Divorced woman with child travels through time

The next day, the eighth day of the twelfth lunar month, was the Laba Festival...

With the holiday finally here, Li Huanqiu took his wife and children back home for the New Year. Nie Laoge's family had no relatives and were already considered part of Chen Ji's family, so they naturally spent the New Year at Chen Ji's. They also took the opportunity to sell some goods at the estate and manage and patrol the estate with Lü Xiong and Wang Xiaoming.

Early in the morning, Wang Erniu and Wang Xiaoguang each drove a horse-drawn carriage, taking Chen Wenfang, two cartloads of children, and goods to Chen's Tea House. They also took the children to the market to buy some things.

The sun rose almost imperceptibly along the way, the thin air shining with a cold yet slightly gentle light, offering no warmth. The carriage sped along, the biting wind piercing to the bone. Wang Erniu pulled his cotton hat and scarf tighter, only his eyes visible as he stared at the road ahead. So fully bundled up, who wouldn't envy him? Wang Erniu felt warm both physically and emotionally; it felt wonderful to be valued. With his gloved hand, he gently nudged the horse, "Giddy up..."

Wang Xiaoguang, just like Wang Erniu, was fully equipped, grinning and showing off everywhere. All of this was arranged by Chen Wenfang. Each of these grown men received two sets. This idea came from Chen Wenfang seeing the chilblains on Zhuan Shi's hands. She led the way, teaching several women to make cotton gloves and hats, as well as a long cotton pouch to hang around their necks to tuck their hands in. However, the men didn't really like these things; the children loved them. The women of Wangjiazhuang followed suit, and since they now had a little extra money, adults and children alike got a set. The competition was fierce, with everyone showing off their best handmade items.

As soon as the carriage arrived at the market, Chen Wenfang pulled up the curtain. Knowing that children love to watch the excitement, the children, unsurprisingly, craned their necks to look around.

The market was crowded, and the carriages moved very slowly. Wang Erniu wasn't in a hurry; he figured it was good for the children to have more time to look around.

The carriage moved slowly with the flow of people. People and carriages continued to enter the intersection. Just as Chen Wenfang was about to give the children some instructions, a sudden gust of wind arose, and white paper money flew everywhere. The noisy market suddenly became quiet, as if you could see a pin drop.

"Huh? What happened?" Chen Wenfang asked curiously.

Wang Erniu looked up at the white paper money fluttering like snowflakes and said, "I'm afraid someone died in another place and is being sent back now. This is all toll money..."

Chen Wenfang turned around and looked back. Two very wide double-row carriages were pulling two excellent thick wooden coffins, leaving deep ruts on the ground.

"How pitiful, two of them died at once..." Wang Xiaoguang's voice came from afar, sounding regretful.

"It's truly tragic, and a real sin. How can the family bear it?" Chen Wenfang sighed a few times. Just as she was about to pull her head back to look around, she suddenly felt a chill and goosebumps all over her body, as if she were being targeted by a venomous snake and about to be bitten at any moment. She glanced around and met Li Dali's venomous and resentful eyes, who was dressed in mourning clothes and had an extremely pale face.

Chen Wenfang felt a chill run down her spine and instinctively shrank back, using the carriage to block his gaze. Wang Erniu noticed this and retorted with a defiant look.

"Could it be Li Baozhu and Li Qingshan?" Chen Wenfang wondered to herself. Otherwise, who would be worthy of Li Dali personally escorting the coffin?

Seeing Wang Erniu's fearless gaze, Li Dali stared at him for a moment. Seeing no sign of backing down, he looked away, thinking to himself, "Wang Erniu! Chen Wenfang, you just wait! I won't let any of those who killed my father get away with this..."

Wang Erniu noticed a similarly vicious look in the eyes of another child nearby. When he tried to look closer, the child looked away.

Out of respect for the deceased, the surrounding carriages and pedestrians slowly made way. Chen Wenfang and his companion did the same, shooing their carriage aside to let them pass first. The white confetti fluttering in the air, coupled with the sorrowful silence and the chilly atmosphere, made the scene even more poignant.

In silence, two carriages carrying the coffin slowly disappeared at the end of the road. The crowd gradually became lively again. Chen Wenfang and the others drove the carriages and finally arrived at the entrance of Chen's Teahouse.

Chen Wenfang had Chen Xuanyu take Dazhuang and lead a group of children upstairs to the second floor. The downstairs business was booming and crowded, and she was worried the children might get lost. Just as Wang Erniu led Chen Wenfang into the second-floor bedroom and sat down, before they could even open the account book, news came that the Chamber of Commerce had arrived. The two had no choice but to go back downstairs to greet them.

After exchanging greetings, Chen Fang told Wang Erniu to go and negotiate with Chairman Qian of the Chamber of Commerce himself, since it was a man's business. Feeling utterly bored, she went to the entrance and watched the customers come and go. She also took the opportunity to greet some regular patrons, chat, and build rapport.

Two cups of tea's time passed quickly, and Chairman Qian stormed out with two men. He didn't even greet Chen Wenfang, simply flicking his sleeves and leaving. The negotiations must have broken down.

Sure enough, when Wang Erniu came out, Chen Wenfang went up to him and asked, "How did it go, husband? I don't think Chairman Qian is very happy..."

Wang Erniu laughed and said, "Of course! He insisted that we contribute five hundred taels of silver to distribute porridge for disaster relief. Where would we need so much? We can make the porridge ourselves, and it wouldn't cost that much money. Do you think other people's money grows on trees? He's just taking advantage of our newly opened shop and trying to cut his own pocket."

Chen Wenfang smiled as she looked at the people coming and going outside and said, "Husband, you can decide for yourself. I don't care about these things. But five hundred taels of silver is indeed not easy to earn, and we can't let it go to someone else for nothing."

Chen Wenfang had just finished speaking when she suddenly froze, staring intently at a middle-aged man passing by the door. Her words barely left her lips when her expression changed drastically, and she rushed out…

Wang Erniu, confused, shouted, "Fang'er! What's wrong?" and chased after her. Chen Wenfang didn't answer him, but kept pushing forward through the crowd and rushing out...

Wang Erniu, quick-witted and agile, soon caught up with Chen Wenfang. Chen Wenfang was standing not far away beside a rice cake stall, her gaze fixed on a round-faced, weathered middle-aged man with shabby clothes and somewhat disheveled hair. The man was awkwardly examining the rice cakes, seemingly wanting to buy some but finding them too expensive. The onlookers, seeing Chen Wenfang so brazenly staring at a man, were quite puzzled, scrutinizing her and whispering amongst themselves.

Chen Wenfang was completely unaware, her gaze still fixed on the middle-aged man, as if afraid he would disappear.

Wang Erniu slowly walked to her side, placed his hands on her shoulders, and gently put his arm around her, saying, "Fang'er, what's wrong? Fang'er?"

As if waking from a dream, Chen Wenfang turned to look at Wang Erniu and pleaded softly, "Husband, please help me stop him, don't let him get away, okay? Go check if he's really him." Chen Wenfang spoke with a solemn and cautious expression. After speaking, she immediately turned back to look at the man, afraid that he would leave.

Seeing her so vulnerable and yet so eager to uncover the truth, Wang Erniu felt a pang of heartache. He put his arm around her shoulder and said, "Okay, wait for me. I won't let him get away, don't worry!"