Divorced woman with child travels through time

Chen Wenfang started crying again, but afraid of frightening him, she turned away to wipe her tears. Wang Erniu felt another pang of heartache; his wife, how much injustice had she suffered…

The old man looked at the woman before him and felt a pang of heartache. He said, "Madam Chen, I wonder which of your old friends I resemble so much that I have caused you such sorrow? But I suppose he wouldn't want to see you wallowing in grief forever. Look ahead and try to live your life in peace."

Upon hearing this, Chen Wenfang suddenly burst into tears, thinking to herself, "If it were my father, he would probably say the same thing..."

Wang Erniu hugged Chen Wenfang tightly, letting her bury her head in his chest, and comforted her tenderly, saying, "It's alright, it's alright, it's all over..."

Dazhuang and Chuyi brought out several dishes: stewed mutton, braised beef, stir-fried pork with chili peppers, and boiled fish fillets. The two went inside and saw Chen Wenfang crying. They put down the dishes and closed the door. Luckily, Wang Xiaoguang and the others had taken the children out shopping, otherwise it would have been difficult to explain.

The old man remained silent. Wang Erniu sighed and gently patted her back in a comforting manner. Chen Wenfang cried for a while, then felt much better. She wiped her tears with her sleeve, forced a smile, and said, "I'm sorry, I made you laugh. Please eat quickly, or the food will get cold."

Wang Erniu smiled and poured him a drink, "Come on, Uncle, let me toast you..."

"Alright, alright, thank you for thinking so highly of me, Mr. Chen, bottoms up!" After observing for a while, the old man felt that Chen Wenfang and the others were indeed quite approachable, and his demeanor became more open. He put the rice cake he had been holding down at his feet, picked up the cup, and drank the wine in one gulp. "Cough...cough cough...cough..." He didn't expect to drink too fast and choked, his face covered in grime.

Chen Wenfang quickly picked up a snow-white towel from the shelf next to him and handed it to him, "Uncle, quickly wipe yourself."

Upon seeing the snow-white handkerchief, the old man hurriedly waved his hand awkwardly, saying, "No need, no need, I'll just wash my face with cold water. Such a nice thing, I don't want to get it dirty." He then got up.

Wang Erniu scooped out two bottles of hot water from the water tank next to the stove, put them in a basin, and then brought it over, saying sincerely, "Uncle, wash here. After you're done, wipe yourself with a cloth so you don't get dirty."

Seeing the undisgusted looks in their eyes, the old man nodded with gratitude and said, "Okay, I'll wash!" He then carefully washed his hands and face in the basin, and after washing, he took the handkerchief from Chen Wenfang and wiped his face clean.

Chen Wenfang looked at him with a smile and said, "Uncle, let's eat first."

"Great!" the uncle laughed heartily. "I picked up a piece of beef and put it in my mouth. The host is too kind. There are so many dishes. I have never eaten anything so delicious before. What kind of meat is this? I could eat several bowls of rice with this flavor."

"This is beef, Uncle, eat more if you like it." Chen Wenfang said with a smile, and then put a piece of mutton on his plate. "This is mutton, Uncle, you should try it." She then pointed to two dishes next to her and said, "This is stir-fried pork with chili peppers, made with green chili peppers that we at Chen's specially stored. This is boiled fish fillets, which is also a signature dish."

"Okay, thank you, boss." The old man chuckled as he ate the meat with gusto, while Wang Erniu poured him a drink. "Uncle, what's your surname? Where do you live? We live in Wangjiazhuang. There's a workshop there. You can come visit sometime."

"Oh, it's Chen's. I know your workshop. I heard the wages are very high. I wonder if you need any more workers? My surname is Hu, and my given name is He Dan. Just call me Uncle Hu. I'm very hardworking. If the boss is interested, you can consider hiring me. Hehe." Uncle Hu put down his chopsticks, his rough hands nervously rubbing together, and said to Wang Erniu very solicitously.

After listening, Chen Wenfang quietly turned away and wiped away her tears, which Wang Erniu saw.

“Great! I think Uncle Hu is quite capable. He can come and work for us next year.” Wang Erniu said thoughtfully without hesitation.

"Oh, oh, oh, that's great! Thank you so much, boss!" Uncle Hu was overjoyed at receiving such a wonderful opportunity, and only then did he pick up his chopsticks again to eat.

"But Uncle Hu, we have a rule there, you should know it, right?" Wang Erniu kept everyone in suspense.

"What's wrong? What's the rule?" Uncle Hu nervously put down his chopsticks again.

Chen Wenfang didn't understand what Wang Erniu meant, so she nudged him with her hand. Wang Erniu patted her, meaning don't worry.

Wang Erniu said, "I think you are a kind and honest person, Uncle. You should know that Chen's is famous for making pastries. To work properly at Chen's, you need to sign a contract and keep it confidential. It would be best if the whole family lived in Chen's workshop. If your aunt is willing, she can also sign a contract and come to work. We will provide accommodation and three meals a day."

"This... I'll ask my wife later." Uncle Hu was a little undecided. Although Chen Ji had a good reputation and the employer seemed like a good person, and had given him a job because he resembled an old friend, he still had to ask his family.

"Okay, then come over tomorrow and give me an answer." Wang Erniu put another piece of beef on his plate.

"Okay, thank you very much, sir." Uncle Hu ate with gusto, his mouth brimming with oil. The beef was truly amazing, so delicious! The mutton was also excellent, and the stir-fried pork with chili peppers was fragrant. No wonder rich people like to eat out! He wished he could swallow his tongue. Thinking this, he added, "Sir, are you sure this is for me? I can't afford to pay!"

"I'm sure, Uncle Hu, don't worry. We have a good reputation in business," Wang Erniu assured him repeatedly.

"Hey, sorry, I was too talkative," Uncle Hu said humbly.

"It's alright, Uncle, take your time eating, no rush," Wang Erniu said with a smile.

"Uncle, why aren't you eating this fish? It's delicious, have a taste." Chen Wenfang didn't eat a single bite herself, but kept putting food on his plate the whole time. She noticed that he ate all the meat and vegetables, but he didn't touch the fish at all.

"Hehe, none of the fish I've eaten have been good, so I don't like eating fish." Uncle Hu said while chewing his vegetables, his eating manners were not exactly elegant.

Chen Wenfang didn't mind, and just smiled and said, "Uncle, you can try it. Our fish is prepared differently."

As they were talking, Chu Yi brought over a wooden bucket of rice. Wang Erniu picked up his bowl and filled it for him, saying, "Uncle, the dishes are salty, have some rice with them."

"Oh..." Uncle Hu was flattered. "This... is it white rice? Is it for me?"

"Of course, Uncle, please eat more," Chen Wenfang said with a smile.

"This...this is too presumptuous of me," Uncle Hu stammered, but couldn't resist the temptation of the rice and took a bite. "Oh...it's so delicious." He wolfed down the rice, finishing the bowl in just a few bites, feeling a little embarrassed.