Divorced woman with child travels through time

Wang Erniu led them into the new house. Sister-in-law Nie showed Aunt Hu the kitchen and bathroom before leaving with her people and returning to the main hall.

Aunt Hu put down her bundle and looked around, feeling as if she were dreaming. Was this brand-new building a place they could live in?

"Mom, look what this is!" Juan'er excitedly touched the stacks of new clothes on the kang. She found two sets of clothes that were the same as those worn by the children who had been reading in the room earlier. Did that mean she would have new clothes to wear too?

Uncle Hu was already sitting on the kang (a heated brick bed). He was somewhat lost in thought. The kang was already slightly warm from the heat, so it wasn't cold at all when he sat down, and he could feel that the mattress underneath was very thick.

Uncle Hu rummaged through the items and found a straw mat, a mattress, and surprisingly, a thick cotton quilt on top of it. He couldn't help but wonder, was it worth it? This landlord Wang had gone to so much trouble, offering such good conditions to hire his family.

Aunt Hu had already turned over the cotton-padded jacket. The heavy jacket was two fingers thick, with dense stitches, clearly made by a skilled embroiderer. It was sewn from blue cotton cloth without a single loose thread, and there were exactly two sets for each person, a total of eight sets of cotton-padded clothes and trousers, as well as four pairs of thickly sewn cotton shoes. Only the small "Chen" character on them told them that this was their work uniform from Chen's shop.

Juan'er gently stroked it with her hand.

"This Mrs. Chen is truly a kind-hearted person..." Aunt Hu couldn't help but sigh.

"What have we done to deserve this?" Uncle Hu said somewhat nervously.

Madam Hu, however, held up the clothes to the child and said, "We're already here, why think about those things? Just work hard from now on. It's rare to find such a good employer like you. Juan'er, these clothes suit you. Come on, let's go see if the water is boiled. We'll give you a bath and change you into new clothes, okay?"

Juan'er said happily, "Great, Mom! I love new clothes the most..."

Xiao Bo also said, "Mom, I want to take a bath too, and I want to change my clothes..."

"Alright, alright, wash them all, and then change into new clothes..." Aunt Hu was rarely this happy...

Aunt Hu brought the two children to the bathroom. "Oh, there's even soap..." she exclaimed, delighted. She washed the two children thoroughly from head to toe, and dressed them in fresh, fragrant clothes and shoes. The two children immediately ran out to play with some friends.

Aunt Hu wasn't worried. She heard from Sister-in-law Nie that there were people watching over the village, patrolling outside, and dogs around. She didn't need to worry about the child getting lost, as the area was cordoned off and outsiders couldn't get in.

It was rare for Aunt Hu to take such a carefree bath. Inside the bathroom, there was well water brought in from outside, and hot water was poured from the stove. They were mixed together and poured into a large basin. Aunt Hu hummed a little tune as she comfortably washed herself clean.

After Aunt Hu finished her bath, she poured out the dirty water, filled the tub with hot water, and got up to call Uncle Hu to come and take a bath. But to her surprise, Uncle Hu was already fast asleep in bed, snoring loudly.

Aunt Hu smiled, picked up the quilt and covered him with it, then took the clothes outside to wash and hang them to dry.

Xiao Bo led Juan'er and ran to the main room in one breath. When Chen Xuanyu saw them coming, he said, "Why don't you two come along and learn to read too?"

Juan'er looked at him strangely; this little guy was quite sharp-tongued. She ignored him...

She grabbed Lulu's clothes and said, "Sister Lulu, do you think I look good in this outfit?"

Lulu smiled and said, "She looks good. Juan'er is cute, and she looks good in anything."

Juan'er smiled sweetly and said, "Thank you, Sister Lulu."

Chen Xuanyu rolled his eyes and said, "What's the use of being good-looking if you can't even read?" Xiao Bo remained silent, watching them practice calligraphy in a circle with great curiosity and envy in his eyes. He knew that only wealthy families could afford to read and write.

"You!...So what if you can read? I'll learn too! I'll surpass you, hmph!" Juan'er pouted, head held high, looking defiant.

"I'll learn too, I'll surpass you. Hmm, let's talk when you surpass me..." Chen Xuanyu echoed, this little brat was still not convinced, little did she know that he was only a six-year-old child, while Juan'er was already eight years old and tall. She didn't know his identity, so naturally she was not convinced by him.

Juan'er pouted and ignored him. She picked up some paper from the table and took a brush, pretending to write, but actually just scribbling. Seeing his little sister so bold, Xiao Bo also got some paper and a brush, but he wrote very carefully, watching them as he wrote. Everyone quieted down, and the only sound was the soft scratching of the brush on the paper. The room was filled with a warm atmosphere.

Uncle Hu slept until the afternoon, got up and took a shower, and was then woken up by Brother Nie, who invited him to the main hall for dinner.

As soon as the two entered the main hall, they were stunned by the sumptuous meat and dishes on the table. "My goodness!" Uncle Hu muttered to himself, swallowing hard. "Which wealthy family can afford to eat like this?"

In the center was a huge iron basin filled with stewed wild boar, next to which were huge pieces of fish fried until crispy, stir-fried cured pork with alternating layers of red and lean meat and oozing fat, a large basin of fried tofu and a small basin of stir-fried bean sprouts. Several large basins of dishes filled the entire table.

Aunt Hu was stunned. This bowl of food... was it for feeding pigs? There was so much of it, yet it didn't look like it at all. The vegetables looked delicious.

Sister-in-law Nie led two people, carrying a stack of huge bowls, and distributed them to everyone. Each person took a bowl.

Wang Xiaoming and Wang Xiaoguang carried over a large basket of steamed buns and said, "Come on, everyone, let's eat..."

Chen Wenfang and Wang Erniu also came out from inside, wiping their freshly washed hands. Seeing Uncle Hu and Aunt Hu staring blankly, Chen Wenfang greeted them with a smile, "Uncle Hu and Aunt Hu, come and eat. We don't have so many formalities here. Just take your own bowls and get the food yourself. It'll save you from having too many bowls to wash."

"Hey, hey..." Aunt Hu helped Uncle Hu sit down, and Wang Erniu took a bowl, filled it with meat and vegetables with serving chopsticks, and brought it to him with two fist-sized steamed buns.

"Okay, okay, thank you, thank you, I'll eat it myself, I'll eat it myself." Uncle Hu took the bowl with both hands, smiling apologetically. Aunt Hu was also stuffed with a large bowl of meat by Chen Wenfang.

As soon as the meat entered his mouth, Uncle Hu almost cried. This meat was so delicious, tender and smooth, he wished he could eat his tongue too.

Aunt Hu was also amazed; she had never eaten such delicious meat in her entire life, let alone in such a large portion. The two children, without any restraint, ate the meat and ate their steamed buns with gusto.

"Come on, eat more..." Sister-in-law Nie and Chen Wenfang kept piling food onto their plates. Seeing them eat so happily, Chen Wenfang felt even more satisfied. It was as if she had fulfilled some wishes; they were all doing well, and she was young and capable of taking good care of them...