Divorced woman with child travels through time

"Chu Yi, hurry up and go. It's cold now, and they don't even have blankets," Wang Hanyang urged.

"Sigh." Chu Yi wiped his face with his sleeve and rushed out the door to Chen's Restaurant.

After Chu Yi left, Wang Hanyang sat on the kang (a heated brick bed) and looked directly at Da Xiong, saying, "You've seen the situation now. The two of you simply can't protect these children."

Big Bear nodded dejectedly. Iron Head and Little Grass didn't say anything either. They were just kids, and if it weren't for their older brother Chu Yi, they would still be going hungry, and it was hard to say whether they would survive the winter.

Wang Hanyang patted him on the shoulder and said, "Your agreement with Chu Yi still stands, but you can't stay here anymore. I'll arrange for you to go to Chen's Manor, is that alright?"

Big Bear's eyes lit up. "Really? Of course!"

Wang Hanyang smiled and nodded.

Da Xiong stood up excitedly, bowed solemnly to Wang Hanyang, and said, "Thank you so much, Uncle Hanyang! I can't thank you enough. I will definitely keep my word."

That's great! Chen's Manor is a famously good place. I've heard that even ordinary laborers can earn one or two taels of silver a month, and those who have signed contracts earn even more, several taels a month. As for what kind of contracts, no one knows for sure, but they're definitely not indentures; even if you wanted to sell yourself, no one would take you.

Wang Hanyang added, "When you get there, be obedient and don't easily trust others. Don't answer any questions from strangers. Chengcheng, you're all the same. If you need anything, go to Aunt Liu; she'll help you."

Big Bear nodded first, and Iron Head, Little Grass, and the other children all nodded obediently. Chengcheng was already asleep, and he was relieved.

In the neighboring courtyard, Wang Da and his two companions were happily holding ten taels of silver, unable to put it down.

"Hey bro, let's go get something good tonight. I haven't had a drink in months," Wang Er suggested.

"Alright, alright, I'll take a nap first, then we'll go drinking tonight. I'm craving it too." Wang Da readily agreed. Anyway, that big oaf would bring more money in three days, and he could take the opportunity to swindle him out of another sum. Hehe, the more Wang Da thought about it, the happier he became. He had more money than he could spend. He didn't even care about his stabbed arm; he just wrapped it up with a tattered rag and that was it. He wasn't that fussy.

On the first day of the lunar month, Chu Yi met Wang Erniu at Chen's place. He only said that he was going to pick up a friend by carriage. Wang Erniu didn't ask anything and asked Da Zhuang to go with him. On the way, Chu Yi told him what had happened. Da Zhuang didn't say anything, but the carriage was driven a little faster. Soon they arrived at the place. Wang Hanyang told the children to get on the carriage. The older children each held one child and squeezed in to sit down. The children were very well-behaved and let everyone arrange them.

Looking out the car window, Xiaocao watched the scenery rushing past on both sides, feeling both worried and expectant. Her older brother in the first year of junior high said that girls can work and earn money when they grow up. Could she really do it?

Time moved slowly, but the carriage moved quickly. They traveled on the main road for less than two incense sticks' time before turning onto a side road. Although it was called a side road, it was actually as wide as the main road. Big Bear had already lifted the curtain, and the children all put their heads to the side to watch.

On the main road, there weren't many carriages, just a few peddlers. But once we turned onto the road to Chen's shop, the number of people and carriages immediately increased. Although the road had been widened considerably, it was still somewhat congested. The sounds of cart tracks, cattle and horses, and the greetings and congratulations from the shopkeepers created a lively atmosphere. The children, who had never been to a market before, stared in amazement.

At this moment, a caravan was traveling alongside Da Zhuang's carriage. There were five carriages and about ten people traveling with them. The bearded man leading the caravan was chatting with Da Zhuang, presumably because they used to trade goods together frequently.

"Brother Qinghe, so you've been busy at Chen's in town all this time! I was wondering why I hadn't seen you. Haha."

"Yes, the town needs someone to keep an eye on things. I'm going to gain some experience. Boss Bai, come over for a meal sometime. Our dishes are absolutely amazing." Da Zhuang greeted the customer warmly, showing no fear whatsoever.

"Definitely, definitely. Haha." Boss Bai chuckled.

After waiting for a while, they finally arrived at Chen's shop. Chu Yi jumped off the carriage first, and Lü Xiong happened to come over. When he saw Chu Yi's face, he immediately shouted angrily, "Who did this?"

Just as Chu Yi was about to explain, Wang Hanyang said from inside the car, "I'll tell you later."

One sentence successfully calmed down the restlessness of Li Huanqiu and Wang Xiaoguang, who were eavesdropping nearby. They obediently went about their own business.

Lu Xiong took the wooden board and carried it, while Da Zhuang carried the children down from the carriage one by one. Da Xiong also jumped down by himself, and finally, Wang Hanyang carried Chengcheng, who was the most seriously injured, down. The children tugged at Da Xiong's clothes, curiously looking around. When they noticed that everyone around them was dressed very neatly or impressively, and that they were being looked at with surprise, they felt a little ashamed and shrank their toes through the hole in their toes. Xiao Cao smoothed her rough hair and hid behind Da Xiong.

Dazhuang handed the carriage reins to Xiaodouya with a brick, walked over, picked him up, and shouted, "Mom, come out and get me!" Xiaodouya was startled. Dazhuang gave him a "praise" and lifted him up onto his shoulder. Xiaodouya was amused and laughed, "Hahaha, let's do it again!"

Da Zhuang chuckled and said, "If we don't move now, we'll come again next time."

Aunt Liu rushed out of the house like a gust of wind, saying with a hint of resentment, "You've gotten bolder, needing someone to pick you up when you come home." She glanced at her son, then was immediately drawn to a string of little children. "What's this? What's going on?" she asked Dazhuang, but her eyes were fixed on Wang Hanyang.

Wang Hanyang smiled slightly and said, "I'll explain in more detail later."

Aunt Liu nodded and led them into the inner room. As they lifted the thick curtain, a wave of warmth washed over them, and the children exclaimed involuntarily, "Ah, so comfortable!"

Chen Wenfang was sitting on the kang (a heated brick bed) checking accounts. It was covered with a thick quilt. She was quite surprised to see so many children. When she saw Wang Hanyang holding them in his arms, she immediately stood up and said, "Come on, put them here. What happened?"

Chu Yi was the last to come in, and upon seeing this, he said, "Godmother, let me explain."

Upon seeing his face, Chen Wenfang asked with concern, "What happened? Let me see." She examined him carefully, then, in the same angry tone as Lü Xiong, demanded, "Who did this? Are there any other injuries?"

Despite her injury, Chu Yi smiled brightly, letting her turn around as she pleased. She quickly explained, "I'm fine." Then she pushed Da Xiong forward and introduced him, "This is my good friend, Da Xiong, and, well, his younger brothers and sisters." Chu Yi was lying through her teeth.

Seeing Chen Wenfang's concern for the first-year students, the other children looked on with envy.

"Hello, Big Bear." Chen Wenfang smiled gently.

Looking at the smiling young woman in front of him, Da Xiong thought that the famous Madam Chen would be the kind of fierce female knight-errant like in a picture book. How come she was not what he imagined?

"Greetings, Madam Chen!" Big Bear obediently bowed. "Greetings, Madam Chen!" Iron Head and Little Grass, along with their two children, also gave a somewhat imperfect bow.

"Get up quickly, you haven't had lunch yet, have you? Aunt Liu, have someone set the table and serve the food. You should eat first. We can talk about it later." Chen Wenfang hurriedly urged them to get up.

"Sigh," Aunt Liu replied and left.