Divorced woman with child travels through time

"Oh, these are Arabic numerals!"

"What's the use of this?" Wang Erniu asked with great interest.

"I'll explain later! Wait for me." Chen Wenfang made a calculation to sum up the number of people.

"Oh." Wang Erniu nodded slightly and stopped bothering her.

About half an incense stick's time had passed.

"Hmm, all done!" Chen Wenfang brushed her hair aside, picked up the wooden hairpin next to her, and crookedly inserted it.

“Look, I’ve got a general idea. More than 80% of the people in Youzhou City are poor. And when I went to the market, they didn’t even have sweet potatoes. Rice and flour are expensive here. When winter comes, won’t a lot of people starve to death? Those are human lives.”

Chen Wenfang took out the numbers she had compiled and wrote them down in capital letters to show him. Although she didn't quite understand why Beijing in the Song Dynasty was still on the map of the Song Dynasty, it was a good thing.

"It's that serious? About 80,000 people. How did you manage to get that many?" Wang Erniu waved the paper in his hand, astonished by his wife's superhuman abilities.

"I had my personal guards ask around in the neighborhood one by one, and then they could get a general idea." Chen Wenfang looked at the dark sky outside. It was only the end of August, but autumn was intensifying, and it was already quite cold.

Today, when they visited the slums, they discovered that the stories in the novels about people eating coarse food, wearing tattered clothes, and sharing a single bed were not just fantasies, but real occurrences. The two of them were so shocked that they couldn't continue reading.

"My wife is really capable!" Wang Erniu was still oblivious to her dejection, delighted by what he had in his hands, and pondered.

"Husband!" Chen Wenfang suddenly walked up to him, took his hand and said, "I want to do something, and I need your help."

"Of course, my wife, why don't you try to guess what I'm thinking? How accurate am I?" Wang Erniu grasped her hand in return, smiled, and pulled her to the mirror. He removed the wooden hairpin and used a cow horn comb to neatly comb her hair, bit by bit.

"Huh? No way, I think you guessed right." Chen Wenfang smiled, very pleased.

"My wife is so clever and capable!" Wang Erniu praised her sincerely as he put the wooden hairpin in her hair.

“My husband is capable too. He can comb hair and even fight and ride horses!” Chen Wenfang tilted her head to look in the mirror and praised him with a smile.

"Not at all, I can't ride a horse as well as you, my wife. Your riding skills are truly superb." Wang Erniu placed his hand on her shoulder, his eyes darkening, deliberately emphasizing the word "superb."

"Um, stop fooling around. I invited Mr. Lin over. It won't be good if he sees this later." Chen Wenfang blushed slightly and slapped away his hand that was about to cause trouble.

"Alright." Wang Erniu sat down obediently and looked at Lin Er, who was just arriving at the courtyard gate with his men.

"You're here? You didn't even tell me!" Wang Erniu turned his back and went around.

That tone was slightly sarcastic! Lin Er paused as he entered, glancing at Brother Nie, Zhang Biao, and Qi Shiliu, as if to say, "Doesn't the General know about the Madam's invitation to us?"

Everyone shook their heads in unison.

Lin Er was a little uneasy. Was it not good for the lady to do things behind the general's back? He turned his head and saw Brother Nie stride into the room in a generous manner. This room was the council hall, and the bedroom for the couple was behind it. So they often came here and were used to it.

"Greetings, Madam. Is there anything you need to tell us?" Brother Nie greeted her with clasped hands as he entered. He knew that Chen Wenfang was discreet and never spoke, so it must be difficult for her to do so.

Chen Wenfang calmly said, "I originally wanted to discuss it with you first, and then talk to the general when he returned tonight. But since the general is here, let's discuss it together."

Wang Erniu's smile returned; he knew his wife would never betray him.

After everyone took their seats, Chen Wenfang said earnestly, "These past few days, Sister-in-law Nie and I have traveled all over Youzhou City. I have to say, Youzhou City is truly poor. Rice and flour here are more than twice as expensive as in the south. And things like sweet potatoes, peanuts, and chili peppers have not been introduced at all. No one is farming them, and people's livelihoods are extremely difficult. You can't just fight the war and ignore the lives of the people below. Otherwise, the more you fight, the fewer people there will be. How can we live like this?"

Brother Nie and Zhang Biao exchanged a puzzled look, their helplessness only they knew. They didn't understand the value of rice and flour; all they ever thought about was fighting.

Qi Shiliu looked at her with adoration, completely agreeing with her.

Lin Er nodded thoughtfully. He guessed that the person Madam most wanted to invite was himself, but it was not appropriate to meet him alone, so she invited them all together.

The next second, Chen Wenfang asked him, "Mr. Lin, don't you think so?"

Lin Er stood up and bowed respectfully. "What Madam says is true. It is a blessing for the General that Madam can think this way."

Wang Erniu smiled and agreed.

"Of course, it's his good fortune to marry me, but let's not talk about that. I've thought of a way to boost the local economy and people's livelihoods, and I need your help and cooperation, otherwise it won't work!" Chen Wenfang waved his hand and said shamelessly.

Wang Erniu looked at her with doting eyes and silently nodded to Lin Er.

"Please speak, Madam! We will definitely give our full support!" Lin Er received the message and bowed with his hands clasped.

He must have truly come to agree. The general and his family don't seem to care much about power or money, but they are genuinely devoted to the people. This Madam Chen has been running around inside and outside these past few days, with the brothers of the Qi Battalion following her, asking questions from top to bottom. Their legs are almost broken from running around, but they are truly doing practical things.

"Good!" Chen Wenfang wanted just one sentence. "I've come up with a plan. You take care of the security, and I'll handle the rest. Brother Nie, you open up the trade routes and have them send large quantities of grain and sweet potato crops over. We need to plant winter wheat and clear land before winter so we can propagate cuttings in large quantities next year, which will lower grain prices and ensure the people's basic needs are met. That's the first point!"

"Secondly, I went to the West Market and found that it was mostly inhabited by poor people living in thatched huts and mud mounds. It's only the end of August now, but it's already chilly. Once winter comes, I'm afraid countless people will freeze to death. Because of the Liao people, the general has moved all the people outside the city into the city. Countless people are homeless, and there are people everywhere. If this continues, chaos will surely ensue."

Upon hearing this, Wang Erniu and Lin Er immediately sat up straight. What a huge oversight! The matter of settling these refugees was originally under Zhang Yuntai's jurisdiction, but he was an old rascal who neither cared about nor interfered, so they had both forgotten about it.

"Therefore, building a safe dwelling and providing charcoal for winter heating are urgent matters!" Chen Wenfang spoke clearly and deliberately, each word imbued with compassion. Wang Erniu looked at her and felt inexplicably dizzy. In this world, the kindest person was probably his wife.