Divorced woman with child travels through time

Chen Wenfang and her group went shopping. The area gradually became more crowded in the afternoon. They first went to the butcher shop, where the same owner greeted Chen Wenfang. Chen Wenfang planned to make some cured meat. There were no meat vendors in Wangjiazhuang, and she only came to town on market days, which wasn't convenient for her to come with her child. So she decided to buy a lot.

Li San laughed loudly, "What kind of meat does Madam Chen want to buy? We're closing up shop this afternoon, so if you buy a lot, I'll give you a discount."

Everyone knows that Madam Chen is generous and buys a lot of things on this street.

Chen Wenfang smiled and said, "Mr. Li, if I buy more, could you deliver it to my home?"

Li San said awkwardly, "Madam Chen lives in Wangjiazhuang, which is quite far. It's also difficult for one person to travel to Dayaoshan alone. If you buy fifteen catties, I'll deliver it to you. That way, it'll be more convenient for two people to deliver it."

Chen Wenfang laughed and asked, "If I buy fifteen catties of meat, how much would it cost per catty?"

Mr. Li laughed and said, "Let's just say thirty coins a pound."

Chen Wenfang asked, "How many pounds of meat do you have left?"

Mr. Li glanced at the half-eaten pork on the table and replied, "I estimate it to be around fifty pounds."

Chen Wenfang moved closer and whispered, "Boss Li, I want to make some cured meat jerky so I can eat it slowly later. I'll buy all fifty jin (25 kg). Could you give me a discount? My home is far from here, so it's inconvenient for me to buy meat. How about this: I'll pay you a deposit first, and you can cut me a few jin (2 kg) as if I'm buying it myself. In a couple of days, could you deliver the rest of the meat to my house? I'll pay you then. My family is small, and I'm worried about people eyeing it. I can't buy it openly." Boss Li nodded.

Chen Wenfang then took a few steps back and said in a feigned manner, "Mr. Li, this fifteen jin is too much. My family is small and can't eat it all. Let's cut three jin instead."

Mr. Li pretended to be embarrassed, "If it's three catties, then the price can't be lowered. How about thirty-three coins per catty, Madam Chen?"

Chen Wenfang replied reluctantly, "Then cut three catties."

After Mr. Li cut three catties of meat, Chen Wenfang handed him the silver while he was paying. Mr. Li nodded at her when he saw the silver. Fortunately, everyone in the market was busy, and no one noticed.

Chen Wenfang, carrying the three jin of meat she had bought, went to the grain and oil shop with Aunt Liu and the others. They also bought ten jin of rice, ten jin of flour, five jin of cornmeal, twenty jin of soybean oil, and five dried salted fish, as they were really short of food at home. Seeing the salted fish, Chen Wenfang thought of fishing nets and asked the grain shop owner if he knew where she could buy them. The owner pointed to a place.

Chen Wenfang dragged a bunch of people to look at fishing nets again, and bought one at random, mainly because she didn't know how to use it. There was a bucket of fresh fish next to the man selling the fishing nets, so Chen Wenfang asked how to buy the fish.

The elder brother said, "Twenty coins."

Chen Wenfang said, "Twenty coins a piece is so expensive."

The older brother explained, "Twenty coins a bucket, all for you."

"Ah," Chen Wenfang said in surprise, "Could you sell me this bucket as well? My home is a bit far away, and I want to take it back to raise live fish."

The eldest brother was a straightforward man, saying, "They won't survive in a bucket; they'll die in two days at most."

Chen Wenfang said, "Sell it to me, I'll put it in a bucket and take it home today so I can eat live fish."

The older brother said, "I bought this bucket for fifteen coins. Although it's a bit old, it doesn't leak and works quite well."

Chen Wenfang said, "I'll give you thirty-six coins. Sell it to me."

The older brother was speechless; he'd never seen anyone buy fish and a bucket together. Aunt Liu, watching from the side, was equally speechless. The fish were tiny, barely the size of a palm, and a bucket only held about ten fish, making them a hassle to prepare. And they were so expensive! She wouldn't even take them for ten coins.

In Chen Wenfang's view, it was completely different. Wild crucian carp, more than ten the size of a palm, were only twenty coins, which was two coins per fish, practically free. In the summer, with the sun so strong, they would be incredibly fragrant if pickled and made into dried fish.

After paying, Aunt Liu helped carry the fish back to the grain and oil shop. The owner was packing her things, preparing to take them to her stall. Chen Wenfang went up and added another ten catties of salt, then asked, "Does the owner have any seasonings?"

The shopkeeper said, "We have pepper and garlic." Chen Wenfang bought some pepper, as she needed some seasoning to remove the fishy smell when frying it, and she bought an extra pound of garlic to use for planting later. She didn't need to buy sugar. She gave the fish to the shopkeeper to take with her.

Chen Wenfang wanted to explore further, but Aunt Liu couldn't bear to watch any longer and said, "Fang'er, isn't that enough? We've almost seen everything here."

Chen Wenfang didn't take it seriously and said, "Aunt Liu, don't we have any fresh fruit for sale around here? There should be fruit for sale at this time of year, right? Why haven't I seen any?" She figured it was almost May in the lunar calendar. There should be peaches and plums available.

Aunt Liu said, "Spring was late this year, so the peach blossoms are blooming late too. I guess there should be early peaches at the next market, but they won't be sweet until next month. Let's go home now that we've finished shopping." Aunt Liu was afraid she would want to buy more. The car was almost full.

Reluctantly, Chen Wenfang bought three baskets from a roadside vendor and returned to her stall. Just then, a clerk from the grain store delivered some goods. Uncle Liu Hai looked at the grains and oils and asked in surprise, "Fang-mei, why did you buy so much stuff?"

Chen Wenfang smiled and said, "I was starving when we fled famine before, so now that I have more supplies, I feel more at ease."

Uncle Liu sighed silently. He could understand; after all, the mother and daughter couldn't grow their own food, so buying more was the right thing to do.