Divorced woman with child travels through time

Chen Wenfang looked at the two old men in front of her with a head full of questions. They were beggars, but they seemed to be slightly better off than beggars. At least they had their hair tied up and their faces were relatively clean, although their Taoist robes were tattered beyond recognition.

But you insist on calling him a Taoist priest with unfathomable martial arts skills. No matter how you look at it, he doesn't seem like one. He has relatively little hair, and his haphazardly tied-up hair looks like a messy chicken coop. He looks more like a poor, thin old farmer from the next village. The difference is that he is very energetic and a little oily.

Not knowing the details, Chen Wenfang dared not let her guard down. What if he was a master?

"Please, esteemed Taoist priests, take a seat." Chen Wenfang greeted them with a smile, leading them to the seats of honor. "May I ask where you two received this information?"

One of the Taoist priests, who was nearly 40 years older and rather thin and tall, had a face full of wrinkles and said with a big smile, "May I ask if you are Madam Chen? We were recommended by Brother Qi?"

Chen Wenfang suddenly realized, "Oh, it's him! That's perfect. I was just thinking of hiring a tutor for my kids. Would you two like to meet him?"

The maidservant served tea, and another Taoist priest looked at her with bright eyes and nodded thoughtfully.

"Of course we should meet. I am Zhang Chang, and this is my junior brother Wuxin. We have come here specifically to find children with good aptitude to join our school." The old man stroked his sparse, long beard and said seriously.

"Okay, please wait a moment, girl. Go and have Da Xiong call all the children from the manor over." Chen Wenfang was very happy and immediately made the arrangements.

The girl responded and left. A moment later, Big Bear rushed in with a group of children, making a lively scene. After checking the number of people, he realized that two were still missing, so Big Bear went out again. Lately, Wood had been going to the woods a lot, and Chengcheng was probably looking for him.

The two old men became inexplicably excited upon hearing the sound.

"Grandpa, hello!" Chen Xuanyu said sweetly, starting to act cute as soon as he came in. He had heard that two experts had come. These two old men looked so arrogant and messy, they must be really awesome.

"Hello grandpa!"

"Hello, Grandpa! Hello, Grandpa!" A group of children imitated each other, making a racket like the Calabash Brothers hanging on a vine, one after another. Chen Wenfang found it both amusing and exasperating, and also a bit of a headache.

"Oh, good!" Perhaps it's because older people like children, the two old Taoists beamed with joy, their wrinkles disappearing completely.

Old Taoist Zhang Chang casually tucked his whisk into his waistband, spread his feet—wearing tattered cloth shoes with his big toe sticking out—and reached out to pull Chen Xuanyu into his arms. "Come here, good boy, let Grandpa take a good look at you."

Master Zhang Chang pulled Chen Xuanyu over and carefully examined him from his arms to his shoulders to his waist. He then said, "This is acceptable."

Then she pushed him away, pulled Xiao Hao over and started touching him, laughing as she did so, "Hey..." After touching him, she patted his shoulder and said, "This one's good."

Fifteen quickly squeezed through, saying, "Then touch me again."

Master Zhang Chang chuckled and said, "Sure, sure, come on, one for each of you." He then touched him again, stroked his beard, and said, "You're alright too."

Chen Xuanyu retorted, "What? Am I the only one who can't do it?" He secretly rolled his eyes in his mind.

Another Taoist priest, Wuxin, who had been drinking tea, lazily interjected, "Don't listen to his nonsense. Actually, the three of you are all pretty much the same."

Chen Xuanyu didn't say anything then. He touched all the other children, including the children from the newly arrived farmer Tian's family. Zhang Changdao didn't seem very satisfied with any of them.

Finally, Da Xiong, carrying Chengcheng and half a basket of pig feed, searched for a long time and finally found Mu Tou. He brought them over, and Zhang Chang and Wu Xin, the two Taoist priests, immediately lit up. This "little lit up" is a vivid description. Chen Wenfang clearly saw that Taoist priest Wu Xin was like a house cat seeing a mouse, his eyes lighting up.

"Come here, let me take a look!" Master Wuxin called out to Mu Tou. Mu Tou remained silent, glancing up at him blankly. In the village, he would only respond when Aunt Liu called him; he ignored everyone else.

His shout seemed to startle the wood, and its eyes focused slightly, but the focus quickly disappeared as it turned away and ignored him.

"You silly child!" Master Wuxin stood up and pulled him over. "This one's not bad, not bad at all, hahaha!"

Master Zhang Chang ignored the crazed Wu Xin. He saw the child he wanted and was pulling Cheng Cheng to look at him, pinching his hand and then his shoulder. Cheng Cheng looked unwilling. What were they doing? Pinching him like that.

"Don't move! You little brat, I see you have exceptional talent and are a natural martial arts prodigy. Why don't you come up the mountain with me? What do you say?" Master Zhang Chang coaxed patiently.

"I'm not going. I'm fine here." Chengcheng abruptly refused. He knew these two people were there to select people, but he didn't care.

"Oh, you little brat, it's your good fortune that I've taken a liking to you, yet you're still not happy. You should know that practicing martial arts with me will not only strengthen your body but also prolong your life." Master Zhang Chang was getting anxious, but he couldn't bear to speak harshly; this child was truly exceptional.

"I don't want to!" Chengcheng remained unmoved, breaking free from his hand and running to Chen Xuanyu's side. He was still their little shadow...

Chen Xuanyu and the other two were stunned for a moment, then turned around and shielded him behind them.

Chen Xuanyu said, "Mother, if he doesn't want to go, then let it be."

Chen Wenfang smiled and said, "You two Taoist priests must be tired after coming all this way. Why don't you rest and have a meal today? We have many empty rooms here. You can stay for a while and observe them. If you think they are suitable, then you can accept them as disciples. What do you think?"

The two Taoist priests exchanged a glance and nodded. "Alright, we'll follow your arrangements, madam."

"Big Bear, have Uncle Hu take the two of you to the new house, get them some new clothes, and arrange dinner," Chen Wenfang said carefully.

"Yes, sir. Please, both of you!" Big Bear acted very much like a butler.

The two Taoist priests then settled in.

In the evening, Liu Hai and Brother Nie kept the two Taoist priests company with drinks. The two priests ate and drank to their hearts' content, thoroughly enjoying themselves. After eating and drinking, they took a bath and changed clothes, then lay down on the thickly padded kang (a heated brick bed), the new cotton mattress exuding the fragrance of sunshine.

"Sigh, senior brother, although the Chen family may not be a wealthy or noble family, their hospitality is truly genuine!" Wu Xin smacked his lips, savoring the memory. "The braised pork for dinner was really good; I liked it."

"Hehe, you know what? I really like that fish. I heard it was made by the landlady herself. It's sour, spicy, refreshing, tender, and fragrant—it's unforgettable!" Zhang Chang commented with a smile.

"Why don't we stay here for a while and teach them a bit? These kids may not be the most gifted, but hard work can make up for it. I think we can still pick some out."

“That makes sense. Let’s stay here for now. I’ve heard their snacks are quite good. Let the little kid bring us some to try tomorrow. That little blockhead ate everything on the table today. Humph!” Master Zhang Chang agreed.

Having made up their minds, the two quickly fell into a deep sleep...