Divorced woman with child travels through time

The two of them played around for a while until their stomachs started growling, then they got up to cook. There was some meat left, but no eggplant. Chen Wenfang took three eggs and some flour, planning to make egg pancakes. Actually, she wanted to make noodles, but she didn't have a rolling pin. She went to the small vegetable garden next to the yard in the rain and picked some scallions. She cracked the eggs, beat them, then poured in some water, added a little salt, and then some flour. Since Chen Wenfang and her son wouldn't eat much, she just added a couple of small handfuls. She stirred the flour until it was smooth and resembled yogurt.

Heat the wok, brush it with oil, pour in some batter, and spread it evenly with a clam shell. Chen Wenfang found this clam shell by the pond. When she first came here, she was penniless and could even find broken ropes to use.

Suppress the open flame in the stove, and the pancake will be cooked in a while. Then flip it over to bake the other side. The fire in the wood-fired stove is too strong and it is easy to burn the pancake. Chen Wenfang does it very carefully.

Chen Xuanyu didn't go off to play either, but stayed with his mother like a little shadow. Although he couldn't see the stove, he could smell the aroma. As soon as the pancakes were ready, he started calling out, "Mom, I'm hungry."

Without even turning her head, Chen Wenfang continued, "Go wash your hands first, oh, don't get your sleeves wet."

Chen Xuanyu replied as he ran, "I understand."

I flew back in a flash, my hands dripping wet.

Chen Wenfang didn't turn around, and calmly said, "Dry your hands."

Chen Xuanyu ran out again, and then came right back, looking at his mother with his big eyes, and said, "Dry your hands, can you eat now?"

Chen Wenfang bent down, put two pieces of cake in a small bowl, and carefully placed them in Chen Wenxuan's hands. "Be careful, they're hot. Take them to the table to eat."

The bowls used by poor people in ancient times weren't the white porcelain bowls we use today; they were more like those tile-colored bowls, with tall stems, and they weren't very hot. Yes, the bowl Wu Song drank from while fighting the tiger. So every time Chen Wenfang ate, holding this bowl, she felt a strange sense of heroism. She wondered if Wu Song had ever eaten an egg pancake.

The egg pancakes, golden brown on both sides and garnished with tender green scallions, exuded the aroma of wheat. One bite, and they were soft, smooth, and delicious. Chen Wenfang suddenly realized that none of her previous egg pancakes tasted this good. It was like a completely different experience. Whether Wu Song had tried it or not, I certainly did. Hehe...

After finishing their meal, Chen Wenfang and her son sat quietly in the hall, gazing blankly at the pattering rain.

Watching the rain idly on a rainy day can be quite enjoyable.

It rained from yesterday until noon. As soon as the rain stopped, Aunt Liu came over with Dazhuang and ten eggs.

She said it was a return gift for the braised pork Chen Wenfang had given her last time. Chen Wenfang couldn't refuse, so she accepted it.

Aunt Liu smiled with satisfaction. She said, "I thought you must have forgotten to buy a raincoat last time. You can't go out when it rains, so I didn't come. Now that the rain has just stopped, I brought two extra raincoats. One is for your Uncle Liu Hai, and the other is for Shi Tou. We can use them if it rains in Wangjiazhuang."

Chen Wenfang smiled and said, "Aunt Liu is so thoughtful. But this rain doesn't seem like it's going to stop anytime soon, so why don't we go again tomorrow? I'm worried the child will catch a cold."

Aunt Liu laughed and said, "That's fine. Why don't you come to my house? You said last time that your straw sandals were about to break and you wanted to buy a few more pairs. It just so happens that Uncle Tian, ​​who sells straw sandals, lives at our house."

Chen Wenfang said, "Let's go then, I'll pick out a few pairs. But what's your relationship with Uncle Tian? Why are you selling straw sandals at your house?"

As they talked, they packed their things and went out. The road was very muddy and difficult to walk on after the rain, so Chen Wenfang carried Chen Xuanyu along.

Aunt Liu explained, "Uncle Tian's daughter, Lan Hua, is a sister from a village I met when I fled famine. When we arrived in her village, we were so hungry we could only eat grass roots. She gave us five jin of flour. Later, we were ostracized by the people in that village, so we moved here. She married a man from Daping Township and had two children. They were living a good life until early last year when her husband, who was serving in the military, had his leg broken by a rock while carrying mud by the river. The medical expenses used up all their savings, and his leg didn't fully recover. He's now lame, and their lives are getting worse every day. Uncle Tian only has this one daughter, so he cherishes her dearly. But alas, he's getting old and can't do anything about it."

Sighing, Aunt Liu said with a sigh, "In this world, the better you are, the harder it is for you. Lan Hua's husband is a really strong man. He only has an elderly mother at home. When he saw that Lan Hua was an only daughter, he took Uncle Tian and his wife to live with him. The two of them supported three elderly people and two children. After that incident last year, it felt like the sky was falling. They just barely managed to get through it. Lan Hua embroidered handkerchiefs, her husband stayed home and learned to weave straw sandals with Uncle Tian, ​​and her elderly mother stayed home to take care of the children. Uncle Tian and his wife sold their wares, and that's how they managed to get by. It's so tragic, it's been so hard for them."

Chen Wenfang also sighed, "Aunt Lanhua is such a good woman, she never abandoned me."

Aunt Liu said, "Who says otherwise? I thought I'd lend a hand if I could, and you happen to need straw sandals too."

Chen Wenfang smiled and said, "I understand, it should be so."

Before we knew it, we arrived at Aunt Liu's house. In the main room sat two elderly people we had seen at the market last time, and a woman with a boy who looked about three or four years old. I guessed that was Aunt Lanhua. Uncle Liu Hai was sitting with them.