Divorced woman with child travels through time

Jinmei's wife, who had a rather large face, angrily said, "What kind of attitude is that? We wouldn't have come if you hadn't begged us to learn."

Chen Wenfang became even angrier and said, "Then you can leave." Then she stopped talking.

The young wives who had been arguing looked at each other. What should they do? Should they really leave?

"That won't do. My mother-in-law will scold me when we get back." The group remained silent, neither leaving nor saying a word.

It's just a stalemate.

There was no other way, so Wang Youshu's wife, Chahua, who had come with them, tried to smooth things over, saying, "Oh dear, we're all here to learn, let's not quarrel. Madam Chen, please wait here, we'll go dig up some grass roots. Come on, come on."

Camellia urged everyone to go out and dig up the roots of thatch grass. Chen Wenfang remained silent and waited at home with Aunt Liu.

After a while, the group washed the dug-up cogon grass roots and showed them to Chen Wenfang.

Chen Wenfang went up to check each basket and found that some of them contained different roots and stems. She picked them out and pointed to them, saying, "These are edible things. You need to look carefully. I don't even recognize what these things you dug up are mixed in with. If you don't distinguish them properly, and something poisonous or something, don't blame me if someone dies from eating them."

The group looked at each other, startled, and lowered their guard, no longer saying a word.

Chen Wenfang continued, "You must distinguish between the grass and the stem of the cogongrass root. Don't dig the wrong one. If you really can't tell, you can wash it and taste it yourself. Its stem is sweet. Only sweet things can be made into syrup. The unused roots and stems can also be used to feed cattle and chickens."

After explaining the process, they were allowed to choose the cogon grass roots they had dug up themselves, and then bring them to Chen Wenfang for another inspection.

After inspecting the cogon grass roots, Chen Wenfang took the cogon grass roots that Aunt Chunxing, who was in her fifties, had dug up.

The reason I took hers was because, although she was older, she handled things the cleanest.

Chen Wenfang took it and cut it carefully, saying as she cut, "This needs to be cleaned thoroughly. Although it's not good to eat too much sand, it's best not to eat it at all, as it can easily break your teeth."

Everyone laughed after hearing this; this Mrs. Chen was quite amusing.

When the pot of water was boiling, Aunt Liu liked how Chen Wenfang got along well with everyone, so she offered to help watch the fire.

Chen Wenfang explained as she cooked. She was very thorough, and everyone felt that Madam Chen was genuinely trying to teach them. Looking at her still-bruised face, they didn't find her so frightening anymore, and they grew closer to her.

After the syrup was made, everyone took a bite with a chopstick and their faces lit up with surprise. It was so sweet!

Chen Wenfang said with a smile, "This jar of syrup doesn't cost much. You just need to be diligent and dig some firewood from the mountain to make it. Other towns don't make this yet, so you can sell it elsewhere. A jar normally sells for fifty coins, but if it's not made very well, you can sell it for thirty or forty coins. If all else fails, you can buy it as a snack for the children. I'm a mother myself, and I can't bear to see the children craving it, so I made this. I'm an outsider, and I don't ask for much. I just hope that the children will have more playmates in the future."

Everyone in the house had children, and when Chen Wenfang mentioned this, they all chimed in, "My son, Shuiniu, will play with Xuanzai. I'll have him come over to play with your child often in the future."

"My Huang Gu will also come to play with him..."

"My Zhimin is here too..."

Chen Wenfang smiled and said, "Then I thank you on behalf of the children. You can also teach this method to your relatives and friends. Who doesn't have children? Right?"

"Yes, yes, Madam Chen is such a good person," Aunt Chunxing said gratefully.

Chen Wenfang smiled and said, "Of course, of course. You can take the rest back and do it according to the method I taught you."

"You can keep these, Madam Chen, so you won't have to dig them up again." Everyone insisted on leaving the dug grass roots for Chen Wenfang.

Chen Wenfang feigned anger and said, "Are you trying to work me to death? I won't do it. Go back now, my hands are about to break from making the syrup."

After saying that, he stretched out his hand and said, "Look at this."

Suddenly noticing the marks on her hands, she realized what was happening, quickly hid her hands, and shooed everyone away, saying, "Alright, alright, you've all learned it. Hurry up and go home, the kids at home are waiting for candy."

Seeing Chen Wenfang's reaction, everyone guessed that she was thinking about something sad again, so they didn't say anything and said goodbye to her one by one.

Chen Wenfang didn't want to keep them, so she saw them off. However, Aunt Xinghua insisted on leaving the jar of syrup she had made, saying it was a thank-you gift for teaching her how to make the dessert. After Chen Wenfang repeatedly declined, she accepted it.

As everyone left Chen Wenfang's house, on the way, Jin Mei, the young wife with a slightly large face, said, "Actually, Madam Chen is really a good person. She doesn't keep such a good method to herself."

The other two young wives who had been arguing at the time, Liu Ye and Qing Cao, chimed in, "Madam Chen is really a good person, and she has a good temperament too."

"Yes, that Wang Ximao deserves to die, he deserves it."

"That's right, that's right. If Madam Chen is gone, who will teach us how to make syrup? Every decent person wants to keep her around to make money."

“That’s right. She also taught us how to sell in other towns. And let me tell you, if you do it well, you can make fifty coins a jar. My husband only makes thirty coins a day.”

"One jar costs fifty, ten jars cost five hundred, my goodness, twenty jars cost a string of cash!" A young woman who had learned a little arithmetic suddenly felt that she was going to be rich.

"One string of cash??? My God, really? Hurry home and try making it."

"Go, go, go," the group quickly dispersed and went home.