Divorced woman with child travels through time

When the adults heard the call, Brother Nie called out, and another group of people left in a hurry, leaving only a bunch of people waiting to come for dinner, who were playing with the children along with Lü Xiong and a few others.

By noon, almost everyone who wanted to eat had arrived, and Wangjiazhuang Village was nearly empty. Because there weren't enough bowls and chopsticks, Wang Erniu specifically asked the village head and Aunt Chuntao to arrange it. They were to bring their own bowls and chopsticks, enough for two or three households per table, ten people in total. After the meal, they could take the bowls, chopsticks, and leftovers back with them – just enough. The villagers were naturally happy; it was rare to have such a generous boss as Chen Ji, who had already paid everyone's wages and was treating everyone to a meal, with unlimited meat and vegetables!

Aunt Chuntao happily slung a basket over her shoulder, pulled her grandson along, and hurried towards Chen's Village. Wang Youcai, along with his son, daughter-in-law, and their entire family, followed behind, strolling leisurely.

"Hey, hurry up!" Aunt Chuntao complained as she walked. These people were all so slow and indecisive. Although she was old, she moved with great speed and energy.

"What's the rush? Chen's won't starve you. You're acting like you've never seen the world before. You're such a naive woman," Wang Youcai criticized her as they walked.

"You know nothing!" Aunt Chuntao's eyebrows shot up as she stopped and scolded him, "Youshu's wife said that Magistrate Ouyang is coming today, so why don't you hurry up and get back to work?"

"Huh? Really? How did you know?" Wang Youcai immediately leaned closer, and considerately took the basket from him, carrying it himself.

"I found out from chatting with You Shu Niangzi. Sigh, stop talking and let's go. Oh dear."

"Alright, alright, let's hurry up." Wang Youcai smiled and followed along quickly. After crossing the bridge, they soon arrived at Chen's Restaurant.

"Wow, what a grand display!" Wang Youcai couldn't help but exclaim. Forty tables filled two enormous drying areas, and men and women bustled about, adjusting their positions, setting up benches, and placing wine jars. "Oh my, there's wine to drink today!" Wang Youcai smiled, instantly forgetting his plan to curry favor with the magistrate; he was going to have a good drink later.

Aunt Chunlan ignored him and left her grandson with his mother. Because of her seniority, she was immediately pulled over by the women to chat. Aunt Chunlan enjoyed this kind of atmosphere the most. She pulled over a stool, plopped down, and automatically joined the group of aunties who were shelling peanuts and gossiping.

Wang Youcai led his men to a table, placed their baskets on it, and sat down. The sun was high in the sky, its warmth comforting them. Wang Youcai looked around with a smile; about forty tables were already mostly occupied, the bustling space teeming with people. He couldn't help but sigh, "The people of Wangjiazhuang are so united! It's all thanks to our capable leader!" Overjoyed, he stroked his beard, picked up a peanut from the table, popped it into his mouth, and began to hum a contented tune…

Soon, everyone was seated. Lü Xiong led a group of children who had come to watch the excitement to light firecrackers. A dozen or so firecrackers went off at once, the sound startling even the birds. Amidst the crackling and popping, the children also took their seats, laughing and joking, and the dishes were officially served.

The first dishes served were cold appetizers, which had been laid out as soon as we sat down: honey-glazed hawthorn berries, cold lotus root slices, fried peanuts, fried dough twists, and four loose fruit platters. As soon as the firecrackers finished, someone wearing an apron came over with a tray, cleared away the empty plates, and began serving the hot dishes.

The first dish served was mutton and radish soup. Tender mutton was simmered to make a milky white bone broth, and crisp, sweet, and juicy white radishes were added and stewed until soft and tender. It was then sprinkled with chopped green onions and cilantro (which is actually just coriander), making it very fragrant.

Ouyang Junyan, along with Jiang Mingyue, Ouyang Jin, and Ah Li, sat in a side room. A table was set up there, specially arranged by Chen Wenfang, with eight cold dishes and snacks alone. Ouyang Jin and the others arrived late; he only glanced at the end of the beanbag toss and, considering his status, didn't participate. Chen Xuanyu hadn't seen him either, and now, even though it was time to eat, he was still itching to play. He said to Ah Li, "Uncle, after dinner, why don't you come with me to play beanbag toss?"

Ah Li, sipping the delicious mutton soup, said bluntly, "I'm busy, find someone else."

"Sigh..." Ouyang Jin sighed, took a sip of soup, "Ew, this soup is so delicious." Looking around, everyone was busy getting soup and eating their rice. After finishing two bowls, oh, where is it? Such a big bowl! Disappointed, Ouyang Jin reached for the bowl of braised pork ribs with his chopsticks. Hmm, this is delicious too...

It was Jiang Mingyue's first time attending such a farmhouse banquet with Ouyang Junyan, and she was very curious, looking around with wide eyes. Ouyang Junyan really liked Chen Ji's big pot dishes. He had been thinking about them ever since he ate them during the Mid-Autumn Festival. His transfer documents were coming down soon, and he would be transferred after the New Year. He no longer needed to avoid suspicion, so he specially brought Jiang Mingyue along to taste the food.

"Come on, have some of this mutton soup, try it all." Ouyang Junyan was very considerate. He first served her a bowl of soup and then picked up some meat and vegetables. The servants below were also very considerate and waited until Ouyang Junyan started eating before they started eating themselves.

Chen Wenfang made excellent arrangements this time. The dishes were served one after another, with only a few breaths between each dish. In just one go, five dishes were served: mutton soup, braised pork ribs, spicy diced chicken, pan-fried fish, and braised duck. Along with the dishes, a large basket of mixed flour steamed buns was also served. Ouyang Junyan's table was also specially served steamed white rice.

Jiang Mingyue had always known that Chen Ji's food was delicious, but she couldn't handle spicy food, so she didn't order there often. This time, she came specifically to see what was new.

The mutton soup was simmered over low heat, and the mutton smell was barely noticeable. The soup was extremely delicious. "It's really good, delicious!" Jiang Mingyue said with a pleasant smile.

"See? I wasn't wrong." Ouyang Junyan felt a sense of satisfaction from sharing his success. "Try these ribs again. Madam Chen knew you were coming, so she didn't make the dishes very spicy today."

"Mmm, delicious. She's so thoughtful." Jiang Mingyue finished the rib in her mouth before asking, "Why haven't I seen her?"

"They should be here soon, my lady. Try some other dishes first." Ouyang Junyan noticed she liked the mutton soup and wanted to fill another bowl, but there wasn't much left. Looking at his son and friends at the table, who looked like they hadn't eaten, he decided to just have Madam Chen bring another jar later.

Just then, Wang Erniu and Chen Wenfang came over, carrying a wine pot and wine cups.

"Greetings, Your Excellency, Madam Jiang. We have quite a few guests today, and I just finished arranging things before coming over. Please forgive any shortcomings in our hospitality," Chen Wenfang said with a smile, bowing to the two of them.

"Please forgive me for not taking good care of you, sir!" Wang Erniu also bowed.

Ouyang Junyan waved his hand, "You're too kind, Madam Chen, please go ahead and do your work. We're here as friends to freeload a meal, so don't worry about us."

Jiang Mingyue gently helped her up, covering her mouth with her delicate hand and smiling. Her husband was becoming more and more uninhibited when he was with Madam Chen and the others, so she also said, "That's right, Madam Chen, there's no need for such formalities."

Before Chen Wenfang could speak, Ouyang Junyan laughed and said, "What you say is true, madam. There's no need for formalities. We're dressed in plain clothes too. Look at what they're eating. Mr. Wang, why don't you bring us two more pots of mutton soup? Any kind words will do."