Divorced woman with child travels through time

Aunt Liu praised, "Fang'er, you made a good pancake. It's just the right amount of saltiness."

Everyone laughed when they heard this; who praises someone like that?

Chen Wenfang smiled and said, "As long as it tastes good. Aunt Liu, eat more. You've had a long day, so you don't need to cook dinner. You can just steam the vegetables later."

Aunt Liu laughed and said, "Yes, it is indeed tiring."

Indeed, when it came to harvesting rice, everyone wore straw hats, long sleeves, and trousers, yet their faces, necks, and hands were still covered in red scratches. Add to that the scorching sun, their lips were chapped, and they were covered in dust. It was incredibly hard work.

After finishing their meal, everyone went to their rooms to rest for a while. When the afternoon sun was no longer so strong, they collected the rice straw and piled it next to the house, so that it could be used as firewood or for bedding and building the house later.

Then, after the rice ears have dried in the sun, a second batch is harvested. With strong sunlight, two days of sun-drying is usually sufficient.

Seeing that everyone had rested, Chen Wenfang took the child back to her own home. In the side room, she found the two sets of coarse clothes she had made for Zhao Lue, neatly folded and placed on the bed; nothing else had changed.

Chen Wenfang silently took the clothes and handed them to Chen Xuanyu, saying, "Zizai, take these clothes to Aunt Liu and tell her that Master has passed away and he doesn't want them anymore. The clothes are still quite new, so alter them and give them to Uncle Liu Hai to wear. Don't waste them."

Chen Xuanyu said "oh" and left after taking it.

Chen Wenfang sat on the kang (a heated brick bed), lost in thought for a while. She stood up, deciding to stop thinking about it. "So be it," she thought. "It's a pity I didn't leave any money."

With the money in hand, she went to Wangjiazhuang and ordered three more vats, as well as lids from Wang the carpenter. Aunt Chuntao beamed with joy upon receiving the deposit, readily agreeing. Surprisingly, no one in Wangjiazhuang pointed fingers at Chen's wife, whom they hadn't seen for months. Several even greeted her, suggesting the syrup attack had indeed been somewhat effective.

Three days after Aunt Liu and the others finished harvesting their rice, a huge downpour struck. Chen Wenfang even took her child to help with the harvest. It was truly a blessing from heaven; the rain only started after everyone had finished drying their rice.

A few days later, Aunt Chuntao's three water vats arrived. Chen Wenfang was surprised to see Wang Laizi and Wang Liutiao accompanying Aunt Chuntao and the others on the delivery. The two men seemed much more mature and composed, less greasy than before. Chen Wenfang paid them but didn't offer them water. Mainly, she didn't want to. She didn't particularly like these people.

Aunt Chuntao didn't say much. She was just glad to have received the money; after all, she was in business.

As the group walked back, Aunt Chuntao gave them their due wages. She then spoke privately to Wang Laizi and Wang Liutiao, saying, "See? Madam Chen is still a good person. She didn't treat you two differently because of Wang Ximao. It seems she doesn't hold a grudge against you. Just try to live a good life from now on."

The two men accepted the money, bowed their heads, and said no more.

Chen Wenfang took some time to check on the chili plant. It had produced several small chilies, which delighted her. She immediately asked Uncle Liu Hai to take good care of it, as she was counting on it for her future wealth. However, she didn't tell Uncle Liu Hai yet, just in case the plant died, so as not to disappoint them.

The sun flies by, and it's already mid-September. It's time to harvest the sweet potatoes. That morning, after breakfast, Chen Wenfang took a hoe and a basket and went with Chen Xuanyu to the vegetable garden next door.

Chen Wenfang didn't plant much, just three plots of land, since there were only two of them and they couldn't eat much. She propagated the sweet potatoes by cuttings from Aunt Liu's vines. But Chen Wenfang's land was close to the water and not far from her home, and since she had chicken manure fertilizer at home, she buried it in the ground, so the sweet potatoes grew exceptionally well. A few days ago, Chen Wenfang even dug up one vine; although the sweet potatoes weren't as big as those today, there were still quite a few.

Chen Wenfang dug out the sweet potatoes in front, and Chen Xuanyu followed behind, picking them out and throwing them into the basket.

Chen Xuanyu held up a sweet potato and said, "Mom, I want to eat one."

Chen Wenfang said, "They don't taste as good when they're freshly dug up; it's best to let them sit for a few days first."

Chen Xuanyu said, "I want to try it."

"Then take it back and wash it. Bring a knife over, and I'll peel it for you. You can only eat a little bit, or you'll get worms."

Chen Xuanyu happily ran home, washed the knife, and brought it with him.

Chen Wenfang peeled half of it for him in the field. Chen Xuanyu happily started eating it.

Chen Wenfang continued digging sweet potatoes. She had only dug half a plot when her basket was already overflowing, so she had to carry it back home. Chen Xuanyu followed, taking a few sweet potatoes with him.

Wow, this is so heavy! The basket is heavy too, and Chen Wenfang is having a hard time carrying it. Whenever she needs to exert herself, Chen Wenfang misses the advantages of having a man. Of course, when she doesn't need to exert herself, Chen Wenfang thinks it's great not having a man. Her previous life was so much better; there were so many machines, she could just use a motorcycle to tow it home. Or even a bicycle if all else failed. Chen Wenfang regrets not studying well enough; she's not a science or engineering student, otherwise she could have built a bicycle.

On the second trip, Chen Wenfang took a cloth bag to fill it. Chen Xuanyu followed suit and took a small cloth bag. The mother and son dug up a little at a time and carried it away, working all day until they had brought all the sweet potatoes home. After Zhao Lue left, Chen Wenfang took away the bed sheets and other things, and piled everything up in the side room as before. The sweet potatoes were no exception; after piling them up for a while, they would dry in the shade and then become slightly damp, making them especially sweet for making dried sweet potatoes.

The day had exhausted the mother and daughter. Their hands were covered in blisters, their backs ached, and for dinner they simply cooked a pot of rice and steamed a plate of cured meat on top, without even stir-frying any vegetables. They both ate two bowls of rice. After eating, they washed up and went to bed. They noticed the water tank was almost empty, but Chen Wenfang was too lazy to fetch any more. She thought she'd do it tomorrow. Or perhaps she should just dig a well; it would be much more convenient. Even though it was someone else's house, she'd lived there for so long, and digging a well would be a token of gratitude to Wang Erniu. Lost in thought, Chen Wenfang drifted off to sleep.