house." Chu Yi went downstairs with a serious expression.

He took the signboard, added it with a flourish, and hung it next to the main hall. He shouted loudly, "Chen's Tea House, new product today: tea-frying recipe! Thirty taels apiece! Those interested can discuss the details with me!" He also had Wang Xiaoer put up another notice board outside.

As soon as Chu Yi finished speaking, the guests in the hall erupted in chaos, like boiling water being mixed with oil. They all crowded around Chu Yi, and an old man tugged at his sleeve and asked, "Steward Chen, is this the kind of tea I'm drinking now?"

He nodded slightly at first.

"Excellent, Madam Chen is so kind! Give me one." With that, she took out thirty taels of silver from her sleeve and stuffed it into Chu Yi's hand with trembling hands. "Young man, sell it to me first!" Her maternal uncle's family had about twenty acres of tea gardens. If she had this recipe, she could harvest and sell the tea herself in the future, which would be very promising.

Seeing this, the two people next to them also handed over their money, saying, "Me too! Me too! Manager Chen, sell me one too!"

Chu Yi took the silver and nodded, saying, "Boss Liu, this way please. All of you, please follow me. Please register here. After registering, you can have your meal on your own. The prescriptions will be served to you according to your registration later." Chu Yi led the people to the counter to register. Soon, several people lined up to buy the prescriptions. Some clever waiters and servants came to buy things and immediately went back to report.

Upstairs, Chen Wenfang and the others were busy writing prescriptions. Chen Wenfang dictated, Wang Erniu wrote it down, and Wang Hanyang copied it. After Wang Erniu finished writing, he also copied it. Before long, they had written about twenty prescriptions.

On the first day of the Lunar New Year, ten copies were taken away. Upon seeing this, Wang Hanyang wrote ten more copies.

The small town of Lijia became abuzz because of a tea recipe. Almost every family with a little power had one, and no one was short of thirty taels of silver. But a single recipe held infinite possibilities.

In a corner of the abandoned and sealed-off Li mansion, a boy of about ten years old, dressed in rather tattered clothes, nimbly scaled the wall, moved a small stone lion nearby, and a small door hidden among the greenery slowly slid open, revealing a small door. The boy slipped inside, took out pen and ink, and wrote a letter. After finishing, his bright eyes quickly scanned the letter, rolled it up into a scroll, took some loose silver from a pen holder, and then swiftly slipped out again. He then put everything back, scaled the wall, and disappeared into the street. A while later, several pigeons flew out from a distant pigeon coop, heading towards Yingtian Prefecture…

At the county government office, Ouyang Junyan and the others were quite surprised, yet somewhat taken for granted, upon hearing Fang Qian's report. This Madam Chen truly didn't want to earn any extra money; she was a genuinely kind person. Just as everyone was marveling at her, Li Huanqiu came to report the case.

"A dozen or so skeletons?" Ouyang Junyan was quite shocked to hear this. It was Wangjiazhuang again. This place was really not peaceful. He told Ah Li and Ma Liu to go again tomorrow. He decided to skip today. Everyone was tired and needed to rest. The skeletons weren't going anywhere. He could bring the coroner along and examine the bodies there, then see if they needed to be brought back. Chen Niangzi was a good person, and Wangjiazhuang had boosted the county's tax revenue. They couldn't let it be affected.

After everything was arranged, someone was sent to inform Li Huanqiu, and everyone went to rest.

Li Huanqiu left the county government office speechlessly. Were there too many dead people? Did nobody care? But as he was leaving the county government office, he glanced at the courtyard next door and saw the dead bandits covered with white sheets. Well, he could understand now.

Li Huanqiu returned to Chen Ji's place and told Wang Erniu about the matter. Wang Erniu said, "It's nothing. Just drive the cart back and deliver the goods, then notify Lü Xiong and the others. Just do your job normally. This has nothing to do with us, so don't worry about it." Li Huanqiu then returned to Wang Family Village, and everyone went about their own business, leaving the grave pit for the time being.

The next day, Ah Li led a group to investigate. After examining the body, they concluded that it was a professional assassin organization. This matter could be serious or minor. He reported the results to Ouyang Junyan, who immediately informed his superiors. The outcome was that the perpetrators were unidentified and the body was buried on the spot. In chaotic times, many people die; it was simply an accident left over from past wars. The matter was considered closed. However, Ouyang Junyan knew that this was not a simple matter. It was obvious that these people were sent to assassinate someone, and then they were killed. He suspected that Madam Chen would still face trouble later.