Divorced woman with child travels through time

"This steamed dish is so beautiful and clean! But the others are good too, none of them leaked air!"

"Okay! Make fifty of each design first, Zhao Di, go and arrange it!"

"Yes, Madam!" Zhao Di smiled brightly, her smile as radiant as the sun, and happily went into the kitchen.

Wang Xiaoguang, standing to the side, was inexplicably stunned for a moment.

At Qingshan Village, Granny Qian tugged at her cotton coat, then reached into her pocket and rummaged through it for the eight hundred copper coins. A smile crept onto her lips, and the wrinkles on her old face smoothed out a bit.

She put on her cotton shoes, patted off the dirt, got up and folded the quilt. It was already slightly bright, so there was no need to turn on the lamp.

Granny Liu, who lived with them, also got up quietly.

What should we eat this morning?

"I simmered some bones before bed last night. Do you want to use that broth to make some noodles later?"

"Okay, I'll sprinkle some chopped green onions and eggs in later." Granny Qian smiled and smoothed out the bed sheet.

"Okay, put my eggs in too!" Chen Wenfang specified that everyone gets one egg every two days, and a fixed amount every three days, plus a pound of meat. Other foods like noodles and rice don't count; just eat until you're full.

"Let's fight our way in!" The other two old women got up and started making their own beds.

"Alright, tomorrow is Laba Festival. Madam said she's taking us to Chen's Restaurant for dinner. Those who don't want to go can visit relatives instead. Consider it a day off. Are you going or not?" Granny Qian was all alone and only familiar with these four old women.

"Of course I'll go. I heard there's wine to drink and lots of delicious dishes. I have to go and try them." Granny Liu was a big drinker.

Which of the old women who could be bought and sold were not all alone? Even if they had a few relatives, they wouldn't like such lonely and helpless people.

“I’ll go too. I’m old and have nowhere to go. I’ll just have to go and see.” Granny Wu was the one who almost ran away back then. Now that she’s well-fed, well-clothed, and well-drinked, why would she ever think about running away?

"I'm definitely going. Madam Chen is a good customer, and I have to thank her." Old Huang rolled her eyes. It was Madam Chen who persuaded her to run away with her in the first place. She almost fell for the trick. Life here is very comfortable. What fool would be willing to leave?

"Alright, I'll report the number of people later. Those women should go along too. Don't complain, or they'll be unhappy." Granny Qian was now in charge, and the other women listened attentively.

The women split up to do different tasks: one went to the kitchen, one fed the chickens and ducks and collected eggs, one went to the field to pick vegetables and then went to the kitchen to help, and another swept the yard. The division of labor was orderly.

All the women got up, dressed in the same uniforms from Chen's Workshop. Caiyun led them in running laps, practicing martial arts, and archery. Now, only about twenty women remained. After receiving their wages for a month, about ten left. The remaining women were either those who had nowhere else to go or those who wanted revenge. They learned the skills very well, and Caiyun taught them diligently.

Half an hour later, Granny Qian was enjoying a bowl of hot dumpling soup with a few side dishes, and as the faint sunlight shone down, the weather didn't seem so cold anymore.

Caiyun also drank two bowls. After everyone had eaten their fill, she asked directly, "Tomorrow is Laba Festival. Madam Chen said there's a gathering at the workshop, and she wants us to go together. Those who don't want to go can rest for a day and go for a stroll on their own. If you want to go, go tell Granny Qian. If you don't want to go, stay at the farm and cook for yourselves."

The women looked at each other.

The Wu sisters stood up and said, "Lady Caiyun, we're going."

Seeing this, Cheng Niangzi also offered to go herself.

Caiyun nodded in satisfaction. "It's good for people to communicate with others more."

The next day, the vegetable delivery driver called two horse-drawn carriages to take them to Chen's Restaurant.

As soon as Madam Cheng got into the carriage, she became somewhat restless. She was never one to join in the fun. In fact, there were a few women left on the estate to keep an eye on things. They were quite capable now and could manage to look after the house for a day without any problem.

We had just embarked on the official road.

The driver, with his sharp eyes, exclaimed, "Miss Caiyun, something seems to have happened up ahead! A cart has overturned; something's not right there!"

Caiyun was startled. The Japanese had been severely weakened since their last island attack and rarely caused trouble. Could it be that a small group of Japanese couldn't resist the urge to raid? "Slow down, let me see clearly!"

She suddenly darted out and squatted down next to the coachman.

In the distance, the people ahead were getting closer and closer.

A carriage had overturned on the ground. In front of the carriage lay a decapitated corpse, while the head of the carriage rolled on the ground beneath it, still holding the reins—presumably the coachman. On the ground lay a middle-aged man and woman, both with stab wounds in their backs. Half of their hair was visible through the carriage window, indicating they had also been killed. Five or six Japanese men were searching their bodies, while three other Japanese men stood nearby, grinning and gesturing with knives.

Caiyun was instantly furious.

"Stop the car! It's Japanese! Quick! Be careful, grab your weapons!" Caiyun yelled and drew her sword, flying down the road.

It must be said that the training over the past few months has been effective. Chen Wenfang didn't provide them with anything else, but anyone willing to pick up a weapon received a dagger.

"Clang!" She was using twin swords. As soon as she got off the vehicle, the Japanese men who were looting the corpses were shocked and turned around to attack her.

Caiyun had long harbored an intense hatred for these Japanese, so she made no attempt to hold back. With one hand, she parried the swords of two Japanese, while with the other hand, she stabbed through a Japanese who was a step too slow and was wielding a sword with both hands to strike her.

"Ugh!" The Japanese man was stabbed right through, coughed up a mouthful of blood, and lay down with the knife in his hand.

The other Japanese soldiers got impatient and all attacked. Caiyun was no match for them and was stabbed in the back with a "thud".

In the blink of an eye, Cheng Niangzi went crazy in the carriage. She tore open the curtain, jumped off the carriage, picked up a wooden stick and a dagger, and rushed forward. She learned from Caiyun and also learned her double swords.

She attacked wildly with sticks and knives, leaving the Japanese somewhat bewildered, but they didn't get close.

When the Wu sisters saw that Caiyun was injured, they jumped down as well. There were some wooden sticks and other tools on the cart, which they took down as well. Unfortunately, their skills were not good enough, and when several Japanese soldiers attacked, both of them were slashed and wounded.

The woman in the carriage was initially flustered and hurriedly tried to get off and run away. Later, seeing that Caiyun and the others were injured, she got off the carriage in a hurry. She felt sorry for them and jumped off the carriage but did not dare to go forward.

Despite her injuries, Caiyun moved to Cheng Niangzi's side, back to back. Seeing that the Wu sisters were also injured, she immediately attacked again, separating from Cheng Niangzi once more. Caiyun rolled over and landed under the Japanese soldiers, stabbing them from bottom to top with her knife, piercing them through and splattering blood all over her.

"Ah!" The Japanese man screamed in agony. His knife was about to fall, but Caiyun didn't care about anything else. She used her hand to shield her face and rolled awkwardly onto the blood.

Seeing this, Cheng Niangzi stepped forward, snatched the broadsword, and fiercely slashed at the Japanese soldiers who had come to kill Caiyun.

"Sisters, come help!" The Wu sisters retreated while swinging wooden sticks in front of them, trying to defend themselves.