Divorced woman with child travels through time

Chen Wenfang changed her clothes, put on straw sandals and a straw hat, closed the door, then grabbed her son, locked the courtyard gate, and headed straight for Aunt Liu's house. She needed to find a helper. Chen Wenfang walked quickly and steadily, having completely calmed down. Even though her hands were still trembling, she didn't regret it. She would kill her son again if it happened again.

The drizzle continued to fall, and Chen Xuanyu remained obedient, not uttering a single word even though his face was swollen like a dog's head from the slap.

Chen Wenfang held his hand, and the two of them, wearing straw hats, walked along the path. Chen Xuanyu looked up at his mother's face, which was swollen just like his own, and asked with heartache, "Mom, does it hurt?"

Chen Wenfang forced an ugly smile and said, "It doesn't hurt, my sweetheart. Mom has thought it through. After we come back from Aunt Liu's house, no matter what happens, or anyone asks you a question, just pretend you didn't hear them. If they want to hold onto my clothes or have me hug them, and if anyone gets close to you, just say, 'Don't hit me, don't hit my mom.' Remember that."

Chen Xuanyu lowered his head and said seriously, "I've got it. So how long do I have to keep this up?"

Chen Wenfang sighed and said, "You can stop pretending when I tell you I'm fine."

Chen Wenfang gently stroked Chen Xuanyu's small hand and said, "Mommy killed someone. I don't know how the punishment is in this world, so I can only try my best to protect you. If something really happens to Mommy, you have to live a good life, okay?"

Chen Xuanyu sniffled and cried, "Mom, you won't get hurt. I want you to stay with me."

Chen Wenfang said earnestly, "I'm saying it's hypothetical. If something happens to Mom, Mom will bury the four silver ingots under the dandelions in the yard, one by one. The copper coins are in a jar under the stone in the chicken coop. As for the loose silver, you know where they are. Don't worry, Mom will do everything she can to make sure we're all okay. Don't be afraid."

Chen Xuanyu nodded through his tears, and Chen Wenfang said, "We're almost at Aunt Liu's house. Don't be afraid."

Aunt Liu's gate was open, and from a distance you could see her picking vegetables in the vegetable garden next door. Aunt Liu's fence was well-maintained, enclosing the vegetable garden, unlike Chen Wenfang's, whose yard was walled off from the vegetable garden.

Seeing Aunt Liu suddenly evoked a feeling of tenderness, as if she had someone to rely on. She felt a surge of emotion and almost cried. With a sob in her voice, Chen Wenfang grabbed her child and ran over, calling out, "Aunt Liu! Aunt Liu!"

Aunt Liu turned around and saw Chen Wenfang. She was terrified. "What happened, Fang'er? Oh my God, what happened?" Aunt Liu stopped picking the vegetables and turned around so fast that she knocked the vegetables she had picked to the ground. She pulled Chen Wenfang and tried to take her into the house, calling out as she pulled her along, "Ah Hai, Ah Hai, come quick! Our Fang'er has been bullied."

Hearing the shouts, Uncle Liu Hai came out with his knife. He was shocked to see the state of Chen Wenfang and her son and hurriedly asked, "Sister Chen, what happened to you?"

Chen Wenfang calmed down, but her body was still a little cold. She said in a trembling voice, "Uncle Liu, Aunt Liu, I... I killed someone. This morning, as soon as I opened the door, Wang Ximao suddenly tried to come in and rape me. I pushed the door open, but he grabbed Xuanzai. I was afraid he would hurt Xuanzai, so I tricked him into going into the room and stabbed him with a hairpin. I didn't expect him to die."

Uncle Liu Hai looked at Chen Wenfang's bruised and swollen face and bloodied hands. His gaze fell on the bruised and swollen marks on Chen Xuanyu's neck, and he couldn't bear to look at them. He said angrily, "He deserves to die. Fangmei, don't be afraid. Let your Aunt Liu go home to keep you company. Dazhuang and I will go find the village head. This matter isn't your fault. Don't be afraid. Even if the officials come, it's alright. Don't tell the officials that you lured him into the house. Just say that he rushed in and raped you, understand?"

Chen Wenfang nodded timidly. Uncle Liu Hai and Aunt Liu said, "After I leave, you go back with Chen's sister to keep her company. When the village chief comes later, don't tell anyone that Chen's sister came to find us. Just say that you went to her house and saw her."

He then said to Chen Wenfang, "Sister Chen, you go ahead first, and your Aunt Liu will be here soon."

Chen Wenfang nodded and went home on her own. After seeing Chen Wenfang walk away, Uncle Liu Hai said to Aunt Liu, "Take Shitou with you. If you see their footprints on the road, follow them." After saying that, he looked at the sky and said, "I hope God will help us and make the rain heavier."

Chen Wenfang returned home, changed into her blood-stained clothes, then into slippers, and then changed slippers for Chen Xuanyu. She washed the mud off the soiled straw sandals with water and left them under the eaves to get rained on, as if they hadn't been taken in from drying the sandals yesterday. She did the same with the straw hat, and then made one of Shangwen Wang Ximao's hands look like it was about to strangle someone, with its five fingers forming a claw, while its other hand covered its neck, like a vengeful ghost.

After arranging everything, Chen Xuanyu was told to urinate right at the doorway, getting soaked without changing his pants. Chen Wenfang left the courtyard gate and house door open, and the mother and son huddled on the bed, watching blankly. She also removed the cloth from Wang Ximao's head. Chen Xuanyu glanced at her, then snuggled into Chen Wenfang's arms; now he didn't need to pretend anymore. Chen Wenfang fiddled with the silver in her sleeve, waiting quietly.

Soon after, Aunt Liu arrived. Even though she had mentally prepared herself many times beforehand, Aunt Liu was still terrified when she entered the room. The overwhelming smell of blood mixed with the stench of urine, and the sight of Wang Ximao lying in a pool of blood with his eyes wide open and fierce, was terrifying. The worst part was that Wang Ximao's hand was still reaching upwards.

Aunt Liu covered Shitou's eyes with trembling hands and said, "Shitou, be good, can you go home by yourself?"

Shi Tou pried Liu's hands off, ignoring Wang Ximao on the ground, rushed into the room, shook Chen Xuanyu, and asked, "Xuanzi, how are you?" He hadn't been in the room earlier; he had gone to the back mountain with his brother to look at mushrooms. When he got home and heard that Xuanzi was in trouble, he insisted on coming with him.