Divorced woman with child travels through time

Ouyang Jin tossed down half a coin and strode away. Chen Wenfang happily picked up the coin; whoever paid was the boss, the patron, and Chen Wenfang didn't look down on him at all. She put the coin into the inner pocket of her coat. The inner garment of her cross-collared coat was close to her skin, and the inner pocket of the outer garment was just the right size. In ancient times, only the rich used purses; the poor couldn't afford them. Those scenes on TV where someone bumps into someone and steals their purse—only the rich would hang their purses on their waists to show off. The poor, like her, would hide their few coins close to their skin. Chen Wenfang, for example, kept hers almost pressed against her flesh.

After putting away the money, they called Aunt Liu, asked Uncle Liu Hai to watch the stall, and the two of them, along with the three children, happily went shopping.

There were many food stalls. Chen Wenfang gave each of the three children a skewer of candied hawthorns. She certainly wouldn't miss out on this must-buy snack from ancient times. The candied hawthorns weren't cheap, five copper coins a skewer, which made Aunt Liu's heart ache. But Chen Wenfang said it didn't matter; money is meant to be spent. After buying the candied hawthorns, they saw a pastry vendor and bought a bag of cakes, two copper coins each. Aunt Liu also felt a little pained. But she couldn't argue with Chen Wenfang; after all, it was her own money.

Chen Wenfang's first stop was the tailor shop. She'd been wearing the same undergarment for ages, enduring it for so long. She bought three undergarments for herself, two sets of ready-made clothes and two sets of undergarments for both herself and her child, and two pairs of cloth shoes for each. Although straw sandals would have been fine, now that she had money, she couldn't skimp on herself. She also gave Aunt Liu a handkerchief as a gift. She also bought a few yards of light-colored cotton fabric to alter clothes.

Next to the tailor shop was a jewelry shop. Chen Wenfang dragged Aunt Liu to go shopping there. Aunt Liu had already been surprised by Chen Wenfang's lavish spending. She figured that Chen Wenfang had been spoiled at home and used to spending money, so she went along with her.

Upon arriving at the jewelry shop, Chen Wenfang immediately looked for hairpins, as they were the only items she knew how to use. While wearing a twig on her head would work, it would somewhat detract from her appearance; a hair tie would be much better. She reminisced about her past life. Several cabinets displayed hairpins—one of gold, one of silver, and another of carved wood. A quick glance revealed that the gold and silver hairpins weren't as shiny as modern ones, but the designs were still quite attractive; the aesthetic sense of ancient people was quite good.

Chen Wenfang felt that she probably couldn't afford the silver ones, so she went to the wooden hairpins. The waiter was very polite and didn't treat her differently just because she was dressed in coarse clothes.

He then beckoned to her, "My lady, look over here. We have some fine wooden hairpins. This one is made of rosewood, and we also have peach wood, jujube wood, and pear wood hairpins. Which style do you prefer?"

Chen Wenfang said, "Wooden hairpins break easily, don't you have any made of iron?"

The shopkeeper said, "Iron hairpins are prone to rusting. Look at these silver-plated ones, they're both beautiful and practical."

Chen Wenfang went over to take a look and found it to be quite nice. Just by looking at the outside, it looked like a silver hairpin. She then asked, "How much is this?"

The shopkeeper said, "These silver-plated hairpins are a bit more expensive than wooden hairpins, at 150 coins each."

Chen Wenfang then asked, "How much is that wooden hairpin?"

The waiter politely said, "Redwood hairpins are seventy coins, peach wood hairpins are sixty coins, and jujube and pear wood hairpins are fifty coins."

Aunt Liu interjected, "This is too expensive, can you make it cheaper?"

The shop assistant still smiled politely, "Auntie, we've been running this small business for many years and the price has always been the same. Plus, the quality is good. The hairpins don't get scratched or frayed, and they get shinier the longer you use them. They're famous in our Lijia Town."

Chen Wenfang thought the young man was quite good; he was neither arrogant nor humble, and he also had a service-oriented mindset. So she said, "Then I'll get one silver-plated and one peach wood one. Wrap them up for me."

"Alright." The waiter quickly packed the items and handed over two purses, smiling, "You're a straightforward lady, so I'll also give you two purses. They're nothing too valuable, just a small token. Welcome to come again next time."

Chen Wenfang accepted the gift with a smile, then took one and offered it to Aunt Liu. Aunt Liu declined, saying, "I came here with you, why are you giving me this? I don't want it."

Chen Wenfang laughed and said, "I'm happy to give it to you now that I've made some money. I spoil my aunt, and it's not really worth it. If you don't accept it, I'll get angry." After saying that, she pretended to be angry and turned her head away.

Aunt Liu was easily swayed by her charm; her two sons never knew how to use such tactics. She quickly said, "I'll take it, okay?"

Chen Wenfang laughed heartily, "That's more like it."