Divorced woman with child travels through time

She slowly stood up and saw ten lithe figures bending over and planting rice seedlings quickly and skillfully in the square field, which was shrouded in mist.

"Tiger Boy!" Granny Yuan wiped her tears with her sleeve. "Did you manage to borrow any grain?" She was too embarrassed to cook sweet potatoes for these young men.

“No, Grandmother, Er Ya’s family also went. Her mother said she still had to go pound rice, but the soldiers stopped her, saying that their general had ordered that no one was allowed to eat at farmers’ homes. If they did, they would be punished when they got home that night.” Huwazi was sweating profusely. He added, “Er Ya’s mother told us not to cook either, so that they wouldn’t get punished.”

"How can this be? We only gave these officials a sip of water, and they did so much work for us." She rolled up her trousers. "Tiger Boy, let's help plant rice seedlings together."

"Yes." Tiger Boy was a very sensible child. Knowing that these people genuinely wanted to help with the work, he listened obediently and did whatever they asked. Hearing this, he immediately went down to the field, and the seven-year-old child did a surprisingly good job.

Chen Song had been working diligently, but when his back started to ache, he stopped to straighten it for a while. That's when he saw the grandfather and grandson working as well.

"Hey Tiger Cub, help your grandma up. We can do the work."

Hearing this, the others straightened up as well, "That's right, let's go up there and do it!"

"Yes, yes, there's not much work, we'll finish it quickly!"

"You go upstairs!"

The grandfather and grandson wouldn't listen, and the soldiers had no choice but to speed up. The general said that those who work in the fields can have extra meals at night and don't need to do night training. Every soldier would want to do this job, right?

A dozen or so soldiers could normally finish planting in a morning, but with the help of a grandfather and grandson who were both efficient, the time was even faster. In less than three hours, the entire field was filled with neat rows of tender green rice seedlings, swaying gently in the breeze, as if nodding and smiling at them.

The soldiers went to the stream to wash their feet, and Tiger Cub followed along to play.

Chen Song looked at the chubby-faced black tiger cub and liked him very much. He splashed some water on the cub's calf to tease him.

Tiger Cub wasn't angry. A simple, honest smile appeared on his dark face as he quietly inquired, "Why did your general send you down to help us farm? Does he pay you wages? Does he provide food? Is there meat?"

"Hahahaha!" The soldiers laughed so loudly that even the birds in the forest took flight.

“Because many of us are like your father, with only an elderly mother taking care of the children at home, and no one to help with farming,” Chen Song tried to reason with him.

"He's the one who pays wages; he's very rich."

"Yes, yes, they provide meals too. You can eat as many steamed buns as you want, and there's plenty of meat. They slaughter a pig every day."

"That's great! When I grow up, I want to join the army there too." Tiger Cub couldn't help but drool at the thought of meat.

Chen Song patted his head. "Haven't you eaten meat in a long time?"

"It wasn't long ago. My grandmother bought me a pound of meat during the New Year." Tiger Boy looked at him earnestly with his clear black and white eyes.

Chen Song thought of his younger brother, who was just as dark-skinned as him, but thinner and not as strong.

"Alright, we're leaving now!" The soldiers came over one by one to pat him.

"Here, have something for you. Open it after we leave!" Chen Song put on his shoes and, taking advantage of the moment, pulled a paper package from his pocket and stuffed it into his hand.

"Let's go, let's go!" Chen Song's team leader had already filled the Yuan family's water tank with water and led his men away.

"We're here!" Chen Song put on his shoes and quickly caught up with the group.

Granny Yuan searched the house for a long time, packed a few bags of vegetables and grabbed two chickens, then chased after them. There was really nothing worth bringing out.

"Hey, wait for me!" She was old and slow, and by the time she finished, she was already far away.

Seeing that she couldn't catch up, Granny Yuan had no choice but to put down her things, tears streaming down her face, climb up the ridge, and wave vigorously at the departing procession in the distance.

Chen Song and the others turned back and waved to her from a distance.

Tiger Cub followed for a while and saw many people wearing the same clothes as Chen Song and his companions coming out from different roads and villages. Seeing that he wanted to keep following, Chen Song said to him, "You should go back now. Your great-grandfather still needs you to take care of him. When you grow up, you can come and find your brother, okay? My name is Chen Song. Just remember my name."

“Okay!” Tiger Boy nodded heavily and stopped following them. He stood there quietly watching them grow further and further away until they turned the corner, circled the village, and disappeared from sight.

Tiger Cub, clutching a paper bag the size of his palm, ran wildly along the country road like a little deer. His heart was pounding, and he gripped the bag tightly in both hands as if it were some precious treasure.

He rushed into the courtyard, shouting, "Grandmother!"

Granny Yuan was cooking chicken feed in the kitchen and steaming some sweet potatoes when she heard the sound. She said, "What's wrong? I'm here!"

"Grandma, look!" Tiger Cub ran over quickly and held up the paper package in front of her like a treasure. "The older brother who helped me gave this to me!"

Granny Yuan smiled kindly and said, "What's given to you is yours. Take a look for yourself."

"Oh!" Tiger Boy reverently took a small wooden stool and sat down, placing the paper package on his lap. He slowly opened it, and a reddish-brown, curved strip of pastry sprinkled with sesame seeds appeared in the center. It exuded the aroma of oil and brown sugar, and even without tasting it, one could almost smell the sweetness.

"Grandmother! Look, this is a snack."

Granny Yuan peeked inside and said with a smile, "It's a snack! That brother is so generous, Tiger Cub, you should try some!"

"Grandma, have a taste first!" Tiger Boy held out a snack to her lips.

"No, no, Grandmother doesn't eat these." Granny Yuan dodged left and right.

"Eat up, Grandma, have a taste!" Tiger Cub insisted, standing on tiptoe.

Granny Yuan couldn't persuade him otherwise, so she finally took a small bite and immediately squinted her eyes. "Mmm, delicious. Tiger Cub, you eat it."

"Hmm!" He then carefully placed a tiny bit of the snack near his mouth, took a small bite, pursed his lips, and slowly sucked it out with his tongue, the sweet flavor filling his entire mouth.

"Wow...it's really delicious, so fragrant and sweet!" Tiger Cub almost wanted to swallow it whole, but he couldn't bear to. He slowly ate it bit by bit. The chickens in the house smelled the aroma and came in. He quickly stood up and started eating, happily circling around the stove, enjoying the snack. He ate a small snack for almost half an hour, until it was already dark...

In the barracks, Chen Song slept soundly after a long day's work. The dinner was excellent; the braised pork knuckle, a generous portion, was fragrant and tender. He ate one, but couldn't eat any more. He decided to check with the mess hall tomorrow to see if there was any leftover broth; he could use it to dip his flatbread in the broth.